The end of our stay in Asturias, a gorgeous day in Llanes, I can finally vote in Spanish general elections, debate between Pedro Sánchez and lesser known Nuñez Feijóo, Wimbledon, home again, family time in the pool and other stories.

 Home, El Bosque, Sunday 16th July, 2023

Coffee time in Llanes - you can see I am literally beaming to be back at La Galerna where we always have our elevenses when in town. 

Good morning friends and readers. 

As you can see, we are home again but not for long. I told you last week we would be away again this Sunday.  We are, as we are  off again today, this time to our humble little apartment on the coast near Alicante. We keep moving as it is so hot in Madri; scorching. Montrondo was much cooler as was Asturias. Not that it will be much cooler on the Mediterranean coast but at least we will have the sea breeze and be able to cool off in the water. 

In fact last Sunday it rained in Asturias. You may remember I told you it drizzled and that the people in the area refer to it as "orbayo". Well it did so all morning until, guess what? The sun came out again. That's what Asturias is like; "unpredictable as weather" to quote the lovely Maria song from The Sound of Music. Only then could I go and sit on our flower filled terrace with my feet up, a cup of tea and Pippa by my side. Eladio caught me on camera, feeling very relaxed and happy with the world.

Chilling out on our little terrace in El Cuetu  - cup of tea, my Kindle and Pippa by my side. 

That for me is bliss. What is bliss for you?

Monday came, our last day in Asturias and we still had jobs to do to finish some important aesthetic improvements to the house. We also had to replenish more kitchenware and household products. Where better to do it than in Llanes, that lovely seaside town near us which we normally visit a lot while in El Cuetu but this time we went only once. Determined to make the best of it, we took along our beach wear - it was 25ºc that day - and booked a table at our favourite restaurant. We love El Mirador de Toró overlooking the Toró beach just outside the pretty town.

We got new drinking glasses to replace those broken, lost or stolen, a new doormat and a couple of plastic trays to put cleaning products on under the kitchen sink. Then it was coffee time and it had to be at La Galerna in the main square, Sobrino Pedro Parres, where so many Spanish period drama TV series have been filmed. If sitting on our little terrace with my feet up is bliss, coffee at La Galerna is also bliss. There you can enjoy the hobby of people watching surrounded by 19th century period buildings. It's not the coffee so much as the place. Eladio took a photo of me where I am positively beaming which I have chosen for this week's feature photo. We felt so happy to be in Llanes. Across the way from the cafe is a gourmet Asturian foodie store, Aramburu. I always buy produce there and that day got 2 dozen eggs from so-called happy and free range chickens. A dozen was for Oli and family and the other for us. We then ambled towards our car to deposit our purchases. We both noticed the town was not as full as one would expect in July, compared to say - oh God no - Benidorm. If only my parents had chosen this region instead of  Callosa in the Alicante area to buy the ramshackle home they did in the early 70's. 

We enjoyed the walk around the port towards the Playa de Toró, one of the main town beaches. The weather was warm but not too warm and it wasn't crowded. That's bliss for you again. 

Walking in Llanes on Monday

We went past some wonderful houses that make me green with jealousy and also past a tiny town beach called El Puertu Chicu (I think). It's small and beautiful. Just look. Imagine having a typical Asturian house just above it. Those who do are lucky people. 

The tiny and stunning Puertu Chicu beach in Llanes

From there we walked the short distance to the Toró Beach where people were bathing. We perched ourselves on some picnic tables in full view of the beautiful beach. This was where we sat.

Sitting by the Playa de Toró

You can see the Mirador de Toró restaurant overlooking the beach in the photo below.

The Mirador de Toró restaurant just above the beach of the same name and where we had a scrumptious lunch on Monday

I made sure we got a table on the veranda overlooking the beach and there we enjoyed a wonderful meal. Eladio went for black rice - not my thing  -and I went for small scallops followed by a seafood salad. All this was washed down with local cider, THE drink to have with your meal in Asturias. This was the battery powered cider pourer. 

Lunch in Llanes on Monday

It was quite a walk back to our car in the "heat" but nothing like the heat we would be hit with when we got home. We stopped on the way to buy cider for Olivia who also loves it. 

Once home, Eladio did a bit more deep cleaning and shortly afterwards the cupboards under the kitchen sink were gleaming. I was soon able to put my feet up again on the terrace and that afternoon I had the pleasure of a long Skype call with my friend Amanda, who, of course, knows El Cuetu as we went there together last September.

Later I was joined by Eladio and we sat in companionable silence each reading something different until it was wine and pistachio time. We weren't hungry at dinner time so just had some fruit. That night we watched the one and only face to face debate between the two main candidates for the upcoming general election on 23rd July - when most people will be on holiday. Pedro Sánchez, the Socialist PM, often known, outside Spain, as Mr. Handsome, was to debate with  his main contender, the lesser known Alberto Feijóo, head of the PP (right wing party) and leader of the opposition. 

Pedro Sánchez (Mr. Handsome) left and Alberto Núñez Feijoo, the two main contenders for the  General Elections on 23rd July

Normally Spanish TV election debates are boring  with each candidate saying his blurb uninterrupted but that night was different. They were allowed to interrupt each other and really debate. But the whole thing turned into some sort of shouting match with both of them accusing the other the whole time. We never got to hear what either of their political plans really were. Sánchez is usually a pretty cool character, who, although he lacks charisma, is good at getting his points across. That night though he faltered against clear criticism from his opponent and that made him nervous and aggressive. It's obvious he doesn't like being cornered and that was how he found himself. The papers say the overall winner was Feijóo who kept his cool but was interrupted, deliberately, far too often by the PM. Will this debate have any effect on voters' final decision? No one knows. But this debate may have put them off both candidates and on 23rd July, many of those lying on beaches around the country may not even bother to vote. For my part I see a stale mate result with votes going 50/50 and both parties having to rely on the far right and far left extremist parties to form a coalition government and I don't like either communists or fascists. I think Mr. Handsome may not win all the votes but will be able to rely on the undesirable parties he is already in cahoots with. Why, oh why, can we not change the system in Spain and go through to a second round? Anyway, in Spain, for the moment the only talk is about the upcoming General Election and the heat wave. The heat wave is unbearable, even for me who has lived in the warmest country in Europe for more than 40 years. 

The debate was long and the analysis afterwards even longer which had us in bed late, very late. I got Spanish nationality in January 2022 and hoped against hope I would be on the Electoral Roll to be able to vote for the first time in 40 years in a General Election. I had planned to ring the Town Hall so was very pleased to see the document they had sent me confirming I am on the roll when I got back home.

The document that confirms I'm on the electoral roll in Spain. 

 It means so much to me. Before I got my Spanish nationality I could neither vote in the UK or Spanish general elections - only in the local and European elections in Spain. So why can't I vote in the UK you might ask, as I was born there? The answer is unfair and contrary to how it works in most countries in the world. If you have lived outside the UK for more than 15 years you can no longer vote there.  There is talk of the law changing but it never seems to happen. I have been in voting limbo for more than 40 years. So on 23rd July, that will change and I will be able to deposit my vote in my first Spanish general election which pleases me enormously. But I only knew that when I got home on Tuesday afternoon. 

I was up at about 8 am in El Cuetu that day. The first thing I did was check the progress of the Men's singles at Wimbledon. The 20 year old Spaniard, Carlos Alcáraz, the worlds number one seed (amazing) had got through to Round 16. He went on to beat his contemporary, the Dane, Holger Rune (number 6) in the Quarter Finals. That meant he made it to the semi finals against the 3rd seed, Medvedev, which they played on  Friday. Meanwhile both Sinner - another of Alcáraz and Rune's young contemporaries - all destined to be the next great 3-  and Djokovic (of course) met in the Semis. The top two seeds won their matches in 3 straight sets.  

Carlos Alcaraz after beating Medvedev in the Semi Final at Wimbledon on Friday

This is amazing, not for Djokovic who is looking for his 8th SW19 title, but  for such a young player like Carlos. He has it in him to win but has to control his nerves which gave him stomach cramp at the French Open against the Serb. Djokovic will no doubt be the winner claiming what could be his 24th Grand Slam but Alcaraz is destined to be the world's next GOAT (greatest of all time) and has years ahead to continue to thrill the tennis world. I could watch the final on Sunday as I have access to the BBC iPlayer but doubt I could control my nerves so prefer to look up the result after the match and then watch the highlights. That reminds me of my brother-in-law, an ardent supporter of Barça. When his team plays he goes to bed and then if they have won he watches the match hahahaha. 

The crowds are anticipating a final between David (Carlos) and Goliath (Novak) this Sunday - a match that would thrill any tennis fan. You see, as a Brit, Wimbledon for me is the greatest of the Grand Slams. When I lived there the world stopped when the All England  Club Tournament was taking place. I think it's still the same today.  At home we would also eat our strawberries and cream and enjoy the antics and sportsmanship of the likes of  John Newcombe, Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Martina Navratilova, Billy Jean King, Chris Evert, John McEnroe or Ivan Lendl. We all watched at home avidly, hardly breathing when McEnroe and Bjorg were playing the final. I loved (watching) tennis so much I remember I once worked at the Nottingham Open which was more important then than now and saw up close figures like Arthur Ashe and Guillermo Villas. I was responsible for putting up the scores during a match and learned the rules which I still remember today. I also remember sharing the same dining room as the players which was such a thrill. My only regret is that I have never been to Wimbledon. Spaniards do not follow Wimbledon. They prefer clay of course so the greatest Grand Slam for them is Roland Garros, made famous of course by Spain's best sportsman ever, Rafa Nadal who has won it a record 14 times. I think that Carlos Alcáraz is destined to be his successor. That is absolutely clear. So, I waited with baited breath this week following his progress. 

Tuesday was the day of our return from El Cuetu. It took ages to really set off as before doing so we had to fill up the tank, inflate the tires, buy a pie and cakes from a little bakery in Posada - at Suzy's request - as well as go past the Mirador de Toró where I had left our beach bag. We stopped for a coffee at a roadside cafe where we also got a sandwich for our lunch which we had on the grass by the river at Alar del Rey. We were home by about 5 and were warmly greeted by Suzy and Tana who had kept the house well run in our absence. What I didn't like was the heat that greeted us. We had left Asturias where it was about 22ºc and arrived home to 37ºc which I found unbearable. I used to tolerate the heat better than I do now. After unpacking I jumped straight into the pool to cool off. I did so several times before it was bedtime. I slept well that night but only thanks to the air conditioning without which it would have been impossible to get a wink. To think we had to sleep with a duvet on in Asturias. What a contrast. 

On Wednesday we had lots of things to do. We went to get Eladio's glasses mended, to pick up my sleeping tablets - oh how well I am sleeping these days - and then to get the Mini. It desperately needed servicing after its 13000 km road trip. We found out that it did have a puncture which we now know happened in Cappadocia, owing to the awful cobbled streets. It's a wonder we made it back without really noticing. With the Mini fully serviced, we drove off in two cars and made our way to the nearest cafe for elevenses. Then we went to LM - a DIY centre - to get various things for Eladio to repair my parents' porch chairs which we brought from England when my Father came to live with us. They are nothing special but to me they are everything. The dreadful thing though was that  when we were in the queue somehow we managed to drop 2 tins of paint which went everywhere! Eladio was so embarrassed. He's had a lot to repair upon our return and I want to give him a round of applause for mending the automatic gate, the lock on the small gate, the pool shower head, a socket in the kitchen, as well as the fridge which was leaking. What he couldn't mend was the kitchen tap which was leaking badly and he had to call a plumber.  2 plumbers let us down and finally the insurance company sent one late on Friday at midnight. At least we now have a working kitchen tap!

I came home to put the finishing touches to our lunch. We were to be joined by Olivia who we hadn't seen for 2 weeks. We had a lovely family lunch after which Eladio and I rested in the cool of our room. Just as I was putting my feet up with my kindle by the pool, Oli and Miguel  came with the kids who we hadn't seen for 2 weeks either. It was a joy to see and hear Elliot saying Grandma and rushing to my arms. Little Juliet says "gama" which is so sweet. Soon we were all in the pool, except for Eladio who wouldn't go in for love or money. Thus he was our photographer and took this great shot.

Family pool time. 

And what a great time we had. With this heat, the pool was the only place to be in. Elliot was excited to show us that he can now nearly swim - doggy style - and he loves going under water with his father who is a fantastic swimmer. 

It was great to be all together again. I knew the kids would be hungry after so much time in the pool and between Tana, Suzy and I, we rustled up a lovely dinner which we had outside. It was so good to be together again. 

We went to bed quite late, joined by Pippa, of course. Thursday came and I had lots to do and all at home. I spent most of the morning wearing my scanty nightie busy with tasks. While my husband was mending the chairs, I was on the phone to Samsung about his slow keyboard which took up about1.5h. I juggled tasks and also managed to dead head the geraniums and the roses which have wilted so much in the sun despite the irrigation system. Eladio was having problems with it as there is always a leak somewhere. I also cooked  a lot, making potato salad for a family dinner. I made a huge amount only to be told neither Miguel nor the kids like it so I had to make food for them. Spag bol was the only thing I could come up with. It was after midday that I had my shower and I had it outside by the pool where I even shampooed my hair - how lovely to be able to do that.  These days I don't bother drying my hair preferring the damp feeling on my head. 

Thursday was another family pool time day - there was nowhere else to be in such heat. Even Eladio went in which is highly unusual. So, that day I was the photographer. 

Family pool time again onThursday

We only had one guest that day - a tattooist who was at work so we had the pool to ourselves as we did most of the week which was bliss - that word again.

Friday came and I could no longer put off the food shopping. We had two or three other tasks that day, to take the Volvo to be serviced and to buy a new kitchen tap and some spare parts for the irrigation system which is driving Eladio crazy with leaks all over the garden. Oli joined us for lunch again which was spag bol leftovers - delicious - but we were alone for the rest of the day. I spent part of it by the pool going in and out whilst reading my new book - Colditz (oh yes - but from a different angle) by Ben Macintyre. I have never read anything by him so let's see. Who of my generation born in the UK does not remember the 1972 TV Colditz series?  We watched it as a family religiously every week. In fact I bought the CD box set a while ago but the quality is not good unfortunately. 

We were up far too late that night, owing to having to wait for the emergency plumber service provided by our insurance company. The plumber came just before midnight! So we went to bed with one problem solved. On Saturday we woke up to another huge leak in the garden. Eladio called his garden plumbers once again. He really has a nightmare job looking after the irrigation system with leaks popping up everywhere. I often wonder if the whole thing should be removed and replaced with something more state of the art. That could be said of a lot of things in this big rambling house. It was mended eventually thank goodness which means we can leave today without any worries. He then mowed the lawn while I went out on a quick errand. Yesterday was a quiet day and the heatwave, dubbed Cerberus - a multi headed dog in Greek mythology - gave us a break and the maximum temperature only reached 32ºc. That won't be for long though as another one will be coming soon. But it meant I could sit by the pool in the afternoon without that awful intense heat. We were guest free yesterday which is quite unusual. But not for long as Iñigo - a Spaniard who has lived in the UK probably for as long as I have lived here - arrived late at night. Today a family of 5 is coming but we won't see them as we will have left before they arrive. 

I was up at 6.30 am and here I am writing now before finishing the packing to leave for Santa Pola. We were last there in the spring and I look forward to a few quiet days there with Eladio, Pippa (Pips) and Suzy who is coning with us this time.

By next Sunday we will be home again. Then we have Montrondo to look forward to with Oli and family and our wonderful 40th wedding anniversary trip to France at the end of August. All in all we are having a marvelous summer.

Cheers now until then, 
Masha