The end of our holiday in Portugal, home again, family time, isn't she beautiful? Pernille, our Danish au pair came to stay, Juliet turns 1 and other stories of the week.

 Home, Sunday 4th September 2022

Together with our darling Pernille this weekend

Good morning readers. How are you all? Back from your holiday and back to work? I am back from holiday but hardly back to work as I retired in February. I do have my own work to do but it is a lot less intense now that the summer is ending.

We left lovely Oporto last Sunday in fog. There seemed to be a lot of it in the Foz area outside the city  and I regretted we never got to bathe at the beach near our Airbnb.

Eladio loaded our car and off we went at 10.15 Portuguese time, 11.15 in Spain. We had a 4.5 hour drive to Montrondo but the roads made that a lot longer really. Once we left Portugal the sun came out. We were sad to see so much damage in the countryside we passed through owing to the terrible forest fires this summer. Spain suffered 42 days of extreme heat this summer and that's not good. 

We had lunch on the way and after rejecting 2 awful places in the Orense region of Galicia - not a particularly interesting one - we came across O Pazo do Castro, a 4 star hotel and spa. It was an oasis in deep, dark and rural Orense. What a find. We loved it. A Pazo in Galicia is a sort of mansion and this was beautiful, at least the grounds were. Below are photos of me having lunch - my favourite, bay scallops - and of Eladio in the grounds.  

Having lunch at Pazo do Castro in O Barco (Orense) last Sunday

Eladio in the grounds of the "Pazo"

Even though Orense is in the north of Spain it is notoriously warm and when we were there it was 34ºc, 10 degrees more than in Oporto. 

We arrived at about 5.30 or so in Montrondo, just as some of Eladio's family were leaving. It was warm too but nothing like Orense. He was happy to give 3 of his siblings a bottle of the Oporto wine we had bought at Taylor's on our visit there. Olivia and family who had spent 9 days in Montrondo, had left earlier in the day. I was expecting a complete mess and a lot of cleaning to do. But bless her and Miguel, they did their best to clean the house for our arrival. Oli remarked it may not be up to my standards but they had done their best.They had and I was very grateful. 

Thus we were able to relax and I spent the time reading. Eladio who was tired from driving went to bed at 9.30. I joined him at 11.30.  

I was up on Monday morning at just before 7 pm. We had another long day ahead of us. We left at 9.30 and as I took the rubbish out, I took a look at the field where you can see the church. Unfortunately a neighbour has now built a tall green fence and the view is not as good.  So this is the best shot I cold get. 

Montrondo - Monday morning

As we left I wondered when we would be back. When we arrived in León, the capital city of the province, it began to pour with rain and the temperature plummeted to just 14ºc which is very strange at the end of August. Finally we found the place where Eladio's siblings were. I left them to it and went to have a coffee inside a cafe as it was too cold to be outside. At about 12 we finally left and only when we were about 1.5h into into our journey did the sun come out. We decided to head straight home and have a late lunch where Oli was waiting for us.

My youngest daughter Olivia was still on holiday and needed a hand with the grandchildren all of this week. It was lovely to be with them but very, very tiring. I was reminded this week of a new French expression my friend Adele taught me recently. It is "chic-ouf" which apparently means "great when they come and great when they go". If you are a grandparent, you can probably relate to that. Dear Lucy and Oli had prepared our lunch which we ate outside. All our guests had left and I had booked the house for ourselves until 3rd September. It should have been the 4th but I made a mistake. It was amazing to have the place completely to ourselves for once.

We didn't see Suzy until about 9 pm, bed time. What a wonderful reunion. We hadn't seen her since my father's memorial service in England and we hadn't seen her at home since the trial of that dreadful man, Felipe, who invaded our lives when he became a squatter. We had a good heart to heart together in her room that night before I went to bed.

Tuesday was to be hectic, a whole day with the grandchildren. Eladio and I managed our first walk together before we were invaded again, hahahahaha. Oli arrived with the tiny terror Elliot. He is very boisterous and stubborn. He will be 3 on 17th September so let's hope that with time he will calm down. We all went out to do the shopping but first went for a coffee and mini croissants at Manolo Bakes. The latter are divine. We divided the shopping between us at Mercadona and the girls took it back home while we continued to Carrefour. I was amazed at how much we spent that day. It seemed a lot more than usual which I'm sure is due to rampant inflation around the world.

We had lunch outside which was the wrong decision because of so many flies. There seem to be more than usual. Is that because of climate change? Maybe. Eladio and I were allowed some time off for our siesta while Oli and Suzy kept the babies entertained. There were lovely moments and no so lovely moments. Kids are a handful at that age, 1 and 3 almost. Here are two of the good moments.

The girls with Elliot and Juliet - Pippa too

Notice they are all very scantily clothed. That's because it's so hot again. I have loved watching Elliot bond with Suzy. When he arrived that morning, he asked for her as soon as he arrived. At one moment when she went to take Lucy to the bus stop, he kept asking where she was and cried until she returned. I think she was flattered. 

We all made dinner together which took ages without Lucy's help that night. I was exhausted when they went. It had been 10 hours of child care. I am now 65 and wonder how on earth we did it when the girls were young. My memory fails me and I don't know if they were as demanding. You tend to forget the bad bits. 

Wednesday came, the last day of August. Of note it was the 25th anniversary of the death of Lady Diana, who needs no introduction. How sad that she died so young. Who died too this week was Mikhail Gorbachev aged 91. He needs no introduction either as the last Soviet leader and instigator of the end of the the Cold War and communism as we knew it. I think he is a hero in his own way and that what he did was a good thing for Russia and the rest of the world. Putin is undoing all his good work. It's funny but he never said a word about the invasion of Ukraine. Maybe he was too ill or maybe he didn't dare. We will never know. The statesman, not loved in his own country did not have a state funeral and nor did Putin participate.  Sad too.

There was no sadness in our house this week. It was all about family and friends. That morning we managed our walk again and arrived home to find Oli and little Elliot who was calling out for Suzy.  For the babies' upcoming birthdays I ordered cards and bunting in English from Amazon.es where there is less choice but I managed. I did lots of shopping this week on Amazon including these other items too: a new USB phone cable, red lentils not be to found at any supermarket and an air purifier to get rid of the lingering smell in  Suzy's room after that dreadful man Felipe's squatting episode which still smells despite having painted it. The smell comes from a very strong candle he used and I am praying the purifier works. What else did I order? Ah, yes, a wooden toy for Juliet for her birthday  -her parents bought yet another toddler bike despite having 3 or more from when Elliot was small (unbelievable). I made sure ours it was not technological - no my first tablet or mobile phone.  

The wooden toy I bought for Juliet for her 1st birthday

Oli was a bit dubious Elliot will use it to hit her. He probably will hahahhha. I also ordered a replacement canvas for one of our outdoor "director chairs". It won't come until the end of September so I got Lucy to sew the old one which we haven't tried yet, lest we tear the cloth again, hahaha. Later in the week, my Amazon spending spree continued and I ordered the following; Elliot's upcoming birthday present; a Paw Patrol car - he is mad about Paw Patrol, a kindle charger and usb cable and then a post mosquito bite relief spray by "Halley" which seems to be the only one that works a bit. I have to say that Amazon is so addictive and when I realise I need something, the easiest way to shop these days is via the American online giant. 

 

The day was spent with the children and making meals. It is not often the 4 of us are together so this week was very special really. It was to be a special evening for Suzy as she had a date that night. She came down looking spectacular and I had to have a photo to show. Isn't she beautiful? 

Suzy ready to go out on a date

She combined casual with smart and looked striking. When she asked her father what he thought his reply was "summery". That made us laugh. 

When she left, we had dinner with all the leftovers plus some of my "perushki" (Russian pies) which Olivia told me she adores. Me too. They stayed until after 9.30 which meant we missed the news again. I have to say our routines have been completely disrupted this week. It's all for the better good though I reminded myself.

Thursday came. We were relieved of looking after the children in the morning as Miguel had taken Elliot to see his other grandmother and Oli had gone to the dentist in Madrid, accompanied by Suzy and Juliet. We went on our walk, I did some more food shopping and had a coffee out on my own. I came back to find Lucy cooking our lunch bless her. It's amazing how much food we have gone through this week but then I have had to cater for us all at every meal and that is a lot of food. I think we have consumed two whole melons and one water melon ah, and lots of ice cream!

I managed a short siesta interrupted by 3 phone calls - none of them important, so went down to join Oli and family in the pool. They have all the equipment, sun hats, goggles, all sorts of pool paraphernalia for babies and sun screen all over their bodies. They looked as if they were having such fun I had to take a photo. This is it. 

Oli and her family in the pool this week

Later she went to do the shopping for Juliet's birthday cake which I was to make,  an elaborate Victoria sponge cake. Meanwhile, I looked after little Elliot. I took him down to the swings, the swings we bought for the girls when they were about his age. It's so funny that I am now pushing him on their swings. He wouldn't come off and I was getting tired. Pippa was watching from the grass and  I had to have a photo of her too. Where I go, she goes but then you know that.

Pippa patiently waiting for me on the very dry grass while I was pushing Elliot on the swings

Elliot didn't want to stop but I could tell that with the rhythm he was falling asleep and finally he let me get him off. He then wanted me to carry him back to the house all across the garden. He weighs a pretty penny and I had to stop on the picnic bench and call Suzy for help. We spent quality time with him singing English nursery rhymes. He is saying words in English but his accent is awful. The dear boy needs time in England. It was the same with the girls. Not until I sent them to England for a long period when they were 13 and 14, did they get a proper English accent. I would love to send Elliot and Juliet - when they are a bit older - for a summer term at my father's old school, Bradford Grammar School. I wonder if that would be possible?

Dinner was hectic again as it has been  at most meals. Elliot is not that interested in food unless it is ice cream and Juliet has gone off pureed baby food. That makes for a messy table but who cares when it's family time and we had no guests here.

We went to bed earlier than usual at about 9.30 and watched more of Miss Jerusalem. Pernille was arriving after midnight and would take a taxi here. She got here but not in the best circumstances. Her flight from Copenhagen was late. She got a taxi which brought her to our area but 2.5km away. Would you believe I didn't hear her calls as I had my damned phone on silence? Stupid me. Unbelievably, a Guardia Civil patrol car went `past which she hailed and they brought her to our gate. Thankfully this time I did hear her phone call and finally at nearly 3 am she was safely in her room - not the best of arrivals and I am kicking myself my phone was on silence.

Our beautiful Danish princess arrived; her 3rd time at this house where we have lived since 2006. She was our au pair when the girls were 5 and 6 and I was 34, younger than my daughters today!!  Pernille was  19 when she arrived into the bosom of our family and we hit it off from the beginning, taking her on as a surrogate daughter. Oh how we all love her so much. She is a nurse and the best type I am sure. No doubt her patients love her. Who wouldn't? Now she is 50 herself which I can hardly believe as she doesn't look a day over 40.   Her own girls are now nearly 18 and 21. My goodness, how time flies. The wonderful thing is that we are still in touch after all these years, although I would love to see her more often. After huge hugs - we hadn't seen her since my 60th in 2017 - we both went to bed. 

I was up at 7 am on Friday morning, keen to get on with the day but at a slow pace. My first job was making the Victoria sponge cake to celebrate Juliet's 1st birthday. It's actually today but we celebrated it yesterday while Pernille was here.  She was up a bit later and so was Suzy and to watch their reunion was a lovely thing. I made the sponge using my brand new oven which I am still getting to know. One of the sponges sunk a bit but no one would notice when I added extra fruit and cream to fill it. This was the outcome by the way. The funny thing is poor Juliet in whose honour I made the cake would not even get to try it. Her mother doesn't let her taste sugar yet!

The birthday cake I made for Juliet and which the poor lamb wouldn't get to try.

Soon Eladio was down and reunited with Pernille and shortly afterwards Oli and family. Pernille was very keen to see our grandchildren and they took to her immediately. She brought Elliot a beautiful lion and Juliet a pretty rabbit which immediately went into her mouth hahahahaha.

We went on a special walk that day to honour Pernille's visit. We took her the old part of Boadilla near the Palace Infante Don Luis. But before visiting the gardens we all had a coffee - well juice for Elliot and a beer for Suzy - and chatted naturally as if Pernille had never left. We were keen to know about her family too and hope one day we can all get together. The waitress took quite a decent photo of us all which I  have chosen as this week's feature photo. 

We then strolled in the beautiful palace gardens, unaware that dogs were not allowed - oh poor Pippa. But before we were told off by a security officer, we enjoyed the stroll and the views. This is the selfie we took to mark the moment. 

In the palace gardens on Friday morning

It really is a beautiful place and we should go more often. Here are Pernille and Suzy and Juliet in her pram fast asleep, bless her

Pernille in the palace gardens with Suzy and baby Juliet

From the palace gardens we went into the public park where dogs are allowed and slowly made our way back to the car park. On our way Pernille took a photo of us which I love as there are so few of us together. Thanks Pernille. 

A rare photo of the 4 of us with the grandchildren - thanks Pernille

We came home to the luxury of a laid table and ready lunch - creamy red lentils followed by fish in bread crumbs and runner beans. As always, dessert was fruit salad. 

Later we grown ups all escaped to get some peace except for Suzy who stayed with Oli to lend a hand. I felt guilty though and was soon down. Later I had a lovely long chat with Pernille, who, by the way, did the job of removing dead heads and dry leaves from some of the geraniums round the pool. That is my job but I have got lazy. Pernille feels completely at home here and for us, as I said above, it's like having a very close member of the family with us. Her stay was short but oh so sweet. 

Pernille pruning our geraniums

The girls and Lucy made dinner while Pernille and I cleared the rooms and pool of all the baby paraphernalia which was literally every where. Dinner was lovely together outside on the kitchen terrace which we use a lot since the heat wave went. 

By the time Oli and family went, I was a bit exhausted but enjoyed a glass of wine talking to Pernille and Eladio before we went to bed.

Saturday was to be a very special day. We were going to take  Pernille and the kids to the Retiro park in Madrid. We were also going to celebrate Juliet's birthday. I had bought birthday decorations on Amazon but they were all balloons and complicated to set up. I should have gone for normal bunting.  But Pernille, Suzy and Lucy did some great team work and soon it was all up and looking stunning. 

Birthday decorations for Juliet's 1st birthday

It was a challenge getting everyone ready to go - Oli had had a bad night and I had to go the supermarket for more provisions so it wasn't until about 11.30 that we set off for Madrid in 2 cars. I had asked my sister-in-law, Dolores who lives in the centre, to join us and they did and it was lovely, especially as 2 of Elliot's little cousins came too. 

And here we are walking in the Retiro park to meet the family by the lake. This was another photo of the 4 of us and our grandchildren (and Pippa of course) taken by dear Pernille. Thank you darling. 

In the Retiro yesterday

We hadn't been for a long time but taking our grandchildren there yesterday reminded me of our time as parents. We lived in Madrid when they were born until they were 3 and 4 and would take them to the famous park every Sunday morning to feed the ducks, go on the swings and also to buy them sweets. So yesterday I did the same with Elliot and bought him a lollipop - strawberry flavour of course. Here we are together. 

Buying Elliot a lollipop at the Retiro park yesterday brought back so many memories of when our girls were small like him. 

He had a ball and we have to take him again. We were late home - about 3.30 when our lunch is usually at 2 pm. Miguel joined us as we were to celebrate little Juliet's 1st birthday. I think he was happy to see the decorations. Here they are together. 

Miguel with Juliet who turns 1 today

Lunch was plain spaghetti bolognese but that was fine. The special moment came - the cake moment and I'm not sure if it was a good or a bad thing that Elliot missed it as he fell asleep on the way home. Anyway here is little Juliet who probably didn't know what was going on but enjoyed the attention. It's amazing to think she was born 1 year ago. Again, how time flies

Juliet's cake moment yesterday 

Later we opened the presents for her and of course there were some too for Elliot who had just woken up and didn't really know what was happening.

I had a guest arriving that afternoon so spent time after my siesta putting stuff away so that he could come to a relatively organised home. David, from Georgia, who actually lives in Thailand, had just dropped off his 15 year old son at the brand new La Liga and NBA football and basketball school. It opens tomorrow and seems to be one of a kind. I hope it brings me more custom as it's only a 10 minute walk. I settled him in and didn't see much of him after that. He came bringing a bottle of Georgian wine and I had left him a bottle of Rioja in his room - my father's old room. I don't know what he thought of the portrait of the late Tsar Nicholas II dominating the bedroom hahahahaha. 

We had a last supper with Pernille although none of us was really hungry but still we enjoyed time together. After Oli left we spent some quality time with our guest until it was time to go to bed.

Today is Sunday and as I write Pernille has left and we already miss her. When will we see her again I wonder? Maybe Eladio and I could take a winter break and visit her and her wonderful family in Copenhagen this year. It's a thought. 

But right now my thoughts are on a new guest arriving today, a solo traveler from Germany, Tanja and of course my dearest and oldest friend Amanda. She arrives tonight and will be staying for 10 days. I cant' wait to see her. Weather permitting we will have a girly break in Asturias. 

You will hear all about our time together in next week's post. So let me love you and leave you now until then. Cheers,

Masha