Madrid, Sunday 5th July, 2026
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| Olivia reporting on the earthquake from Venezuela, perhaps her most important assignment ever as a TV reporter. Just look at her face and the dust on her microphone. She was our special correspondent in Caracas. |
Good morning everyone. Well, what a week it has been for our daughter Olivia who was sent as a special correspondent last Saturday by TVE to report on the horrific twin earthquake in Venezuela. It was, for sure, her most important assignment ever as a TV journalist. We are extremely proud of the sterling job she did, never losing her nerve while surrounded by death and destruction. She told me yesterday she was not traumatised. I am not sure that is true as she admitted she burst into tears on Friday after reporting on people sleeping in tents on the street when she saw babies and children the age of Juliet and Elliot lying on wet blankets. No doubt the experience will have been very tough and it will leave a mark on her. She will never forget Venezuela and the suffering she saw. It was also very tough for her physically as the day she left her voice was hoarse. The only way to recover was to rest but she didn't get the rest. I told her to buy a miracle spray my dear friend Mari Carmen, who is a pharmacist, recommended me. It helped but took some time to kick in. At one point on the flight out she lost her voice completely. I was worried she wouldn't be able to work but thank the Lord she recovered it partially and was able to do her job well despite the physical handicap.
Her first day there was last Sunday, 4 days after the freak 7.2 and 7.9 magnitude main shocks in an area called La Guaira a relatively affluent seaside town north of Caracas. She had time to explore the terrain and see the destruction caused by the earthquakes with her own eyes. The scenes are similar to those of Aleppo. That is the only way I can describe it. Today as I write, the official death toll is 2595 and the number of missing is between 30 and 50.000. About 6400 have been rescued alive from the rubble but many have not. 59.000 or more buildings have been damaged or destroyed and one wonders when those who are now homeless - in their thousands, will get their lives back again. The country was already in dire straits with 8 million Venezuelans reliant on humanitarian aid. For now the rescue operations continue and the seeking of bodies under so much rubble. Many of the buildings were multi story and it is difficult even with the right means to recover bodies or rescue people from under tons and tons of rubble. This is the first photo Oli sent and it says a lot.
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| Oli on arrival on the ground where the earthquake hit the hardest in La Guaira |
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| A desperate woman in Venezuela |
Meanwhile, last Sunday, Eladio and I were leaving quiet El Cuetu where we had been to get the house ready for the summer and had had such a lovely time. Here is Eladio loading the car.
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| About to leave quiet and cool El Cuetu in Asturias last Sunday |
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| Roast suckling lamb at Asador Siboney in Arévalo on our way home from Asturias |
We got home in the early evening to a very hot Madrid. The garden, despite the irrigation, looked dry as did the flowers. It was good to see Suzy, Tana and little Pippa.
Just look at the rubble behind her. It was a tower block like the one just about still standing behind it, before the quake.
This is one I particularly like as you can see her in the thick of it, not thinking about herself but about the job she was doing. It says a lot too.
The birthday party was at the family home in Colmenarejo, not far from where they had a country house in Galapagar where I often went with them so many years ago. It's about a 45 minute drive and we got there in good time. The party was in full swing and Tomas, Irene's husband, was sweating away at the barbecue making delicious food of which I hardly ate thanks to Mounjaro. It was good to be reunited with the 5 siblings and I had to have a photo. It's not a great one but will suffice.
We were able to sleep thanks to the air conditioning in our room. But that was not the case for many people trying to sleep in the rest of Europe and the USA which are undergoing perhaps their severest heatwaves ever. Spain and France are the hardest hit in Europe but records have been broken everywhere with temperatures reaching 37 and 38 in the UK and Switzerland and 41 in Germany, Slovakia and The Czech Republic to mention just a few. Most of these countries are not prepared for extreme heat as we are in Spain and there have been 1300 or so heat related fatalities. I read of people fighting to get their hands on fans at Lidl in France. Most of these countries are going to have to start preparing for future heatwaves. I may be used to the heat here but I hate it. The mornings are bearable but I mostly stay in my air conditioned room where I am now, in the afternoons. I long to go to Montrondo to get away from the heat of Madrid but we cannot go yet, probably not till the middle of the month, damn it. At least there the nights are cool and luxury of luxuries, you can sleep under a duvet.
Even so, I slept fitfully that night. I was up early, as usual on Monday morning. Thus I was able to watch Olivia report live on the ground from Venezuela. Because of the dust and stench she often had to wear a mask and even glasses and a helmet. She was reporting for the early morning news, her own programme, La Hora de la 1, another programme called Mañaneros as well as the 24h channel which meant she was on several times most mornings. Morning for her was the night as it is 6 hours behind in Caracas and she had to be live at 7 am in Spain. That meant she kept to Spanish hours and slept during the day, getting up to work at midnight. That is when she would have her morning coffee - small and black, not the luxury of a cappuccino which we take for granted here.
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| Olivia beginning work at midnight Venezuelan time and 6 am our time. |
And here she is about to go live one morning this week, ready with her camera. You can see it is dark - midnight for her and 7 am for us or about.
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| Olivia about to go live - just look at the rubble around her. |
Everywhere the international journalists, like her, were shuttled to La Guaira or elsewhere by the Government and were made to wear pink bracelets for identification. They were very much in the hands of the authorities but often had to fend for themselves in difficult circumstances. Even though they stayed at the Melia hotel one of the best in the city, food was scarce or rather good food was scarce. Also on the ground were rescue teams from all over the world. She travelled with Spanish rescue teams and their dogs on her way out and back again. Here are just some pictures of her on TV. I took loads and filmed her too which she said wasn't necessary. But I am a proud mother aren't I?
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| Olivia reporting live from Venezuela, living the harrowing moment in history as a TV journalist. |
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| Oliva on the ground in Venezuela this week. |
Ah, and here is just one of her reports which I filmed on TV and uploaded to my YouTube channel and which you can see here. I was bursting with pride as you can imagine but I was also worried about the aftershocks. However, I had to get on with my day which started with a third appointment with my psychologist. Is it helping? I can't really say. She asks questions and I answer and soon the hour is over. I suppose it is doing me good to get any worries off my chest.
We were reunited with Elliot and Juliet in the afternoon whom we hadn't seen since before we left for Asturias. Not really wanting to, but at the same time, trying to cheer us all up, I got Eladio to bathe and bathed myself too. It was our first time this summer and Miguel caught us on camera.
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| Reunited with Juliet and Elliot and we bathed in our pool for the first time thanks to them. |
We then had a lovely dinner together which was a great end to the day.
On Tuesday I weighed myself to see I had put on 300 grammes in Asturias. It's not a lot but made me understand that the 5mg dose of Mounjaro wasn't working as well as last year. The food noise was still there and my appetites was less suppressed. Thus I decided to ask my GP for the 7.5 mg dose. It costs a lot at about 350 euros for one month's dose but I wanted to try it. The day had not started well. Then came the Inland Revenue people who deducted 10.000 euros from our bank account, damn them. Now Pedro Sánchez wants to slap on 21%VAT on Airbnb and Booking rental earnings. So damn him too. For you to get an idea, if a guests pays let's say 100 euros, Airbnb already takes about 15% of that and then another 15 or 20% goes to the Inland Revenue. Add another 21% and what is left for the host who already has other expenses to incur for running the rental; not much I am afraid. Try explaining that to guests who already think they are paying too much. They don't realise where their money is going to.
I was cheered up watching Olivia live on TV, but not from what she was telling the audience, just seeing her do her dream job; special correspondent in the world's biggest news this week. Good for her. I did the food shopping with Suzy that day who seems to be quite stable at the moment. We had coffee together at Alverán in the shade, of course.
I came home to make lunch, a spaghetti and prawn concoction which we all love. In the early afternoon Amanda and I had our weekly Facetime call which is always good for both of us. After that I went to see my GP in the afternoon. I asked her for one month of the 7.5mg dose of Mounjaro and she gave me it for 4 months. I am not sure I need 4 months or whether I want to pay so much. We shall see at the end of this month. I had a quick dinner with Eladio and then went to pick up Suzy who was with Copi in Bonanza where she used to live. We only had one car this week as the T Cross is at the garage waiting for the part that Eladio scratched to be repainted. Thus I found myself reliving the past, picking up my daughter at Copi's, as we used to do so often when they were children. I used to know my way backwards but there has been so much new building I got a bit lost but finally made it. It was good to see the two friends together.
I had a bad, bad night and got up on Wednesday morning at 5.15. I watched Oli until at least 9.30 and was so proud of her. That morning I went out with Suzy on several errands, including taking Pippa to the vet as she has a funny lump next to one of her ribs. Thankfully it turned out to be fat; so not dangerous. However, after looking at her teeth, Lola, the vet, recommended we get her teeth cleaned again. This entails a general anesthetic. So we went again on Friday for her pre-op and on Tuesday she will undergo the operation which should leave her with clean, white teeth and a nicer smelling mouth, hahaha. While out, we also went to the El Corte Inglés to get a present for Irene, a dear friend who celebrated her 60th birthday last night with her family and friends. I consider her family too. I lived with her family in 1978 for one year when I was a student in Madrid. I gave her and her brother Gerardo English lessons in return for board and lodgings. The parents, Pili and Gerardo, and their children, Gerardo, Irene, Julieta and Toti became my Spanish family and were a big presence at my wedding. At the time I was 21 and Gerardo and Irene were about 13 and 11. Later in 1984 when I was pregnant with Suzy, Pili became pregnant too and Lucia was born just after Suzy. Sadly, Pili lost her sight shortly afterwards. I was so looking forward to seeing my Spanish family again last night but gutted when I was told Pili was on holiday in Galicia and I wouldn't see her. Here are some photos of Irene, myself, Toti and Juliet in the summer of 1978.
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| Irene aged 11 when I lived with her and her family for a year in 1978 in Madrid |
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| The Gonzálezs, my Spanish family at our wedding. Irene second to the right was my bridesmaid with her sister Julieta. |
Suzy and I were home for lunch and in the afternoon I went to have my nails done. Leaving the house in the middle of the afternoon right now is like walking into an outdoor sauna, it is so hot.
I had a better night that night and so did England who beat Congo 2-1 to move onto the Last 16 of the World Cup. Spain would play Austria on Friday and thankfully both are through now, for the moment. England will play Mexico, the host country and no walk in the park and Spain will play Portugal which will not be easy either. I would love to see England or Spain in the final; I really would.
On Thursday I was up early, of course, and enjoyed the cool of the early morning - a blessed 17ºc. Eladio and I went out on a few errands. It was while enjoying a coffee at Starbucks I read that my favourite beach in Asturias where we had bathed so many times last week, Play de Poó had been voted best beach in Spain by Conde Nast Travel readers. I couldn't agree more. Readers voted for it because of its "amazing transformation into a wave free lagoon at high tide and because of its dramatic backdrop of the Peaks of Europe mountain range". I have been singing its praises ever since we first visited in 2020 so I was happy to read this news. Just to refresh your memory, here is a photo I took last week of my favourite beach which no doubt will be become even more popular after this accolade.
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| I was delighted to hear that my favourite beach, Playa de Poó, was voted best beach in Spain by Conde Nast Travel readers this week. |
I immediately shared the news with our new guests who are arriving today and staying for a fortnight.
Miguel and the kids came again in the afternoon and I went in the pool again to join them for a short time as I never stay in for long. We had a good dinner together but all of us missed Olivia. They left on time for the Spain Austria match which Elliot told me Spain would win (hahaha). Well, he was right.
Friday came and it turned out to be Oli's last day of reporting in Venezuela. She was coming home yesterday after being asked whether she wanted to stay or not. I think she did but admitted she was needed at home to look after the kids while Miguel works this week. Also, and very sadly, the news from Venezuela is no longer breaking news. It is always the same with natural disasters. When they happen, the press flock there but people get tired of the same news and broadcasters have to think of their audiences. Sad but true, I am afraid.
That morning I took my first dose of 7.5mg (Mounjaro) and waited the whole day to feel any side effects. I did get a big headache and my tummy felt a bit off. My appetite was still there though but not as strong. Suzy and I took Pippa to the vet for her pre op and I came home to rest as I had had a terrible night's sleep. Our guest Clemente from France but who works and lives in Switzerland left that morning after two weeks with us. He had finished his master in physiotherapy. Two French ladies came that morning, a mother and a daughter to see her accommodation for next year. Then in the afternoon a very strange guest came. I think he is a computer nerd and has hardly left his room since he got here which is weird.
I spent the afternoon quietly writing this blog post but also messaging with Oli. She rang me from the airport in Valencia (Caracas airport closed) and told me they had to fly via the Dominican Republic to refuel; another repercussion of the quakes. She had a long journey ahead of her and I only hoped she would be able to sleep.
She arrived on Saturday morning at around 9.30 am Spanish time and we would see her for lunch. Despite the guests and Tana not being here, I just wanted to have her near and be all together again.
Saturday was 4th July, Independence Day in the USA and this year is the 250th anniversary, not that I care too much. I was not interested either in the much announced wedding of singer Tyler Swift.
Eladio and I went out to get more provisions for lunch and came back to lay the table. We were all together at about 1.30 but I must have been too busy to take any photos. I managed to make a decent lunch with the help of Suzy - thank you darling and I have to say the kids ate quite well. Later they left for Centro Oeste to take the kids to somewhere cool and probably drive the mini cars they have there. Thus we retired to our air conditioned quarters to rest.
Last night we went to Irene's 60th birthday party. It was so hot when we left; about 39ºc. Suzy took a picture of us just before we left.
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| Ready to go out to the party last night |
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| Me last night with the 5 González Gálvez siblings, from left to right and from oldest to youngest: Gerardo, Irene, (me), Julieta, Toti and Lucía. |
It was a splendid party with lots of food and drink and even though we don't know many people, we managed fine. We left at around 11 pm, which is way past our bedtime and left quietly while a musician was playing music. It is always awkward to leave a party without saying goodbye but I didn't want to interrupt the performance. It was unusual for us to go out on a Saturday night but we had fun.
Today is Sunday and I have guests leaving and arriving. Thankfully, Tana is back. I doubt we will be doing anything interesting today which will be another scorcher.
I shall leave you now to get on with the day. Wishing you all the best, cheers
Masha
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