Sunday, Madrid, 20th July, 2025
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| Oli and Suzy, bridesmaids at Copi's wedding on Friday |
Good morning once again from home in Madrid. To think this time last week we were still in Paris. Our romantic trip there ended on Sunday and we began the long journey home.
We drove all the way back in one day. It's just under 1300 km and although it's long, the motorways are fantastic and we both took the wheel when one of us was tired. Poor Eladio was suffering from a bout of sciatica so I drove more than he did.
On our way I spotted so many fields full of beautiful sunflowers, "tournesols" in French.
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| Sunflowers, a symbol of France and the Tour of France |
Although we have them too in Spain, they are more symbolic of France, especially during the Tour of France which is ending next Sunday. No doubt the Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar, the current "maillot jaune" will win his 4th Tour and stand victorious on the Champs-Ëlysées next Sunday. I don't really follow cycling but once it was a major force in my life when I worked for Motorola who had a cycling team. My job took me to the Tour of France, Tour of Spain and many other races and I got a bird's eye view of this most difficult sport. I remember too seeing so many sunflower fields during the races in France.
We left very early as we had a good 15 hours to go to get home. It was the day before the 14 Juilliet, Bastille Day which I would have loved to have witnessed but not in Paris where the crowds would have overwhelmed me. There were many people on the motorways but more driving to Paris than to Spain, apart from all the lorries. We stopped a few times, once for our picnic lunch, for petrol, to change drivers, to stretch our legs and to get petrol.
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| Picnic lunch on our way home from Paris |
Returning from France and driving through Spain we encountered many, many Moroccans who live in France and were going home for their holidays.. They stop a lot too and rest - here is a picture to prove it hahahaha.
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| Fellow travellers on the road from France to Spain |
As we drove I tried to follow the Wimbledon final between Alcaraz and Sinner and was gutted that the Spaniard had a bad day and lost. However, he has two Wimbledon trophies to Sinner's one trophy. I was a bit upset but preferred to concentrate on the road.
However much I love travelling, it always feels like home when you get to the Spanish border.
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| Home is Spain |
Spain has been my home since I moved here from England, my birth country, in 1981 to live with and then marry Eladio in 1983. I have never looked back although I do miss England at times. It's funny but I get the same feeling of belonging when I travel to England. It's the smell, it's the atmosphere, it's the people, it's the feeling I am at home. I am at home in both countries and am missing England right now and would love to go again soon. We arrived home to a quiet house as everyone was asleep; that is Suzy, Tana and the guests. Only little Pippa greeted us.
Even though it was very late, I unpacked and put everything away, something I always do as I'm a bit OCD arriving back from road trips. It was so warm in Madrid, we immediately put the a/c on. It has been on every night since we got back. Oh how I hate the extreme heat in the summer.
Suzy seemed in a good shape, considering. She is now going every day as an outpatient to therapy and even though it is hard, she is doing her best. Oh how I suffer about my eldest daughter. Paris was a break and home was reality. But we have to live and our trips help a lot although we can't go away for long anymore.
First things first. The day after coming back we went straight to A&E at the Montepríncipe private hospital for a doctor to see Eladio about his sciatica who actually diagnosed lumbago. To make it seem more dramatic, I made him go in in a wheel chair and told the doctor we were travelling the next day which wasn't true. Thus he gave him a cocktail of intravenous drugs including, I think, steroids and opiates.
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| At A&E this week |
That did the trick and the pain soon went away. He was prescribed a ton of pills including valium to help him sleep through the pain. But he didn't need it and was drowsy the whole of the next day. One night I tried it as an alternative to my sleeping pills and it didn't work at all on me so I won't be trying it again.
It was good to see Olivia too when she came for lunch nearly every day this week. She was having a break from the kids as Miguel had taken them with his brother to a flat his parents own in Madrigal de la Vera. This week she has been doing a different job which is far easier than telling the news live. She was part of a jury evaluating candidates' level of English for a job with the radio part of RTVE, RNE. It meant she could get up later than her usual 5 am and it also meant she could have time off from the kids. She spent most of it with Suzy and was here for lunch and dinner most days. I caught the two of them on camera to capture the moment. I am so glad to see Oli supporting Suzy while she is going through such a tough time.
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| The girls together by the pool this week |
They were preparing for their childhood friend, Copi's big, big wedding where they were to be her bridesmaids and were constantly on the phone to her. One day when they went to rehearse a dance with the other bridesmaids, we had the pool to ourselves. It was so hot I went in the water and miracle of miracles, Eladio joined me. He complained about his back though as he was told to rest so that may well be the last time he swims in our pool this summer. Here is a picture to prove he went in.
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| Eladio went in the pool this week, something highly unusual. |
This is news as he hardly ever goes in the pool even though he likes to have one.
We have had a very lazy week after coming back from Paris and have not done much. It is too hot for our walks and we only left the house to do the much needed shopping.
Friday night was Copi's wedding. Copi whose real name is Ana María is their childhood friend since they were 3 and 4 when they went to St. Michael's school together. She is practically part of the family. We were invited too and I feel guilty for not going but the honest truth is that we don't really like big weddings, especially if there is dancing and the dinner is late - hers started at 10 pm. By then we are always in bed. But it was something very special for the girls and very special to be her bridesmaids. They are her closest friends and for Suzy it was daunting confronting people she has shied away from for so long due to her illness. But at the same time she wanted to be there for her oldest friend. They met on their first day of school when both girls were 4. As soon as we walked into the lobby, Suzy pointed her out and said "Who is that little black girl over there? I want to be her friend" and that's how their friendship started. Copi lived near us and the girls were forever together as they were on Friday on her big day. I have chosen the photo of them with her at the wedding as this week's feature photo as it will be one to remember and here are some more of my two beautiful daughters as well as as a video of them dancing, the dance they had to rehearse.
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| My beautiful daughters at Copi's wedding wearing the bridesmaids' dresses she chose and bought for them. |
At Copi's wedding yesterday
All the guests stayed the night at the fancy venue called El Palacete de la Ochava and attended the breakfast or brunch. Our girls went to be at around 4 in the morning but I heard that some partied on until 9 am!!! This wedding sounded amazing but was not for us oldies, hahahaha. If I had gone to bed at 4 in the morning it would have killed me.
We spent yesterday morning alone at home. The girls were at the post wedding breakfast, Tana had her day off and there was no sign of our guests. It was much cooler yesterday which meant we could spend most of the day by the pool. We enjoyed our time of being alone with little Pippa of course - here are some relaxed photos of us which I rather like.
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| Enjoying being alone at home yesterday morning, just the two of us with Pippa |
The girls joined us for an impromptu lunch and later I spent the afternoon with them under the shade of the trees at the end of the pool. Suzy and I had a very constructive conversation as she did too later with her father when he joined us. She is a lot, lot better but still has a long journey ahead of her. Later we had a small dinner together on the kitchen patio and peace reigned in our house.
Today is
Sunday and Oli and all the family are coming to spend the day. I can't wait to see Elliot and Juliet again but it won't be for long as tomorrow they are going on holiday. They are first going to the French Basque country, then to Cantabria after which we shall see them in Montrondo. Later in August they will be going to France again and will spend the last week of next month at our flat in Santa Pola. I have to say I am excited for them.
On that happy note, I shall love you and leave you to get ready for the day. Sorry no international or national news this week or even last week. I am taking a bit of a break as it is all so bleak. I am sure you agree.
Cheers till next Sunday which should find us back in Montrondo,
Masha.
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