Christmas as a child, a dental nightmare, poinsettias, meeting with the tax people, our grandchildren enjoying the decorations, taking Elliot on the metro to Madrid and other stories of the week.

Sunday, 17th December, 2023

Elliot's first experience on the Metro when we took him into Madrid yesterday. 

Good morning all,

Christmas is getting very close now. Are you all ready or are you one of those people not so keen on the Yuletide season? I am one of those people who love Christmas but am finding it hard to get into the spirit of it this year owing to my many preoccupations. 

I was brought up to celebrate a very English Christmas. This time around 60 years ago, I would be sending letters to my dear cousins, Jacqueline, Michael and Antony with whom we spent Christmas throughout my childhood. That is, until they so sadly died in an air crash aged 12, 9 and 7, with their parents, my father's sister - Aunty Gloria - and Uncle Derek in May 1971. I must have spent every Christmas with them and my paternal grandparents until their deaths. They all lived in the village of Ickenham near Ruislip outside London and we would travel by train as a family from our home; first in Ruskington (Lincolnshire) and latterly in Bradford (Yorkshire). I remember going on a steam train and the terrible noise it made in the tunnel approaching Kings' Cross. From there we took the tube to Ickenham and if I had to walk today from the tube station to my aunt 's or  grandparents' houses I could do so blindfold still today. My parents, my brother and I always stayed with my grandparents at their house in 17 Hoylake Crescent. I found a photo of it on internet and it looks just the same as it did then. Oh what happy memories. 

17 Hoylake Crescent in Ickenham where my grandparents move when my grandfather retired and where I spent every Christmas until 1970. 

My Aunt and family lived nearby on 18 Ivy House Road, an address that is etched in my memory in aeternum. 

17 Hoylake Crescent had 4 bedrooms and George and I shared one. In the mornings my grandmother would shout up to us all from the kitchen asking us how we all wanted our eggs as she used to serve us a full English breakfast. I remember her cooking and my grandfather, a former vicar, drying in sync with her, bless him. I still have the 30's retro tray that my grandmother would use to bring us up an orange cut into pieces each night before we went to sleep. Christmas Eve at her house was special as was Christmas Day. It is my grandmother's traditions that I have carried on in my own family until today; except for the stockings which I stopped making when the girls reached their mid 30s! And I sincerely hope my own grandchildren will remember their Christmases with us as fondly as I do mine when I was a child. I also hope they will carry on some of the traditions. 

So George and I woke up to our stockings filled to the brim. I seem to remember them containing walnuts and tangerines and that made me happy enough. What a difference today! I also had an Advent Calendar but there were only pictures under the numbers, not like chocolates today or my lovely Body Shop calendar which I am enjoying every day.  We would then have breakfast after which we all gathered around the tree to open our presents. I remember asking for the LP of The Sound of Music one year. I also remember at one Christmas George being given one of my grandmother's most important momentoes of her son Raymond, my father's brother, who died of polio in 1939 aged just 16. It was his train set that George got and I can imagine my grandmother feeling some comfort from giving it to her grandson.  We also once got roller skates, the type you put on over your shoes. I was 5 years old when it was the Big Freeze, one of the biggest snowfalls in London ever and George and I enjoyed the snow and "sliding" on the pavement outside for want of a sledge.  Lunch was turkey with all the trimmings after which we would watch the Queen address the nation. The afternoons were spent at my Aunt's house where we often played Monopoly together and my Aunt or Jacqueline and later George would play the piano, the piano which belonged to my grandmother and which graces our lounge today. It's a family heirloom that means a lot to me. "Tea" was served by my Aunt in the dining room where I think I sometimes slept in on a divan when I stayed there. I especially remember the jam sandwiches and tea pot; all so very English. I still have one of  my Aunt's jugs and I treasure it fondly. I adored Christmas with my father's family which sadly came to an end in 1971. During the days following Christmas and on other occasions during the year, Aunty Gloria would take us on excursions nearby. I remember seeing the London lights, visiting the Natural History Museum, the model village in Bekonscot, Pinewood studios and of course Windsor and Windsor Castle.  There are very few photos of those days but I do have one of George and I at Windsor Castle which was probably taken in around 1963 when I was just 6. This is it.

My brother George and I at Windsor castle on one of our trips there with Aunty Gloria. 

If you are my age and a girl, you probably wore similar shoes to those I did;  a sort of leather summer sandal all children wore in those times. Those were happy family days I carry in my memory and in my heart as I carry Aunty Gloria and my dear cousins who met a tragic death. 

I think my grandmother would be proud of me for carrying on her traditions and I'm sure she would love all my trinkets and Christmas toys which I have collected over the years. If last week I shared some photos of the lounge, this week I am sharing a video of all my Christmas toys. You can watch it here. 

Most of them needed new batteries this year. I had to coax my dear husband to do the job after making quite an investment in batteries in all  sizes last weekend. While he sat patiently replacing one, I put my  favourite toy on his head, a singing and moving Santa Hat. Here he is, my man, putting up with my idiosyncrasies. 

Patient Eladio replacing a battery in one of my Christmas toys with the fun hat on

It was taken last Sunday which was a quiet day for both of us. 

Monday came and at 14.30 I had a dreaded dental appointment. It was to remove a 5 piece bridge and have 3 implants placed underneath after which I shall get a new bridge.  I was most worried about how I would look without my top left teeth until a provisional replacement could be put in until the final work is done early next year. 

We went for a walk and at 13h I had a sandwich using all my teeth while Eladio went out to have lunch with his friends Roberto and Juanjo using his perfect teeth. I didn't realise then that I wouldn't be able to chew for quite a few days after. I was a bit nervous but felt in good hands, the hands of Dr. Garralda who has been my dentist for over 30 years. But even in his hands this was a dental nightmare because to put in the 3 implants he had to remove two of my own  drilled down teeth under the bridge. Despite the massive amount of anesthesia I could feel all the pushing and pulling and hear the crunch of the teeth coming out. It was so awful, I am ashamed to admit I cried. It made me sympathise with people who lose a limb, a finger or whatever. It's like part of you is being removed. Horrible! The operation took just over an hour and out I walked out with a big gap to the left of my top front teeth and a bandage placed there full of blood. I was given prescriptions for antibiotics and pain killers, a trendy bag which when pressed turns into instant ice to place on my cheek as well as lots of instructions.  These were: no chewing, only eating cold and liquid food, sitting up until the evening and then sleeping with lots of cushions, etc, etc. I honestly don't know how I managed to drive home in that state and go past the chemist and the supermarket - the latter to get yoghurts and fruit juice to survive on.

I came home just as Eladio returned from his lunch. I didn't want him to see my teeth or lack of them but of course he commiserated. I managed to sleep that night and was not interrupted by my cough for once. I was up at 7.30 on Tuesday morning. The gums where the teeth were removed and the implants put in felt very swollen. Breakfast was a milk shake made with milk, banana and mango; a bit like baby food haha. 

We went out in the morning to get more "baby food"; mostly yoghurts, hahaha but also stopped for a luke warm coffee for me - Eladio no longer has coffee when we go out (boohoo). I thought it was the perfect time to buy this year's poinsettia. They cost about 3 or 4 euros at a supermarket but I wanted a good one so we went to the local florist. Poinsettias are associated with Christmas these days but not in the 70's in Bradford. However, in Spain every house has one or more as part of their festive decorations.  And here is Eladio with our beautiful plant in a bag outside Bonsia Floristas.

Buying this year's poinsettia for Christmas on Tuesday morning

As soon as we were home, we placed it on the main coffee table in the big lounge in pride of place. Here it is in all its glory.

Our poinsettia

Poinsettias need a lot of light and very little water. Some last for months; ours begin to fade in January. I posted both pictures and got a few reactions from people which made me research why poinsettias or "flores de pascua" (Christmas flowers) are associated with Christmas. There are many stories behind the association. In a nutshell they come from Mexico but were made famous by an American whose surname was Poinsettia. I read that from the 17th century monks in Mexico included them in their decorations and that the star shaped leaf pattern is supposed to represent the star of Bethlehem and the red coloured leaves the blood of Jesus Christ. So there you have it. These days too the Italian sponge cake called panettone  is also associated with Christmas and I read people in the UK are substituting it for the rather heavier Christmas pudding. I don't like panettone and nor do I like the even stodgier stollen cake which has crept into our festive diet. Not that I am a great fan of mince pies, Christmas pudding and Christmas cake either. This year I shall be innovative and we shall be having "baklava" for dessert on Christmas Eve. But I am far too much of a traditionalist to replace Christmas pudding with anything else on 25th December. 

Amanda and I discussed all this in our weekly Skype call that afternoon. It was good to catch up and so nice to have a friend to listen to my woes and my news. We spoke far too long about my dental nightmare which I'm sure, one day, will be a hazy memory or so  I hope.

I managed to chew something for dinner that night when I made scrambled eggs. It felt good. I can't wait until I have a full mouth of good teeth to bite on a delicious piece of steak for example. That day will come, I hope.

I slept 6 hours that night but did not cough - hurray. I was up early at 6.15 as at 9.15 on Wednesday morning when we had the dreaded appointment with the horrible tax people. But actually they were not horrid. It's just the system which is horrid. They had been looking into my tax returns from 2021 to 2019 which involves a hell of a lot of paperwork and my financial advisor, Pilar, just wasn't helping. We were told they couldn't help us and we would need a tax advisor to sort it all out. We had hoped to just ask them how much we owed them and pay there and then but the system doesn't work like that - the correspondence can take up to 6 months for each of the fiscal years and it was not time yet to pay. The whole thing is Kafkian. So we went to see her (Pilar) without an appointment. Thankfully, she was apologetic and promised to sort it. In a nutshell it has to do with the law changing after Covid about tax relief for expenses related to being a freelance worker. So, money I claimed now has to be returned and an awful lot of it I'm afraid. But at least now I understand what it is all about and hopefully Pilar will do her job.  

Anyway, enough of that. When we left Pilar we went to have a coffee and decided instead on chocolate with churros which were delicious. That was the highlight of the day. We came home feeling better as this tax issue has been one of my main worries since the summer and now at last I understand what is going on.

Thursday saw me back at the dentist. It was to be given what Garralda called a "parcial" to cover the gap at the back of my teeth which worried me so much. I was not expecting false teeth with a plastic palette; the most uncomfortable thing I have ever seen in my life. I am a clumsy sort of person so could hardly manage getting it on and once in my mouth the feeling was so alien. I turned to the dentist and told him no way was I wearing that. Once on, it looked good but oh so uncomfortable. It is now sitting in a drawer in my bathroom. It's better to keep your mouth closed than wear something like that my friends. So I am keeping my mouth shut in front of people and not looking my best which is why I have deliberately chosen not to include a feature photo of myself this week. 

From there - Majadahonda  - funny name for a posh little town outside Madrid, I decided to do some of my Christmas present shopping. Eladio doesn't enjoy this activity. I usually do but his year I had been putting it off. So instead of going home I drove straight to the El Corte Inglés - Spain's flagship department store. First I had a coffee and a chocolate covered donut at Starbucks and then I went to the perfume section. I got my perfume (Mandarin Basilic by Guerlain) for me (from Eladio hahaha) and Esencia by Loewe for Eladio. I then went into the hypermarket (Hipercor) to get toys for the kids. That's when I found a section with family Christmas jumpers and got one each for Olivia and family. I bought some sort of dinosaur by "Super Things), a junior Twister game for Elliot and for Juliet I got a Nancy doll and set of clothes for her first Nancy; a favourite for girls in Spain. I also went to the gourmet food section and spent a fortune on ready made food, including my favourite, Beef  Wellington. I came home to find Eladio waiting for me. As usual, he helped me unload the car. 

We had the kids round in the afternoon so that Olivia could go to her French lesson. They hadn't seen our Christmas decorations and they loved them. Elliot, like me, especially loved the Christmas hat. Here he is with it on.

Elliot with my silly Christmas hat on on Thursday

Oli took a video which you can see below and on my YouTube channel. 

We had a great time with both of them who loved all my Christmas toys which is what I had looked forward to when I put up all the decorations. Grandparent duty was short that day as Miguel turned up an hour or so later. He is now on holiday until 1st January, lucky him. They stayed until 8pm but we saw them again on Saturday when we went into the St. George's Anglican Church Christmas bazaar. It was to be their first time and I was really looking forward to it. 

Dinner was half a small Beef Wellington each which I had to eat slowly as I can only eat on one side (boohoo). That night I got my usual 6 hours of sleep which is ok.

On Friday I was up at 7.15 and didn't have much to do that day. We did go on our walk though and in brilliant sunshine. Our lunch would be leftovers but I cooked that morning for Mohammad, my young Iraqi student guest. He had to take food for a Christmas party for his class at the Uni. The students were supposed to contribute with a dish from their country but as he can't really cook he/we decided on curry which I ended up making for him. My curry is a made up dish which resembles either chicken Korma or Tikka Masala. With him that morning, working on an assignment, was a young Indian student called Sangar from Bombay. Some of his Indian fellow students laughed when he offered to take curry and I wondered what on earth they would make of mine. I was bowled over later to be told they loved it and found it very authentic with only slight differences in some of the spices I used. If you are interested, these are the ingredients: chopped up onion and red pepper, diced chicken, a bit of tomato sauce, also cheat curry sauce by Sharwood, desiccated coconut and yoghurt or cooking cream, as well as  a mixture of Indian spices. I also made him a whole bag of bashmati rice. It was a great compliment that Indian eaters loved my made-up curry recipe. 

I spent the whole afternoon binge watching the second part of the last season of The Crown. Even I as an intrigued royalist found it a bit boring. I know the story backwards - from the death of Princess Diana to the early 2000's a bit old hash but I still enjoyed the drama. If truth be told I far preferred the earlier episodes. 

Saturday came and it was to be the highlight of this week. The news was a bit glum though that morning. I was horrified to read that the IDF had mistakenly killed three of the Israeli hostages. For God's sake, why are they not being more careful? I get they want to annihilate Hamas but in doing so, they have killed more than 18000 Palestinians so far and quite a few of their own people.  I later was disgusted to read on the BBC News page that "the hostages emerged from a building with a white cloth on a stick, and an Israeli soldier felt threatened and opened fire, an IDF official said". How can that be I ask myself? I understand Israel has to defend itself after the 7th October attacks but their retaliation is overboard. That they can't even be careful with their own people makes me sick. 

But that wasn't on my mind as we left the house to pick up Juliet and Elliot at 10 am that morning. We arrived to find them both in the bath and I had to have a picture of the little mites. Here they are as nature brought them to life hahaha.

Juliet and Elliot having their bath on Saturday morning

In the end we only took Elliot as Juliet was reluctant to leave her mother's arms. So off we went with Elliot and later met up with Oli, Miguel and Juliet. It was to be Elliot's first time on the Metro and I think I was as excited as him. He behaved perfectly, singing to us in the car. When my husband parked badly at the station, it was Elliot who told him his wheels were in the wrong position!!! We entered the station with our 4 year old grandson holding our hands happily and I was aware of all the new things he was experiencing like buying his ticket - all on a machine these days. He loved the turnstile as well as the escalators. It's the photo of him on the platform firmly holding his grandfather, Booboo's hands that I have chosen as this week's feature photo. Eladio explained to him that no one can stand beyond the marked line and he quickly moved backwards. On the train he got a seat while we stood and his face was a picture.

Excited and happy little Elliot on the metro yesterday

We explained how the train went overground and then underground under tunnels which had him glued to the window. I have to say he behaved perfectly. We changed stations at Alonso Martínez and he followed us along the maze of passages and escalators to the next train with fascination. We eventually emerged at Velázquez, in the very heart of the posher part of Madrid from where we would walk to St. George's Anglican Church to meet Eladio's brother José Antonio and wife, Dolores. Elliot was excited to be seeing them as he knows them well from Montrondo. We stopped at a kiosk where he wanted us to get him some figures of his favourite toys, "super things". We then gave him money to pay and get the change. I loved the smile on his face as he handed me back the change. In fact I loved the whole journey, making a little boy happy while feeling happy ourselves. Taking him on the metro probably made me happier than him. Love you Elliot.

We got to the church early and as Elliot was bored outside, I went in with him. 

St. George's Anglican Church Christmas Bazaar

It was a bit of a disappointment so we left soon. Eventually when everyone arrived we went to have coffee together. It was lovely to be in Madrid all together yesterday.

We later parted ways as Oli and family were going to have lunch with a friend and we were going with Toño and Dolores to their house for lunch. We had a lot to catch up on and a good time was had by all. We were home by about 5.30 after a wonderful day out.

Today is Sunday and let's see what the day has in store for us. Next Sunday will be Christmas Eve, a magical night which we all love but it won't be the same without Suzy.

Wishing you all good tidings for the season, cheers until next week,

Masha