More bread making, an earthquake in Mexico, Suzy home from Bali, all together again, Eladio’s birthday and other stories of the week.

Sunday 24^th September, 2017

Eladio and his "women". Yesterday lunch just before we lit the candles on the cake I had made for his birthday.

Good morning everyone,

Here I am writing early this Sunday while everyone sleeps. The house is full with 12 people under its roof. Suzy is here and the family is complete. That's 5 of us, 6 with Oli's boyfriend, Miguel, 7 with Zena our weekend carer and 5 Chinese Airbnb guests hahaha. So how do we all fit I bet you are asking? Well we have many bedrooms and yesterday added another one for Suzy in the gallery just off our bedroom as her room is occupied by the Airbnb guests. 

So while everyone sleeps, let me reflect on the week.

Last Sunday, the latest bread making craze continued and that morning I showed Olivia how to make it. Under my guidance she did every step of the process and I'm sure she felt equally satisfied as it came out of the oven looking and smelling delicious. We had no spelt flour left so she made if from wholemeal flour and this is what her loaves looked like:

The bread Oli made last Sunday. 

She didn't have it for lunch though as she was joining her friends Juli and Elena for a meal in Majadahonda. And here are the three of them together last week.

Elena, Juli and Oli last Sunday

We ate if for dinner though and it was delicious. Last Sunday we were waiting for a phantom Italian Airbnb guest to arrive. She had booked for 2 nights but never ever replied to any of my follow up messages afterwards. I finally managed to ring her the next day and she told me she had been at our house at 5 and at 9pm but that was impossible as we were all at home. When I asked her what number of the street she came to, she said she couldn't remember. Her non appearance remains a mystery. 

Monday came and I was up, believe it or not as 8pm. That was because the electric alarm clock we have had since before we were married has been playing up lately. So when it was actually 6 in the morning the clock showed 4 am. Thus I had breakfast with Eladio and Olivia. We went for a warmish if windy walk. On the way I got another Airbnb reservation which meant that after the Mexicans left on Sunday and the no show of the Italian lady, I would have 6 upcoming sets of guests. Airbnb is  blessing for us in this new shared economy. I wonder how long it will last though.  

That night we watched a wonderful epic drama on Netflix called Palm trees in the snow (Palmeras en la nieve), set in Spanish colonial Equatorial Guinea. I had seen it before but was keen to watch it again. Eladio just loved it and it was nearly 1 in the morning when we switched off the lights. 

A beautiful Spanish film we watched twice in a row this week. 

Tuesday saw Suzy enjoying her last day in Bali. She would be starting her trip home the next day with her fellow traveller Chati which would take them about 33 hours and 4 flights. to get here. Here she is in the sun by a pool in the island which, after her return, was on the alert for a possible  eruption of a volcano and many tourists had to flee. 

Suzy enjoying the sun on her last day in Bali. 

We were not enjoying the sun that morning as we had to take Norah to the vet. She has  leishmaniasis which is a disease caused by a mosquito and is very common in the south of Europe. We had interrupted her medication and she wasn't looking well. But actually, her not looking well and not wanting to eat was not caused by the disease but by an overdose of chicken bones I had fed her at the weekend. We were told in very strict terms by Maria, her vet, never to give our dogs any bones ever. ¿What no bones for a dog? I understand chicken bones are not really suitable, but no bones, poor dogs. As for the disease, the results of the blood test were very reassuring as it seems well under control although she has to continue her medication. I came home feeling both guilty and relieved. Here is dear Norah, our oldest dog who will be 9 at the end of the year. We love her so much. Sorry Norah about the bones, but I promise you will get succulent tit bits every now and then. You will later that she did, but not from me hahaha. 

No more bones for poor Norah

Again I made bread on Tuesday. I baked it with the flour I had left at home, half plain and half wholemeal and it was delicious. 

More bread on Tuesday

To make bread I use my trusted Kenwood which my Mother gave to me when we got married or just before. So it's more than 30 years old but still going. It's thanks to the hook attachment that I can knead the dough so well. I'm not sure it would turn out so well if I kneaded it by hand. My Kenwood is still going strong but time is telling on it and I have been thinking maybe I should invest in a new one and take the old one to Montrondo. That would be a great idea for a Christmas present this year. 

So as I was making bread, thinking of Suzy in Bali and generally enjoying a quiet life, terror struck in Mexico, a country I have been to 3 times and where my brother spent a year when he took a degree in Latin American studies. Just a few hours after many people had taken part in an earthquake  drill, exactly 32 years after a quake killed thousands in Mexico City, a 7.1 magnitude tremor hit the country in  the Puebla area not far from DF.  Mexico is prone to earthquakes and just a few weeks ago had suffered another one in the south of the country which left at least 90 dead.  The epicentre was in Atencigo, about 120km from Mexico City. Entire buildings collapsed, including the Enrique Rebasamen school where many children died. So far over 320 people have died and rescue forces and thousands of civilians are still searching for more. It's amazing how united the country is and how everyone is lending a helping hand.

A scene after the earthquake in Mexico

On Tuesday too, the warmongering Donald Trump, yes the same man who wants to build a wall with Mexico, used belligerent words in his speech at the United Nations. His words were directed at North Korea when he said that if the US was threatened he would have no option other than to destroy the whole country. That is more than 20 million people!! As I write that I wonder how much help Mexico's neighbour is giving after the terrible earthquake. 

On Wednesday the main news on the international front was of the aftermath of the Mexican earthquake. It was also about the other big natural disaster caused by Hurricane Maria, the third hurricane since Irma. Maria battered many Caribbean islands and left the whole of Puerto Rico, 3.5 million people, without electricity. 

Thankfully Suzy was on the other side of the world, travelling back from Bali. She flew to Kuala Lumpur then to Abu Dhabi and then on to Rome and wouldn't reach us until Thursday night. What a long journey. 

The main news in Spain of course was about Catalonia and the bid by the rather radical "independentistas" to hold an illegal referendum on 1st October. I wrote about that last week too but since then, things have come to a head and the atmosphere is very tense with Barcelona and Madrid governments at loggerheads. I read the international press and it's obvious that outside Spain the questions at stake are not really understood and the Catalans hoping for independence are often seen as victims being oppressed by the Spanish government. It may look like that but it isn't, in my mind at least. This week I found a great article in English that sums up the situation and which, if you want to know a bit more, you might find enlightening to read. I'm not sure who the author is. I saw it on social media, which is not the Bible and full of false news, but what is written below is quite accurate in my mind. 

-Spain is a western democracy and its Catalan citizens vote frequently. In fact, between European, national, regional and municipal elections we have voted 6 times in the last five years. 


-In the last regional election, pro-secession parties decided to unite around a single issue- independence- and not only failed to win a majority of the vote, but also lost votes relative to the prior election. Polls, even those paid for by separatists, show support for independence is a minority and in decline. 
-Catalonia is not "oppressed". It is one of the most prosperous regions in Spain and its citizens enjoy a high standard of living and one the highest degrees of self-rule of any region in Europe. 
-The party that traditionally ran the regional government of Catalonia has, for the last 30 years, used public money to promote a separatist agenda through education and local media and has illegally funded itself with a corrupt scheme where contractors had to pay bribes of at least 3% of any public work. 
-The region of Catalonia has never existed as an independent political entity and was a part of the Kingdom of Aragon, which merged dynastically with the Kingdom of Castille in 1492 to create the Spain we know today. There is no "union", as in the UK- Catalonia is to Spain what Rousillon is to France or Cornwall to England. 
-Spain is a parliamentary democracy, with a constitution that can be amended. A vote on territorial secession would require such amendment and the support of a qualified majority of Spaniards.
-Not a single country or international organisation, with the exception of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, has supported this movement.


So why the fuss? As the economy improves and support for independence wanes, the separatists are afraid of "missing the train" and, breaking Spanish and regional laws, have embarked on a campaign to present the central government as "evil", for not allowing a regional referendum which does not comply with the constitution (overwhelmingly approved throughout Spain, including Catalonia). This noise also conveniently masks regional corruption scandals and sets up the separatists as victims for the next regional election.

Frankly, as a citizen of the world I personally do not understand any radical desire for independence. I prefer unity and, like Rafa Nadal, cannot see Spain without Catalonia nor Catalonia without Spain.  Unlike Eladio, though, I am not losing any sleep over the question. 

On the topic of sleep, that afternoon I had an appointment with a pulmonologist to explain the results of the sleep test I did this summer which I had been sent to do after I explained seemingly similar symptoms to "apnea". I had read the report and was sure I had apnea (pauses in breathing during sleep) but apparently I only registered it 4 times an hour which is something all of us experience. The conclusion of the result is that I snore, as if I didn't already know that hahha. I was not impressed with the doctor who spent the whole time writing on a computer, hardly looking at me and mostly ignoring me. What I also found out though, is that my sleep is very superficial, something I could have told her anyway as I tend to wake up many times during the night. For that she has referred me to a neurologist. Well, I have made the appointment in October so let's see what that reveals.  

Thursday came and I went to the dentist for an emergency appointment as one of my teeth was feeling very sensitive and giving me the odd bit of pain. An X-ray showed I need root canal treatment and two crowns. So I shall be seeing my trusted dentist, Dr. Garralda, who we have been going to since the girls had their first dental appointment, quite a lot in the coming months. I could do without that expense and ouch it hurts that I no longer have the free dental care I used to enjoy before I lost my job. 

The weather has been very pleasant this week and Eladio and I have spent every afternoon reading by the pool. My book this week is the autobiography by Felix Yusupov, my Mother's distant cousin who famously killed Rasputin. Lost Splendour and the death of Rasputin is a 

a marvelous book: what tales of the riches before the Russian Revolution, what an incredible life. Oh how I am enjoying every page. It is not particularly well written but what are amazing are all the events he describes of pre-revolutionary Russia. Prince Felix Yusupov was the richest man in Russia, even richer than the Tsar. I still marvel when I remember my Mother telling me how her family would visit the Yusupovs, at  the Moika palace  in St. Petersburg which was their main home in Russia.  I think I wrote about that recently here, so sorry if I am repeating myself. Eladio is waiting to read it and Oli too but they will have to wait. It's the book I bought for my Father recently and which he urged me to read. 

I was still reading it when Eladio left at 9pm that night to pick up Suzy and her friend Chati from the airport. I was still awake when she came and we melted into a hug as soon as she got out of the car. The dogs surrounded her too as it was such a joy to have her back. 

Friday 22nd September was the start of autumn but it didn't feel like it as the maximum temperature that day was about 26 or 27ºc. I was up early and soon joined by slightly jet-lagged Suzy.  We had breakfast together after which, at 7 in the morning I began a long spree of cooking for the family weekend and Eladio's birthday the next day. I was going to make a raspberry sponge cake with two layers. One of the sponges would have fresh raspberries inside and would be topped with crushed raspberry sauce and whipped cream. The top layer would be covered with icing and fresh raspberries as you can see in the photo.

Eladio's birthday cake in the making. 

The last time I had made this cake was in France at my cousin Zuka's house where, unfortunately, the sponge cracked, the icing melted and the raspberries all slid off. This time everything went perfectly and it tasted delicious.

After Eladio had his breakfast, the 3 of us set off on our morning walk with our 3 dogs of course. Suzy joined me for the last hour. Once home, Suzy wanted to learn how to make bread, so I showed her. She made spelt bread with walnuts but with just water, no yoghurt or honey I'm afraid. But I must say it was still delicious.

Suzy learned to make bread with me on Friday morning. 

Her friend Juli came for lunch. He was late and we left his food on the table while my Father was finishing his lunch. I made the big mistake of leaving my chair away from the table and suddenly we heard a noise. We dashed into the dining room to find Norah had used my chair to jump on the table and had polished off 2 of the 3 filet steaks on the table that were for Juli. I'm sure she had a great feast. At least they weren't bones hahaha. 

Another Airbnb guest checked in that afternoon, a young physiotherapy student from Badajoz who had come to do a weekend course at the local university. She adored her room but of course she would as it was Suzy's.  My poor elder daughter had to sleep in one of the spare rooms and when the Chinese guests came, in our gallery as I recounted at the beginning of this post. I felt sorry for Suzy but of course, business is business hahaha. 

Just as Nuria was settling in, Suzy and Juli went off to the local station to pick Oli up from work. Oli had great news that day. Her next destination with the TV programme she works for on Telemadrid ("Madrileños por el mundo") is to be St. Petersburg in Russia. She finds that very exciting and so do my Father and I. Since she was told the destination, she is avid for information about Russia, St. Petersburg and the Russian language and my Father and I are delighted to help her. Thus I shall be lending her the book by her ancestor Felix Yusupov which I hope she enjoys as much as we did. 

Finally the family was reunited. We were to have a lovely family dinner on the terrace outside the kitchen and were joined by Oli's boyfriend Miguel who arrived just as dinner was ready.  At Suzy's request I made my tuna fish salad with which we ate Suzy's delicious bread. 

My tuna fish salad for the family dinner on Friday night. 

It was wonderful to be together again. We would have more family quality time at the weekend too. Yesterday, Saturday 23rd September, was Eladio's birthday. I seem to have spent the whole of the family time cooking but I didnt' cook that morning. Suzy and I went out to buy ingredients for a deliciously calorific breakfast food; "porras" and "churros" with the typical thick chocolate drink as well as croissants and pastries. I took a photo of the boy with the porras as he took them out of the boiling hot oil. Look here:

Porras (thick churros) in the making

I had lovingly laid the dining room table using a bone china tea set which had been a wedding present to my parents. As we got home my Father was sitting at the table and eagerly looking forward to breakfast all together.

My Father ready for breakfast on Eladio's birthday on Saturday

The best thing about birthdays in this house is that I get to eat what I like for breakfast and I get to eat cake too. It's such a delightful change after oat bran porridge every day hahaha. 

Before we tucked in, I asked Miguel, who is our semi official photographer, to immortalise the moment. And he obliged as you can see in the photo below:

The 5 of us before we attacked the delicious birthday breakfast yesterday morning. 

Eladio, who turned 73 yesterday, was given his presents and a family card which we all write on lovingly, after we had finished off most of what was on the table. He got pyjamas from Oli, a bookmark from Bali from Suzy and a badly needed new bedroom digital clock from my Father and I. 

It was after breakfast that Eladio and Miguel set up Suzy's new bedroom in our gallery,  a sort of glass wing next to our bedroom which  we never use. We had bought an Ikea fouton a while ago which would be used for the first time yesterday. Pippa was the first to jump on it hahaha. 

Pippa trying out Suzy's new temporary bed. 

Then it was time for a walk and we all went. In fact I got that moment immortalised too, this time by a selfie of the 5 of us. It was a glorious sunny morning and I was feeling so happy.

The family walk after breakfast on Eladio's birthday yesterday

I did one hour more than the others, determined not to put on any weight because of breakfast and the cake to come. 

I was pretty exhausted when I got home and had to make everyone's lunch; the birthday lunch. For the occasion I made baked salmon in "papillote" which is actually baking it in the oven in plain silver foil. This was to be served with pumpkin and potato puré. I nearly forgot to add that the first course was home made gazpacho which I had made the day before. You see, it has been a real cooking spree this weekend.

Finally the cake moment came, the lighting of the candles (in our case the candles are like fireworks hahahah), the singing of happy birthday, the making of a wish and the cutting of the cake. Miguel took the lovely photo of what Eladio  called "me and my women". It's the best photo of this weekend and the one I have chosen to illustrate this  post. No doubt it will also be used for the Christmas calendar I always make in December. 

Of course, after so much walking, cooking and eating, I, at least, was in need of a siesta. It was cut short by the arrival of my 5 Airbnb Chinese guests who arrived just after 4pm. They were already being shown round their rooms when I woke up. Suzy was caught out too as she was using her bathroom and came out telling them she had just been cleaning it for them hahaha. As if she ever does that!!  Only one of them spoke English but they all seemed pleased with the house and their rooms as  Lin, the girl who made the booking, told me. They were taking photos and videos as I showed them round the house so I hope that is true. 

While they settled in, we spent time by the pool when the girls and Juli introduced me to a new (Spanish) card game called "culo" (bottoms). We played for quite a while before getting ready to go out to dinner to celebrate Eladio's birthday for one more time. I should mention Suzy won nearly every game. 

I had booked a table at the Boadilla Palace garden summer restaurant, "La Terraza de Boadilla", where we had been with Oli and Miguel in August and which we had loved so much. The setting is to die for and Suzy loved it. Before finding our table, we took photos and here is one of the 4 of us, courtesy of Miguel. You see it's not often the 4 of us are together and it's great to get photos of us when we are.

The 4 of us at the Terraza de Boadilla where we went for dinner last night. 

However, the service this time was very slow with only 2 or maybe 3 waiters for a full restaurant and soon it got cold. Of course it is the end of September and though the temperatures are in their high 20's during the day, it gets cold at night. So we ended up freezing and hungry. It was too cold to order a dessert and we asked for the bill, paid it and left as soon as we could. The whole dinner was rather a waste of money and I do wish I had booked somewhere else. It didn't help that Oli and Eladio came to loggerheads about the Catalonian issue too. It is dividing Catalonia and dividing the nation but I won't have it dividing our family so have forbidden the topic at meals hahaha. It won't be haha next Sunday, though, the 1st October when the illegal referendum is supposed to be held. It remains to be seen what happens in the end. What I am dreading is the 2nd October if the majority vote for independence and it looks like that could happen as I think only those who want independence will vote. We will see what happens then and meanwhile I hope the tension does not increase. 

And today is Sunday, another day all together. After the Chinese had had their breakfast of noodles and fried eggs and left to visit the centre of Madrid, we gathered in the kitchen for our own breakfast. Suzy made more bread, hahaha, this time half spelt and half oat bran. It turned out fine, a bit coarse but healthy and quite tasty. 

Suzy and I went for a walk with the dogs. Oli wasn't feeling well. I think she has caught a cold and Eladio was giving his weekly philosophy lesson to his Brazilian pupil, Luciano. 

I came back to make lunch - yes more cooking - and while doing so, taught Oli more phrases in Russian. My Father taught her more and she wrote them down diligently. I do wish I knew more. I have even forgotten most of the alphabet, something Oli wants to learn before she goes to the city also known as The window to the west, from Peter the Great's reign. 

Lunch was another family meal together. Tomorrow Oli will go back to work and will be living at her flat and Suzy and Juli will be going to our apartment in Santa Pola near Alicante on Tuesday. We shall be going too, so my next blog post may well be written from there. 

When I finish publishing this post, I shall join the "children" by the pool and I think we shall be playing the "culo" card game again.  I don't care if I win or lose, I just want to be with my girls.

It has been a great week and next week promises to be another good one. I hope yours is too.

So my friends, it's time to say goodbye until next time,

Cheers Masha

Hurricane Irma hits Cuba and Florida, Suzy in Bali, remembering Bletchley Park, the amateur bread maker, terror in London and other stories.

Sunday 17th September 2017

The bread maker. There is something so satisfying about making home  made bread. 

Good morning everyone. I hope you are all doing well and that you will enjoy the tales of this week. There is not so much to report on the home front, mostly my new found hobby of baking bread, but there is plenty of international news that is affecting the world. So here I go.

Last Sunday Hurricane Irma had already hit Florida. The whole world was watching to see what would happen in the American state where millions had fled their homes. Much less was written about how Hurricane Irma hit Cuba, Miami's poor neighbour. In the end it did as much damage there or more as, of course a hurricane does much more harm to a second world country than a first world country. In fact it seems that after hitting the Caribbean islands and Cuba, it was less strong when it hit the US saving it from worse damage.  The storm first hit Cuba the Friday before and didn't leave the country until Sunday afternoon. It was the first category 5 hurricane to land in Cuba in more than 80 years and caused 10 deaths at least and havoc everywhere. Having been to Cuba this year, I was devastated to see how the storm surged from the iconic Malecon waterfront some 6 blocks inland, including the lovely area where we stayed, Vedado. The streets of Vedado and many areas of Havana resembled canals. 

Havana after Hurricane Irma landed in Cuba. 

Unlike Florida, which will soon be back to normal, it will take forever in communist Cuba where there are no funds to repair the terrible damage inflicted on its inhabitants. My heart goes out to them.

In Florida meanwhile, Irma landed on the Marco Island where winds had now dropped from 185 mph to 130 mph. Of course it caused a lot of damage and loss of lives,up to 26, I read but those in hurricane safe buildings who had not left, survived it by either sheltering in special refuge centres or in their own flats. Not everyone wanted to leave and not all those who did could leave, because of a shortage of petrol. Florida Keys was worst hit with 1 in 4 of all houses destroyed. 

Florida Keys after it was hit by Irma

My friend Fatima's niece Gloria and her husband, huddled together in their flat in the financial district of Miami together with other Spaniards and sat out the the storm respecting the curfew. The only damage done was very superficial but it must have been frightening. On the other side of the Atlantic, I was able to follow the behaviour of Irma, thanks to their FB and Instagram posts. I'm so glad they are safe now. 

Meanwhile, further up the East Coast of the USA, Rafa Nadal was playing the final of the US Open at Flushing Meadows (New York) l against the the South African, Kevin Anderson. If Gloria, her husband and their friends had a TV signal in Miami, no doubt they would be watching the match and roaring for the Spaniard to win. Both tennis players are aged 31 and out of interest you might want to know, if you didn't already, that the latter is over 6 foot tall. Both men know each other well from having met when they were junior players. The Spaniard made a meal of the "giant" beating him in 3 sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to win his 3rd US Open and his 16th Grand Slam. If he wins 3 more he will equal Federer's record of 19 and, as he is younger, he could surpass that figure to become the greatest tennis player of all time. It was another great win for Nadal and for Spain. What a great ambassador Rafa is for this country. Later in the week he spoke out on the illegal Catalan referendum which is supposed to take place on 1st October and agreed, like most Spaniards that Spain is better together.  It is unusual for a sportsman to talk about politics but these are unusual times.

Rafa Nadal with his 3rd US Open trophy last Sunday in New York.

On the other side of the world, Suzy and her friends had arrived in Bali, Indonesia, where she would be continuing her holiday in the Far East. She was supposed to be becoming home today but has prolonged her stay there until next Thursday. Here she is with her friends Anita and Chati.

Suzy in Bali with her London flatmates. 

Back in Madrid, we had the pleasure of the company of Olivia for dinner.  We hadn't seen her since she went to Cyprus and it was great to have her back but it wouldn't be for long as she had a busy week at work. I would have a more relaxing time with her this weekend. She loved my Irish soda bread and so did I but after making two batches and corresponding with my friend Jacky on bread recipes, during the week I would try my hand at making bread from yeast and different flours.

Monday was 11th September, the anniversary of the NY terror attacks which can never be forgotten. It was also the "Diada", Catalunya's national day which saw up to a million people celebrating in the streets of Barcelona. 

The  much reported upon Diada last Monday in the streets of Barcelona

Most of them were pro independence and the whole demonstration seemed more like a pro independence rally. The thing is there are over 8 million people living in this rich area of Spain which is divided in its wish to become independent. Those in favour make all the noise creating an image that all Catalans want to separate from Spain. There is a silent majority who are against it and I wish they would take to the streets but they don't possibly preferring to keep a low profile.  The other thing is, on 1st October if the illegal referendum takes place, I guess only those who want to see Catalunya become a separate country will be the only ones to vote which will make for a distorted result and which the local government, no doubt, will tout around the world to demonstrate that this is the wish of the majority of Catalans which it isn't. Meanwhile, the Spanish government is using both the legal system and police to make sure it doesn't happen. But they are not doing a good job with their international PR leaving the rest of the world  to sympathise with the separatists and call for dialogue. Those outside Spain calling for dialogue don't know though that it is impossible to dialogue with them. None of this is good for Spain's image abroad. Things are getting heated now and I wonder what will happen on 1st October. 

On Monday I was pleased to get another Airbnb reservation. I now have 5 upcoming after our Mexicans leave this morning.

Oli was back at work after Cyprus, editing everything she had filmed there, and rang me to tell me her next destination could well be St. Petersburg or Armenia. However for the destination to work out they have to find a minimum of 3 people from Madrid living there which is not always easy. I have tried to help with my contacts but so far have found non there.

Suzy continued her exotic stay in Indonesia and delighted us with photos of her visit to rice fields on Monday.  I mean, how exotic can you get?  I loved them. 

Suzy visiting a rice field in Bali. She is love with the place.

On Monday I tried my hand at making bread with fresh yeast rather than bicarbonate of soda which I used to make Irish soda bread. I used 250g of wholemeal and 250g of spelt flour, much in fashion now and apparently very healthy. I added walnuts and sultanas and made it deliberately flat as that is how Eladio likes it best because he prefers the crust to the crumb. It came out really well and tasted delicious.

My wholemeal and spelt bread which I made on Monday

If you are wondering whether I am eating all this bread, don't, because I have just a small slice or two and whatever is not eaten on the day it's made, I freeze for use later. I have been offering my Mexican students my bread too which they love. But it is my Father who has been most enthusiastic having it for breakfast. I'm sure it reminds him of when my Mother used to make bread. I always loved the smell of it in the kitchen and remember we would eat it with butter as soon as it came out of the oven. I have resisted that temptation so far here at home. 

That afternoon I came across the story of Charlotte Webb who had worked at Bletchley Park during the Second World War.

Bletchley Park

Bletchley Park was the central site for British code breakers during the war. It housed the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) which was recently made even more famous by the film, The Enigma, the story of British code breaker Alan Turing. Charlotte Webb, now in her 90's wrote a short book, Secret Postings about her experiences which is the book I was reading that day. 

My book of the week

When she started working there, she and all her thousands of co-workers had to sign a secrets document preventing them from talking about their work until after 1975. Her story, far too short and rather simply written, is more about the human side of wartime work at Bletchley Park but even so it was interesting. Unfortunately there was not one mention of Alan Turing. 

Tuesday was Apple's big day. In a huge fanfare, typical of them, the company based in Cupertino that has the biggest turnover in the mobile phone market, due to its high prices and margins, was to announce its latest new phones, the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X. The new flagship model, the iPhone X has really no new features which don't already exist in the market but they wanted to make a big noise about one of them, face ID recognition. On stage, Apple's head of softward engineering, Craig Federighi, had trouble demonstrating the new feature which did not work in public. 

Not a good moment for Apple when the Face Id demo didn't work 

That was one big PR mess for the company which usually reaps gushing articles for its new toys. But not this time. Whoever set up the phone for the presentation must have been cringing behind the scenes. I wonder what did happen behind the scenes when things went wrong? I would not have wanted to be in their PR shoes. They later tried to explain that the demo hadn't really gone wrong but the damage was done. I could have told them the demo could be dodgy before they started because, in my experience over the years, both voice and face recognition always end up giving problems. Another thing Apple did was remove the home button and that is another reason I won't be buying one. I never liked the fact that iPhones don't have a back button like other manufactured smart phones but no home button, at least for me, is not the way to go. However there are a legion of iPhone fans out there who will buy whatever the company from Cupertino makes even if costs 1000 pounds or more. Let's see how long their loyalty lasts. Only time will tell. 

Wednesday 13th September was the 61st birthday of best school friend, Amanda. She lives in Devon and we haven't seen each other for quite a few years and I miss her. I sent her a birthday message and only got a reply the next day. She had an awful birthday as their younger dog died on Wednesday. Poor her, poor them, poor dog. I can imagine their pain as if Pippa were to die, I think I would die with her. 

On a lighter note, I made more yeast bread that day. This time I made it all wholemeal and experimented with the rising time and adding steam to the oven, both tricks I had read about online. The added rising times certainly made the dough increase its size a lot but I realised later that, once in the oven, it didn't rise anymore, thus missing what is known as the "final burst" of proving or rising and it stayed the same size. From now on I would stick to the 2 proving times of one hour each. The steam  which I created putting in a tin of boiling water under the oven tray, didn't really work and I think it even made the lower crust less crusty. I won't be doing that again either. The result was ok but it was not the best bread I made this week.

My experiment with wholemeal bread on Wednesday

I'm sure though that Suzy would have loved it as she is a great advocate of wholemeal bread. She won't be trying it though till she comes. She seems to be having a very relaxing last week, to judge by the photo she sent of the three of them in their individual pool in Bali which seems to me the height of luxury.

Suzy resting and relaxing in the girls' private pool in Bali this week

I would have loved to have the bread for breakfast  on Thursday morning.  My breakfast these days is always a bowl of oat bran porridge, a cup of coffee and an orange. What makes it special is that I have it on my beloved Emma Bridgewater pottery like this which is the latest pattern in my modest collection.

Breakfast with Emma Bridgewater

It's not my preferred breakfast but I make the sacrifice to keep trim. My overall favourite breakfast would be with French croissants and a piece of toast. In fact I shouldn't really be having two slices of my home made bread for dinner,  as on Tuesday I weighed the same as the previous week. So, from now on, there would be either no bread at night or just one slice. There would also be longer walks. 

That morning, Thursday morning, I increased the length of my morning walk from 2 hours to 2.5h which is about 12 km. Doing the extra two is a question of will power as I feel very tired after it. Pippa probably does too as I still don't know how, with her little body and short legs, she keeps up with me. She does though, get extra food at breakfast to keep her going which I'm sure she appreciates hahaha.

The highlight on Thursday was seeing Olivia. She had to come home to get ready to go to a special event. Telemadrid, the TV broadcaster she works for, was holding a gala event that evening to present the new programmes, including hers, "Madrileños por el mundo". Apart from looking for people from Madrid living in St. Petersburg or Armenia, they are also looking for them in Brighton. The daughter of a friend of mine, Carlos, who heads up Apple Spain, by the way, studies there and when I contacted him, he was more than happy to give me his daughter's contact. I hope she turns out to be a good candidate.

I helped Oli get dressed for the gala evening and after trying on some of of her dresses and mine, she chose a lovely Zara one she had bought a few years ago and which I think she has probably never worn.  She looked spectacular that night. Later she sent us this photo next to Telemadrid's photo call which also shows their new logo. I'm so proud of my younger daughter. I really am.

Oli at the Telemadrid gala evening on Thursday

On Friday I was up at 6 in the morning again. I always read The Times online on my iPad and was worried to read that North Korea had fired another missile over Japan in possible retaliation for the new sanctions against Pyongyang. That's terrifying of course but far away. Much nearer home was the news of the home made bomb on the tube at Parsons Green in London. 

The Parsons Green tube bomb

It was yet another Isis terror attack in London. The bomb was home made and so maybe not as lethal as others but even so it injured 22 people. Later Scotland Yard detained an 18 year old man, boy really, but we have yet to hear if he is the culprit or if there are more bombs being planned. The Army has now been called upon to reinforce the Police and the former will be employed at locations or events with crowds. Frightening!

Life continued as normal at home. Thankfully where we live it is very peaceful, although of course any big town is in danger of this new type of warfare. 

The weather has been cooler this week so I have taken to wearing in between season clothing. I was wearing red that day and decided to put on the beautiful Les Nereides bracelet Sandra and Adele had bought me for my 60th birthday. In fact I am still wearing it now. I also got out my red Zara handbag to go with it. I do like the coordinated look don't I as my friend Kathy commented on Instagram:-)

Wearing my Les Nereides red bracelet this week. 

My dear Nottingham University friends told me they had chosen the bracelet in red as I always wear red nail varnish. True, true, it is my trademark as is my red lipstick. 

But I wasn't going anywhere fancy that day, just food shopping with Eladio. Ah but I did go out and it was to dinner to La Vaca with Eladio and we were joined by Olivia. Unfortunately you can no longer book with the La Fourchette app meaning there is no longer a 40% discount. We had a nice meal but the three of us all agreed the quality is not quite what it used to be. It was my first dinner out since I came back from France and for the record I had a glass of wine, enjoyed the bread with oil and shared a brownie with Olivia. Naughty naughty but nice. 

Before I move onto Saturday I should add that Friday was Mexican Independence Day. Our Mexican Airbnb guests told us the next morning that they had gate crashed the Mexican Embassy party. Their stay would be coming to an end on Sunday. They have been wonderful guests. They came to finalise a master degree in physiotherapy at the UEM (Universidad Europea de Madrid). The UEM has some agreement with Real Madrid and they went there 3 times; once to visit the installations, once to a Champions League match and on Friday for their diploma ceremony. They told me excitedly later that they had been shown round by ex RM player Emilio Butragueño who is a legend in this country. They left this morning and tonight I am expecting an Italian woman who is coming to bring her son to the University. Thankfully, Zena is taking care of changing the sheets and getting the rooms ready for our next guests.  

On Saturday I woke up to limited access to internet. In fact the signal has been performing badly for a while and I had to ring Telefonica again yesterday morning. The biggest frustration is not being able to watch Netflix. The Telefonica coverage for Netflix is notoriously bad by the way. After umpteen phone calls talking to a machine, I think it is now working better. I do hate the modern ways of customer service and far prefer talking to a person but that's the way of the world today unfortunately.

Again I made bread yesterday morning  as Olivia wanted to learn how to make it. We made spelt bread with walnuts and sultanas. If you are interested this is the recipe which is actually mine and does not come from any book. You can use any other type of flour or liquid and the measurements and method are the same. 

Ingredients: 

500 g spelt flour

10 g fresh yeast (or 1 sachet of dry yeast) to be dissolved with a tsp of sugar and a small glass of warm water (amount to be discounted from the total liquid)

350ml of liquid either water, milk, yoghurt or in this case kefir.

1 tsp of salt

1 tbsp of oil 

If you wish, add a tbsp of honey instead of the sugar 

Add sultanas (careful cos they can burn) and walnuts or seeds, etc. 

Method

Mix all the ingredients with a wooden spoon so that the flour doesn't spill when kneading it with a dough maker. Beat the dough until it does not stick to the bowl or the hook. Remove, make a round shape with your hands, cover loosely with cling film then place in a warm area to rise / prove for one hour. It should rise slightly. After the hour of proving, remove the cling film and knead again with the dough maker. Shape the loaf or loaves as you want them, cover with cling film again and leave to prove in a warm area for another hour. Meanwhile turn on the oven to 190ºc. An hour later the loaf or loaves should have doubled in size. Remove the cling film and score the loaf or loaves. Place in the middle of the oven and leave to bake for 40 to 45 minutes. You can either place them in a greased and floured tin or on grease proof paper. When they are ready, remove from the oven and place on a grilled tray. And voilá there you have your delicious spelt bread. 

I have now made bread about 5 o 6 times and I think this was the most successful recipe so far. I have chosen the picture of me with the two loaves we made yesterday to illustrate this week's post. Here is another one of me feeling proud with the warm loaves. I do have a look of satisfaction on my face don't I?

The happy bread maker. Here with my spelt bread which I made on Saturday

I have heard that bread making can become a passion so I may have to look out. I am still only a very amateur bread maker but I am loving this new hobby. I got a 10 out of 10 from Eladio when he ate it that night which is high praise from him. 

I spent most of Saturday with Olivia. In the afternoon we went shopping for Eladio's birthday present. He will be 73 next Saturday which I can't believe. Suzy will be with us then so the family will be complete. Apart from present shopping, Oli and I went into the luxurious Carrefour store in Majadahonda were I got some dried yeast, more lomo and smoked salmon (divine) as well as ingredients for our Ukranian weekend carer, Zena, to make gloubsy for lunch today.  Gloubsy is basically stuffed cabbage rolls, a dish my Father and I adore. My Mother did too and apparently she used to call it "heavenly" in Russian or so he told me.  

Now it's Sunday and I haven't been on my walk yet as Eladio has resumed his private tutoring to his Brazilian pupil, Luciano who came at 10 o'clock this morning.  Instead we shall go this afternoon. While they were talking about Nietzsche and  existentialism, Olivia wanted to make more bread or rather she wanted to make it herself so as to learn properly rather than watch me make it. Right now, as I write, it is proving for the second time. Right now is the perfect time also to sign off as I have to come to the end of the tales of this week, the tales of  a novice bread maker hahaha.

Now my friends, I shall leave you now to get on with the day. Wishing you all a great week, cheers till next Sunday,

Masha.