Last day in Montrondo, home again, London and New York calling, Juliet turns 3, an emergency trip to Santa Pola and other stories of the week.

 Sunday, 8th September, 2024

With Suzy in Santa Pola this week

Hi everyone. This week has certainly had its ups and downs and last Sunday when we were in Montrondo, we were looking forward to Juliet's birthday at home on Wednesday 4th September. But we never got to celebrate it with her as Suzy had a crisis in Santa Pola and we had to leave suddenly. I hope we can make up for that when we get back. 

To rewind, last Sunday was a quiet day in Montrondo. That morning we went to have coffee in Murias with Eladio's brother Toño and our sister-in-law, Dolores. We had it at the now not so  recently opened hotel which in the past was the local prison. It is still called The Prison - in Spanish: Hotel Rural La Cárcel.  So we had coffee at a former prison. It's beautiful now, especially the setting but I'm sure it was awful when it had prisoners with bars on their windows which is how Eladio and his brother remember it from their youth.  Here are a couple of photos to record the moment

Coffee at the old prison in Murias last Sunday

It was to be our last day in Montrondo after only a few nights but Toño and Dolores had been there all summer, since 15th June. They spent most of the day preparing to leave on Monday. Our idea was to leave for Asturias that day. However, the weather forecast for both Montrondo and El Cuetu was foul. Most of Spain was experiencing rain  but not the centre so we went home to Madrid instead.

It was a long drive but with a lovely break for lunch at Asador Sybony in the pretty and historic little town of Arévalo. It's famous for its castle where Isabella 1st,  Isabel la Católica,  lived as a child. We have had lunch at Sybony many times now and their suckling lamb which is typical of the area, never fails to impress. This is the dish the two of us shared with a generous portion of delicious chips.

Suckling lamb at Asador Sybony in Arévalo.

We were home by about 4.30 to find a quiet house even though it was full of guests. There was faithful Tana to greet us and put all the food away that I had brought back from Montrondo. 

I had good news that day. If in my latest blogs I wrote that I will be accompanying Olivia to London on 14th September where she will be the Emcee for the World's 50th best hotels at the Guildhall, you will be impressed to hear I shall also be accompanying her to New York, to the Big Apple. She got confirmation that very day. Wow! She has been asked to present the Ernesto Illy (coffee) awards at The Shed in Manhattan on 12th November. I am bursting with pride and so looking forward to both girly trips. Oli has never been to New York and I have only been once so this will be very special for us and something more to look forward to. This month alone there were and are so many other things to look forward to as well; Juliet and Elliot's birthdays, London and also Eladio's 80th on 23rd September. 

The weather in Madrid was beautiful, warm, but not too warm, with no more need for air conditioning and best of all we can now enjoy meals on the terrace as we did that night when we returned from Montrondo. 

It was good to sleep in our own bed that night. I would have slept better if I hadn't had Suzy on my mind. We had left her in a stable state on 22nd August but by 27th she was no longer in touch with us and we were sure she had stopped taking her meds. That was the day after she was supposed to have had her first session with the psychiatrist she was assigned and never saw. What did make me happy though was seeing a photo of Juliet, soon to be 3, having a haircut that morning. Isn't she lovely?

Juliet having her hair cut on Monday

But the sun rose on Tuesday as it always does and we got on with life. We went on our walk in the morning and just as we were returning Oli texted to say she would be live on TV at 10.06. She hardly ever tells us, so we rushed upstairs to our bedroom to watch her live. The topic she covered was about a woman called Emilia who houses young immigrants, mostly from Africa, who have to leave immigrant youth centres when they turn 18. with nowhere to go.  It's amazing the things she and her husband have done for them. It was great to see Oli on the TV again. It was her second day back to work after a month's holiday in July and leave of absence in August to look after the kids.

Lovely to see Olivia live on TV on Tuesday morning. She looked spectacular. I love all of her but have to say she has great teeth and great arms, unlike my winged upper limbs, hahaha. Hope she never gets them. 

We went out again straight afterwards  to El Corte Inglés, Spain's flagship department store, to buy a new washing machine. We  had 2 AEGs but the older one literally exploded in our absence. So we weren't going to get another AEG. Instead, we bought a much more expensive one made by Miele. We once had a second hand Miele  before we were married and it lasted more than 20 years. However, these days because of programmed obsolescence, I am not expecting it to last 20 years but certainly more than the AEG which only lasted 4. 

While at the Corte Inglés we had a coffee at Starbucks as we always do. I had lots of guests coming and going that day as has been the case all summer. Again there was no news from Suzy which was eating my heart out and I didn't sleep well that night either.

Wednesday was Juliet's 3rd birthday and Oli sent a photo of her and Elliot having breakfast.

Juliet and Elliot having breakfast on her birthday

Her birthday was to be celebrated at our house with a special lunch with us and Miguel's mother, brother and his two sons, her cousins. I had been on the phone to Suzy's psychiatrist who had given her another appointment this last Friday but Suzy hadn't confirmed it. We tried to contact Suzy and got an awful reply from her; an audio, typical of her when she has psychotic outbreaks. It was very obvious she had stopped her medication so we decided there and then to skip poor Juliet's birthday and drive to Santa Pola, call the emergency services to see what we could do. This is the story of our life these days.  The journey was awful as you can imagine. Awful too was how she received us. She was not pleased to see us at all. That's when I went outside to call 112. The doctor and police duly arrived as they did on 30th October last year when she had her first crisis. It was the same doctor who didn't admit her that time. I told her it was because of her that we had to wait a whole year to get our daughter diagnosed and that if she had admitted her then, she wouldn't be in such a bad state. The doctor didn't admit her this time either but at least  she did get her to start the medication again and made her promise to go to her appointment on Friday. We assured her we would take her there ourselves. What a horrible situation. It was just dreadful. I felt as if Id been to hell and back.  We were back to square one. However, I have to say the meds did help her calm down although for a full effect she has to take them for up to 6 weeks. Her delusions are still very entrenched which is so difficult to witness. She thinks we are not her parents and is the secret twin sister of Prince Harry!  

I slept dreadfully that night despite taking 4 bloody sleeping pills. How can I sleep while my daughter is ill? I can't. She wouldn't talk to us about her beliefs but at least she was civil  and had dinner with us that night.

Thursday was a complicated in-between day until her appointment on Friday which I think she was afraid of.  She went out on her own so we went to Santa Pola to have a coffee in the square by the castle and to cool our heads. We later did some shopping at Carrefour, making sure we included food that she will eat. We had arrived  to completely empty cupboards and Suzy admitted she had hardly been eating. Later, though I was happy to see her eat heartily.  I was so tired that afternoon I slept a whole two hours siesta which must have done me some good.

Friday came, her big day and our big day, except that she wouldn't let us  past the door to the  health centre. She doesn't want us interfering but if no one interferes where would she be? Out on the street? Not while we are alive I can tell you. The appointment was at 11 am and we were there just on time which made me very nervous. In she went and we whiled away the time by having coffee at some God forsaken street cafe. We went back to wait for her and she came out smiling. Yes, she came out smiling. She had liked her psychiatrist, Virginia. She felt as if she had been heard and will be going again next Friday. She also has an appointment to see a social worker about finding a job!  She even suggested we go and have a coffee by the sea to tell us about the session. 

Oh what a difference in her state of mind and in ours because while she suffers, we suffer. She even let me take a photo of her by the Santa Pola blue town sign - I didn't care how tacky it was; I was just pleased she let me as she hardly ever does. That is the photo I have chosen for this week's feature photo. And here is one of Eladio and me with Pippa. As I told Suzy, we are 3 in this marriage, Eladio, Pippa and I. She dryly replied; like in Lady Diana's marriage which wasn't lost on me, given her thoughts about the latter. 

With Eladio and Pippa by the tacky Santa Pola sign on Friday morning

For now we are all happier. For how long?  I don't know. Until another crisis? Possibly. But we shall always be there for her. One good thing I have noticed is that she has stopped taking marijuana, even the substitute one, There is no smell of pot or weed anywhere.  Let's hope it remains that way.

We stopped at the local supermarket on the way home to get more of her favourite food and then had a pleasant lunch together. 

Saturday was a quiet and rather boring day but I was counting my blessings we were no longer in the middle of a crisis. We haven't honestly wanted to go to the pool or the beach and couldn't anyway as I did not pack our swimming costumes. In my haste to pack I  didn't even bring trainers and came in my trusty Birkenstocks, which, while comfortable, are not suitable for walking. Thus no walks either. 

I noticed a marked improvement in Suzy that day.  She was singing again, she listened to music - our favourite, The Sound of Music, she painted her nails,  went for a walk and even sat down to read a book. It's amazing how the meds are working even after just a few days.

Today is Sunday and will be a very quiet day. We have no plans except to be with our daughter who is the prime concern in our lives. 

We shall probably going home tomorrow as we have lots of news guests coming, including a family of 7 from Malta! I have a feeling I have bitten off more than I can chew next week. Let's see how it works out.

Cheers now from Santa Pola, after the crisis,

Masha