To Santa Pola with Suzy and Eladio, Carlos Alcaraz Prince of clay at Roland Garros, alone in the apartment, Elliot graduates from infant school, Air India crash, Spanish government corruption scandal, time out with Sandra and Adele and other stories of the week.

 Gran Alacant, Santa Pola, Sunday 15th June, 2025

The three of us together in Santa Pola

Good morning everyone. How are you all? I'm in fine fettle her in Santa Pola with my dear University friends, Sandra and Adele.

I came here last Sunday in two cars with Suzy and Eladio who were staying until they arrived on Thusday. 

 While we were driving down through sunny Spain, two young men were preparing for the final of the most gruelling of the grands slams at Roland Garros in Paris. Roland Garros is a French aviation hero after which the tennis stadium was named. Its slogan is "Victory is for the most tenacious" quoted by the hero but actually first used by Napoleon. Victory is for the most tenacious is what that final match turned out to be about between the world number 1, the Italian Jannik Sinner and the world number 2, Spain's Carlos Alcaraz. The match was the longest in the history of the tournament; just under 5 and a half hours. The Italian led at the beginning by two sets and I, for one, never thought "Carlitos" had it in him to make an historic comeback. But he did, once he overcame Sinner's 3 match points. I think the most surprised player was the latter who although he has won 3 grand slams, had never met Carlitos in a grand slam final nor played a match longer than 4 hours. Many people say that Alcaraz is Nadal's successor. Nadal won 14 times at Roland Garros and holds 22 grand slam titles and is considered the King of Clay.  They both won their first Roland Garros at the same age (22). This is now Alcaraz's second French Open (plus a US Open and Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024) and for now he is the Prince of Clay. For the moment his career seems to be on the same path as his compatriot. But there the comparison ends. Carlos Alcaraz loves tennis and wants to be the best player ever but in his own way and always tries to point out that even though Nadal is his idol, he is his own man. That comes through very strongly in the Netflix documentary about him. Carlos insists he needs to party as well as work whereas the big three, Federer, Djokovic and Nadal, sacrificed their youths for tennis. So far, his plan seems to work and on Sunday he showed the world that "victory is for the most tenacious" because his tenacity and mental strength are what helped him win, as well as the public I should add. I have to confess that even though both Eladio and I were on tenterhooks during that very long match, I was unable to watch it because it made me just too tense. I remember having the same feeling watching Bjorn Bjorg and John McEnroe play Wimbledon finals. Perhaps it is more intense when watching Carlos because he is Spanish and this is my adopted country. It was the same when I watched Nadal play Federer or Djokovic, I just couldn't watch but was delighted when he won afterwards. Carlos is a boy who still lives with his family and of all the photos I saw after his second win, the one with his parents and two brothers is my favourite. BTW I also love the one of him with the ball boys and girls. How sweet of him to remember them.

Carlos with his brothers and parents celebrating his victory last Sunday

I cannot begin to imagine their pride or how they must have suffered during the match. Of course Sinner and his family will have suffered just as much but never touched the glory because after all, no one ever remembers who was number 2 and there is only ever one winner in the Men's singles in tennis. That is sad because he played brilliantly. I know, though, that he will savour the taste of success in many more Grand Slams and no doubt he will, on occasion, beat the Spaniard. If you are reading this and are not into tennis; I am sorry if I have bored you. For me watching important Grand Slams is a bit of a passion which was instilled in me as a child in England when the whole country stopped while Wimbledon was being played. 

I did not instill this in our daughters as Wimbledon was never televised in Spain - not even when Spaniards were playing in the final (boohoo), so Suzy was a bit astonished when she saw us so stressed about the match and so happy when the Spaniard won. She was in her own little world but I think it was good that she came with us to get a bit of sun on the beach.

Last Sunday was all about tennis so let me move on to Monday. In the morning I enjoyed all the news clippings of Alcaraz's win in Paris but I soon had to turn my attention to more mundane matters. We had come a few days before my friends arrived with one mission, to check that everything was ok in the flat after we had had it rewired. We turned up at the electrician's "Sandro" in Santa Pola because we had not been able to get through to them on the phone which was very frustrating. To cut a long story short, we needed them to come back to the flat to put more sockets in, the details of which I won't bore you with.

After talking to the electricians and making sure they would come the next day, we went to have a coffee at my favourite cafe in town, Choco & Latte, in the main square. It's one of my happy places and here is a photo of my handsome husband with little Pippa while were enjoying our time there.

Eladio and Pippa  - coffee time in Santa Pola on Monday

We then had to do some food shopping which included a quick visit to Quicksave, the British supermarket across the road from the apartment. Out of interest, there I got some Yorkshire tea, some polos and bars of Imperial leather soap which I adore. 

In the afternoon or rather early evening, while Suzy was down at the pool, we went for a long walk to the Santa Pola lighthouse which takes at least an hour there and back.  Before leaving I got Eladio to take a photo of me in the gardens belonging to the complex. I fell in love with those gardens when we    bought the apartment as long ago as 1999. Here I am with Pippa, of course. 

Setting off on our walk on Monday afternoon

The cliff by the lighthouse  is another of my happy places and that day we were greeted with a spectacle of people paragliding. It's beautiful to watch and the nearest thing there is to flying for humans, as my husband pointed out, but I could never do it because I don't like heights. Here are some photos to remember that day and that walk.

Photos from our walk to the lighthouse - amazing. 

On Tuesday the electricians came at around 09.30. They took all morning so we had to stay in the flat, apart from a quick coffee across the road with Suzy. But they did a good job and that was what we had come for. 

So we were only really free in the afternoon to go the beach. We got there at nearly 7 pm but enjoyed a swim and a bracing walk to the end where, as always, we sat on "our rock" and contemplated our surroundings. I came home to have a shower, wash my hair and enjoy a glass of fresh white wine with Suzy on the terrace. We had a tête à tête which is always good for both of us. 

Wednesday came, the day of their departure. They left at around 10 am and I felt strange in the apartment by myself. It was the first time ever since we bought the flat. But I had to plenty to do to fill my time and spent the whole morning on practical errands. However, it did feel strange to be doing them on my own and not with Eladio. I even had coffee on my own which was served by a very nice man from Persia he said. His coffee was good; not so his country - his words, not mine. 

I had company at lunchtime though when Gina, the lady who cleans the flat came. I had put on 3 washing loads to ease her work but I did feel a bit uncomfortable eating my left over "spag bol" on the terrace while she cleaned. She does a good job, far better than I could ever do, for sure.

I spent the afternoon reading on my Kindle and writing this blog. I ate a little something while watching the news which was pretty dire this week - Greta Thunberg having to return from Israel after trying to take aid to Palestine, crack down on anti Trump protests in LA- and the awful Austrian school shooting. In Santa Pola I felt very far away from the worlds' crises and was looking forward to my friends arriving the next day.

On Thursday I was up early as usual but was out much earlier than usual. I had to pick up Sandra from the airport off her flight from Brussels arriving at 8.30 in the morning. We would later go back to pick up Adele in the afternoon who was arriving from Nantes. Luckily the airport is a short drive from here. She was well on time and soon we were in our apartment. She was soon unpacking and handing me tantalising Belgian chocolates. 

While we were beginning our day, my 5 year old grandson, Elliot, was graduating from infant school. He was even wearing a gown and mortar board. It's funny how kids graduate with ceremonies these days at different stages of their school lives. In my day, we only graduated from University. I know, though, that it was  a very proud day for him and his parents. Here is just 1 of the photos Oli sent to us. Isn't he gorgeous?

Elliot graduated from infant school

Next term he will start at junior school and will begin homework which I'm sure he will take very seriously as he is quite competitive.

While Sandra and I were having a cup of tea on the terrace we heard about a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed minutes after taking off from Ahmedabab on its way to Gatwick in London. On board were 242 people people  when the plane crashed into a medical student residency.  1 man amazingly survived. He has a huge tale to tell. More people died on the ground and they are still looking for bodies. It was horrific and while I watched a video taken by a bystander, I could not help but remember the crash my father's family died in on landing at Rijeka airport in May 1971. 

But the big news in Spain was the unfolding of a big corruption scandal in the government that many had suspected but it was audios revealed by the Police unit investigating the case that proved beyond a doubt what happened. 3 men; an aide, Koldo, a former Minister of Transport, Abalos and Spain's number three in the cabinet, Santos Cerdán, had been taking kickbacks in exchange for awarding public contracts for a sum up to over 600.000 euros. Abalos is already been investigated as will Cerdán who stepped down yesterday. Koldos was the middle man who, cleverly I suppose, had taped all their conversations detailing the amounts of money they shared between themselves. The PM, Pedro Sánchez who had denied the allegations so far had no option now but to face the music. He did so in a press conference where he apologised profusely. He is in a shaky position and knows it. Part of his cabinet have been taking side kicks, his wife is being investigated for corruption and influence peddling and his brother is accused of using the PM's influence to get a public sector job and collecting a salary without going to work. Any of these corruption cases should be enough to bring the government down but it's not going to happen. Sanchez did not win the last elections and is propped up by a coalition government made up of separatist and communist parties. For every move he makes, he needs their approval which comes at a cost. It is said in this country that he doesn't rule, but Puigdemont, the Catalan separatist, does with his 7 votes which is a very sad state of affairs. So,  I wonder, if what happened this week will be enough to provoke his downfall? I don't think so which is absolutely unacceptable. 

Life continued, of course, in Santa Pola and at around 11.30 Sandra and I drove there to have a coffee, look at the boutiques and have lunch by the port at La Sal. Here is the only photo I have of that day; a selfie of us by the port.

Sandra and I by the port of Santa Pola the morning she arrived

We duly had our coffee at my happy place; Choco & Latte where we sat for ages catching up. We then hit the shops my friends had loved last they were here in October 2023. I was the only one in luck when I found some lovely blue and white cotton long trousers and some summer shoes for Eladio.

Lunch at La Sal was enjoyable. We ate our favourite things, little green grilled peppers, prawns in garlic oil and mini scallops. Dessert - thick black cherries, was at home. I also had one of the amazing chocolates.

Adele's flight was delayed by just under an hour and at around 6 we set off the airport to pick her up. It was a lovely reunion and we came back to the flat for her to unpack and for us to have our first drink of wine; actually Prosecco. Both my friends came baring gifts. Adele gave us a beautiful Indian scarf and Sandra little cotton shoulder bags which are so in fashion. Mine is yellow and I love it.

My yellow cotton shoulder bag

It was then that my Doctor, Elena, rang me with the blood test results  I did last week after a few months of Mounjaro, especially to see if my cholesterol had gone down. And it had, so hurray for Mounjaro my friends, even if it does take the joy out of eating, hahahaha. 

We didn't spend long on the terrace after dinner that night as we were all exhausted, especially Sandra who had got up at 3.30 to catch her flight from Brussels. I went to bed early and started rewatching a film we saw recently and that I loved. Called "El Maestro que prometió el mar" - the Teacher who promised the sea (to his pupils), it's the unknown story of Antonio Benaiges, a forward looking teacher who enamours all his pupils but enfuriates the authorities with his modern methods. This takes place in 1935 or 36 just before the Civil War. He was tortured brutally in front of his pupils and people in the village and later killed. Still today his body has not been found. It may sound gruesome but his story has to be known. It's on Netflix and I highly recommend it. 

Friday came, another warm but hazy day and it was ours for the taking.  After breakfast and the news - a bit dire again as Israel has invaded Iranian nuclear installations and who knows what the retaliation will be - we went down to the beach. 

It has been hazy all week and is apparently due to forest fires in Canada. We  took  three chairs and as soon as were down, I was the first into the water which was divine; neither cold nor warm. What a lovely time of year to be here. We walked to the end to "our rock" where, of course we took photos like this one.

"Our rock"

Once back to our space on the pretty empty beach we had coffee at the beach bar which was a joy in itself. Before it got too hot we made our way home to the pool where there were hardly any people. I was keen to shower after being in the sea to get rid of all the sand before entering our pristine apartment. We all had a shower and then drove to Lidl for wine and more provisions. Lunch was a small affair after which we retired to our lovely terrace. The terrace gets the sun in the morning and the shade in the afternoon which is a blessing in the hot weather. There we played a card game called Sevens - similar to Pontoon and Adele beat us hands down.

Friday evening was time for my weekly Mounjaro injection which my friends watched with awe and a little trepidation as they don't like needles but honestly the needle is tiny. 

We had booked a table at a restaurant across the road called Atipico which people rave about and I have never managed to go to. We loved it with a capital L I can tell you. Before going in some Italian tourists took our photos, one of which I have chosen as this week's feature photo. Here is another.

Ready to go out for dinner on Friday night to Atipico

We loved the place, especially the food, sort of fusion come Asian. These were the duck nems. Just look.

And below the tacos which we ordered twice

Duck nems and the taco at Atipico

Normally when I am on Mounjaro I have a very small appetite, especially for dinner, but this food was so unique and tasty I ate much more than my stomach would have permitted. We loved the place too which was absolutely full and does not surprise me. We shall be going back on our last night.

We waddled home, all full and tired and my friends carried on with the wine which I didn't take a sip of for fear of a headache. But I couldn't resist some of Sandra's divine Belgian chocolates. As we got ready for bed we kept telling each other about funny memories we had of our time at University and were in hysterics. Some of it is not for writing about here I am afraid as none of us were Goody two shoes so our memories will be kept to ourselves hahaha - I will admit to one though; Cadbury creme egg eating competitions for one. Hahahahahaha.

I slept so so that night and was up at 5 when I took another sleeping tablet and woke again at 7.15. Again today, Saturday is for the taking and we haven't planned it yet apart from Sandy's birthday dinner tonight at La Masía de Chenchu. 

In the morning we went down to the beach again and enjoyed both a bathe and a walk. Then I bought a large beach cloth type thing which I wanted for our bed and loved. This is the moment after buying it and then a photo of it on our bed. I want to get more for the other bedrooms. 

Fun buying a bed cover from an immigrant from Senegal on the beach yesterday

What it looks like on our bed

We came home to shower and then went out again to Santa Pola at around 1.30 - the wrong time of day to be out in the sun in Spain. We had a tiny lunch at Choco & Latte and then wandered round the shops, most of which were closed. Again I got more shoes and so did my friends at the boutique where I got the pretty long trousers. I then took my friends to the very attractive shop, Ale Hop at the end of the port and the walk was  hot. They loved Ale Hop and we all came out armed with gifts for our grandchildren and nieces. Here's a photo to prove it.

My friends loved Ale Hop

We came home at around 5 and spent the time resting and playing cards until it was time to go out again. I had booked a table at La Masía de Chencho, a place we love, to celebrate Sandra's birthday which was on 10th June. 

La Masía de Chencho

It was a fabulous dinner although my friends thought service was too fast. I wasn't complaining as I like that. Otherwise I lose my appetite in between dishes. The food was, as always, divine. We left feeling very, very full. Before leaving we took some photos to remember the night.

Dinner last night at La Masía de Chencho

The drive home was a bit scary in the dark as the restaurant is out in the sticks but I got us all home in one piece. Once home we were very tired and without much ado, retired to bed.

I was up at 6 am this morning and will now have to leave you to have breakfast with my lovely girlfriends. What a wonderful time we are having. It's a total break from my routine life. 

I hope you have enjoyed the read. Cheers now and happy Sunday,

All the best, Masha

c

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Home from Montrondo, warm weather, 3.5 months on Mounjaro, my first bathe of the year, lunch at Filandón with Julio, Elon Musk and Trump at war on social media, a reunion with Mohammad and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday 8th June, 2025

Highlight of the week - going out for lunch with Julio

Good morning everyone. I hope you find you all well. 

This time last Sunday we were on our way back from Montrondo and today we are off to Santa Pola. We've had a lovely week at home now that the warm weather is here to stay and the pool has been the main attraction for our grandchildren, Elliot and Juliet. So let me tell you all about it.

I was up at 05.30 in Montrondo which was far too early but it meant we set off early for Madrid. We left the house sparkling clean and I hope it remains so until we go at the end of this month with our friends Amanda and Andy.  We aimed to be home for lunch but the journey took longer than anticipated because of roadworks on the A6. We were rerouted many times and I was desperate for a coffee which we didn't find anywhere until 12.30. By then I was famished and had a large piece of toast which meant that once home I was not hungry for lunch which dear Suzy had prepared for us. It was good to see her again but I could tell immediately she was a bit down. I think she was lonely poor soul. This weekend she went to Copi's hen party with Oli; her first proper social engagement in many years and I hoped it would go well.

It was so hot in Madrid compared to Montrondo that we had to put the air conditioning on in our room for the first time this year.  We also removed the duvet. At 5 pm, our IT handyman, Luis, came round to change the battery in my 5 year old HP PC.  He fixed other things too in both mine and Suzy's PC. He was with us for at least 1.5h and only charged 20 euros. Thank you Luis

Oli and family came after he left to make use of the pool as their community pool doesn't open until the middle of June. They came many times this week and it was a joy to have them. Here are the four of them taking their first bathe together this year.

Oli and family in the pool last Sunday

Monday was another hot day and was the day I took the plunge myself and had my first bathe of the year. When we are alone I skinny dip. Suzy caught me on camera hahahaha.

Recorded - my first bathe of the year

I later washed my hair under the shower by the pool; something I love doing and can only do when there are no guests around. We have had plenty this week; Anne from the Ivory Coast and Lucila from Argentina as well as repeat guests, Elena, Leonardo and Julen as well as Javier and Diana.  Thankfully they were mostly out during the day.

Oli joined us for lunch which of course we had outside as we have all our meals now when it is not too hot.  When she left I had a surprise video call from my cousin Zuka who I haven't spoken to for far too long. This summer we shall be going to see her in France. How lovely to have plans for the summer. 

It was on Monday that the volcano on Mount Etna in Sicily erupted. It was big news but not for locals. My friend Joanne was on holiday in Sicily and saw the plumes of smoke close up. Wow!

On Tuesday Oli and family came again to use the pool and it was during their visit I was alerted to the fact that there was and is a water issue in our neighbourhood where the water comes from wells and not the Madrid Canal de Isabel II. I'm not really sure what happened. I think one of the wells was leaking and needed mending but it meant the water was cut off that night and we were told not to irrigate our gardens. We didn't know for how long. El Bosque where we live seems to suffer from all sorts of power cuts, water issues, telco problems, etc and that's because all the infrastructure is very old and the town hall we belong to doesn't think that El Bosque (a gated community) is their top priority. Anyway, by the end of the week the pipes were all fixed. 

I have nothing to complain about when you think of the starving population in Gaza or the war in Ukraine. There is no sign of peace between Russia and Ukraine but this week they at least exchanged prisoners. This came after a daring military operation planned by the Ukrainian secret service when hundreds of drones attacked Russian military sites, bombing at least 40 planes. It was 18 months in the planning and must have made Putin furious. 

In the afternoon I had an appointment with my GP, a young doctor called Elena, the one who prescribed me the weight loss drug first patented for diabetics. I have been on Mounjaro for 3.5 months now,   since 21st February and so far have lost 8 kilos. I persuaded her to prescribe it to me for 2 more months and then taper off with the lowest dose; 2.5mg. It's expensive but really worth it as it takes the suffering out of trying to lose weight. Basically you can eat what you want within reason but you tend not to eat much because appetite is suppressed as Mounjaro slows down digestion leaving you feeling full for longer. Elena had initially agreed to prescribe it not so much for weight loss but to reduce my level of cholesterol. Worried about any side affects on my pancreas, she arranged for me to have a blood test the next day and she will be ringing me on 12th with the results. Many more people would benefit from Mounjaro if it was covered by the health service  which it isn't for weight loss; only for diabetics. Honestly it could resolve obesity in the world. The only thing we don't know is what happens when you come off it. Time will tell. Meanwhile, I am delighted to have lost so much weight and to be under 10 stone again. 

It was prawn night that evening for dinner, as we call it and Suzy joined us as she loves them as much as me. I make them in a salad with lettuce and avocado which is divine. 

I was happy that night to see Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning champion get through to the Semi Finals at Roland Garros. He then played  Musetti   and won after the Italian sadly had to quit.  But the semi final to watch was Djokovich vs Sinner; the match of the tournament, until then,  I suppose. Sinner was on fire and beat him in 3 difficult sets. And now Sinner (23)  and Alcaraz (22) meet in the final today.  Alcaraz has played amazingly but I think Sinner is playing better at the moment. The final is  at 14.30 and I shall miss the match. May the best man win which I hope is the Spaniard. In any case, if it's not this time it will be another. They are the future of the Big 3 and will excite tennis fans for years to come. If Sinner wins it will he his 4th grand slam and if  "Carlitos" beats him, it will be his 5th. Exciting tennis is being played at Roland Garros despite the end of the Big 3. 

Wednesday saw me at the local health centre for my blood test.  One is supposed to go on an empty stomach but I never do as I just have to have a cup of coffee after waking up. Otherwise I would probably faint. In any case I don't really think a cup of coffee (with milk) will affect the results much or at least I hope not. 

Wednesday was the best day of the week, the highlight being lunch out with Julio at El Filandón, one of our favourite restaurants. It was to celebrate our friend becoming a University Professor ("catedrático"). He's so clever and I'm so happy for him. We got dressed up for the occasion, something we don't get to do often so I got Suzy to take a couple of photos of us. Note we are both wearing our white denim jeans. Eladio said he looked like a painter or plumber, hahaha. He didn't. I chose one of them for this week's feature photo and here is the other.

Dressed up and ready to go out for lunch midweek

It's not often we go out during the week which made Wednesday's outing quite special. 

We left early to stop and buy him a belated birthday present. We chose a blue polo shirt from Massimo Duti. While at Centro Oeste I got two lovely short sleeved polo shirts for Eladio as well as a set of gorgeous wine glasses from Zara Home. I don't really need wine glasses but they are so beautiful. These are them.

Our new wine glasses from Zara Home

I was attracted by the style and the different coloured stems. They are very, very light, they almost feel like plastic. I read the are made of a very resistant glass called borosilicate. Have you heard of it? I hadn't. 

We got to El Filandón half an hour early so enjoyed the surroundings before we went in and we took some more photos like this one of me.

At El Filandón on Wednesday

And here is one of Eladio at our table while we waited for Julio to arrive.

Eladio at El Filandón

We enjoyed a glass of wine while we waited and I ate a whole roll of bread with butter. It was great so see Julio again, the last time being 3rd January. He was looking good and happy with life. We had lots to catch up on while we ate some delicious food. The men had fish and I had the hamburger. Dessert was pancakes and lemon pie which we shared. I was so full when we left. Dear Juli treated us as he always does and we promised to see him again in July at ours for lunch. He always wants me to make him "cocido" which I will. 

We were home late and hit the sack immediately and would you believe I slept from 5.30 to 7pm? Neither of us were hungry for dinner as you can imagine.

Thursday started with a video call to New Zealand to talk to my dear cousin Katty, Zuka's daughter. It was good to catch up with her news but sad not to see her this summer. The time difference couldn't be greater. While I was having breakfast she was about to make their dinner, hahahaha. 

We went out mid morning that day for coffee with our friends Roberto and Mari Carmen who had brought me my Mounjaro as she is a pharmacist, bless her. It's always good to catch up with them. I hope they can join us in July for a few days in Montrondo. 

In the afternoon I continued watching the excellent series about the Lockerbie plane crash which happened in 1988 and which I remember well. It's called The Bombing of Pan Am 103 and is on the BBC iPlayer. What a tragedy all round. Later Oli and family joined us again and swam in the pool. Wanting to use our lovely new glasses I brought them out on a tray with wine and pistachios and orange juice for the kids. I drank too much of the lovely Marqués de Riscal verdejo wine from Rueda which gave me a huge headache that night. Thus I couldn't continue watching the Pan Am Bombing series.

Eladio was watching Spain play France in the semi final of the League of Nations. Would you believe Spain was leading 4-0 and the final result was 5-4? My God it was close. Now Spain plays Portugal in the final today in Munich. May the best team win and may it be Spain. 2 of the 5 goals were scored by 17 year old wonder kid, Lamine Yamal for whom the sky is the limit when it comes to his future. He may even win this year's "Ballon D'or   and if it's not this year it will be another one. Even I found the match exciting although football is not really my thing.

Suddenly it was Friday, the end of the week and it was another lovely sunny day. We went for a walk, our first in a long time after which I skinny dipped and showered by the pool. Thankfully no guests were around. 

The main news on my iPad seemed to be the all out war on social media between the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, and the most powerful man in the world, Donald Trump. The Tesla guru helped him win the elections and then worked for him cutting costs everywhere until their relationship went sour which I predicted from the very beginning. Musk is furious with Trump's latest internal budget but I'm sure there is more to it than that. Two such big egos could never work side by side smoothly could they? 

We were on our own for lunch as Suzy went to the hen party. Later we heard she had felt a bit overwhelmed but it was good for her to socialise. I spent the afternoon by the pool with my lovely new iPad. I had a Facetime call with my dear friend Amanda who is coming soon and I can't wait. Later we watched Alcaraz beat Museti but the most thrilling match was between the Serb Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, the past and future of tennis. I think it was the only time I wanted the Serb to win but it wasn't to be. 

Saturday was 7th June, my dear mother's birthday. To think she died so long ago, in 1999 but I still miss her dearly. She went far too early in life. She would have loved to have met Elliot and Juliet. Oli brought them in the morning so she could to day 2 of the hen party but this Suzy didn't join her. Who brightened up my day was Mohammad who came for lunch.  Remember my Iraqi guest who lived with us all of last year? He has come back to Spain and will be working in Murcia and wanted to see us while in Madrid. That was a lovely reunion. I had made "spag bol" for lunch and here is the picture I took and which I am not in, I'm afraid. 

Lunch with the kids and Mohammad

While Eladio looked after the kids, Mohammad and I had a good catch up. Although his visit was short, it was sweet and I hope we see him again soon.  It's unfortunate he couldn't stay here but there was no room in the inn I'm afraid this weekend. I took him back to his accommodation and as I returned, new guests were arriving, a Franco Spanish couple from France coming to visit their daughter who is studying here. Shortly afterwards the kids' father picked them up and I felt awful telling they couldn't use the pool as the guests would be using it. That's one of the drawbacks of renting rooms here at times. 

Our day had been pretty hectic so it was good to rest afterwards but for me there is no rest for the wicked. I spent part of the late afternoon on guest related activity. I have a lovely English family coming to stay in Santa Pola next month. Bless them, it is their first time abroad and they would end up in our house. Of course I am helping them with everything they need. Their latest request was whether there would be any milk in the apartment when they arrived. What can I say?

And today is Sunday and we are off again this time joined by Suzy and Pippa.  But of course you will hear all about it if you read my blog next week. They will return on Wednesday and from Thursday I am going to spend 8 whole days with my Nottingham Uni besties, Sandra and Adele in Santa Pola and we are going to have wonderful girly time, that's for sure. 

I shall leave you now and get on with all that's needed for our trip and journey. Wishing you a happy Sunday, cheers from Masha

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