Massage parlour at our house, to Santa Pola, Olivia and her new programme, La Hora de la 1, enjoying our first bathe in the sea, walk to the lighthouse cliffs, market day, home again, reunited with the family and other stories.

Sunday 6th September, 2020

At my favourite spot by the Santa Pola lighthouse cliffs with amazing views of the island of Tabarca

Good morning all. How are you doing?

Life is good, I can't complain except of course for Covid which continues to infect and kill people and disrupt our lives in so many ways. Today the numbers have again gone up and the total amount of people infected worldwide is over 27 million with a  death toll of 883.780. Cases are rising dramatically in Spain but either this virus is not as lethal as before or is mostly affecting young people because the death toll is very low and there are very few in intensive care. That could well be because hospitals are better prepared and don't have to do triage, because they now know how to deal with the virus better and most importantly because older people are shielded. In any case coronavirus remains the main topic of the day when it comes to news. Other news is about demonstrations in the US related to the Black Lives matter campaign, the protests in Belarus and of course here and elsewhere the saga of the Argentinian striker Messi. He had threatened to leave Barcelona but in the end is staying. His story leaves me cold. 

I wasn't  thinking of Covid or any of this though that morning when I got up early to write my blog and to pack for Santa Pola. Meanwhile our lovely guests were getting ready to leave. Marina and Cristina have 5 massage parlours in Madrid called "Templo de Masaje" and had asked me if they could use the house, pool and garden to take some photos to be used for promoting their services. Of course I gave them permission. I didn't think more about it and got on with packing and it was only when Eladio came down the stairs with our suitcases and said "I wouldn't mind being next" that I took a look and saw Cristina massaging her sister Laura in our lounge. Our very own massage parlour I thought. How wonderful. If only I could have been on the table rather than Laura hahahhaha. They have promised me a free session in their Pozuelo salon so I hope I can take them up on the offer. I love massages don't you?

Massage parlour in our own home hahahaha. 

They took more photos for their website and I especially like this one taken by the pool. 

A massage going on by our pool!

Our guests were sorry their stay was over and we were sorry to say goodbye. I got the feeling they were the sort of people we could be friends with. One of the best things about being an Airbnb host is making new friends. Our next guests would be from Poland, France and Italy. Finally some international guests. Their stay was related to the local UEM University. It's good to see more bookings for people coming to the University. When I first thought of being an Airnbn host my main target was the UEM. 

Finally we left the house at around 11.15 saying goodbye also to Suzy, my Father and Lucy. We had packed a picnic for lunch which we had at a god forsaken place, on the premises of a petrol station. It's funny there are few places to stop and have a picnic on the A3 road from Madrid to Valencia and Alicante. We arrived at our apartment at just past 16h to good weather but far cooler than the week before. As we parked we saw our neighbour, also called Lucy, the one who takes care of the apartment and our guests here. She was bringing back the laundry from the Brazilian guests who had left that morning. She told us there had been a tremendous storm that night and that neither the lift nor the TV was working in any of the apartments. Thus we had to drag everything up 2 flights of stairs. I was wondering how clean the apartment would be. I knew the guests were pleased with Lucy's work but I was yet to see it for myself. I was blown over when I saw just how impeccable it looked with plants and many little welcoming details all over the place. It looked so good I felt like a guest myself. We have had the apartment since 1999, the year my mother died, and this is the first time we have a cleaner. What a difference that makes and it's money well spent. It means we don't have to clean when we come and when we go or worry about the laundry. It was good to see the new fridge too. All I had to do was unpack and put the food and our clothes away. 

I then went on to the terrace to admire the view which I never tire of. When I see the Bay of Alicante from here, I know I am home. 

The view of the Bay of Alicante from our apartment

When everything was unpacked, we both sat on our terrace reading until it was time for dinner. We had before dinner drinks and pistachios together. Eladio took the photo below of  me feeling content and relaxed. The cold Albariño white wine helped. 

On our terrace last Sunday with a glass of wine, happy to be back. 

After a simple dinner of tuna fish salad, I took Pippa down to do her business and I rang both girls. They had spent the day together. It was late by then and Oli was putting Elliot to bed. I hoped she would sleep well as the next day she would be starting her new job with the upcoming programme "La hora de la 1" on TVE. Suzy was busy on the phone to someone but was happy to chat for a second to tell me she'd had a good day. That's all I wanted to hear; that she had had a good day.

I had forgotten to bring the Amazon fire stick and in any case the TV didn't work. But no worries as I had brought with me my trusted giant iPad and we were able to watch the news and a film afterwards. Pappilon was on but it wasn't the Steve McQueen version but a new version made in 2017. That story has always fascinated me and I watched it until the end. I found it difficult to sleep that night for whatever reason but must have got a few hours in  when I woke up to see it was 6.30 in the morning.

Monday was a lovely quiet day for us. For Olivia, our younger daughter, it saw her start work with the new programme. It's a morning programme that will start on 7th September and will broadcast from 08 to 13h, basically the whole morning. It is the national broadcaster, TVE's most important new programme in a long time and replaces two other programmes "Los desayunos de TVE" and "La Manaña de la 1" all in one. In a way it's going back to where she came from as she worked for the latter for 5 or so years. She was a reporter before and now will be one of the co presenters, her focus being on "sociedad" (society) or rather the main news of the day. Of course that will include coronavirus. She had no idea what to expect that morning and was very surprised when she was told she had to go to makeup, etc at 2.30 (missing her lunch). She was told she was to be part of the promotional clip. Wow! she couldn't believe she would be there with the other star figures of the programme. The main presenter is Mónica López, a well known face on TVE,  a woman who was head of the weather for 20 years but will now head up a brand new programme which will include politics, general news, health, celebrities, weather, etc. Here is Oli popping her head into the brand new studio.

Oli popping her head into the new studio

And here she is after being made up for the promotional clip. I told her she shouldn't have put her hands in her pockets, hahahahaha. 

Oli all made up and ready to take part in the promotional clip of the new programme

Meanwhile, we had a quiet day as I said above but very attentive to any news from Oli about her new role which was still a bit of a mystery to her. We went out shopping and on a few errands. One was to get a new dustbin to replace the one we had since we bought the apartment in 1999. Gosh that is 21 years ago, the year my mother died. I only wished she had lived to see it and of course all the other things she has missed. But I don't want to dwell on that. Our of interest I looked up the prices of houses in this area, specifically apartments similar to ours. I was amazed to see the market was very active and that they had gone up quite a lot in price. I put that down to coronavirus. It's not only the Brits or Germans buying this time, but now mostly Spaniards. I think it's Spaniards who feel a need  for a bolt hole near the sea after the long confinement we all had to go through. We have new neighbours on our floor too, a retired Swedish couple who just bought the flat. One thing is for sure, we are not selling ours any time soon. We are going to continue enjoying it and now to exploit it on Airbnb. 

The highlight of the morning was a cup of coffee together in the main square of Santa Pola with Pippa at our feet. I love our coffees at a bar somewhere when we are out on errands. We came home to put the food away, etc and I got on with lunch; a simple affair. In the afternoon, after our short siesta, we went down to the beach. The temperature was just how we like it; about 28c. We installed ourselves near the water and observed the waves which looked like fun and nothing like what we saw in Nazaré. I was dying for our first swim and I got it. As we waded in across the waves and into the water both of us said that this is a beach like few others, one where the sand is golden, easy to walk on, not too crowded, no buildings around and water at the perfect temperature. Of course this is The Mediterranean and that's why the water is not so cold nor the waves so brave. This is what the beach looked like on the last day of August this year.

Our beach on Monday afternoon - spot Eladio

We then went for a walk to the far end and back and noticed how everyone was social distancing just as they should. We came back to sit on our beach chairs and read a little before heading home as by that time it was 8 pm. I love the fact that it is still sunny at that time. I was taking photos of Eladio on the beach when a young man sitting near us (not too near), offered to take one of us both. I thanked him as we don't often get photos of the two of us together. Here we are enjoying the last rays of sunshine on the beach that evening.

Eladio and I on the beach on Monday evening

We left shortly afterwards and before heading home for a shower, I went to the swimming pool. I had it practically to myself. Then it was time to go home, shower and make dinner. After dinner we sat on our own terrace enjoying the quiet and feeling good after a relaxing day. I spoke to Oli who had lots to tell me about her first day with her new job. I didn't get through to Suzy. Ah and I also chatted on whatsapp with a new guest at home, a young Polish girl, Maja, who was staying with us. She had come to study at the University. Nearly all my bookings so far for September are University related. That is good. 

Tuesday came and I must have slept well as I didn't wake up until nearly 8 am, something unheard of for me. Tuesday was the first day of September and sometimes considered the end of summer but summer certainly hasn't ended for us. We spent a very lazy day, hardly venturing out of the area. In the morning we decided to go down to the pool and read in the shade. There was hardly anyone there which is such a relief in these times but not a good indicator of how tourism is going in this country. In any case, Covid or no Covid, we are very lucky that this beautiful communal pool is never ever overcrowded. We sat on the grass with lovely views of the sea. Here is Eladio posing for a photo.

Eladio relaxing by the pool on Tuesday morning

I felt so relaxed I actually had to lie down on my towel to sleep for a while. Eladio woke me up to go and have a coffee but it was 1.15 by then so too late for "elevenses". Instead we went back up to our apartment to make lunch.

I spent time on our terrace after a short siesta. It was a cloudy afternoon for a change. We decided on a walk to the lighthouse cliffs instead of going down to the beach. That's a one hour walk, there and back, with the inconvenience of wearing a mask. Oh how I hate them. I suppose they were worth it for the reward at the cliffs of that most marvelous view of the sea with the island of Tabarca which I never tire of. Here I am with Pippa and wearing my mask. I could have taken it off but I wanted a souvenir of these times for when, one day, maybe Elliot or his descendants read this.

With Pippa (and my mask on) and the Island of Tabarca in the background

I did take the mask off for the photo I have chosen it as this week's feature photo - yet another photo of me with Pippa at the cliffs. I just never tire of this place and the views. There is something magical about it.

A close up of the island of Tabarca taken from the cliffs. Tabarca is the only inhabited island in the Valencia and Alicante region (Comunidad Valenciana).

We sat for a while on the rocks admiring the view and then reluctantly got up to walk home and make our dinner. We then sat on our own terrace watching the news on my iPad. The news was all about the increase in the number of infected but I keep thinking, surely that has to be because they are doing so many tests? I hope that is the answer. Later I fell asleep reading in bed. 

Wednesday came, another day alone in Santa Pola - such luxury. Who wasn't basking in luxury was Olivia, stressed out with the preparations for the new programme. From next Monday she will have to be at the studio at 6 am. In fact on Monday she will have to be there at 5 am and we will be looking after Elliot. Thankfully Miguel will be there from Tuesday onward to look after Elliot and take him to the TVE creche later on. He will be working permanently now in Madrid and at the same premises as Oli, Prado del Rey, where they have their own creche. This week however, it has been the turn of his parents, to look after their grandchild once Oli left for work at 8.30 or so. She sent us a photo of Elliot that morning which was great to see as we had been missing him.

Elliot on Wednesday morning before Oli left for work

We will be looking after him today too, Sunday, as Oli and the new team will be doing a general rehearsal of the new programme which starts tomorrow. 

Funnily enough rain was forecast that day  but, despite a few clouds, the sky was blue and the sun was out so we decided to spend the morning on the beach just in case we couldn't go in the afternoon because of bad weather. Well, the forecast was wrong as it was warm and sunny all day. We loved our time on the beach which was very uncrowded. The sea was calm and I went in several times. Eladio only went in once. Here he is going in.

Eladio going into the sea on Wednesday morning.

There were lots of clouds but they soon disappeared. We read on our kindles, enjoyed the sun and water and went on a walk to the end of the beach and back. That day we decided to have lunch out - I wanted a break from cooking. Our choice was "Soleluna", just across the road from our apartment. It used to be an ice cream parlour but is now a quaisi Italian restaurant. We had heard great reviews and wanted to try it out. It did not disappoint. Eladio went for their risotto while I chose their house pizza with truffle, mushrooms and ham. Oh I do love truffle, don't you?

Spectacular pizza at Soleluna

Boy, was it delicious. I think it's one of the best pizzas I've ever had, including pizzas I've eaten in Italy. We told our waiter to congratulate the chef. Their menu is pretty good except for desserts. They only had cheesecake and tiramisu and NO ice cream. So we had our own dessert when we got home.

Feeling very full, we had a siesta. Mine was short as some urgent work came up which kept me busy till late. With work out of the way I joined Eladio on the terrace. My reading was interrupted by a new Airbnb reservation at our home in Madrid for September. As I said my September bookings are all related to the local University; mostly parents coming from abroad to bring their offspring who will be studying there. 

Of course Pippa was with us on the terrace. The poor thing hardly left the house as dogs are not allowed at the pool, beach or at restaurants. She doesn't seem to mind though and just enjoyed being with us. I caught her on camera with Eladio and had to snap away. They are two of the greatest loves of my life, hahahahaha.

Eladio and Pippa on our terrace at the apartment on Wednesday

It was around that time that Olivia sent a link to the family Whatsapp group of the TV clip promoting the new programme. We were delighted to see her in it along with the main presenter and the other co presenters. She said she felt dizzy with the responsibility her new job entails as well as because of the visibility. TVE would be showing the clip non stop from that day until the start of the new programme tomorrow. 

The promotional clip - Oli in blue far right. 

You can see the clip here on Twitter. We felt so so proud of our younger daughter. This is definitely a step up in her career and she will become a familiar face on TV now, appearing live every day. She will have to work really hard but that doesn't scare her. Whatever her worries, I know she will do a great job. Well done darling. 

I celebrated with a large glass of cold white Albariño wine. We were not hungry so hardly had anything for dinner. We watched the news which was depressing and later went to read in bed until we fell asleep.

I was awake at 7 am on Thursday morning and was excited it was market day here. I love the local market but this time it was a bit of a disappointment. There were very few stalls, most of them selling the usual rubbish. So we just got some fruit and veg. We noticed that since Covid the prices have gone up enormously. Here is Eladio with our purchases which we would be taking back to Madrid at Suzy's request.

Eladio with our purchases at the local market on Thursday

I had a lot of work to do that morning and afternoon so apart from our excursion to the market we stayed in the apartment. I continued working in the afternoon and when I had done all that was necessary it was a bit too late to go down to the beach. I also wanted to spend time preparing a bit for next week's exams. Yes, my friends, I have exams next week. They are part of the process to get Spanish nationality. One exam is on general knowledge about Spain and Spanish life - some questions are easy and some are difficult. I used the app provided by the Instituto Cervantes and saw that I could easily pass. It was the tests for the Dele A2 language test that frustrated me. Although I am practically bilingual and have a degree in Spanish the exams are awful and seem more like memory tests. The worst parts are listening to or reading very long texts and then answering questions. Some of the audios are 3 minutes long and no way can my memory retain all the information. I did nearly all the audio and written tests and think I more or less passed but in some cases, only just. I felt cross while preparing for the language exam. I was having to prepare for these silly and badly thought out exams just because of Brexit. Next week I have exams on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and will let you know how I get on. Only if I pass them can the process for becoming Spanish continue. All I really want is a European passport which is why I am applying for Spanish nationality. The irony of it is that when I got married to Eladio in 1983 I would automatically have been given it but things have changed and it's much more difficult now, whether you are married to a Spaniard or not. I wonder how people whose knowledge of the Spanish language is worse than mine get on. Not easy and very frustrating.  After hours of practicing I ran out of battery on my phone. That was the perfect excuse to turn to reading instead of preparing for a stupid exam. 

Our last dinner there was another simple affair. Later we went to bed and as there was no news on - Spain was playing Germany - we watched a well loved film, Exodus, on a new streaming platform I am trying out, "Filmin". I love that film and I loved the book which I read many many years ago. I tried to buy it for my kindle but it is not available. For once then, I ordered a physical copy. 

Friday came and we were leaving that morning to go home.  We had our last breakfast on the terrace - oh how I would miss that view. We laughed when Oli sent us a photo of little Elliot that morning. He will be starting nursery next week and my daughter tried a satchel on him which was far too big. No doubt he won't be using it and she just put it on for him for fun. However, he didn't find it funny. His face was a picture as you can see in the photo she sent us. 

Elliot not happy with the great big satchel on his back

As a friend on Facebook commented, he could fit into the satchel itself hahahaha. I have a feeling though that even if he doesn't like the satchel, he is going to love the nursery. He is quite a feisty boy though and I hope he doesn't hit the other kids, scratch or bite them. He has had very little contact with children or babies of his age so let's see how he reacts. Watch this space and you will find out.

For once too we didn't have to clean before leaving as we now have our neighbour Lucy to do that (what a luxury). So we only had to pack our clothes and food and leave. Just before we went I ran across the road to the British supermarket, Quicksave, to get some chocolates, biscuits and the all important packet of polos for my father. Our journey was event free with hardly any traffic. Again we had taken a picnic which we now seem to prefer as we can stop wherever we want and it's much faster than eating at a restaurant. The only drawback, at least on the A3, is that there is nowhere nice to stop so we opted for the car park of a petrol station which was quite clean and tidy I must say. We had the luxury of setting up our table and chairs under a big tree for shade and voilá here is Eladio about to devour our gazpacho and "butifarra" sausages followed by fruit salad.

Our picnic on the way home on Friday

The car journey seemed shorter than usual - maybe because our lunch stop was shorter - and we were home just after 4 pm. By then our two French guests, mother and daughter (Marlene and Inma) had already arrived. Inma will be starting at the local University as many of our guests. Just as I got home I got another booking for last night, an Italian lady, her husband and child. Giulia has been writing to me on and off for months now and finally made a booking. I had a dreadful feeling she would be a high maintenance guest, not the sort I like. My experience is that those who ask endless questions and take ages to confirm a reservation usually turn out to be the worst type of guests. My hunch was wrong though as they are a delightful family.

It was great to see my Father again, Suzy of course and the dogs. As soon as I had unpacked I joined Suzy by the pool with my book. The pool was spotlessly clean as the swimming pool maintenance people had been that morning - they come on Monday and Friday mornings. Soon the French guests arrived and I had to use my haltering French, my school French, as neither of them wanted to speak Spanish or English. At least I can communicate and I was able to sort out their wifi problems and give them a personal welcome. Later they went out to dinner. Guests who only use the house to sleep are the best kind. Soon Oli was here with Elliot and we were all together again. We had a nice dinner al fresco and Suzy sang and played the ukelele afterwards which Elliot loved. He bops up and down as if he is dancing. It's so funny.

That night we finished Exodus. What a great film. It was made in 1960 and stars a very very young Paul Newman.

I was awake early on Saturday morning. I had more work to do before I faced the rest of the day as tomorrow, Monday I have some PR to do. I wanted it out of the way and ready for Monday so that I could relax this weekend, at least as much as I could. The only obstacle to my relaxation was having to go and do the damned food shopping (aarrgghh). 

We managed a cup of coffee in between - always a luxury - and weren't back till 1 pm, just a short while before our Italian guests arrived. In under 10 minutes Lucy and I had put everything away and sort of cleared the decks. The girls had invited their friend Elenita and her new dog (Nana from a rescue centre) for lunch so my God was the house full - I counted 11 adults, 1 child, 1 baby, 4 dogs and 1 cat!!!!! I was worried my guests would think the house was too full but they all seemed quite happy. The kitchen was full to the brim of people and preparations. I had to occupy Elliot for a while and Oli took this delightful photo of me playing with him and little Nana in the background. It's one of the best.

Playing with Elliot - Nana in the background

At one stage we weren't looking and for the second time that morning, Elliot tipped up the dog's water bucket. He always goes for it. He got drenched for the second time. 

Elliot after knocking down the dogs' water bucket

I left them to it and had a quiet lunch with Eladio and my father in our private dining room and even sneaked in a short siesta. 

The afternoon was spent with the girls, Elliot and Eladio relaxing in the garden and entertaining him. My afternoon was nicely interrupted with a skype call with my best friends, Adele and Sandra who live in Orleans and Brussels respectively. The day finished with another lovely dinner al fresco. 

Today is Sunday and we are on grandparent duty as Oli has just gone to TVE for the new programme rehearsal. We shall be taking him for a walk and let's see how the rest of the day pans out.

I am now at the end of my tales of the week. Next week, with my exams, will be challenging. Wish me luck.

Cheers till next Sunday everyone,

Masha

Leaving Portugal, a picnic by the River Erja, home again, picking more blackberries, family dinner, top countries my blog readers are from, Phoebe our cat turns 13, Elliot on holiday in Montrondo, Eladio my gardener, photos from his past and other stories.

 Sunday 30th August, 2020

Picking blacberries from our garden again.

Good morning all.

Today is the last but one day in August. Where has the summer gone? Well the weather is still great of course but we are now ending the holiday period. Not us though as today we are off to Santa Pola. 

Before I tell you about the week, let me reflect on developments of Covid which is not going away and is still causing worry and alarm everywhere. Worldwide the number of cases has risen to over 25 million people and the total death toll is 846.783. In Spain, France, Germany and Italy, the number of infected is still on the rise. All this with back to school looming next week in Spain. That has again been the main news. 

This time last week, we were packing to leave Nazaré in Portugal. We had a long haul to drive to Madrid, some 575 kilometres but we stopped plenty of times to refresh and stretch our legs as well as have our picnic. At about 10.30 or so we said goodbye to our hosts Bela and Antonio. They had been good hosts but their apartment, although comfortable and well located was not what we had expected and that's what I reflected in my review later. It doesn't deserve super host status as the listing is a little misleading. The apartment is not an entire house but is lodged in a big house the hosts have turned into 4 lodgings. Anyway, it was good enough but I shall be more careful when I look for Airbnb accommodation in the future. As we were leaving, people were going to the beach. We loved the Praia de Nazaré but were a bit sorry we never got to bathe because of the strong waves. I suspect the red flag is out most of the year. 

It took about 4 hours to get to the border. During the trip I was happy to get my 9th booking for our apartment in Santa Pola. I am very happy too I put it on the market this summer and wish I had done so before. 

As on our way to Nazaré, on our way back again we wondered too whether our GPS was right when it took us on an unknown road to cross the border with no signs saying "Espanha" anywhere. The only way we knew where we were was thanks to our mobile operator. We stopped where I would have liked to stop for lunch on the way, on the bank of the River Erja in a nice fishing and bathing area. It was 34ºc so we desperately needed some shade. It looked like a place people came to picnic and enjoy at the weekends or in the holidays. I would have liked a bathe in the river but the water did not look nice so I had to forego that idea. 

The spot by the River Erja where we had our picnic lunch

Still not sure whether we were in Portugal or Spain, a man out fishing clarified that one side, the side where we set up our picnic, was Portugal and the other side of the river was Spain. How funny there were no signs. I suppose there most be so many borders or roads between Spain and Portugal, that only the major ones are signposted. 

We didn't need our table or chairs as there was a wonderful and clean wooden picnic table. Here we got out the food we had left from our stay, including the doggy bag of "bacalhau a bras" which tasted a bit dry. 

Our picnic by the River Erja

It was far too hot to linger over lunch so we were soon in our car again and of course already in Spain just as we crossed the bridge over the river. Our GPS said we would be home in just over 2 hours and it was right. The dogs were delighted to see us; especially Pippa who is not used to my being away. It was great to see my Father and he was happy to see us too as well as to receive a printed copy of my blog all about our trip to Portugal to celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary. We greeted our French guests too, Jeremy and Pili. The kids, Eva and David had gone to stay with family and would not be coming back. Dear Eva had left me a sweet drawing on my desk. I can forgive her for spelling my name wrong (Macha instead of Masha) and found it cute she wrote the word "lave" instead of "love". Dear sweet girl, I love her too.

After the boring task of unpacking, I grabbed some time for myself on one of the sun loungers under the trees by the pool. I rang Oli and was happy to see little Elliot. They would be coming to dinner on Tuesday night, so not long till we were reunited. I tried to ring Suzy but her phone was busy. Neither Eladio nor I were hungry but had some dinner on the kitchen terrace; leftovers we found in the fridge. We were in bed early and it was wonderful to be in our own bed which is so soft compared to the hard bed at the Airbnb in Nazaré.

I was up at 7 am on Monday morning, raring to go. But life went at a slow pace that day. I had spied lots more blackberries in our garden and got Eladio's aid to pick them. I had to stand on the wooden picnic table to reach some of them. My husband took a photo of this lovely bucolic moment. There is something so satisfying in picking fruit from your own garden and it put me in a great mood. That's the photo I have chosen for this week's post. These are the blackberries we picked.

The blackberries we picked. 

We also have some grapes in the garden too and I went to taste them. I was surprised to see them turning black. I tried one and it was quite sweet yet not completely ripe. They are small with large pips, so not the greatest variety. That hasn't put off the birds though who have now eaten them all. Thankfully they haven't eaten the blackberries. Eladio reckons that's because of the prickle. I thought of putting them on one of the new ceramic bowls I had bought in Óbidos. I wonder if you like them. They are beautiful but maybe a bit cheesy. They are handmade by a local artist and I couldn't resist them.

Ceramic bowls from Òbidos. I bough the two bigger ones.

During our walk I mused on what to do with them. There were not enough to make jam so I decided on a blackberry tart. I am not very good with pastry and had some help from Lucy. I made my own recipe after looking up a few. First I made the pastry shell and baked it in the oven. Meanwhile I made the filling; the blackberries to which I added an apple and some pineapple, some brown sugar and a spoonful of flour as well as a few drops of lemon. I filled the shell and added some lattice type strips - inspired perhaps by the ceramic bowls -  and this is the end result; my first blackberry tart. We would have it for dinner that night when Oli and her family came.

My blackberry tart

I was able to read a bit in the morning before lunch with my father. The nurse, María, came that day. She showed me his wound which although still very red and large, is on the mend. 

I was completely free in the afternoon and even had the pool to myself as our French guests were working from their rooms. At 5.30 I had a skype call with my oldest and dearest friend Amanda. Our weekly calls are one of the good things to have come out of the Covid pandemic. The figures were going up and up in Spain that day and all week and there was talk of drastic measures in Madrid. I certainly hope we aren't put into lockdown again. If lockdown has to come it should be based on areas or post codes as where we live there are hardly any cases. It is  the suburbs in the south of the capital which are most affected. 

My skype call was interrupted by multiple Airbnb and Swimmy enquiries. So my peace did not last long. At  around 8 pm, Oli, Miguel and Elliot arrived. They had come to spend the night before leaving for a short staycation in Montrondo on Tuesday. It was lovely to see them and we had a great meal. The piece de resistance was the tart for which Oli had brought some vanilla ice cream to go with. I must say the tart was divine. 

Oli, Miguel and Elliot - our family dinner on Monday night. 

The only person missing at the family dinner was Suzy. She was on her way home from Santa Pola in a hired car with her friends Eli and Chati. She arrived as we were finishing our dinner so we all sat around for a while. The girls did not like the dresses I had bought for them from Portugal. That should teach me a lesson I never learn; don't buy them clothes which they haven't chosen themselves. 

We went to bed later than usual. I read for a while. I didn't sleep badly but woke up at 4.30,  looked at my phone which I shouldn't have as there was a new Airbnb enquiry. I responded to it and promptly felt wide awake. I forced myself to sleep again and was up at 7 am. 

Over the last few days I was receiving multiple enquiries for bookings this weekend at our home in Madrid. That kept me occupied too on Tuesday. Tuesday was the day our "French guests" left after 42 days with us. We couldn't quite believe we were to have the house to ourselves again, but not for long as that day I got a booking for 6 this weekend. Santa Pola too would be booked all week. Overall I am so pleased with how my Airbnb bookings have gone despite Covid.

I said goodbye to them when I came back from our walk just before they left at midday as I was going out shopping and they wouldn't be here when I got back. They were a nice family but their bringing guests here each weekend has been a bit stressful. I wished them well and sent my greetings to their darling daughter Eva, who I grew to love so much during their stay. We all loved her and her little brother David too.

It was on Tuesday morning that Oli and her little family set off on holiday to Montrondo. My daughter had had a small accident with their brand new Volkswagen car last week and that morning it was towed to the local garage for repair. They had to now fit into Miguel's Golf including all of Elliot's stuff. Their stuffed to the limit car reminded me of how I used to travel with my Mother and Father in my Aunty Masha's car from England to Spain most summers when I was a teenager. That was a squeeze hahahahah.  It looked like Elliot didn't want to go. He clung to his grandfather until his mother had to tear him away. Grandson and Grandfather are inseparable. 

Grandfather and grandson, inseparable

Oli then took a photo of the three of us saying goodbye to Elliot from the street. I suppose we did look quite funny.

Eladio, Suzy and I saying goodbye to Elliot on Tuesday

Eladio and I then went to do the food shopping. We took a break in between supermarkets to have a coffee at the Churros bar nearby. We came home with a whole load of food and that day I made pizza as it's quick to make.

The afternoon was ours for taking as was the swimming pool. I couldn't quite believe we had it to ourselves. Thus I skinny dipped in and out of the pool as often as I wanted. I normally wouldn't go in so much but that day mercury reached 36ºc - hot for me - I was reading under the trees while responding to Airbnb enquiries until I finally got a fixed confirmation for a family of 6 who were coming on Friday. Till Friday we would have the house to ourselves and it was glorious.

We had dinner with Suzy and were up chatting till late. Instead of going to bed to watch the TV, Eladio and I sat in the dark by the pool and I skinny dipped again. We spoke about our plans for the new house in Asturias; such an exciting project for us.

Wednesday came. It was to be another scorcher with the temperature rising to 37ºc. It was already hot when we went on our walk at 10 am in the morning. With no guests to disturb me, I had a skinny dip again  when I got home. 

That morning while I was writing my blog, just for interest's sake, I browsed its statistics. I started writing it in the summer of 2005 which makes it 15 years now. I really have been consistent and disciplined. The amount of readers always surprises me. The total number of visits for all time is a whopping 588.688 and the amount of readers this last month was 6498. I think it has been going up over the years. As to where my readers are from, well, the top countries are the US, then comes Spain, Russia and the UK. But there are many more countries.  It's annoying to see that they have lumped other countries into unknown regions or "other" when I would love to have the complete list of countries. This used to be possible but not anymore. These are the top ones.

The top countries where readers of my blog are from. 

I'm so curious as to why so many people from the many corners of the earth are at all interested in my tales. Perhaps you anonymous reader could post me a comment as to why you read it. I would be very grateful. 

It was basically a lazy day enjoying having the house to our own. The highlight was a Facetime call with our friends Kathy and Phil who live in Keighley (West Yorkshire). They, by the way, are some of my most loyal blog readers. I had heard from Amanda that my home town, Bradford was in semi lockdown and they ratified that. They are in lockdown too, or rather quarantining after a 6 week holiday in their camper van in France. They cannot leave the house, not even to take a walk. Thankfully they have a lovely garden to get their fresh air. 

We also spoke to Olivia who as you know was on holiday with Miguel and Elliot in Montrondo. They were having wonderful weather and spent most of the day outside. Elliot was loving exploring new territory. He had been before but at Christmas when he was just 3 months old, so of course, everything was new. Here he is playing with his father in the garden behind our house.

Elliot enjoying his holiday in Montrondo

The other high point of the day was dinner al fresco with Eladio and Suzy. I love our evening dinners. Later Eladio and I sat by the swimming pool terrace where we were joined briefly by our cat, Phoebe. She is a bit of an enigma. We hardly ever see her as she is petrified of the dogs and lives under the tiles of the roof over the entrance gate to the house. Facebook memories reminded me the next day that we got her 13 years ago! I well remember going on a walk that evening with Eladio and Suzy and coming across her by a big wheelie bin near our home. Suzy picked her up and we brought her home. We then went back to see if there were more stray kittens but didn't find any. Her beginnings were most humble but now she has a quiet life. She comes into the house in the morning via the window in the library lounge to eat and drink. She disappears again for the whole day and only comes back in the evening. We have had many cats over the years. I remember Henry, Felix and Joe but they all disappeared so Phoebe is our longest lasting cat. I wondered how long cats can live to and read that they can live up to 16. Here she is 13 years ago, such a delightful little kitten. I love her colours; cream and brown. Maybe her ancestors were a Siamese breed. Who knows? 

Phoebe arrived here 13 years ago this week. She was so cute.

Later we watched a documentary on WW2 until we fell asleep.

Thursday came, our last guest free day until Friday and we made the most of it. I get up early as you know but Suzy does too these days. She installs herself on the terrace outside our study and I often join her there to read The Times. Here we are together that morning.

Suzy and I on Thursday morning. 

I was busy in the morning. My first job was to prune the roses while Eladio did the same with the geraniums. Having guests coming the next day we wanted everything to look perfect. If I was busy, Eladio was busier, doing gardening that morning. I had commented on the amount of dry leaves on the path and in the rose beds as well as weeds in the cracks of the paving on the drive. He finished mowing the lawns and then just as I was leaving to do some emergency shopping, I found him dealing with both issues. Here he is, the perfect gardener, my own gardener. When I took a photo of him, he commented "the constant gardener" in reference to the film. My cheekier cousin, Zuka, posted "Lady Chatterley's Lover" in reference to her falling in love with her gardener, Mellors. I had actually never read D.H. Lawrence's most famous book but remember perfectly well that it was taboo when I was a child. Thus that day I downloaded a sample on my Kindle and hopefully will understand why it was a forbidden book. Of course it was because of the sex scenes but I can hardly imagine them being any more steamy than those written about in novels today. But then, of course we are talking about times past when sex in general was taboo.  I fell in love with Eladio for many of his attributes and he has proved to have many more than I could possibly have suspected when we first met. He is so good with his hands I often call him "Mr. Fix it". You all probably know that apart from being my gardener, he is my husband, lover, friend, doctor, vet, electrician, chauffeur, plumber, general handyman as well as our bank manager. This is him gardening that morning. Such a handsome chap still at his age. He will be 76 next month and I can hardly believe it. 

Eladio my constant gardener

If the morning was busy the afternoon was mine for the taking and I spent most of it under the trees reading and occasionally skinny dipping as it was so hot with the temperature rising once again to 37ºc. 

It was dinner on our own that night as Suzy went to see her friend Elenita. Later we retired to the pool terrace sitting in the dark (on purpose) and me skinny dipping again. However we were not relaxed as we had news from Lucy my neighbour in Santa Pola, that our Brazilian guests were complaining the fridge was not working. That is the second complaint about the fridge from guests. However Suzy was there last weekend and it worked and the guests who left on Thursday morning said they had no problems. The Brazilian guests had broken the blinds in the master bedroom; something else to be taken care of. We spoke to them and to Lucy to see what the solution could be. Lucy told me that once again, like the previous complainers, the new guests had stuffed the fridge very full which could be the reason for it not refrigerating properly. The funny thing is that the freezer compartment was working. We chatted on whatsapp both to Lucy and the guests and ended up ringing them. We hoped the fridge would be ok the next day; otherwise we would have to get a new one and have it installed on Friday; no easy feat when we are here in Madrid. It sounds easy to run Airbnb bookings, but if things go wrong it can be a problem. At home it normally isn't as of course we have Eladio, "Mr. Fix it" but he can't really fix things at a distance.

Thus my peaceful day ended with worry and tension. The thing with complaints from Airbnb guests is that you feel a slave to their reviews. So you do your best to make sure they have the perfect stay but that, my friends, is not always possible. Thankfully that day, the previous guests who left in the morning left me a glowing 5 star review, so now I have 5 x 5 star reviews for my new listing in Santa Pola. I can't wait to go there myself. 

I didn't sleep well that night and was awake a few times during the night and finally got up at 6.30 in the morning. I had to prepare for our 6 guests coming that day for the weekend. I also had to deal with the problem of the fridge in Santa  Pola and the blind in our room which they had apparently broken. We went on our walk and I came back to skinny dip and then to find a message from Lucy confirming the fridge wasn't working. I was all action then, finding a local shop that could deliver a new one that would fit the space in the kitchen of the old one and that I could also buy on the phone. I found it in Euronics, a local home appliance shop and by 13 that day it was installed. But our guests couldn't use it for the first 5 hours and would have to make do with the old one until then. That meant having 2 fridges in our small kitchen there until the old one was removed on Saturday morning. Meanwhile a local fix it man that Lucy knows repaired the blind. The cost of all this far exceeded the income I got from the guests' stay but then again it was time to buy a new fridge to replace the one we inherited when we bought the apartment in 1999. This took up most of my morning and I was only free to start on lunch at about 12.30. I made pork rib stew which my father and Eladio love. In between I had to make sure everything was ready for our new guests who were coming at about 13.30. Lucy had cleaned the rooms but the final touches are always up to me. These include flowers and a plate of fruit in each room as well as a bottle of filtered water. 

Our new guests arrived promptly. It's a family of 5 and a 15 month old baby girl with the most unusual name - Latin - of Sapientia, meaning wisdom. No doubt she is probably one of the only girls in Spain with that name. I wonder if they call her "Sapi" for short. The family consisted of the mother, her two daughters, their partners, one called Ali and her grandchild. Families are usually a pleasure to host rather than groups of young people who are up late, leave the lights on and play music a bit too loud. These people are the perfect guests. 

We left them to it, giving them their space and we spent the afternoon on deckchairs in the garden while they splashed around in the pool. For once Pippa didn't bark so I didn't have to lock her away in our study hahahaa. No doubt Elliot would have loved to have a playmate in Sapientia but of course he was in Montrondo. He hasn't had much contact with other babies or toddlers and needs it desperately. Hopefully, if all goes well, he will be starting kindergarten at RTVE (Peque Prado) soon. Meanwhile he was enjoying his short holiday in Montrondo with his parents. 

Elliot on holiday in Montrondo

We spoke to Oli that day and heard they were having a very relaxing time. She has news by the way. On Monday she will be starting a new job as a reporter and studio  presenter in the new morning programme called "La Hora de la 1" with her broadcaster, TVE which will debut on 7th September. This is great news for her. First it is as promotion, second she will not have to travel and third and most important of all, she will be around to pick Elliot up from the kindergarten on site. Miguel, her partner will be coming to Madrid permanently from next week and will be working as a cameraman at the same premises as Oli, "Prado del Rey". Oli's programme will be on live from 8 in the morning until 13 which means she will have to get up everyday around 5 in the morning and Miguel will take Elliot to the kindergarten. Their lives are about to change dramatically for the better. Oli is very excited about the new job and we are very proud of her. 

This was one of our topics of conversation when Eladio and I went out to dinner that night to El Tinglado. We also spoke about our new house in Asturias and all the plans we have for it. As usual the food was lovely - I went for the artichokes and an amazing piece of steak and Eladio went for small calamari and his favourite cod dish. We skipped on a dessert as although I love their menu, I am not impressed by the dessert menu. If a dessert menu doesn't have ice cream on it, it gets zero points from me hahahhaha. 

We were home early and found our guests quietly organising a barbecue - good for them. The two main pulls of this place for guests are the pool and then the barbecue. Our guests are from Madrid and live in Rivas Vaciamadrid and Arganda del Rey. No doubt they  were looking for somewhere outside the city that was spacious, had a garden and a pool. All our guests this summer, apart from the French family - have been people from the city centre. They say that after lockdown houses with gardens outside the city are now much in demand. I have never ever understood the Spanish way of living, in high rise buildings like prisons when the country is so big and spacious. I did once live in a flat in the centre of the city with no garden and I felt stifled. But there again I am a country girl and not a city girl, like town mice and country mice hahahaha. Also I come from England where most people have a house and garden, big or small. 

The day finished watching a film we had seen before which is fascinating and terrifying at the same time. "Song for a Raggy boy" is a 2003 Irish film based on the book by the Patrick Galvin and is based on true events. It's the story of a young teacher who takes up a post at St. Jude's Reformatory school run by monks. Discipline is handed out by the sadistic Brother John. The teacher, Franklin, is a layman and coming from fighting in the Spanish Civil war, tries to fight for the rights of the oppressed children. He is also an outstanding teacher. 

I didn't sleep too badly; maybe because I only had one glass of wine for dinner and not two - and was up at 6.23 to a quiet and dark house. 

Saturday came. The temperatures went down as they did in many parts of Spain so we went from 34ºc on Friday to 24ºc which felt quite cool for us. Our guests didn't mind though and still prepared another barbecue. They have turned out to be a lovely family and a very international one at that. The two sisters have partners from Iran and from Russia. The girl from Russia, Marina, has an interesting history. She was born in Russia to a Lebanese father and Russian mother. They left Russia for Beirut in 1986 after Glasnost and she spent part of her youth witnessing war in her father's country. They eventually moved to Spain where he had family and was eventually able to practice as a doctor after great difficulties in convalidating his studies. I found her charming. She and her partner own a chain of massage salons and she wants to treat me to one; something I will most happily accept as there is nothing I like better than a good massage. 

While they were preparing an enticing looking Iranian dish of chicken and rice, Eladio and I went out on errands nearby. We usually stop for a coffee and yesterday was no different. It was while we were enjoying our coffee that my dear husband said to me "You are beautiful" and added "I love you" I was surprised as he doesn't often say this and replied "but what about all these wrinkles?" to which he added "you are still beautiful". Wow! that was so romantic and had me feeling like a young girl again. I asked him to take a picture to prove it was true. Most photos of me don't come out very well and I wasn't feeling particularly beautiful and only had some lipstick on. But the photo came out quite nicely, despite the wrinkles hahaha. This is it, a moment of feeling in love and young again even though I am now 63! 

The "you are beautiful moment"

I find it quite extraordinary that after more than 37 years of marriage, my husband still love me and I still love him; more if that is possible. I consider myself a very fortunate woman. What would I do without him? 

You probably know we met 40 years ago (this summer) and that he was a priest at the time. Out of the blue, Olivia sent us some old photos of him, some we had never seen. I asked her where she got them from and apparently a second cousin of Eladio's - Rosi who lives in Gijón - had done so. Rosi reached out to Olivia some time ago and they are now in touch. She is the granddaughter of Eladio's uncle on his father's side which makes Rosi his second cousin. She sent Olivia an amazing photo of Eladio aged 12, the year he entered the Seminary in León as a child. That was in about 1957, the year I was born. When that photo was taken, he could never ever have known that his future wife had been born the year he entered the Seminary and that she would be from outside Spain. I suppose he probably thought he would never marry either as he was destined to become a priest. How life surprises us. This is the lovely photo - old and out of focus but still charming. It's rather sad too to see such a young boy being sent away from his parents at such a young age to a place so far and so different from his home. 

Eladio aged 12 in a cassock

Rosi also sent Olivia a photo of Eladio aged about 16 which he doesn't remember. He is wearing a jacket and tie which seems unusual so maybe he was at a wedding. He was so good looking don't you think? Maybe you do, maybe you don't. I do probably because I am biased.

Eladio aged 16 or 17, a strapping boy.

Eladio was the oldest child and the strongest. He was a strapping boy and his father used him like a work horse when he was back from the Seminary on holiday. His memories of his holidays are of working hard for his father on the farm and in the fields. While he worked in the fields and studied in the Seminary, I was a small child growing up in England and could have no idea either that my future husband was from a small village in the mountains of León in northern Spain. He is now about to turn 76 and his life with me has been very different from his humble beginnings. I'm glad fate brought us together. 

We spent the afternoon together as we usually do, both of us reading in the garden while the guests enjoyed the pool. Suzy was out. She had been to the hairdresser and then for lunch with Elenita. 

Suzy back from the hairdresser. Isn't she beautiful?

Oli and her little family were travelling back from Montrondo and invited us to dinner at their place that night. We readily agreed as we were dying to see not-so-little Elliot again.

Dinner at their place was lovely and always is. There was a wonderful spread of food and it was great to see Elliot. But, oh how boisterous and strong he is. He is a handful but a wonderful charmer. Here he is playing with his grandfather who he adores.

Eladio and Elliot last night. 

It's so easy to take photos of Elliot as I swear it, he poses - just like in the photo above. He cried when we left and broke our hearts. We were home by about 10.30. Suzy was here with her friend Juli and our guests were around. I sat with Marina for a while exchanging information on our lives. What a lovely girl she is. I fell asleep quite late and was up later than usual this morning at nearly 7 am. Today we are off to Santa Pola and I am looking forward to a few days at the beach.

I shall leave you now as I have to get ready to go. You will hear all about our stay there in next week's post. Cheers till then,

Masha.