Oli’s programme this week, the search for a new carer, a sad day for Britain and Europe, little red coat, goodby “Salud” and other stories.

Sunday 2nd April 2017

In my new little red size S coat from Zara

Hi everyone,

The week has been quiet, much of it spent searching for a new home help as last Sunday Saida, the Moroccan lady we had hired, suddenly told us she wasn't coming back. So I had to start all over again.

Monday was spent receiving calls from candidates and interviewing some of them.  It seemed like the United Nations was calling at our  house.  That morning I interviewed ladies from Paraguya, Honduras and El Salvador! Most candidates seem to come from Latin America.  It is pretty hard to find a Spanish woman.  We have been spoiled with Salud and she will be difficult to replace. 

The highlight of Monday was watching Oli's programme (Mi Cámara y Yo) that night.  It was about curious and unknown things in Madrid.  One of the places she showed was a luxury jewelry shop where the Queen of Spain shops and the day Oli was there, one of the customers was the Baroness Thyssen!  She also visited the oldest barber shop in Europe and here she is cutting the barber's hair hahahaha.

A scene from Oli's programme last Monday

If you missed it or would like to see it and understand Spanish, you can see the programme online here.  

On Tuesday I continued interviewing new candidates.  We were in a hurry as Salud was to leave on Saturday and I wanted the successful candidate to start on Wednesday so as to learn the ropes as soon as possible. Another woman came from Paraguay and one from Equatorial Guinea who looked just like "Mammy" from "Gone with the Wind" hahaha.  In the afternoon, our weekend carer, Zena who is Ukranian, brought along another prospective candidate.  I couldn't believe my eyes when a girl who looked like "Miss Ukraine" arrived on our doorstep. She was just 25, absolutely beautiful but completely unsuitable for the job, mainly because she could not speak Spanish or English. She could have spoken Russian to my Father but could not have communicated with the rest of us. She had a degree in Economics and my advice to her was to learn Spanish and be more ambitious when looking for a job and the last thing she should do was to start in domestic service.  I felt very sorry for her. 

So we had to make our choice and it would be Lucy from Paraguay, a nice looking woman aged 52.  She came the next day to learn the ropes and only time will tell.  She is very religious so I am not too worried about her stealing although I did notice a pack of yoghurts missing from the fridge on Saturday after she left.  She came with very good references from her last job.  So keep your fingers crossed.

Lucy from Paraguay on the left, our new home help and Salud on the right who, sadly, is leaving

Whilst I was doing all that, my brother-in-law was undergoing brain surgery.  He went into the theater at 8.30 in the morning and didn't emerge until past 3 in the afternoon.  Under the circumstances, it went well thank goodness.  But of course no one knows, including the surgeons, how well he will recover. If you believe in God please pray for him. 

On a more positive note, Tuesday was an exciting day for Miguel my nephew and his Cuban wife, Claudia. They were starting a new life in Utrecht in Holland.  I didn't hear from them until last night. Their first week went well.  They feel at home already at Miguel's friend's place and  will be starting lessons in Dutch very soon.  Luckily for Claudia the weather has been ok; not too cold, as she is used to the Cuban climate and I'm sure it will take a while to become accustomed to Dutch weather. I wish them all the luck in the world.  Here is sweet Claudia on a swing in what looks like a park.  Love to you both.

Claudia on a swing in a Dutch park this week.

On Wednesday I woke up to read that Theresa May had signed the letter that would trigger Article 50 and the UK leaving the EU. 

It was a very sad day for Europe and for Britain. That day in Parliament she declared that it was in respect of the wishes of the majority of Britons.  Well it wasn't mine.  On Facebook I wrote this and it is what I think: Bloody Brexit. That's what I'm thinking right now. Those of us who are UK citizens living in the EU are the most affected and weren't even allowed to vote if we had lived away for more than 15 years. Overnight we were stripped of our EU citizenship without having one word in the matter. None of the Leave campaigners thought about what would happen to the more than 300k Brits living in Spain. This is one huge mess. Damn you Theresa May and your letter invoking bloody Article 50. And no it was not the wish of the majority of British citizens; only the wish of a slight majority of those allowed or those who bothered to vote.

This post got quite a few reactions; most of them agreeing with me, but not all. One man I don't know, called Kevin H. but who is a "friend" of a school friend from Yorkshire, wrote this in pretty poor English by the way:

"If you want to live in Spain then become nationalize (sic) Spaniard". I replied "Why should I have to swear allegiance to the King of Spain if I have not voted for Brexit?". Then came his xenophobic comment which brought to me the reality of the divide there is in England on the issue: "Because you have chose (sic) to live in Spain if had been living Britain you could have voted for things that "effect" (sic) people living here".  I immediately blocked him on Facebook but felt like replying that he should go back to school to improve his spelling and maybe learn to be less zenophobic. Nasty man!!!!

I must admit the subject is on my mind quite a lot as I don't know what the outcome for UK citizens like me living in Spain will be long term and I may have to finally consider taking Spanish citizenship. Apart from all the paperwork and exams, I would have to renounce my UK citizenship on paper (in practice I could keep my passport) and declare allegiance to the King of Spain something I do not want to do but which I may be forced to,   thanks to the ignorant, xenophobic and racist Brexit voters for what their votes have done to me.  Now I've said my word, let me move on to the next topic. 

On Wednesday I had lunch with Jill, my ex colleague and friend from Nokia.  She has started a new business offering dancing and walking classes which she calls Wanz (walk and dance).  You can read more about it on her website here.  She wanted me to help her with the PR; no easy task. But I have agreed to take it on free of charge of course as she is my friend. So I now have to do a plan for her and am not really sure where to start.  

Who was starting that day was Lucy, our new home help.  We welcomed her warmly and then left her under Salud's supervision. What worried me most was whether she would be able to shower my Father.  That was his worry too but we would only find out on Friday. Meanwhile he trusts us and gets on with his life which, although, limited is quite full for someone his age.  Much of it is spent reading.  This was what he was reading this week. The Economist and a another book by his favourite German author Theodor Storm!  I looked inside briefly and saw he had bought it in Berlin in 1938! I do so admire him.

My father's reading habits are very highbrow

On Thursday morning I went to another audition.  This one was for a Vodafone ad and I had to be the Mother of a man watching high definition TV.  I go along for fun and experience and have no idea whether I will ever actually be chosen for a role.  One role I won't be chosen for is for an audition for an Aquarius ad I was asked to go to. I declined when I read I would have to wear a swimming costume hahaha. There are limits to what I will do to earn money and it must be respectfully hahaha.  

With some time on my hands, after the audition I visited the shopping centre in Príncipe Pio. It was at Zara that I found a delightful little red coat. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to get it. It looks lovely and I was very pleased to fit perfectly into an "s" size; something pretty unheard of for me during most of my life but not for the new "petite" me I have turned into. It's the photo I have chosen to illustrate this week's post. Maybe I shall wear it for my next audition on Monday, this time for a TV advert for the Antena 3 TV station. I bet you are laughing out loud. I am.  

That night we watched the last 2 episodes of Season 2 of Narcos, the end of Pablo Escobar, the notorious Colombian drug lord.  The actor who plays the main character, Wagner Maniçoba Moura, is actually Brazilian and plays the part to perfection.

Pablo Escobar played by the Brazilian actor Wagner Maniçoba Moura, in the last episode of Narcos.

In a way I'm glad it's over as it was really rather violent. 

On Friday I was up early as usual.  It was to be another lovely day with mild temperatures although it would be warmer in London than in Madrid which doesn't often happen. That morning Lucy was taught how to bathe my Father by Salud and unfortunately she didn't make a very good job of it which had me worried all day.  That is her most difficult task and if she can't bathe him she's no good for the job. She would have one more chance on Saturday under Salud's supervision and I was crossing my fingers all day. 

Friday was food shopping day. Before going to the supermarket, Eladio and I went for a coffee at the "churros" place. This time I was tempted to have a "porra" (sort of thick fritter) and enjoyed it enormously without feeling guilty. You see I have lost more weight this week and was under 56 kilos so I really needed to eat more. I have never ever been in this situation and it feels very funny indeed. I am sort of hoping my metabolism has become faster after my long and drawn out diet. Let's see what my diet doctor says when I go to see him for my appointment next Wednesday. 

I probably burned off a bit of the fritter or porra with my walk after the shopping with Eladio and the dogs. 

Oli was home early on Friday and I accompanied her to the doctor for a routine appointment. That night the 3 of us went out to dinner.  I had chosen what for us what was a new Indian restaurant in Boadilla, or rather the only one here. It didn't look much but had good ratings on The Fork which offered a 50% discount. Eladio didn't like it all but Oli and I did, although I felt terribly full afterwards. We had the usual tikka masala and korma but I was surprised to see pizzas and pasta on the menu and even more surprised to see pork and beef which you would never find in a real Indian restaurant. However, the delightful Indian owner, a woman from Kerala who is actually a Christian, told us she had to cater to Spanish food tastes which makes sense I suppose. However I didn't find the place very authentic. 

The Indian restaurant we went to on Friday night

It was called India Gate but looked nothing like the real thing hahaha. 

Yesterday was 1st April and of course April Fools' Day so I was wary when reading the news on Facebook which for once could be allowed "fake news".  I read that Donald Trump was thinking of resigning. How I wish that was true. 

April Fools' Day started off with a false alarm for us. Lucy was up even earlier than me and has not yet learned how to switch it off or on so she woke us all up at the crack of dawn yesterday. She was very apologetic. She was worried too after hearing about a sort of "coup" in Paraguay where Congress had been set on fire by rebels against the current President or Prime Minister who wants to be re-elected. She told me one of her sons was a policeman but was happy to tell me he was not affected. I was more worried about her being able to bathe my Father and very relieved when Salud told me she had done it fine. I heaved a sigh of relief. Now she can stay on and I am less worried. I just wonder how long she will last. We have had a string of women since Olga from Paraguay and none of them stay longer than Salud has. Of course they all go for logical reasons, but starting again with a new carer is always a problem and big responsibility. 

That morning was Salud's last with us and it was very emotional to say goodbye, both for her and for us.  We shall miss her dearly but wish her a happy life in the Canary Islands where she will be going to live with her new "boyfriend" Fran and starting a new life.  For us she has become another member of the family and our goodbyes yesterday were charged with emotion. Thank you Salud for looking after us so well. We shall miss you dearly. 

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that with all the candidates for the carer job, this house seemed like the United Nations. It seems even more like it with all my Airbnb reservations. That morning I got 3 more! So far we have received guests from Italy, France and Spain but next week we shall be hosting 6 Koreans, the following week we shall have guests from St Petersburg and I have more bookings coming up of people from Italy, Canada and France again.  This is such fun and a great way of bringing in some "pocket money" which is what Eladio calls it hahaha. 

Yesterday was an enjoyable day and I spent some quality mother and daughter time with Oli again. In the afternoon I accompanied her to Carrefour for her to do her food shopping. It is such a tempting place I ended up buying lots of nice stuff too for dinner last night and lunch today. We came home for a cup of tea which would be followed by a walk with the dogs. We were joined by Eladio who had just come home from his tuition classes.  

And today is Sunday, hopefully another quiet and mild day.  Of course I will be telling you about it in next week's post.  Next week I will be getting my new Mini. I can't wait and at last we will have a car each as sharing one has been a bit of a challenge at times.

So I shall leave you now, print this for my Father and get on with the day,

Cheers till next Sunday my friends and readers,

Masha. 

A visit to the Retiro, a birthday lunch, surprise goodbye dinner for Fátima, Suzy’s phone snatched in the street in London, terror at Westminster, snow in spring in Madrid and other tales of the week.

Sunday 26th March, 2017

At the Retiro park in Madrid last Sunday with little Pippa

Hi again everyone,

Last Sunday was Father's day in Spain.   As I told you in my previous post, 19th March is Saint Joseph's day and many boys born on that day are called Joseph or José in Spanish which is often shortened to "Pepe".  It was then Eladio's brother, José Antonio's birthday, his 70th and we had been invited to lunch to their house in the centre of Madrid where we used to live too.  We decided to go early and take a walk in the lovely Retiro Park.  

The weather was beautiful and the park, as always, on a Sunday, was full, both of "madrileños" and tourists.  As we walked along the main promenade alongside the lake, we talked about how we used to go there every Sunday when we lived in the city and the girls were small.  The photo illustrating this week's post is of me with little Pippa by the railings of the lake. As you can see it was a lovely sunny day. I think the temperature reached the mid 20's, in sharp contrast to the cold that came that came and even brought with it snow on Thursday and Friday.  

I had to take a photo of Eladio too and here he is with our miniature chocolate coloured dachshund. 

Eladio with Pippa at the Retiro park last week

As usual, children were attracted to her pointing out she was a "sausage dog" but I had to warn them not to come up too close as she is such a barker and I do not trust her with children.  I wish she wasn't like that.  2 American students were attracted to her too at the open air bar where we had coffee. I was pleased as punch when they said she looked "immaculate". That is, of course, because I groom her so well everyday, even brushing her teeth hahaha.

After our lovely walk in Madrid's main park, we made our way to José Antonio and Dolores' house. We would be just 4 for his birthday lunch as none of their "children" could make it. My sister-in-law had made one of my favourite meals; roast lamb with all the trimmings.  We sat down to a lovely quiet lunch together and I had to have a photo of the "birthday boy" and his wife.  I have known them now since I was 21 when I first came to Madrid as part of the student exchange programme of my degree in Hispanic Studies at Nottingham University. Little did I know when I first met Dolores who was a teacher of English at the school I was assigned to, Instituto de Moralataz, that one day we would become. 

Dolores and José Antonio on his 70th birthday last Sunday

Dolores had made his favourite cake, a sort of apple sponge and I had brought along some special candles which are more like fireworks hahaha.  I took a video of the occasion which you can see here. 

Thankfully the days are longer now and there is more light in the evening. As from last night when the clocks went one hour forward, they will be even longer.  Thus, Eladio was able to mow the lawn upon our return. 

On Sunday Saida, our new home help who is from Morocco, arrived.  She would be doing her "apprenticeship" for a week with the help of Salud who, very sadly, will be leaving us at the end of the month.

That night we watched a special Father's day programme where the son of the infamous Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar,  was interviewed.  He told the interviewer, Jordi Evole, that the Netflix series "Narcos" had glorified his Father who was even more of a monster than the series shows. We are watching it at the moment and my stomach churns sometimes at the sheer violence and power of this man who was also a loving Father.

Monday came and it was a bank holiday in Spain.  Most people had a day off but I didn't.  I had to do a  PR plan for a new customer and spent my morning doing it.  This new customer is actually Swedish but based in Barcelona, so really my main two customers are based there which is quite a coincidence.  But these days that doesn't matter as we nearly all work virtually and remotely. 

I went for my second walk of the day and I took Pippa with me.  Eladio was at his afternoon private lessons, so the other 2 dogs didn't get a walk that day. It was still beautifully sunny, the day before spring would officially begin and I did a photo shoot of Pippa on the walk. This is the best shot I got.

Pippa in the sun on our walk on Monday afternoon

That afternoon Samsung reminded me I had to update and install new software on my Galaxy S7 Edge.  So I did so.  Later I regretted it as I do not like the look of the new upgrade the so-called "nougat" by Android which makes the software.  The drop down screen font is ridiculously small with this new version and for people whose vision is not perfect, is a real obstacle. I rang the Samsung Customer Care line to see how I could enlarge it and you can't.  Most devices today are designed by very young people with perfect sight who do not take into account that people who are older than them can't see as well.  

The ridiculously small font of the Android "nougat" software on my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. I need a magnifying glass to see it!!!

If I was complaining about the new software update on my phone, Suzy had a much bigger complaint to make. That evening she was walking on the streets of London, using her phone as we all do, when suddenly a "hoodie" riding a bike, passed her by and snatched the phone right out of her hand and rode off.  It was a Samsung Galaxy S7 which I had given her for Christmas. She screamed and ran after him to no avail.  What an awful thing to happen. It was a huge shock for her too.  Later she would have to change all her passwords and get a new sim card. Thankfully she had another phone, her old Sony which was up and running by Monday afternoon.  It was a lesson to me too as I use my phone constantly in public and what happened to Suzy in London on Monday evening could happen to anyone nearly anywhere these days.  What a nasty sign of our times. 

Tuesday, the 1st day of spring, had its ups and downs. I was awake at 5.30 in the morning and after breakfast worked on modifying the comms plan I had sent to my new customer the day before, after receiving feedback. Later I spoke to Suzy who was feeling miserable after having her phone stolen. We had to use FB messenger to call instead of whatsapp. I felt so sorry for her; trying to be of help in a dreadful situation.

But no one could be of help to me that morning which turned out to be a kafkian like experience. I had an appointment at the Labour Exchange to get information about becoming self employed and capitalize the "dole".  That dole money will go exclusively to paying the social security tax towards my pension.  I don't know what you pay in other countries but it is 1.100 euros per month here, enough to put off anyone wanting to become self employed.  On top of that you have to pay 15% tax which of course goes up if you earn more.  There is little motivation to be an entrepreneur here I can tell you. Eladio came with me and I was glad he did as there would be no way I could explain later  the process I went through that morning. We were badly informed by the Labour Exchange who sent us to the "Tesoreria" (Treasury of the Social Security organisation). That was supposed to be our first stop. However, there, a very nasty and uppity lady told us to go to "Hacienda" (the Ministry of Economy) and treated us literally like a "piece of ****".  Eladio was so cross he asked to see the head of her department to complain. From the Treasury we were sent back to the Labour Exchange to get more precise information of the process. The silly thing is that the 3 organisations are independent of each other and each one can only inform the public about its competencies when as a citizen you need to see the whole picture.  At the latter,  we were attended to very unwillingly by a civil servant who was curt and totally uninformative. Whatever question we asked her, she referred us to the law, saying we could read it on their internet portal. I mean come on, what is she there for if it isn't to inform the public.? Fed up with the complicated bureaucracy we opted in the end to go to a "gestoria" (sort of accountant like office) we found on internet and which is near where we live in Boadilla. Here the treatment was far better and we were well informed by a nice woman called Pilar. She explained what was needed to be done would later get back to me with the best option. I far prefer her to the accountant I had been using up till then.  But my, what a difficult process it is to become self employed in Spain if you are on the dole like me!  

We were home very late for lunch but managed a walk together afterwards before Eladio went off to his lessons.  That was the day I wished my new car had arrived as I had to go to a stationery shop to print the goodbye Nokia album I had done for Fátima for her surprise goodbye dinner that night in Pozuelo.  Eladio dropped me off without my knowing how I would get back. Ironically it would be Fátima I rang to pick me up and I had to tell her a fib as to why I was stuck without a car in Boadilla.  I could hardly tell her the real reason hahaha. Bad luck had it that the printer at the shop worked very slowly. Then I suddenly realised that each sheet was coming out wrong, with the print missing on the left side of the paper. Oh, no, we had to start again. By then Fátima had come to pick me up and was waiting outside and I had to tell her I was in a queue at the chemists, hahaha. 

Meanwhile, my 5 Airbnb guests had arrived from Chiclana. Unbelievably they were the mother and 4 women teachers of a girl who had reached the final of Spain's "Got Talent" show and they had come to see her perform.  The daughter, Mar Gabarre, sang and played the harp. She didn't win but my 5 guests were so pleased that she had even got to the final it didn't matter. 

I had about an hour to wind down over a cup of tea with Fátima, her dog Chispi and Pippa, before it was time to leave for her surprise goodbye dinner. And here I am with both dogs.  I think the footnote should be "surrounded by dogs" hahaha.

"Surrounded by dogs"

Fátima, my best friend in Spain, was made redundant by Nokia in January after 17 years with the company, the company she joined thanks to me in a way.  We were great friends at Motorola and when I joined Nokia in the year 2000 I wanted to take her with me.  It was really thanks to our now mutual great friend, Julio, who interviewed her and took her on when she was 9 months pregnant.  That says a lot about the company and about Julio!  She left the company with no goodbyes and not how she deserved. That's because it was Christmas time, there was no one there and she probably didn't feel like it.   Thus I planted the idea with them to organise a surprise dinner for old and new colleagues. But I had to deceive her and say we were going out to dinner with other friends. 

Fátima couldn't believe it when we walked into the private dining room of a restaurant called "Corner" in Pozuelo where, instead of meeting up with Eladio, Pedro and Ludi, there were many of her colleagues all lined up to greet her.  As I walked in with her, I couldn't take a photo but her face was a picture. She was so shocked, she broke down with emotion and happiness and I hugged her. I was so happy for her.  It was a super dinner and lovely to see so many of my ex colleagues, some of whom I hadn't seen since I left Nokia in 2005.  We gave her a beautiful Svarovski bracelet I knew she liked, as well as an engraved silver plaque of her times at Nokia. We also gave her the album with her colleagues' photos and goodbye words. Being her best friend, mine was the longest and I read it out to everyone as it was my "ode" to her.  The evening could not end without a group photo and here we are.

The group photo at Fátima's surprise goodbye Nokia dinner on Tuesday night

It was a truly magical night and my thanks go out to Cristina and Paloma who made it all possible. 

On Wednesday I went to another audition, as part of all the new and exciting things I am doing in my professional life after Yoigo.  It was a cold and wet morning when I made my way to the studios somewhere near Paseo de Extremadura.  This time the studio was full of people and of all ages. I found out it was for part in a shampoo advertisement!

A secret quick shot I took of the waiting room for the audition on Wednesday morning.

This time the room was not full of beautiful people. There seemed to be lots of men of all ages and all types of hair hahaha.  My turn came and I had to pose for the camera and answer some basic questions. I haven't heard since, so obviously my profile was not what they were looking for.  In the email, for my group, they had specified women of 60 with non died hair hahaha. I could see my competition in a pretty grey haired woman who probably got the part.  Well, no way am I going to let my hair grow grey to get a part in an anti hair falling shampoo advert!!!

Either an advantage or a disadvantage of being in the area of the audition studios is that there is a new women's clothes shop I have discovered called Mulaya. It is dubbed the "Chinese Zara" and oh my God I love it. There I bought these great jeans with white stars. Aren't they divine?

My new jeans from "Mulaya". 

So there I was spending the money I had not earned from being chosen at the auditions, on more clothes.  I also bought a lovely imitation black leather dress and coloured striped jumper. Please don't tell my husband. 

Wednesday 22nd March will of course go down in history because of the terrorist attack in London.  At 2.40 that day on Westminister Bridge just by the Houses of Parliament, a man called Khalid Masood, aged 52 but born Adrian Russel Elms, drove a Huyandai SUV hurtling into the public, killing 4 pedestrians and injuring 50 others.  He just literally "mowed" them down and one woman even fell into the River Thames.  He then drove towards the front of Parliament, burst through the gates and got out of the car holding 2 large knives. His first obstacle was an unarmed police officer, PC Keith Palmer aged 48 who he killed. Nearby a "close protection officer" who was armed shot him down before he could cause more deaths and injuries. 

Police officer Keith Palmer aged 48 was stabbed and killed by the lone wolf terrorist Khalid Masood.

London went into lock down and no one could leave Parliament for more than 4 hours.  The tube at Westminster was closed down and even the London Eye came to a standstill with passengers still on it. The first pedestrian to die was Aysha Frade who was a teacher of Spanish on her way to pick up her two children from her Mother's house. 

Aysha Frade with her husband, the first victim of the terrorist attack at Westminster on Wednesday

Of Spanish origin, it turns out she was a friend of a friend of mine, Juana who was my colleague at Nokia and who was at Fátima's party on Tuesday night.  Juana who is from Coruña had known Aysha whose Mother is from Betanzos,  since they were just 14. What a small world it is.

This all happened on the anniversary of the Brussels attacks. The next day Isis would claim responsibility.  However, it seems this crazy terrorist had a history of drugs, anger management problems and violence and has been confirmed as a "lone wolf".  When in prison he converted to Islam and obviously became radicalised.  However much security there is against terrorism today, it seems impossible to me to stop people driving a vehicle and going on the rampage to kill innocent victims as we have already seen happen in Berlin and in Nice.  What a horrible world we live in. 

.

I immediately rang Suzy to find out if she was ok. Thankfully, she no longer travels in the centre of London to work. My heart goes out to the victims, innocent tourists and passersby who would never have thought it possible that they would be attacked in such a way next to what is, perhaps, the most representative icon of democracy in the world. 

I just loved how the British reacted the next day. 

I loved the British reaction to the attacks on Wednesday on Parliament

Apart from the demonstrations and speeches in Parliament what I loved most were their stoic and cool reactions which, as always, include some sort of humorous irony.  I particularly liked what turned out to be a false Underground message which sums up what I think too.

The fake underground message after the attacks

That morning, after a lovely breakfast of toast and butter, allowed as my scales told me I had lost 100 grammes (hahaha), I devoured the British press on my iPad. 

But life continued and that morning I had another appointment at the Labour Exchange. I am beginning to get quite used to going there and it's not  a place I like. After various conversations and emails with my new accountant, Pilar, I went there to start the official process of becoming self-employed. There were just a lot of forms to fill in. Later I would send them to Pilar by email with copies of my passport, etc and on 1st April she will put in an application for me to be officially self employed.  When that happens, I shall have to notify the Labour Exchange in person and hopefully that will be my last visit there.  After that I shall finally be able to invoice my customers; something I am looking forward to doing enormously hahaha. It will be the reward for all the hours I have put in for them. 

It was damned cold that day and whilst I was working on another PR plan for my Catalan customer for their participation at a trade show in Hong Kong in May, I realised it was snowing outside.  How could it possibly snow in Madrid when spring had started just days before and the week before the temperatures were a balmy 25 or 26c?  It was far too cold for a walk. 

It snowed in Madrid on Thursday and Friday for the first time in 2 years. It didn't settle of course. 

The snow didn't settle and amazingly the sun came out in the afternoon, so I braved the cold and went for my walk with Pippa. During the walk my new Swedish customer called. It seems they want to go ahead with my PR plan which pleases me enormously. What doesn't please me enormously is the Swedish way of working.  They can be so democratic that they take ages to approve a document or come to a decision. They use "google docs" which is a first for me and complicated if you've never used it before. It seems very practical but it's actually not very efficient when  6 different people are giving their opinions and making comments.  If it takes this long to approve a plan, I wonder how long it will  take to approve a press release or q+a document hahaha. I'm a much more hands on person and prefer there to be as few people as possible interfering.  

On Friday I was up at 5.20 (OMG) and after breakfast and reading the paper, prompted by Suzy, I decided to buy a ticket to go and see her at the end of April to be with her on her birthday. Later Oli decided to join me, although she will have to go out one day later than me.  We are going on Ryan Air which we used to dub "Ryan Dare" and flying to Stansted, another first for me.  That will be something really big to look forward to.  We haven't seen Suzy since 27th December and it's high time we did. I can't wait for we "3 girls" to be together in London.

It was snowing again but even so I went on my walk.  The weather was crazy as the sun came out later.  Eladio and I had to do the food shopping. First we went to Ikea to buy tons of their amazing black bread which has chocolate and orange in it.  I do wish they sold their foodstuff online but they don't.  From there we went to Mercadona to load up 2 trollies to last us a week. The nice bit about Friday's shopping is that when we got home, we had 2 women to unload it and pack it away, Saida and Salud.  

Just as we were finishing our lunch my second Airbnb guest of the week arrived, a young student from Castellón de la Plana who, as most of my guests, got pretty lost finding our house. He had come to do a weekend course at the UEM University in something related to sport. He is a lovely boy and I gave him some of our lunch which was a delicious Moroccan stew made my Saida. Food is not included in Airbnb but I took pity on the young boy who arrived at lunchtime after a long journey and obviously hadn't eaten

That afternoon, after my walk, I decided to take some time off and watch something on Netflix. I chose "The Eichmann Show". It is about how the trial of the infamous Nazi was televised from the court room in Jerusalem in 1961.  Some of the scenes the Nazi criminal was shown had my stomach churning but he did not bat an eyelid when the camera zoomed in on his face.  

I had to forget the terrible scenes to enjoy my dinner that night when Eladio and I went out to La Vaca Argentina in Las Rozas. 

Yesterday morning I had the pleasure of the company of my Airbnb guest Pablo for breakfast. He is a wonderful guest as he is so discreet and tidy. He is also very good looking which I told him he was and the dear boy blushed. One of the advantages of being my age is that I can often say things like that without my words being misinterpreted. 

Pablo went off to his course and I went on my walk.  Once home, I started making the day's lunch as we would be having  special guests.  Miguel, my nephew and his lovely Cuban wife, Claudia had returned from Cuba last week and on Tuesday next will be leaving for Utrecht in Holland to settle down there. I wanted to see them before they left, so invited them for lunch this weekend. I made chicken noodle soup, home made pizzas and salad but both Oli and Miguel, her boyfriend, Miguel, my nephew and his wife Clauda arrived half an hour late so the pizzas went a bit dry unfortunately. And here is the happy couple at lunch yesterday.

Claudia and Miguel

Later we spent some quality time together and we even dug into our wardrobes full of old clothes belonging to the girls and I, to find some warm clothing for my new niece who would need it in Holland as all her clothes are only suitable for the Caribbean climate hahahaha. And here is a photo of Claudia, Oli and me together. Pippa got into the picture too as usual.

With Claudia and Miguel yesterday at home and Pippa too of course. 

There is nothing much else to report about Saturday which ended with us watching more of the Netflix series about Pablo Escobar, called "Narcos".

And today is Sunday and last night the clocks went forward.  That will take some getting used to. Today is Mother's Day in England; something we never used to celebrate at home as my Mother was Russian and wasn't into Mother's Day or similar things such as Valentine's Day.  In any case she is always in my thoughts.  I'm not sure how today will pan out but undoubtedly you will hear about it in next week's post.

Meanwhile all that remains is for me to wish you all a great week ahead and to say "cheers" till next time.

So, cheers from Masha. 

Seven Sisters, Airbnb, Nutrition and Hydration day for Suzy, Salud leaving us, Oli with priests and nuns and other stories of the week.

Sunday 19th March, 2017

Happy on one of my sunny walks this week with Pippa, the apple of my eye.  Loved the green and blue background.

Hello everyone,

How has your week been?  Mine has been quiet, pleasant and quite busy but there has been time for everything. 

Last Sunday morning our French airbnb guests left. Camille and Jeanine wrote a super review which is now my 3rd.  Airbnb is a nice little sideline business for me, but more about that later.

We had guests that day for lunch.  Eladio's brother Toño and his wife, Dolores came for lunch. For the occasion I made "cocido madrileño" which is always a favourite in the winter. It's not that it's exactly winter though. On Sunday it was sunny but windy with a chill in the air. We were told the spate of warm days was over and that winter would be back with a vengeance this week. However, it was only so on Monday. It was just a bit cooler here in Madrid but in Alicante it was dreadful.  There was torrential rain; the same amount in one day as in a whole year.  The freak flooding caused havoc and made me wonder how our flat in Santa Pola was fairing. Thankfully it is on a 3rd floor. 

But back to Sunday.  After our walk we all had a cup of tea and out came my favourite Emma Bridgewater tea set.  And here are the 2 brothers sitting together on one of the sofas in our lounge.  It's not often they are together and they are so close; having been educated together in a seminary from the age of 12, I love seeing them relaxing and enjoying each other's company. They always have a lot to talk about as they are both philosophers and teachers.

Eladio and Toño having tea on Sunday

Of course I read the news on Sunday as I do everyday.  I always start with The Times online but then read items of news that catch my attention throughout the day via applications from my phone.  My Father keeps asking me what "apps" are; something difficult to explain if you don't use a phone.  Oh the digital divide has not been fair on him as he is too old.  I shall be a lot luckier when and if I reach his age as I am what is called now a "digital immigrant".

I read the international news of course and am following Brexit and have been following the Dutch elections this week.  But it's the trivia I love most.  One bit of trivia that caught my attention that day and which I want to share with you, if you haven't seen it, is the story of the 7 (or 8) nuns (sisters) caught on camera at the train station of the same name "Seven Sisters" in North London.  No doubt my daughter Suzy will have been there often. Well, that day or a few days before, a passenger called Ben Batey was on the train when he saw "real-life seven sisters" waiting on the platform. This is the picture he took which later went "viral", another word my Father won't know.  

The 7 or  8 or 9 "sisters" (nuns) at the Seven Sister overground station 

He later said he "took a double-take as it was one of those strange but amusing moments". You bet it was.  I just loved it.  Later there was discussion about the real number of nuns but who cares. The picture is what matters. I wonder who the nuns were and what they thought of the picture haha. 

On Monday I spent most of the day on a new Airbnb ad to include 3 double rooms in our house so as to be able to get group bookings. I already had two "listings", one for the "green room" and one for Suzy's room but would have to set up a separate one if I wanted to accommodate 6 guests.  But Airbnb is quite a tricky platform to use and is designed so that for multiple rooms you cannot charge per room but per guest.  The downside of a multiple room listing is that if you get just one guest the money is a pittance.  This week saw me get a 1 guest only booking and a more lucrative 6 guest booking in June. This by the way is the ad if you want to spread the word or come and stay here, hahahaha.  Some people criticise Airbnb for being a threat to hotels and there are stories of people buying up properties just to use them for Airbnb.  I'm not one of the latter in any way; as first, there are no hotels where we live, and second I have so much spare room in this house it's a good way to get some extra pocket money. These days, after losing my job, I am looking for all sorts of ways to earn money and this is one of them.  For the moment it is tax free but I wonder for how long. 

I was very sure to block my calendar for the days I will be accommodating friends coming for my 60th birthday bash in June.  I had set the date some weeks ago that would suit Suzy and my dearest friends Sandra and Adele and on Monday I also worked on the invitation and sent it out. This is the picture I chose. It's great isn't it? I have invited more than 80 people and so far have 35 confirmations. I was looking into catering but I think in the end it's all going to be homemade.  

The image I chose for my 60th birthday party invitation

For the invitation itself, I used a platform called "Evite" which I had seen before and it's very practical and easy to use. 

If the photo of the Seven Sisters station caught my eye on Sunday, on Monday by far the most endearing but sad photo I saw came from Syria.  It was of a man called Mohammed Mohieden Anis, a vintage car collector, from Aleppo. He is sitting on his bed in what is left of his bedroom listening to music on an old gramaphone.  Aleppo is just one big pile of rubble and the man and the music remind me of the scene from The Pianist in Berlin after the final attacks on the city at the end of the 2nd World War when Adrien Brody sits playing  a piano in similar surroundings to the man from Aleppo.  

The man in Aleppo listening to music and surrounded by rubble and destruction. 

I wondered what he was thinking and what music he was listening to. This is is his story as told by The Daily Mail, not my favourite "rag" by the way. 

On a totally different "note", that night for dinner we tried a new vegetable in our house.  I had seen a sort of long stemmed broccoli at our local supermarket, Mercadona. I asked what it was and was told it was a cross between broccoli and asparagus. Well the shop assistant was wrong as I later read it is a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale whatever that is.  It also seems to be called "broccolini" but is more popularly known as "bimi".  One article I found about it called it "broccoli with a twist" which I find more appropriate. 

For dinner on Tuesday I ate "bimi" for the first ime. 

When I posted the photo above on Facebook I got lots of remarks from English friends who seemed amazed I didn't know it. Well, I didn't. You see, fashion in food comes late to Spain.  My verdict on bimi?  Well, nothing special and when I did the food shopping this week I didn't buy it again. 

Tuesday was an exciting day for Suzy and for once she sent me a photo.  That day, she and her colleagues had organised a "nutrition and hydration day" at one of the clinics which belong to the NELFT NHS Trust where she works as a locum dietitian.  I wonder whether the cakes and biscuits in the picture are nutritional hahaha.  I love to see Suzy happy with her new job and enjoying the company of new colleagues.  Finally her colleagues are nearly all English so I hope she gets to integrate a bit more into British society.  She tells me she doesn't watch any television so can't join in the conversation of what her team mates watched the night before!!  I wonder when the Spanish national health service will introduce a similar initiative. 

Suzy with her colleagues this week during their "nutrition and hydration day" 

Olivia, meanwhile, was doing a very different job and funnily enough about nuns. Actually she was preparing a programme about modern day nuns, monks and priests. On Tuesday morning she interviewed a little old nun who runs a shop that sells religious objects and priest robes somewhere near Sol.  And here she is with the nun. I wonder what she would have thought about the photo of the "seven sisters". I'm not sure how she fits in with a modern day nun but no doubt I shall find out when I watch the programme.  I love the photo don't you?

Oli with the little old nun, the latter holding her camera hahaha

Tuesday was a quiet day at home for me.  I got in my 2 walks which were windy but sunny. Sadly I also had to spend time on advertising for a new home help and receiving multiple phone calls and messages from hopeful candidates from a host of nations, mostly from South America.  I say sadly, because, sadly, Salud announced to us this week that she is leaving us to go and live in the Canary Islands with her new found love, Fran.  Of course we are happy for her but oh we will miss her. She is by far the best home help we have ever had.  I eventually found a candidate, Saida, from Morocco who will be coming tonight to stay for  a week learning the job with Salud.  If she passes the test she will start on 2nd April. Saida comes with good references and seems a nice cheerful lady. I look forward to eating some of the lovely Moroccan dishes, Fatíma and her sister Oufa used to make for us like pastela, couscous or roast chicken with caramelised onion.  Keep your fingers crossed this works out well. 

Oli, unware that her favourite home help, Salud, had announced she was leaving, was shooting for the second time that day.  On Tuesday afternoon it was the turn of a priest, Padre Damian to be interviewed by her. Now he is a modern day priest as he is a singer and was an aspiring candidate to represent Spain for this year's Eurovision Song Contest.  He didn't win but he has become very well known.  Here he is with Olivia.

Oli with "Padre Damián".

On Wednesday morning I was a bit surprised to see I had lost another 300 grammes. It's not much but I'm now below 57 kilos which was not my aim. The solution of course was to eat a bit more hahaha, so I had a large roll of brown bread which I toasted and had with butter for breakfast.  It was delicious and much nicer than my usual watery porridge which is probably a bit like Oliver Twist's "gruel". 

That night we continued watching "Narcos", the Netflix series based on the infamous Colombian drug dealer, Pablo Escobar.  We're still getting into it and I'm not sure it's our sort of series as there is so much violence. I'm told the series gets better and better but we are still waiting. 

On Thursday Oli was off again shooting. This time she went to Valladolid to film modern day cloistered nuns who are famed for using social media and even have their own TV channel. They are cloistered but thankfully allowed her and the cameraman in, after much persuasion the week before. They are called the "Carmelitas Samaritanas del Corazón de Jesús" (The Carmelite Samaritans of Jesus of the Heart!).  Oli was delighted with their welcome although she never got to see their cells, just the garden and some of the inside of the convent. She has observed that nuns, monks and priests live in the best houses in Spain.  I think that's true of most of the world. And here she is in a picture reminiscent of The Sound of Music. It is the Mother Superior who is holding Oli's camera hahaha. I can't wait to see the programme.

Oli with the cloistered nuns. 

Thursday was another sunny but blustery day. There are signs of spring everywhere and the fields on our walk are now getting greener and greener. I just had to have a photo taken with Pippa against a backdrop of the beautiful green fields and the blue sky.  That is the photo I have chosen to illustrate this week's post. Me at my happiest!

Instead of going out to dinner on Friday night, we decided to go out on Thursday so as to take advantage of a Monday to Thursday promotion at one of our local favourites, Ginos. There I enjoyed my favourite dish, the green and white pasta with ham and a cream sauce which is called "paglia i fieno" in Italian. 

My favourite dish at Ginos, "paglia i fieno

This was accompanied by a bottle of lambrusco rosé wine and followed by a naughty but nice dessert; white chocolate and pistachio ice cream.

Friday was a busy day in all senses.  It was also food shopping day and as is usual now, Eladio joined me.  We took the time to have a cup of coffee in the sun and Eladio chose to order "chocolate con churros"; something my diet does not permit. They are a great favourite for breakfast in Spain. And here is my handsome husband enjoying this very Spanish tradition.

Eladio having "chocolate con churros" on Friday morning 

That afternoon, a new airbnb guest arrived, Conchi from Murcia. She was delightful and like having one of your daughter's friends to stay.  Oli was back soon that day and both of us witnessed my Father walking with his zimmer frame on the terrace outside our study.  It's amazing but he is walking better and better. It was so nice to see him doing so outside in the fresh air.

My Father walking with Salud beside him on Friday

Whilst they were walking, Oli and I were at my PC applying online for a job for her as a multimedia journalist with the BBC Spanish service which would be based in Miami. It's a chance in a million that she gets it but we can always dream.  I must say it took about 2 hours of work to complete the process. 

We got bad news on Friday.  My brother-in-law who was recovering from a brain tumour operation has had a relapse and was admitted to hospital this week with water on his brain. We heard that night that the tumour had grown and he will probably have to suffer another operation. If you believe in God please pray for him and his family.  

On Saturday I did something new for the very first time. Recently I registered with a "modelling agency" (another way of making a bit of extra pocket money) and was called for an audition for a promotional video of the nearby UEM University.  They were looking for international type students and teachers of Nordic, African, European and Asian profiles. When I got the email asking me to attend I thought, well why not? This will be an experience and an experience it was too hahaha.  

I set off by car, taking my airbnb guest with me, Conchi, who was enamoured with our house and family.  I said goodbye to her at the station and carried on into Madrid by metro. I was soon near my destination and even had time to go into an alluring looking little boutique run by a young Chinese girl which had some lovely inexpensive clothes on sale.  

At 10.30 on the dot I knocked on the door of the studio to find the room full of beautiful looking people of all nationalities, race and colour. I was, of course, the oldest. 

The waiting room at the production studio where the audition took place yesterday

It was my first time but many of my fellow candidates knew the ropes.  I had to fill in a form, add my name to the list; I would be number 11 to be called and to learn 2 phrases off by heart for the audition.  The phrases were in English and were these which I quickly learned and also helped other candidates how to pronounce them hahahaha. 

The phrases to be learned by heart for the audition

Soon it was my turn and in I went into the studio. Two girls were waiting for me, one to ask the questions and the other to film me. They told me my "profile" (blonde, nordic, executive and mature) was in big demand.  I found that very funny.  For the audition I had to answer questions about myself and swivel around in front of the camera. Then I had to say the phrases with passion. I thought that was that, but no, there was another task to complete. I had to simulate I was giving a lecture to a bunch of students and could choose my own subject.  I chose Corporate Communication which of course is my field.  I loved the experience and could have carried on giving the fictional lecture all morning.  Soon I was told I had passed the audition and would be hearing from them for the real filming to take place next week at the University.  Now that will be fun. It will also be convenient as the UEM is a 5 minute drive from my house. It is where Oli studied. It is also where I once did a freelance project; the organising of an "Honoris Causa" ceremony for the Nobel Literature laureate Mario Vargas Llosa.  I look forward to next weekend.  

I came home just on time for a sunny walk with Eladio and the dogs. Then it was time to finish making the family's lunch which Salud had left all prepared before she went off for her weekend break. They were to have fish and chips.  I had my usual thin piece of steak and vegetables, plus 30 grammes (weighed raw) of pasta. 

In the afternoon I spent some girly time with Oli.  I accompanied her to the Centro Oeste shopping centre where she wanted to buy birthday presents for the girls' friend Elena and her boyfriend Antoine.  Thankfully I did not submit to any more retail therapy tempation, having bought 3 jumpers and a dress in the morning at the little boutique near the audition studios. 

Whilst we were out, once again, for the umpteenth time, the programme, Undercover Boss (El Jefe Infiltrado) where I had starred for Yoigo in September 2015, was being broadcast. It's very ironic that they keep doing so after I have been made redundant.  I always know when it's on as I get so many messages and friend requests on facebook. If you haven't seen it, you should be able to see it here. I heard recently from colleagues that the company that bought up Yoigo, Másmóvil, didn't like the programme being aired so much after they had made me redundant and even considered it a "plot" against them. Well there is no plot whatsoever. It's good publicity for the brand. But also when we signed the agreement we gave the producers and TV channel full rights to broadcast the programme. In a way it's quite good for my "personal branding" and it was certainly a unique experience; one of the highlights of my life that I shall take to my grave. 

A shot from the TV programme I featured in for Yoigo, the Spanish version of Undercover Boss (El Jefe Infiltrado)

When I got home I found Zena, our weekend home help, watching me on the television. It was quite a coincidence and both of us laughed out loud.

Once home, Oli and I  decided to sit outside by the covered pool, basking in the 24ºc temperature. Soon we were joined by Juli, one the girls' best friends who I hadn't seen for months and months.  Oli and Juli made a carrot cake before dinner.  It's not a cake I'm very fond of, so resisting temptation was pretty easy.

The day ended with more episodes of Narcos and last night's was certainly the most violent I have seen so far.  I kept having to look away. Later Oli told me that I had seen the most violent scene of all.  Uff.  I also learned that Pablo Escobar in real life was even nastier and more violent than he is portrayed in the series.  

And today is Sunday, the last day of my blog and time to publish it.  Today in Spain is Father's Day. But it is also generally the birthday of most men who are called "José". That of course includes my dear brother-in-law, Eladio's beloved second brother down, José Antonio.  But it's not just any birthday. Today he reaches his 7th decade. We have been invited to lunch to celebrate it.  Happy birthday dear Toño.  You are my favourite brother-in-law but then you know that already hahahaa.

You will hear all about it in next week's post. Meanwhile my friends, it just remains for me to wish you all the very best and hope you have enjoyed the tales of this week.

Cheers till next time,

Masha