Week 13 of lockdown in Spain, week 1 of Phase 2 in Madrid, flowers for my mother's grave on her 100th birthday, planning a short holiday in Asturias, Sister Ana's prayer, Samsung photo shoot at our house, a hoglet in the garden, dinner at El Tuareg, memorial statues in danger during anti racist demonstrations and other stories.

Sunday 14th June, 2020

At Tuareg the Moroccan restaurant on Friday night. 

Dear all.  

How is life? Mine is good although I really can't wait for lockdown to be fully over - well as much as it can be - but I shall have to wait - but only for a week I think.   This coronavirus crisis is a waiting game and I'm not finding it funny. However, I can now see light at the end of the tunnel. This week Madrid began its first week in Phase 2 of lockdown ease, although I didn't really notice the difference. I think some cinemas were open, there was an increase in use of space at bars and restaurants, but not much more. Madrid will continue to be in Phase 2 from tomorrow while most of the rest of Spain move on to Phase 3. The best news of the week came on Friday when we heard the end of lockdown for the whole of Spain would come on 21st June permitting freedom of movement in the whole country. That's next Sunday my friends and next Sunday or Monday,  Eladio and I will pack our bags and drive to Santa Pola with Pippa, to stay at our apartment by the sea. I cannot wait for a change of scenery. As to the borders of the country opening, permitting travel abroad, it seems that won't happen until 1st July. The tourist sector needs open borders desperately but the country will have to keep the virus in check at the same time and it won't be easy. I dread new spikes in cases. If that happens the whole country won't go into lockdown again, but the areas affected will. 

As to this week's figures, well, they are what they are and the virus continues to spread, especially in South America. They are on the decline in Europe which is why we are all gearing up for the lifting of lockdown. In the UK however, they are not declining fast enough, yet the government is pushing for ease of lockdown. 

You can see the figures below from last Saturday 6th June and last night's figures to compare.

Figures for 6th June 2020.

These are the figures one week later.

Figures for Saturday 12th June. 

The total number of cases went up from 6.099.052 to 7.812.145, over 2 million of them from the US alone  and the worldwide death toll went up from 368.933 to 430.230.  I always wonder what my dearly departed mother would have thought of this. She was born in 1920 just after the pandemic of the wrongly called "Spanish flu". She always told me her maternal grandmother died of it but she died in the 20's when I think it was over. Maybe it was a new outbreak before it was totally eradicated. It's funny to think my parents were born during the pandemic and 100 years later their great grandson, Elliot, was born just before the coronavirus pandemic. 

Last Sunday was my mother's birthday. She would have turned 100. Wouldn't it have been great if she could still be here with my father and with us? Wouldn't it be lovely if she could know Elliot but no, she left us on 1st October 1999. However, she remains in our hearts always. When I posted a photo of her on Facebook in memory of her life, my dear ex school friend, Geraldine, from our school, St. Joseph's College, and who lives in Yorkshire, offered to take some flowers to her grave. Both her parents are buried at the same cemetery, Charlestown, in Shipley. She later sent me a photo. I was so touched. It's not the first time Geraldine has done this for me and it always makes me happy. Thanks my friend. It's great that there were flowers on her grave on what would have been her 100th birthday.

Geraldine's flowers on my mother's grave

Sunday was another quiet day in lockdown for us. Being the weekend, Oli joined us on the walk and we hardly saw anyone. She went out to lunch with friends, taking the baby with her, so it was just Eladio, my father and I for lunch that day. We decided on a small barbecue. Here is Eladio grilling the sausages (butifarra) and  American style gourmet hamburgers.

Eladio making our barbecue. Spot Pippa

I had laid the table outside but it suddenly began to rain so we brought everything inside again. 5 minutes later the rain was gone and the sun was out. It felt silly to eat a barbecue lunch in the dining room rather than on the kitchen terrace.

From Sunday the good sunny weather was over for a while. This week the highest temperatures have only been in the low to mid 20's which is not warm for us. I complained that day to our friends Kathy and Phil that the weather had turned. They told me it was 11ºc in Yorkshire in England and there was I complaining about it being only 24ºc. 24ºc is hot for them hahahha. I would have considered it so too when I lived in England as a young girl. But today, hot for me is anything over 35ºc. 

Oli and the baby were back by about 5 pm. She caught me reading and with Elliot around there is no possibility of reading so I closed my book or rather switched off my kindle. Later Suzy called from London where she is still a bit stuck and afterwards I had a great Facetime call with our friends Kathy and Phil.

We managed dinner on the table outside but for once we needed jumpers or a cardigan. The day ended with me in the bath with Elliot again and then free time watching a new series on Netflix - "Perdida" (The stolen daughter) about a 5 year old Spanish girl kidnapped by Colombian drug dealers which had us hooked all week. 

I was awake at 7 am on Monday morning and happy to see I had a new reservation for Airbnb.  That was good news although it is still taking some getting used to having the house full of guests again.  Later in the day I got another booking for this weekend and a quite an interesting enquiry from a French family who wanted to stay here from 17th July to 25th August; 39 nights. I wondered if the booking would come through but it did. The family are international like us. They live in Paris and the father is half French and half English and his wife is Spanish. I have a feeling we will get on. In fact I had bookings and enquiries all week and now all the weekends from now to 25th August are all full! Whoopee. 

I had a busy morning, mostly focused on domestic tasks and we went on our walk quite late, at about 12 midday. It was warm by then and there was no need to wear a cardigan. As we were not on grandparent duty this week, it meant it was just Eladio, the dogs and me on our walk and we were able to take the route through the woods where you cannnot take a push chair. We hardly encountered anyone on our way. 

I also spent part of the morning planning a short summer holiday for Eladio and I. We weren't going to go anywhere apart from to Montrondo or Santa Pola but that has changed and now we shall be spending 6 nights in Asturias a lovely coastal region in the north of Spain to the east of Galicia. I had a 100 dollar coupon to spend on Airbnb which I had been awarded because of my super host status. I knew it would expire in October so decided to look at places near Montrondo this summer, places we could also take Pippa too which is not easy as Spain is not a dog friendly place. Olivia had sent me an interesting article on the most desired properties on Airbnb in Spain and there were three in Asturias. Two were fully booked except for one near Llanes which had just three nights available in July. So I booked it. Called "El Choco" this is it.

El Choco Airbnb near Llanes in Asturias

I actually booked this place last week but on Monday I began to think that 3 nights away was not enough and  decided to find somewhere else in Asturias to stay for another 3 nights. I didn't have to think much as my mind took me immediately to one of my favourite hotels in Spain; "La Casona de la Paca" near Cudillero a sort of Spanish Robin Hood's Bay. We have been there twice and I have always wanted to go back. I was in luck as they had 3 days vacancy before our check in to El Choco. I spoke to the owner, Montse, who is a darling and remembered us well. I can't wait to go back. We wont' be staying in the hotel part of the complex but in one of the self catering apartments where they allow pets. They look stunning and I can't wait to return to the wonderful Casona de la Paca. 

The front of the hotel Casona de la Paca in El Pito near Cudillero, Asturias. 

Now we have something lovely to look forward to. I am really looking forward to returning to one of our favourite regions in Spain. We were last there on holiday in 2011, so it is high time to go back to visit new places and revisit our favourite haunts. A few days later, Olivia found an article in the Spanish paper, El Mundo, about top rural hotels in Spain which included La Casona de la Paca. This is it. If you ever get the opportunity to go, grab it because the place and the area are absolutely stunning. 

The highlight of Monday was my Skype call with Amanda. In fact my calls with her since lockdown began have been the highlight of every Monday and I always look forward to them. We were on the phone for 1.5h. Imagine. We compared notes on our different stages of ease of lockdown both here and in the UK but also our conversation took us back to our school years at St. Joseph's catholic school in Bradford. We were talking about how most of our teachers were not good and that academic excellence was not what we got at school. But there were some very good teachers. We both agreed that our history, English and Geography teachers were the best. We both owe our knowledge of written English to the excellent Miss Speak who taught us English 'O' Level. I did English 'A' Level and so did Amanda but Miss Speak was not our teacher which was a huge pity. We spoke about our headmistress, Sister Wilfred, of Irish origin. We all knew she had a drinks cabinet in her office and it was rumoured she was an alcoholic but I don't think she was. I always remember her as a very kind woman but not a great headmistress. Our favourite nun was Sister Ana, a pretty young Irish nun who taught us Scripture. We will never forget her because of one major incident at school. We must have been in the Lower Sixth when we embarked on playing the Ouija game with a group of friends, including Brenda M. It got a bit out of hand and both Amanda and I became terrified. So one Saturday morning, we decided to visit Sister Ana at the convent which was a short walk away from the school. She received us and was very kind. She discouraged us from playing the Ouija and then she told us a prayer we could use to give us some solace. I have never forgotten that prayer and have used it many times over the years. In our call on Monday, I mentioned it to Amanda who had no recollection of Sister Ana's prayer. This is it: 

Father we thank thee for the night,

and for the morning's pleasant light,

for rest and food and loving care,

and all that makes the world so fair.

Help us to do the things we should,

to be to others kind and good,

in all we do at work or play,

to grow more loving every day.

Amanda googled it and with slightly different words to those Sister Ana taught us, we found out it is a children's prayer written by a Rebecca Weston in 1890. You may not know me as a praying person and I am not generally but there are times I need to, possibly because of my upbringing. I only know three prayers really; The Lord's prayer, Hail Mary and Sister Ana's or Rebecca Weston's which is not saying much. Everyone knows The Lord's prayer. As to Hail Mary, well that is a RC prayer which I could not help but learning at St. Joseph's College where it was recited on every occasion at the school; morning assembly, feast days and at all the Masses that took place in the St. Josepsh's Hall chapel. 

We also talked about my Scripture 'A' Level teacher, Miss Dyson. She was quite a prominent teacher. I shall never forget her telling our class that we were part of only 2% of our generation who would go to university. That must have been the year of 1976 and I was quite impressed. Today that percentage is far far higher. 

At 7 pm we had to cut short our long call until next Monday. I then had to think about the family dinner, or rather I was reminded of it by Oli who had gone out with her family to have a coffee nearby. In the end we had a salady type meal. With no responsibility for Elliot's bath - he likes them again now thank goodness -  we watched the end of the news and then continued watching our series "Perdida" (The stolen daughter). I recommended it to our friends Kathy and Phil as I thought Phil who lived and taught in Colomba during the Escobar years would be interested. They are loving it too.

Tuesday came and much of the day was dedicated to Airbnb. In the morning I negotiated with a production company who wanted to do a photo shoot for Samsung by our pool and came to a lucrative agreement. They would come on Friday morning - a team of 8 of them. Wow! In the afternoon too I came to an agreement with the French family and in between got lots of enquiries. My phone kept pinging with the special tone I have for Airbnb messages.  I am still getting them and look forward to filling out the days in between the weekends. 

By the way, this week I created a page on Facebook to get direct bookings for our house. This is it if you are interested or want to pass it on to friends and family. 

I created a page on Facebook to rent out rooms at our house 

In my head this week there was a plan to put our beach apartment near Santa Pola (Alicante) on the Airbnb market too. I have thought of it over the years as the flat stands mostly empty. The problem I have is that we are far away and need someone to manage it; receiving guests and cleaning. I think though I have a candidate in our immediate neighbour and as soon as we can leave Madrid we shall be driving to Santa Pola to see if we can put these plans into motion. If our neighbour doesn't want the job I'm sure we can find someone through the concierge. So watch this space. 

The view from our apartment in Santa Pola

In my weekly Skype call that afternoon with Adele and Sandra I was happy to tell them my Airbnb business was recovering. Sandra who is more cautious than I am and worried about coronavirus, possibly because she has to shield her elderly mother, warned me to be very careful. We are but we are also aware of the risks. 

Dinner time was also time to watch the news - so dominated by the virus.  Since the start of the state of alarm I would say 90% of the news was about the virus and we were all hooked. I am less hooked now and so is the media to some extent. This week, the main news, alongside the virus, was the Black Lives Matter campaign. This week George Floyd's funeral took place and demonstrations against racism happened all over the world. The latest turn of events has seen statues of long gone men in history with a link to colonialism, being destroyed or under threat, including Christopher Columbus or Baden Powell and even Captain Cook in far away Australia.  As I write, the big Churchill statue near Parliament in London has been boxed off.  This happened after clashes between protesters against racism and far right protesters.

Churchill's statue near Westminster under heavy protection

The Winston Churchill statue outside Westminster

Would you believe that statues of both Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi were also under protection? For me these three men are heroes of history and for me this is all going too far. Winston Churchill may have had his faults but he was the man who helped save us from Hitler for God's sake. His granddaughter, Emma Soames, said yesterday "we've come to this place where history is viewed entirely through the prism of the present". I can understand the feelings behind the protests after the dreadful killing of George Floyd but I would let sleeping dogs lie when it comes to statues.  HBO, the video streaming company, obviously doesn't agree when this week the epic film Gone with the Wind was removed from its catalogue, calling it racist. Of course it was racist. Those were the times but if we have to eradicate any art, statue, book,film etc from our past that is linked to racism, then we shall have a huge gaping hole in history. The list could be endless. We should concentrate on the present and not on the past. 

Violent protests have been escalating all around the world and I look on with horror as I see people not wearing masks or practicing social distancing. It is all getting out of hand and the usual thugs from the far right or far left have had a field day taking part to make the protests more violent. 

On the home turf, a big piece of news was the going ahead of an investigation of the Emiritus King of Spain, Juan Carlos, over the scandal that he received multi million commissions for securing  high speed train deals with Saudi Arabia. There are, however, no Spaniards on the streets demonstrating against the King. Maybe one day there will be a series on Netflix about his rather scandalous life. Right now, everyone on Netflix seems to be thrilled with a documentary series about that dreadful sex predator, Jeffrey Epstein. Eladio wasn't interested in the series but I was and watched a few episodes this week on my own. What a disgusting man!

That night we finished Perdida and then felt bereft, missing all the characters. What a great series and for once one with  a happy ending.

Wednesday came and it was shopping day. I took Eladio again and gave him an easier list than before (hahaha). It was all done by about 1.30 when it was time for lunch.  In the afternoon Oli, Miguel and Elliot left for their flat in Mirasierra just outside the centre of Madrid. They hadn't been there since before lockdown. It was funny to see them go but of course they need their space. It wouldn't be for long though as when Miguel drives back to Valencia tonight to work there next week, Oli will return here with Elliot.. Next week we will be on grandparent duty again but not for long as in July Oli will take her holiday. They will also be going to Asturias but  on different dates and to a different Airbnb.

It was strange to have our dinner alone on the kitchen terrace but nice and comforting too. I love being together alone with my husband.

Thursday dawned  and it would be a day alone without Oli and her family or guests. Early in the morning two nurses came from the local clinic to do a blood test on my father. Nothing is wrong with him but it's always good to do a blood test. They came looking like astronauts wearing their PPE outfits which I thought was most professional. I took the opportunity to ask them about Covid in our area. I was interested to know how our neighbourhood was affected as in the news there is not much information about where exactly the virus is more virulent. I was happy to hear there is very little Covid here but was told towns nearby like Leganés, Móstoles or Alcorcón had been badly hit. 

Thursday was the morning when we finally got down to clearing out and doing a deep clean of the pantry on the ground floor. It's where we keep our deep freezer and second fridge, a wine rack and lots of old kitchen equipment which is either broken or we no longer use. Between Eladio, Lucy and I we took everything down from the shelves which I reckon had not been cleaned since we moved in 13 years ago! We threw so much away and nearly threw away a new toaster we thought was an old one but was actually brand new and which we had forgotten about (hahaha).  Lucy had a vested interest as she was hoping to get things we no longer wanted - well, she got plenty. This was what the pantry looked like when we had removed everything. 

The before photo of the pantry

And this is what it looked like afterwards - a whole lot better and with everything arranged in order. 

The pantry after the deep clean and throwing away of old stuff

I have a large stock of good olive oil (remember the Fuenquesada oil?), jars of honey, Fairy foam washing up liquid (hard to find in the shops), himalayan salt of two types which I buy in bulk, etc, etc. Oli suggested I number each bottle, jar or packet. Suzy even suggested we do an inventory but I'm not good at that. The suggestions came as often things go mysteriously missing in this house, so Eladio went and numbered everything as you can see below.

All my bulk stock numbered in case of pilfering

Later when I had lunch prepared, Eladio and I went on our walk. As we came back I was going to open the letter box to get the mail but was warned by my husband there was a bees' nest under the man in the hole (drain hole cover I think is the correct term) on the pavement just by it. He was right, there was a swarm of them. Eladio later rang the town council who then rang the police who then rang some bee company. The bee company people came and went and then, believe it or not, the firemen turned up and the police did too. The bottom line is that as bees are a protected species they have to be removed with care by bee experts. The fine for killing them is over 6000 euros! The problem now is who is going to pay for it and the town council want to wash their hands off the issue but we disagree as the bees are not actually on our property. They argue the pavement is part of our property.  What a story. I do hope they are removed eventually and that they get to go and inhabit a nice hive somewhere and continue producing honey. 

Eladio was as busy as a bee that day (hahaha) and also had to mow the lawn so that the garden looked good for the production company arriving the next day for the photo shoot. Here he is in the middle of the task.

Eladio mowing the front lawn on Thursday

The temperature had gone down so, for the first time in ages, we had dinner indoors and on our own. That night we started watching The Handmaid's tale but Eladio hated it. I read the book when it came out but it is very negative and depressing and too much of a fantasy story. So we didn't continue with the series. 

I was up at 6.30 on Friday morning, the morning of the photo shoot. The team of 9 people arrived promptly at 9 am. They caught me in the shower so Eladio received them. They were a very very young bunch of kids but they behaved well. We had had other production companies coming in the last three years and the experiences have not been very good. Thus I have been reluctant to accept new requests. I accepted this one as the budget was good and because they would only be shooting and filming outside and would not step indoors. They were busy most of the day and came with all sorts of props for the advert or video or whatever and all sorts of filming and photography equipment. They have promised to send me the video. I hope they do. I wanted to go outside and film them but thought I would be intruding. Thus I could only do so from inside.

Filming going on around the pool

All the filming was centred around the pool which they filled with lilos and great big balls - I hoped they would leave them here but they didn't  - They were little trouble and on the dot of 5pm started to leave. They asked me to take a photo of them by the pool and I did. This is it. They told me the house was wonderful for filming and so was the pool and that they loved our place. I do hope they come back to do more photo shoots. This is them just before they left.

The photo shoot team from the production company

I only told them at the end of the day when they were leaving that I knew the telecoms market so well from my years at Motorola, Nokia and Yoigo and that of course I knew a lot of people at Samsung. There was a marketing girl from the Korean company's branch in Spain, Esther, and I asked her to pass on my greetings to former colleagues who work at the company. It seemed quite a coincidence that a company I was so familiar with would choose my house for a photo shoot for one of their flagship products.

As they were leaving one of the team members asked me whether the baby hedgehog he had seen in the garden was a pet. I had no idea we even had one. However, my Russian neighbour Ekaterina, who we met on our walk that morning had told us they had had a visit from one. The real term for a baby hedgehog is "hoglet". So yes, there was one in the garden. I'm not sure if it's the same one as our neighbours or if it's one with siblings looking for their mother. The boy from the production company took me to where he had seen the hoglet and there it was tiny and delicate and slightly hidden by a bush just by the wooden steps that lead down from the pool to the garden. It seemed quite tame. 

The hoglet that visited our garden on Friday 

As soon as the team had left I went to find Eladio to show him our visitor. He was surprised and pleased. Pippa was alarmed and tried to attack the little animal but it hit back with its spines. Ekaterina told me they had fed it with milk. I was puzzled by that and googled what to feed a hoglet. I found out that cow's milk was a no no but that I could it give it non fishy tasting dog or cat food. Eladio said not to worry as hedgehogs are carniverous and eat insects and that in fact they are good for the garden. I went back yesterday morning to find it and it was no longer by the wooden steps.We enjoyed the visit and hope it comes back. I would love it to live in our garden. When I was a small child living in Ruskington (Lindolnshire) I well remember finding an adult hedgehog and putting it in my old pram (the one my mother used for George and me) in which I usually carried my dolls. My parents were dumbstruck to see me carrying a hedgehog in the pram. I don't remember what happened to it but I do remember being delighted to find the creature. 

By then our new guest, Maria, had arrived. She had made the first reservation I got on Airbnb after lockdown or rather when we entered Phase 1 of ease of lockdown. She lives in Berlin with her three children and has a house not so far from here but rents it out. Thus she needed somewhere to stay. She has booked for two nights but will probably stay on next week. She is also a host on Airbnb so we have that in common.

I didn't see much of her though as on Friday night we went out to dinner which would be the highlight of our week. As soon as we knew that our favourite restaurant in nearby Villaviciosa, the Moroccan Arab Gastro Bar, called "El Tuareg" was opening again we booked a table for Friday night. Oli, who loves the place, joined us with Elliot and Miguel.

Eladio, Oli, Elliot and Miguel at El Tuareg on Friday night

We got there first and were warmly greeted by the waiters who were happy to be back at work and out of furlough. I had to have a photo of the occasion and that is the one I have chosen as this week's feature photo. Suzy said I blended into the picture. I did I suppose as I was wearing white. It was great to put makeup on again and dress up to go out.

As we are in Phase 2 of lockdown restaurants can now open up 50% of the inside capacity, thus the restaurant was half full. Everything was very hygienic. The new normal for restaurants when it comes to seeing the menu is to take a photo of the QR code which leads you to the restaurant's menu on their website. I think it's far better and faster than the old system when you had to wait for the waiters to bring the menu. 

The QR code at El Tuareg to see the menu

We didn't really need the menu which we know off by heart and all of us have our favourite food on it. We enjoyed humus with pitta bread and falafel for starters. For seconds, Eladio had lamb tajin, Oli and Miguel shared a "sabila" (a kind of pumpkin hamburger) and the Moroccan chicken pie made with filo pastry which is called both Bastilla and Pastilla in English I think. In Spanish it is called "Pastela". That is always my choice and I have loved it every since I tried it in Marrakesh years ago. This was it.

Friday's "pastilla" at El Tuareg

When we had a Moroccan woman, Fátima, who cared for my father, she used to make it for us. Hers was delicious too. It's quite fiddly to make but I might try one day. I found this recipe but I'm sure there are more. 

I must love filo pastry as I also adore the typical Arab sweet pastry called "baklava". My mother adored it too and had eaten it in Bulgaria as a child where it is also popular. It is popular in most Middle Eastern countries as well as Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria. I remember my Aunty Masha investing in a pastry making machine, once making huge quantities of baklava and apfelstrudel which were both delicious. These were the pastries we had at the restaurant on Friday night together with the typical Moroccan mint tea. 

Baklava filo pastries with pistachio nuts at El Tuareg. 

When it came to paying the bill, we were told we had been treated to them free of charge. That was a lovely welcome back to one of our favourite restaurants. It was a lovely night out too. However, it was raining heavily when we left which surprised us all and of course none of us had brollies. So I made a dash to the car with my scarf covering my head, Arab style, which I suppose was fitting for the place I had come from😃.

We came home to a quiet house and were soon in bed. We started watching a film called Man to Man on Prime Video which is a little bizarre. It tells the tale of Scottish scientists who bring back a male and female pygmy from Africa for research purposes. If anything was racist, that was. 

Saturday came and more guests would be arriving, a young couple who live in Moratalaz, a working class suburb of Madrid. It was at the Rey Pastor school (Instituto) there that I taught English in my year in Spain as part of my degree. I never liked the area. No doubt the couple were dying to retreat to the countryside with access to a pool after nearly 3 months of confinement in a high rise block of flats. They weren't coming until after lunch and once everything was ready for their arrival, Eladio and I went to Ikea. I needed to get a few things for the kitchen and had tried to order them online but the Ikea website was behaving badly, thus I suggested to Eladio that we go personally. It was our first trip to a big shop, other than a supermarket, since before lockdown. Everyone was wearing masks which are now mandatory and there was an orderly queue to enter the premises. We made sure we kept as far away from people as possible. Once I had our purchases in the trolley (chopping boards, napkins, slippers, vases and towels) I left Eladio to queue up and I headed to the Swedish food shop. There I bought meat balls, redcurrant jam to go with them and my father's favourite jam; cloudberry. I also got him some chocolate as well as alcohol free pear cider which Eladio and I love.  The cashier asked me to distance myself a bit more in the queue and I took heed. The new protocol for shopping takes some getting used to. Later she told me that she had lost 5 members of her family to coronavirus. That really brought it home to me. I shall have to be even more vigilant now when I go shopping. I have to say I wasn't very happy seeing so many people in Ikea and maybe I shouldn't have gone. On the bright side, it was great to do something different, something that seemed normal and which we took for granted before all this started. 

Once home, Eladio set about preparing the barbecue for our Saturday grill. This is him at work. He did the sausages (butifarra) and gourmet hamburgers to the treat.

Eladio doing the barbecue

Our new guests didn't arrive until 4 pm and woke me up from my siesta but that's part and parcel of running Airbnb at home. I soon settled them in, left them at the pool and tried to nap a bit more. But sleep evaded me and I went out into the garden to read with Eladio. 

Meanwhile Oli was at the hairdressers with Miguel and Elliot. It was her first time since before lockdown. The lucky girl got a free treatment as she knows the owners; Marco Aldany. She cut her hair quite a bit and looks quite different although as beautiful as ever.

Oli after her haircut yesterday

They had spent a lovely family day together and Olivia was so happy to announce to us yesterday morning that for the first time since he was born, little Elliot had slept through the night without waking up once. I do hope that he will continue to do so as both parents are desperate for a good night's sleep themselves. 

They were out and about yesterday morning and encountered someone walking a labrador puppy. Elliot was quite excited to see a dog like Elsa our lab. I love the photo his mother sent to us don't you? I also love the fact that Elliot will, no doubt, grow up to be an animal lover like us.

Elliot's encounter with a young labrador yesterday

The owner told Oli that the labrador was to be a guide dog for the blind and when it was one year old they would have to give it up. I don't think I could do that as after having a dog for one year, I would be heartbroken to let go of it. 

No doubt the Queen of England, a great animal lover, would agree. It was her official birthday yesterday but there would be no Trooping of the Colour as was normal on that day. You probably know her real birthday was on 21st April when she turned 94. Instead, a different type of ceremony was prepared at Windsor Castle where she is in lockdown. Yesterday was the first time she had taken part in an official engagement since it began. I think she looked marvelous.

The Queen yesterday during the ceremony at Windsor Castle to mark her official birthday

The Queen sat alone on the dais flanked by two officials. I noticed she wasn't wearing a mask but it was pointed out to me she was outside so didn't need one. I don't actually agree as she is very close to them.  The new ceremony was dubbed a "mini trooping" and was performed by the Welsh Guardsmen (very involved in fighting Covid) and a band from her own Household division. They all kept their distance during the ceremony which was quite unusual to watch. The royal guards did not need masks as they were wearing their trademark bearskins😉. The Queen was the only member of the family there. I was a bit surprised too not to see her larger than life husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, who, by the way, turned 99 recently, but then again he retired from public life a while ago and I think never liked these type of ceremonies. 

There was no mention of the Queen's official birthday on the Spanish news that night but plenty about the statues in danger during violent demonstrations around the world. Yesterday I was bushed, having got up before 6 am and only watched the telly on and off until I finally fell asleep at around midnight. At around midnight, Eladio told me our guests, were making their own barbecue!

Today is Sunday and the temperatures will begin to rise again. This week coming we look forward to temperatures in the 30º range. That makes me happy but what makes me even happier is - and I am writing this with a radiant smile on my face - that next week will hopefully be our last week in lockdown as we know it. What a period in our life we have gone through for 3 months now. It has been difficult but I have to praise the Lord we were not touched by it directly like the poor cashier girl at Ikea. We must count our blessings.

On that positive note, I leave you until next Sunday.

Cheers till then,

Masha

Week 12 of coronavirus lockdown in Spain, week 2 of Phase 1 in Madrid, grandparent duty, Black lives matter, dinners on our kitchen patio, My father and The Times, to the shops with Oli and Elliot, remembering my mother and other stories

Sunday 7th June, 2020

Happy to be out and about yesterday. Here having a coffee at Amasa bakery in Majadahonda

Dear all. 

I wonder how you are all doing in your different phases of coronavirus around the world. Here in Spain we are into week 12 of lockdown and in the Madrid area this has been our second week of Phase 1; the first stage in the lifting of restrictions. I keep thinking roll on Phase 3. Last week I told you that in Phase 3 we would be allowed free movement around the country but I was wrong. The rule is now from after Phase 3. We will just have to sit it out a,s for the moment, we cannot pack our cases, and drive away from the Madrid area. We are stuck here still. Home is not a bad place to be stuck  but I am dying for a change of scenery. I am also dying for a change in routine. I am a bit fed up of making lunches and dinners for so many people  and for such a long period. I really need a break.

The figures of contagion and the death toll for coronavirus from last night Saturday 6th June compared to last Saturday's figures, 30th May, were a lot better for Europe, except for the UK where the numbers are still rising. The total number of deaths in the UK is now over 40.000, the second highest death toll in the world after the USA. Brazil and parts of Latin America seem to be the hotspot now. As to Spain, Italy and France, the worst affected countries in Europe after the UK, they are on the decline. In Spain we have had hardly any deaths this week and very few new infections. Below are the figures from last night and from last week. The total number of deaths worldwide rose from 342.634 to 368.933 and the total number of infections worldwide rose from 5.372.822 to 6.099.052 in just one week. 

Figures from last night Saturday 6th June.

Last Saturday's figures - 30th June

Again I feel sorry for those countries going through the worst part of the virus curve but also relieved that here in Spain things are so much better. 

Last Sunday I felt exhausted; mostly because I had slept so badly.  Even so I went on our walk and then at just before midday, our first group of guests since lockdown left. We then had to disinfect everything which took a while. Thankfully we wouldn't have another group until Friday so again the house would be just for us. On the one hand I want it full for financial reasons but on the other hand I really don't want anyone here at all. I just want peace and quiet.

Well at least I got that last Sunday. The day was quiet and pleasant. We even had a barbecue just for my Father, Eladio,  Zena, our weekend carer who is now back, and myself. I got out some dubious steak which must have been in the freezer for a long time. So I was pleasantly surprised that it actually tasted delicious. My father can't eat steak because of his teeth or lack of them but then he was never was a meat man; far preferring his veg. So I gave him a "bitok" (small Russian style hamburger) and a huge jacket potato with some roast red peppers. He loved that. 

Our barbecue lunch last Sunday

Barbecue in the making

Although we had the pool to ourselves that day, I didn't go in, preferring to read in the shade. At 5.30 I had my weekly Skype call with Adele and Sandra, my Uni friends who live in France and Belgium. That kept me occupied for an hour. I can't wait to see my friends in the flesh and we are dying for the lift of travel restrictions. 

Just as our call was ending, Oli, Miguel and Elliot returned from their flat where they had spent the night while we had guests. Suddenly the house was full again of all their baby stuff, old and new. Would you believe they brought with them 3 types of swimming protective suits? I mean wouldn't arm bands just be enough? Apparently not. He now has a boat, the said equipment, a wet suit, sunglasses he won't wear and a sun hat. There is also a lilo. All of this has invaded the swimming pool area and is driving me mad. But of course it was lovely though to see the little baby and he   was delighted to be back too.

It was up to me as usual to make dinner and soon I was in the throes of preparing a salad to have with ham, humus and crudites. Suzy rang while I was chopping the veg. I don't speak to her often and it's nice to see her when we do. She had been out and about that weekend where the weather was so warm in the UK. She is very much into playing her ukelele, doing yoga, biking, singing and spending time with friends when she can. That day she sent us a photo of herself playing this new instrument in a park where she had a picnic with her host, Sandra. 

Suzy enjoying the sun and playing her ukelele in a park in London last Sunday

I was glad to see her in good spirits. 

The day finished with dinner around the table, the 5 of us together again. Miguel had to leave after dinner as this week he has been working in Valencia. That meant that Eladio and I would be on grandparent duty all week, taking care of Elliot while Oli worked. It was a bit daunting for us and would curtail our freedom but it's our duty to do our bit of course and I should not complain.

I later helped Oli to bathe Elliot. For some unknown reason he has taken a recent dislike to his bath and cries throughout but we just have to ignore his cries and get the job done. Thankfully he calms down again soon afterwards.

The day ended with us watching 2 more episodes of "Madres" (Mothers) on Prime Video. Thankfully that night I didn't sleep too badly and was up at 6.40 on Monday morning. I still needed to catch up on my sleep as I think that's what's making me feel so bushed the whole time.

I couldn't think about myself though on Monday as Eladio and I were on grandparent duty from 9 to 5.30 every day this week. We took him for a walk and usually after a few minutes in the push chair he falls asleep. On Monday, though, he cried for half an hour before succumbing to morpheus. Pushing him up the hill on the way back and in the sun was tough for me.  Now that Elliot can crawl, he is happy to do so quite independently on the kitchen patio. He has to wear long trousers  as his knees get sore. We had to remove tempting and dangerous objects, such as all the bottles of wine and oil on a shelf his level in the kitchen. He then found the tub with the dogs' water, splashed around and got drenched and had to be changed. Later in the week he knocked over a huge pot of hydrangeas but thankfully it didn't beak.  Oh, yes, he was fun but  needed our undivided attention. Thankfully there were two of us.

I was relieved of grandparent duty at 5.30 (hurray) when it was time for my weekly Skype call with my old school friend Amanda who lives in Devon. It was bliss to talk to her for 1.5h. We are always on the same page, agree on most things and of course go a long way back. Again she told me she was indignant about the Dominic Cummings affair. We both reflected how we had been brought up in staunch conservative households but that now neither of us like the Tory government leading (or rather not leading) the country. We were also brought up to think of the Americans as our allies, a sort of extension of the UK, but how deeply disappointed we are now at what the country has turned into. We are both shocked at the violence going on, the behaviour of the police, the racism and of course the behaviour of D. Trump. So yes, we spoke of politics surrounding the Covid-19 and also about people's behaviour now that lockdown rules are relaxing. 

I think our call finished at 19h so there was not much time to do anything before dinner - no reading for example. I caught up on the news though and was delighted to read that day, not one corornavirus related death had been reported in Spain. What wonderful news.

We had dinner quietly outside with little Elliot who ate everything we fed him and then some more. I love to see him eat and enjoy life, chuckling at Eladio making faces at him or when we feed the dogs their evening treats. But what he doesn't like now as I salid earlier and hasn't since last week, are his baths. He has taken to a sudden distaste or even hatred of his daily bath. He goes in screaming and comes out screaming and we have no idea why as until last week he used to love his baths. I did a lot of research on internet the next day to see if I could find any solution. 

Tuesday came and we were on grandparent duty again. Far away in America, the riots and demonstrations caused by the cruel death of George Floyd at the hands of a masochist and racist police officer, Derek Chauvin, escalated all through the country. It was quite frightening to watch. A lot of the country is in curfew. Donald Trump threatened to send in the army. His response to the killing of the black man and to the demonstrations has been criticised the world over.  On Internet there was a campaign called "Black Tuesday" where people posted black. Following the crowd and because I am disgusted with what happened, I posted a single black photo too. The slogan for the  movement against racism has now become known as "Black lives matter". A bit like the "Me too" movement, I have a hope and feeling it may well become the turning point in the issue of racism in the US. The movement actually began in 2013 but has become a very powerful and global one since the death of George Floyd.

Black lives matter - the  movement against racism in the US which has seen a surge in popularity after  after the cruel and racist killing of innocent George Floyd.

Our day was very quiet, the only protests coming from Elliot at times but baby type protests. We took him for his walk. Pushing his pram up the steep street home, as I said,  is quite a challenge. A delivery man saw me and commented how he would like to help. I told him I was a grandmother looking after her grandchild while his mother worked. He sympathised and called me a "super abuela" (super grandmother). Am I, I wondered? Well, not really. Thankfully there are two of us to look after little Elliot when his mother is working but 5 whole days have taken their toll as we are no longer spring chickens.  There was little free time for me which I so need. Luckily he likes to crawl and spends quite a lot of the time on the floor. He is, of course, at dog level and it's funny to watch the scenes created like the one below. I look at him and just wish he could have the company of other babies which he needs so much. 

Elliot crawling at dog level

When I am on duty watching him crawl, I can't help but admire our flowers by the kitchen patio. The hydrangeas are nearly in full bloom and the geraniums are at their best. But we also have some cacti. I am no great fan of them and neither is Elliot by the way. I tell him they are called "prickly plants" and show him how they prick my fingers. He laughs and turns away as if he doesn't want to touch them. But there is one that is intriguing and beautiful as it has a ring of pink flowers like a crown at the top. I do wonder what it is called. Maybe you know. I have tried nature apps but nothing comes up. This is it. It is sublime. 

Just look at the perfect little pink daisy type flowers topping this cactus. It is so beautiful I had to share it with you.

In the afternoon when she has finished her work, thankfully Olivia takes over. While I spent most of the afternoon answering Airbnb enquiries and there have been a lot of them, she went in the pool with Elliot and tried out what I call his "swimming contraptions" - you know, the ones that take up so much space around the pool terrace😁.

He liked the first one best. It's a sort of rubber ring but he sits in it and only gets his feet wet. This is him with it on in the pool and he loved it.

Elliot in his sophisticated boat like rubber ring

One of the others is  is a sort of ring that goes round his neck and looks strange to me. He hasn't tried it yet but after the one above, he was given a go in a sort of floater that leaves his legs and arms free. It's amazing how he instinctively went into doggy paddle style. I do wish his father would teach him to swim so he hasn't got to wear all this funny modern, safe swimming gear hahahaha. He didn't like this one so much when his face got wet. That probably reminded him of bath time which as I said above, he now hates. Funny little boy.

Elliot in his other swimming protective floating whatever it is (hahaha)

There was more good news on the decline of the virus in Spain on Tuesday. For the third day in succession, the health ministry did not present one death. Contagion was also lower but not so low as to slip our guard. I really hope there are no more deaths and that infection is down to the minimum. Then life will return, but not as we know it of course. It will be the new normal. I wonder if life will ever be what it was like before the virus spread from China in January.

There is not much more to say about Tuesday so let me move on to Wednesday. It was a quiet day too and much a repeat of the day before except that it was shopping day. After our walk I went to Mercadona to fill a trolley worth of food for another week in confinement. I left the outing to Carrefour Market and BM till the afternoon when I went with Oli. The highlight of Tuesday was my facetime call with my dear cousin Katty in New Zealand. I so miss her and this year there won't be a cousinade and she won't be travelling to France to see Luc, her older son, her mother Zuka (my first cousin) and her grandmother, my 94 year old Aunty Valya who was the wife of my mother's youngest brother Nicky. That is such a pity. I hope  maybe when Suzy comes we can drive to La Teillée to see them. Katty had bad news for me when she told me about the sudden death from a gliding accident in New Zealand of a friend of her mother, Tony. Tony and his wife Suzanne - he's British, she's a New Zealander) have a house near Zuka but live part of the year in New Zealand. I was so sad as they are/were a lovely couple. He was just 70 or so and I think had been a pilot. In a way, I saw history repeat itself. Zuka lost her husband Bruce when he was 59 and has had to get on with life on her own and now that will the fate of Suzanne. How sad for her to lose her life time partner. RIP Tony. 

But Katty had good news too about her lovely family and I was happy to hear about each and every one of her family, including little Ruby, her youngest child who I adore. They were able to see Elliot for the first time during our call and coincidentally he was wearing a babygro (with kiwi birds on it) that she had sent Oli, along with an enormous amount of lovely clothing. 

As soon as were back from our walk off I went to Mercadona, my dreaded shopping trip of the week. Eladio stayed behind to take care of Elliot. In any case I didn't really need him as shopping is not his forte. But he's great at unloading the car when I come back, hahahahha.

In the afternoon I resumed my grandmother duty and sat with Elliot while he crawled semi peacefully on the tiles of the kitchen patio. As he loves boxes - most children do - I gave him an old Amazon box and watched as he played with it. He was delighted. It's so funny that babies and children often prefer boxes to their own toys but that's how it is. It goes to show they don't need much. Here he is with his box. 

Elliot happily playing with his box

It's easy to take photos of Elliot as he is a natural poser. You only have to call his name and he will look up, stare at the camera and smile. He did that in the photo above and in the video I took of him playing with the box which you can see here. 

He later bathed in the pool again with his mother while Eladio and I looked on happily. I looked but I was also trying to read  - mission impossible with Elliot hahahahaha.

Later Oli and I flouted the confinement rules and went out shopping together to get the rest of the stuff from my weekly shopping list. It was nice to be out together. No one said a thing about us shopping together which shows things are relaxing. Once again that day, the Spanish health authorities announced no deaths. No one really knows if that is true. How come there were no deaths for so many days running? 

We came home to unpack, make Elliot's dinner and to rustle up our own dinner. I made a duck and orange salad which we had with home made coleslaw. The latter was just divine.

It was then time for Elliot's bath and we put into practice one of the remedies I had read about for babies who suddenly hate bath time. The remedy was me getting into the bath tube with him and using a shower rather than him sitting in the water. He still complained and Eladio had to help by making funny faces so as to distract him. However, he didn't cry quite as much as previously.

Soon he was sitting on our bed in his kiwi babygro and playing with my toothbrush and my tube of indigestion tablets (hahahahaha). We were not able to watch the news but did enjoy 2 more episodes of "Madres" until I was falling asleep at around midnight.

I got quite a decent night's sleep - just under 6 hours and was up at 6.22. The weather had changed and the temperatures dropped from the high 20's to the low and mid 20's but that was fine with us. The last thing we want now is a heat wave. Thus we had a much cooler walk that morning, another walk when Elliot slept half way through it.

I was less busy on Thursday so had time, while Eladio looked after Elliot, to make our lunch of my style coq au vin which everyone loved, except my father who doesn't like chicken. He got a small Spanish tortilla instead.

Part of the afternoon was spent taking care of Elliot and part of was spent on a video conference call with colleagues from Adamo who wanted to update me on a new project which I will be helping them with; i.e. the PR part of it. Here I am waiting for my colleagues to appear on our Google Meet call. Most people use Zoom or Skype but my customer is a fervent advocate for all things Google. Thankfully the signal was good. 

During my conference call on Thursday afternoon

Video calls for meetings are the new norm. The new norm is also to work from home and that day both the colleagues I was in the meeting with were sitting in their homes. Isn't that weird but wonderful. I am a great advocate of working from home and I sincerely hope that one of the benefits of the outcome of the virus crisis is that it will become the "new normal". I find it far more efficient and it makes it far easier to close the gap on our work life balance. 

As soon as my call had ended, I joined Oli and Elliot while he crawled all over the place. We then had another video call but this time a family one. Suzy rang us. She was making quiche at the time and we had  a good natter. She loves to see how Elliot is developing and growing and can't wait to hold him in her arms. We can't wait for her to come too. Not so long now if her flight keeps to it's latest schedule of 24th June. 

Then it was time for dinner and Oli and I made a delicious meal of Miguel's ham croquettes, fresh artichokes, some of my left over coleslaw which were followed by delicious peaches and nectarines that are now in season. Our dinners outside on the kitchen terrace are often the highlight of the day. I thought you would be interested to see a scene of what they look like. They always start with Elliot being fed while the dogs are being given their evening treats. He always finds it funny. 

Dinner outside on Thursday night and so typical of our life in lockdown

In a way our dinners outside are always a sort of family celebration and have come to be part and parcel of our life in lockdown. They are the most joyous moment of the day, when we all get together and also eat delicious food. I think that because of lockdown I have always made a special effort for all our meals so as to compensate in some way for our lack of freedom of movement. If we can't go out, at least we can eat well. And, we are the lucky ones. Not everyone can do that.

Friday came and more guests would be coming. 2 young couples from Madrid (we can only get guests from Madrid) would be arriving at 4 pm; Yago and his girlfriend Alejandra, a young Canadian called Jennifer and her partner Rafa. That meant everything had to be spick and span again and we had to remove all vestiges of baby stuff from all around the house. The day started as every day has this week on grandparent duty, with a walk with Elliot. Once home, Eladio went off to clean the pool and I inspected the rooms, cut flowers and prepared plates of fruit to put in our guests' rooms. That's my personal touch which I do for all Airbnb guests. I have always loved finding fruit, chocolate or flowers when I check into a hotel room so I thought my guests would too. 

On the topic of flowers, it is at this time of year that the garden is at its best and when most of the flowers are in bloom, like these hydrangeas. I'm more than sure that they help to give a great impression to guests arriving for the first time. 

Our beautiful hydrangeas just outside the front door to our house. They are so decorative. 

That morning Facebook reminded me once again of my friendship with my dearly departed Fátima. It was a photo of her with our friend Julio and myself. We had been to a restaurant to celebrate his birthday. For many years until her death we always went out for lunch together to celebrate our respective birthdays. When the photo was taken last June, none of us could have known that my friend would die in December. How cruel life is.

One year ago this week - the three of us; Fátima, Julio and I, out to lunch to celebrate Julio's birthday. Oh how we miss her. 

Just before our walk, the newspapers arrived. Since lockdown only the Spanish newspaper, El País, was being delivered. My father's subscription to The Daily Telegraphy was stopped and was the only thing that affected him in lockdown. That was quite a big issue for him as he spends most of his morning reading the papers and although he read El País, I knew he missed his English paper "big time". I was gutted he wasn't getting his daily ration of UK news in the form of an English newspaper. He has been well shielded and kept safe but I knew he was missing out on a big part of his day. I had rung the delivery company on many occasions but was told that for the time they were only delivering the Spanish press, that was until I called again this week. I was told The Telegraph was not delivering yet but the FT was. The FT would have done but it would not be my father's choice. So I asked about The Times, the paper he used to get delivered for years when I was a child in Bradford. I was told it could be delivered but would always be the next day's edition. I had no choice but to go for that. Then I got a call on Thursday to say that actually The Times would be the day's edition and would be delivered starting on Friday morning. So when it arrived I walked triumphantly into my fathers's bedroom and study to give it to him personally. His words upon seeing it were "Good heavens". That meant he was delighted. I had to have a photo of him beaming and holding the precious newspaper. I was so happy for him. As it was such a big occasion in his quiet life, I posted the photo on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and tagged The Times telling them the story. I think he may well be the newspaper's oldest reader in Spain. 

A happy man - my father when he got The Times on Friday morning

Now he has something to look forward to every morning. I cannot conceive of my father without a daily newspaper in his life. He has always had one delivered; ever since I can remember. We were very much a family that watched the news together and talked about politics and what was going on in the world at meal times. We were also what I call "a reading family". Being a reader and follower of the news is something I milked as a child. 

While my father was reading The Times, I got on with domestic tasks and grandparent duty. After our walk I made the lunch - vichyssoise again followed by fish with cauliflower and roast pumpkin. I had a very short siesta before our guests arrived at just before 4 pm. I showed them round the house - the usual tour - and then went down to the garden to read in the shade under the elm tree. I soon had to resume grandmother duty as Oli had a meeting and asked me to come up and get her baby. He was asleep so I gently took him out of her arms and came downstairs to find his push chair to take him out into the garden with me; hoping all the time he would remain asleep. I was in luck and he slept for over and hour allowing me to read and have my cup of tea in peace. I was later joined by Oli, Elliot and Eladio and we spent a quiet afternoon in the garden while our guests enjoyed the pool.Elliot enjoyed playing in the grass and he just loves being taken to the swings by his grandfather who he dotes on. Here he is looking a lot older than his real age (8.5 months) on the swings that were bought many many moons again for his mother and her sister, Suzy.

It was on Friday that the Ministry of Health informed which provinces or areas in Spain would move on to the new phases in their progress towards the new normal - the end of lockdown here. Whoopee, Madrid progresses to Phase 2 starting on Monday. Phase 3 is the end of the ease of lockdown and from 1st July we shall start the new normal which means we will be able to travel in Spain anywhere we want and very probably abroad too. Most of the country are progressing to Phase 3 where they will enjoy even more freedom. In reality Phase 2 is not much different from Phase 1 but means that shopping centres, cinemas, theatres, etc will be open, albeit with limited forum. It also means we can go for our walks at any time we want. 

The rest of the day panned out as usual. We did not go out to dinner that night but made our own delicious meal which we had again on the kitchen patio. Our day ended watching a film called "Official Secrets". It is a true story about a GCHQ worker, Katherine Gun, who leaked a top secret document to The Observer. The document was a request by the US "for compromising intelligence on diplomats from member states of the Security Council who were due to vote on the the invasion of Iraq in 2003". Basically it was a campaign to get them to vote for the war. We got a bit interrupted when Eladio had to go down to help our guests get the fire burning for their barbecue. He had to do that last week as well (hahaha). I did not sleep well that night.

I was up early yesterday, at before 6 am. The house would be silent until 8 which is when Oli gets up.  That morning we had planned to go to the posh little town of Majadahonda, near where we live, to go their Saturday market and have a coffee outside. It was to be our first time out and about and it felt so strange. Sandra, my friend from Brussels, had sent us a couple of fashion face masks and it was the time to wear them. Thanks my darling. They are much nicer but as you have to put a filter inside them they make for difficult wearing. We took this photo to record the moment.

Wearing Sandra's fashion face masks

There was no difficulty choosing which one to wear. As Sandra predicted I chose the striped one and wore blue and white striped clothing to match (even my espadrilles) and Oli chose the flowery one.

Unfortunately the market was only open for fruit and veg and we had enough of that in our fridge  so we did not go in. Hopefully next Saturday the rest of the stalls will be open. From the market we walked towards the main thoroughfare of the town, the "Gran Via". It was so strange to see normal life on the streets and I felt like a bear coming out of hibernation. It was strange but exhilarating to be there. We even went into a clothes shop. Here I am enjoying the moment.

Shopping on Saturday and not for food for once. 

It was weird to be in a clothes shop after only having been allowed to shop for food during these last 3 months. I didn't get the shorts (they did not fit😬) but I did get a nice white t-.shirt which of course I didn't need. We continued walking along the Gran Via and had to stop for a photo by the town hall which is surrounded by flowers. Here are Oli and little Elliot in his push chair. For him it must have been a strange and new sensation too as he has only left the house to go on walks and once out to dinner. 

Oli and Elliot in Majadahonda yesterday

Oli wanted to show me her favourite bread shop, Amasa, just at the other end of the Gran Via. I was happy to go along with her; after all we had all the time in the world and it was a beautiful sunny day. Amasa is her favourite bakery and we were able to sit outside in the shade and enjoy a cup of coffee. That's the photo I have chosen for this this week's post. Finally we could take off our masks which are nwo obligatory here. I took one of Oli and Elliot too who behaved perfectly. He also enjoyed the outing.

Oli and Elliot at Amasa where we had coffee yesterday

On our way home we stopped at the big Carrefour in Centro Oeste but the queue was just so long we decided to go home. We had dinner in the dining room so as to leave the kitchen patio to our guests although they did not have their lunch (a second barbecue) until past 4 pm!!!!

Again we spent the afternoon in the garden by the Elm tree and were even joined by my father briefly. Elliot is progressing from crawling and is now trying to stand up. He did so yesterday and promptly fell but I was amazed that he stood up without holding onto anything. I have a feeling he will start to walk quite soon. 

While our guests were by the pool, we had our dinner on the kitchen patio including some of Oli's bread from the bakery and then it was time for bed or rather time for Elliot's bath. I got in with him again and that tactic for getting him to like his bath again seems to work. It does mean though that I have had to get in the bath with him every evening. But I will do what it takes, hahahahaa.

Today is Sunday but it's not just any Sunday. It's 7th June and would have been my dear mother's birthday. She died too early, aged 79 on 1st October 1999 and would have turned 100 today. She is forever in our hearts. She is also a lot on my mind as I had started research to write her biography but lost the material when my PC crashed, got a bit disheartened and then when coronavirus came I just couldn't concentrate. That makes me feel guilty. I have to tell her story as it is fascinating. Besides I want Elliot to read it one day. She would have adored him and he would have adored her. While writing my father's book I came across one of the very few photos of her when she was young. It was taken in Feldkirch (Austria) in 1945 just after the war when she worked for the French Control Commission helping displaced people. It's funny but my father also worked for the Control Commission but in Germany and for the British. His role was catching Nazis and helping to establish a democratic political party. Their lives would cross when in the early 50's they met in Cambridge where they both taught at the secret spy school run by the government to teach Russian to future spies. The full name of these secret courses held in Cambridge and other places in the UK was the Joint Services School for Linguists (JSSL), and it was a major Cold War initiative. There is even a book about the courses and my parents are mentioned in it. This is the link to it. 

My mother in Feldkirch (Austria) just after the war when she worked for the French Control Commission helping displaced people.

She herself was a displaced person, unable to join her parents in Bulgaria which became communist and had been imprisoned by the Gestapo in Vienna. So when she met my father she found stability and happiness. As I always say, she was the most charismatic, cultured and fun person I will ever have known and I miss her every day. RIP Mummy. 

My mother would have approved of my Airbnb business as she loved people and used to have lodgers at 6 Heaton Grove. Our current guests will be leaving today at 12 noon and after that the house will be ours again until next weekend. 

Now I have reached the end of the tales of this week which I hope you have found entertaining. So that's it from me for this week. Wishing you all the best, cheers,

Masha.