Eladio's big birthday, a family lunch at La Espiga, a trip to Burgos and living the good life at Hotel Landa, RIP Grainne, home again and other stories of the week.

Madrid, Sunday, 29th September, 2024.

My now 80 year old husband living the good life at Hotel Landa near Burgos this week to celebrate his big birthday

Good morning again from Madrid. How has your week been? If last week I was living the life in London, this week I continued to do so but in Spain. This week  has been one of celebrations for Eladio's "big birthday" (to quote my friend Sandra). Is he honestly 80? He doesn't look old at all even from a biased point of view. I met him in the year 1980 when he was 35 which means we have now been together for 45 years. He was gorgeous looking in his 30's and it's amazing but he is still gorgeous today. 

His actual birthday was on Monday 23rd but the family celebration was last Sunday when we all went out for a special birthday lunch to the Finca La Espiga restaurant near Brunete.  We love the place as all the tables are in a beautiful garden. Thankfully the weather held. For the occasion we were joined by Eladio's second brother down, José Antonio and his wife, Dolores. They had to be there for his "big birthday". With us were Olivia, Juliet and Elliot but not Miguel who was away filming for TVE at the San Sebastián film festival. He was living the good life too as he stayed at the famous  Hotel María Cristina. 

Elliot was delighted to see his aunt and uncle and made a beeline for José Antonio  and Dolores who, of course, he associates with holidays in Montrondo. I had brought along huge balloons which unfortunately burst, but also a birthday garland, funny glasses and our favourite  cake from Alverán made with white chocolate, sponge cake, whipped cream and raspberries. 

We got the waiter to take a photo of us all to remember the special day. This is it.

The family lunch last Sunday to celebrate Eladio's birthday

And here are Eladio and his brother that day. 

The two brothers at lunch last Sunday at La Espiga

Finally here is a photo of the cake moment which everyone always loves. I had brought along special firework like candles which Elliot and Juliet found a lot of fun.

The cake

We all then gave Eladio his presents which Elliot (5) had already tried to open before. He got an M+S jumper from me, Hugo Boss EDT from his brother and sister-in-law and a new dressing gown from Oli. 

I then asked for a short speech from Eladio. He began by saying when you get to 80 but was interrupted by Elliot who added "and then you die" which had us all in stitches. It was a wonderful out of the mouths of babes moment. Oh Elliot, you are hilarious. 

We were there until nearly 6.30 pm and when we got home we had no appetite for dinner. What a lovely family occasion. Once home, I got Eladio to try on his new jumper and it was the right size and suits him. He is also wearing some white leather sneakers I also got at the Marble Arch store. He is quite the advert for my favourite shop, Marks and Spencer.

Eladio wearing his new M+S jumper and white leather sneakers

I slept well that night and had something to look forward to on Monday. I was treating Eladio to two nights at the legendary Hotel Landa just outside Burgos. We have stopped countless times over the years for lunch, dinner, coffee, whatever but had never stayed at the hotel itself. And it's really something. It has a 14th century tower and a gothic swimming pool and every room is different. Ours was on the ground floor overlooking the huge lawns and pools. 

The indoor and outdoor pool which we could access from our room on the ground floor of Hotel Landa

Built in 1959 by the Landa family and still family owned, this complex with bar, restaurant and hotel is popular with travellers who know about it as it's a bit hidden from the A1 road. I read it was popular with the former King of Spain Juan Carlos 1 and also with Audrey Hepburn. 

It's just a 2.5h drive from home to the Landa which in turn is about 3km from the city of Burgos, famous for its cathedral but I'll come to that.  We arrived on time for lunch in their beautiful and very Castilian dining room which I always admire with its red and white checkered table cloths and black and white La Cartuja tableware. I have the same at home which was a wedding present but I never knew it was originally a British design.

Lunch on our first day at the Landa restuarant

We had their signature dish, roast suckling lamb  they roast in a baker's oven. Dessert was a small chocolate cake with a candle for Eladio. 

Once properly sated, we checked into the hotel which we had never seen inside. I would have liked to stay in one of the rooms of the 14th century tower but they don't have a terrace. Ours was number 3 right opposite the pools and was a very large suite. We loved it but had huge problems with the lighting from beginning to end on the first day. There was no current in the switches by our beds and the worst thing was you could only watch the TV with the room light on. If you switched it off, the TV switched off too. We had maintenance people coming and going all afternoon and night and they only fixed it the next day by using three huge long adapters. It felt very Fawlty Towers and should not happen at a 5 star hotel. We tried to ignore the issue but couldn't sleep a siesta with all the interruptions. Finally we donned our bath robes and walked the few steps from our terrace to the swimming pools. 

With our bathrobes on and about to use the pool

It was sunny but not warm at 19c so we chose the indoor pool, a huge Gothic construction which felt like a cathedral or church. It even had a Cyprus tree and palm tree and lots of shrubs inside.  Here is Eladio going into the warmish water.

Eladio enjoying the indoor pool

Of course we didn't have dinner that night after such a sumptuous lunch. We slept well on the amazingly comfortable beds. 

We had breakfast in the bar on Tuesday morning - me in my nightie with a cardigan on and Eladio all dressed for the day. It was scrumptious but  not included in the price and not cheap either. The pastries are divine and are made by their French pastry chef, Pierre, who I read will be retiring soon. 

By about 11 we were ready to go out and visit Burgos, a beautiful city in the north of Spain famous for its cathedral, churches and monasteries. But first for a photo of my dashing husband outside the tower of the Hotel Landa which is the main reception area.

Outside the tower of the Hotel Landa

Burgos is also the birthplace of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as  "Mio Cid" (My Lord) by the Moors against whom he fought in the 11th century. I remember reading the famous poem "El cantar de mio Cid" when I was at University. I only remember the bit at the end, when he had died but still rode his horse Babieca to frighten the Moors who were terrified of him and no one wanted them to know he had died. 

We parked in the underground car park under the proverbial Plaza Mayor and then made our way to the magnificent 13th century Gothic cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos. That is where El Cid is buried by the way.  We took photos before we went in to remember our visit.

The magnificent cathedral of Burgos - and this is only a partial view

Once inside, we did a self guided tour via an app on our phones - much better than those horrible audio guides. The cathedral is huge but the central nave is tiny. It is surrounded by countless chapels, each with a history of its own. Once in the upper cloister we came upon a small room where men were handling huge books made of parchment, hand painted by monks in the middle ages.  They were taking photographs of each page; all in Latin and Greek. They were made big so as to be seen by a large audience

Ancient parchment books at Burgos Cathedral

I was impressed to see books made from animal skin and written or painted by scribes, well before printing started in 1440.

From the Cathedral we walked towards another famous monument, the Gate or Arch of Saint Mary - oh how the Spanish Catholics loved or love the Virgin Mary. I thought it was beautiful.

The Arch of Saint Mary in Burgos

That led us to the Bridge of Saint Mary where we took more photos. 

The Bridge and Arch of Saint Mary

From there we walked along the famous walkway called Paseo del Espolón by the River Arlanzón. Espolón means spur in English. It  seems to have a natural roof from the "plátano" trees. They are called Plane trees and have nothing to do with bananas (a plátano is a type of  banana from the Canary Islands). Here let me show you:

Walking along the Paseo del Espolón

At the end we came to the Mio Cid square and took pictures. He is quite an important person in Spanish folklore and military history.

The statue of Mio Cid in Burgos

We then walked all the way back and followed the river until we came to a huge park but by then we were hungry. Lunch was at the hotel as we could not think of a better place to eat in Burgos. I wasn't very hungry but managed some gazpacho, mini peppers stuffed with oxtail  followed by ice cream. I then had a long siesta. 

We went to the pool again where there were quite a few Brits. I would have loved to talk to them but didn't quite see a reason how. I wondered how they had come across the Hotel Landa. The rest of the afternoon was spent quietly  in our enormous and comfortable suite now with all the lighting working, despite cables all over the floor hahaha. We were really living the good life at the Hotel Landa and it was a great choice to go there to celebrate Eladio's 80th birthday. Wow!

On Wednesday we were leaving after breakfast. At checkout I complained about the light issues and requested a reimbursement for the first night. They actually agreed so I went away feeling quite pleased. 

That morning we had booked a tour of the Atapuerca archaeological site which is quite famous. A Unesco World Heritage site, some 20km from Burgos, the paleontological site of Atapuerca is apparently one of the most important in Europe where there there are remains and proof of the way of life of "hominids" from over a million years ago. Neither of us are really into archaeology but being so near to Atapuerca decided to visit it. We were disappointed to say the least. It was a cold and wet day and all you can see are three open caves with nothing inside them and listen to  a boring long explanation of what was discovered there. However, you don't get to see anything apart from rock basically. Here is Eladio about to start the tour.

Visiting Atapuerca on Wednesday

It didn't help that it was rather cold and raining and we were glad when it was over. Just as it was finishing I got a text from my old school friend Brenda. She gave me shocking news. Her sister Grainne with whom I was very close; more than with Brenda who was in my class, had died last Saturday. She had been diagnosed only 5 days before with Leukemia but according to her sister, was absolutely fine when they were together on Grainne's 71st birthday on 11th September. What a huge shock. 

I have known Brenda and Grainne since I was at school at St. Joseph's College Bradford, Brenda being my friend and dear Grainner her older sister. I loved her as everyone did. She later moved to Spain like me but lived in Badalona near Barcelona. I used to visit her many, many times when I went there on business trips and we became very close.  In fact I made a point of seeing her on every visit. The very first time I saw her in Spain was the day she lost custody of her 6 year old boy. I'll never forget that night. But Grainne was a fighter and got him back. Grainne was so many things; beautiful, generous, caring, lots of fun, charismatic, dare devilish, anything but a snob and a good friend to her friends. The last time I saw her was on my last business trip there when I had lost my job at Yoigo in 2017 and I stayed at her house. Here we are together, two very similar people in character I like to think. 

With Grainne in 2017

I just can't believe she has gone but I am grateful for the memories. God Grainne I'm heartbroken for you and your family and friends. RIP beautiful woman. You were unique. I couldn't stop crying. It was like I was in shock. The world has lost a very special person and I know that for sure.  She was all I could think about as we drove home from Burgos, only stopping for a very late lunch at the pretty village of Buitrago del Lozoya. We had had a great stay away but, as always, it was wonderful to be home. It was warmer in Madrid, as it always is which I appreciated. Burgos is not far north but is famous for its cold weather.

I slept ok that night and woke up in my own bed on Thursday morning. On that day another remarkable woman died. Maggie Smith of Harry Potter and Downton Abbey died aged 89. She was a magnificent British actress who I first saw in that fabulous film, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie based on the book by Muriel Spark. Did you ever watch it? I would love to see it again. 

That morning and after a whole week and not the 72 h the US immigration authorities promised, I finally got my ESTA application  to visit the US approved. It was worrying me a lot and I thought I might have to apply for a proper visa which would include a face to face interview at the US Embassy in Madrid. As you can imagine, seeing those words "approved" was a huge relief. If you've ever applied for an ESTA you will know just how many questions are asked. Well, imagine a face to face interview to get a tourist visa even with a UK passport. I have visited the States countless times on business or for tourism and have always hated going through passport control. I honestly thought it wasn't going to be approved and even suspected it was because I had a Russian mother. But now I've got it and it's one less thing to worry about.

We didn't do much that day; just went for our walk and then chilled at home. I got a surprise message that morning when Suzy sent me an audio to say she was coming home for 2 weeks. That is a first in a long time as she never wants to come. With all the rooms fully booked I had to turn the big glass annex next to our own bedroom into a decent sleeping place for her. She told me she didn't mind so we made it look as nice as possible. It had become a bit of a place to dump junk so this was the occasion to spruce it up and it looked lovely when we had finished.  Sadly she didn't come as she said the bus never came. I checked with the  bus company and told me it had but Suzy never saw it. That made me very sad.  I got two new guests that morning, Maria a teacher at the local Uni who is from Segovia and Yang,  a young Chinese girl, from Paris who is here to visit the city and surrounding towns on her own. The house may be full of guests but never feels crowded.  I got lots of new guests this week but it was Suzy I wanted to see.

Friday was quiet. Eladio went to have a much needed haircut and I went to El Corte Inglés to get a laptop carrier with wheels as I am fed up of carrying it everywhere without them. My laptop bag is very heavy as it has to fit my PC, iPad, kindle, related cables, ear phones and my enormous multi plug adapter which I call my "control tower". I didn't find anything suitable  - only boring black ones - so bought one from Amazon. I then looked at suitcases as ours are old and even though they are Samsonite, some of them are worse for wear. I took one look at the prices and drove to Carrefour to get a nice and cheap one which will stand me in good stead for our upcoming trip to New York. 

Saturday came, the night after Israel bombed Beirut and killed the leader of Hezbollah. Mohammad, our guest from Iraq was very worried as his sister lives in the centre where she works as a doctor. He is worried stiff and so he should be. I asked him if she was going to evacuate but she won't as she is a doctor. What an awful place to be a doctor. I also worry for my friend Rania, also from the Lebanon whose family live there too. 

We did the shopping and bought all the food Suzy likes except she didn't come. Unfortunately she missed the bus, an Alsa bus. Later she realised there was a big dark bus without any branding which must have been it. Poor sweetie, she had to trudge all the way home. Thankfully she is coming tomorrow and she didn't get too stressed.  We arrived home to find Mohammad, Bea and Jen from Mexico and the Philippines  having breakfast together. It's good to see they have become fast friends. We had lunch on our own as Tana was away for the weekend. 

There is not much else to say about this week. It was a lovely to celebrate Eladio's "big birthday" but it was very sad to hear about Grainne and a little upsetting that Suzy didn't catch the bus. Life is never easy is it?

Cheers then my friends, this Sunday 29th September. 

Masha

Living the life in London, a heavenly stay at Rosewood Hotel; fun, sightseeing, food and shopping, a banquet on board the Silver Sturgeon yacht on the Thames, Elliot turns 5, Olivia presents the World's 50 best hotel awards at the Guildhall and I set off the fire alarm by mistake. Home again, belated birthday party for the children and other stories of the week.

Home again, Sunday, 22nd September, 2024

With Oli after the awards at the Guildhall

Good morning to you. 

Our wonderful jaunt in London is over but it was marvellous. I  left you on Sunday last when we did all the touristy, tacky stuff which we adored as I hadn't visited London as a tourist for years. I used to visit Suzy when she lived here but we never did Big Ben, etc. So Sunday last was our chance and oh how we enjoyed it.

We absolutely loved staying at the luxurious Rosewood Hotel near Covent Garden where we lived the life of Riley which I know I could get used to. It was crawling with super rich people which we are not but had the luck to stay there thanks to Oli's lovely employers, 50 Best. What wonderful people they are and thank you for the stay. Thank you Oli too.

It started off with a luxurious breakfast in The Mirror Room which is a sort of Belle Epoque Versailles Hall of Mirrors. We couldn't have got off to a better start.

Breakfast at Rosewood is really something

We walked it all off by going on foot to Trafalgar Square and from there along Whitehall as Oli wanted to see Number 10 at Downing Street. As a child I remember going right up to the door but after the IRA bombings in the 80's or 90's it's all railed off and heavily secured. I have to say the bobbies are still nice though.

Downing Street

From there we walked to Westminster and on our way I bumped into a Chelsea Pensioner I just had to salute. I told him just what a privilege it was to meet him.

Meeting a Chelsea Pensioner last Sunday

Before we reached Westminster, I spied the signs to the Churchill War Rooms; the War cabinet built underground from where WW2 was fought and won. I had seen it a few years ago but was very happy to see it again. What a place. It's remarkable how they kept everything.  Of all the things we saw such as the Map Room and the Cabinet room, I think it was Churchill's bedroom that impressed me most. If you ever get the chance to go, take it. It's a lesson in recent history that comes alive.

Churchill's bedroom underground in the War Rooms

After an hour and a bit underground we emerged into sunlight just by St. James' Park. From there it was a short stroll to Parliament Square. There we were able to admire the newly restored Big Ben, that most symbolic of London monuments.

By Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

I wanted to show Oli Westminster Abbey but the bobbies patrolling the area told us it was shut till 3pm. Again they were very pleasant to me.

Caught on camera talking to British bobbies in Parliament Square

Instead, we made our way to Buck House (Buckingham Palace) through the beautiful St. James's Park and took more photos.

Buckingham Palace

The King does not live there, preferring his residence to be Clarence House. So I'm not sure the absence of the Royal Standard meant he was not in London that day. I wouldn't see him, of course, but I got his Coronation Mug to add to my Royal Mug collection started by my great grandmother and which I hope one day my daughter will continue.

By then we were hungry. I remembered having lunch at a pub nearby called The Phoenix many years ago so invited Oli to a Sunday roast. The day before we had fish and chips so now we were about to enjoy another great British dish and it did not disappoint. Just look. 

Sunday roast at The Phoenix Pub Victoria last Sunday

We had walked more than 10.000 steps but had to burn some of the calories of this wonderful lunch. To do that we walked all the way to Marks and Spencer near Marble Arch. On our way we went past a David Hockney and Andy Warhol Auction Exhibition. I had to explain to my daughter that Hockney is from Yorkshire and went to Bradford Grammar School where her grandfather taught. I think she was impressed. I was even more impressed, not just with his paintings but with the starting price of this one painting: from 2 to 3 million pounds. Amazing.

A David Hockney painting at an auction exhibition near Berkeley Square. The asking price begins at 2 to 3 million pounds. I imagine for some people that's like 100.000 for me. People have some very deep pockets here

Wherever you go in London there is something to see that catches your attention. One case in point is the entrance to this flower shop. Just look. 

London always offers lovely little surprises like this entrance to a flower shop

By the time we reached the M+S flagship store I was exhausted having done more than 20.000 steps so didn't feel very inspired to buy much. I had to get a swimming costume to use at the hotel spa; plus I needed one but there wasn't much on offer. I did find a boring black one in which I don't look too unpleasant.

From there I insisted on getting the tube back to our hotel which saved a few more thousand steps. The spa which was small and only had a sauna was nothing much but as we had it to ourselves,  we really enjoyed it.

Enjoying the spa at Rosewood Hotel

Dinner was splendid at the Holborn Dining room where we had scotch eggs for starters. The crab and lobster salad was mostly lettuce but I'm not complaining. We then had a chance encounter with people at a party at the Scarfes Bar (one of the best in London and which belongs to Rosewood) with the head of content and a lovely lady from Perrier. We were invited in and I made a faux pas when meeting the heads of Oli's employers. I said something inappropriate to a man I did not know was the CEO and I am still cringing. You all know I am a bit over the top so said the wrong thing in the wrong place. I owe it to having been unleashed from my quiet Spanish bubble into this amazing experience and I went and put my foot in it didn't I?

I slept so, so, a bit like the Princess and the Pea. The bed was amazing but I'm such a bad sleeper. We fell asleep watching unprecedented footage from ITV of the Hamas 7th October attacks - horrific.

We had the whole of Monday morning to ourselves and spent it shopping. But first for another marvellous breakfast in the Mirror Room.

Breakfast in the Mirror Room on Monday

We had had a little word with a lovely Lithuanian lady from Housekeeping. It was about the miniature chocolates on all the floors which of course we loved but there were too many mars bars and hardly any bounty bars. As we arrived back in our room, there she was with a handful, bless her.

With a handful of miniature bounty bars courtesy of Rosewood

On our way out, we had a bit of fun when we met a group of staff from the hotel all wearing lovely tartan uniforms. I thought they looked splendid and we got talking. In fact we made friends, especially with Carlo who is from Naples which we visited recently. There is another Carlo there from Puglia and who was delighted to know I loved his land.

With some of the lovely staff from Rosewood London

After that lovely encounter  we left the hotel. Soon we were  taking the tube to Marble Arch on our way to M+S. Oli had a fitting and I needed new lingerie to last me a few more years. I also got clothes for Eladio for his birthday.  Here we are coming out of M+S, one of our main destinations on this London trip.

On a spree at M+S Marble Arch

From M+S we made our way to Hamleys famous toy shop on Regents Street. We were having a lovely shopping spree in the centre of London and I felt on top of the world.

Shopping in London. We had good weather too

Oli was impressed with Hamleys which I think I had last seen as a child at Christmas when my Aunty Gloria took us there. I was impressed with the statue of the Queen made with Lego. Isn't it great?

The Queen at Hamleys

We were back just on time for a quick sandwich in the room before Oli had to rush off to The Dorchester for a script reading session with the 50 Best team. I must tell you this little anecdote. Oli gave the cab driver the full address of this very famous hotel. He dryly replied if he didn't know where it was he wouldn't be in his job. For Oli, not having been born in England, this iconic hotel did not mean anything. I later asked her what it was like and she said she was so busy she didn't notice. Honestly?? 

She was back on time to rest a little before we got dressed up to go to the Opening Banquet on board am amazing yacht called The Silver Sturgeon.  As we left I had to take a photo of one the chocolate moments of our stay; this one of Oli looking for mini twixes and bounties. 

One of our chocolate moments

We did wonder whether someone would see us on CCTV cameras hahahaha. 

We walked  from the hotel to the yacht moored by the Thames and through the centre of the city in our finery in rather nice weather - we were lucky. And oh my, what a sight greeted us of Woods Quay and the yacht below Waterloo Bridge. 

On Waterloo Bridge overlooking the yacht

Soon we were on the quay being greeted and wined and dined. I was told our food and drink was being provided by Raffles London and all the food cooked by the 3 Michelin Star chef Mauro   Colagreco from Argentina. For both of us it was to be an incredible experience. 

An amazing evening on board the Silver Sturgeon

There were about 200 people on board the yacht which sailed along the Thames giving a wonderful view of the city at night. I especially loved seeing Tower Bridge lit up while dining.

On board the Silver Sturgeon

Both Oli and I are more a Netflix in bed at night sort of people after a quiet dinner with our partners and don't really like going out at night. But that night was really something unique. The food was sublime.

When we moored again at Woods Quay, we made a sort of French exit as we were tired but decided to walk back to burn off some of the calories. Later I wished I hadn't as all my joints ached from so much walking.

I slept so so again but not too badly. Suddenly it was Tuesday, the day of the awards which were held at 20.30 UK time that night and which you can see here on You Tube where it was live streamed. 

We had a leisurely breakfast and Oli was free until 11 am when Fiona, the hair and make up artist, was coming. We were both a little sad that morning as we were missing Elliot's 5th birthday. Oli and Miguel have found a babysitter to take the kids to school when they are not there which was the case on poor little Elliot's 5th birthday. But he was given his main present the night before and in the afternoon he had tea with his other grandmother, his uncle and cousin, his father, sister Juliet and Booboo (Eladio). 

Elliot celebrating his 5th birthday

It was  a pity the 50 Best awards coincided with such an important birthday. 5 years old this week; how time flies. 

The make up and hair artist arrived on the dot. I was told she would take about 2.5h, so off I went to do my own thing. I walked to the nearby Lincoln's Inn Fields public gardens which I had spied before as they are round the corner from the hotel

Lincoln's Inn Fields 

What a beautiful place it is and with the temperature being mild and the sun out, it was full of people sitting on the grass or walking their dogs. I sat there and played Spelling Bee and called my husband and daughter Suzy. I got a nice audio from her and was happy to hear she had just seen her therapist who she really likes. She put my mind at ease.

Nearby is Lincoln's Inn, a beautiful building in New Square which houses barristers' chambers in London. 

Lincoln's Inn where the barrister chambers are in London. 

On my way back to the hotel I stopped at Waitrose to get sandwiches for lunch - what a lovely choice there was. I found Olivia still being made up and was stunned at the transformation; especially the French pleat for her hair. Maybe I said the wrong thing when I told her she "looked like Margaret Thatcher" - I meant the hairdo of Meryl Streep in the film about the former PM who was actually very elegant. My remark caused a lot of hilarity in the organisation. But then someone said she looked like a 50's actress; a sort of Grace Kelly and that was a much nicer comment hahaha. She looked so poised and elegant. Here are some photos.

Olivia after her hair and makeup session

She then had to go off to the dress rehearsal at the Guildhall and I accompanied her down to the lobby and into the courtyard. I felt so proud to be her mother. 

Soon I was on the phone to my best friend Amanda to catch up. I then stayed in my room to rest until the event that night. I felt so happy to be in London for and with my amazing daughter. Well done darling.

The awards were starting at 8.30 so we left an hour early. We shared a black cab with a Franco Belgian couple who work for Rosewood. At the time I had no idea Olivia would be giving him a prize. Soon I was staring at the magnificent Guildhall in the City of London which is so steeped in history. I went backstage with Olivia after we finally found it. Then I went out to wait until the awards started as I didn't know anyone. Then something awful happened. I went to the disabled loo and by mistake pulled the cord which I thought was the loo chain but turned out to be the fire alarm!!!! Imagine what I had done. Security came rushing and then I heard them say false fire alarm. I had nearly ruined the event but thankfully no one knew.

I was given a seat at the very back of the amazing room which felt like being in a cathedral. I was so far back so could only see Oli's head when she appeared.

Some pics from the awards ceremony

But I could hear her voice which came out loud and clear. Later people told me she speaks and sounds like me. I like to think that is a compliment.  Friends and family were watching from home and no doubt saw the whole event better on You Tube than I did in person. Olivia was brilliant and looked stunning. There is no other word. I loved seeing her so at home on stage and so professional. By 9.30 or so the ceremony was over and here you can see the list of winners from 1 - 50. 

Later we joined the crowd for drinks and went to the after party at NoMad, another 5 star hotel. Thankfully it was near Rosewood where we were staying. Many people came up to Olivia to congratulate her. And when we arrived back at our hotel, there was a group of top executives from the Rosewood chain including their President Radha Arora. He also congratulated us. He introduced us to his colleagues, one of which was the General Manager of the famous Carlyle hotel in New York. I told them we were going in November but staying at the Edition in Times Square. They said no way, we had to experience their hotel in New York. Oh well, we weren't going to turn down an invitation from Rosewood were we? The Carlyle is the place of celebrities and where JFK used to have an apartment. Lady Diana and many other famous people have stayed over the years. We went back into our room not quite believing what we had just heard.    And there I was looking for cheapo hotels for our first two nights, The other three are at The Times Square Edition  courtesy of the organisers who have contracted Oli as their emcee.  What a night it had been. I felt so privileged and thankful. 

We woke up on Wednesday feeling as if we were in a dream. The whole trip had been such a tonic for me. I felt like the old me. I felt happy and I haven't felt happy for a long time. We had our last amazing breakfast in the Mirror Room.

Last breakfast at Rosewood London

We were leaving for Heathrow at around 12.30 so just had enough time to pack and take a short walk. I took Oli to Lincoln Inns' Fields which she loved too. Just before we left we bought some of the hotel's famed pies, handmade by Rosewood chefs. The Pie Hole is open 3 days a week and we were in luck and were able to buy some. What a place too.

Soon we were in a London black cab and talking to the cockney driver all the way to Heathrow. I think it was a lesson in British accents for Olivia hahaha who was amazed to be told by one of the organisers that she had a posh accent. I tried to explain the accent thing in England which I think you can only understand if you are English. 

Terminal 5 was crowded but our flight although full landed in Madrid on time. We had to wait a while for a taxi though and weren't home till 9 pm. I had so much to tell Eladio and things to give him too. The hotel in London was marvellous but it was even more marvellous to sleep in my own bed next to my husband.

I slept well and suddenly it was Thursday morning and my dream was over. We went for our walk and out for coffee, two items in our daily routine I really enjoy. It was good to be back. The house was full of guests and lovely ones too. The countries they came from this week are Mexico, France, Philippines, Croatia, Iraq and India. I love seeing them all mingle and actually make friends. 

Of note that day I bought my plane ticket to New York and we are all set, that is if my ETSA visa comes through. Can this be happening I ask? While in the city that never sleeps, we look forward to seeing our good friends Juana and Oscar who have offered to be our guides on the Saturday the day after we arrive. Again I have something fantastic to look forward to and another dream to live.

On Friday we prepared a small belated birthday party for both Juliet and Elliot who turned 3 and 5 on 4th and 17th September. We had missed Juliet's birthday and only Eladio saw Elliot on his. I made fish and chips for the occasion and there were mini strawberry and cream tartlets with sparkler type candles which Elliot loved as well as a giant number 3 balloon for Juliet to add to Elliot's number 5.  And there were presents they loved and cards they ignored, hahahahaha. 

Belated birthday party for Juliet and Elliot on Friday night

Miguel was away this week working for TVE at the San Sebastian film festival so it was just us with Oli and the kids and she needed a helping hand. Thus we helped her bathe both children before she whisked them off home to bed.

We slept well that night after watching a film I liked called "Gifted". I woke up on Saturday morning feeling rested. We went on our walk and I then went to have my nails done. This was the result an hour or so later

 New nails yesterday

I came home to prepare our lunch and we were joined again by Juliet and Elliot who never seem to eat much at our house. Later I went with Oli to El Corte Inglés for her to get a birthday present for Eladio who turns 80, yes 80, on Monday which we shall be celebrating with the family today. Then tomorrow we are going to stay 2 nights at the legendary 5 star  Hotel Landa near Burgos where we have stopped many times but have never stayed. That's his main birthday present. 

I came home bushed two hours later as going round a huge department store on a Saturday afternoon after lunch is very tiring.

And that my friends was my week. On the international scene there has been horrific news from the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas from Palestine. The former blew up pagers and two way radios used by the organisation and now the war is waging in Lebanon. We are so lucky to live where we live. 

Today is going to be a grand day with lunch at La Espiga with the family to celebrate the beginning of my dear husband's 8th decade. 

Cheers then everyone and thank you for reading my blog.

Masha