Christmas is over, returning presents, Pippa and I go to the dentist, to Santa Pola to see Suzy and other stories of the week.

Gran Alacant, Santa Pola, Sunday, 14th January 2024

Candid camera shot - working from "my room" in Santa Pola

Dear all.

How have you fared this week? Have you got the January blues? In Spain January is often referred to as "la cuesta de enero". It roughly translates into "uphill January" as everything seems uphill after Christmas but also financially, owing to all the extra expenditure. Do you ever calculate how much you have spent over the season? I don't but maybe I should.

You will see that I am writing from our apartment in Santa Pola which was certainly not in our plans last Sunday but we had to come to see our daughter Suzy who worries us so much. 

Last Sunday was the first day after Kings' Day and should have been the day we took down the decorations but we put that off until Monday which seemed to me to be more the official first day after Christmas. Instead, we went for our walk with Pippa which I am sure did us a lot of good. It was also the last day of over eating before starting yet another diet on Monday - my usual New Year's resolution (damn it). So I gorged on the leftovers of the roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, ice cream and chocolates. Won't be tasting anything like that for a while I hope; well until my birthday next month.

The house was quiet, despite our 3 guests, Maria, Mohammad and Mileny who seem to get on famously. They are lovely young people and I wish they would all live here permanently. Maria took Mohammad to a special halal shop in her brand new car and no doubt he has bought kilos of chicken. I have promised to make him my staple chicken curry. On Tuesday Mileny from Peru, announced she was leaving the next day, the end of her reservation on Airbnb. She's found a place half the price so it's understandable. We will miss her as she was an excellent guest. But they come and go and that's the way the business works. 

Sunday was all about self comfort so I took to watching Downton Abbey from the beginning again, probably for the 3rd or 4th time as I couldn't find anything at least as good on any platform, BBC, Netflix, Movistar Plus, Prime Video or RTVE Play. It's obvious I am not a typical TV streaming consumer as there is so much rubbish on these apps. I had recently watched Fool Me Once which is excellent. If only there was something else as good. 

At dinner I had more ice cream and chocolate and even a glass of red wine and do you know what? I slept like a baby and got over 8h shut eye which is a miracle for me.

I woke up on Monday morning feeling on top of the world. Thus I had no hesitation in taking down the decorations which only took us about half an hour vs 1.5h to put them up hahhaa. As usual, I took a photo of Eladio starting on the task. 

Eladio taking down the Christmas tree decorations

He is wearing 3 of his presents: a black jumper and black jeans from Zara and his new Timberland trainers and is looking very smart. 

Once the job was done I pronounced Christmas  over. It hasn't been a bad one, but not the best. My heart wasn't really in it as Suzy refused to join us.

We then went to the shops to do what many people do after Christmas; i.e. return presents. I heard on the news that 50% of people return them.  Thus all the world and his brother were at the shopping centre we went to that day called Tres Aguas.

But Benetton was pretty empty. We went there to change a beautiful tartan shirt I had bought for Eladio so I took a photo. For the record he is wearing the lovely green puffer jacket Oli bought him there too for Kings' Day. I commented he could be a senior model for Benetton if they wanted him hahahhaaha.

Eladio outside Benetton on Monday with his lovely new green puffer jacket

From Benetton we made our way to the much busier Zara. We had to return some boots I had bought for Juliet and the queue was a mile long. There were a lot of people also there for the sales but honestly with so many people I was put off looking at anything. 

We managed a nice cup of coffee for me with no croissant (note) and then a quick entry into Mercadona to buy kilos and kilos of oranges, mandarins and other fruit and veg so that I had enough to start my diet. Instead of gorging on chocolate I shall gorge on mandarins. I shouldn't gorge at all should I' But I am so greedy. I have come to the conclusion that the only person who cares whether I am fat or not is me. 

Lunch was frugal but delicious for me as I ate the cold remains of the roast beef. I gave the fatty and grizzly parts to Pippa which must have made her day.

There was no Skype call this Monday with Amanda as she and Andy have gone off in their motor home. I love our weekly calls. 

On Tuesday I had things to do. I had an appointment with the dermatologist at the local private hospital; Montepríncipe. It was to see what to do about a small cyst she tried to remove at the end of last year. It will now be removed surgically on 12th Feb. It's totally benign so no worries there. 

Meanwhile. the kids were on their way to school, the first day back after Christmas. Oli sent me this photo of them via Miguel. Sweeties. The photo reminded me of a poem my Mother used to tell me when I was a child and it's this: "there was a little girl with a curl on her forehead. When she was good, she was very, very good and when she was bad she was horrid". They are lovely when they are good and challenging when they are bad as are all children. I hope for them the same thing my father hoped for, that they would have a productive life. What a wise man he was. 

My grandchildren, Juliet and Elliot going to school on Tuesday this week. 

It was while I was at the hospital  that Olivia appeared live on TV. For once she warned me and for once I couldn't see her. I wondered whether she was reporting on the weather, particularly the snow in the mountains outside Madrid. Coincidentally, Tuesday was the third anniversary of the biggest snowfall in Madrid in 50 years. Dubbed "Storm Filomena", it was the biggest I have ever seen in all my years in Spain. Here is  a photo from that first day which had us practically snowbound at home for a week.

With Norah - the biggest snowfall in Madrid in 50 years - 3 years ago this week. 

I am with dear Norah, our darling beagle, the only dog who wanted to brave the snow. Sadly, we lost her in 2021, the year we also lost Elsa the lab and of course my dearest father. 

But not a sign of snow here for the moment. The big news in Spain, besides politics and some awful pollution on the north coast from plastic pellets,  is the flu epidemic as well as the rise of Covid. Face masks are now back here at medical centres since Wednesday so next time I go I shall have to wear one. I hate them but I am sure they help prevent the spread of flu. You see lots of people wearing them these days. 

From the hospital I walked to the car park at a small shopping centre and that's where I had my morning coffee (with no food to accompany it). I don't remember the name of the cafe but oh my goodness I got given the best cappuccino ever; as good as the best in Italy. This is it; coffee just how I like it with one third strong coffee and two thirds thick foamy milk.

One of the best cappuccinos I have ever had

While there,  I spent at least half an hour on the phone to my private health insurer, Adeslas. That's because I can't use their app since I changed from being a resident to having a Spanish national ID card. What a bore. Honestly the change of identity has given me hundreds of issues and still does. On the plus side I am now once again an EU citizen and have 2 passports.

On my way back, I stopped at Carrefour for more diet food. It would be fish with vegetables for lunch. I told both Eladio and Tana that when I am on a diet, they are too, hahahha.

I came back to find a man putting in new shower doors in my father's bathroom which is now Mohammad's. One of the glass doors had come unhinged and the only solution was to change the doors completely. I must say it looks great now and needed changing as it was very old. We had a lot of expenses that day; the new shower doors, filling the tank for the central heating and changing the filter of the drinking water filter. These are a sign of "uphill January". Keeping up this house is never ending so thank God for our guests. No way could we live here otherwise. 

While Tana was putting the finishing touches to our lunch, I saw a tweet about an exhibition that is right up our street. It's about the Berlin Wall. So there and then I bought tickets for this Friday.  But of course we never got to go as we came here. But we shall. So watch this space. We hardly ever go out to do cultural things and maybe we should do so more often. When I was a child the infamous wall was already built and it was only in 1990 that East Germany was dissolved. There was much talk about the wall, the war and communism in our house at home so this subject fascinates me. When it came down, my parents went to visit and brought me back two pieces. One of them had a certificate which I have unfortunately lost. I have only ever been to Berlin once and cannot imagine what it must have been like to live on the communist side. I remember also visiting  the monument to those who died trying to escape which was very somber. I therefore look forward to going sometime in the near future. 

While I was away, a parcel arrived from Amazon. It was a lovely blanket bought for us by Oli for Christmas. She had ordered it in grey when I wanted it in blue as our bedroom is mostly blue. This is it; the warmest and snuggliest I have ever seen.

Our lovely and snuggly new blanket

It is to replace a horrible old one we bought back in 1981 when we first lived together. It has served its purpose and has to be gotten rid of now, hahaha. 

We use a blanket to sleep under during our siesta and in the afternoons when I am watching TV - yes, I realise I waste nearly all my afternoons binge watching stuff for want of nothing better to do. I would probably be more active if I didn't have the worry of Suzy on my mind constantly. So I use TV as an evasion technique; something I never thought I would do. But there you have it. My choice again that day was Downton Abbey. For me it is pure comfort TV and I still love it after all this time. One of the reasons I love it is the era. It starts in 1912, only 7 years before my father was born. I am fascinated with the early 20th century - so near to our times, yet so different in every way. How we have come on from there but not always in the best sense. Life was simpler wasn't it?

Dinner was a tuna fish salad - very healthy and diety (hahaha). That night we continued watching "Your Honor" (prefer it spelled with a "u") which is good at the beginning but gets a bit complicated.  My cough returned that night and I only got about 4 hours sleep.

However I woke up ok on Wednesday morning, the only morning we didn't have any tasks to do. Thus we would go on our walk. All was well until lunchtime when I received a disturbing message that sent a chill down my spine. I am helpless and have my hands tied, yet I have to live. 

That night again I only got about 4 hours sleep. I was up on Thursday at 7.30 or so. Olivia brightened up my mood by warning me she would be live on TV at 8.20. This time she was reporting on the weather, the cold and snow up in the mountains of Madrid. I watched her on my old iPad while I had my breakfast.

Oli reporting live on the weather in Madrid on Thursday

I also took a video to add to my YouTube channel which you can see here. She makes me very proud. Her kids were having breakfast while she was in the mountains but were watching Paw Patrol hahaha, according to this photo she sent of them.

Elliot and Juliet having breakfast on Thursday morning 

Thursday was the day both Pippa and I went to the dentist. Pippa's was to be a huge ordeal  as dogs have to be intubated and put to sleep. She had to have her teeth seen to and cleaned to get rid of the plaque which one day could go into her blood stream, not to mention have a less smelly mouth, hahahaha.

Eladio took her there early in the morning and I picked her up after my own dental appointment later in the morning. It was to examine my mouth after the episode of oral thrush caused by antibiotics (damn) but also to schedule all the dental work I need which is quite a lot. It's going to be awful and to "cost a bomb" but it will be worth it.

It was worth taking Pippa to have her mouth sorted out as it all went well, she didn't suffer and was delighted to see me. Here she is in the capable hands of her sweet vet, Lola.

Pippa in the arms of her dental vet Lola

She came out with brand new teeth .- all white and shiny, unlike me. She didn't need even one filling which was good news.

I came home to have lunch with Eladio and that's when we decided we just must come here to see Suzy after so much worry about her living like a hermit on the edge of society. I could not sleep for worry and needed to know, even if she didn't want us to come. 

Many people in the Middle East cannot sleep at all and their situation is dire. As if the war with Gaza wasn't enough, that day we heard the UK and US forces attacked the Iran backed Houthis in Yemen. It was in response to their attacks on the Red Sea. But all I can see is the conflict escalating and spreading. I feel so sorry for all the innocent people caught up in the conflict, what is known as "collateral damage" - don't like that euphemism.

But I did manage 6h sleep before waking up on Friday. We left the house around 10.30 taking lots of provisions with us and even stopped for a decent lunch at the Parador in Alabacete on the way.

Our daughter was not too pleased to see us when we arrived but then warmed to the idea, commenting it must have been in God's plan for us to go and see her.  We wanted to see how she was and actually I was pleasantly surprised to see she was in a better state than I had imagined and we even had a pleasant dinner together. Thus I slept so much better that night. It was not  only because of that but because I slept solo - alone. She had moved into our bedroom with the king size bed and as the other beds are relatively small we decided to take a room each for ourselves. I went to bed with Pippa of course but also a bit of Downton Abbey and the autobiography of Dr.Roberto Canessa from the famous Andes air crash in 1972. I was spurred on to read it after watching the recent version of their story in the Spanish film called  Society of Snow. It's always better to hear the story from the "horse's mouth" isn't it? 

I woke up at about 8.15 on Saturday. We had not come on holiday, we had come to be with our daughter so we only went out for a coffee and for some provisions. First things first was mid morning coffee with Eladio and Pippa. We went to a lovely new place across the road. There we met Ingrid and her dog Dakota. What an interesting woman she is - German, living here for 8 years and working at an animal rescue centre. There was an instant click so we exchanged phone numbers. I do hope to see her again. 

We then went to the local supermarket - Udine or Unide (can never remember) to get some staples and then back home. Suzy had started on the lunch which we enjoyed quietly together. It's good to see her calm although we cannot approve of her life style. She hasn't seen anyone since we left at the beginning of November. Later I worked and did so from "my room" which has a plus in that it has a desk from where I can work. She caught me on camera and I liked the photo so have chosen it, for want of another one, for this week's feature photo. I entitled it "working peacefully in Santa Pola".  Here is another one which I also liked - notice Pippa on my bed, of course hahahaha.

Working from my room and caught on camera by Suzy

It was so good to be in peace and to see Suzy is in a better place than we thought. She is into spiritual things - obsessively so but one of them is the Tarot cards which I have always found fun. So I asked her to read mine.  From what I remember, the main things that came out are that I am a "magician" and have some decisions to make. The pentacle (money I think) came up a lot too. Hope that means there will be some windfall or that my little business will do as well or better than 2023. 

We all did our own thing in the afternoon. It was too cold to go out really. The weather here in January is cold but much warmer than in the centre of the country. Today it will reach 17ºc though and even 20ºc over the next few days. There are only 2 heaters in the house,  a small but effective radiator in Suzy's room and a gas stove for which we had to change the gas bottle. I don't like gas stoves so we do not have it on at night. 

Thus the house was much warmer than when we came and our lounge feels cozy. I had to have a photo of Eladio and Pippa (in prime position) sitting on the settee hahahah. Here they are saying hi.

Eladio and Pippa on the sofa yesterday - notice she is in my place hahaha

I made pumpkin soup in the afternoon which we all loved when we had dinner together, made mostly by Suzy. She is very good around the house. It was clean when we came and everything was in order. Our day ended when we finished Season 1 of Your Honour which we got totally engrossed in. 

Again I went to bed with Downton Abbey and Society of Snow. I slept well with not much of a cough and actually managed 6 hours. Today is Sunday and our only plan is to go to a local charity market. I can only imagine it will be a sort of Jumble Sale which these days are called "car boot sales"  -not in my day. We shall also have coffee out and go for a walk. So you see, all is quiet here in Santa Pola which I am so grateful for as I was expecting quite the opposite. Long may it continue.

So I shall leave you now to get on with the day. Cheers till next week,

Masha

New Year's Eve, family gathering on New Year's Day, Airbnb super host again, Kings' day and other stories of the week.

 Sunday, 7th January.

Dinner on New Year's Eve

Dear all. How are coping with the Christmas aftermath? How were your New Year celebrations?

For us, you see, Christmas lasts one more week  than most countries.  Spaniards get to celebrate  three events;  Christmas, New Year and Kings' Day which was yesterday, Saturday 6th January.  Epiphany, or Kings' Day in Spain is when most children get their presents from Kings Melchor, Baltazar and Gaspar,  although these days they also get them from Father Christmas.  Also, Christmas is not over for most Orthodox believers. It is today, Sunday 7th January.  My mother used to have us celebrate it when I was a child so it still has some significance for me. 

Last Sunday was New Year's Eve. So let me tell you about our end of year celebrations. Olivia, my youngest daughter, was in charge of the food; i.e. she was making our dinner, giving me a break. She is an adventurous cook but needs quite a few skivvies around her. Thankfully, Tana did all the chopping, etc as well as cleaning up after her. I, meanwhile was preparing the food for the next day, 1st January when Eladio's brother and all his family - 13 of them, were coming for lunch. 

Oli arrived alone which made things easier as when the kids are around it's a bit chaotic to say the least. By 9 pm we were sitting around the table to eat Oli's delicious food. This was the starter; a sort of pastry basket stuffed with mushrooms, foie and apples.

Oli's starter on New Year's Eve

The second course was rice with more mushrooms and a delicious creamy pepper sauce with prawns on top, served like this:

Oli's second course on New Year's Eve

Dessert was my very successful baklava. Everyone loved it and I am pleased that it turned out so well.

We then all had to wait until 12 for the count down. In Spain people eat 12 grapes for luck for each month of the year. Each grape is eaten chime by chime and it's quite difficult to do. I ended up with about 8 still in my mouth  - take into account I can still only eat on one side of it (boohoo).

These were the grapes I got for everyone.

12 grapes are eaten on the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve in Spain

It was Elliot's first time and I think he managed about 5. After the grape eating, a tradition that goes back centuries - something to do with a harvest glut in the Alicante region - people hug and wish each other a Happy New Year. Then champagne is served. Elliot love the pop it made. We only had a token amount and I think I must have poured three quarters of the bottle down the drain afterwards! This year, for the first time since I left England back in 1981, I really missed the tradition of singing Auld Lang Syne. I kept thinking of it the week leading up to NYE and even cried for those no longer with us. I hesitantly suggested to Oli and Eladio that we sing it this year and sent them the lyrics but it never happened. Maybe I should have instilled the tradition when the girls were small. I wish I had now.

While most people in Spain would begin the party after 12 and many until 7 or so in the morning, Oli and family left and we went to bed. The difficult thing for me these days is to stay awake until midnight on New Year's Eve. If we had been alone, no doubt we would have been in bed by 9.30 pm, hahahaha and to hell with the grapes. 

I was up at around 7 am on New Year's Day which was Monday and I thought was Sunday - what's happening to my mind? I had lots to do to get all the food ready for Eladio's family who were arriving around 2 pm. Thankfully I had Tana and Oli to help. We managed to get 8 children around one of the tables and 11 adults around the other. This is what the dining room looked like.

The tables laid for our New Year's Day family lunch

I made a buffet lunch and this is what it looked like. The piece de resistance was the stuffed shoulder of lamb. As to the dessert buffet, ice cream was the most popular, possibly followed by my baklava.

Buffet lunch on New Year's Day

I don't have any photos of the family - just the food - hahahah. That's because they are not too keen on appearing online. A good time was had by all, especially the kids from ages 9 to 1. I wish they could see each other more often as they get on famously.

They all left far too early at around 6pm, just before it was getting dark. I think poor Tana was still clearing up then - round of applause for her - and all we had to do was to tidy up the lounges - mostly re order my Christmas "toys" which, of course, the kids loved. 

We were dead that night but happy with the day as it is very rare for us all to get together unless we are in Montrondo in the summer. 

I didn't sleep too badly and although I was awake at 5 and then 5.30, I slept until I woke up again at 7.15 on Tuesday morning. For most of you outside Spain, the 2nd marks the end of the Christmas holidays. In Spain, it's today, 7th January and kids go back to school tomorrow. 

We went out to do our Kings' Day present shopping and chose Centro Oeste in Majadahonda with which we are more familiar. First I had a coffee though before we sauntered into the men's section of Zara. I wanted to get something for my friend Julio and ended up buying not only his present there but also Miguel's and Eladio's. My husband had to try his on, something he is quite averse to. Once the wife of former President Aznar famously said there is not one woman in Spain without at least one item of clothing from Zara in her wardrobe. I'm not sure it's the same for men, or for Julio who is perhaps more into branded clothing. Oh well, he can always change his present - he usually does hahaha.

We got the rest of the presents from Zara Home so contributed to making Amancio Ortega, the owner, just a little bit richer. He is one of the richest men in the world so I don't suppose he needs any more money but I have to say I do like his shops as do a lot of people. Otherwise, he wouldn't be rich would he? He went from rags to riches - never better said. Aged just 16 he started a sewing business in Galicia in 1953  making baby clothes, under wear and night gowns. He opened his first Zara shop in 1973 in La Coruña. 12 years later he opened his first shop outside Spain. Of course he has now gone online but still owns over 2200 shops in 96 countries. Yet not  once did he invest in advertising. He didn't need to. His stores are always in prime locations and the fashion style is always the latest but at affordable prices. At Zara Home we found lovely children's toys made with wood which cheered my heart as today they all seem to be digital and made with plastic. We got a lovely alphabet board in English and a black board and I had trouble deciding which one to give to Juliet and which one to give to Elliot. I hope they like them. I've had enough of Spider Man and "Super Things" toys, so I hoped they would like these as much as I do. 

Zara Home wooden toys for Juliet and Elliot's Kings' Day presents.

We were home to lunch on the table - leftovers from New Year's Day. The highlight of the afternoon was my first Skype call with Amanda this year. We had lots to tell each other and both commented that Christmas this year had lost a bit of its zest. I've always loved Christmas but this year somehow the joy was missing and that's because Suzy wasn't with us. 

If Tuesday was a lovely sunny day, we woke up to rain on Wednesday and thus no walk. Instead we went out for a coffee and then to do some more food shopping (honestly!). Our conversation at Alverán cafe was important as we spoke about what we are going to do when we are really old. Our plan is to stay in this sprawling huge house and renting out rooms until we are no longer able to do so. So what then?  I have been looking into "senior living" alternatives and if it is possible that is something we would like to explore. The type we would like is where you actually buy and own an apartment for two in an assisted living environment but it has to be comfortable and with lots of outdoor space. They are only beginning to catch on in Spain.  Meanwhile, we shall get the most of out of independent living while we can and travel as much as possible. We are already talking about our next road trip where we would like to go as far as Azerbaijan and across the Caspian Sea to the "stan countires" (those we can visit). Really I would love to visit Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan but they are rather "no no" places; a bit too dangerous. Of course that means taking the same route we did to Georgia, through the Balkans and Turkey. It also means we will get to see more than we did last time. If you remember we had to curtail our return journey from Yerevan (Armenia) when Olivia announced she was getting married. The idea this time is not to have a return date. We loved our trip last year and want to go on the road again. We both love exploring new territory and doing so independently.

While out, Eladio bought more lottery tickets. This time they were for the draw on 5th January called "El niño" (the child) which has even bigger winnings than "El Gordo" although it is not as famous. Here is my dashing husband queuing  to try his luck. 

Eladio buying lottery tickets for "El Niño"

Our much cherished siesta was interrupted by the arrival of Oli with the two kids. We spent a pleasant, if a little challenging, time with them until they left. We were going out that night so had to rush a bit. We actually had a dinner date. It was with my dear friend and ex Nokia colleague, Julio, who was inviting us out for a New Year meal. He had chosen a swish place called "Carbón" (coal) on Juan Bravo Street, a stone's throw away from where we used to live on a busy street called Francisco Silvela. It took under 30 minutes to get there as there was little traffic - unusual I thought. Thus we were early and took a walk along the centre of the boulevard on Juan Bravo. We went past the famous Ruber clinic where I used to go to have my ultrasound scans when I was pregnant with the girls. I remember arriving  with my bladder bursting.

Julio was already inside when we went in. We had brought presents for each other which we always exchange at New Year. He got me one of my  favourite perfumes (Flowerbomb by  Viktor and Rolf) and a book for Eladio. I got him a jumper and shirt from Zara and Eladio got him a white bath robe from Zara Home. We had such a lovely meal I forgot to take any pictures (boohoo). I really wish I had. I really wish too that I hadn't left my lovely off white snood behind. Oh dear. We told him about our ideas for "senior living" which Julio thought was fantastic, telling me I am always ahead of times. I'm not sure that's true but I try to be. We also told him about our road trip plan and he, like others, suggested it might be dangerous. My answer to this was "Who dares wins", the SAS motto I have taken on as my own. One can be in danger anywhere but not once did I feel in danger on our road trip last year. 

As the evening came to an end, we agreed to meet again for my birthday in February and to invite him to our now not so new house in Asturias; both lovely things to look forward to. 

We were home by 11 which is quite reasonable and I got a so so night of sleep. I could feel a cold coming on with a slight sore throat and a headache. Oh no, is this flu again I asked myself? In Spain right now there is an epidemic and I have seen many people wearing masks. Maybe I should too except that I absolutely hate them.

Thursday came. It was a dark, foggy, wet and cold day but even so we went on our walk. Most of the day was quiet until the evening when we took Pippa to the vet. She needs her teeth properly cleaned to remove any plaque or tartar. Even though I brush her teeth regularly we have noticed they have gone brown probably from plaque which I read can be dangerous if it gets into her bloodstream and we don't want that. Cleaning dogs' teeth is a major operation. First there is a pre-op with a blood test and electrocardiogram which is what we went to do on Thursday. If all is well, then next week she will have her teeth professionally cleaned while intubated and under general  anaesthetic. Poor lamb but it has to be done.

That night we watched "Society of Snow", the much acclaimed  Spanish remake of "Alive" (Viven in Spanish) made in 1995. I'm sure you all know the story. A plane with a Uruguayan Rugby team and their family crashed in the middle of the Andes on route from Montevideo to Santiago de Chile in 1972. Of the 40 passengers and 5 crew, 33 survived but after more than 70 days in sub freezing temperatures only 14 made it. It was called the Miracle of the Andes. The story always fascinated me so I was keen to watch the remake. Overall, though, I think I prefer the original film. The remake is rather slow and it's not easy to know who is who. 

Just before I fell asleep I received a message from Airbnb to tell me that once again I am a super host. I have been since 2017 when I began. This is the progress for the period from 1st January to 31st December 2023.

Super Host again for the period 1st Jan to 31st Dec 2023

I wasn't surprised to be super host again as I have great reviews and strive to do a great job. What made me happy was to see the the number of nights my guests stayed here, in Asturias or in Santa Pola, although the large majority stay here. The number of nights was 550!!! Isn't that amazing? When I embarked on this new journey 7 years ago after losing my high flying job as head of PR for a mobile phone company, I had no idea that I would achieve this success. It began as a way to help upkeep our huge sprawling house and has turned into something much bigger. Long may I continue to be a super host and long may guests choose to stay at our houses. That was the good news of the week and I needed good news this week. We all do, don't we?

Friday was Kings' Night (Noche de Reyes), the exciting prelude for Spanish children. Kings' parades are held in every city and town and nearly every village. For some Epiphany is more important than Christmas. 

I spent the morning with Olivia and the children. We went to a shopping centre which has a lovely play area for children where you can actually leave them and go off and do your shopping in peace. How civilised. The kids loved the place. Here is Elliot about to go in.

Elliot happy as a sand boy at Tres Aguas shopping centre yesterday about to enter the children's play area. 

And here is one of Juliet running after him. 

Juliet joining Elliot

They were both happy to be left there. They would have been bored stiff going around the shops with us. That meant we were all happy. Oli and I got to have coffee in peace and enjoy some Christmas shopping together. I had already got all my presents but succumbed to getting more. 

I have to say we all had a lovely morning, we really did. We came home to have lunch with whatever I could rustle up. Later we retired to our quarters while the kids played downstairs. At around 5.30 they left for the exciting Kings' Parade in nearby Boadilla. We were relieved of grandparent duty there as Miguel was able to get off work. I got sent photos which reminded me of when we used to take the girls to the "cabalgata" as the parade is called.

The kids at the Kings' Parade yesterday evening.

I went out later, just as it had finished and the street cleaners were already doing their job and the streets were being cleared for traffic. We had a quiet evening and not too bad a night for me.

I was up yesterday, Saturday, at 7.15 and already began on the trimmings for our roast beef lunch. We were to be at Oli's at 9 for a Kings' Day breakfast. We were there just after the kids had opened their presents, the main ones being costumes. Elliot's was Iron Man with a rather unattractive sword and shield and Juliet's was Super Woman. They also got a lovely big black and white board from Ikea which they took to immediately. I realised they would now have two black boards, this one and the smaller version I had got from Zara Home. But no worries, ours would stay at home in the toy area of the TV lounge for them to play with when they come. 

The children with their new costumes scribbling on their white board. Elliot, btw, does not scribble. He can write his own name and is quite good at drawing for his age. 

We then sat down to a civilised breakfast which consisted of the "Roscón de Reyes". The "roscón" or  "Kings' ring" is a  brioche type sponge with a hole in the middle; a favourite with most Spaniards.  It is either eaten plain or with whipped cream in the middle. 

The typical "Roscón de Reyes" eaten on 6th January and all through the Christmas period I should add. 

On the top you will find crystallised fruit and flaked almonds. Inside there is often a little figure to be found in the shape of a king and also a bean. If you get the bean it means you have to buy the "roscón" the following year. I have a huge collection of all the little figures I have saved over the years and Elliot loves to look at it. I read that more than 30 million were baked this year in Spain which is quite a lot if you compare it to the population of 48 million people. The French also have their own King Cake ("galette du roi) but it is not at all similar.

Soon Miguel left for work and we got the children ready to take to our house where they would spend the rest of Kings' Day. Just when we were about to sit down to open the presents their majesties had left at our house that night, Maria, my guest from Galicia was returning. She will be staying for a few weeks until she finds accommodation. Apart from Mohammad she is the first guest of the year. She got Oli's room which didn't make my daughter very happy.

And here is my daughter with the kids and Eladio during the present opening session, something I usually love but not so much this year.

Opening the presents yesterday

We got some lovely things but the Kings got a few sizes wrong. Thus Juliet's shoes from Zara, Eladio's coat and shirt from Benetton will have to be changed. I read too in an article somewhere that an enormous percentage of people sell some of their unwanted presents on second hand sites!

Soon it was time for me to make the lunch - roast beef and Yorkshire pud - which took me a good 2 hours. Before everything was on the table and while I was still in the kitchen, the eaters were already digging in which always annoys me after all the effort I have put in.  I like to have everything ready, take photos and make a toast before attacking the food which is what they were doing, hahaha. But I did get a couple of photos of the food to share you. 

Yesterday's Kings' Day meal - roast beef and Yorkshire pudding

It was to be the last celebration meal of this Christmas and we enjoyed it. The cracker moment was fun and the dessert - all sorts of different ice creams, made everyone smile. But what a mess afterwards and no Tana to clean up for us. We did it between us and then Eladio and I crept upstairs for some time off.

I came down late at about 5.45 and was surprised the kids were still there. By then they were tired and behaving badly, so much so I had to remove the sword and shield from Elliot which made him cross. Tired herself, Oli took them home. And that was the end of Kings Day and Christmas. 

It took ages to fall asleep last night and at 6.30 this morning we were woken up by the unexpected arrival of our second guest of the year. Mileny, our Peruvian student had arrived unannounced and was ringing the bell which we didn't hear and our phones. She even rang Tana who rang me but mine was on silence. She finally got through to Eladio who had to put on his dressing gown and go and get her and help her with her enormous luggage. No doubt she will sleep for most of the day but she interrupted mine  After that I couldn't sleep and got up at 7.30.

I don't know what we will do today. Will we take down the Christmas decorations? Will Oli and co come and join us for lunch? Hopefully, we will be able to get in our walk which I desperately need. If we are it will be lovely as it is a very sunny day.

I have now come to the end of the stories of this week and it's time to publish this post. Tomorrow will be another day and my New Year's resolution - to go on a diet - is supposed to kick off tomorrow. Will I have the will power? I hope so.

What are your New Year's resolutions? I would love to know. As to wishes for 2024, all I want is good health, for Suzy to get better and return to the fold and for our little business to do at least as well as this year. Is that a lot to ask? On the world scene I wold love to see more peace, the end of the invasion of Ukraine and some sort of solution to the war between Israel and Gaza. I wonder what the news about both wars will be this time next year?  

I will love you and leave you now to get on with this first day after Christmas. Once again I wish you all a Happy New Year,

Cheers Masha

Change of plans, Elliot meets Santa Claus, Christmas Eve dinner, home alone, Christmas Day 2023, lunch out, making baklava and other tales of the week.

One day late. Forgot to post this yesterday. 

Sunday 31st December, 2023

This year's official Christmas Day photo with Juliet and Elliot. 

Good morning everyone and Happy New Year. 

Tonight is New Year's Eve and I reflect, as we all do, on how this year has been for us. The first half of 2023 was wonderful and included our epic road trip to Armenia, something that will stay with us forever. It also included the unexpected wedding of our youngest daughter, Olivia, to her partner Miguel. That was a wonderful day. The second half was not as good but had its highlights like our trip to France for a wedding and also the celebration of our 40th wedding anniversary. The second half was challenging and November and December rather black to say the least. We were both ill and I took ages to shake off first flue, then gastroenteritis followed by a cold and then a horrible dental operation. If that wasn't enough the antibiotics gave me oral thrush which took away the pleasure of eating and it's still not better. 

On the world stage the Ukraine war continues into its 2nd year and there are few signs of hope for peace. Peace was interrupted in the Middle East when Hamas, the Gazan terrorist group, attacked Israel on 7th October and took hundreds of hostages. The retaliation was like Armageddon and Gaza today is the worst place to live on earth. 

Life throws you challenges and somehow you have to get through them or rise above them and that is what we always try to do. Thank God we have each other. We are getting old but still have a lot of life in us so I hope we can enjoy another road trip in 2024. I hope, above all, that Suzy gets better and I am thankful for the joy of having Olivia and her family in our lives. I am also thankful that my little Airbnb business seems to be thriving and in 2024 I look forward to meeting more interesting people and making more friends as that is what some of my guests have become. 

But let me rewind to where I left off last week; Christmas Eve. I told you then it would just be Oli and us for dinner that night but plans changed. I was up at the unearthly hour of 5.30 and began on the food preparations. At about 10, my daughter rang to say they would all join us for Christmas Dinner, the most important night in the Spanish calendar when families all gather together. Oh what joy!

While we went on our walk and to the supermarket for some last minute provisions, they were at a big shopping centre to get last minute presents. That's when Elliot met Father Christmas. Bless the little boy, he still believes. Here is a video Oli sent of him walking determinedly up to the awe inspiring Santa Claus with a huge beard and very long hair. And here is a still to share with you to mark the moment. He must have felt so excited.

Elliot meets Santa Claus

While Elliot was meeting Santa Claus, I was preparing the food for dinner. This is the potato salad I made which would be one of the main dishes. There is so much left over I got sick of it and in the end we threw it away. Hate wasting food by the way.

My potato salad which we always have on Christmas Eve for dinner

The other dishes and food were: Ibérico ham, tuna fish vol-au-vent, bacon rolls, salmon stuffed with creme fraiche on a bed of lettuce and avocado as well as giant asparagus and of course the other dish we always have that night too; Russian puff pastry pies (perushki). For dessert I made mini fruit and cream tarts. The fruit should be raspberries or strawberries but the supermarket shelves were bare as if it they had been raided by locusts in the form of last minute Christmas food shoppers, hahahah. Thus it had to be mango instead but they still tasted nice.

It is my job also to lay the table and I go all out on Christmas Eve. This year I got some wonderful new pyramid shaped crackers from M&S via The British Corner Shop Online. 

M&S Christmas crackers

I also had a green festive hat for everyone. This is what the table looked like.

Our Christmas Eve table

We had an innovation this year when Oli made a wonderful creamy crayfish bisquet soup. She needed at least 3 kitchen skivvies to help and clean up and around her but oh my it tasted divine. I must get the recipe. Here she is making the soup.

Oli was my co chef on Christmas Eve

By 8 pm nearly everything was ready and all we had to do was to get changed to look a little more formal for this very special night. Christmas Eve is called "Nochebuena" (Good night) in Spanish and a good night it was too.  Here is a video I took to show you how everything looked. Everyone looked lovely. The music and lights were on in the lounge and my grandchildren were singing and dancing so I I had to have another video. This is it: 

Dancing on Christmas Eve

Soon we were all sitting at the table and as always I had to stop Eladio digging in to make a toast first and also to take photos. Here is one of my family - bar Suzy, around the table that night.

Christmas Eve dinner

All was fine until Elliot began to play up. He wanted to pull all the crackers and thankfully we saved 4 of them. He then started pulling all our hats off and together with Juliet went round touching and pushing many of my Christmas decorations. I'm afraid my beautiful nut cracker got broken. Olivia asked me if the (she and Suzy) behaved as badly at Christmas at that age. I honestly don't think they did. I think it was all a bit too much for both of them with so many not allowed to touch attractions, haha. But it was far nicer having them all them than just three of us around the table.

When they went at around 10.15 we were exhausted and left "to pick up the pieces", hahahaha which was a lot of tidying up. At one stage Juliet had taken nearly all the cutlery from the drawer in the kitchen. What I won't put up with though is them banging on my grandmother's piano which is more like a museum piece. I told Elliot that if he learns to play the piano I will be delighted to let him play his great great grandmother's piano but not until then. 

We were in bed early and I realised we were "home alone" on Christmas Eve. Tana had gone and Mohammad was staying with an Indian friend, neither of whom celebrate Christmas. It was an absolute first in our marriage at Christmas and was a bit strange.  I couldn't sleep though and watched a fascinating film called "Disobedience" about a woman photographer who returns to her ultra Orthodox Jewish community in Hendon, London, when her father, the chief Rabbi dies. Even when it finished I couldn't sleep and I don't know why.

I was up on Christmas Day (Monday) at 7.30. Being home alone, we skipped on a Christmas morning breakfast in the dining room. But I didn't skip on  yummy breakfast food which I never normally eat. It consisted of a huge mug of very foamy cappucino, Danish pastry, a crumpet with butter and Golden Lyle syrup and a piece of toast with butter (again) and Bonne Maman jam. I had a golden kiwi afterwards to see how my mouth reacted after 6 days of oral thrush treatment. It didn't feel as stringent but the fungus is still there I am afraid. 

I then got cracking - never better said - with the preparations for lunch - a "poularde" chicken with roast potatoes, sprouts, peas, gravy, sage and onion stuffing and cranberry sauce. We no longer serve turkey as we all find it far too dry and boring - we never eat it during the year either. And of course dessert was Christmas pudding with sweet white sauce to which I added an enormous amount of rum; for want of brandy.  Lunch was only going to be for the 3 of us instead of 6 but no worries we ate the rest on Boxing Day. There was even enough to eat it again on Wednesday but I honestly couldn't face it again and it got chucked out too.  

At about 11.30, Oli and family arrived. The kids were up at their house at about 8 am, excited to see their gifts from Santa. He had also left a note for Elliot to tell him that if he didn't behave better this year, next year he might  not get any presents!! I don't know how he reacted to that. When Eladio was a child in poor and rural Montrondo some kids got things like "an egg" in their stocking or an orange. Eladio and his brother would usually get just one (unwrapped) present. But one year they got a home made bag sewn by his mother with the words (also sewn) "for two naughty boys". Inside they found a piece of coal!!! Eladio has never forgotten. I'm not surprised.

The kids got far too many presents; loads at their house, more at ours and more at their other grandmother's. It's too many for children but what can I say or do? Not much. Elliot was keen to begin opening them all; his and everyone else's but I put my foot down. At Christmas I can be rigid about the order of traditions, just as my grandmother was. First we had to have the annual photo shoot. Miguel is always the cameraman for that. I love the photo he took of the 4 of us which I have chosen for this week's feature photo. He also took one of the two of us (we forgot poor Pippa). I'm not so keen on it. The problem right now is I dare not open my mouth, after the dental operation, and I smile very badly with my mouth closed! Oh hell, I used to have wonderful teeth. 

Our photo on Christmas Day, one of my new traditions

But the photo of the day has to be of Oli and family. I had bought them matching jumpers - no easy feat because of the sizes and availability - and they looked great. Don't you think? 

Oli and family in their Christmas matching jumpers

Our presents were lovely too. I got some Rayban sunglasses after spoiling mine thanks to a nail file in my handbag, two jumpers and my favourite perfume (Guerlain Mandarin Basilic). Soon Elliot wanted to go on to his other grandmother's house and I got on with the lunch. As I explained to my husband and daughter, a roast needs nearly a whole morning to make. 

We were ready by 2.30 at our beautiful table. Oli took a photo.

Our Christmas lunch table

We were only three but it was lovely. Then came the Christmas pudding which only Eladio and I really like. By then I was a bit lazy about standards and I served the white sauce in the saucepan to keep it hot. Oli took a video of me explaining what it is is made of as she didn't know. This is the funny result.

Later the three of us retired to our quarters and Oli lay in between us in our enormous 1.80cm bed just as she did as a child. We watched Good Will Hunting which I adore until her family came to collect her. Elliot wanted to go back to his house to play with all his new toys; bless him.

That was not quite the end of a quiet and rather strange Christmas Day. I watched the end of Vigil Season 2 - amazing and then wandered downstairs to inquire whether Eladio was hungry at all for dinner. We weren't hungry but couldn't resist some of the delicious Christmas Eve leftovers.

We then turned to James Bond for entertainment but I couldn't even tell you which one we watched as I fell asleep straight away.

I was amazed to see it was 8.15 am on Tuesday, Boxing Day, when I woke up and that I had slept 8.15h too. Wow, I needed that. Olivia had gone back to work but announced they would all be coming for lunch. No problem I said; there are loads of leftovers, hahahhaa.

We went on our walk, then to the bank and to a cafe to buy another Roscón (Kings' cake) and then to the BM supermarket to get a few things. Here is a photo of my dashing husband waiting for outside the bank.

Eladio on Boxing Day

We were back by 1 to find Miguel and the kids already home and Oli would be back by 1.30. But, oh dear, I wasn't ready. I always prefer to have everything ready before they come but it wasn't to be. They were all so hungry they started raiding the fridge and in the end because of their hurry I had to serve them lukewarm leftovers. We were allowed a siesta afterwards while the kids romped around the house. At one stage Elliot came up to my room and I had to pretend I was asleep hahahhaha.

I spent the afternoon watching the Call the Midwife Christmas Special - I adore that series and then started on the Sound of Music which is on the BBC iPlayer until 5th January. As my friend Sandra said "Christmas is not the same without it". Absolutely not. I cried at some of the scenes as I always do but also for past times when I used to watch it with my Mother and  then the girls. I was a girl myself in 1965 when it was first shown in cinemas and oh how I loved it and have loved it ever since. 

That night we watched a film called The Chess Player set in Madrid and Paris from the late 30's to WW2. We couldn't have found anything more up our street. The protagonist is the Spanish national champion of chess who marries a French reporter. They move to France and he is arrested by the SS accused of being a communist spy only because he had a friend in Spain who was a Republican. It's chess that will help him survive. What an amazing story. We loved it. 

Soon it was the middle of the week; Wednesday. I only slept 5.30 hours that night (boohoo). The highlight of the day was watching Olivia on TV reporting on the low temperatures in Madrid. 

Oli reporting on the cold weather this week

She didn't have to go far, just a stone's throw from her studios in Pozuelo. It was cold - -1ºc that morning where we live but not for long. At least it has been sunny most of the time this Christmas. It's not the cold I dislike, it is rain and grey skies. 

We spent most of the morning at a big shopping centre (hate the word "mall") - Gran Plaza II. The excuse was to change some beautiful trainers Oli bought for her father which didn't fit. They weren't really his style and he went for a pair of Timberland but not the far heavier boots which we once bought in New York. He got the trainers - quite trendy I thought.

Eladio's trendy Timberland trainers

Both Oli and I had been egging him on to have a haircut - remember the one he had in Kosovo? It was at Gran Plaza II he decided it was time. We came across a good barbers for men only as my husband thinks women don't cut men's hair as well. He may have a point. So in we went, after a coffee of course which was at Starbucks that day. I used to be pretty against Starbucks invading a coffee country like Spain but have to admit their coffee is superb and they cater to all sorts of coffee whims, like mine - strong and with lots of foam, hahahahha.

Here, by the way is the barber moment which reminded me so much of our road trip and the hair cut in Pristina. 

A haircut for Eladio for the New Year

Eladio's was cut by a young boy, Medi, from Morocco. He told me his father was a diplomat and that he had lived in London, Lisbon and Rome. He spoke perfect English which I thought was wasted on him as a hairdresser. What a charming boy he was. 

We then got a present for Olivia - previously agreed upon (hahaha) and for the kids. Oli wanted us to buy them shoes - no easy feat (hahaha) for us as we didn't know their size. I took photos of the ones I liked for my daughter who told me they were all too "cheesy". She made me go to Zara Kids where I took photos of all the shoes on sale which she then relayed to Miguel, after which I got a reply. That is not the kind of Christmas shopping I like hahaha but at least I have now got the kids the shoes their mother likes.

When I got back I found my latest Amazon order had arrived - a 2024 Happy New Year banner. Dear Eladio put it up after lunch.

Our Happy New Year banner up and ready for tonight

Lunch was more leftovers - oh no, not again. Why did I make so much? The afternoon was short as at 6.30 I also had an appointment with my hairdresser, Conchi. She is cheap and good but not punctual. She didn't start on me until 7 and I wasn't out until 8.15 which is such a bore for me. I went in looking a bit like a witch as I hadn't been since the end of October and came out looking more like me. I felt tons better.

I didn't find anything much on Netflix that night - if only Eladio could watch stuff with me on the BBC iPlayer in English - but I managed another great night's sleep with just over 8h shut eye.

I was up at 8.15 on Thursday 28th December - the Day of All Innocents in Spain. It marks, I think the killing of boys under 2 by Herod (ghastly) and is the Spanish equivalent of All Fools' Day. 

Olivia was on live again that morning, this time from the main train station in Madrid, Atocha. 

Oli reporting on public transport costs on Thursday

She was reporting on transport discounts the local government is continuing with. I was glad to hear that the over 65's will carry on  travelling free in 2024. That reminded me we must get ours renewed for 2024.

I had a dental appointment at 11.15 to see how my mouth was after a week's treatment for the damned oral thrush. Well now it seems the anti fungal medicine had caused something nasty called "lichen planus" - inflammation in the mouth:-( The good news is that the thrush had receded. All this means more treatment and if it doesn't get better I will be given cortisone. As you can imagine, eating these days is not as pleasurable as it should be.

We also had a lunch appointment at 2.  I decided we should treat ourselves over Christmas and go somewhere fancy. Meanwhile I went to have a coffee on the main street - La Gran Vía - in Majadahonda and then a little walk around. I came across a lovely woman's boutique where I found a shocking blue down jacket which I bought for myself as this year's Kings' Day present from my dear husband Eladio.

I stopped for some fruit on the way home as my dentist told me to try eating these fruits every 4 days to track any improvements: banana, kiwi and pineapple. I had a bit of each for dinner. The banana was fine, the kiwi was impossible and the pineapple was so so. 

No sooner was I home then I was off again, with Eladio to El Jardín de la Máquina (used to be called La Leyenda). We have been many times, the last time being on Eladio's birthday. We were ushered to a seat in the porch overlooking the garden and ponds and soon I was sitting down to eat one of my favourite dishes; mini scallops which are called "zamburriñas" in Spanish. Here I am with a glass of wine in my hand too. You will notice I am keeping my mouth shut. That's cos I don't want you to see the gap in my teeth (boohoo). The dentist told me they can't put in the new bridge until 3 months after the operation. Damn it. You could say I am have teething problems big time!!

Lunch at El Jardín de la Máquina on Thursday

Eladio had tripe (!) followed by oxtail stew. The food was delicious and it was pleasant to go out again for a good meal. It was also a break from cooking. Once home I threw out all the leftovers which I could notlonger face (hahahaha).

We had missed the news but not the knowledge of the news as it is all the same these days and depressing too. What was not depressing was watching the end of The Sound of Music followed by the behind the scenes documentary about the making of the Coronation of King Charles III which I actually found a bit boring. I then turned to "A spy among friends" (about Philby) which I had read but the Movistar Plus TV app was playing up. Thus I decided on Pretty Woman on Netflix. Oh what a wonderful film. It's a modern day Cinderella story which I have always loved. Richard Gere and Julia Roberts are so young and beautiful in. Later that night Eladio watched the second half with me and also got hooked although this is certainly not his genre.

I didn't sleep well that night and only got 5.5h of shut eye. I woke up feeling worried about the menus for tonight and for tomorrow's family lunch where we will be 19 people!!!! So on Friday it was out to the shops again. In the end Oli will cook of the menu tonight with my help; well actually Tana's - and I will do everything for tomorrow.

We managed our walk after which we enjoyed fish in breadcrumbs with chips for lunch. Our last guests of the year were coming later in the day so we had to get more rooms ready - thank you Tana. I spent part of the afternoon watching Notting Hill - again with Julia Roberts. But it's Hugh Grant I love, especially because of his glorious English accent.

Our guests - 2 doctors and a retired University Professor, arrived just as I was finishing my dinner. Two live in Atlanta, Georgia and the other in Valencia. They are Venezuelan but left their country for very obvious reasons many years ago. They loved the house and their rooms. To think they were our last guests of the year. I can't count how many we have had this year but it's an awful lot; even more than 2023. Let's hope 2024 is just as good. I only ask for that.

Saturday was upon us quickly. That morning straight after breakfast I set upon making baklava for tomorrow's dessert. I'm sure you are familiar with this very sweet Middle Eastern pastry filled with nuts and syrup. This is the recipe I used. 

It's quite easy to make. Perhaps the trickiest part is cutting the pastry before putting it in the oven. For that I had Mohammad, my Iraqi student's help. After all he is from one of the homes of Baklava. My mother used to make it very occasionally as she had lived in Bulgaria where it is eaten a lot thanks to the Turkish influence on Bulgarian cuisine. Here is Mohammad doing the job.

Making baklava with the help of Mohammad

Once it was out and baked perfectly it looked like this.

Home made baklava

I then poured over it the cold syrup I had made previously and added more crushed pistachios.

My home made baklava

It needed 8 hours to cool at room temperature before eating. I wondered how well it would taste. Would it have enough syrup, would the top be crispy and the bottom squidgy as it should be? Time would tell.

When I was done we went on our morning walk. By the then the frost had melted. We came back to go out again just to the chemist and the kiosk. Thankfully, no more supermarket shopping was necessary.

It was in the afternoon that Mohammad and I tried the baklava. I am delighted and proud to say it tasted delicious, as good as the best to be found in countries like Turkey. I then placed each individual baklava into a glass container with layers of grease proof paper in between. It can be kept at room temperature if it is covered, for up to 5 days. After that it has to go in the fridge. I had made 48 pieces and wondered if there would be any left over. I rather doubt it.

Our guests were out and the house was quiet. I watched an old favourite, again with Hugh Grant; Love Actually, which put me in a good mood. 

I did not sleep well that night. Don't know why. I was up at 7.15 today, Sunday, the last day of the year. Our Venezuelan guests left early just as I was starting on the stuffing for one of tomorrow's buffet items; stuffed shoulder of lamb. Eladio helped me put the stuffing in and wrap them in oven proof string. Here are the photos to prove it. 

Stuffing the shoulders of lamb - with a little help from Eladio

The recipe is actually mine and the stuffing is made from: dates, dried apricots, sultanas and pistachios, bread crumbs and a little water. Once roasted it tastes delicious, especially with the sauce and bashmati rice. It is a variation of a dish popular in the Middle East (again, like my baklava). 

I think I was too immersed in preparations to realise that yesterday was Sunday and time to publish my blog. Thus you have me here on New Year's Day, Monday 31st December 2023, publishing it one day late. 

So I shall leave you my friends as I have lots to do today which you will read all about next week. Meanwhile, let me wish you all a Happy New Year, once again,

Cheers till next week,

Masha