Sunday 27th March, 2022
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| It was great to have Suzy back for a week and also lovely to see her reunited with her nephew and niece. She's gone now but we hope to see her soon again. |
Dear all. I hope this blog post finds you well when you read the stories of this week. This week I got Covid which was inevitable as both Eladio, Lucy and Miguel got it last week. So far, Olivia has resisted. On Thursday Miguel tested negative for the second time and on Friday Eladio and Lucy also tested negative. I still have it but very mildly, thank goodness. Covid 19 started now over 2 years ago and I really had begun to think I was invincible. But I am not. In most countries restrictions have been lifted but the virus has by no means gone. The only good thing is that thanks to vaccines most people only get a mild version of Covid. It is not as dangerous as it used to be and we shall probably be living with it always.
The Russian army is not proving invincible either as the war goes into its 5th week since the invasion on that fatal day 24th February last. So far more than 3.5 million refugees have left the country. As to the casualties, many of them have been civilians showing just how barbaric Putin is. There have also been numbers leaked of Russian soldier casualties which go from 7000 to over 9000. If this is true, then it is the Russian Army's worst loss at war since WW2. So far the Ukranians are resisting despite Russia's scorched earth policy, bombing towns such as Mariupol to almost complete destruction. Surprisingly though on Friday an announcement from Moscow put a different light on the war in a sudden change of plans. It was stated that the first part of the "special military operation" had been accomplished" (I'm damned if it has) and that the Russian Army would now focus on the "liberation" of the Donbas region. How are we supposed to interpret this and can we even believe it? I think this is a way of saying but not wanting to admit that the war on the whole of Ukraine has not gone well for them. As to taking Donbas and keeping Crimea, I only hope they have another think coming. Ukrainians are going to hate Russians to the end of time. That's what Putin has achieved. Troops in Russia are not having a good time. Each day must be horrific as they realise their Ukrainian brothers are never going to meet them with flowers but with more bombs while they freeze and run out of rations.
Last Sunday was not a good day. It should have been as last Sunday 20th March was apparently "International Happiness Day". I didn't feel happy, rather a bit miserable and irritable. That was owing to the terrible night I had with Elliot. I reckon I only slept a couple of hours. He woke up fine and walked down the steps on his own. He came into the kitchen with a big smile on his lovely little face and he made me happy in that moment. Later his parents came for him and then stayed all day. If you don't have grandchildren you don't have to suffer baby paraphernalia or sticky fingers and stinky nappies. It reminds me of when we were young parents with our baby girls.
I was in desperate need of a walk and even though I didn't feel up to it we went as I really needed it. While on the walk the girls (Olivia 36 and Suzy 37) had a go at the family albums and came up with some priceless photos mostly dated around 1987 when I was about 29 and Eladio was about 43. The girls were 1 and 2 and 2 and 3 in some of the photos. What treasures they came up with. That certainly took me back to the time we were young parents, to times gone by. I realised just how Elliot looks like his mother when she was his age. One of the photos Oli shared was of him on a horse. I actually thought it was a bad photo of Elliot on a horse. But no, it was my younger daughter. He is the spitting image of her; like mother like son. If she hadn't got out these pictures I don't think we would have realised just how alike he is to when she was a baby.
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| This was Olivia aged about 2. |
Below is a recent one of Elliot where you can see he looks just like her. Amazing.
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| Elliot is the spitting image of his mother at his age. |
Oli sent us some more treasures. One was a rare one with my parents, the girls (Oli posing just how Elliot often does), my darling Aunty Masha and a very young me. My parents must have been about my age now in that photo.
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| A rare photo with my parents, Aunty Masha and our girls when they were babies. Circa 1987 |
There was one too of both girls. They are wearing some new "Yorkshire" branded aprons I think I still have. There again Oli looks just like Elliot.
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| Suzy (left) and Oli (right in the white apron) in about 1987 or 1988 |
Seeing Oli and Miguel today dealing with two small babies does not make me nostalgic for those days as they were difficult times. Of course we adored our children but babies are a handful and we had virtually no help whatsoever. Later we took in au pairs and I have encouraged Oli to do the same but she stubbornly refuses. It's understandable then that she is permanently tired. I remember that feeling.
In fact I felt just that when we returned from our walk. I also had a headache and funnily enough a back ache which I blame on the mattresses I slept on that night. They are too hard for me. Thus I took to our own bed and later sent Eladio to sleep in Oli's room as he had Covid then. I took a paracetamol but was not able to sleep. I did in the end when I took a sleeping tablet and was able to sleep from 3.30 to 5.30. The family had all had lunch without me which made me feel guilty but I swear I was so shattered I couldn't leave the bed until 5.30. Probably that's the day I caught Covid.
I then joined the family.
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| Olivia, Elliot and sweet little Juliet at our house last Sunday |
All of Elliot's toys as well as many of my ornaments which he keeps breaking were all over the place as were the imprints of sticky fingers and the odd broken biscuit. It was all so chaotic. As I am a bit OCD about tidiness I set about clearing up - no mean job. Elliot had tea at our house but not Oli and Miguel who left at about 9 pm. They couldn't find the car keys so took my Mini which has one baby car seat. So far they haven't found them.
That night it was just Suzy, Eladio and I at home - I do not count "he who shall not be mentioned" (hwsnbm). In any case he didn't leave the house all weekend, thank goodness .Roll on 30th March, the day he has supposedly agreed to leave. Will he I wonder?
Suzy and Eladio had some dinner which got cold while Oli and Miguel searched for their car keys. That was when I made my disappearing act and went upstairs to my room to sleep on my bed. Sleep freedom was amazing. That night was the best night's sleep I have had in ages. By the way, before switching off the light, worried I might have Covid because of my "fatigue" that day, I took a lateral flow test. It was negative again making me feel smug as if I was invincible. I later learned I am not.
I woke up on Monday to rain. It was actually 21st March, supposedly the first day of spring but it didn't feel like it. We had more bad news that day. Lucy rang to say she also had Covid. Thankfully, she was feeling fine. Who were not feeling fine were Oli and Miguel. Both of them had the "runs" a sort of gastroenteritis which they reckoned they got from Juliet in one way or another. I felt sorry for them but there was not much we could do.
In fact I didn't do much at all that day. It was spent lazily and leisurely. I really think this is because I desperately need to catch up on my sleep or lack of it and also wind down after the horrible episode in our lives. Felipe Turover has not yet gone so his presence does not allow us to get on with our lives as normal but we now know he will be gone this week coming or at the latest on 4th April.
I was pleased to receive from Oli, through our lawyers, a sentence from the judge after the trial on 17th March, a date I shall never forget. I loved reading the bit "I condemn FT to leave the house.....". So it wasn't just a settlement out of court, it was a sentence. We also amazingly got the injunction; that is him leaving on 30th. We never expected that so in the end the judicial outcome was completely in our favour. If only it hadn't taken 6 months. It was so obvious he was in the wrong so why did it take so so much time?
If the 17th March is etched in my mind, 24th February is etched in all Ukrainians' minds; the day Putin invaded their country. We are now into the 5th week of the war; a war of attrition in many ways as Russia destroys everything in its wake but the Ukrainians resist. Seeing the 90% destroyed city of Mariupol, reminds us all of Aleppo except that Mariupol is in Europe and that scares us. More sanctions were imposed on Russia, peace talks are not working, so Putin intensified his bombing of this country not caring that civilians die while doing so. He is doing so because the war is not going well for him. He thought he would win it in 3 days. He was wrong. He has been labeled a war criminal and that's what he is. He is committing genocide, just as Hitler did. He is today's Hitler and it annoys me intensely we can't do more about it. Sanctions will continue but they are not enough to stop him. Ukrainians are being supplied with military equipment but no country is sending troops to help. Frustrating doesn't begin to describe it. I always said I would have loved to be a war correspondent. I am too old for that now but if I was younger I would be out there reporting. I admire all those who have flocked altruistically to the borders to help the refugees or even into the country to fight alongside Ukraine nationals. That reminds me so much of the International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War. That dreadful war also caused a huge exodus of refugees.
By the middle of this week 3.6 million people had left the country; most of them women as men from 18 to 60 have to fight. Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe and has a population of 44 million. Those who have not left yet either can't get out or they are too infirm to be moved. Many are without the basics for living, water, food, electricity, not to mention mobile phone coverage. Without that they are cut off from the world but we know about their suffering thanks to very brave journalists covering the war.
Tuesday came and I realised that "he" had not left his room for 4 whole nights since Friday. I could not hear anything inside his room and once again began to worry he may have committed suicide. Thus I plucked up the courage to knock on his door. I had not seen him up front for a long time and it was a bit of a shock to see him face to face when he opened his door and was alive. I asked him how he was and he thanked me for asking (I suppose I do care deep down). I said I was worried as he hadn't left the room for 4 nights. He explained that was because of the weather. I also asked him if he had anywhere to go and if he had any money. He told me he would go to a hotel and that he had money. He can't have much otherwise he would have left ages ago. He then asked me how I was. My answer was short: I would be well once he was gone. Again I told him that he had gone too far and that if in September he had told me of his financial problems I would have housed him for free; if only he had been honest. I think he doesn't know how to as there must be some shame in him. He nodded in response and I turned back on my heels not wanting to see him again.
That morning the rain stopped, at least enough for us to go on our walk. It felt good. We had to manage lunch on our own without Lucy. The house was beginning to get dirty and that is something I cannot stand. Thankfully she came back that evening as although she had Covid, she has no more symptoms. We already had the virus in our house so her coming back was not going to change things. That day we heard on the news that from tomorrow, Monday 28th March, no one with Covid will have to isolate anymore unless they have underlying health conditions. I'm not sure that is a good idea.
Oli and family came for lunch and between us all we came up with a full table for everyone. They stayed until dinner time and a good time, if a bit hectic, was had by all. You should have seen the lounges afterwards. Thank God Lucy is back.
I loved seeing Suzy reunited with Elliot and Juliet. Here they are together on a sofa watching Lady Bug, a French cartoon series which my grandson loves and which he watches in French.
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| Suzy with her nephew and niece. Happy family moments |
At one stage Miguel put some music on in the lounge and we all danced. Elliot loves dancing and it's very funny to watch him.
Once again that night I had some sleep freedom but I didn't sleep that well, waking up too many times. In the end I was up at 6 am on Wednesday morning. I decided to do another lateral flow test as I had the sniffles. I was completely sure it would be negative but I was wrong.
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| I tested positive for Covid on Wednesday |
There they were, the two lines on the C and the T that showed I had Covid. Oh dear I thought. As I hadn't caught it in two years, I never expected to catch it now but I did. So, no, I am not invincible. I didn't feel unwell. I just had a congested nose and my voice had the sound associated with the common cold. Of course Covid today if you are triple vaccinated is not the same as two years ago. It is so rampant at the moment that it was only a question of time until I got it. I felt fine but in my mind I was a bit worried as Covid can do a lot of damage and I am no spring chicken, aged 65. In any case I felt well enough for a walk but came back feeling tired so withdrew to bed where I spent most of the day. I slept on and off as fatigue set in; a symptom of Covid but thankfully I had no temperature.
But of course being contagious I was now a pariah and was unable to hug and kiss my dear daughter Suzy goodbye when she left for Santa Pola that day. I hope she doesn't get Covid. She's not worried, thinking she too is invincible. We shall see. It was lovely to have her home for a week and I look forward to visiting her at our apartment in Santa Pola when I am better and all this is over - i.e. he has gone.
Testing positive for Covid meant Eladio could return to our bed which meant goodbye to my sleep freedom but it was lovely to have him back. Thursday dawned and as soon as my husband had had his breakfast he took another lateral flow test. By then Miguel had tested negative twice but not Eladio who was still infected. Oh well, at least he had no more symptoms.
The news that day was all about the war of course but on the home front in Spain we have a big problem related to the war. Because of rising fuel costs after the pandemic and war sanctions, inflation is on the rise. More worriedly lorry drivers are not even covering costs because of the price of petrol so they are on strike and not delivering food and essentials. Thus there will soon be not enough food to feed animals. Eggs and milk and other produce are stuck, unable to be transported and supermarket shelves are becoming bare. This is no joke. The 14 day strike has nearly brought the country to its feet. It's the same with fishermen who can't afford to fish because of the price of petrol and no doubt it affects many more sectors too. If last week I had seen empty milk and oil shelves I wondered what more would be missing when we went shopping on Friday. The government has come to an agreement with some of the transport associations but not with those who are out on strike. Meanwhile the Spanish PM managed an agreement in the EU summit this week whereby Spain and Portugal will be able to regulate the price of fuel but this won't happen for at least another month.
Thursday came and for me it was practically a day in bed. On the world scene, crucial meetings were being held about the Ukraine War in Brussels. Nato members met, including Joe Biden, the G7 met as well as the Council of Europe. My main taking was when Biden said that if Russia uses chemical or biological weapons the US would "respond". The Nato summit concluded by agreeing to send new battle groups, some 40.000 extra troops - to reinforce the Eastern flank; namely Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. EU leaders pledged to send more military equipment as well and the G7 leaders further increased sanctions on Russia, including the possible freezing of gold reserves. Johnson went as far as saying what we all hope will happen, that Ukraine may win this war. Even if it does, what is the cost? The destruction of many of its cities and the killing of thousands of people. After the summit Biden traveled to the border, met with the Polish President, refugees and his own troops. He then went and said that Putin should not be allowed to stay in power. This caused a backlash from the Kremlin who went and bombed the so far safe city of Lviv near the Polish border. So much for the first part of the "special military operation" being concluded.
There is much talk of the loss of morale of the Russian troops who are not wearing warm enough clothing and who survive on meager rations some of which expired in 2015! So they don't have enough to eat. The Ukrainians do and are well equipped for cold weather.
At home we ate bean stew made by our dear daughter Oli. She must have been feeling sorry for her Covid infected parents and brought some round. It made for a wonderful lunch.
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| Oli's bean stew |
No doubt Russian troops are missing their mother's cooking. Who wouldn't? Their own mothers are horrified at their young sons being misled into a senseless war and many dying in the process. Despite a clamp down on criticising the "war", mothers who are worried about their sons will not be shouted down.
Not much happened on the home front on Thursday. Well, actually it did. A "burofax" arrived for our unwanted Russian born squatter, Felipe Turover. A burofax is generally some kind of legal warning. That was his 3rd in recent times. Then in the afternoon the police came. They asked for him to come outside with his ID card. I was hoping they would arrest him but they didn't. It is obvious that this man is being watched and has been reported on not just by us but by other people he has duped or owes money to. He is surrounded by trouble whichever way he looks. We just want him to go. Only a few days left now.
Of note on Thursday I started preparations for my father's memorial service in Bradford, England, the town where he lived from 1964 - 2005 and where he taught languages at Bradford Grammar School. I decided to contact the Dean at the cathedral to ask if they would be willing. I got an immediate reply to say they would be delighted. Great!! Now there are lots of preparations for a well deserved send off for my father in the country he was born in and fought for in WW2. Hopefully the preparations will keep me busy for some time and will perk me up. I need perking up right now as I am a bit under the weather both physically and mentally.
Friday came and it had rained all night. This week has been wet every day but that is good for the reservoirs and the countryside; not good for our morale or our walks though. I can't wait for a spate of sunshine and weather good enough for a trip to Asturias once "hwsnbm" has gone. It was on Friday morning both Eladio and Lucy tested negative for the first time. Thus I was the only pariah in the house that day apart from "hwsnbm" (for different reasons). I was a bit naughty and went out with Eladio to do the shopping, my only trip out of the house this week. I was extra careful and wore two masks. I was surprised to see the supermarket shelves not too affected by the strike. We were able to buy what we wanted and did not do any hoard shopping; another of the reasons for empty shelves. We had coffee out and we sat outside because of my Covid (sniff). It was cold and raining but nice to be out. I can't wait to test negative and not feel like a pariah. I can't wait either for the good weather to be back.
Saturday was to be cold and wet too. There was good news for Eladio when he tested negative for the second time. Lucky him. As my first positive test was on Wednesday I shall wait until tomorrow to try again.
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| Eladio tested negative for the second time yesterday |
We managed our second walk of the week despite the muddy paths and puddles. Pippa much appreciated it too. Once home Oli brought Juliet round so that she could go swimming. It was sad not te be able to pick her up but I was scared stiff of passing on Covid and just looked at her with my mask on.
Saturday was another quiet day. Because of Covid there was no going out for dinner this week but I look forward to doing so next week.
Last night the clocks went forward. To be honest I had to look up whether they were going backwards or forwards. Am I the only one? I always get confused when the clocks change in the summer and autumn. If only we could just stay on summer time always as it means one more hour of light in the evening and I do like long days of light. I don't care if it's dark in the morning so long as it is light in the evening.
This morning I was up at 7 which was yesterday's 6 am of course; a bit early but there you go. Today is Mothers' Day in England (in Spain it is the first Sunday in May). My dear school friend Geraldine kindly placed some daffodils on my dear mother's grave yesterday. Here parents are also buried at Charlestown Cemetery near Baildon in West Yorkshire. Soon I will be able to do so myself when I take my father's ashes to be buried alongside her, his beloved wife. Thank you Geraldine from the bottom of my heart.
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| Daffodils on my mother's grave for Mothers' Day thanks to my friend Geraldine. |
It's hard to believe she left this world so long ago, 1st October 1999, some 22 years ago. But she is forever in my heart.
On that emotional note, let me wish you all a happy Sunday and cheers till next week when I hope I have good news for you.
All the best,
Masha
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