On holiday with the family in Montrondo. Time with our loved ones and the Santa Marta annual fiestas.

Montrondo, Sunday 3^rd August 2025.

Enjoying Montrondo this week

Good morning folks from Montrondo, our village in North West Spain where we have been on holiday now for a week. We have no return date and are enjoying every day. Here with us now are Suzy who came with us and Oli and family who arrived on Wednesday.

It was very quiet before they came and last Sunday was quiet too, unlike today with all of Eladio’s family here. We counted 42 people yesterday!

That day Suzy and I walked to Murias which little Elliot, bless him, calls Murcia, a big town just south of Alicante, hahaha. Our prize was coffee at the local prison, now turned into a hotel and restaurant. I love having coffee in the garden there with beautiful views of the mountains. It’s so peaceful. Everything is peaceful around here and this week, I have hardly followed the news. Here is a photo of Suzy enjoying time with me.

Coffee with Suzy in Murias

I have spent nearly all my time with her this week. She has had her ups and downs but overall, it has done her so much good to be here; better than any professional therapy.  I have hardly left her side and we have talked endlessly about her progress. Here she has reconnected with her roots and family. Montrondo is in our souls and the girls have wonderful memories of long summers spent here with their cousins when they were young. It is wonderful to watch Juliet and Elliot creating early memories of Montrondo too. They love it here as much as Suzy and Oli did when they were children.

Later I accompanied her to mass in the village but had to stay outside with Pippa. Mass here is the big weekly social event and people dress up in their Sunday best and enjoy greeting the other church goers.

We spent the afternoon together on the sun loungers under the shade of the ancient apple trees. Eladio joined us for another walk to Murias in the early evening where we greeted many people from both Murias and Montrondo. This walk is the meeting point for everyone who lives here too or comes to stay. 

On our way back Suzy and I went to buy eggs from a local farmer and had fried eggs for dinner. Eggs here taste better than any you can get from a supermarket as you can imagine. My sister-in-law who has to feed 14 every day, buys dozens and dozens!

Monday was a quiet day again which I spent being with Suzy. She has made huge progress coming here and I am proud of her. That day I continued my fight with Movistar, our fibre provider. There was a connection fault in the fibre box in the street which only affected our house in Madrid. I was getting nowhere until I tweeted the head of customer service who I happened to know. Thanks to him, internet was restored by Tuesday afternoon.

Again Suzy and I spent the afternoon under the apple trees with Pippa by our side, as usual. We also spent time with Eladio’s family; some of his brothers and sisters and their families were here too. As we did on Monday, we went for an early evening walk followed by a simple dinner and then early to bed. Sometimes we were in bed by 9 pm, hahaha.

Tuesday came and we were running out of supplies, as was Dolores, so the three of us drove to Villablino, the nearest town.  The highlight was coffee with Eladio’s sister, Adela and her husband Primo. Here is a photo to remember the moment.

Coffee with Primo and Adela in Villablino

Coffee in the region of Leon is always served with a little something and the mini type freshly fried donuts we were served were divine

We made more coffee in the afternoon and invited all the family in the front garden which we call “el corral”. It was quite an effort to make coffee for so many with just one Nespresso machine but it was worth it as a good time was had by all. Suzy helped me of course as she has done all week, preparing meals most days.

The day we invited everyone to coffee in the afternoon in El Corral

A bar was opened this week for the summer and run in the old school house where Eladio used to go. It’s not much of a bar, but a great place to meet people. Suzy made progress again when she went there and reconnected with friends from her childhood. One of the boys brought along a whole album of photos of their youth in Montrondo. I was intrigued with one by God’s rock (la peña de Diós) taken in 2012, thirteen years ago where we all look so much  younger. Let me share it with you.

Photo from 2012!

Once again it was the perfect temperature for our evening walk.

Suzy with her father on one of our walks this week

It’s beautiful weather here with warm sunny days and cool nights and so great to have escaped the heat of Madrid where, this week, it has reached 40ºc. Montrondo which is 1300m high never gets that kind of heat.

Wednesday dawned and brought with it a booking from Alaska of all places. I have been running my little business from here and sometimes it’s a challenge as there is no fibre in the village. And damn it, yesterday all coverage went at around 4 pm and we didn’t know when it would be restored. It was funny to be totally isolated from the world and not good for my business. Suzy and I spent a lot of the morning making lunch for Oli and family who were arriving that morning but there was also time for coffee in Senra at the grumpy man’s bar.

The family arrived just in time for lunch and it was great to be reunited here. They had been on holiday in the French Basque country and in Cantabria but I knew my grandchildren would be at their happiest here, reunited with their little cousins. Elliot, although he doesn’t express his feelings very well, was very excited to be here in what he now considers his village. What he loves most is the freedom to ride his bike anywhere. I caught him on camera with a huge smile on his face.

Elliot on his bike delighted to be back in Montrondo

More of the girls’ cousins arrived that afternoon and the reunions, for Suzy, who hasn’t been here for 8 years, were sweet to watch.

After dinner for which Suzy had made watermelon gazpacho, we all went for a shorter walk and later I spent time with Oli. Since they came, I have been going to bed later.

The girls and I went to have coffee in Murias. Juliet joined us and had a bit of a tantrum but soon calmed down when we came back to the village. Apart from enjoying the bicycles – Juliet learned how to ride one this week  - the smaller kids love the trampoline where they spend hours jumping up and down.

With Suzy, Oli and Juliet - morning coffee in Murias

Oli had lots of washing to do after so many days on the road and Suzy helped her with it. I caught them both on camera folding some of the clothes.

The girls doing the laundry

That day I had booked a table for lunch for all of us at the grumpy man’s bar whose wife makes great food. It was the highlight of the day. Later, of course, I, at least felt too full for dinner.

In the afternoon, while I lay under the apple trees the girls made apple crumble but with apples bought at Gadis in Villablino. They were following a tradition I had started when they were young as I always used to make it and we all love it.

Lots of people went to the newly opened bar which is nothing special but it’s a place where all the young people can meet. More and more people were arriving for the annual Santa Marta fiestas this Saturday and the village came to life. I actually prefer it when there are fewer people.

Our day ended with a short walk after a very small dinner; in my case.

Friday was 1^ST August. We had to do more food shopping and it took a while to collect my fellow shoppers. Dolores was coming and we had to wait until at least 11 until Oli was free of her kids. I came home to make yet another 3 course lunch for 7 which has been a bit of a challenge this week but it’s lovely for us all to be around the table together.

It was on Friday that Eladio and I finally visited the bar and saw the kids and people gathering under the huge marquee built for the fiestas. Suzy was with some of her cousins and their childhood friends and I had to have a photo.

Suzy and Oli with a cousin and their friends

We later wandered around the common which is called the field (El Campo) here and took some photos; one of which I have chosen to illustrate this week’s blog post. Here is one of Eladio by the village well where everyone used to get water in the old days before pipes were laid. What hard times they endured.

Eladio by the well

The day ended with nearly all the family going for the walk to Murias and back but only Suzy and I made it to the next village together with Pippa.

Yesterday, Saturday was the fiesta of Santa Marta, the patron saint of Montrondo and the whole family was together. I was up at 6.30, as usual and by 7.30 was preparing the lunch. I had chosen to make a Portuguese dish called “Bacalhua a bras” which is basically scrambled eggs with cod and onion and takes hours to make. I made time though to go with Eladio to the village church for mass at 12.30.

I have never seen the  18^th century village church so full of people. The mass was good because the priest did a good job. At one point he wanted a photo with all the children by the altar and one of everyone in the church. I obliged as I think I was probably the best person to do the job.

The church was full yesterday

Later we all convened in the marquee where drinks and  some pie was served and people danced to music. Here is a lovely photo of Oli and Miguel enjoying the moment.

Oli and Miguel yesterday at the drinks and dance party after church

Oh and here is a lovely one of the girls with some of their cousins and spouses.

A lovely photo from yesterday

My bacalhau was ready for serving later than usual and we all enjoyed it except for my grandchildren who had never eaten it and suspected they wouldn’t like it. Next year I shall make spaghetti Bolognese, hahahaha.

The afternoon was lovely. We all spent it in the Corral to the sound of Eladio’s brother, Alejandro, playing the accordion. As we were all there it was the perfect moment to take the annual photo of the six brothers and sisters in order of age. Here is this year’s.

The 6 brothers and sister in order of age, from Eladio to his youngest brother who is 17 years younger than him!

It was more difficult to gather all 11 cousins but we managed it. This is just one and it was great to see Suzy in this year’s cousin photo, taken always in descending order of age.

The 11 cousins all together from the oldest on the left to the youngest on the right. 

It really was a wonderful afternoon in the corral with Alejandro’s music and everyone there doing their own thing. Many were playing table tennis, the kids were on the trampoline, dogs were everywhere and it was fun and chaotic. Above all it was great to be all together.

The girls made our dinner – bless them. Here is a photo of them on the balcony with Eladio below entering the house.

The girls on the balcony and Eladio by the front door of our house in Montrondo

We had a lovely dinner which included a puré soup made of my stew which I served on the first day and which my husband loves. Internet was not back and Juliet didn’t understand how she couldn’t watch Peppa Pig. The dance in the marquee wasn’t starting until 11.30 pm which is far too late for me. Thus Eladio and I went to bed.  There was no internet on our phones to entertain us but more worryingly I couldn’t check in my new guests in El Cuetu  nor could I be in touch with them to see whether they had arrived ok.

Today is Sunday and internet is not back. Thus I’m not sure when I will be able to publish today’s blog post. I shall have to drive a few kilometres away to another village where I have heard there is some coverage.

Today will be another family day in Montrondo all together just as I like it.

I shall leave you now to have breakfast, get changed and drive down the road to see whether I can publish this. I do hope internet comes back soon.  We can’t live without it can we?

That’s it from me this week. Cheers all and all the best until next Sunday.

 

Masha

 

Family reunited, Oli on holiday in Ahetze, the French Basque Country, family therapy session, Movistar fibre down so no wifi at home, RIPJulio Navío Romero, retail therapy with Suzy, home made water melon gazpacho, so to Montrondo and other stories of the week.

Montrondo, Sunday 27th July, 2025

By God's rock on our walk last night

Good morning friends and readers from Montrondo, our village in the mountains  where Eladio was born and where we have come on holiday and to escape the heat of Madrid.

A lot has happened this week and it seems much longer than it is, since we had a family reunion lunch  only last Sunday.  Here is a photo of us around the table. 

The family reunited last Sunday at home for lunch

Next time we will be around a table together eating a meal will be here in Montrondo when they come on Wednesday 30th July.

Monday was busy. We were going to be taking part in our first family therapy session with Suzy at the outpatient hospital but first we had to go and fill the Mini with brake oil. I dressed up for the occasion which may seem silly but I don't often have the opportunity and wanted to look nice for Suzy at the therapy session. Eladio took a photo of me while we were waiting for the car to be fixed.

Dressed for the occasion

I bought the dress at a shop in Ribadasella. It's not really my style but I was encouraged by Amanda who thought it was lovely. With my yellow and orange leather bag and yellow espadrilles I was very colour coordinated and felt good.

While we were out and about, Oli and family were on their way to the French Basque Country to a town called Ahetze. Not far from Biarritz and Saint Jean de Luz, they stayed at an  Airbnb run by hosts, a bit like us. Unfortunately though they weren't allowed to use the kitchen which was reserved for the family. This is it.  And here are the children just after they arrived and probably after their first bathe in the pool.

Miguel and the kids at their Airbnb in Ahetze in the French Basque Country when they arrived on Monday

I knew Olivia would be in her element as she has been dying to practice her French which she has been studying after work for the last two years. Bravo Darling.

Meanwhile we got to the hospital on time to meet some of Suzy's companions and by 12.20 we were sitting in a circle in a big room with them, their families and the therapists; the nurse, the psychologist, the occupational therapist and the psychiatrist. Suzy has been going for a few weeks now and will continue in September. I'm not sure what I got out of the session but it was good to see the patients, their families and the therapists. I was happy to be part of it but wish it had been a bit more structured. It was a bit like Quakers' meeting, the session is not guided, people just talk spontaneously.

We came home together in two cars and by then my latest guest, Tomoko and her toddler son Sandy had arrived. She is Japanese and lives in Hawaii. I wonder how far she lives from Pearl Harbour but I didn't ask her. Later we saw her 12 year old daughter who had come to study Spanish. Tomoko who left yesterday was a great guest. I mustn't forget to tell you she brought us the most delicious honey roasted macadamia nuts from Hawaii, the best I have ever tasted.

In the afternoon Amanda and I resumed our FaceTime sessions. We hand't spoken since they left Spain on 6th July. She was in fine fettle and it was good to catch up. She is my therapy and I am hers. 

Later I joined Suzy by the pool and we had a long talk. She was showing signs of acute depression. So far on the medication she is taking for her bipolar condition, she had improved but she seems rock bottom to me now. I encouraged her to talk to the psychiatrist and they may have to change the medication but of course it's holiday time in Spain and a difficult time to do that. God bless her. On the bright side we got in touch with the Madrid Bipolar Association which sounds good and we will be in touch again in September. I think she needs intensive one to one therapy not generalised group therapy where one size does not fit all. That night I finished the Churchill film - In his darkest Hour - and sent her the quote at the end from him. He too had his dark moments. This is it: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts" and continue she must. I know she will get through this but she is in the middle of the journey and it's the hardest part. 

Tuesday came and we had a coffee date with our friends Roberto and MariCarmen whom we hadn't seen since the middle of June. It's always great to catch up with them and another excuse to dress up to go out. 

On Tuesday Oli and family were at the Grand Plage in St. Jean de Luz, their only sunny day, I should add. I love that beach and it's one of the best for kids in the area as the waves are not too strong. Here is a photo she sent me and below a video.

Oli and family at the Grand Plage in St. Jean de Luz on Tuesday

Suzy and I were planning dinner for Julio, our friend, who was coming the next day. But it wasn't to be. Sadly his father, Julio Navio Romero, died aged 93 that morning. His carer, Lucy, was also my father's carer and she has now been present at both their deaths. I was so sad for my friend and his family, especially his mother who is now a widower. We promised to see him at the Funeral Parlour the next day.

It was on Tuesday too that our internet stopped working. I did the usual which was to switch the router off and on but it didn't come back. There began my odyssey with our provider Movistar. They told me the problem was with our router, that they would try to fix it remotely and if that didn't work a technician would come. Five minutes later it was back but with a weak signal. I was worried about my Japanese guest who had an American phone so was relieved it was back. But not for long. A technician came the next day, fixed something with the router and then went into to the street to look at the fibre connection. He came back saying it was faulty and needed repairing. That was on Thursday and since then we have been without internet at home and there is no sign of anyone coming to fix the connection. You can imagine I have bombarded Movistar left right and centre but it's still not fixed. It must be affecting more homes and I don't understand why they are leaving it so long. Damn!

Things only got worse that night. My English guests from Liverpool, Danny and family who were checking into our apartment at Santa Pola were arriving that night and would be received by Mar the key holder. It was their first trip abroad and they were very excited. Well, guess what happened? Upon arrival 2 bloody flying cockroaches were on the wall. Imagine their impression. I have never seen one of those awful creatures in that flat in my life. However, my neighbour, Lucy, told me they were everywhere due to the extreme heat in the area. Thankfully they got rid of them and never saw another one again.  A week before I had a guest who complained of bed bugs which was beyond belief. When the cleaner went she said there was not a trace of them. I knew we didn't have them but try explaining that to an angry guest. I am still waiting for a nasty review. Those are the lows of renting property on Airbnb and Booking as a host. And all the troubles fall on my shoulders. I just wish my skin was a bit thicker as issues like these have me running round in circles trying to fix the problems.  Thus, of course, I have been sleeping very badly again recently - nearly always actually:-(

Wednesday came and I dressed up to go to the Funeral Parlour on the horrid Madrid circle road, the notorious M30. I wore this outfit which I was a bit iffy about but both my girls loved it.

The new look I wore to the funeral parlour for Julio's father's death on Wednesday

In Spain when someone dies, nearly everyone is taken to a funeral parlour (tanatorio) where people come to comfort the family. I find it very dull and not at all cheerful. There is no wake as such nor is there an event to celebrate the person's life. There is often a funeral that is held weeks later but again, only words from a boring Catholic priest. I far prefer the British way and I do not ever want to be taken to a Tanatorio. But it was good to see Julio and to comfort him and to meet his sister, Teresa. We stayed for an hour and a half and then left to tackle the M30 to drive home and do the shopping.  Our morning was packed. 

Oli and co, meanwhile were at the biggest adventure park in France. Called Wow, it is in Urrugne and I know the kids had a grand time there. 

The Kids at the adventure park in Urrugne this week

We had lunch alone that day as Suzy was having lunch with her Outpatient therapy companions. I think they enjoyed themselves as much as they could of course.

I had planned to make a water melon gazpacho for the dinner that Julio didn't come to, so I made it for us instead and we had it for dinner. Suzy did the toppings: chopped up ham, boiled eggs, red peppers, spring onion and croutons. The main ingredients of the gazpacho were of course tomatoes, green pepper, garlic, bread, olive oil and this time both water melon and some strawberries. It looked lovely so I took a photo to share.

My delicious home made water melon and strawberry gazpacho with Suzy's toppings.

Oli has asked me to promise to make it when they come and I will. It was quite a discovery.

That night I started watching Toxic City which I find quite depressing but it did help me fall asleep.

Thursday came, the day before we left for Montrondo, At 11 am the Movistar technician came who I told you about earlier. I now wish I hadn't rung him as a weak internet signal is better than no signal. 

We had a few things to do afterwards but first for coffee at Alverán. Here is a photo Eladio took of me in what was a happy moment.

Coffee at Alverán on Thursday morning

We then parted ways as I had an appointment at the nail bar at 12.30 and Eladio had to do stuff. On my way there I spied a rather nice Chinese boutique. Spain is full of little clothes shops run by Chinese and you can get some really good stuff. I got a lovely culotte in blue with white embroidery and a white t-shirt with the words "life is good". It is, despite everything.

I told Suzy about the shop and offered to take her to see if anything would take her fancy. We hadn't done any retail therapy together for a long time and our session on Thursday afternoon made her happy. Here is just one of the outfits she got and she looks lovely in it and in all the others. It was lovely to see a smile on her face.

A moment during retail therapy with Suzy on Thursday afternoon

Our day ended with a glass of white Rueda wine by Marques de Riscal with some of the delicious Hawaiian macadamia nuts. I must also mention that on Thursday I caught up with Kathy and Phil in a FaceTime call just before Suzy and I went shopping. We had missed each other in France so hope to see them here in Spain in September. 

Friday dawned and we left for Montrondo around 10.15. We stopped for coffee at Villacastin and then for a sort of lunch at Palacio de Bornos in Rueda. There we feasted on local wine, bread and ham and cheese and peppers for Suzy. The pièce de resistance was some of their chocolate which we always buy. Here are some photos of our time at Bornos, one of my happy places as I'm sure you know.

Pit stop on the way to Montrondo for an early lunch at one of our happy places, the winery Palacio de Bornos in Rueda 

We arrived to 28ºc in Montrondo and were greeted by Eladio's sister, Pili and her grandson Andrés. It was a very sweet and emotional reunion for Suzy and Pili who she hadn't seen for possibly 7 years. Later she was reunited with Eladio's other sister, Adela and his brother Isidro. She was happy to see them all if a little anxious.   We all had coffee at Pili's and caught up on each other's lives.  That was after settling in of course. It was good to be back in quiet and beautiful and not so hot Montrondo.

I slept not too badly that night but was up at 6.45 on Saturday morning. Eladio and his brothers had tried to remove a huge desk from the top floor spare room to give space to Juliet and Elliot when they come so that Suzy can have her room to her own.  I washed sheets from when Andy and Amanda were here and made up Oli and Miguel's bed. Only then could I treat myself to a coffee at the grumpy man's bar in Senra. Suzy joined me and we had our coffee in peace surrounded by the beautiful mountains. 

It was a quiet day but in the afternoon José Antonio and family arrived from their holiday in Galicia.  They brought most of their brood - in all they are 14 and I wouldn't want to be in Dolores' shoes when it comes to feeding everyone three times a day! It was their sons Miguel and  Juan who helped Eladio and Isidro to bring down the huge desk and store it somewhere for future use. I was sad to see it go as it was at that desk that I wrote a lot of my father's book. 

In much need of exercise Suzy and I had agreed to go on an evening walk at 7, an hour before dinner and I had to drag Eladio away from his brothers and sisters to join us as he needed a walk too as did little Pippa. As usual we went along the old path to Murias and when we got to God's rock (la peña de Dios), the half way mark between Montrondo and Murias, I got Suzy to take a picture for today's blog post. Later I took one of her with Pips by the fountain. Here they are together.

Suzy with Pips drinking water on our walk back home yesterday

There are lots of people in the village now, who, like us, have roots here and come on holiday. We met a big group by "Los Palacios" and chatted which was a lot of fun. One of the women had been Eladio's pupil at the Gran Capitán school where he taught  over 40 years ago!

The walk did the four of us much good and we shall be going again today. We have no plans today, other than chilling around the house and garden  in the company of part of Eladio's huge family - he is the eldest of 6. 

So my friends, this is it for this week. There is no mention of any news as we have been taking a break. However, the news from Gaza is in my mind as it is in many people's. The Israelis are slowly starving the population. They are suffering genocide from the very people who should have learned from theirs. That's it, I've said it. On that horrible note, may I leave you to enjoy your day until next Sunday,

Cheers Masha

The journey back from Paris, home again, time with the girls, Oli and Suzy bridesmaids at Copi's wedding and other stories of the week.

 Sunday, Madrid, 20th July, 2025

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

A romantic trip to Paris, the city of light revisted, meeting Marie, Alcaraz and Sinner through to the Wimbledon final and other stories of the week.

 Paris, Sunday 13th July, 2025

You know where this is. 

Good morning everyone from Paris, the city of light and the city of love. What a wonderful treat this has been for us. Read on and find out all about it.

Last Sunday was a complicated day and rather sad too. Andy and Amanda were leaving after a fantastic 12 days together in Madrid, Montrondo and Asturias. But they weren't leaving until late at night so we had some more time together; mainly to play Sevens and Ludo in our air conditioned dining room. It was so hot in Madrid there was no other place to be.

That day 7 guests from Orleans, France were arriving and there was lots to do to get everything ready for them. Oli and family came to spend time with us at the pool and have lunch which meant we were 9 around the table again. Special thanks to Tana for all her help. Luck had it that the guests were late and arrived after we had driven our friends to the airport. We were both exhausted at the end of the day and fell into bed shortly after a mini, mini dinner.

I won't go through the rest of the week as there is little to tell so shall concentrate on our romantic trip to Paris where I don't think I have been as a proper tourist since the early 80's and that's a long time. But before I go on, I must mention Wimbledon. If you have been following this most prestigious Grand Slam, it's no news to you that both Alcaraz, the reigning champion of 2023 and 2024, and Sinner are through to the final. To get there Sinner had to beat Djokovic who has won the championship 7 times only thwarted by the Spaniard, Carlitos in the last two years. Of course I am routing for the Spaniard as you can all imagine. 

Thursday was the day we left for Paris and we got there late so our sightseeing didn't begin until Friday. Just being in Paris brought back so many memories of visits during my youth when I would always see my Uncle Kolya (Nicholas) and Aunty Valya. They were my reference point in the city and I have fond memories of my Uncle and Aunt driving me around, picking me up and taking me to places. I also remember well visits with my school when I was just 14 and of course many Inter Rail trips round Europe where Paris was always the starting point. In those days there was no internet, nor mobile phones nor did you have to book tickets online. I remember just walking into Notre Dame or Sacre Coeur and probably not even paying anything. I used to love sitting at Fench cafes with their unique wicker chairs, drinking either a café au lait or a créme de menthe. I would take the metro from Gare du Nord to Gard or Gare Austerlitz and nothing felt a challenge; not even changing pounds into francs. The last time we were there was with the girls on our way back from England when they were about 9 and 10. All they remember was going up the Eiffel Tower where we hardly had to queue. These days it's a very different story. 

We had just three days so I did a very touristy thing and booked tickets, online, of course,  on a hop on, hop off bus. That was the easiest way to see the main sights. Thankfully, .although it was hot, it was nothing like Madrid so quite bearable for us "Spaniards". Our first stop was to see Notre Dame after if had been restored, although there seems to be more restoration going on. Again without tickets it was impossible to go in. Paris is the most visited city in the world so all the world and his mother seemed to be there. Crowded doesn't even begin to describe it and it's not cheap either. A cup of coffee now costs about 5 euros, double the cost in Spain and that's just for starters. And here we are by the beautiful Notre Dame which sadly burned in 2019 just before Covid. 

Happy to be back in Paris and to see Notre Dame restored, or nearly

We later went in search of a coffee and came across the Sorbonne, France's most famous University. Later we hopped on the bus again which took us to the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs Elysées. As the cars had stopped at the traffic lights, I couldn't resist going into the middle of Paris' most famous Avenue and take a photo. That's the one I have chosen for this week's feature photo and here is another. It was a very happy moment, my friends.

Enjoying Paris

We had lunch around the corner at a typical Parisian brasserie. It was called Café de Paris, of course and guess what we had? Fish and chips my friends - so in vogue in France these days and with a lot less batter but equally delicious.

Fish and chips at Café de Paris near the Arc de Triomphe on Friday

We continued our bus tour and got off at the Eiffel Tower. We thought we couldn't go up but actually we managed as the queue for non online tickets was quite short. So, wow, we did the number one thing to do in Paris, we went up the Eiffel Tower, the biggest symbol of the city. Here are some photos to prove we went up, hahaha.

Eiffel tower revisited after more than 30 years

We came down feeling like champions and more so because we walked part of the way. I really admire anyone who walks up and down the tower, especially older people of whom there weren't many. 

Saturday came and it was another full day and a splendid one too. I booked us tickets to go on a cruise on the River Seine. The cruises are all called "Bateaux Mouche" but ours was actually Bateaux Parisiens. We set off from the Quai de Bourdonnais right under the Eiffel Tower which you can see from everywhere in the city or so it seemed to me. And here I am just before our bateau set off.

Setting off on our river cruise yesterday

We loved the river cruise which is an excellent way of seeing most of the sights in Paris. Here is just one. It's of us coming up to the Alexander III bridge, my favourite of the 22 we went under.

On our river cruise yesterday

After disembarking, we made our way to Montmartre, made famous by artists from all over the world. I wanted to see the beautiful Sacre Coeur cathedral (from the outside) and walk the cobbled streets watching artists paint famous sights of Paris, do portraits, caricatures and even silhouettes. We did not walk up but took the funicular which was a great experience and stress free for once. 

Funicular to and from Montmartre

Here is one of my photos of the beautiful white cathedral I remember so well and also of a wonderful view of the city.

We had to include Sacre Coeur in our visit 

The view of the city from Sacre Coeur

From there we wandered to the famous Place du Tertre where crowds were watching people play music. The atmosphere was great as was the square.

One of the beautiful cafes on the Place du Tertre

Our last stop in Montmartre was of course the Place des Artistes where we saw artists at work and thousands of tourists, some of whom were having their portraits done. 

Place des artistes in Montmartre

I am sure if Picasso, Miro, Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir or Van Gogh and many more could see Montmartre today they would be very surprised and probably not too pleased with what the area they used to frequent has turned into. They couldn't even begin to imagine the number of souvenir shops selling I love Paris  or Mbappe t-shirts, not to mention African immigrants selling plastic Eiffiel Towers. Even so, it's still a magical place to visit.

At 15.30 we were meeting my dear cousin Marie and her husband Anas at a very special place, the Ladurée cafe in the Galeries Lafayette. Marie told me they have the best macarons in Paris. We were starving by then and as we arrived early we ordered food. Eladio went for a club sandwich and I couldn't resist the equivalent of afternoon tea. We hadn't seen our cousins since the last cousinade in Île de Ré in 2018 so the meeting was sweet. We ate and chatted for hours and I only remembered to have a photo taken when we parted. It's an awful one of me but it's all I have.

Happy to be reunited with Marie

Marie is the eldest daughter of my cousin Mashinka and I first met her in the early 2000s when I worked for Nokia. We hit it off immediately and have been in touch ever since. Marie reads my blog, so if you are reading this, hi and lots of love. It was great to see you and Anas again. They live in Switzerland but just happened to be in Paris this weekend so it was rather a chance meeting but one I shan't forget.

And today is Sunday and we are leaving. It has been short but sweet and a lovely trip down memory lane.  Soon we will be in hot and sweaty Madrid but hopefully not for long as we plan to escape the heat and go and stay in Montrondo. In our family we have  a funny saying "Montrondo, Paris, Granada, como Montrondo no hay nada". This roughly translates as "Montrondo, Paris, Granada, there is nothing like Montrondo" which of course is nowhere near the truth, haha.

On that silly note, I shall leave you until next week.

Cheers from the city of light from a very happy Masha.