War in Europe, Putin invades the Ukraine while we all watch in fear and the stories of our week.

 Sunday 27th February 2022

Photo of the week, me with a smile on my face in one of my favourite locations, Niembro

Dear all,

How has your week been?  On the world scene, this was the week Putin invaded the Ukraine. But no doubt you already know that. This is Europe's darkest moment since WW2. Putin has gone mad and is on a mission to demiliarise and "denazify" the Ukraine which he claims is historically Russian. His main fear that the Kiev government joins Nato. For weeks tension increased on the Ukraine border where he mobilised up to 200.000 troops. For weeks peace keeping talks took place but in vain. Joe Biden, no doubt with up to the minute info from the CIA, took him seriously and warned an invasion was coming any time. He was right, the time came on 24th February 2022, a date that will go down in history. The repercussions are not just for the Ukrainanian people but for the whole world. 

As to us, well this week brought a change. On Monday we left for our house in Asturias, the first time we have been since October. We left Lucy to hold the fort with FT hidden away in "his" room and a house full of guests first from Finland and then from France. Bookings are on the up. 

Last Sunday was quiet for us but it wasn't for Buckingham Palace PR staff. They issued a press release to tell the world HM The Queen had tested positive for Covid. Bless her I thought. Aged 95, this is not a good thing. However we were told her symptoms were mild and that she would carry on working but carrying out light duties. 

BP announced last Sunday that the Queen had tested positive for Covid

My goodness. Amazing that at her age she has to work still. Wouldn't it be great if politicians and royalty could also retire at around 65? If that were so though, her son the Prince of Wales whom she caught Covid from would be on the throne. Well, actually he would have retired too and it would be his son William and wife Kate who would be King and Queen (Consort) of my home country.  Well, that's a thought. But, I, like the vast majority, never want to see that happen. If only the Queen could carry on forever. Whether you are for or against royalty I am sure nearly everyone in the world appreciates the British Monarchy because of the Queen and the Queen alone. 

Covid is still very prevalent in the UK, otherwise maybe HM would not have caught it.  So why, oh why is Boris Johnson announcing the end of all Covid restrictions? I really don't get it. Do you? I don't get why old Boris the clown is still in power either, do you? I mean after his appalling behaviour just no one believes in him anymore or almost no one. Yet he is still there, hanging on. He has important topics to deal with that could distract the news of partygate but then who is listening on the world stage when he talks about the Russia Ukraine crisis?  No, the real statesman here is his French counterpart (ouch Brexit) Emmanuel Macron, who last Sunday spent 3 hours on the phone to Putin trying to work out a diplomatic solution to an imminent invasion of Russia's neighbour. It was Macron who orchestrated a summit to be held in person with Putin and Biden - that actually never happened. Could Johnson have managed that? No. It seems that Putin only listens to Macron from the Western Powers but could the Frenchman prevent war? No. In the end Putin played with him too. No one could with that madman in the driving seat. The world watched as Russia gathered the biggest military display on the Ukraine border along with Belarus (God forbid) since anything seen since WW2. I personally thought last week that it would never happen. But my thoughts went back to my father's opinion of an impending war when he visited Berlin in 1938. Ever the optimist he told me that although Nazi signs were everywhere, he said  "I thought it would all blow over". Well, it didn't did it. 

Life here was very very quiet - not unlike a phony war. Spain is far away from Russia and the Ukraine but repercussions will hit the whole world for sure. We may have to prepare for a cyber world attack from evil Putin and who knows what else. For sure this invasion is not only going to affect the Ukraine, it is going to affect the whole world in some way or other. Already high power prices soared the day after the invasion and soon some will find it too expensive to fill their tank or warm their homes. 

But it was all quiet on the Western Front here.  On the home front, our day was without event. It wasn't though for little Elliot who is not yet 2 and a half. He is a great fan of the comic series set in Wales called Fireman Sam. So he was delighted when his family was invited to a real fire station where one of the parents from the school works as a Spanish firefighter. If Elliot could talk properly and I asked him what he wants to be when he grows up, no doubt right now he would say a fireman. I hope he doesn't choose that profession. I really do. But I was happy to see him enjoying his outing with other children. Here are some photos Oli and Miguel sent us where we could see Elliot being Fireman Sam for one day bless him. 

Elliot - Fireman Sam for one day

For us it was an extremely quiet day with nothing to report really. We did not see or hear our squatter Felipe Turover who had not left his room since Friday. I seriously wondered whether he had taken his life. Why did I think that? Well, there was a precedent when a few weeks back he drank alcohol and took an over dose and then later he admitted to me had tried to commit suicide. With all the pills he has available he could do that any time. Was he having me on or was he serious? Those were my thoughts last Sunday. Both Eladio and I agreed if by Monday noon he hadn't left his room we would knock on his door. The consequences for us if he had taken his life were more than terrible. I was glad then that I had warned both the police and his doctor of my worries. So, even though I tried to keep him out of my mind I couldn't help thinking every now and again whether he was dead or alive. Damn the man for spoiling our lives.

Monday came and I got a sudden reservation for a group of 6 young men coming from Finland to our house for 3 nights. They would leave on Thursday and another group, this time, 6 women from France, were coming for the weekend. As we had no appointments of any kind this week, it was the perfect opportunity to go away for a few days leaving capable Lucy in charge. It was on Monday morning we knew FT was alive as a letter arrived for him with some legal heading. I guessed it was to inform him he had been assigned a pro bono lawyer. I didn't want to make our journey public so there was no news this week about our trip on my social media pages. But now I can say it as we are going home today.

We left late at around 12.30 and  stopped once for a late coffee at about 13 and then a not particularly good lunch in Simancas - home to most of Spain's old archives. We were in El Cuetu after 6 I think because I didn't look at my watch. There was Loli our neighbour and the person who looks after the house waiting to greet us and to show us the new door. We loved it. Finally there are no gaps at the bottom for cold to seep in and now there is more light in the house because of the 2 panes in the upper half of the new stable door. Oh, I do love stable doors don't you? Loli had put on the heating in the morning but it was rather cold I have to say. Outside the temperature was mild though. It took 2 days for the house to warm as the central heating here is pretty outdated. 

It took us a while to settle in and at about 8 pm we were sitting down to dinner - a simple tuna fish salad. Later we watched the news - Russia had not yet invaded the Ukraine - and watched a silly war film about General Patton in Africa fighting Rommel the Desert Fox. We both are avid fans of WW2 genre films and series but are not familiar with the war fought in Africa. Later I turned to the far more entertaining Line of Duty. I was interrupted by our guests arriving from Finland. I had to talk to the guest who had booked, a young man called Ihaab - not a very Finnish name - who asked if they could use the pool! I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing. I suppose anyone from Finland thinks pools in Spain are open all year. They aren't. Public pools are open only from the middle of June to the middle of September. Ours being private is open from April or May to October but NOT in February. The next day the temperature would rise to 20ºc which I suppose is high for Fins but not for Spaniards. Ihaab later wrote to ask if he could use my car and offered to pay. Again I was astounded. Of course he can't. I don't lend my car to anyone, besides it is not insured for third party drivers. Oh dear I hoped this wouldn't be the beginning of difficult guests while we were away.

 I fell asleep very late and was up on Tuesday morning at 715. I woke up in Asturias and it felt strange but pleasant. We had got away from it all finally but not from world events. 

What was really strange about Tuesday 22nd February 2022 was the significance of the numbers of the date: 22022022. It can be read as the same both from left to right and from right to left which means it is a palindrome. But, it can also be read up upside down, something known as an "ambigram" - a word I had never heard of. 

A very significant date

For numerologists this date meant connection and love or something similar and couples in China scrambled to get married on Tuesday. 

But there was no love or connection on the Russo Ukraine border.  Instead there was bad news that day. In the Ukraine the pro Russian rebel areas of Luhansk and Donetsk were declared independent! 

This was the perfect excuse for Putin to send troops there after having recognised the rebel states as independent. He said he was sending in peacekeeping troops.  Why then was he sending blood reserves to his troops on the border; only because war is or was pending? The West reacted with threats of sanctions but I fear they will not be enough. In a way I thought Putin would only send troops to these areas to support the pro Russian rebels but I was wrong. He is after much bigger fish; the whole of the Ukraine. He wants to topple the pro west Kiev government and put a puppet leader in its place. 

In Spain after the scandal of the war between the opposition party leadership - Pablo Casado vs the President of the Madrid region, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, dubbed by the British press as the "Spanish Thatcher" - his right hand man, Teodoro Garcia Egea resigned and there were all the signs Casado himself would do so. The next day he made a goodbye speech in Parliament and next week there will be a big party conference to decide who is to replace him. All bets are on a man called Alberto Núñez Fiejóo. I would prefer to see a woman leading the party but it won't happen. .The news programmes in Spain can't get enough of it. But I am beginning to tire of the story which I reckon will go on for weeks. 

But we didn't have to think about this or about the troubles in The Ukraine as we were back in our lovely house in the mountains in the divinely green area of Asturias on Spain's north coast often called The Green Coast. It was to be a sunny day and ours for the taking. That felt good. 

Our house in the sun

By the time we were ready to leave it was around 11 o'clock. We headed for the beautiful seaside town of Llanes, one we have come to know very well. It's quite upmarket in this area and very unspoiled. I could live there I love it so much. As usual we parked near the town beach, El Sablón and I was lured there as soon as I got out of the car. It was warm enough to sit on the beach but not to swim as the sea was rough. I loved watching the waves.

Eladio and Pippa by the Sablón beach in Llanes on Tuesday morning

Once we'd had our fill of that beautiful scene, we headed to the centre via the castle and old paved streets to the main square, one of our favourites; Plaza Sobrino Parres. Countless Spanish films have been filmed here as it it like time has not passed. We had coffee at La Galerna like we always do and sat in the sunshine enjoying the coffee and just being where we were as well as appreciating the moment.

Coffee (Fika) at La Galerna on Tuesday 

The danger or the advantage of having coffee at La Galerna is the temptation to go to the lovely butcher gourmet store called Aramburu opposite the cafe. I cannot resist it and that day spent the most I have ever have at that enticing shop.

Irresistible Aramburu

Everything it sells is of the highest quality and I can't resist quality when it comes to food. There I purchased Iberian ham, "cecina" (a sort of braseola), fish mousse (pastel de cabracho), meat pie, sardines, free range eggs, cheese for Eladio as well as the best kind of chorizo. I felt happy with my purchases knowing we would be enjoying loving dinners from shopping at Aramburu.

We then went in search of a photography shop. I have long wanted to replace a tacky painting of a horse in the lounge here - all the decoration was inherited and some of it is tacky. I wanted to replace it with a photo of the Torimbia beach. So I got the photo enlarged. The problem now is finding a frame but we will.

This is the photo by the way. I know it's good quality as it was chosen by RTVE for a competition. We would revisit that lovely beach the next day. It is famous for being a nudist beach but no one in their right mind would be bathing there in February or so I thought. 

This enlarged photo will soon be framed and hung in our lounge here. Playa de Torimbia

We still had time that morning for our walk and the most obvious choice was the Paseo de San Pedro above the town and Sablón beach. It is one of my favourite walks in the world and whoever designed it should get a prize. 

Eladio on the Paseo San Pedro walkway on Tuesday

We had had a wonderful carefree morning but it was getting late and time for lunch. We had our meal at about 3.15 - some leftovers I had brought from home and then rested but just for a while. It gets dark here at 7 pm and as it was a sunny day we wanted to make the most of it. Thus at around 5.45 we set off for another lovely spot we like and discovered on our last visit here - the village of Niembro with its pretty church, Our Lady of Sorrows on the beach where the sea is more like a fjord. What a wonderful spot. We caught the last of the sun and it was magic to be there. The feature photo is of me across the way from the church. We had the place to ourselves and with such scenery all my troubles seemed to waste away and I was feeling good with the world.

We walked to the end of the road that led to a tiny port and there we climbed up a small hill to get a view of the ocean at sunset. What a wonderful moment. Talk about peace and beauty all wrapped up in one. That's what if felt like.

The sea at sunset near Niembro

We then walked all the way back and across the beach to the little 18th century chapel. What is attractive there is the cemetery if you are into cemeteries. I'm not but am fascinated with this one where the tombs lie on a promontory as if they were on the sea itself. Some of them are very fine and some even have their own chapels. Spanish period series have been filmed here such as El Abuelo and La Señora. I am not surprised. It is a place where time seems to have stood still. There was  angrave for sale and I suggested to Eladio that it would be a lovely place to be buried not that I want to be buried any time soon hahahahah.

At 7, as expected, the sun set and we headed home. Dinner was delicious and easy to serve. Aramburu always comes up trumps. Then it was time for the news and more stories on Spanish politics and Putin's antics in the Ukraine.

That night it took me a while to sleep but for once I was at peace.

Wednesday came and it would be another sunny day and ours for the taking again. We felt happy and privileged and worry free, unless our thoughts turned to our squatter but I was determined he was not going to spoil my mood. That day we headed to Niembro again to the Torimbia beach I wrote about above. We parked on the cliff above it and admired the views of both sides, the Torimbia beach on the left and the smaller Toronda beach on the right. Wow I kept thinking. I cannot get enough of the scenery of this beautiful and rugged coast. There was hardly anyone in sight - the advantage of visiting in February and again we had the place to ourselves literally. I hate crowds so that suited me fine. I took tons of photos and here are two of the best; one of each of us as there was no one to take a photo of the two of us and selfies are not my forte. 

On the cliffs above the beautiful beach of Torimbia

We didn't walk to the end as it was quite a distance but instead walked to the top of the cliffs. We could have walked all the way down but the path was more suitable for goats and my knee was  not up to it as I have a torn meniscus. 

There was nowhere near for our "fika" (mid morning coffee) so we drove back to our nearest town, Posada de Llanes. We both commented it is not exactly "God Forsaken" but has few saving graces. What it does have is a pleasant town square and that is where we sat in the sun and had our coffee. I also went into the very good butchers there to get some prime steak for our lunch one day and into the ironmongers to get some decent kitchen knives.

We were home on time for a healthy lunch of fish with "padrón" green peppers. The afternoon was quiet and only interrupted by David the local carpenter who had made our new door. We have now asked him to make a coffee table out of the old door. I like that idea; preserving the past.

I was up late mesmerised by season 3 of Line of Duty - one of the best - and didn't dare look at my phone to see what time it was when I finally hit the sack.

I woke up on Thursday morning to the terrible news. A few hours earlier, Putin had invaded the Ukraine. So what we were all fearing had finally happened. Of course he was serious if he had gathered up to 200.000 troops on the border of the Ukraine. There was no other news that day. While the madman ordered troops to attack military infrastructure from all fronts and with all his military strength, there was not much the Ukrainian army could do in response. The problem here is that the Ukraine does not belong to NATO so there will be no military support from the west in the country. All the West can do is send military supplies and impose draconian sanctions on Russia. Putin doesn't seem to be afraid of the sanctions, however drastic they are. So the world just watched as the Ukraine was invaded and did little else. The Russians have done it again. When my mother was pregnant with me, she always told me about the Hungarian uprising in 1956 - I was born in 1957 and how it horrified her. I was 11 when the Prague uprising happened and again the Russians went in. I remember too how my mother took in a Czech family who had fled. They stayed in our house for free for many months. Now there will be many Ukrainian refugees fleeing their country. I hope there will be a lot of people like my mother to help them because help they need. I cannot believer there is a full scale war in Europe in 2022.

War or no war life continued quietly here in Asturias. It seemed so far away but it isn't. What if after the Ukraine, Putin goes for the Baltic states or comes knocking on the doors of the rest of Europe? It could happen. Meanwhile cyber attacks rocked the Ukraine and fuel prices, already high, soared in the rest of the world.

It was supposed to rain here on Thursday and although it was cloudy it did not rain. We went shopping to the local supermarket for basic household supplies for future guests. We had coffee in Posada and then drove to Llanes to get money out of the hole in the wall to pay the carpenter. 

In Llanes by the port on Thursday

We had time on our hands and decided to explore the other side of of the coast of Llanes towards the Toró beach. That day the sea was quite rough and I just loved watching the waves hit the rocks and cliffs and the sound of the ocean. 

The sea was rough on Thursday

On that side of the town we discovered a beautiful coastal path and road which we shall be returning to as we loved it so. 

That day we had lunch out. We went to a place in Poó (unfortunate name but pretty village) called Xagarda which looked popular. It was and the food was good and so were the prices. I went for the local bean stew: fabada. Eladio had the menu of the day.

The rest of our day was spent quietly until 7 pm. At that time I had a video call with a friend from the past; Mark A. He was part of the Bradford Grammar School crowd and from my group of friends. I hadn't seen him since we were at University - more than 40 years. We had so much to catch up on. Our call made my day. It was great to talk to you Mark. Really great. It was good to pick up from where we had left off after all these years. But childhood friendships can be very strong and we met in our formative years, years never to be forgotten. Mark used to play rugby for the 1st XVI and we would go and watch him play at the BGS playing fields at the weekend. Being a big guy, he was the perfect doorman for my parties, something we both well remembered. He also remembered my brother playing the piano when he and Simon, Chris, Andy and Tim had a band. He remembered it was at Eldwick Hall. I have vague memories of that. Wonderful.

We chatted for ages until I ran our of battery. We had a quick dinner and then plumped by the TV to watch the recap of the day on the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. The news was chilling to say the least.

Friday came. News from the Ukraine was worldwide. Just one look at the front page of The Times sent shivers down my spine.

Olena Kurilo the symbol of the conflict

The photo is of a teacher called Olena Kurilo. With a bandage on her head and blood on her face, she survived an attack on her home in Chuhuiv in Ukraine's Kharkov (Russian) or Kharkiv (Ukrainian) region. Her photo is one of the most striking of the conflict. So yes Russia was targeting military objectives but it also hit civilians. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians tried to flee the country but not men aged between 18 to 60 who have all been called up to fight the Russians and fight they did. There are many stories of heroism and the Ukrainian Army until Saturday morning at least held the Russians off. But for how long? If the Russians want they could wipe the face of the Ukraine off the world. So why doesn't Nato intervene? First the Ukraine does not belong to the alliance and second if it did it would be all out war between Russia and the 30 members of NATO. One of Putin's main reasons to invade is to stop the Ukraine from joining. Putin went as far this week as threatening Finland and Sweden not to join either. But will he stop at the Ukraine or will he continue and attack the Baltic states, also a former part of the USSR? If he does that then NATO will have to intervene as they are part of the alliance. It is all looking terribly grim. 

Far away here in the north of Spain everything was quiet and again the day was ours for taking. We had some good news when we heard the trial is on 17th March and that the eviction date remains the same, 4th April. We can live with that. It was good news and added a spring in our step on our way to the Picos de Europa - Peaks of Europe, the famous mountain range near our house - just 15km away or so. We had long wanted to visit the tiny village of Bulnes which gives the name to the highest mountain here  - 2.519 metres. The only access apart from mountain paths to the heart of the peaks is via cable car. I wondered how on earth the small group of villagers go about their life with no road access. We arrived early in Poncebos, 8km from Arenas de Cabrales. There were some cars but plenty of room. Try coming here in July or August and it would be impossible.

Entrance to the cable car 

It is an 8 minute ride and dogs have to wear a muzzle or go in the crate provided. Pippa hated the crate but I sat right in front of her all the way to reassure her all was ok. She was much happier when we got to Bulnes.

Pippa was happier outside than in the cable car

We thought the cable car would take us to the middle of the village but no and it's a 5 minute walk on a stone path. The scenery is amazing although being winter there was no green. The sheer rock mountains are very imposing.

Walking into Bulnes from the cable car

The village is tiny with about 3 or 4 people living there all year round. 

In the tiny isolated but pretty village of Bulnes on Friday 

It obviously comes to life in the summer as there were plenty of hostels and bars. Only one was open but the coffee machine needed heating up. We heard there was another part of the village a 10 minute walk up the mountains so off we went. But we made a huge mistake and took the wrong path. We must have walked up a path suitable only for goats that got steeper and steeper until we realised we were on the wrong one. So we walked down the best we could. 

Once back in the village we were able to have our coffee - very late at about 1.30. At 2 we caught the cable car back to Poncebos and then drove home for a very late lunch.

We did not leave the house again until Saturday morning.

By Saturday Russian troops were in Kiev. The Ukrainian resistance is amazing. But soon there will be street fighting, guerrilla warfare and blood on the streets. The streets are mostly empty as many citizens have left. Those who haven't seek shelter in the metro. My heart goes out to them.

Saturday was our last day here and we spent it quietly. Yesterday morning we did some shopping in Posada and then went to have coffee in Llanes. The highlight of the day was a walk on the Paseo de San Pedro. It was sunny and there were people on the beach but it was too cold for us.

Today we shall be leaving and don't know when we will be back. I hope it is soon. I also hope our journey home is uneventful and that all is well at home.

All the best until next week,

Cheers Masha.