Elliot reunited with Pippa, to Santa Pola to see Suzy and get the apartments ready for guests, a day by the pool, meeting Magda, home again, some retail therapy and other stories of the week.

Madrid,  Sunday, 4th August, 2024

Reunited with Magda in Gran Alacant. 

Good morning everyone. 

It is now August and full summer; as hot as it can be in Spain or more if that is possible. I really can't wait to get back to Montrondo to escape the heat.

This week though, we had to go to Santa Pola to see Suzy, of course, but also to prepare the apartment for guests who are there now. They had made the reservation well before our daughter went to live there. I couldn't cancel the booking, although I wish I could have because of all the upheaval, as I would have been penalised by Airbnb. They could either take me off the platform or downgrade my super host status which would jeopardise our business.

I spent most of the day last Sunday thinking about this and how to get around it and what to do with Suzy while the apartment was occupied. I knew she didn't want to come home so I looked for an Airbnb for her to stay at. Sounds crazy to be renting the apartment on Airbnb and paying for an Airbnb for her doesn't it? But that was my only option. It wasn't about money. It was about saving my business and making my daughter happy. 

I didn't do much that day. Again it was too hot to go out, too hot for a walk and even too hot to have our meals outside. Our Argentinian guests left and later gave me a 5 star review. I had another couple staying but I didn't see them. I only saw Povilas, my solo guest from Lithuania who has come to live in Spain after finding a job with the Santander banking group. He is staying with us while looking for permanent accommodation for himself, his wife and their baby. What a delightful guest he is.

I was a bundle of nerves that night and hardly slept for fear of how we would find Suzy who didn't want us to go and nor did she want to leave the apartment. But we had to go and we did. Before we left on Monday morning, Oli who was back from Montrondo, paid us a visit with Elliot to give Eladio his wallet which he had left behind in the village. Juliet was at nursery this week so we only saw Elliot who we were delighted to see again. He is so much calmer on his own. He is a little boy now and no longer a baby. He was going to buy clothes at the Corte Inglés department store with his mother, who has taken one months unpaid leave on top of her holidays. Elliot loves clothes and loves shopping which is unusual for a small boy. I think he gets it from his father. I wish I could have gone with them but with a heavy heart I had to leave and drive in trepidation all the way to Santa Pola. 

Before we left I took a photo of him stroking Pippa. I love the way he is so gentle with her and she loves him too.

Elliot and Pippa reunited

I was as pleased as punch to hear him say "great grandpa" when he went past a photo of my father. He was just 2 when my father died in October 2021 but he obviously remembers him. I remember my father reacting to his name when Olivia told him their choice. He said "it's a very distinguished name". I also remember his reaction when he first set eyes on Elliot as a new born baby. He said "I wish him a very productive life". What a wonderful wish for his great grandson to whom he once said out loud "I love you". I remember realising that my father had never said that to me as he was so reserved. No wonder Elliot remembers him, or so I like to think.

We said our goodbyes just after 10.30 but would be reunited upon our return this week. We had a long and hot drive which seemed eternal to me. I just wanted to get it all over with; getting there and facing Suzy's reaction. We stopped for lunch although I was not interested in the food and got there at around 4.30pm. We didn't have the key to get in as the lock had been changed but when we knocked she opened the door and was non too pleased to see us and extremely cross we hadn't brought Pippa. The,  reception was frosty and aggressive and I felt awful but after a while, she calmed down and behaved more normally.  We hadn't seen her since her birthday at the end of April and I realised she has lost an awful lot of weight. She looks so bony and fragile, as well as gaunt but I didn't want to tell her that.

My first job was sorting out all the sheets and towels, setting aside all of them for washing. Eladio went about cleaning all the portable fans which, for some reason, go all grey and black on the inside. It was hot there but not as hot as in Madrid, thank God. As soon as those jobs were over, we sat on the terrace and could actually enjoy a breeze, even if it was 28ºc. That's because the apartment is on a cliff above the sea. 

Even so I found it difficult to sleep and had two fans going all night. I think I managed just over 5 hours and woke up to 27ºc on Tuesday morning.  It was good to be back although we didn't go there on holiday and not once did we go to the beach. We neither had the time nor the inclination as it was just too hot.

Back in Santa Pola this week

We had a busy morning getting the apartment ready which included washing all the bed linen and towels in the house and there are a lot of them. I also washed all the cushion cases  and must have put on at least 10 washing loads that day. We only went out to do the shopping and get a copy of the keys for the new guests, as well as extra gate keys and swimming pool remotes; all of which Suzy had lost. That meant a visit to the local community offices and only then could we go and do the shopping. We had to get all sorts of house products for the guests and Suzy, of course. We managed a mid morning coffee which I suppose was the highlight of the day. 

I had brought enough provisions for meals; all of which Suzy made, bless her. She seemed to be much calmer around us thank goodness. I tried to sleep a siesta but even with two fans going in my room, it was just too hot. Thankfully the terrace doesn't get the sun in the afternoons so that's where I spent most of the rest of the day. I took 4 or 5 cold showers during the day; the only way to keep reasonably cool. Mar, the lady who used to be my key holder here, receiving guests, came to see me to pick up a new set of keys. She always did a wonderful job and it was good to see her again. 

I had one eye on the tennis that day. Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz were playing the second round of men's doubles at the Paris Olympics which they won in a very tight match. They were then through to the Quarter Finals which sadly they lost. Well, at least we enjoyed this unique tandem while it lasted. It's probably the end of Rafa's career - as it was Andrew Murray's.    That was the news I was most interested in. I'm fed up of any other news as it's all the same, apart from that dreadful shooting incident at a children's dancing school in the UK - abominable and of course all the horrible  and violet right wing demonstrations in various British cities.  Eladio is much more interested in the court case surrounding the Spanish PM's wife which will probably lead nowhere. 

Wednesday came, our last full day in Santa Pola. There was more washing to do. Thankfully we didn't have to do much cleaning as Lucy, my neighbour, cleaned the place after we left and did the final touches to get it ready for the guests; a family from France. Even so, Eladio deep cleaned the oven and I deep cleaned the dustbins.

With most of the job done, we could relax a bit and I intended to make the most of it and spend time by the pool, one of the best things about our pad near the beach. 

The swimming pool for the blocks of apartments where we have ours, is really one of the reasons I fell in love with the place when we bought the flat in 1999 all those years ago. It stands perched above the sea and is surrounded by a Mediterranean garden. It couldn't be more beautiful. Also it's quite cool as it is  high up and the views are wonderful. I took some photos to show you.

Our pool and the views of the Bay of Alicante with the beach just down the road

I took a not particularly good selfie to remember the moment; one of the happiest during our stay there.

A selfie by the pool on Wednesday morning

I was soon joined by Suzy and Eladio and we had some good quality time together. While we were there, Juliet was attending her last day at the nursery accompanied by Elliot. Next September she moves on to junior school proper, so that day was quite memorable in her little life. Oli sent some lovely photos of them. Here they are, the little mites  I love so much.

Juliet's last day at nursery school on Wednesday this week

I spent most of the morning there until about 1pm. Suzy made our lunch as she did every day. Eladio did the washing up and I hardly did anything - luxury.

When they went to have their siestas, I returned to the pool again which was almost empty. There waiting for me was my friend and neighbour, Magda. Magda's  parents who are from Sweden and of Polish origin have an apartment in our block and on the same floor. We met in 2021 and made fast friends and have kept in touch ever since. However, we had not seen each other since that summer as we never coincided. But fate had it that while we were there this week, she and her two young sons, Elliot (yes Elliot, like my grandson) and Adrian were flying from Stockholm. We, of course were leaving on Thursday, so had just one day to meet up.

They were by the pool and we sat and chin wagged all afternoon. There was so much to tell each other. Later we had drinks on our terrace; just the two of us and we nearly polished off over three quarters of a bottle of white wine. Eladio took some photos, one of which I have chosen as this week's feature photo. Here is another.

Time with Magda on Wednesday

I am 21 years older than my Swedish friend but that doesn't seem to matter at all. It's like we are soul sisters. We were both ecstatic to meet again. I really hope we don't have to wait another 3 years next time. It was pure bliss having girly time which doesn't happen often because after the death of my dear friend Fátima, my only real girlfriends live abroad - Amanda in Devon, Kathy and Phil in Yorkshire, Sandra in Brussels and Adele in Brittany. I do not have a close girlfriend in Spain and I miss that. So, thank you Magda for a wonderful meet up. Was great to see you. It made my day.

On the topic of girly time I had some very good news that day. Olivia had asked the organisers of  50 Best restaurants whether I could have a seat at the Guildhall , London, where she will be presenting the awards for this years 50 best hotels on September 17th. There answer was an "of course". Not only that;  they will be putting me on their VIP list and want to invite us to all the other events related to the awards ceremony. These are them. Just look at the venues!

The events being held around the World's 50 best restaurants awards in London in September

Apart from the London Guildhall, they include The Dorchester and some fancy ship called  Silver Sturgeon in Woods Quay. I then read that the awards ceremony at the Guildhall is "black tie". Oh my God I thought, what the hell can I wear? The obvious is a long evening dress but they don't suit me as I am short and dumpy. I read up the dress code for women for black tie and thankfully, I can wear a cocktail dress. But what will I wear to The Dorchester and the fancy ship?  I won't splash out, that's for sure. The answer came on Saturday. Now I have lovely girly time in London with Olivia to look forward to in September. I was pleased as punch. 

Anyway, back to our last night at the apartment after dear Magda left. We had nearly everything ready to leave the next morning, except for one more washing load to put on. God knows how many loads I put on but now all the bed linen and towels are fresh and clean. The whole exercise was one big deep clean to be given the finishing touches to by Lucy when she and her team got the apartment ready when we left on Thursday morning.

I didn't sleep too badly that night and was up at 6.30 and put my sheets in the washing machine (yes another load). We had plenty of time to vacate the apartment before we left at 11.30 to take Suzy to her Airbnb in Alicante from where we would drive home. I only hoped all would go ok for here there as these days she just hates to leave this flat and socialise. Poor darling.

Before I left, I said goodbye to Magda who was staying for 3 weeks and I wished her a great holiday. The drive to Alicante was short and soon Suzy was settling into a room in a shared flat where the owner is a Russian woman, Olga, from St. Petersburg. The space was fine, very clean and quite spacious and not too far from the centre. She has to spend 7 nights there until the guests leave our apartment. We couldn't stay long to see her off as there was nowhere to park the car. We kissed and hugged and off we went. Sadly, she wouldn't let me take a photo.  I really hoped she would be ok and that there will be no drama.

It was a long drive home and very, very hot outside. We bought two lousy sandwiches which we had to eat in the car with the air conditioning on. It was 41c outside, in the province of Albacete - unbearable. It was nearly as hot at home when we arrived at around 5.30. We came just as our new guests arrived, a family from Peru who had taken up two parking spaces so we had nowhere to put our own car. That made me a bit cross but Eladio sorted it.

It was great to see little Pippa again, to eat dinner in the air conditioned dining room as well as sleep in our own beds. Despite the comfort and the air con, I did not find it easy to sleep. I had had such a tense time in Santa Pola I was reeling from the experience. I needed to calm down but it was not to be.

Friday came and we had lots to do. Amazingly that morning it was only 21ºc at 7.30 am; 4 degrees down. The maximum temperature that day was "only" 34º which was a bit of a respite. It even rained in the centre of Madrid which must have been a relief for anyone living there. This doesn't  mean the heatwave is over though. I don't think it will be until September. 

Eladio and I had lots to do that morning which included the shopping as our cupboards were bare and Oli and the kids were coming for lunch. Our first stop was the post office which is far away and always gets me that the postman can't ring the bell to deliver a parcel. I was eagerly awaiting a little present from Airbnb. It's a lovely mug  and is now my second. I love it and gave public thanks to Airbnb on Instagram. 

Thank you Airbnb

Every now and again Airbnb sends me a gift which I suppose is a sign of their appreciation of my part of the business as a super host. Recognition is always welcome; especially when you are your own boss. 

Half of our morning was taken up at the town hall and then El Corte Inglés - the highlight being a coffee at Starbucks there. Then it was a rush to fill our trolleys at Mercadona and Carrefour to be back on time for lunch; mostly prepared by Tana.

It was a joy to see our little grandchildren who, although they had apparently had lunch at 1,  had it again at our place. They then raided our new fridge for ice cream and we all chose our favourites. They stayed a while enjoying the swings and playing with a water pistol. I wasn't very happy when Elliot sprayed water on the outdoor furniture. I suppose boys will be boys.

After they left, I made a beeline for the pool. I had it to myself as our Peruvian guests were out in Madrid. As it was slightly cooler on Friday it was very pleasant to be there. I fell asleep on one of our very comfortable sun loungers, only waking up occasionally when Pippa barked at a bird or something.

While I was having a quiet day, the Olympics continued. Carlos Alcaraz was playing Felix Augur-Aliassine from Canada. He beat his opponent 6-1, 6-1 to reach the finals, meaning he is assured of a medal, be that silver or gold. Spain has garnered very few medals so far but all the country is rooting for Carlitos to get one today. The 21 year old  is playing Djokovic (37) and I will be too nervous to watch. If Carlitos wins, he will repeat Nadal's feat in 2008 of winning Roland Garros, Wimbledon and an Olympic gold medal in the same year. But the Serb will be hungry. For all his twenty odd grand slams, the Olympic gold medal has always eluded him and it's his last chance.

I slept a bit better than night, catching up on a lot of lost sleep but was awake early on Saturday morning. It was just 20ºc which meant I needed a dressing gown to have my breakfast on the kitchen patio. What a relief again. Eladio took the Volvo to do its MOT while I decided to visit the street market in Majadahonda, on the lookout for cocktail dresses for the fancy events in London in September.  I was in the mood for a bit of retail therapy. I didn't expect to find anything suitable but in the end I think I did.

I went straight to a stall which sells party dresses but nothing felt right. While trying on clothes in the van, I got a call from Mar in Santa Pola. The French guests had complained the gas water heater didn't work. Why on earth I thought would they need hot water in such weather? We never used it once so didn't cotton on to it being broken. Lucy, our neighbour, who has the same make, went to try and get it going but couldn't. That nearly spoiled my morning. It was a Saturday so not much could be done. I needed to find a gas plumber - mission impossible - so rang the local electronics shop. They could sell me a new water heater but needed to find a plumber to install it and couldn't guarantee when. Oh dear, the banes  of being an Airbnb or Booking host are endless. I had to eat humble pie with the French guests and I hope they appreciate my efforts and don't expect me to refund their stay. I'm only just covering costs with having to pay for Suzy to stay at in Alicante. 

By then I had totally lost interested in the market which I usually love. It was pretty full so I walked into the centre to have a coffee and mull what to do about the bloody water heater - not easy when you are over 400km away at the weekend. I then walked to two boutiques I know well from all my visits to the dentist in the winter and spring. I came up trumps at a cheapo Chinese women's clothes shops where I have bought clothes before. I found this fashionable over size black dress which I thought could do if I wear nice jewelry and a colourful scarf. This is it.

A not so little black dress

It might look nicer with this on. What do you think?

The not so little black dress with this embroidered and transparent overcoat. 

While there, I couldn't resist this colourful little summer tunic style dress. As I have hardly got a waist, I always look better in tunic dresses. I think it's very pretty. 

A new summer dress I found at a cheapo Chinese women's boutique in Majadahonda yesterday

So, I had one black dress that could be suitable. It's sort of oversize and not great quality but will do. However, I still needed another outfit. So I walked up the street to the next boutique where I have bought clothes before. I found this flowery cocktail dress which could do. I liked the shape more than anything. This is it.

This cocktail dress may be a contender for one of the fancy events in London

Not quite sure it was the right thing, I decided to head to Zara where most Spanish women shop and where you can sometimes hit gold. As I walked into the Centro Oeste shopping centre, there in front of me was a boutique belonging to El Corte Inglés called Sfera. Staring at me from outside was a long black and white flamenco style dress - not something that would normally attract me. However, it was long and I had to try on a long dress, in case I found something suitable. Normally I look dumpy in them, but this one is divine. It was cheap at just 11 euros and not that great quality but I know it can work. If it's cold in London in September I shall have to wear a black shawl. This is it.

My long and rather Spanish style black and white dress from Sfera which could do for the awards ceremony in London in September

All was well until I went to pay. I thought I had left the bag with the other three dresses in the changing room which had me  contacting security and feeling upset I had been robbed. Only when it was all over did I suddenly remember I had left it in the car. Oh what a stupid fool I had been making a fuss when all the time it was in the car. Is this memory lapse a sign of old age? 

With three possible outfits, I felt happy. Retail therapy has that effect on one. Before heading home I went into the huge Carrefour Hypermarket to get a few things I had forgotten to add to my shopping list this week. There I found some fake Birkenstock pink plastic sandals which I had to grab. I put them on as soon as I got home, hahahaha.  That was the end of my retail therapy and I came home happy yet still worried about the damned water heater in Santa Pola. 

The rest of the day was free for us both. Our Peruvian guests who leave today, were out again all day and our Lithuanian guest was taking refuge from the sun in his room - Oli's, I'm afraid. Thus I was able to enjoy the pool again. We had another slight respite from the heat.

And today is Sunday and Oli and the kids are coming for lunch. I'm looking forward to that. 

I must now get on with the day, so cheers for the moment and all the best until next Sunday,

Masha