Hottest day of the year so far, waiting for Israel to respond to Iranian attack, flowers in bloom, fun at the park with our grandchildren, dinner at McDonalds (of all places), World Press photo of the year comes from Gaza and other stories of the week.

Madrid, Sunday, 21st April, 2024.

By one of the wonderful mock orange blossom bushes in our garden with Pippa

Good morning everyone, this warm Sunday in April. 

 

Last Sunday was the warmest day of the year so far in Spain where temperatures soared and I mean soared,  not 20ºc but 30ºc which is utterly abnormal for April. This can only be a harbinger for an even warmer summer to come. I nearly used the word "augur" from the Spanish "augurar" (herald) then looked up synonyms and came across this very fashionable word "harbinger". This was not part of my vocabulary when I left England in 1981 or at least it wasn't used in my family.  For any Spaniards reading this and unfamiliar with the word, it is pronounced "haa.buhn.juh".  There are many more relatively new words and expressions that have crept into modern speech in the UK since I came to live in Spain that I only hear in films or read in books but I take notice, I do. 

The heatwave followed a long period or rain which has helped the water shortage situation in Spain and our garden is a testament to it. I was pleased as punch to see some of our beautiful roses blooming this week like these.

 

Beautiful roses in our garden. 

 

As I admired them, I noticed that the mock orange blossom bushes were in bloom too which thrilled me as it smells divine. I had to have another photo to share with you.

 

Our beautiful fragrant mock orange blossom which began to bloom this week

It comes by various names such as celindo and its botanical name is Philadelphus coronarius. New guests this week would have this lovely blossom for flowers in their rooms. 

 

Later in the week, Eladio took one of Pippa and I next to the celindo bush which I have chosen as this week's feature photo. It was a happy moment.

We also admired all the wild flowers on our walk that day. The flora has grown so much and at times it feels we are walking through a veritable jungle of bluebells, giant daisies and now poppies. Oh, how I love poppies.

I came home to make roast lamb for both of us. Before I put it in the oven I took a look at the label and saw the words "sacrificed in Spain". That made me feel guilty as it's true. Although I adore animals, I am not becoming a vegetarian, so in fashion these days too. 

The news of course that day was the aftermath of the mostly failed drone and missile attack on Israel at the hands of the government of Tehran. All this week, the world has watched to see how Israel would retaliate. A lot of pressure was put upon Netanyahu to be measured in his response. David Cameron, now head of Foreign affairs along with his German counterpart paid a visit but whatever they or Biden the US President may have said, fell on deaf ears. The Israeli PM said Israel would make its own decision. Come Thursday, the IDF did launch a very minor attack but on a strategic area of Iran in Isfahan, a military and nuclear power centre. Israel did not claim ownership of the attack and Iran played it down (amazing). The BBC said of the move: "So a limited operation seems to have carried a powerful warning  - that Israel has the intelligence and assets to strike at will at Iran's beating heart". That could be so  but I'm not sure that means  it's game over. I doubt it.

The other hot topic this week has been the so-called hush money trial of former President (and a dangerous clown) Donald Trump. It has taken more than a week to find  12 just men and women, i.e. a non biased jury.  That could not have  been easy as who is not biased in favour or against Trump?  Time will tell but I predict he will be let off scot-free and will probably become the next POTUS. God save the world.

As to Ukraine, where another war is waging and less interest is being shown after 2 years of stalemate, I was pleased to read this morning's news: "US House approves crucial 61 billion dollar war aid for Ukraine". 

Monday saw us take the Mini to the garage to be repaired after a man bumped into the back of it at a zebra crossing 2 months ago. Once it's ready, we shall be able to take off on our road trip, whoopee. 

Eladio had been suffering with lumbago or sciatica for over a month now and neither of the osteopaths he had seen had helped the pain recede. So there was nothing for it but to drag him to A&E where he saw a traumatologist more or less immediately. He came out with a big smile on his face as the doctor had given him a steroid injection, 5 minutes after which the pain disappeared, like magic. I read it could last up to months; so great. He was prescribed the strongest of drugs including Diazapam 5mg - used to be called Valium. He only took one of them "diclofenac" (Voltaren in Spain). He was also given an appointment for an MRI this very week and a follow up appointment on 3rd May. That was very efficient and above all he is now out of pain and back in business. Hurray

I spent the afternoon watching the film Golda  - about Golda Meir during the 1973 Yom Kippur war between Israel, Egypt and Syria - the latter invaded Israel. I was about 15 at the time and remember it quite clearly. Golda Meir was a big figure in politics in my youth so I was eager to see Helen Mirren play her. Golda Meir, born in Ukraine, btw, was plain ugly and Dame Helen Mirren is quite the opposite. This is what Meir looks like in the film and what she looked like in real life in the 70's.

Helen Mirren as Gold Meir in the photo on the left 

You wouldn't have known it was Mirren not just because of the heavy make up and prosthetics but the accent as Meir's English was learned in America. As to the content of the film it was rather too focused on one short period but it did make me wonder what Mrs. Meir would have done today in Netanyahu's shoes. Who knows?

I then began rather hesitatingly to watch the new version of Patricia Highsmith's the Talented Mr. Ripley, called simply "Ripley". I had not seen the 1999 film and was a bit averse to seeing a film made so recently in black and white but it had me captivated.  The script and plot are amazing as are the settings - Italy in 1961. There is a lot of dialogue in Italian which I love as I understand quite a lot. Spanish of course helps but I did once do a year of Italian in 1980 - a long time ago I know but I loved it. It's very Hitchcock too; just full of suspense and delicious detail which has you on the edge of your seat during all 8 episodes. In a nutshell, Tom Ripley Ripley, a total conman and psychopath,  is hired by a millionaire to travel to Italy to convince his son, Richard Greenleaf, to come home. Thereby begins a tale of deception, identity fraud and murder. It had me riveted all week and Eladio too. It is set in the small town of Atrani on the Amalfi coast near Naples, then moves to San Remo, Rome, Palermo and Venice - divine. I have heard that Atrani is now on the tourist map thanks just to this film - thus we shall avoid Atrani (also has far too many steps). As a foretaste, here is the official trailer. If you haven't seen it and want to, it's available on Netflix. 

Tuesday was productive. It started well for me when Suzy called me. That's news because she never does. She actually made a video call and we spoke and she was calm and in a good mood. That made me happy. We shall be visiting her next week on the occasion of her 40th birthday on 28th April (gosh). That's next Sunday. 

That day, my dear school friend, Geraldine, sent me photos of my parent's grave at Charlestown  Cemetery in Baildon, West Yorkshire. Very sweetly and once again, she had placed flowers on them while visiting her own parent's graves at the same cemetery. It is nice to think they are together. 

Yellow roses on my parent's grave.  Thank you Geraldine.

It's quite a coincidence too that Geraldine chose yellow roses, a bit like the ones in our garden which bloomed this week. Thank you my friend. As I commented to her, I haven't been back to Yorkshire for nearly 2 years now and it's about time I went back. When I do, I will be taking flowers myself to Mummy and Daddy's grave. Bless them. 

Back to my largely humdrum but peaceful life. We followed our normal routine of the morning - walk and coffee and in the afternoon we were on grandparent duty. We were to go to the park and then feed the children their dinner while Olivia attended her Tuesday afternoon French lessons. We had fun with them as evidenced by this picture for instance.

Fun at the park

It's the park they always go to after school, very near to it and where all their classmates seem to go as well which makes it such fun for them. Then I had the bright idea, inspired by my friend, Kathy, to take them to McDonalds for dinner. Now, I hate McDonalds - maybe not hate, but hardly ever go there - not my thing. But kids love it and it would be something special for them. It also meant I didn't have to worry about Oli's far too sophisticated kitchen equipment. There is a special McDonalds park right by it which Elliot made a beeline for. Great, I thought, the more time out in the open the better and less chance of them fighting, poor mites. As I expected, they loved the experience of eating out with their grandparents. I had now idea how to order - all so sophisticated these days. But thankfully I could order face to face and didn't have to confront a machine.  I got them a "Happy meal" for just 4 euros each that included 4 nuggets  which they ate, chips they hardly touched and ice cream they adored. It was washed down with orange juice, not coca cola. There will be a time and place for that when they are older. Here they are enjoying the moment with their grandfather.

Dinner at McDonalds

I took photos and a video to record the moment which I published on my YouTube channel and which you can see here. 

A very important thing happened while at McDonalds which I think I should share here. When Eladio had his fall a while back, a doctor at A&E said she thought she saw something fishy in his brain scan; in her words "the beginnings of dementia". God that scared me. But the radiologist's report was fine, no sign of anything sinister. However, to get another opinion we got an appointment with a neurologist and we gave him the report with the CT scan on a CD. He couldn't read it but said he would see it at home and ring Eladio. His phone call came when we were at McDonalds. He agreed with the radiologist, Eladio's brain is fine. Damn the Argentinian doctor who put the fear of God in us. 

Time passed quickly and soon Oli was there to pick them up. She took a  photo which is not great, but it's of the 4 of us having fun this week. 

At McDonalds with our grandchildren, Juliet and Elliot on Tuesday (we went again on Thursday too)

We  told our daughter about the outcome of the phone call and she was delighted and said it was a cause for celebration. It is. I should mention we did not eat any of this greasy American fare, but went home to have a more healthy dinner. 

Wednesday saw as at the DIY centre called LM (French Leroy Merlin), a place my husband loves and which I hate. He wanted more piping for his irrigation system - mainly for the roses, and I wanted to get some wood planks to replace the old ones on my parents porch chairs which I so love as we brought them from Heaton Grove. 

The afternoon saw me reading on the terrace by the swimming pool. What a lovely reading corner it is too. This is the view from the wicker sofa.

My reading corner this week. Spot Pippa.

That day I was reading the very addictive book, "The Housemaid" by Freida McFadden. It's a domestic thriller with some great characters and part of a trilogy. I was so hooked I am now on book two, The Housemaid's Secret. 

We were probably watching the Ripley series that night as Real Madrid played their return game against Manchester City - the Champions League QF.  I had no hopes for RM who drew with Pep Guardiola's squad at the Bernabeu 3-3. But oh my God, they did it again and got through to Semi Finals. I read on Thursday morning that they had won on a penalty shoot out. They now meet Bayern Munich, their arch rival.

At breakfast that morning,  Oli warned me in advance that she would be doing a live report at 8.20. So of course, there I was watching her live. She had a hot topic to cover. The play director, Ramón Paso, had been accused of sexual abuse and one of his plays was suspended when some of the main actors refused to take part. All these horrible men in the theatre and cinema world now being shown up for who they are. Hate these stories but love watching my daughter live on TV. Here is a shot I took from my iPad.

Olivia reporting live this week

The World Press photo awards were announced on Thursday and I was keen to see the winner. It had to be from Gaza didn't it? This is it and it says a thousand words, it really does.

The winning photo by Palestinian photographer for Reuters, Mohammed Salem. 

In the picture a Palestinian woman, Inas Abu Maamar, is  hugging the dead body of her five-year-old nephew Saly who was killed by an Israeli bomb on October 17th 2023.  Salem came across the two at a hospital and is quoted by WPP as saying "it was a powerful and a sad moment and I felt the picture sums up the broader sense of what was happening in the Gaza Strip".  I totally agree. Also with both their bodies and faces covered, they appear anonymous and could represent any of the victims of this terrible war.  Since the Hamas attacks, more than 34.000 Palestinians have died.  Saly was just one of them but for me he represents them all What a powerful photo!

That afternoon while we looked after our grandchildren in the park again, I thought how fortunate Elliot and Juliet and all their friends are compared to children like Saly killed by a bomb. 

As we watched them play we recalled the times when we would take our own children to a park, over 30 years ago. In 30 years time or so, Olivia will be the grandmother taking our place in accordance with how the cycle of life works. I hope that both Juliet and Elliot in 30  or 60 years  time will remember too their fun times with their grandparents at the park and at McDonalds. 

We took them there again on Thursday and a grand time was had at the theme park. Here are some photos from there.

Fun at the McDonalds park on Thursday

The kids enjoyed their meal again and Olivia picked them up after her class. She has told us she won't need our services anymore until the autumn.  We came home starving. I had resisted a burger or chips; Eladio too. I didn't sleep very well that night as I haven't most nights this week. 

On Friday I work up feeling tired. The house was full of guests again but all were very discreet and I only bumped into Leticia and Jorge, both very pleasant people. Jorge is Argentinian but his parents are Italian and his mother from Liguria so he was full of tips for our trip. Grazie. 

At 11.45 I had my second appointment with the psychologist. She wanted to work on my "guilt"complex. However, that had me thinking this week. I don't really feel guilty at all. What I really needed from Caterina were tools to manage the volatile situation we are having to live with vs a vs our older daughter. Thus we talked about how to manage it. It all boils down to acceptance and recognising we are already doing as much as we can and cannot control the situation.  She says I have to live my life and I will, although she is always in my thoughts. I showed the psychologist some of her videos which disturb me so much and Carina recommended I don't focus too much on them. She also told me to go off on our road trip, disconnect and enjoy it without feeling worried or guilty. I certainly am taking her advice on that. So I came back more or less with a diagnosis I had already guessed myself but it was good to get a  professional  opinion. Carina told me she thought I was a very strong woman which I suppose is true. Thank you Carina for these two sessions although  I will not be going back as I can't learn much more.

That night we finished Ripley and I am missing it. Thus I have turned to the 1999 adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's wonderful book, The Talented Mr. Ripley. It stars Mat Daemon as Tom Ripley and the gorgeous Jude Law as Richard (Dickie) Greenleaf. I wondered how the two would compare. 

Saturday dawned and I got a message from Oliva to meet her and the kids for coffee. We did so after our lovely walk.  We met at Alverán where they devoured the "vigilantes" (a type of croissant) while I just had my cappuccino. I can't wait to have the real thing in Italy.

Ah, Italy. It is very much in our thoughts this week. Our initial itinerary, leaving on 4th May is Madrid, Huesca, Carcassonne, Albi, Aix-en-Provence, Portofino, La Spezzia and Cinque Terre, then on to La Toscana to see Florence, Siena, Pisa, San Giminiano, etc. From there we drive to Naples via Umbria - maybe Perugia. In the Naples area, Eladio is keen to see Pompey and Ercolano. Me too but I also want to see Sorento and Salerno, possibly Capri and even part of the Amalfi coast. From Naples we shall make our way to Puglia where we plan to stay at least 5 nights. We were going to take the ferry from Bari to Greece but have now decided we shall take it to Durres on the Albanian coast. On Monday we shall go to the DGT HQ to get our international driving licences which we shall definitely need in Albania and maybe other countries too.  We were not once asked for it on our road trip to Armenia last year but I'm not taking any chances.

We came home to make a quasi barbecue using an electric grill to cook some delicious lamb chops I got for lunch. We had them with gazpacho and more of my coconut yoghurts hahahahha. The rest of the day was very quiet. For entertainment that night, we finished watching  Held for Ransom It is the story of the kidnapping of Danish photo journalist, Daniel Rye, in Syria. He later became a cell mate and friend of James Foley. Neither the US or Danish governments would pay for their ransom - unlike their French, Spanish and Polish counterparts. However, Rye's family, somehow come up with the 2 million euros needed to free their son who spent over a year in the hands of fanatical ISIS members. Well worth watching I have to say but very harrowing.

And today is Sunday and it is one year ago today that we left for our first road trip - all the way to Armenia. This is us setting off, a photo to remember. 

We set off on our road trip to Armenia one year ago today. What an adventure

Today we are not going anywhere but will be at home to receive Oli and the kids for lunch. Apart from that, nothing else is planned.

I have come to the end of the tales of this week and shall sign off now to get on with the day.

Cheers to you all,

Masha