Tomato war between France and Spain, Jumble sale in Gran Alacant, time out and lunch in Alicante, The King has cancer, home again, my birthday, words of love, family lunch and other stories of the week.

 Sunday, 11th February, 2024

By the port in Alicante last Sunday and what a sunny day it was too. 

Good morning everyone. I hope I find you all well. It is very shocking to hear the new King Charles III has cancer which we learned on Monday. But more about that later. 

We are now home again but last Sunday we were still at our apartment in Santa Pola. That morning I was eager to visit the Sunday car boot sale which I still call a jumble sale. What fun it was. Here is a photo to remember the visit. I wish I could go every week. 

At the Gran Alacant Sunday car boot  sale last week (jumble sale)

It was a beautiful sunny day and there was plenty to look at. I got a toy house for the children for their play corner at home as well as 3 lovely large mugs for the apartment. Suzy was happy with  them.

From there we drove down to the beach hoping for a coffee at a well known bar but it was closed, being February I suppose. Thus we went once again to Ca Pacorro on the lovely promenade at the entrance to Santa Pola coming from Gran Alacant on the the coastal road. We were lucky to get a table. It's amazing how full this area is now in the winter. When we first bought our apartment in 1999 (yes, that long ago), the area was pretty deserted in the winter but not now. Suzy was busy preparing a video for her You Tube channel so suggested we went out for lunch. We grabbed the chance and decided on going to Alicante, the capital of the province. Alicante is the city with the most hours of sunshine in Europe and is always vibrant. But it has an elegance other touristy coastal towns and cities do not. 

We hadn't booked a table so just headed to the port where we went into the first place we saw; Bodegon del Mar. It really was nothing special but it was right by the yachting port with views of the city and sea and served pretty good food. Plus, we were allowed to take Pippa in. But oh boy she was a nuisance, barking all the time. I love the typical starter in the area which is bread or toast with aioli and tomato sauce. That day I was not on a diet so indulged in one delicious slice.

Bread with aioli and fresh tomato sauce is typically served with a meal in the Alicante area and I love it. 

We both decided on a rice dish you would probably call paella but paella is only one type really. We went for what is called "arroz señoret" -  rice with seafood that is already peeled. I have to say it was one of the best we have ever had. Especially good was what is called "socarrat". You have to be a paella or rice expert of the region to know what that is. It's the crusty part on the sides which is always the tastiest part of the dish. This was our "arroz señoret"

Arroz señoret last Sunday in Alicante at Bodegón del Mar by the yachting port

The portion was too large so we took some home for Suzy.

Once outside I had to take photos of the view of the port and city. The only part I do not like is the eyesore high rise building on the horizon. It must have been built in the 60's or 70's and really spoils that skyline of Alicante. 

View from the port in Alicante. On the far right is the Castle of Santa Barbara. 

We then walked to the only beach in the city, the Postiguet beach which is where TV journalists often comment on the weather. It's nearly always good in Alicante. The beach was pretty full. Most people were clothed as there was a breeze in the air but some were in the water. Wow!

View of the Postiguet beach in Alicante last Sunday

Feeling inspired I took a video to post on my YouTube channel  and to share with you here. This is it. 

Postiguet beach in Alicante last Sunday

The whole place was buzzing and before we headed home we went for a short walk on the famous promenade called La Explanada - a sort of copy of a similar promenade in Copa Cabana I once read. It was to go the stalls there to buy some incense for Suzy. 

We were home mid afternoon, happy with the visit to the jumble sale and our time out and lunch in Alicante. 

Monday morning dawned and I still had a damned headache. I was beginning to wonder whether after more than a week with a headache maybe I had a brain tumour but I won't go there. I took a codeine and an aspirin which I had been hesitating to take together and it did help a bit. 

Eladio, Pippa and I went into Santa Pola, our nearest town and the town that our "urbanization", Gran Alacant, belongs to. It's about 7km from away. It is mainly a fishing town but also popular with tourists, mostly families or retired couples. There are no high rise blocks, hardly any hotels and no discotheques so there is no mass tourism like in Benidorm, Torremolinos or Lloret del Mar to name a few of the worst type of package tour destinations in this otherwise wonderful country. We headed for the main square by the old castle and sat and had a coffee at my favourite place, Dalua. That's where Sandra, Adele and I spent many a morning gorging on their delicious chocolate covered croissants when they came in October. And here we are together enjoying the moment. The photo is courtesy of the very kind waiter who served us.

Coffee at Dalua in the main square in Santa Pola on Monday

It was so lovely to be sitting in the sun in February. That's what so great about many parts of Spain in the winter. 

Sunshine was on my mind when I read an article in The Times that morning about the so-called "tomato war". Have you heard about how Ségolëne Royal, the former partner of Francois Holland and socialist politician, insulted Spanish tomatoes of all things? This was in connection with  huge strikes mostly by French farmers protesting about costs caused by super strict EU farming regulations. Their main complaint is that non EU countries, like Morocco, do not have to adhere so the former can no longer compete. Well, Spain is in the same boat as France. However Royal suggested otherwise when she said Spanish ecological tomatoes are inedible and do not belong on French supermarket shelves! She implied Spanish farmers do no adhere to all the EU regulations which is not true. This caused a huge uproar in Spain as you can imagine where we are very proud of our tomatoes. Spain is one of the biggest exporters in the world. And, sunshine, my friends has a lot to do with it. I couldn't argue the case better than a farmer from Southern Spain who said "that lady has a palate problem .... Unlike in France and elsewhere, we have sun all year round. That's why our tomatoes, in addition to complying with all the strict regulations, have flavour in them". I have to say I felt insulted by her comments. 

The tomato war

The Spanish PM has invited her to come and taste for herself Spain's amazing tomatoes. But back to the castle square in Santa Pola where we had been sitting in the Spanish sunshine. 

When I had had my fill of it, I had a sudden desire to indulge myself and get my nails done. After all it was my birthday week. So off I ambled in search of a good nail bar recommended to me by a local. I was immediately ushered in at Angeles nail bar. That of course left Eladio and Pippa to their own devices and I didn't think more about them until I left the salon. For just 8 euros my nails were done to perfection. I chose to have them painted with traditional nail varnish and thought the process would be quick but it actually took nearly 40 minutes. I don't know about any women reading this but after the pandemic I hardly bother with makeup, jewelry or nail varnish; only my red lipstick. So, being my birthday week, I thought I ought to make the effort. Of course I can do my own nail varnish but it's never as good as done professionally. I was pleased with the result which you can see on my hands that are looking older and older hahaha.

I indulged myself at a nail bar in Santa Pola on Monday

My husband had forgotten to bring his mobile so when I came out he was nowhere to be seen. But then they - he and Pippa -  appeared.  I then stupidly went into a boutique which I thought I he saw me doing but when I came out again, they had disappeared again. I went into "La Casa" my friends loved. There I bought a beautiful red jumper by a designer I had never heard of called Surkana. Have you? 

The colourful jumper I bought in Santa Pola on Monday

I considered it an early and well deserved birthday present. I then spent the next half an hour searching for my husband while he was searching for me. Of course we eventually found each other. This often happens to us, mainly because one of us has his or her phone on silence or doesn't have it at all. We had wasted at least an hour looking for each other and when we finally met it was time  to head "home" . It was  a simple lunch including more of my broccoli soup and some cauliflower I could no longer face.

I was busy after that with guest related issues. My latest Chinese guests who arrived that day; Jax, Cindy and their two small daughters, were so delighted with our house they wanted to stay until 20th. I somehow managed to accommodate them. In contrast to the picky Chinese lady who upped and left last week, this family from Shanghai are in love with our place. That was great to hear. It really was. 

All was well at home in our pad by the sea that afternoon when I was alerted to the news (through Sandy as usual) that The King had cancer. 

I'm very sorry for The King

We all knew he had just had surgery for an enlarged but benign prostrate gland which is quite a minor operation. However, Buckingham Palace issued this announcement at 6pm on Monday which must have shocked the world because it revealed the fact that during the operation cancer had been found. It is not prostate cancer.  Here is the statement.

A very shocking announcement from Buckingham Palace on Monday 5th February

That was shocking news indeed for the 75 year old Monarch who has hardly begun his reign. I am hoping he will recover shortly. Otherwise we are looking at one of the shortest reigns in history and William on the throne. The King has stopped all public duties but is "cracking on" with his constitutional responsibilities to quote the PM. That means, signatures and the famous Red Box as well as his weekly meetings with the PM which may or may not be in person. His son Harry flew out to see him on Monday but we have no details. Incredibly he stayed 30 minutes and then flew back!  I hope they  managed to narrow their rift. The last thing the King needs is warring brothers. As he once said "please don't make my last years a misery". He is in the same boat as many fathers and mothers of adult children isn't he?  The statement did not go into details except  to say the King had immediately begun treatment, no doubt chemotherapy. That gets me thinking he has to have a secondary of some kind. When my father had bladder cancer in his mid 90's, they removed the lump as it had not spread and he didn't need any treatment.  So has the King's spread or not? We know nothing more except for what the PM Sunak said the next day that it had been "caught early" which is a very good sign. 

I went to bed feeling sorry for the King. I mean after waiting nearly 60 years to become King, this must come as a blow.

That was our last night in Santa Pola with Suzy. We left on Tuesday morning  in two cars; Eladio in the Volvo and me in the Mini. We stopped for coffee somewhere and then for lunch about 120km from Madrid at La Venta San José. We were making good time until suddenly the traffic piled up on the A3, the main dual carriage way from Valencia to Madrid. Spain has 6 of these: The A1 to Burgos, the A2 to Barcelona, the A3 to Valencia, the A4 to Andalusia, the A5 to Badajoz and the A6 to Coruña. They are the main arteries and all start from Km Zero in Madrid, the centre of the country where all roads are measured from. Blocking these roads is the same as blocking an important motorway in any country. 

It turned out it was because of pickets of a spontaneous and nationwide farmers' strike like in France. Similar to farmers in France, Brussels and other places in Europe, Spanish farmers demand more flexibility from the EU, less red tape and restrictions as well as tighter controls on produce from non EU countries. They also want more help from the government such as petrol subsidies. They complain they are hardly make a living and I sympathise with them. The A3 was blocked on both sides of the road about 80km from Madrid and we were there for an hour until the pickets let some traffic through with the police on hand to make sure things didn't get out of order. Here is a photo to remember the moment. We had seen so much about the strikes in France, we never imagined our journey back from Santa Pola would be affected similarly. 

The A3 Valencia to Madrid road was blocked by a farmers' strike on our way home on Tuesday

I took a video also which you can see here.

Traffic at a halt on our way home from Santa Pola. 

Thus we were home much later than expected. We came home to a quiet house. Most of our guests were away and when they came back we were already in bed. Everything was in order thanks to Tana.

My headache had finally gone after more than a week, or at least I thought it had. However on Wednesday I woke up with another one. I think it's due to stress and lack of sleep.  It was a very busy morning. In our absence the cupboards were bare and we had to replenish them. On my way out I bumped into Jax, the father of the Chinese family. Both he and his wife "Cindy" and their two daughters Eva and Emma speak excellent English. They couple work or worked for GE and the girls very obviously go to an international school. They seemed nice people. We had to move all 4 of them that day to "Andy's room". They so desperately wanted to stay on that they were happy to sleep together in one room. 

At 12 I had another dental appointment. This time it was to put in "onlays" on my bottom right molars as they have a lot of wear and tear and were affecting my bite. I came out with a mouth feeling very strange and it was difficult to chew at lunch time. All I could eat that day were soft things. I have two more upcoming appointments and more to come until I get a Hollywood looking set of teeth. 

Later in the afternoon, my other Chinese family, also from Shanghai, arrived. JZ, who has been here before brought his parents. I installed them in his favourite rooms, the Green Room and Suzy's room. That night we had 9 guests and a total of 12 people in the house. Amazing. 

The highlight of the day was my weekly Skype call with my dear friend Amanda. I had a lot to tell her since our last call. Most of it you will have read about here. 

I had a nasty birthday present in the form of a message from the Spanish Tax Agency that day. It had come while I was speaking to Amanda but I could only download it later. It was more arrears owing to the bad work of my accountant when I was working as a freelance accountant. The nasty present was having to fork out over 4000 euros in arrears for the financial year of 2019.  I have already forked out for 2 other years prior to 2022 and think there is still one to go. Honestly I got the worst accountant possible. I am very cross with her and her shoddy work for which I  am now paying the consequences. 

Later Eladio took Tana to the hospital as she had a large and nasty boil on her back. The A&E people at the Hospital Puerto de Hierro were most efficient. They drained it and she was in and out within an hour. That's our national health system for you. Spaniards complain about it but do not know what they are complaining about I can tell you. 

Thursday my friends was my birthday and I turned the grand old age of 67; no milestone but a bit depressing to be 3 years off 70. Oh my God. How can that be? Maybe for that reason I was not very excited about my birthday this year and didn't really have any plans. We would make them up as we went along. 

The first thing we did was walk half an hour to our local shopping arcade where we indulged in "chocolate con churros" for my birthday breakfast. We love churros and porras (the thicker kind) but only ever eat them on occasion. Once home it was my birthday present moment. I had ordered two presents which Eladio had wrapped up and gave to me with a card he had actually bought. He is a man of all trades but no good at present buying which I forgive him for. Here he is handing them to me.

My good looking husband handing me my birthday presents

And here I am receiving them. I am in red and surrounded by red, including Pippa's collar to quote my cousin Marie Helene. Even Eladio was wearing red too that day but it was all a coincidence.

Receiving my presents

These were them, a pink striped nightie and a long pink dressing gown. You see I always wear pyjamas and a dressing gown on the afternoons I don't go out as I find it so much more comfortable to wear night wear. I even receive my guests in my dressing gown which shocked my friend Sandra hahahaha.

My self bought birthday presents from Amazon

I immediately tried them on and they were a perfect fit. The nightie could even be worn as a summer dress which will come in handy.

But the best present were the words on the birthday card he bought me. Here they are, words of love from my adored husband.

Words of love from my husband on my birthday, words to cherish. 

This is a rough translation c/o Google Translate which is getting better as the years go on.

"Happy Birthday!

After 44 years of always telling you I love you, it is difficult to add something new... Well, I still love you more every day! It is wonderful to always be able to count on you, your company and your love, and continue planning another fabulous trip across the world. ILY v.m (I love you very much) Eladio". In response I gave him a big hug. 

We had my birthday lunch out that day and chose an Indian restaurant, Little India in Boadilla. The food was delicious and it was wonderful to break my diet for one day. 

Curry for my birthday lunch this week

I couldn't finish mine as I eat so slowly these days - I can only eat on one side and the onlays feel so foreign in my mouth, eating is rather difficult. I can't wait to have a full and healthy set of teeth again. When we had finished out came the owners to ask if we had enjoyed our meal. They were a delightful young Indian couple who come from Kerala. We had a long and interesting chat and we will be back. 

We spent the afternoon resting and that was the end of my birthday on the day so to speak. Except that it wasn't. At about 9 pm, Mohammad asked me to come down. He had bought me a cake with a number one candle on it. He told me that's because I am "a number one". Bless the boy, I was dumbstruck at his kindness. I had to have a photo to show you. Here he is with the cake he bought and which I later shared with all the guests.

Dear Mohammad had bought me a cake for my birthday

It was shortly afterwards that Suzy made a video call, something she hardly ever does and that was a marvelous end to my birthday. The only thing I missed that day was celebrating it with my family. But no worries, we would do that on Saturday when I invited Oli and family out for lunch. Of course they couldn't be with us on Thursday as they were working and the kids were at school.

Friday was chaotic. Guests were coming and going and some were moving rooms. Poor Tana had a huge job to perform that day. 

But before that happened, off I went for my yearly breast cancer MOT; i.e. a mammogram and a breast scan. The former is pretty painful and the latter is pain free. I was happy to hear from the woman doing the scan that I was in the all clear. Isn't that good. The last test will be a bone density test next week and then I will be all done for this year. In Spain women do a yearly gynecological test after giving birth. I am especially cautious because my mother had breast cancer.

I came home to find one set of my Chinese guests still at home when they should have checked out at 11 am. That worried me as new guests were arriving. In the end I had to ask them politely to leave. Just as we were about to have lunch Tana announced there was a leak in one of the basins in one of the rooms which was to be occupied a few hours later. Eladio went off to buy a part from a plumbing shop but was unable to fix it. Thankfully the insurance took care of it and within an hour a plumber came and fixed it. There is always something to mend in this house.

2 more guests arrived that afternoon interrupting our quiet time, a girl from France and a girl from Algeria. I think she is our first guest from that North African country. That night we had representatives from France, Algeria, Spain, Iraq, China and of course Paraguay and England. It was the United Nations in our house this week. It was also the Chinese New Year, so I got a tiny percentage of the incredible amount of Chinese people who go on holiday. Most move around their enormous country to see friends and family they haven't seen in a year. My guests are the lucky ones who get to travel abroad and enjoy a high standard of living. Both groups I had this week have  a "golden visa" which is given in Spain to people who buy property over half a million euros. 

The highlight of Friday was a Skype call with my dear friends Sandra and Adele. Sandra commented that if anyone had told us 20 years ago that some of us would be receiving complete strangers into our houses or we would be staying with complete strangers, no one would have believed us. But it is happening and I love it. We also spoke about the Chinese New Year and I found out that both Adele and I are roosters (cockerel please) in the Chinese Horoscope. Sandra is the dog. So what are roosters like? Google came up with this: "The tenth Chinese zodiac is the rooster. People born in the year of the rooster are aggressive and picky. They pay very close attention to their appearances and actions, and they are great performers. In addition with their hard-working and dependable personality, they make great leaders." Not sure I like the terms aggressive and picky. I can be picky for sure but not usually aggressive. The rest may be true. 

Saturday came and although we have had a bit of rain since we returned from Santa Pola, the sun was shining. We went for a walk, had our coffee and later agreed to meet Oli and co at the restaurant. I had chosen Finca La Espiga not far from where we live. 

We were all there by 2pm and the place was pretty full. It was great to see Elliot again who rushed into my arms and I took a seat next to him. Juliet was fast asleep and only woke up after the cake moment. We had taken along a cake from Alverán, our favourite. Covered in white chocolate and fruit with a lovely light sponge layered with whipped cream, it was brought out with great fanfare by the waiters. Wow! What a moment. They played Happy Birthday music and the whole restaurant sang to my delight. Here are some pictures to remember the moment.

Moments with my grandchildren during the family birthday lunch yesterday

Elliot helped me blow out the candles. Then we did it multiple times once Juliet woke up. Oh, what fun. Later the kids went to play with other children with a child monitor. It all ended with Juliet falling in the mud on the grass which is to be expected with a 2 year old hahaha. 

We parted ways at around 5pm. Spanish lunches generally start between 2 and 3.30 and can go on for hours. There were people still there when we left. I have to say a good time was had by all and the food was delicious.

We came home to a full house but escaped to our quarters to wind down. Eladio slept while I watched more of London Kills on the BBC iPlayer, thanks to my VPN express.

Last night the Spanish cinema awards, "Los Goya, took place in Valladolid. I was thrilled to read this morning that The Society of Snow won 12 of them including best picture and best director. What a film. It is now on the list for best foreign film at the Oscars and I sincerely hope it wins. I have watched if of course but also recently read 3 books; 2 by the survivors who made the expedition to freedom, Roberto Canessa and Fernando (Nando) Fernando Parrado, as well as they book called Alive written by Piers Paul Read which are all excellent. But my obsession with the stories of the Andes crash in 1972 where 16 survived, continues as I shall watch the first film, Alive (Viven) again after all these years. I have also downloaded the sample of a new book upon which the Society of Snow was based. Of the same name it is written by the Uruguayan journalist and writer Pablo Vierci. If you are interested, I really recommend you see The Society of Snow which is available on Netflix.

Today is Sunday, the last day of this week which has been full of events. Next week we will be busy too and have something to look forward to. On St. Valentine's Day we shall be spending the night at the Parador in La Granja de San Ildefonso, about an hour form home. We were last there in 2011 for my 54th birthday, all 5 of us with my dearest father who was a sprightly 92 at the time.  Thanks to my blog which is a veritable archive of our life, I found these two photos from our stay there. I am happy to share them here again 13 years later.

Photos from our stay at the Parador in La Granja 13 years ago in 2011 

Gosh, where have the years gone? Tempus fugit my father would have said. So I told Eladio yesterday we have to make the best of the years we have left of health and stamina. The thought of becoming decrepit is not a nice one as old age is just so cruel. Having things to look forward to is always important to me, even if it's just a night away at a Parador, or lunch out. Doing things together is always a joy with my dearest husband. 

On that happy note, I shall leave you now until next week,

Cheers till then,

Masha

Secrets to a successful marriage revealed, Grandparent duty week, off to Santa Pola, happy to be by the seaside in February and other stories of the week.

 Santa Pola, Sunday, 4th February, 2024

Lovely to be beside the sea in February

Good morning all from Santa Pola. We have come here to see Suzy and to pick up the Volvo which she says she doesn't need. She had told us it wasn't working so we came in the Mini and will have to drive back in  two cars  now.  Hopefully, whatever was wrong with the Volvo would be fixed during our stay until  Tuesday. As things turned out, it was perfectly ok. It was the "cards" that had told her not to touch it!

This week was grandparent duty week. Our schedule depends on Olivia's husband, Miguel. He works 7 days on and 7 days off. So when he is working and, depending on his timetable, we have to come to the rescue. This week he was sent to Benidorm- the mecca of the worst type of Spanish tourism, to cover the awful music festival to choose Spain's candidate for the Eurovision song contest. So we had to spend a couple of nights with the kids and take them to school. We also had to baby sit while Oli went to her French classes on Tuesday and Thursday.  The weeks we have to babysit mean we can't go away and I am wondering how they will cope when we go off on our road trip in April. I have offered Tana, our housemaid's services but my daughter prefers us to look after the kids. 

But let me rewind to last Sunday where I last left off to tell you about our rather quiet week. I had a headache all day which I couldn't shake off all week. I don't know why but they come and go and have been the bane of my life. Thank goodness though I haven't had a migraine in years. You would have thought our 1 hour power walk would have helped but it didn't. Oli and the kids came for lunch and I made "cocido madrileño" - a meat, veg and chickpea based stew like dish which is a great favourite in the winter.  We managed a coffee together in between and some fruit shopping. At Manacor we spoke again about our travel plans. I am gradually getting Eladio round to the idea of another road trip instead of flying somewhere exotic. We thought of all the historical and interesting places we haven't seen in Greece and Turkey, so .... watch this space again.

You wouldn't believe we had 7 guests in the house that night representing Morocco, Iraq, Portugal, Colombia and Spain. Include the 3 of us and you have England and Paraguay to add to the list. Oh my! It was full house all this week. The good thing though is that everyone was out during the week and they all ate at different hours so the kitchen was never really full.

There is not much to say about Monday. We went for our walk - have been very good about them this week. We had coffee again at Manacor and Oli joined us for lunch. She took 3 days off work to take the kids to school, leaving us with just two days of that responsibility. We talked at lunch about the Spanish made film, The Society of Snow - the new film about the Andes crash in 1972 with 45 people on board. It has been nominated for best foreign film at the Oscars and I hope it wins. 15 of them were members of a Uruguayan rugby team. I watched it recently and it's not as good as the previous one, Alive but it got me interested once again on what happened. Olivia admitted she is equally obsessed. I remember the story as a teenager and it has always fascinated me just as the story of the Titanic has.  She got me watching a great documentary on RTVE Play made on the 30th anniversary of the crash which I found even more interesting than the films. You can only see it in Spain or with a Spanish VNP. Called "Stranded! The Andes Plane Crash Survivors" (also on YouTube) , it interviews many of the survivors. The images  are so good, you often can't tell which are original and which are not. The story for me is one of incredible survival.  It's not the cannibalism which maybe awful but  they had to do it. The part that fascinates me most is how Roberto Canessa and Fernando (Nando) Parrado, aged about 20  led the expedition to find help. To do so they had to cross the Cordillera (mountain range) across to Chile and walk more than 68 miles with very little food and zero equipment for 10 whole days.  That for me is the miracle. I later read the book by Canessa who is now a renowned heart surgeon. Anyway, if you haven't seen The Society of Snow and are interested, I strongly recommend you do. It's on Netflix. 

When Oli had gone I did some shopping (on Amazon). I bought my own birthday presents for next week 8th February. As I spend most afternoons in my pyjamas and dressing gown, that's what I got; all in pink, my favourite colour for lounge wear. I bought them in 5 minutes with a few clicks. If I had gone to the shops I would have had to trail round quite a few  to find such variety. So, again, I am feeding the monster Amazon. Sorry (gulp). 

In my Skype call that afternoon with Amanda  we both spoke of our memories of that crash. We caught up on our lives as we always do. Sometimes we commiserate but often we laugh and I need to laugh these days as you probably know. 

The kitchen early on Tuesday morning was pretty full with my guests  coming and going. One of them, Omar, was making Moroccan tea with a special silver coloured pot and was offering it to all of us. I love Moroccan tea but not in the morning. As you know, it's coffee I need first. It was fun to watch Mohammad from Iraq talking to Omar in Arabic although the former told me it's very different. Eladio saw one of the Moroccans on one of our Persian mats bobbing up and down the other day as he prayed. They leave their shoes outside their bedroom. Many people, many customs. Oh,  how international our house is and that's just how I love it. My Portuguese and Colombian girl students, Inés and Gabriela became fast friends, both studying at the local UEM University. That often happens and it's nice to see. 

By the time Eladio was down for breakfast at around 9.45, all them had gone. Later we went on our walk and then drove to Manacor for coffee in the sun. Again we talked about our trip. 

Lunch was a  quiet affair. Tana had gone into town - to take her monthly wages probably to be sent straight to Paraguay - and we were alone. We had a short siesta and then went to meet Oli and the kids at a park near their school where their friends go. We took her place while she went off to her French lesson. Here are a couple of photos of the kids at the park that day; Juliet on the swings with her grandfather (Booboo) and Elliot on the climbing frame like the little monkey he is.

The kids at the park on Tuesday afternoon

I watched both grandchildren mostly on the small roundabout with their friends and witnessed the new bad language Elliot is learning. Eladio wasn't alarmed and told me to ignore it. In the old days he would have had his mouth washed with soap but these days children get away with everything. They become little dictators and need more boundaries. It was Elliot who tole me when it was time to go home and we took them to their house - more manageable than ours hahaha. We fed them but not with the food their mother had left but with pasta and tomato Elliot chose from the fridge. He kicked up a bit of a fuss but they both eventually had their dinner. I put my foot down at ice cream for dessert and got them to eat strawberries and raspberries instead. Elliot was being a bit too rough and frisky and kept hitting poor Juliet who seemed to be crying most of the time. We heaved a huge sigh of relief when finally their mother walked through the door at 8.30. Soon we were off and home to dinner laid on the table in our dining room - all very civilised. We both admitted we were exhausted after 3 hours with  the kids. 

The end of the day saw me watching an interview with Carlos Sainz (aged 61) who has just won his 4th Dakar rally and must be the oldest to have done so. He has all my admiration. What a guy, really, what a guy. I wonder if he has to do grandfather duty too?

Wednesday came and we were free of grandparent duty until the evening. This time we walked to the nearest shopping centre to have our coffee. 

Eladio with Pippa when we went to have coffee on Wednesday morning

There we bumped into an old friend, Javier (Ares), a rather famous sports commentator in this country. I know him well from my cycling days - the days when I worked for Motorola who sponsored a cycling team. Those were the days, they really were. 

I could not shake off my headache that afternoon and in the end decided on a luxurious jacuzzi where I sank into the scalding water and put my neck against the gushing water. It helped a bit. It probably sounds swanky that we have a jacuzzi in our bathroom but we do as it was there when we bought the house. We hardly ever use it and I would never have bought one myself but that day I was glad to have one. 

Mohammad grabbed me after dinner, wanting a chat. Aged 34, this dear boy who is a Muslim from  Iraq, a rather restrictive country when it comes to equal rights,  wanted to know the secret of  the success of our marriage. I think he is trying to plan his future marriage and wonders how to go about it.

He had been looking at photos of us in the house, specifically of one of our wedding day when Eladio is looking at me with so much love in his eyes and needed to hear the answer. I don't have the photo here, so am including one I particularly like taken in 2005, quite a while back.

Eladio and I in 2005  - always happy together. PS both our teeth were A1 colour in 2005:-(

PPS reading through this just before publishing it, I had to include another photo of us looking very much in love. It's from our St. Valentine's dinner in 2017 and taken by Olivia. Not sure what colour my teeth were by then (hahaha).  Here it is. 

St. Valentine's 2017, showing our love as always. 

Coming back to Mohammad's questions, my advice was to go with the flow and wait for the right person to come along.  To explain myself I taught him an English expression which he loved and which is "a watched pot never boils". More concretely he wanted to know how Eladio knew I was the one for him. That conversation is still pending. Meanwhile,  I gave him my answer but I also gave him a short  lesson on the basic values needed for a partnership to succeed. In my view, apart from a physical attraction, these are: equality (oh how I stressed that) together with freedom and independence and then trust,  respect, admiration, companionship, similar values and love of course. Of all these trust has to come at the top. Without trust there can be no life long happy marriage. Eladio and I trust each other, otherwise we wouldn't still be married. These, in my experience, are the secrets and ingredients of a successful marriage. Would you agree? In a way all the former make up what love is, as I understand it. I explained myself further by saying that after the first passionate phase of a love affair which leads to marriage, the passion is replaced by them all; companionship, respect, admiration, etc. . I hope I gave him the right answer. 

As an afterthought, you may be wondering what attracted me to Eladio. Well, many things. First he was good looking, dark, chunky and handsome. But what I admired about him most was how cultured and knowledgeable he was. He had, after all, studied to be a priest, so his knowledge of theology, logic,  psychology, history, Latin, Ancient Greek, Ancient Hebrew and of course, his main subject, philosophy, made for a very well educated man. But at the same time he has his feet firmly on the ground and, in contrast to my equally academic father, he is very good with his hands and can fix most things. He hails from a rural village in the north of Spain so is good with both animals and the land, not to mention anything to do with fire - oh how he loves making a fire:-). My friend Sandra always calls him "shepherd boy" and he was. But just look how far he has come. He also had a car; something my family never had as neither of my parents drove which was most unusual when I was young. I also admire his manners, the way he treats people with kindness and above all his patience. My girls tend to think I bully him into doing things. The truth is that he is happy to go along with most plans. He is also very difficult to argue with. The result is most unusual as we hardly ever quarrel. Then of course he loves me so much he never looks at other women; not that I am the jealous type. More points in his favour are that he is not the jealous type and gives me as much space as I need. We both give each other space and that, in a tight knit couple, I think, is important. When he reads this maybe he will be thinking what attracted me to him, apart from the fact that I was a pretty and young English blonde girl:). I suppose these days we could say he is the yin to my yang or is it the other way round? Doesn't matter. What I mean to say is we are the balance of two opposites as upfront we are very different. 

Anyway, back to our week. 

Suddenly it was Thursday and the first day of February. We both had a dental appointment that day. Mine was for root canal treatment (ouch) and Eladio just went along for a check up. We have been going to the same dentist, Dr. Garralda in Majadahonda, for more than 30 years and I dread the day he retires. He is fixing my whole mouth and I am hoping I will have Hollywood teeth when he has finished. Eladio - lucky man - only needed dental cleaning as his teeth are virtually perfect. He hadn't been for 2 or 3 years yet each and everyone of them is in its place. He has one implant though - as some stupid dentist removed a tooth when he was in his twenties, one which could easily have been saved. I shall never forget the colour it was ordered in, "A1", the whitest of white teeth. Mine used to be A1 too but no longer thanks to my being a stupid smoker. 

Garralda did a great job and we walked out into sunshine in the street and drove home together for lunch. Thankfully the root canal treatment went well and didn't hurt a bit either during the procedure or after. 

That afternoon we were on grandparent duty for the second time this week and met at the same park - Miguel Hernández, next to the kids school. There we met Olivia at 5.30, shortly after which she disappeared for her French lesson. Tres bien ma fille:-) The kids enjoy the park with their friends and it is the best place to babysit as they are occupied the whole time. Here is a lovely photo of Elliot by the measuring poster the park has. He is just over 1 metre high. In a few years time he will be taller than me.

Measuring Elliot at the park on Thursday

It was Elliot who told me when it was time to go home. So off we went in the Mini with the two of them in the back in their child seats. Once home they both played for a bit. I caught Juliet on camera - she never poses or smiles for the camera, so this is the best I got.

Juliet playing at home on Thursday

When they started playing up we decided it was time for dinner. Oli had left the mixture for me to make some tortilla for them which is their favourite food. But oh my, neither of us could fathom her induction hob. I have used many induction hobs but this one stumped me. So I offered them ham with avocado which they refused. Thankfully I found some more of the same leftover spaghetti bolognese I gave them on  Tuesday which they did accept. 

Poor Eladio had to stay the night - he sleeps better there than I do. So I was able to escape at 8pm. I came home to have dinner alone and then go to bed with Pippa. I also packed for our journey here so as to be able to leave as early as possible on Friday.

I was up at 6 am on Friday morning  after only 4 hours sleep to be at Oli's house on time to help Eladio get the kids ready and take them to school - no easy task. But we managed it. Here is little Juliet in one of the playground toy cars before she entered her attractive looking class.

Little Juliet just before entering her class

By the time we were on the road it was already 10.30 but we were in no hurry. We stopped on the way for a coffee and then a lovely lunch at the Parador in Albacete. We must have got to the flat at around 5 pm and there was Suzy to welcome us. We found a clean and orderly apartment. We also found the Volvo was working and only needed to replace the gas bottle for the heater. It's warm here during the day but the nights are quite cold. It is February after all. We had a simple dinner together and then it was time for bed as I was bushed. My headache was still there but I managed to sleep till 7 in the morning with interruptions of course but at least my tiredness had gone and I was ready for the day.

And what a beautiful, sunny day it was on Saturday. It had a bad beginning though when I got a message from Airbnb with a complaint from a very difficult Chinese guest who had arrived way past the check in time on Friday night. She was nothing but trouble since the moment she booked. Her main complaint was that there was no lock on her door which is clearly stated in the listing. She also complained the room was dirty when I know it was sparkling clean. She had sent in photos of the bedstead and a gap between doors where there was absolutely no proof of dirt. She also complained about paying to use the washing machine, also clear in the rules.  Tana told me she had wanted to wash 2 whole suitcases of clothes when she arrived and was only staying for two nights. She made the complaint and left and you know what? Good riddance, except that the issue had me toing and froing with Airbnb most of the morning. Mohammad who helped Tana to accommodate the guest later told me she was not right in her mind (OMG). I'm happy to tell you though that 99.9% of my guests are great. I feel sorry for the host of the next Airbnb she goes to. 

But I didn't want the issue to spoil my morning so I shoved it out of my mind and we went for a walk and a coffee, the three of us with Pippa of course. We headed to the old coastal road that leads to Santa Pola and parked just before the lovely promenade called Almirante Carrero Blanco. There we had coffee at Ca Pacorro which was buzzing. Oh how wonderful to sit and have coffee in the sun and by the sea. We sat for a while and then went for a long walk. I needed photos for this week's post and Suzy obliged. I have chosen one of them as this week's feature photo and here is another - again the two of us and this time it is me looking admiringly or lovingly at my dear husband. 

Happy on our walk on Saturday - me looking lovingly at my husband and with little Pippa in my arms. 

Pippa is in my arms, of course as, well you know, in this marriage, we are not 2 but 3 (hahaha). 

We spent a long time out in the beautiful sunshine before returning to the car and then heading to get some petrol and some food at the proverbial Mercadona. We came home to have a simple lunch of vegetable soup, fish and cauliflower. That left me hungry in the afternoon and eager for my dinner. I have now been on a sort of diet since the end of Christmas and I eat very healthily but sometimes feel more hungry than usual. Don't worry though, it's my birthday next week and I shall have my cake and eat it - to use another English expression, although it doesn't really apply (hahaha) but seems fitting.

We ended the night watching the news as usual. Oh how depressing it is. The wars continue in Ukraine and Gaza. There is a huge worry that the latter will and is spreading in the region since the US struck Iranian targets in Iraq and Syria this week. When I read of bombs going off in Baghdad, I thought of Mohammad's family. Oh, how worried his parents who are teachers of Psychology at the University there, must be. We later watched a film on Netflix called Will. It's set in Antwerp in WW2 and is interesting but a bit slow so we cut it short and went to bed early.

Today is Sunday and the sun has just come out. I think we shall go the jumble sale later and possibly spend the morning in the pretty town of Villajoyosa. We shall be heading home on Tuesday so next week's post will be published from Madrid as usual, where you can read about the rest of our stay here with Suzy. 

Meanwhile, I wish you all a happy Sunday.

Cheers till next week,

Masha

Registered to vote in the UK - hurray, spring weather in January, a morning in Boadilla village, lunch out and other tales of the week.

 Sunday, 28th January, 2024

A warn and sunny walk on Wednesday morning 

Good morning friends and readers. What a warm and sunny week it has been. The temperatures have been more like April or May and several records have been broken for January. That's great of course but worrying too. It the temperature reached 29ºc in Murcia and 27ºc in Valencia this week, what will the weather will be like in the summer?  Unbearably hot. Spain will one day be a desert, no doubt. Selfishly thinking, we could always move north. But even in Asturias this week it reached 21c. 

On the world's stage, war continues in Ukraine and in Gaza. What can I say? I am sick of it. But we have the great privilege of living in Western Europe and in the EU, where things are relatively safe. My heart goes out to those whose lives have been taken or those who have lost their loved ones, not to mention their homes. This week our dear friends, Kathy and Phil, practically lost their lovely Victorian house in Keighley, West Yorkshire. They come home from a Winter break in Barcelona to find the house completely flooded from burst pipes in the attic. Their house is ruined, down to the very brick of its walls. I cannot imagine their shock. The insurance people are doing their best, but it looks like they will have to spend a year in lodgings until the house is fit for living in again. My heart goes out to them too. What an awful thing to happen. It happened to us once  in our previous house in Boadilla (Río Tajo 5). We came home to a burst pipe with water gushing out but it was in the basement not the top floor. We commented this week, thank God we have someone living here all the time when we are absent. Maybe the solution in the future is just to switch the water off. We do that in our house in Montrondo. 

Last Sunday we had Oli and the kids round for lunch. They duly arrived as I was in the middle of making roast lamb. Elliot was apparently ill and had been diagnosed with a strep throat. The correct term for this bacteria is "streptococcus" which sounds quite dangerous if not treated. He had been prescribed antibiotics in a child like strawberry tasting mixture. But, he refused to be given it. He has always refused medicine. We tried as best we could but it didn't work. He also refused up until a short while ago to have his hair cut.The alternative was to force him physically and none of us had the heart to do that. So, I hope his body will be able to get rid of the strep naturally. A while back he had a very painful ear infection and preferred the pain to taking medicine. When I was a child I remember biting doctors who tried to come anywhere near me. So maybe I am in no position to correct his behaviour, not that he would let me as he has  a mind of his own. 

The afternoon was quiet but interrupted by yet another horrible and recriminatory Whatsapp message. What had we done this time? It made me very upset and put off any desire to go away to Asturias the next day which had been our plan. 

Monday came and brought with it news in the form of an email with an attached letter from Bradford City Council. It was to confirm I can now vote again in the UK. This comes after my application sent last week following the new law that finally allows overseas UK citizens who have lived abroad for more than 15 years to vote again. This was it. 

The letter from Bradford City Council confirming I am now registered to vote in the UK as an overseas elector for Bradford West. 

I was given the option of using a proxy to vote on my behalf which I suppose must be someone in the same constituency, so I opted to be registered as a postal voter. Although to tell the truth I would far prefer to be able to vote in person. I tried to think who I voted for the last time I went to the polling station which used to be in Shipley. It must have been Edward Heath or Margaret Thatcher!  I have always voted Conservative but my God, I won't be this time. Not that Labour is any great alternative. But at least I have my suffrage rights back; finally!

On that happy note we went to Ikea that morning to buy a small desk for Oli's room which is now being used by Maria. She needs one and so do future guests. I love Ikea don't you? I was a bit cross with them though that day as they wouldn't sell me 8 plates which were on exhibition and not for sale. Honestly what do they do with all their exhibition stuff I wonder?

The highlight of the day was my Skype call with Amanda where we discussed my new voting rights and who we voted for back in the day. 

Tuesday brought another awful Whatsapp audio message which we have to live with. Of note we went out for coffee and did some more food shopping. To cheer us up I booked a night at the Parador in La Granja de Segovia. I took them up on a St. Valentine's romantic package. This is what it includes.

The Paradors' St. Valentine's offer

If you have not heard of Paradors, they are state run hotel like establishments with a difference. Most of them are housed in historical buildings and they are usually synonymous with quality. Now we have something to look forward to. 

I spent most of the afternoon waiting for a new guest, 18 year old Gabriela and her aunt. Instead of taking a taxi from the airport they decided on public transport which is not easy as there is no direct route. My listing highlights the fact that public transport is scarce and that a car is essential but people either don't read or care. Later in the week they were using scooters to get about. 

Wednesday was 24th January. I love the 24th day of the month as it is pension day. Thanks to always having paid the maximum tax contribution I now enjoy the maximum pension as does Eladio. Recently a financial journalist friend accused me of not having saved into a pension fund or not having saved money. I was a bit taken aback.  No we didn't, we preferred to invest in bricks and mortar. We never understood financial services, stocks and shares or any of that but we do understand buying and selling houses. So they are our pension fund. 

Wednesday saw us on a lovely sunny walk, as you can see in the feature photo above. Later Eladio got on with the job of mounting the Ikea table and I caught him on camera.

Eladio mounting a new desk for Oli's room

He finished in later in the week and this is what it looks like. It's functional and small, but the only one we could find which would fit in the only space available.

A new desk for our guests

Thursday was just as quiet as the rest of the week.  We went for a coffee and sat outside but not in the sun as it was too hot - in January! The weather is unbelievable right now and I dread to think what the summer will be like. We spoke this time of this year's trip. Eladio is not that keen on doing 13,000 kilometres again although I am. The alternative is a trip far away by plane. He suggested Vietnam and I added Cambodia and Laos. That is a region we would both love to go to so stay tuned.  But it's not a region we know much about except for its history of war during our youth, so I must do some research. I am also tempted by Mongolia. Thus the world is our oyster and aren't we lucky that it is?

I finished the whole of Downton Abbey that day and now feel orphaned. I will miss the characters so much. I turned to Call the Midwife Season 13 on the BBC iPlayer which I love but not as much as "Downton". I am obsessed with life at the beginning of the last century. Whenever I saw the year on the screen, such as 1924, my first thought was "oh my father would have been 5 years old". He lived through that era and the war and life has changed so much. Here is a photo of the family on their pony and trap taken in 1923. How  different a life it was for him in 2021 when he died. He could never have imagined all that was to come, neither could have my grandfather born in 1887 in Anglesey, Wales. 

My father, his brother Raymond and parents Canon John Lloyd and Dorothy Gertrude Scull on their pony (Tommy) and trap in 1923 - Probably taken in Amington, near Tamworhth, former Staffordshire, where my father was born. 

My father had written the details on the back including the name of the pony which was Tommy!  I treasure that photo. By 1926, my grandfather had a car which he must have bought when they moved to Sledmere (Yorkshire). This is it, outside the rectory which we were lucky to visit on my trip down memory lane in 2019. I think it is a "Morris Cowley". 

My grandather's car in 1926 - photo taken outside the rectory in Sledmere, in the "East Riding" of Yorkshire

From what I gathered from my father and from writing his biography, my grandfather was a very modern man for his times. I do think these photos are very Downton. Maybe, now you understand my obsession. 

Friday came, another very sunny day. I slept reasonably well that night. We had a full house of guests; Maria from Galicia, Gabriela and her aunt from Colombia, an absent Inés from Portugal, Leticia from Burgos and Mohammad from Iraq. Today we shall be full house too when 3 Moroccan guests arrive occupying "Andy's room" which is now being renamed as "Leticia's room". 

I woke up thinking I would like to do something different that day as we are rather in a rut with out routines. So I suggested we go for a walk in the old part of Boadilla - nearby village, have coffee there and then lunch out. I booked a table at one of my favourite restaurants, De María in Majadahonda. It's an Argentinian steak house right across the road from the Atlético de Madrid playing fields, so full of football people and quite expensive.

We had a glorious morning. Coffee time was in the old square opposite a medieval church with three or four pairs of storks. I caught Eladio on camera in a rather nice photo I think, don't you?

Coffee time in Boadilla on Friday

From there we walked into the Infante Don Luis Palace gardens which are open all year round. Here is a picture to record that visit. We always wish the palace was more than a façade and used for a purpose but I suppose that would be too much for the village finances.

In the gardens of the palace in Boadilla del Monte

It was built by Infante Don Luis de Borbon, brother of King Charles III, in 1765 and the architect was Ventura Rodríguez, the most famous of those times. The palace and gardens and outer buildings dominate the historic centre of Boadilla, just 15km from Madrid. We walked out of the gardens and instead of heading to the park which we know so well, we took another path, which takes you past allotments and other palace buildings, such as the one Eladio is posing next to in this picture.

Enjoying the weather in Boadilla on Friday

We have lived in or near Boadilla since 1988, yet had never been on that path. When our walk ended it was time to drive to the restaurant in Majadahonda for lunch. 

We sat outside on the terrace; a luxury in January. Here is Eladio studying the menu. After Covid most menus are QR codes - something my father would never have fathomed, hahahaha. 

Eladio studying the menu at De María on Friday

They give you so many extras  at De Maria, we decided to go for just one course each and we couldn't even finish that. The older you get the less you can eat; unless it's chocolate or ice cream, in my case, hahahaha.

We came home to have a delicious siesta, except that I couldn't sleep. In any case we had had a lovely and different sort of day; a day to remember.

Yesterday, Saturday, was another warm and sunny day. We should have gone for a walk but instead drove into Boadilla, to the modern part, far away from the village itself, to have coffee at Manacor. Manacor is our latest favourite coffee haunt. I love Alveran, but OMG, their service is so slow. We sat for an hour on the terrace savouring our coffee (well, me at least) discussing our worries about our daughter Suzy. We go round and round in circles talking but we can't do anything. If last week I wrote we had lent her the Volvo, this week she told us she doesn't want it and that, according to her, it's not working. What has gone wrong?  We shall have to drive to Santa Pola in the Mini to find out.

Today is the last Sunday of January. Oli and the kids are coming for lunch as Miguel has been sent by TVE to Benidorm for 8 days. It's to cover some ghastly festival where they choose the candidate for the Eurovision Song Contest. That means that this week we shall be on grandchildren duty and will have to take them to school on Wednesday and Thursday. Otherwise, no doubt, we would have gone to Asturias as the good weather is going to continue. We will go one day soon and I look forward to that. I have always thought it's important to have something to look forward to. 

But I must leave you now as I have to get on with the day and start preparing the lunch too. 

Cheers then until next Sunday,

Masha

Sunday in Santa Pola, Suzy came home with us, reunited with Elliot and Juliet, Brits abroad for more than 15 years regain general election vote and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, 21st January, 2024

In my element at the Sunday  Jumble Sale in Gran Alacant last Sunday

Good morning again friends and readers.

As you can see, we are home again and only stayed a few days in Gran Alacant (Santa Pola). We had to be back to sleep at Oli's on Wednesday and Thursday night to take the kids to school in the morning as Miguel was away this week. And - it's a big and - Suzy came with us. That is because we are lending her our Volvo for while she is living there. Thus she had to drive us home. We could have gone back by train but with Pippa it would have been a bit of a challenge. Before I continue,  let me rewind to where I last left off. 

Last Sunday saw us deliberating about lending her our car and managing with just the Mini ourselves at home. In the end we decided she needed it more than us as the apartment is in a location where having a car is a must. Now that she will be more independent transport wise, it also means, that if she wants, she can try and get a job and won't have  trouble getting to work. All we want is for her to be happy and to be safe. I'm sure you understand. 

Last Sunday we did lots of things and I enjoyed our morning thoroughly. It started off with a video call with Alexandra, an old colleague from Yoigo (Telia). She is from St. Petersburg but lives in Almaty (Kazakhstan) and works for Coca Cola as their Communications Director for Eurasia and The  Caucasus. She got in touch as her brother is getting married in Spain and had lots of questions to ask me. I also took the opportunity to ask her some too. They are regarding our possible new road trip this year to Eurasia; to Azerbaijan and the "Stan" countries. She told me Turkmenistan is a no no, that she would look into ferries crossing the Caspian sea and told me that the safe countries were Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and also Kyrgyzstan. I really hope we meet when she comes to Madrid. Talk about "Nokia reconnecting colleagues", our internal slogan.  It was more than good to talk to her. 

The next item on the agenda was going to a jumble sale across the road from our apartment. Imagine, a jumble sale in Spain! I've loved them since I was a child.  I think they are called Car boot sales these days, but I'm sticking with the term I used when I lived in England. . There are very few second hand markets in Spain and here they call them "charity markets" (mercadillos de solidaridad). I reckon those that exist on the coast do so because of the Brits living there. It was great fun and I bought some dog food and water bowls for Pippa for 1 euro, 6 gorgeous wine glasses for 3 euros as well as a beautiful Snow White outfit for Juliet. The photo illustrating this week's post is of me by the wine glass stall. Here are some more.

Shots from our visit to the jumble sale in Gran Alacant last Sunday

If my sister-in-law, Dolores is reading this, she should know I had her in my mind while going round the stalls as she is a huge fan of second hand markets. Next time she comes I'll take her there. It's open every Sunday morning.

By then it was mid morning coffee time and once again we went to the lovely new cafe called "Dime qué no" (tell me not). It was sunny but as it's so popular there was nowhere to sit outside. Thus we went inside and oh my what wonderful baked things they have. I took a poor shot of Eladio buying some bread for himself and Suzy who are bread monsters - as is Oli, my other daughter. 

Eladio buying bread at the new local cafe and bakery, "Dime qué no"

We sat next to an interesting looking couple who have identical twin girls aged 3. We got talking - as I normally do (Eladio commented I am just like my mother in that way) and it turns out the man is from Iran and his wife is a "Berber" from Morocco. They both spoke perfect Spanish and English. It was interesting to meet an Iranian living in Spain. Again, I heard from him that it is perfectly safe to travel there (we would love to include it in our road trip) as long as we don't do anything against the government which could be many things.  We also learned they are the owners of a very popular restaurant here called "Atípico" which we must go to one day. Have to say there are people from all parts of the world living in Gran Alacant. Gran Alacant is like a huge community with lots of different gated communities. Oh how it has grown since we bought our modest little flat there in the spring of 1999, the year my mother died. I always wished she could have seen it.  

By then it was midday and time for a much needed walk. It was so warm we really enjoyed walking by the sea on the lovely newly discovered promenade called Almirante Carrero Blanco. Lots of people were out enjoying the sun,  with their dogs or on their bikes or scooters.

Pippa met two of her kind which is always fun. When we got her 9 years ago, I hardly ever saw another miniature, chocolate coloured and smooth haired dachshund like her - called Teckels here - but now sausage dogs of all kinds  have grown enormously in popularity. I always observe that she makes immediate friends with her same breed. How can that be I wonder? Whatever the answer, it is always like this and such a pleasure to watch. We then talk to the owners about dachshunds' personalities and traits and they always coincide: very needy, territorial, protective, loving, wanting to be close to their owner and others. One is that dachshunds always pick their main human owner - like the head of the pack. In Pippa's world that is me and I feel so blessed. Never have I loved any dog as much as her. They always say that dogs are a man's best friend and that is certainly true in our case. I always say too that in our marriage we are not 2 but 3 hahaha. 

We were home to lunch prepared by Suzy. It was then that we offered her the Volvo. At first she was hesitant but as I wrote above, she has accepted it gratefully and brought us home. I really hope it makes her life easier in Gran Alacant. To decide she had to read her Tarot cards!  So, as you see there was peace in Santa Pola but the worries don't go away.  She spent most of her time during our stay preparing a video for her YouTube channel which is 39 minutes long. She asked me to listen to the audio where she hopes to channel messages from "the Galactic family" to people who need help or are having a spiritual awakening like her. I did so with a heavy heart but if that is her choice of life, so be it. I can do nothing to change it; just have her best interests at mind and care for her as much as possible.  We had fun moments that night on the terrace where it was 16ºc, looking at old photos of her with her sister. I wondered what on earth went wrong.

I missed the news but did see some of the scenes of the ascension to the throne of the new King Frederick X of Denmark. There was no actual coronation as such. I thought his mother leaving him quietly from the balcony was quite poignant.  Queen Margrethe II reigned from 1972 to 2024 and after the death of "The" Queen and herself, there are no longer any female reigning monarchs that I know of. She is aged 83 and I wish her a happy late retirement. I wonder if other monarchs or even the Pope may follow suit? I often think they have the right to retire like we ordinary mortals, don't you? So long live The King of Denmark but also a happy retirement to his very popular mother.

I slept dreadfully that night. My bloody cough won't go away. I was up at 7.30 or so on Monday morning. It was then Suzy told us the cards had said to accept the car and then that we decided to come back on Tuesday. It was warm again that morning which seemed to be too  busy to enjoy leisurely. The light went with all that that meant, I was inundated with questions from potential Airbnb guests and a hundred other things I had to respond to that frankly I felt a little overwhelmed. Finally I was free around 12.30 and out we went for a well deserved mid morning coffee. As you know nothing will stand between me  and my favourite  daily habit. Shopping at Mercadona was next on the agenda as I had to take food home and leave some there for Suzy. 

We came back to a quiet lunch and spent the afternoon in peace. Tuesday came. I was up early. It was sunrise when I took Pippa down and once again I admired the view of the Bay of Alicante from our apartment. I never tire of it. 

The view of the Bay of Alicante from our apartment at sunrise on Tuesday 

We left just after 10.30 with Suzy at the wheel. She was delighted to be driving again. I sat in the back with Pippa doing my daily NYT Spelling Bee, a fixture of my mornings these days. We stopped for lunch on the way at Mesón San José in Zafra de Záncara, 136km from home. It's a place we know well and they serve good food. Towards the end of our meal Suzy went to take Pippa out and came to the window by our table. I had to have a photo. Suzy doesn't often let me take one so I snapped one quickly.

Suzy with Pippa at Mesón de San José where we had lunch on our way home from Gran Alacant.

Pippa was not allowed in but got a bit of Eladio's rabbit which must have delighted it. No way can I eat rabbit but when it's on the menu my husband often chooses it.

We were home at around 4 pm. We just had time to unpack and settle in before Oli arrived with the kids. Suzy hadn't seen them seem August and the reunion was so sweet with both Juliet and Elliot. We were left with them alone as Oli went off to her French class. What a pair. Here they are posing for the  camera while we tried to entertain them before their father came.

Elliot and Juliet came to see Aunty Suzy

They were delighted to see their Aunty Suzy again as she was delighted to see them and scooped them up in her arms.

When they went I had an hour to rest before a quiet dinner with Suzy and Eladio in our dining room - a bowl of soup and ham. It was good to see Mohammad and Maria again. Mohammad told me they had missed me and that the house was very quiet. What lovely young people they are.

We went to bed early and watched the news. The news that did excite me this week came that night when a friend sent me an article from the BBC. It was entitled "Brits living abroad for more than 15 years get general election vote" - that's me I thought. A few years ago I read something similar and in my eagerness wrote to my last constituency (West Bradford) to get on the electoral roll and I got a negative reply. But it's real this time and I hope I will once again be able to vote. It is estimated there are up to 3 million people like me out there. I always think that if we had been able to vote the outcome of the Brexit referendum would have gone the other way and then Britain wouldn't be in the mess it is today.  It was WW2 veteran Harry Shindler who lived in Italy for 40 years who championed the cause . He said "There was a war to bring the vote to the people of Europe. We won the war, but some of the people who took part in the war, me included, are not allowed to vote themselves" His case was my father's case too and it sad that the new law comes too late for them. For me that was  good news and about bloody time if you don't mind me saying so. 

I slept badly and coughed the night through and got up far too early on Wednesday morning. I think I slept about 4 hours so when I came up for my shower I promptly fell asleep for 1 hour and then woke up feeling like a zombie. But things had to be done. It was Suzy's only day at home and Oli was coming for lunch. She went with her sister to take the kids to school and then to the hairdresser for a badly needed cut. We went to do a few errands and then met up with her for coffee at Alverán. Here she is kissing her father which I wanted on camera as I don't often get her on camera. 

Suzy kissing her father

They went off together to get some vegan cosmetics for her while I went to the bank. I caught them on camera again a short while later. So here's another photo of Suzy for this week's blog. She has been absent from it for so long and it was about time she was back.

Suzy with her father in Boadilla on Tuesday

We went on to do the shopping and met at home later. Olivia arrived just on time for lunch and for once it was the 4 of us around the table. I only wish I had thought to take a photo.

Soon it was time for them both to leave; Oli to pick up the kids and Suzy to drive back to Santa Pola in the Volvo which is now hers while she is living there. 

We had a quiet afternoon and dinner and then I had to drive Eladio to Oli's house where he was staying the night as both Olivia and Miguel would be up at 6 and 7 in the morning and the kids can't be left alone. I agreed to be there at 8 am on Thursday morning to help him get them ready for school.

Once home I did an important thing. I applied online to register to vote in the UK. I honestly thought it would be difficult as I don't remember or have my national insurance number. But it was actually quite easy. This is the link to follow if you are a Brit abroad like me who wants to vote again. I was pleasantly surprised to get a confirmation message and thought it was quite an historic moment for me. I haven't voted in the UK since I left in 1981. You may think that if I have lived away so long I should no longer feel the need or be allowed to vote as the UK is no longer my country of residence. Ah, but it's my birth country and I keep up with the news there everyday and it means a lot to me. No other country that I know of has a law where you can't vote if you leave the country. 

You would have thought I would have slept well that night being alone in our great big bed with just Pippa for company but I didn't. Again I only got about 4 hours. I was up at 6.15 and at Oli's place by 7.45 on Thursday morning. Both children were awake and it took a while to get them ready. Elliot chooses his own clothes and made a big fuss about what colour underpants to wear. Juliet is no longer the little saint and it's nearly impossible to dress her. But we managed. What we didn't achieve was their eating their breakfast. They don't seem to have much appetite in the morning. We set off for school well on time but kept having to stop because the back doors of the Mini kept opening. But again we managed. Once home the only thing we wanted was to go to bed. I got an hour's sleep which was a big help. 

It was on Thursday that Mohammad, our Iraqi student guest, announced he wants to stay on until he finishes his master in sport nutrition. He was going to leave to find somewhere more affordable but in the end decided there is no place better than ours. Bless him, his main reason for staying on is me. He says I'm like a mother and that he had missed me while I was away, adding that the house lights up when I am here. Bless him really. We love having him. We have chats over a cigarette most nights and he is learning a lot from me about Western ways I can tell  you. He complained about the Uni gym being mixed and how it affects his testosterone. I do not want to reproduce here what my answer was as it was rather rude. I am enjoying giving him a basic education on the equality of men and women. He is learning fast.

Again that night I drove Eladio to Oli's and again that night I slept badly. I was up at 6.30 on Friday morning and at their house by 7.45, except that Eladio couldn't hear the bell nor his phone (on silence as usual) and I had to wait outside the flat for 20 minutes!  The kids were up far too early but didn't fuss too much about being dressed and fed to go to school. Well, that's not quite true. Elliot wanted to put on a coat without a hood but it was raining so I told him to put his normal one on. Clever little minx, he took the hood off his normal coat and wore it with the new coat. He had to hold his hands on his head to keep it on. This time the Mini didn't play up and we were at school far too early. I took the time to take a picture for today's blog post.

The kids going to school on Friday morning 

Once again I went straight to bed for an hour when I got home and woke up feeling a lot better. We had a social date that morning; coffee with friends we haven't seen for yonks. They are Mariano and Mar, both journalists who we have known for years. Mariano has been battling 3 types of cancer for 18 years now although he was told he had 2 years to live. He is now 73 and told us he will try and live to 80. He looked pretty good given the circumstances. They live quite near and on our way back we went past our old house in Parque Boadilla (Río Tajo 5). 

Our old house - Rio Tajo, 5, Parque Boadilla, where we lived from 1988 to 2006.

We lived there from 1988 to 2006 when we moved here. It was quite nostalgic to go past. That is the place of the memories we have of bringing up our children. How happy they were there with the school, St. Michael's, so close by. 

We came home to find lunch on the table - thank you Tana and to have a quiet afternoon.

Eladio spent some time on traffic fines and I spent time on my hospitality book keeping and other general stuff. One nasty thing was more tax to pay for 2021 (damn the tax people) and another was the second estimate from my dentist for all the dental work needed for my teeth. I wrote to accept and added I hoped I would have teeth like Hollywood actors at the end of it. It's going to cost a fortune but I have to do it. The first of many appointments is on 1st February. Wish me luck. 

Saturday came. It was Tana's 60th birthday and so she went off quite early. We went on our walk and I made a very simple lunch. I spent a lot of time corresponding with JZ (a former Chinese guest) who is coming with his parents in February. I have gone over and above to fit him in but my goodness he had me at my computer for most of the morning and afternoon. Eladio often says I may be retired but have a full time job. He is damn right but no complaints. A new guest arrived from Portugal so we are full house this weekend which I am not complaining about either. 

And today my friends is Sunday. I was up at 6 am - far too early, but on the plus side I had the house to myself. Today Olivia and the kids are coming for lunch so we look forward to that. We also look forward to sunny weather this week and are debating whether to go to Asturias or not. 

And that''s that from me this week. I'll sign off now wishing you all a good Sunday. Cheers till next time,

All the best

Masha.