The “diversion ends” and false friends, Olivia back from Cuba, the fatal German Wings’ air crash, no more crutches, dinner with Laura and Cris, to the beach for the weekend with Pippa, fish and chips at Darby’s Chippy, Javier Fernández, Spain’s first figure skating world champion and other stories.

Monday 30^th March 2015

On the beach with Pippa on Friday evening - Alicante bay and Santa Barbara castle in the background

Hi everyone,

It’s Monday and I’m one day late with my blog post.  But that’s because we’ve been away for the weekend at our flat in Gran Alacant, Santa Pola near Alicante with little Pippa our new chocolate coloured smoothie miniature dachshund puppy.

When I left off on Sunday 22^nd March “El Clásico” was being played. Disappointingly Real Madrid lost to their eternal rivals, “El Barça”.  Who did win though was Susana Díaz, head of the Socialist (PSOE) party, in the local elections in Spain’s poorest region Andalusia.  The right wing central government party (PP) lost many seats as did the left wing party, Izquierda Unida.  These votes went to the upcoming far left party Podemos which won 15 seats as well as to the moderate new party Ciudadans which won 9.  However Susana did not get a majority and even though she aims to govern alone, she will need help from these new parties.  The outcome in Andalusia is supposed to be a reflection of what might happen in the general elections at the end of 2015 where Podemos is supposed a lot of people’s favourite.  However their 15 seats came as a blow to them.  It is interesting to note that Susana is heavily pregnant but I doubt she will bother taking much time off the meagre 3 month maternity leave entitled to Spanish women.

Susana Díaz who won the local elections in Andalusia for the Socialist party in Spain

Meanwhile in London Suzy was enjoying the last day with her friends from the “manada” who had been there for a long weekend to visit her and Chati.  This is a lovely picture of the girls, Suzy, Chati, Chati’s sister Elena, Rocío and Carolina at a sign post in London.  It says “diversion ends”.  In Spanish “diversión” means fun, so the photo was quite meaningful; the end of their fun. 

Suzy and Chati with their friends from "the manada" who visited them in London last week.  The "fun" (diversión) ended for them on Monday last.

It’s funny how in English and in Spanish there are many words which seem the same but are not, such as “diversion”.  Whilst there are many that look and sound the same and are the same, there are many others that are not. One of the most common examples is “constipation” which in Spanish means a common cold or “embarazado” meaning pregnant which seems similar to the English word “embarrassment”.  You would think “carpeta” would mean “carpet” but no it means a folder.  “Éxito” means success not “exit” and “delito” means a crime not “delight”.  There are some worse ones such as “molestar” which doesn’t mean “molest” but to bother.  I think one of the most common similar words with a different meaning is “actual”. In Spanish it means “current” or “present day” whereas in English it means “real”.  Spaniards learning English always get this one wrong. If you think Spanish is easy when you see so many words that ring a bell like this, think again, as there are many cognates in these two languages, commonly called “false friends”.  So be careful when you see one.

There are many false friends in English and Spanish. embarazada which  means pregnant not embarrassed is just one of them. 

On Monday I was busy working.  One of the things I had to do was a 30 minute online anti-corruption course.  These are becoming commoner in the corporate world after the high profile scandals that occurred in firms like Siemens, Lehman Brothers or many banks quite recently.  I was happy to find out I passed with flying colours.  Funnily enough just as I had completed it, I got a call from a headhunter.  It was for a job as head of communications for a Spanish multinational in the consumer sector which wanted to focus a lot on Europe and the US.  I was not interested in working for a Spanish company because of their corporate culture.  I am so used to working for Nordic companies where the work life balance is a priority and would not want to work in a Spanish office where hours are long, the hierarchy is strict and where physical presence counts for more than productivity. 

Olivia was back on Monday from her week in Cuba with Miguel.  Eladio went to pick her up as I was at the dentist.  But I was back for lunch which I had to make and I was torn between embracing and talking to my daughter and getting on with the chore.  It was only on Monday that we finally got to see some of the photos of her trip.  Internet was not easily available in communist Cuba and Olivia decided against paying an extortionate price for 30 minutes use and just relax and disconnect.  They had a grand time and Olivia had many tales to tell us; mostly what we knew that the Cubans lack every day necessities and earn very little.  10 euros a month seems to be a normal salary!  She also said there is literally nothing to buy. They had taken out lots of things to give out and engaged with children on the streets giving them note pads and pens to their delight.

Olivia in her element with children in Cuba

Whilst in Havana, they spent a lot of time with my nephew Miguel and his Cuban girlfriend Claudia who Olivia said was “a darling”.  Here is a photo of the three of them walking the streets of Havana. Miguel has gone quite native. Disgruntled with the banking world he chose to go there to take a break and learn the bass guitar.  He has now set up a company called Havana Music School for people to learn music in Cuba.  The school also organizes courses for people from abroad. This is the website.  I wish him all the success in the world.

Claudia, Olivia (in the middle) and Miguel her cousin.

In Havana they also visited “the family”.  Eladio has second cousins there because Constante the brother of his maternal grandmother, Licinia, left Montrondo, the family village, to emigrate to Cuba when he was about 20 which must have been at the beginning of the 20^th century.  He never returned for economic and political reasons However, the family remained in contact over the years by letter.  Constante’s son Edelberto had two daughters, Rosa and Licinia.  Rosa, a privileged Cuban who works as a journalist for Cuban State TV, was able to make the journey back to Montrondo for her grandfather a few years ago.  After that some of our family members have visited “the family” in Havana just as Olivia and her boyfriend Miguel did in their recent trip to Fidel’s land.  I’m sure Constante would have been happy to know that.

Visiting our Cuban family (notice the photo of Fidel Castro on the wall!)

You may notice that on the wall in the family’s home there is a picture of Fidel Castro.  They are stalwarts of his regime which of course is to be expected as that is all they have ever known. Hopefully life in Cuba will improve now that diplomatic ties with the US are thawing, but it will take time.

Tuesday was a busy day.  I had to attend a management team meeting at midday.  It was only when it finished that I saw an alert on my phone that a German Wings plane travelling from Barcelona to Dusseldorf had crashed over the French Alps killing everyone on board, some 150 people, mostly Germans and Spaniards.  The crash was to dominate the news all week.  There seemed to be no explanation as to why it had crashed just that it had descended rapidly on to a mountain leaving 2 kilometres of debris and remains which proved very difficult to find as the crash area could only be accessed by helicopter.

German Wings air crash scene

During last week one of the black boxes was found; the one which records what went on in the cock-pit – the second one which records technical data has yet to be found.  Very soon we were told by the French prosecutor that it had been a deliberate action of the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz.  In the recording the conversation between the pilot and co-pilot was normal at the beginning until the latter tried to persuade the pilot to leave the cock-pit to go to the loo.  Once he had gone, Andreas pressed the descent button and the plane began to descend at 1000 miles per minute.  Meanwhile the Pilot was hammering on the door begging Andreas to open it. He punched in the code numbers but Andreas kept blocking the door.  The co-pilot did not take any notice of the emergency calls from the control tower either. The rest of the story you know now, the plane crashed and all 150 people on board died there and then and not one body has been found intact.

Andreas Lubitz the co-pilot who deliberately crashed the plane

The stories in the press continue and we all ask ourselves why this successful 27 year old German could possibly do such a thing.  We will never know the real reason and will only be able to speculate after finding out that he had quit his flying course when he was training because of depression and that recently he was seeing a psychiatrist and that he had problems with his vision. He had hidden the latter from his employer, Lutfhansa – investigators found torn up sick-notes in his flat – airlines apparently test their pilots for psychological problems. One ex-girlfriend told the German press that Andreas once told her he would do something for everyone to remember him for.  I’m sure that never in her wildest dreams did she understand exactly what he meant.  Thanks to his sickness which went undetected Andreas Lubitz carried out this ghastly dream and not only killed himself but 149 innocent people who are now mourned by their families, friends and countries.  I cannot begin to imagine how his parents must feel and my feelings go out to them as they do to all the victims’ family and friends. The horror came home to me one day last week when I was driving home.  I was about to cross the square where the train station is and there staring at me was a big Spanish flag at half-mast.  Of course it was in sign of the 3 day mourning period Spain had declared after the air disaster.

The Spanish flag at half-mast in sign of mourning for the 50 Spaniards who lost their lives on the German Wings' Air crash

Indeed it was a sad time for aviation, for Germany, Spain, France and for all the families and friends of all the nationalities on board. Every time there is an air crash I am reminded that my Fathers' sister Gloria, my aunt, her husband Derek and their three children, my cousins, Jacqueline aged 12, Michael aged 9 and Anthony aged 7 all died in an air crash in Rijeka (Croatia) on 23rd May 1971, all but one person died.  We shall never forget that, my parents never got the opportunity to go out, I only remember 2 big and 3 small coffins at the packed church funeral in Ickenham in North London and spending some time in my cousin Jacqueline's bedroom before the funeral, crying my eyes out and taking some hair from her hairbrush to carry in a locket on my neck.  We can never forget just as the families of the victims of the German Wings’ crash will never forget either.

I came home from the office to go back an hour or so later for an interview with a journalist who writes for the Catalán daily newspaper, La Vanguardia.  17h came and he hadn’t arrived. I rang him to find out he thought the interview was the next day but was kind enough to leave his house and he arrived at 17.45.  Thus I didn’t leave the office until 6.30 and because of the traffic I didn’t get home until 8 pm. I was thanking God all the way that I don’t have to face the traffic every day as I work from home.

On Wednesday I had an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon, 2 months after the accident when I broke my ankle. He was pleased with me and said my recovery was remarkable and wished other people recovered as well and as quickly as me.  There and then he told me I should no longer use my crutch and he gave me some exercises to do with my foot.  So I walked out of the hospital holding the crutch in my hand and feeling great.  I had told him I was already doing an hour long walk a day and from now on they are getting even longer.  My foot still aches and is a bit swollen at night but less and less so. 

I was very busy that day working with the media.  Yoigo has been in the limelight recently as since the Orange Jazztel operation, in order for the European Commission to approve the merge, the latter have to make concessions; i.e. free and sell some of their duplicate “remedies”. That is EU and technical jargon meaning networks and frequencies.  There had been stories that Yoigo may want to buy some of the “remedies” and on the day of the interview with La Vanguardia I managed to get a statement from our mother company confirming our interest and talks with the commission.  I sent out the statement individually on Wednesday morning to journalists in the telecoms market who had been writing the story and boy were they interested.  Thus the next day we were mentioned in nearly all of the main newspapers.  These “remedies” would enable us to compete on equal terms with the big three: Telefonica, Orange and Vodafone.

It was on Wednesday that Laura and Cristina came to dinner. Suzy and Oli were at the Scouts with them since they were about 7 years old.  In Spain there is no Girl Guides and Scouts; it is all one gender association.  There are branches like the Brownies or Cubs but when the Scouts meet in Spain all ages are generally all together.  I hadn’t seen Laura for many years.  As to Cris, probably since the last year the girls were with the Scouts.  Oli has kept up mainly with Laura who lives in Barcelona and is now 6 months pregnant with Maya.

Olivia, Laura and Cristina 

We had a great dinner together in the dining room exchanging stories and remembering what for us were the girls’ scout years.  The only person missing was Suzy of course who would have loved to have been with us.

On Thursday I fasted as I did on Tuesday.  It was also the last day I went to rehabilitation.  I have two sessions left but have decided not to bother.  The centre I went to came highly recommended but it was very crowded and I felt as though the staff there were not interested in my recovery.  When I told the rehabilitation doctor about the exercises the orthopedic surgeon had recommended on Wednesday he told me they were useless.  I think that was my deciding factor.  Plus a few weeks previously I had commented to one doctor at the rehabilitation centre that my foot got swollen in the evenings.  He replied that it needed to be looked at although he didn’t bother.  I then told the other doctor who is his son, the same thing to which he replied that it was normal.  So who was I to believe?  I can only hope the magnet therapy sessions have helped as well as my daily walks.  But I must say I am disappointed with the physiotherapy centre which came so highly recommended. 

In the afternoon I had to be at the office again.  This time it was for a video shooting.  The Samsung Comms director came with a big crew to interview our head of terminal strategy on her opinion of the new Samsung Galaxy S6.  It was to be viewed at their upcoming Spanish launch in Valencia on 9^th April.  I am a bit disappointed with my S5 since I downloaded the new software it has become incredibly slow. Also the battery life is now shorter.  I hope it won’t be long until I can get my hands on the new S6. Driving home again on Thursday afternoon took 1.5h because of the traffic.  I had to do the weekly shopping afterwards so was in a rush and a bit stressed.  We were going to Santa Pola the next day and I needed to leave food in the house.

Friday came and I packed everything we would need for the weekend in Santa Pola. Oli and Miguel were originally going to join us but backed out at the last moment as they wanted to go to their friend Elena’s birthday party. We were going as the forecast for the first time in weeks was good and also because we hadn’t been to the flat since we were last there with our friends Jeffer and Sandra in July last summer. We took Pippa with us, wondering how she would take to a long journey in the car with us but most of all because I was dying to go for a walk with her on the beach.  We stopped at Albacete at the Parador to have lunch.  Amazingly it is right next to Los Alamos the NATO jet fighter pilot school where the F16 accidents happened a couple of months ago.  We could see them flying in the sky above us making amazing manoeuvres.  Dogs normally are not allowed in restaurants, which is understandable but the Parador relaxed rules and let us have her with us on the terrace where we were to eat alone. 

Eladio with Pippa on the terrace at the Parador in Albacete

They were incredibly slow serving.  We must have been there for more than 2 hours, thus we didn’t get to our flat in Gran Alacant till 5.30.  As soon as we were settled in we rushed down to the beach with little Pippa.  The sun was still shining but we knew we only had another hour of light.  We certainly made the most of it.  Here is a lovely photo of Eladio with Pippa on the beach

Eladio holding Pippa - her first time on the beach last Friday evening

She, by the way, shies away from water.  It was her first time out alone with us and we let her off the lead immediately.  Throughout the weekend on all her walks, she never went far away from us and always came when we called her. 

That evening we had hoped to go and have dinner at our local favourite, María Picola on the road to Elche from Santa Pola but when I rang to reserve a table there was a taped message saying it was closed.  I only hope it opens again soon.  In the end we decided just to cross the road and go to the local Indian, The New Royal India.  Here we were greeted by the owner a young Sikh from the Punjab who spoke perfect Spanish.  He remembered us from last time. After our chicken tika masala and lamb korma he came to have a chat which is when he told us he was a Sikh.  Amazed not to see him wearing a turban or long beard he told us that was because he thought it wouldn’t be accepted in Spain.  I thought about what he said and then realised that he was right; Spaniards would find it funny and he would feel very strange himself.  I did point out to him thought that they would probably accept it as Spaniards are not particularly racist; something he totally agreed with. I was happy to hear that. Of course you see many Sikhs in turbans in England.  I remember turbaned and long bearded Indians driving buses in Bradford in the 60’s but that is because there is safety in numbers and in Spain there must be very few Sikhs.  Another thing you don’t see in Spain is women in fully covered burkas.  To tell you the truth I hope I never do. 

The curry house opposite our flat, New Royal India. 

We were a bit worried Pippa might bark when we were away.  I made her a makeshift bed out of one of the drawers in Olivia’s bedroom. Inside I put a soft black towel and some of her toys.  We were home quite soon and as we approached our flat, we didn’t hear her making any noise and as we walked in there she was lying in her new day bed. You see her night bed is with us.  As Eladio commented, we are now 3 hahaha.

Pippa in her makeshift bed in our flat in Santa Pola

On Saturday we had breakfast on our sunny terrace as we would have our lunch there that day and breakfast on Sunday.

Breakfast on our terrace at Santa Pola

After breakfast I went to Quicksave, the British supermarket opposite our flat.  There I stocked up on more hot cross buns, an Easter egg for my Father (in case Bettys’ don’t come on time) and some more chocolates for him. I also indulged in a bag of my favourite sweets, “humbugs”.

Quicksave, the British supermarket across the road from our flat.

Not wanting to miss the wonderful weather we went down to the beach again.  It was a lovely sunny day but the beach was quite empty and there was no problem parking. I suppose that at Easter it will be a lot more crowded. Pippa turned out to be quite the sensation with people stopping to look at her or try and touch her.  She didn’t mind but doesn’t go up to people, preferring to stay close to us.  What is very comforting is that she doesn’t run off, so it’s quite safe to let her loose.  We saw lots of dogs on the beach that day.  However we were told by another dog owner that apparently it is against the local law.  We never saw a sign forbidding dogs but are very aware that more and more beaches are being closed to them which is such a shame as there are few things more enjoyable than going for a walk on the beach with your dog.

Eladio with Pippa walking faithfully behind him on the beach on Saturday morning

We had lunch in the flat. I had taken some duck legs to heat up which I served with steamed potatoes and asparagus.  It wasn’t the greatest lunch on earth but having it on the terrace made it extra special.  Later Eladio had a siesta and I decided to sit in the sun in the garden by the pool as by then the sun had left our terrace and I just didn’t want to miss the good weather.  Later the three of us took 2 deck chairs down to the pool where we were the only occupants.  We then decided to go on a walk to the light house on the cliffs.  Later my fitbit told me we had walked 14.5km all day Saturday which is a lot for my ankle but also an awful lot for a tiny sausage dog like Pippa.  We got there just as the sun was going down and the views were spectacular.  Here is a photo of me with Pippa in my arms and the island of Tabarca in the background.

At sunset on the cliff by the lighthouse with the island of Tabarca in the distance

Here is one of Eladio and Pippa with the lighthouse behind them.

Eladio and Pippa on the cliff by the  lighthouse overlooking Alicante Bay

The walk back was arduous mainly because I was wearing converse shoes without socks and I was getting a blister on my big toe. 

It was when we got back to the flat I read that Javier Fernández, a 23 year old Spaniard from Madrid, had just become Spain’s first male figure skating world champion.  He is Spain’s only famous ice skater and we were happy enough with his two European titles, but wow to win gold at Shanghai this weekend increases Spain’s fame in different sports from football and tennis.  You can see his performance heredone to the sound of the Barber of Seville; not a tune I would have chosen. 

Javier Fernández, Spain's new ice skating hero.

It was on Saturday night we decided that dinner had to be at no other place than Darby’s Chippy in Gran Alacant.  I have written before about this fish and chip shop we go to every time we are at our flat.  The fish and chips there are made with the real English equipment – from Leeds by the way – and served by John Darby and his wife who, I guess from their accent, are from Glasgow.  Mr. Darby is a fan of my blog and always welcomes us very warmly.  I ordered a normal portion and Eladio ordered a big one. Well you should have seen the size; ginormous. Eladio, being a Spaniard, removed most of the batter which as I commented to Mrs. Darby is fish and chips main attraction.  Eladio admitted he liked the batter but preferred the fish.  For me it is the other way round.  For a Brit like me brought up in Yorkshire but living in Spain I crave at times for real Fish and Chips like in England and Darbys’ Chippy is the only real one I have ever seen in Spain, thus the reason we go every time we visit our flat. Here is a collage of photos of our dinner there that night.  If you are reading this John Darby, thanks for the lovely meal. 

Fish and Chips (with mushy peas!) at Darby's Chippy in Gran Alacant

On Sunday morning we were up one hour later as the clocks had gone forward to Summer time.  After breakfast on the terrace we decided to clean up a bit, pack the car and go down to the beach for one last walk before heading home. It was another beautiful sunny day. This time the thermometer marked 25ºc and I would have loved a whole day on the beach.  But we had to go home and I hadn’t brought my swimming costume.This is a photo of me on our last walk on the beach this weekend.

My last walk on the beach on Sunday morning 

We left just after midday and stopped for lunch at Los Morales, a new favourite of ours some 175km from Madrid. Unfortunately we couldn’t take Pippa in with us so she had to stay in the car in her transporter.  We were worried she would be upset or bark but when we returned she was just fine.  We let her out for a little walk before we got into the car again to drive home. 

We were home just after 5 and after we had settled in, guess what we did?  Yes, you are right. We went on our walk with all three dogs.  My fitbit was pleased again and so was I.  That evening Olivia and Miguel returned. It was great to see them.  Miguel, apart from being an official cameraman for Spanish TVE understands TVs quite well as you can imagine.  We needed his help as TV channels are changing in Spain as from 31^st March as the old bands will be allocated to 4G by a new rule from The European Commission.  We had rescanned our TV but many of the new frequency channels didn’t get the signal. Miguel tried to fix our problem and in the end we were able to see all the channels except two, Antena 3 and La Sexta.  This morning an antenna man came and estimated 600 euros to change the orientation of the antenna but not guaranteeing it would work.  Meanwhile Eladio rang the local community office to hear that the repeater in the area needed fixing and we shall have to wait a few days.  Channel changing is always a bother and an expense for TV viewers. Thank you Brussels for this change and having to pay for another TV man for nothing.  In any case I think Miguel did a better job than him.

And today is Monday and I am fasting.  It will be a quiet week as far as work is concerned.  On Wednesday we shall be off to spend Easter in Montrondo with the family.  Unfortunately we shall not be seeing much change to the house since we were last there at the end of January when I broke my ankle.  Our builders haven’t been since then. It seems they are working on other houses.  Their excuse is the snow but the snow only lasted 2 weeks and don’t tell me they couldn’t have shifted it away from the path if they really did want to get on with the house which previously they told us would be ready by Christmas, then by March and now we don’t know when.  We shall be going to decent weather there; i.e. no rain or snow forecast but the maximum temperatures forecast are 12ºc a far cry from those of Alicante where it will be sizzling this week.

Meanwhile I wish you all a Happy Easter.

Cheers till next time,

Masha

Sad news, Oli reporting from Galicia, Andalucía and Cataluña, an agreement with the competition and so to Montrondo, Suzy’s surprise visit, the end of Ramadan, photo from the past with my brother George, a weekend with the girls, off to Santa Pola, Elsa finally took the plunge, still in love 33 years on and other stories.

Looking good 33 years on at the Vimi Bar on the Poniente Beach in Benidorm

Hi everyone

I haven’t written since Sunday 28^th July.  Sorry about that, but to make up here is a bumper edition of my summer holidays so far.

That Sunday we were alone at home.  Olivia had stayed in Santiago to cover the aftermath of the worst train accident in Spain in the last 70 years.  Her friend Dave was there to accompany her and I advised them to have lunch at the Parador.  The state run monumental hotel chain owns perhaps its prize building in Santiago de Compostela.  It is only the rich pilgrims who probably stay there when they arrive at the end of the famous Jacobean Way known here as El Camino.

Dave and Oli having lunch at the Parador in Santiago

On Monday morning I had sad news.  There was a whatsapp message in my phone from Juan Manuel which he had sent the night before but I wasn’t to see it until early that morning.  It was to tell me that his dear wife Amparo had passed away after many months of terminal cancer.  I could hardly believe my eyes which began to brim with tears.  I felt so sorry for my colleague.  I well remember last seeing them together when Amparo seemed so healthy in Santander last September.  Along with other colleagues I went to pay my respects at the funeral parlour at the hospital she had died at in Sanchinarro.  She leaves behind a 9 year old little boy which seems so unfair.  

On the bright side that day, Olivia reported on a happy story, one of the few, of the train accident.  It was about a whole family, including a tiny baby, who had all survived unscathed even though they had been travelling in one of the worst hit carriages that derailed just outside the Galician capital.  The story was dubbed by the press as the survival of the “miracle baby”. Olivia loves reporting on babies and here she was in her element as you can see in the picture below.

Oli holding the miracle baby, the youngest person to have survived the train accident in Santiago.

The next day Tuesday I attended the funeral for Amparo together with my boss.  It was held at the famous Almudena cemetery in Madrid which is said to be as big as the provincial capital of Segovia.  Thank goodness we were chauffeur driven as I would never have found the place where the funeral was to be held.  We walked into the cemetery and I was amazed to find myself amongst the tombstones of Spain’s illustrious left wing such as Dolores Ibarruri, the legendary Spanish communist or Pablo Iglesias, the founder of the Socialist party.  I had expected a civil ceremony but there was a priest who conducted the very intimate family send off. Juan Manuel and his little boy looked so forlorn and my heart went out to them.

When it was over and we had said the customary “le acompaño en el sentimiento” to some of the family, we had to leave to get back to the office for a big staff meeting, baptized by me with the name of “Yoigo Mornings”. Here we were to communicate our recent launch of 4G, the second quarter results and listen to our new colleagues introduce themselves.  It was to be the last till after the summer holidays.

The next day, Wednesday 31^st July my holiday was to begin.  However I wouldn’t feel free mentally or otherwise until the much expected announcement of our agreement with Telefonica was communicated by a mid morning joint press release the next day. Amazingly for both, the announcement was basically that they, the biggest operator in Spain would be offering 4G mobile data services using our recently launched network and that we, the smallest mobile network operator would be offering fixed (adsl and fiber) services via their network.  I can’t begin to tell you the amount of work that went into this from both sides but it was my job to announce the news, the news of the agreement with our biggest competitor.  It was sort of vox populi but of course until the official news went out no one could believe it.  I was on the beach at Santander giving instructions for the release to go at midday on Thursday which goes to prove how you can work anywhere these days.  I was so relieved when the news was finally official and I wouldn’t have to brush off journalists’ many questions.  And, now, after compiling the extensive media coverage report I could really begin to concentrate on my holiday.

It was nice to read this piece of news the next day at breakfast on the agreement between Telefónica and Yoigo.  There were many more articles.  This was just one.

We were in Santander on a quick site inspection trip.  This year at the telecoms conference in September, I had decided it was time to change the venue of the Yoigo party and needed to see the possible choices open to me.  I was lucky in finding one right across the road from the hotel we always stay at.  Now I just need to see if the budget is reasonable.

So on Friday morning we cut short our trip and decided to go to Montrondo one day early and thus spend more time with the family who were all already arriving for this year’s mammoth gathering. It was a much quicker drive than we thought and we arrived in Pandorado (meaning golden bread!) by lunchtime where we decided to try our luck at the pretty looking hotel come restaurant. We were disappointed with the meal but not with our surroundings.

A Sound of Music type photo of me at Pandorado on our way to Montrondo

In less than half an hour after lunch we arrived in Eladio’s village, Montrondo, high in the mountains in the north west of Spain.  Everyone was asleep except dear darling Pili, Eladio’s youngest sister. She was waiting for us in the “corral” or front patio, excited to see us, as we were excited to see her. I just had time to greet everyone else, unpack and make our beds before I was off again.  Dolores accompanied me to Ponferrada where Olivia and her boyfriend Miguel were arriving by coach from Santiago.  It was to be Miguel’s first time in Montrondo – quite an ordeal for any newcomer as we are such a big family.  The road to Ponferrada from Montrondo is tortuous but the views are breathtaking.  It’s not so far in distance – some 60km but as the road is so bad the drive took nearly 1.5h. We arrived just five minutes after the bus and were delighted to greet Oli and her boyfriend.  Thankfully he is what is known as an “alpha male” and did the driving back in my 4x4 tank of an automatic BMW car.  We were back in Montrondo just in time for dinner. I don’t know how many we were – possibly over 20 of us crammed in the kitchen for a makeshift simple dinner.  The next day we would be 30 for lunch.

It was lovely to have Olivia and Miguel with us in Montrondo

By lunchtime on Saturday 3^rd August, we were all there.  Everyone was enjoying themselves and looking forward to the big roast lunch of lamb to be eaten in the old cattle shed known as “el pajar”.  There was time too for a coffee in Senra with some of brothers and sisters in law.  There was also time for church, the only social event that happens in the village.  Before the service Olivia and I took Miguel down to the church to see the belfry and of course to visit my father in law’s grave. 

Walking to the church in Montrondo with Olivia

The spare one above him is reserved for his wife, Ernestina, my mother in law.  It’s funny how in Spain, especially in the villages, people buy their graves before they die.  It’s often said that they spend more money on their death than on their life.  There is some truth in that as I know from the experience of Eladio’s Father’s mother who died at nearly 100.  Her house in a village in Lugo, Galicia, was like a hovel but her tombstone had golden lettering on it!

With Olivia in Montrondo. Thanks Miguel for the lovely photo

After the church service I was amazed and so was Olivia to see how many people from the village watch her on television.  It was a bit like having a celebrity for a daughter with people wanting a photo with her.  But it’s also nice too to know that the villagers are proud of her.  

On the short walk back we stopped off at Adela’s house.  Olivia and I were excited to meet the latest addition to the family we hadn’t yet seen.  I am not a one for babies but fell in love immediately with Lidia, the 6 month old baby girl belonging to Roberto and Ana.  Roberto is the oldest of the 13 nieces and nephews.  Below is a photo of him with Olivia and baby Lidia.  People in the family always say that Roberto looks like Eladio. That is true but I also think Olivia looks a bit like her cousin too.  In the photo below you can judge for yourselves.

Oli with Roberto her oldest cousin and his baby Lidia, the youngest member of the Freijo family

Once back at the house we all gathered in the “corral”.  Music was playing care of Eladio’s musical brother Alejandro, some people were drinking wine but mostly we were talking and taking photos. You can see all the photos of our stay in Montrondo here.  I particularly like the one of all the women below where you can see four generations from the “abuela” (grandmother) to her daughters, her granddaughters and her great granddaughters.  When the photo was being taken I was painfully aware that the only other woman missing in this photo was my daughter Susana who was in London and was not attending the family gathering this year (or so I thought as you will read later).

All the women in the Freijo family (just Suzy missing) - 4 generations in the photo

Lunch was ready when the roast lamb was brought back from the local bakery.  This is what it looked like.

Delicious bakery roast lamb in Montrondo for the annual family gathering

And this is what the tables for lunch looked like when we were all sitting down.

We were 30 this year for the annual family lunch in Montrondo

The afternoon was spent lazily in the corral where Alejandro organized a makeshift joke contest which was a lot of fun.  To Olivia’s chagrin I told my famous “women’s orgasm” joke and which I always regret doing  afterwards! Later that night the village party to celebrate Santa Marta didn’t start until past midnight.  We normally never go but this year, in order to accompany Miguel and Olivia I went and funnily enough immediately got into the spirit of things.  I then went back home to drag Eladio, Pili, Andrés, Yoli and Isidro with me.  I even drank an vodka and orange which Miguel treated me to.

The next day Sunday, the family gathering began to wind down.  Olivia and Miguel had to leave as that night she was travelling to Seville from where she would be covering news in Andalucía for TVE the following week and Miguel would be returning to Valencia where he works for TVE as a cameraman. They went back with Juan and Cristina who also had to work on Monday.

So there I was bereft of my daughter, quietly sitting in the “corral” with the women in the family when we heard a car hoot its horn.  I mistook it for the bread van.  The men were outside mending a water pipe and they called me to say a friend had come to visit.  I didn’t believe them as I wasn’t expecting anyone.  So I lazily got up to take a look.  I walked through the great big gate and just saw the back end of a red car. Then I saw the letters on the registration plate: “FFF”, the same as Suzy’s car and then I saw her, I saw my beautiful daughter Susana who had planned a secret trip to Montrondo to surprise us.  I hugged her and cried nonstop out of joy of course but also from shock.  I truly had no idea she was coming.  She had decided on the spur of the moment on Friday to come – although too late to be with us on Saturday or to see Olivia before she left – Alicia, my dearest goddaughter and youngest niece, was in the know as was Paula.  They in turn had told others but only that very morning.  I can’t tell you how pleased I was to see darling Suzy whose surprise visit made up for what had been until then an incomplete family gathering.

It was wonderful to have Susana unexpectedly with us in Montrondo this year.  Here on the "Peña de Dios" on the old road to Murias with Nuba.

So one daughter had left, but luckily for me another daughter had arrived.  She was to stay in Spain for a week and we would be together in Montrondo until Tuesday.

All the cousins left that day except for Sara.  Sara is José Antonio and Dolores’ daughter who we don’t see very often as she is currently living in China.  It was great for her to catch up with Suzy and vice versa and I loved seeing them together.

Suzy and her cousin Sara relaxing in Montrondo.  Love this pic.

The rest of our time in Montrondo was far quieter.  I would go on walks to Murias in the mornings with Dolores, Adela and Carolina and in the evening with Suzy, Sara and Dolores.  The walks were essential to burn the food we ate as we all tend to eat too much in the mountain air. We all had good quality family time.  It’s not often the six brothers and sisters are together and so when I saw them sitting on the bench by the kitchen table, I just had to take a snap.  Here they are.

The six brothers and sisters in Montrondo this year

From left to right: Adela, Pili, José Antonio, Isidro, Eladio and Alejandro.  From age downwards though, the order is: Eladio, José Antonio, Adela, Alejandro, Pili and Isidro.  Would you have guessed that?

On Tuesday it was time to leave for Madrid.  Suzy and Sara left too but drove faster and were back before we were.  Meanwhile Oli was in Seville, travelling around Andalucía each day to report on different items of news.  She is so happy in her job as you can see in this photo of her and a colleague outside the TVE building in Seville.  The only thing she complained about was the heat but that’s normal in Seville in the summer.

Olivia, happy to be working for TVE from Seville last week

It was nice to be home again and Wednesday was spent enjoying having Suzy with us.  She decided to hold a dinner party that night for her friends and Fátima and I did the shopping. Fátima was delighted to have the house full again and was enamoured with Suzy’s friends as they were with her.  Here is a photo of them with our lovely Moroccan home help who now seems like another member of the family.

Fátima posing (the smallest and in white) with Suzy (far left) and her friends last Wednesday

Luckily for Fátima, the next day Thursday was the end of Ramadan. After a month’s starving during the long daylight hours of summer, finally she was going to be able to eat again normally and the palour of her face would turn to her normal pink colour.  She went home to celebrate Eid ul Fitr with her sister Ashouak and her children.  I have been witness to just how hard it is to fast for a muslim and I was glad to see her tucking into breakfast that morning before she left.

That day we read that the biggest baby ever to be born in Spain was given birth to by an English mother and Colombian father in Denia in the province of Alicante.  The baby girl weighed 13lb 7oz (6.2kg). Amazingly the birth was completely natural. I remember Suzy and Oli weighing half this baby’s weight and you can see in the picture just how chubby it is.

The biggest baby ever to be born in Spain was given birth to last week in Denia to an English mother

I am sure Olivia would have loved to report on the story but she was not in Alicante so it was not to be.  However she  got her share of baby stories that morning when she reported from Huelva on the reunion of two policemen with the baby whose life they had saved when it was born and the mother couldn’t get to the hospital.  You can see the report here if you fast forward to 12.26h.

Olivia reporting from Huelva on the reunion of two policemen and the baby they saved

It was that day that I finally opened the pen drive of some old photos that had been scanned for me. They were photos my University friend Adele had shown us in London last year during our girly weekend and one of them was with my brother.  I have very few photos with him.  It is not good quality but the moment is beautifully captured.  We were both feeling very happy and it was taken at Adele’s 21^st birthday in December 1979.  I was 22 and George was 24 at the time.  This is the photo.  I don’t look very good myself with my thick eyebrows and permed hair but George looks great.  He was so good looking, tall and talented and I am so happy to have this photo now.  Thanks Adele for the photo, thanks Miguel for the scanning and remastering.

The photo of my brother George and I in 1979

On Friday I made a spectacular lunch in honour of Suzy being with us.  Also Fátima, my ex Nokia and Motorola friend was joining us although it was to be after we had eaten.  Finally she turned up at 5 o’clock, the excuse being she had to finish things off at the office before going on holiday.  I know my best Spanish friend very well and she is a lovely person but has a huge defect in her total lack of punctuality. But it was nice to see her and I know she enjoyed the tray I prepared for her and which she ate by our swimming pool as we caught up on each other’s lives.

The spectacular lunch I made for Suzy and my friend Fátima

Just after Fátima left, my darling daughter Olivia arrived exhausted from her week’s reporting in sultry Andalucía. Thus we were all together at last.  Again I prepared a spectacular meal for our dinner that night.  The girls’ friend Rocío, very much a part of our family, joined us too.

Dinner with the girls and their friend Rocio.  It's not often that we have meals together these days.

It was to be a weekend with the girls which I enjoyed immensely very aware that the four of us at home at the weekend is now a luxury.  As I enjoyed their company I wondered when we would be together again; perhaps at Christmas but I hope it’s earlier.  Maybe we can escape together with Olivia in the autumn to see Suzy in London.  Now that would be nice.

The girls had some quality time together too and that night went out on the tiles.  Here is a great photo of a group of them partying in Madrid on Friday night.

The girls partying in Madrid when they were both here a week or so ago.

On Saturday we were joined by Juli for lunch as well as Rocío who brought along her delightful black Labrador puppy “Inda”.  Inda thoroughly enjoys the water and was in the pool swimming with us.  I just had to take a snap of the moment for this week’s post.

The girls in the pool with Juli and Rocío and her adorable puppy Inda a black labrador

On Saturday evening Suzy left to return to London.  Oli took her to the airport in the car and there was a funny feeling in my stomach as we waved them off in the heat of the evening in the street outside our house.  However the goodbye was not to be for long as on 21^st August Eladio and I would be travelling to London to see her.  It was great having her for the week and her surprise visit was very much appreciated.  Love you Suzy, thanks for coming.

And on Sunday it was time for us to leave too.  We were off to Santa Pola after breakfast and said goodbye to Olivia who would be leaving later that day for Barcelona from where she would be reporting on local news in Cataluña until Tuesday 21^st August.  We also said goodbye to my Father who would be looked after meantime by Fátima.  I should add that we also said goodbye to our lovely dogs Norah and Elsa who would probably miss us most as in our absence they would not get their daily walk.

As is customary we stopped for lunch at the Parador in Albacete.  It was wonderful to be sitting in the air conditioned dining room in sharp contrast to the dust and heat outside.  We arrived at our apartment at around 4 in the afternoon.  We hadn’t been back since last August and it was just the girls who had been there in the meantime. We spent the first two or three hours doing a thorough spring cleaning as the place was in a mess.  That’s the worst thing about owning an apartment by the sea, you have to clean it when you arrive and when you leave.  Later I wondered down to the communal swimming pool for a dip to cool off after the exertions of cleaning the flat. 

A panoramic view from our apartment in Santa Pola

It was while I was at the swimming pool that I received a video via whatsapp from Olivia’s friend Dave.  I was amazed to see it was of Elsa, our two year old Labrador who had finally taken the plunge and was swimming in our pool at home.  Being a Labrador she should take to water like a duck but she never has until that day.  She was definitely spurred on by Juli but also maybe by Inda who is in the pool too in this wonderful video which you can see here.  

Our treat that night was an Indian meal for dinner.  We had noticed that in the row of shops opposite our apartments a new Indian restaurant had appeared, the New Royal India.  It is two doors away from the British supermarket, “Quicksave” that I always patronize when at our apartment as it’s got all sorts of British products I cannot get in Madrid or usually have to buy online.

The row of shops across the way from our apartment.

The meal was very good and the two Indian boys – cousins from The Punjab – were very friendly.  We told them we had been to India and that we had friends, Sandeep and Sumit who were from Chandigarh in the Punjab.  The curry house of course caters for all the British people on holiday at the apartments and the only Spanish spoken was from Eladio and I and the Indian waiters. They spoke perfect Spanish as they had arrived in Spain when they were teenagers.  As we left I remembered my Indian manners and closed my palms together and said “Namaste”.  I think they liked that.

Monday was spent on frustrating but necessary errands such as buying a new door handle for one of the bedrooms, or visiting the electrical appliance store where we had bought a faultily installed gas cooker the year before and which we had to get mended during our stay this year. 

It was only in the afternoon that we finally went to the beach. I think it was the fullest I have ever seen it.  Eladio spent more than half an hour trying to find somewhere to park whilst I grabbed a spot on the beach.  The water was balmy and not very refreshing but we enjoyed reading, swimming and then going on a very long walk.

That night we went out to dinner again as we were to do so every night during our 5 day stay in Santa Pola.  Our choice was María Picola, a restaurant off the tourist track and on the Elche road which is our favourite in the area.

The María Picola restaurant in Santa Pola

We love the outdoor dining room and the fact that the waiters always remember us.  Here is a photo of Eladio in green anticipating his lovely meal as the cuisine at María Picola is really outstanding.  He is also admiring the new plates.

My good looking husband Eladio at the María Picola restaurant in Santa Pola

Tuesday was possibly the highlight of our stay at Santa Pola.  We had a date with our friends Benito and Loli in Benidorm, the half way point between our place and their apartment near Denia.  We had arranged to meet on the Poniente Beach and to have lunch there at a restaurant recommended to us by Copi called El Barranco.

The Poniente beach in Benidorm - it is the quieter of the two long beaches there

This beach means a lot to Eladio and I as it was where our love was forged in the summer of 1980, some 33 years ago.  As I write that, shivers go down my spine with a warm feeling of love.  It is amazing to think that we have now been married for nearly 30 years (our anniversary is on 21^st August) and that we are still in love.

After the lovely lunch at El Barranco we went to have coffee with our friends at the Vimi bar two doors away. 

With Benito and Loli at the Vimi bar on the Poniente Beach in Benidorm

It’s a non descript sort of bar, one of many on the coast but to Eladio and I it means a lot as it was where we used to go when we were falling in love.  For the records it took us under a week to feel committed for life.  The photo illustrating this blogpost is of the two of us at the Vimi bar last Tuesday.  I posted it on Facebook and got lots of wonderful comments, such as what a good looking couple we make and I think that’s true.  I mean we are now 56 and 69 respectively but I think we look great for our age.  In fact I knowI look a lot better today than when I was 22 as in the photo with my brother.  Living in Spain, having two young daughters and working in PR obviously contribute to my feeling and looking so good.  It’s funny how at this age one is much surer of oneself.  I would never have written anything like this when I was in my 20’s but when you’re in your 50’s it doesn’t seem to matter.  Anyway, judge for yourselves.

That night we had another food appointment, this time fish and chips at Darby’s chippy in Gran Alacant, the urbanization where our apartment is located.  We discovered this authentic British (or should I say Scottish as the owner is from Scotland) fish and chip shop in 2009 and have been going back ever since. When we walked in the lady owner, a large friendly woman, commented that her husband had been wondering when we would pay a visit.  He reads my blog and told me that night how much he enjoys reading about my family. God bless him.

We enjoyed a fantastic meal of fish and chips complete with “mushy peas” for the paltry price of about 30 euros which included an “oyster filled ice cream” which had me reminiscing once again about my childhood.  Eladio had the large portion and mine was the medium one which even I couldn’t finish for once if I was to be  to tackle the ice cream afterwards.

Eladio about to enjoy his fish and chips at Darby Chippy in Gran Alacant last week

Olivia meanwhile was reporting all week from Barcelona.  She reported on a missing albino python from Gerona on Monday, an illegally occupied holiday flat in Tarragona on Tuesday, a Spanish man and German woman who met up 30 years after a holiday romance in Sitges and the beach in Sitges on Wednesday.  In the latter she involved three lovely Dutch girls enjoying a day on the beach. For the record they spoke perfect Spanish.  Olivia loves doing reports with children and here is a picture of her with the Dutch girls, one of whom was called Olivia by the way.

Olivia with 3 Dutch children she involved in a TV report from the Sitges beach near Barcelona last week

On Wednesday we had another date, this time with Julio in El Campello, a resort town near Alicante where he has a holiday home.  We spent part of the morning on the lovely beach, much quieter than the Poniente one in Benidorm and then strolled down the seafront to the restaurant where Juli had booked a table, Cavia.  We had been there before as in September 2011 and 2012 we had spent a weekend with Juli and Fátima in El Campello as we will do again this year. We ordered “fideua” which is like paella but made of thin noodles (vermicelli) and which we adore.  It was just delicious. 

Eladio and Julio in El Campello last wednesday about to devour a beautiful dish of "fideua"

The rest of the day was spent on the beach, once again bathing, reading, sun bathing and walking until the sun went down.  We returned to Julio’s apartment to get our car and pack our beach equipment, said our goodbyes and left for Santa Pola.  A good day was had by all.  

Thursday 15^th August is a national holiday in Spain to celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin. Eladio explained it is celebrated in remembrance of the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. The difference between the Assumption and the Ascension is that the former was thanks to Jesus Christ who lifted her up and the latter is when Jesus went up to heaven of his own accord.  The assumption is not recorded in the bible but comes from religious tradition and is celebrated by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox believers and some Anglicans. Whatever, it means that most of South Europe is on holiday and the shops are closed.  It also means that everyone flocks to the beaches.  So we decided that day to skip the beach after so much sun the day before and because we just didn’t want the hassle of parking and all that going there entails on a very hot and busy day. 

So we chilled out at the flat, reading, beginning this blog, ironing and generally lounging around.  On Thursday too we had an appointment with friends. I was much looking forward to the yearly reunion that evening with Jacky and John and their sons Rafa and Tal who live in a village in Murcia just 3km from the Alicante province. If you know me well you may  know that Jacky and I go way back to when we were children living in Bradford in Yorkshire.  We were to meet at a bar in Pinoso, near where they live, which has just been opened by British friends of theirs.  Called Corcho y Copa it is the most fashionable place in town at the moment.  Here Jacky and John treated us to superb local wine and some tapas.

It was great to see Jacky again this year.

Jacky is looking great after shedding lots of weight and cutting her hair and is as smiley and lovely as ever.  

Later we drove to their place for dinner with their good looking,  6 foot tall boys Rafa and Tal who are 18 and 17 respectively and don’t know which is their first language, English or Spanish.  We had a delightful meal in their garden and nearly everything was home grown as Jacky and John are quite self sufficient in their wonderful new life in Spain.  John’s vegetable paella was great but for me and my sweet tooth the pièce de résistance was Jacky’s banoffi pie (banana and toffee I presume) which is now popular in the UK but which I had never tried.  This is what it looked like.

Jacky's wonderful banoffi pie

It tasted like caramel shortbread with banana and cream on top.  I am ashamed to admit I had two pieces.

We spoke long into the night but had to curtail our reunion as it was a long drive back on unfamiliar and dark roads. We said our goodbyes and vowed to see each other next year and of course to continue our nearly daily contact via social media.  Thanks Jacky and John for a great evening.  Ah and John I am very much looking forward to reading your “marmite book” when it comes out next year.

And the next day was Friday and the day we were leaving.  As usual we had to clean and pack but did it super fast and were in the car ready to go by 11.30.  We had a good time as you will have read above and can see here in the full collection of photos of our visit but it was time to come home.

On the way I watched Olivia reporting on the street festival in the Gracia area of Barcelona where streets vie to be voted  the prettiest street. She had visited the area (near the Gothic cathedral) the day before with her friend from the scouts, bohemian Laura who now works and lives in Barcelona, believe it or not in an old flat above the famous Boquería market.

Olivia and Laura (the girls' friend from the scouts) at one of the decorated streets in the Gracia area of Barcelona last week

You can see the report here if you fast forward to 13.20h.

 I also heard via whatsapp during our trip home that my dear friend Adele was a grandmother again.  Adele and I went to University together and she now lives in France but we are always in touch together with our other Uni friends, Sue who lives in Australia and Sandra who lives in Brussels.  Adele’s firstborn son Jonathan’s Moroccan wife, Salma, had given birth in Dubai where they live to their second child, baby Erwan (a Breton name).  I was delighted for her but understood her frustration in not being able to see her new grandchild until Christmas.  She will of course be skyping often but it’s not the same.  I think if it had been me, I would have been on the next flight out wherever I was at the time. but that's easiser said than done.  Congratulations young Grandmother Adele, you must be ecstatic.

We stopped for lunch on the way back in the middle of a summer storm at a place we had never been to before but which we liked a lot.  It is called Mesón Los Rosales and is some 175km away from Madrid in the province of Cuenca. It’s very pretty, has great food and is one of the best roadside cafés I have ever come across in Spain.

Mesón Rosales was a great discovery on our way home from Santa Pola yesterday

We were home in the middle of the afternoon and were greeted in the extreme heat by our darling dogs.  It was good to be home and to see my Father and Fátima who I suspect feel rather lonely when we are away. I was relieved to find my new British passport had arrived in my absence; something which had worried me as I would need it to travel to London.  We spent the rest of the day unpacking, mending an irrigation tube in the garden (Eladio of course) and I took a swim in the rather leafy pool to cool off.  It was lovely to have Fátima make our dinner on the terrace outside the kitchen but best of all was sleeping in our own bed.  Also you notice the huge difference in space between this house and our apartment.  I reckon our apartment is not much bigger than our bedroom, bathroom and balcony all together. 

And I woke up refreshed today and happy to do a fast day after so much eating out.  I do suspect that I have put on some weight but will deal with that properly when the holiday is over.  Today, Saturday, will be a day at home in between travelling as, believe it or not, we are off again tomorrow.  Yep, tomorrow Sunday we are going to spend the night with our friends Javier and Ana at their lovely country house in Peñacaballera in the province of Salamanca.  It’ll be a short trip as we have to be back on Monday in order for Fátima to have some time off before we leave for our week’s holiday in London starting next Wednesday 21s August – our 30^th wedding anniversary by the way.

I am now at the end of this bumper edition post about my summer holidays so far which I hope you have enjoyed. The next time I write will be after our visit to London which I am much looking forward to.

Meanwhile, I wish you all the best,

Masha