Spanish National holiday, the Villablino Fair (“La Feriona”), “Madreñas” (Spanish clogs), homemade apple crumble, leaving Montrondo on Tuesday 13th, lunch at the Parador in Benavente, marathon cooking and other stories.

Sunday 11^th October 2015

Lunch at the Parador in Benavente last Tuesday with José Antonio and Dolores

Hi everyone,

Here I am at my desk on blog day.  This time last Sunday we were in Montrondo where we had moved into our lovely new house which makes so happy. 

I think one of the things I like about it most is that everything inside is mostly new.  I especially love the kitchen and our bedroom with the bathroom incorporated. I was to use the bathtub for the first time the next day.  It’s funny because when we started designing the house I had insisted that I wanted one which probably seemed like a luxury to everyone around me.  However at home in Bradford when I was a child we had a huge Victorian bathtub which was the only one in that huge house with 20 rooms where there was only one bathroom.  So when I sank into the warm water I closed my eyes and remembered how my Mother used to enjoy her daily bath at home.  I also thought just how much she would have loved our new house in the mountains.

Our bedroom in Montrondo with the clawfoot bathtub in it, reminding me of my home as a child in Bradford..

Meanwhile Oli and Miguel were in Valencia for the weekend.  They went with friends to stay at a country house in Lluxent which is inland.  They spent most of their time making meals, playing games and going for long walks. 

Miguel and Oli in Valencia last weekend

Monday 12^th was a bank holiday.  It was also the Spanish national day or Hispanic Day as well as the festivity of the Virgin of the Pillar in Zaragoza.  The big celebration of this day is a military parade in Madrid presided by the King and Queen and members of the government.  Some of our “lefty” members of the opposition declined the invitation as a means of protesting against the expense the parade costs in these austere times.  Others claimed there was nothing to celebrate as the Hispanic Day hails from the times Spain discovered America and went on to mistreat the natives of that land.  There has been much debate on this topic this week.  I personally think that most countries have a national day and feel proud of their country and so they should.  This is often no so in Spain because Spaniards generally criticize their country; there is little sense of a national togetherness or pride in one’s country.  I try to point out to whoever will listen that there is more criticism within the country than outside it.  So when I saw that in New York the Empire State Building was lit up that day with the colours of the Spanish flag, I hoped my point was taken.  As far as I know there was no building in Spain illuminated in a similar way.  You see, sadly, the Spanish flag inside Spain has a negative fascist connotation. 

The Empire State Building in NY lit up with the colours of the Spanish flag on 12th October

Whatever the question, the good thing is it’s a national holiday. Dolores had invited me to spend the morning together in Villablino where every 12^th October “La Feriona” (big fair) takes place.  Villablino, famous for coal mining, is the nearest big town to Montrondo and although it’s only 13km away it takes a good 45 minute drive as the mountain roads are so windy. 

It was raining when we got there so I was easily tempted by the offer of 2 umbrellas for 5 euros, no doubt coming from China.  The fair, the biggest annual fair of its kind in the north of Leon, stretched along most of the main streets and seemed unending to me. No way could we see it all in just a few hours.  On sale there was mostly local produce, clothes, antiques and household goods.

One of the stalls at the "Feriona" in Villablino last Monday

My next purchase was a pair of madreñas for Eladio. These are traditional wooden clogs worn with slippers inside.  They come mainly from Asturias and the North of León.  In Montrondo there is not one house without a pair.  They have three heels and are used to walk in the mud and rain outside and are then left outside the house where you then walk inside with just your slippers on, thus keeping the floors clean at home.  I found a video on You Tube which explains how they are made and how they are worn which you might find interesting.  It’s in Spanish but has English subtitles.

Eladio's new madreñas outside our back door

They cost me 22 euros and were handmade as they all are.  Below is a photo of the clog stall.  In the van there was a man reading a newspaper and I got talking to him.  He told me he was a professional clog maker and had been making them for a living since the age of 15 but was now retired.  I wonder how many young clog makers there are in that part of Spain now?  I’m sure the numbers are dwindling.

The clog stall. Eladio's ones are those on the chair.  The clog maker is the man in the driving seat, the seller his wife.

At another stall I bought the slippers to wear inside the clogs for just 5 euros.  Eladio was delighted with his new madreñas.  He probably hadn’t had a pair since the family left the village in the 60’s.  I’m also delighted as they will help to keep the floors clean.

Eladio with his new clogs (madreñas) on

Dolores then took me to a stall where she recommended buying the local walnuts.  On sale they also had some delicious looking pies and I bought one for dinner.  We ended up having a piece for the next three nights it was so tasty.

Dolores at the walnut stall at the fair in Viallablino. 

One of the main attractions at the fair was the street food and most popular of all seemed to be the dishes of freshly cooked octopus as you can see in the photo below.

Freshly cooked octopus was the main street food on offer at the fair

That afternoon Dolores and I took the dogs, Nuba and Pippa for their daily walk to Murias de Paredes and back. On the way we passed cows which both dogs barked at and then this beautiful dapple horse.  As Pippa barked at it, it took absolutely no notice. Next time we go, I must remember to buy a box of sugar lumps to feed the horses, donkey and pony on our walks.

Pippa barking at the horse on the walk to Murias which didn't take a blind bit of notice

Just past the field with the horse there is a field with a grey donkey and brown and white pony.  Both dogs started barking and then ran into the field.  Donkey kicks can be very dangerous and I was worried stiff Pippa would be hurt.  Below is a photo of Pippa barking at the donkey.

Pippa barking at the donkey

Once back from our walk it was nearly dark.  I had planned to use my new oven for the first time and make apple crumble with the cooking apples (reinetas) I had bought at the fair for 1 euro/kg.  This was the result.  It was delicious and I made so much that I brought what was left of it home and we have been having it all week.  As I made it I reflected that my forte is not desserts and that I know very few recipes for “puddings”. 

My homemade apple crumble

The next morning was our last breakfast for the bank holiday weekend.  As usual I was up earlier than Eladio and joined by Pippa, I made our breakfast enjoying using my new kitchen.

The table laid for breakfast on our last morning at the new house

It was Tuesday 13^th which in most Spanish speaking countries, as well as Greece is the equivalent to Friday 13^th.  It is of course a day which is supposed to be unlucky. One of the reasons it is a Tuesday in Spain is to do with the word itself “martes” (name of the planet mars) which means war.  Also it was on a Tuesday that Constantinople fell.  I wondered also about the number 13 and so looked it up and found out some of the reasons why it is supposed to be unlucky.  The phobia to the number is steeped in history; one of the main reasons being that at the Last Supper there were 13 people present.  In the Apocalypse the Antichrist, for example, is mentioned in chapter 13.  Also in the tarot, the number 13 means death.  In some countries it goes so far as to not to have a 13^th floor or a number 13 in a street as no one wants to live at number 13. I don’t really care.  In Spanish there is a saying that on Tuesday 13^th you should not get married or go on a journey. Well we were going on a journey and as you will hear later we had a bit of bad luck getting home; but nothing tragic thankfully. 

We had to leave at midday as we had an appointment with a notary in León before 14h.  While Eladio and José Antonio were there, Dolores and I took the dogs for a walk and even had a cup of coffee at a nice little café called Betty (like but not like “Betty’s” in Yorkshire) in San Andrés de Rabanedo.

By nearly 3 we were at the Parador in Benavente where we had decided to have lunch.  It was a sunny day so we left both dogs outside in a rose park by the entrance to the Parador which was an old castle.  They seemed quite happy tied to a tree with room to move or lie down.  I came out at least 3 times to check they were ok or more importantly that they hadn’t been stolen. 

The dogs waiting in the park outside the Parador in Benavente

The photo illustrating this week’s blog is of the 4 of us at lunch that day.  The food was really good but we know that which is why when we have to have a meal on the way to or Montrondo we choose the Parador.  Both Eladio and I usually choose their chickpea stew but as we had had chickpeas whilst in Montrondo, we went for something else.  I decided on lamb.  Looks good eh?

I went for roast lamb at the Parador in Benavente

We left the Parador at around 5 on plenty of time to be home by 8 which is when Eladio would have to go off to his UNED University evening tutorial.  However we hadn’t counted on a terrible accident on the road into Madrid which held us up for nearly an hour. Did this have anything to do with it being a Tuesday 13^th? We were not home until 7.45, but just on time for Eladio, and were greeted by Olivia.  I had dinner with my daughter – leftovers from Montrondo - and after a chat together, I tucked myself and Pippa into bed.  That’s how Eladio found me when he returned late that night, enjoying reading the last of Jeffrey Archer’s Cain and Abel trilogy, “Shall we tell the President”.  It’s riveting.

Wednesday was busy.  At midday I had yet another interview with a newspaper about my role in the Undercover Boss programme.  I am working on the subtitling into English but have to correct some 49 pages of English which will take me some time. Later in the afternoon I had a meeting at the office with my CEO and CFO and PR Agency team to prepare the communication of the upcoming quarterly results.

On Thursday I fasted and spent most of the day working quietly at home.  On Friday I worked from home a lot too but took the afternoon off to go to Ikea with Eladio for lots more Montrondo shopping of so many bits and bobs that are still needed for the house.  Apart from a shopping list of items to get there we also went there to make a complaint in person which was getting nowhere on the phone. Ikea is great when everything goes alright but they are lousy at customer care.  We had two problems.  One was a kitchen drawer which was broken on arrival and another one has to be taken there and installed.  The other one was about a set of lighting for the kitchen which the kitchen installer had said was not his job even though it had arrived with all the kitchen stuff.  It apparently is the job of the furniture installers who hadn’t installed the lights either.  The complaint is ongoing and I can only envision it taking months to solve.  Oh Ikea when will your customer service improve?

On Saturday I had more Montrondo shopping to do, this time at El Corte Inglés for bedding and kitchen items Ikea doesn’t have.  Oli joined me and we had a lovely morning shopping together.  Unusually for us we didn’t buy any clothes.  These days my mind is on the house in the village and I have no inclination at all to buy clothes right now.  It’s not as if I need any really; so perhaps that’s a good thing.

In the afternoon yesterday I spent 4 hours cooking which felt a bit like a culinary marathon.  I made pumpkin and vegetable soup from my huge stock of frozen chunks of pumpkin from the giant one Miguel had given us.  I also made a batch of bitki (Russian hamburgers) to freeze as well as about 40 perushki (little Russian meat pies).  This was all for freezing at home and for taking to Montrondo.  I also prepared the béchamel with ham bits to make up croquettes this morning.

Marathon cooking yesterday afternoon

Dinner was the soup with the pies.  Long after we were in bed, Oli left for Madrid to pick Miguel up from the train station from where they would go on to the birthday party for two members of their group “la manada” (the herd); Pulgui and Anita.  Anita, by the way, who was Oli’s friend from University, will be moving to London next week to join her boyfriend who is studying a master’s degree there.  They will be living in a flat in Lewisham, apparently not too far from where Suzy lives. Suzy meanwhile was at another birthday party in London last night; also for one of the members of the “manada”, Chati, her nurse friend.  I just got this photo from their celebrations last night, so I at least have one photo of Suzy for this week’s blogpost. I asked for the location and was told it was held at Weatherspoon’s Pub in Stepney Green.

Celebrating Chati's birthday yesterday in Stepney Green.  Suzy second left in green, Chati in blue in the middle.

And this morning, Sunday, I have been very productive and did more cooking. I was up at 7.30, made breakfast for Eladio, my Father and I, went for our walk with the dogs, came back and showered and then started on the cooking.  I made a lasagne for lunch and by 12 my batch of 51 croquettes was ready for freezing too.

More cooking this  morning - lasagne and ham croquettes

And now I’m coming to the end of this week’s story.  I’ve just put the lasagne in the oven and soon it will be time for a family lunch when Oli and Miguel come back from their trip to the swimming pool. 

This next week will be busy as it’s results week. On Tuesday morning we will be hosting a press breakfast to present and explain the financial results of the company for this 3^rd quarter.  This coming week we shall be returning to Montrondo, either on Wednesday or Thursday.  Now that we have internet there I can work remotely from the new house.  I dread to imagine just how full the car will be with all the bedding and new purchases we have made this week.  Oh, but it’s just so exciting setting up a brand new home.  It’s something I’ve never done because we’ve always bought a second hand home.

So I shall leave you now whilst wishing you all a great week ahead,

Till next time,

Masha

The animal trainer, lunch with Karin and Greta, US Prison inmates beat Harvard debate team, World Egg Day, moving into our dream house in Montrondo and other stories.

Sunday 11th October 2015

The two brothers at coffee time this morning in our new house

Hi everyone

Here I am writing from our newly refurbished house in Montrondo and I couldn’t be happier.  The rebuilding, and it was rebuilding because we demolished the whole of the inside of the old family house except for the outer walls, started at the end of May 2014 and on Friday 9^th October we finally moved in.  I really thought we would never see the day but we did.  This of course is the main story of the week but more about it later.

Last Sunday was a quiet day. We were alone with my Father for lunch when I made fish and chips, remember?  Oli and Miguel missed the family meal but had a nice meal out in Madrid.  They also went to the cinema to see Amenabar’s latest film, Regression.  They were not impressed.  It’s a horror film so I will be skipping it I can tell you.  Horror films give me nightmares. I far prefer drama. Below is a photo of the happy couple in Madrid last Sunday.

Oli and Miguel - a selfie at the cinema last Sunday

Monday was also quiet.  It was my fasting day and I spent the time working from home.  In the afternoon an ex school friend of Suzy’s called Carlos Bueren came to see Pippa.  Yeah, Pippa had a visitor.  Let me explain why.  Carlos head’s up an animal training school called Animal Nature.  Carlos’ track record is very impressive.  He told us he even trains wild animals such as lions and tigers; wow! So why would I need an animal trainer for Pippa?  That’s because she’s very unsociable with anyone outside our immediate family circle and barks at anything that moves, especially men; including my gentle and lovely brother-in-law José Antonio.  And yes, she even barked at Carlos who trains wild animals.  He very quickly told us that it’s because she is afraid and that she must have had some sort of negative experience when she was younger which we didn’t even notice.  Her behavior is a typical trait of dachshunds except that it is very pronounced with her.  Carlos advised us that when she meets new people that they should ignore her rather than coming towards her head on which frightens her and that it’s better to approach her a bit like a horse; from the side.  Then when she sees there is no danger she will come of her own accord.  After 5 minutes he had her literally eating out of his hand but then again he knows exactly how to behave and he had some doggy treats too for Pippa. 

Carlos with Pippa on Monday

Tuesday saw me in the office for a meeting with Finance about my budget for next year.  I was home for lunch and after catching up with my emails, Eladio and I made yet another trip to Ikea for miscellaneous bits and bobs still needed for the house.  That evening was Eladio’s first lecture at the University (UNED) where the new term has begun.  He wasn’t home until 10.30 and found me reading in bed. I was devouring another Jeffrey Archer novel which I began to suspect I had read before, many years ago: The Prodigal Daughter which is the sequel to Cain and Abel.

On Wednesday we heard from Suzy that she had come second in the application for the locum job as general dietitian with the NHS in the Shetlands.  She was very upset.  But not all is lost and there is still some hope as the candidate who came first may not be able to take up the job as her locum post could coincide with that beginning in Lerwick.  So please still cross your fingers.  If not, well of course there will be many more opportunities. And there I was looking at flights to the Shetlands from Madrid …..

I had lunch that day with my Swedish colleague Karin who had come to settle in her daughter Greta who is spending her gap year in Madrid learning Spanish at the Complutense University.  Greta’s settling in here in Madrid reminded me very much of my own first stay here which was in my 3^rd year at Nottingham University in 1978.  I had to learn the ropes as far as transport etc were concerned.  Or course I didn’t need a sim card from Yoigo.  I relied on a map to go everywhere and found accommodation at the Complutense University on a notice board.  Karin will have found hers online. Many things have changed but getting used to a new culture is always great fun with or without internet and mobile phones.  I hope Greta has a super year and as I told her, she can always turn to us if ever in need.  Bienvenida Greta.

Karin and Greta at lunch on Wednesday

It was a lovely sunny day and Greta turned up with a short sleeved t-shirt.  It was probably 18ºc and I was wearing a coat.  I suppose it must have felt warm for my Swedish fellow diners.  We left the restaurant and I walked with them to their metro stop in Cuzco.  In the photo below I caught them unawares as they were walking down the steps.

Karin and Greta going down to the Metro at Cuzco

Of course there has been lots of news this week, but one particular item really caught my attention.  It was the story of a US Prison (New York Eastern Correctional) debate team that beat Harvard in adebate.  I mean that is really something.  Of course just because you are in prison doesn’t mean you are not intelligent so I shouldn’t be shocked.  I later read that one of the reasons the prisoners are so good is that those who go to class, compete to be the best instead of competing to be the bad boys as they would have done when they were children.  Also they have limited access to internet and resort to their brains so much more and have lots of time to think and learn.  Winning had even more merit as the inmates had to argue in favour of a subject they were totally opposed to: that public schools should be allowed to deny access to illegal immigrant pupils.  The Harvard team who are the Ivy League champions posted later that they couldn’t have been prouder to lose to the prison team. I would have loved to witness the debate. 

PHOTO NEW YORK EASTERN CORRECTIONAL

The New York Eastern "Correctional" whose debate team beat Harvard's 

I spent Thursday at home, fasting again for what it’s worth  and working.  I have quite a lot on my plate at the moment and I was keen to get as much under my belt as I could before going off to Montrondo on Friday for the “Pilar” bank holiday this Monday.

Friday came and I had a 09.30 management team meeting at Yoigo. I was up at 06.45 and left the house at 7.50.  I got to Yoigo at 09.15 swearing under my breath at the traffic which was horrendous. I got so bored in the tunnels of the M40 I took a picture of the traffic which you can see below.

The meeting ended at 11.30 and I rang Eladio to see if we could leave for Montrondo before lunch rather than afterwards as this would give us more time to settle in if we were to have everything ready to be able to spend our first night in the new house.  Toño and Dolores came too and the car was completely full.  Dolores and I were pretty uncomfortable at the back as apart from all the stuff surrounding us we had both dogs, Nuba and Pippa with us in the back.  We left the house at just after 13.30 and made the easy decision of having lunch at Rueda.  We there by about 3 p.m. The sun was shining and we were able to eat outside which was very considerate to the dogs as otherwise they would have had to stay in the car.  Here is our lunch.  I’m sure you’ll appreciate the photo even more if you look at it if you are hungry like we were on Friday afternoon.

Lunch at Rueda on Friday

Talking about food, I heard on the radio that morning that Friday 9^th October was World Egg Day!  I had no idea there was a celebratory egg day but there and then decided that our inaugural dinner at our new house in Montrondo that night would be; yes you guessed right, our favourite meal when we are there; good old fried eggs and chips. 

Friday was World Egg Day!

We arrived at around 6pm to sunshine.  The house had been cleaned by a professional cleaning firm the day before, just after the carpenters had finished the staircase and installing all the inside doors.  We wondered what sort of a job they had done and we were in for a pleasant surprise as the place was immaculate.  The house was warm and seeing it so clean added to our joy of seeing before our eyes our dream house come true; or at least the realization of the house we had designed.  I, for one, was jumping for joy. 

For you to appreciate the rebuilding, here is a picture of the house from the front and back before we started and below is the picture of the house as it is now from the front and from the back.

The house from the front and back before and afterwards

As for the inside, there has been a 360º change.  Just take a look at the kitchen as it was before and what the kitchen looks like now.

The kitchen before and the kitchen afterwards

Both Eladio and I worked fast and hard to put as much in place as possible and by 9pm we had done the most part and I had dinner ready on the table.  It was fitting that our first guests should be José Antonio, Eladio’s brother, and his wife Dolores, now our neighbours of course, as they have hosted us in their house for the past year and half during the rebuilding on countless occasions.  We could not be more grateful. And here you have the photo of that first dinner on Friday night, the night we moved into our lovely new country house in this beloved village.

The inauguration dinner - fried egg and chips on Friday night

We hardly slept that night as we were so excited about moving into the new house.  I feel like a little girl who has just been given some red patent shoes, I can’t get over the joy of this weekend, a dream come true.

Eladio took a photo of the 4 houses belonging to the brothers and sisters from the back which is quite unique.  We are so lucky to have our own place here now after so many years sharing this old house which was more like a house for gypsies than for people hahaha.

The four family houses in Montrondo from the back

After our first breakfast in the new house, we both went about all sorts of little tasks that needed doing.  Soon various members of the family arrived and some of them, the women, came to see the house.  I cooked lentil stew for lunch at Eladio’s bequest, followed by an easy to make steak and salad. Later we gathered at Pili’s house for a cup of coffee.  I then spent about an hour trying to redeem my Renfe (Spanish railway) loyalty card points for the first time.  I had quite a few and apparently they expire, so as Oli who is in Valencia this weekend with Miguel, needed a high speed train ticket to return to Madrid tomorrow, I offered to get her the ticket with my points.  The high speed train may be state of the art but their website is cr**.  I resorted to their customer care centre whose agents (3 failed calls) were unable to help as instead of a Spanish National Identity card I have a Residence Card called a NIE which often causes problems.  I won’t go into how in the end I finally managed to get the ticket but my goodness their customer and web service sucks, despite having a generous loyalty card.

It began to rain just after the train ticket ordeal but Dolores and I were undaunted and I just needed to get out of the house as I hadn’t been for a walk since we arrived on Friday evening.  Pippa wore her new coat which protected her a bit but it’s rather large and the hood covers her eyes poor thing.

Pippa with her coat on yesterday in Murias

Here she is waiting outside the Cultural Centre in Murias de Paredes where Dolores wanted to see an exhibition of photos of old Havana. Her son Miguel lives there and both Toño and Dolores recently went to visit.

The exhbition we saw in Murias yesterday

I came home drenched and so did Pippa and she was the first creature to use our claw foot bathtub.  I still haven’t tried it out. 

Dinner was vegetable soup made of pumpkin (remember the giant one Miguel Oli’s boyfriend brought us?), carrot, leek and potatoes.  I had a bit of an accident as the liquidizer exploded or rather half the soup came out whilst it was on and I got covered, not to mention my lovely new kitchen.  At least the soup was tasty.

I was up early again this morning but not at the crack of dawn.  It doesn’t get light here until 08.30 so Eladio and I had a candlelit breakfast.  It rained less today so this afternoon before finishing this blog post off I went with Pippa again to Murias.  When I go on my own I always choose the old path which is so pretty, especially now in autumn.  On the path we came across Manolo, his tractor and his barking but harmless dogs.  I mention him because he was the villager who came to my rescue in his old 4WD Niva car when I fell on ice and broke my leg in the mountains here in January.  I shall be forever grateful. And here he is, a very hardworking local man who has a smile for everyone. Thanks Manolo. 

Manolo from Montrondo who rescued me when I fell on ice in January - today on our walk to Murias

Tomorrow is a bank holiday I think in most of Spain.  It is the National Hispanic Day but also a celebration of the patron saint Pilar (Our Lady of the Pillar) after whom Eladio’s sister Pili is called.  Dolores and I will be going to nearby Villabilino to a fair to buy food and whatever we find of interest for our houses.  I am on the lookout for “madreñas” for Eladio – the local wooden clogs with 4 heels which are worn here on top of slippers outdoors when it is muddy or rainy.  I myself would not dare to wear them as I am so clumsy I would be bound to fall.

And so my friends, I will leave you now and continue enjoying this wonderful long weekend moving into our new house in Montrondo. 

Wishing you all a great week ahead, cheers till next Sunday,

Masha

PS, you can see many more photos of this weekend here on Facebook.