Carlos Alcaraz, King of Wimbledon, a few days in Santa Pola, early morning bathe and walk on our beach, home again, time with Elliot and Juliet and other stories.

Home again, Madrid, Sunday 23rd July, 2023

We finally went to the beach  - early morning bathe and walk on Wednesday

Good morning again friends and readers.

We are now into the end of July which has been perhaps not the  the hottest I can remember in all my 40 years in Spain but the longest. Seville this week was the hottest city in Europe  with temperatures reaching over 43ºc. I read in the news that    this wonderful, beautiful and magical city in the south of Spain that is steeped in history, could become a desert in the next few years due to furnace heat! It wasn't much better in Madrid where mercury hit 42ºc on Monday this week. That, though, is not so unusual. I remember when we lived in the city in the late 80's that 40 and above was quite normal in July and August but I hated it. Far away in Phoenix where I once went, I read that the inhabitants of the Arizona capital have had to bear 45ºc for more than 45 days. Last night I read that tourists and residents fled their homes and hotels in Rhodes, Greece, where a fire was raging. Desperate news!

We wanted to escape the heat and had booked 5 nights at our own place near Santa Pola and left last Sunday hoping to be able to cool off in the sea but ended up using the pool more than we normally do there. The thermometer reached at least 10 degrees less but due to the humidity, 30ºc on the Costa Blanca is the equivalent of 40ºc in dryer Madrid. So we didn't escape the heat, as the humidity made it even more impossible. 

We set off with Suzy and Pippa in the Mini and bought sandwiches to eat on the way. We had them at some godforsaken, dusty and horribly hot small town called "Horna". "Horno" in Spanish means an oven and that was the place felt like as we sat on our beach chairs under a tree surrounded by flies. Here are Eladio and Suzy trying to enjoy what was not a very nice Sunday lunch hahaha

Not the best Sunday lunch - on the road to Santa Pola last week

We arrived at around 4.30 to a clean and fresh apartment, thanks to our neighbour Lucy. Guests had left that very morning and she had done a rush but good job.  

We soon settled in and I put on all the fans as it was so humid and warm outside. Thankfully our apartments are on a cliff so there was some breeze. 

At that time on the other side of the Channel, in much cooler weather, Spain's Carlos Alcaraz who is from even hotter Murcia (very near Alicante), was playing the 7 time Wimbledon champion in the final. It was David against Goliath and as much as I love the 20 year old young Carlos and wanted him to win with all my heart, I knew inside me that the Serb would beat him. I watched the first set on the BBC iPlayer only to see him beaten 1-6. So I stopped watching. In Belgium, France and England, and in that order, my great friends, Sandra, Adele and Amanda watched the whole 5 set match which turned out to be the second longest final at SW19. So I went down to the pool but kept looking at the progress of the match on my phone. When I saw Carlos was winning 2 sets to 1, I rushed upstairs again to watch the rest of the match. I told Eladio to join me as Alcaraz was winning. Well, just as my husband started watching, the young Spaniard who was only 7 when 36 year old Novak was already winning grand slams, he lost the next set. So much for him winning I thought. Great, he has won 2 sets but he won't be able to beat the tennis legend who was, supposedly, unbeatable at the All England Club. I thought Carlos was too young, his nerves would play against him and that the old Serb had too many tricks in his handbook and that really he was the better player. That was until Sandra texted me to say, "Watch Masha, he is about to serve match point". So I timidly watched him serve, thinking he would lose the point. But I was so wrong, so wrong - he did it. As my school friend Maureen said to me "your boy did good". Oh how good. I think I was probably more nervous than the champion and was only able to enjoy the final when it came to the presentation of the Cup. It was handed to the young Spaniard who made history that day - some called it the changing of the guard - by the Princess of Wales with the King of Spain looking on. I wonder what Carlos was thinking at that moment. It was a dream come true which is how he described his achievement. For me that day, he made me proud of Spain and Spanish sport. I liked the Wimbledon Twitter handle comment: "a new name, a new reign".

The King of Wimbledon - 20 year old  Carlos Alcaraz from Murcia, Spain. He did it!

Mats Wilander summed up both his win and his tennis very well when he said "I think it's important that we have a new Wimbledon champion and it's even more important that it's Carlos Alcaraz because he has something so special that we might never have seen in our sport before. I include Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in that. He has the touch of Federer, the passion of Nadal and the movement and defensive skills of Djokovic."

But I doubt it is a question of "The King has died, long live the King" because of the 3 great tennis players who have dominated the game for 20 years, Djokovich is still hungry and still has it in him to be the number one again and win his 8th Wimbledon to equal Federer. But for the moment, Carlos Alaraz is King of Wimbledon and I couldn't be more pleased. The Spanish King of tennis, Nadal, now has  a successor and that is good for the sport too. So now instead of chanting "vamos Rafa", we will be chanting "vamos" Carlos, Carlitos or Charlie - he goes by all three. 

We didn't exactly celebrate but I did have a glass of wine with my dinner. Dinner was another little disaster. I wanted to make fish in batter but it stuck on the frying pan - will get some new ones - and the batter was too thin. Never mind though as the fish was still nice.

I slept reasonably well but only because I had the fan blowing recycled warm air in my face all night. I was up at about 7.15 on Monday morning and at that time the temperature was already 25ºc, just too much for me. We rather wasted the morning  - or maybe not - by talking to different electricity suppliers for all our houses. We had had a very high bill at our main house and Eladio was determined to shop around to get a better price. Then we ventured out, this time to spend more money. The TV was not working and I decided it was high time we got a smart TV at our apartment. We got a very cheap one - oh how the prices have gone down, a smallish Samsung - good enough for Santa Pola - which the usually efficient appliance shop (Euronics) were to install on Wednesday. 

Only then could I walk down to the pool to cool off - not so much in the water which was tepid but in the shower. I then sat under the trees enjoying the breeze which is when I finally felt cool. Lunch was a doddle - leftover spag bol and then I sat on our cool terrace which only gets the sun in the mornings, thank goodness. I never understand why people with apartments there close off the terrace to make another room. For me the saving grace of our apartment is the terrace overlooking the sea and a Mediterranean garden. 

I had my Monday afternoon Skype call by the pool with my friend Amanda in Devon where it was only 20ºc. But soon I was joined by Eladio who was willing to go into the pool so I cut short the call to live the moment. Soon after it was time for another Skype call, this time with my Uni friends, Sandra and Adele. We did talk about Alcaraz, for sure - they are great Wimbledon fans too - but also about our upcoming girly week  in Santa Pola in October. I'm looking forward to that. 

The day ended quietly. We hadn't done much but then again we had and I had enjoyed talking to my friends and spending time by the pool.

Wednesday came and it was another morning of errands. We duly went to get new frying pans - the others were more than 20 years old (haha), then for a coffee - but inside with air con as it was too hot outside - and then to the ubiquitous Mercadona mostly for household products for guests. The final stop was at Lidl where I got 12 bottles of wine and 12 large packet of crisps - welcome gifts for the next guests until the beginning of September. It's nice to arrive at an Airbnb/hotel or whatever and to find a gift. In Asturias it is cider with crisps and in Madrid it is fresh orange juice with almonds. 

I made a slightly bigger effort for lunch and grilled mushrooms and asparagus to have with the leftover meat loaf I had brought from Madrid. Straight after lunch I went down to the pool again to cool off. I was joined by Eladio but this time he didn't go in. 

The rest of the day was quiet but hot. The only thing I did of interest was start a new BBC series, "The Sixth Commandment". Based on a true story it tells a horrible tale of how one young man manipulated 2 old people to get them to change their wills in his favour - one of whom he murdered. It's a horrible tale but very well told.

We had come on Sunday and by Wednesday had still not gone down to the beach which was the main purpose. The reason we didn't go was the heat so on that morning we decided to go down as early as possible to avoid the heat and the crowds - not that our beach (Arenales/Carabassi) ever gets really overcrowded. It was lovely to get there at 8.15 in the morning with hardly anyone on the beach and no issue with parking. I took a photo of my husband going down one of the wooden walkways. This is him. He is dressed in green which, totally, out of coincidence, matched our green beach chairs and parasol. A friend commented how colour coordinated he is. He is not; it was just a coincidence hahahaha. 

On our way down to our beach

I call it "our beach" because we have been going to it since we bought the apartment in May 1999. I cannot forget the year as it was the year my mother died (in October). I was always sorry she never came but my father often did and he loved "our beach". My husband took one of me too in the same spot as I needed a feature photo for this week's blog.

And here he is picking our spot right by the water with no competition whatsoever. What a lovely time of the morning to go and have a bathe and a walk on the beach. 

Eladio setting up our spot on the beach on Wednesday morning - the buildings in the distance are where our apartment is - the white ones on the cliff.

It was already 26ºc at 8.15 in the morning and I was dying to go in the water but first I had to take a video to share with you of that lovely moment. You can see it here on my YouTube channel. 

We were soon in the sea with hardly anyone else around and both remarked just how warm the water was. We also spoke about the heatwave. Yes it is intense but I'm not sure it's that much different from when I first came to Spain in the 70's and 80's. I remember torrid nights in Callosa with my parents and friends, hitchhiking in the deadly sun to Benidorm. I also remember driving to Alicante from Madrid without air conditioning and on a main road with only two lanes which took forever in the intense heat; the same as now, 40ºc. I am not denying climate change but Spain was hot already. Maybe what has changed is the relentlessness;  longer periods of  extremely high temperatures. 

Once we had cooled off, we went on our walk - the same one as always - all the way to the rocks at the end of the beach which is surrounded by dunes. We never go the other way which is built up, far preferring the scenery. We sat on the same rock we always sit on which means so much to us.

At about 10.30 when the front row of the beach was filling up, we did the opposite. While people were arriving, we left. Before getting into our sauna-like car, we had a coffee at the only bar on the promenade. Once home, while Eladio went to have a shower, I made a beeline for the pool. Suzy joined me where she announced she wasn't coming home with us. Rather she is going to restart life in Lorca - Murcia. Well, what can I say or do? She is 39 and has to live her own life. I am not so keen as she is going back to someone who is not exactly the epitome of a gentleman. That has been on my mind ever since. 

We were excited to be waiting for Euronics to deliver and install the new Samsung smart TV. Well, they came but couldn't do much as the TV cable was broken. That meant Eladio had to go to the ironmonger - in the end he went 3 times. They would come back the next day.

I think that night was the hottest. What with the heat, the humidity and the relentless mosquitoes biting me, all I wanted was to go home. That night there was another election debate except that the opposition leader, Feijóo was not taking part. Eladio watched it while I read.

We decided to go home on Thursday morning instead of Friday so as to have an extra day in Madrid before setting off for Montrondo again. Eladio duly took Suzy to the bus stop to take the bus to Lorca while I waited for the Euronics people. They came but damn them, they drilled 3 holes in the wall which penetrated the bedroom next to the lounge. They made a botched job of covering it with plaster but it needs a painter which they have promised to send. I was pretty annoyed as new guests were arriving on Friday and the holes are a bit unsightly.  We left at around 13.30 and were soon on the road to Madrid. We stopped for lunch at El Cruce but it wasn't as good as usual. The journey home seemed endless.

We were back by about 5.30 to be greeted by Tana who had looked after the house well. I unpacked in our pleasantly air conditioned room and could have bathed in the pool as there were no guests until Friday. We just had fruit for dinner sitting on the patio and it was much cooler than in Santa Pola. 

Friday came and we were busy. We had to do the shopping of course and then I sent Eladio to the barber. He hadn't had a haircut since Kosovo and  had veritable locks in his hair. I told him he looked like that Catalan fugitive separatist, Puigdemont, hahahaha.

I brought the shopping back on time to put it away and make the lunch before our new guests arrived, a family from Piacenza, Italy - Matteo, Simona and their 2 young daughters. They loved the house and we loved them. We would have loved to have Oli and the kids round but not with guests - much to her annoyance, I'm afraid. But we would see them on Saturday when the guests were out visiting Madrid and we will be spending time with them in Montrondo next week. 

It was a quiet day all round and I spent most of the afternoon in our cool room finishing the excellent BBC series, The sixth commandment. 

Saturday came and I had slept very badly and got up before 6 am. I just hope I will sleep better in Montrondo where we are going tomorrow. I set about making lunch early so as to be ready when Oli and the kids came that morning. I made a cream of pumpkin and carrot soup followed by stuffed shoulder of lamb and was then free to read a bit in the quiet of the garden by the pool. It was lovely to watch the pool maintenance man clean it while I was relaxing. It's always relaxing to watch someone else clean isn't it? Soon our own little pumpkins were with us. We hadn't seen Juliet and Elliot for more than a week and it's always lovely to be reunited. Here they are in the pool with their mother which we had to ourselves yesterday morning when our Italian guests were out for the day.

Pool time yesterday

We were joined by Miguel for lunch and everyone loved my cooking. Today I will be cooking again to take ready made food to Montrondo. I was shattered after lunch as I had only slept about 4 hours so both of us went and had a siesta while Oli and family enjoyed the pool until the Italian family were back.

It was a quiet day in the whole of Spain too, as the day before a general election - being held today - is called "the day of reflection" and no parties are allowed to campaign any longer. I reflected that I shall be voting in a general election for the first time in 40 years. I seem to remember the last time I voted in one was in the UK and it was for Margaret Thatcher. Yes, I voted for her as in my house you were only allowed to vote Conservative. My brother was the rebellious exception and always voted Labour to annoy our parents. But he was lazy and being a teenager slept most of the day. My mother's tactic was to let him sleep for it to be too late for him to vote, hahahaha. Once I left England I could not vote in Spain until I had a residency card and then I was only allowed to vote in 2 types of elections - the local and European elections; not the general or regional elections. And, as I told you recently, after 15 years outside the UK I am no longer able to vote there either. So today will be very significant for me. The country, as always, is totally divided and we will end up with no clear majority for any of the candidates. Will the vote sway right or stay left? We will know very soon tonight, shortly after the polling stations close at 8 pm. In the UK, I remember us all watching the TV well into the night to know who had won. These days the results come in much more quickly. So, by tonight, we will have an outcome. But again we will have a coalition government as neither the Socialists nor the People's party will get a majority.  The two options are: 1) Socialists again who need the support of the communists (Sumar) and the ex terrorist party (Bildu) - led by men who killed - as well as the Catalan separatist parties. 2) The right wing PP party together with Vox the far right party. I can't stomach the communists but nor can I stomach the far right wing party. Thus my choice of vote is very difficult. I think that is the same for everyone who is voting. Tonight we shall know what Spain's future government will be or at least we might have an idea as after today there will be a long period of negotiating between parties. 

Today is Sunday, 23rd July, day of the general election. I look forward to voting, I really do. We are doing so at the local University as the usual polling station - a nearby school - is under reform. That, my friends, is the main news of the day. By next Sunday it will all be over. 

Cheers till then, 

Masha

The end of our stay in Asturias, a gorgeous day in Llanes, I can finally vote in Spanish general elections, debate between Pedro Sánchez and lesser known Nuñez Feijóo, Wimbledon, home again, family time in the pool and other stories.

 Home, El Bosque, Sunday 16th July, 2023

Coffee time in Llanes - you can see I am literally beaming to be back at La Galerna where we always have our elevenses when in town. 

Good morning friends and readers. 

As you can see, we are home again but not for long. I told you last week we would be away again this Sunday.  We are, as we are  off again today, this time to our humble little apartment on the coast near Alicante. We keep moving as it is so hot in Madri; scorching. Montrondo was much cooler as was Asturias. Not that it will be much cooler on the Mediterranean coast but at least we will have the sea breeze and be able to cool off in the water. 

In fact last Sunday it rained in Asturias. You may remember I told you it drizzled and that the people in the area refer to it as "orbayo". Well it did so all morning until, guess what? The sun came out again. That's what Asturias is like; "unpredictable as weather" to quote the lovely Maria song from The Sound of Music. Only then could I go and sit on our flower filled terrace with my feet up, a cup of tea and Pippa by my side. Eladio caught me on camera, feeling very relaxed and happy with the world.

Chilling out on our little terrace in El Cuetu  - cup of tea, my Kindle and Pippa by my side. 

That for me is bliss. What is bliss for you?

Monday came, our last day in Asturias and we still had jobs to do to finish some important aesthetic improvements to the house. We also had to replenish more kitchenware and household products. Where better to do it than in Llanes, that lovely seaside town near us which we normally visit a lot while in El Cuetu but this time we went only once. Determined to make the best of it, we took along our beach wear - it was 25ºc that day - and booked a table at our favourite restaurant. We love El Mirador de Toró overlooking the Toró beach just outside the pretty town.

We got new drinking glasses to replace those broken, lost or stolen, a new doormat and a couple of plastic trays to put cleaning products on under the kitchen sink. Then it was coffee time and it had to be at La Galerna in the main square, Sobrino Pedro Parres, where so many Spanish period drama TV series have been filmed. If sitting on our little terrace with my feet up is bliss, coffee at La Galerna is also bliss. There you can enjoy the hobby of people watching surrounded by 19th century period buildings. It's not the coffee so much as the place. Eladio took a photo of me where I am positively beaming which I have chosen for this week's feature photo. We felt so happy to be in Llanes. Across the way from the cafe is a gourmet Asturian foodie store, Aramburu. I always buy produce there and that day got 2 dozen eggs from so-called happy and free range chickens. A dozen was for Oli and family and the other for us. We then ambled towards our car to deposit our purchases. We both noticed the town was not as full as one would expect in July, compared to say - oh God no - Benidorm. If only my parents had chosen this region instead of  Callosa in the Alicante area to buy the ramshackle home they did in the early 70's. 

We enjoyed the walk around the port towards the Playa de Toró, one of the main town beaches. The weather was warm but not too warm and it wasn't crowded. That's bliss for you again. 

Walking in Llanes on Monday

We went past some wonderful houses that make me green with jealousy and also past a tiny town beach called El Puertu Chicu (I think). It's small and beautiful. Just look. Imagine having a typical Asturian house just above it. Those who do are lucky people. 

The tiny and stunning Puertu Chicu beach in Llanes

From there we walked the short distance to the Toró Beach where people were bathing. We perched ourselves on some picnic tables in full view of the beautiful beach. This was where we sat.

Sitting by the Playa de Toró

You can see the Mirador de Toró restaurant overlooking the beach in the photo below.

The Mirador de Toró restaurant just above the beach of the same name and where we had a scrumptious lunch on Monday

I made sure we got a table on the veranda overlooking the beach and there we enjoyed a wonderful meal. Eladio went for black rice - not my thing  -and I went for small scallops followed by a seafood salad. All this was washed down with local cider, THE drink to have with your meal in Asturias. This was the battery powered cider pourer. 

Lunch in Llanes on Monday

It was quite a walk back to our car in the "heat" but nothing like the heat we would be hit with when we got home. We stopped on the way to buy cider for Olivia who also loves it. 

Once home, Eladio did a bit more deep cleaning and shortly afterwards the cupboards under the kitchen sink were gleaming. I was soon able to put my feet up again on the terrace and that afternoon I had the pleasure of a long Skype call with my friend Amanda, who, of course, knows El Cuetu as we went there together last September.

Later I was joined by Eladio and we sat in companionable silence each reading something different until it was wine and pistachio time. We weren't hungry at dinner time so just had some fruit. That night we watched the one and only face to face debate between the two main candidates for the upcoming general election on 23rd July - when most people will be on holiday. Pedro Sánchez, the Socialist PM, often known, outside Spain, as Mr. Handsome, was to debate with  his main contender, the lesser known Alberto Feijóo, head of the PP (right wing party) and leader of the opposition. 

Pedro Sánchez (Mr. Handsome) left and Alberto Núñez Feijoo, the two main contenders for the  General Elections on 23rd July

Normally Spanish TV election debates are boring  with each candidate saying his blurb uninterrupted but that night was different. They were allowed to interrupt each other and really debate. But the whole thing turned into some sort of shouting match with both of them accusing the other the whole time. We never got to hear what either of their political plans really were. Sánchez is usually a pretty cool character, who, although he lacks charisma, is good at getting his points across. That night though he faltered against clear criticism from his opponent and that made him nervous and aggressive. It's obvious he doesn't like being cornered and that was how he found himself. The papers say the overall winner was Feijóo who kept his cool but was interrupted, deliberately, far too often by the PM. Will this debate have any effect on voters' final decision? No one knows. But this debate may have put them off both candidates and on 23rd July, many of those lying on beaches around the country may not even bother to vote. For my part I see a stale mate result with votes going 50/50 and both parties having to rely on the far right and far left extremist parties to form a coalition government and I don't like either communists or fascists. I think Mr. Handsome may not win all the votes but will be able to rely on the undesirable parties he is already in cahoots with. Why, oh why, can we not change the system in Spain and go through to a second round? Anyway, in Spain, for the moment the only talk is about the upcoming General Election and the heat wave. The heat wave is unbearable, even for me who has lived in the warmest country in Europe for more than 40 years. 

The debate was long and the analysis afterwards even longer which had us in bed late, very late. I got Spanish nationality in January 2022 and hoped against hope I would be on the Electoral Roll to be able to vote for the first time in 40 years in a General Election. I had planned to ring the Town Hall so was very pleased to see the document they had sent me confirming I am on the roll when I got back home.

The document that confirms I'm on the electoral roll in Spain. 

 It means so much to me. Before I got my Spanish nationality I could neither vote in the UK or Spanish general elections - only in the local and European elections in Spain. So why can't I vote in the UK you might ask, as I was born there? The answer is unfair and contrary to how it works in most countries in the world. If you have lived outside the UK for more than 15 years you can no longer vote there.  There is talk of the law changing but it never seems to happen. I have been in voting limbo for more than 40 years. So on 23rd July, that will change and I will be able to deposit my vote in my first Spanish general election which pleases me enormously. But I only knew that when I got home on Tuesday afternoon. 

I was up at about 8 am in El Cuetu that day. The first thing I did was check the progress of the Men's singles at Wimbledon. The 20 year old Spaniard, Carlos Alcáraz, the worlds number one seed (amazing) had got through to Round 16. He went on to beat his contemporary, the Dane, Holger Rune (number 6) in the Quarter Finals. That meant he made it to the semi finals against the 3rd seed, Medvedev, which they played on  Friday. Meanwhile both Sinner - another of Alcáraz and Rune's young contemporaries - all destined to be the next great 3-  and Djokovic (of course) met in the Semis. The top two seeds won their matches in 3 straight sets.  

Carlos Alcaraz after beating Medvedev in the Semi Final at Wimbledon on Friday

This is amazing, not for Djokovic who is looking for his 8th SW19 title, but  for such a young player like Carlos. He has it in him to win but has to control his nerves which gave him stomach cramp at the French Open against the Serb. Djokovic will no doubt be the winner claiming what could be his 24th Grand Slam but Alcaraz is destined to be the world's next GOAT (greatest of all time) and has years ahead to continue to thrill the tennis world. I could watch the final on Sunday as I have access to the BBC iPlayer but doubt I could control my nerves so prefer to look up the result after the match and then watch the highlights. That reminds me of my brother-in-law, an ardent supporter of Barça. When his team plays he goes to bed and then if they have won he watches the match hahahaha. 

The crowds are anticipating a final between David (Carlos) and Goliath (Novak) this Sunday - a match that would thrill any tennis fan. You see, as a Brit, Wimbledon for me is the greatest of the Grand Slams. When I lived there the world stopped when the All England  Club Tournament was taking place. I think it's still the same today.  At home we would also eat our strawberries and cream and enjoy the antics and sportsmanship of the likes of  John Newcombe, Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Martina Navratilova, Billy Jean King, Chris Evert, John McEnroe or Ivan Lendl. We all watched at home avidly, hardly breathing when McEnroe and Bjorg were playing the final. I loved (watching) tennis so much I remember I once worked at the Nottingham Open which was more important then than now and saw up close figures like Arthur Ashe and Guillermo Villas. I was responsible for putting up the scores during a match and learned the rules which I still remember today. I also remember sharing the same dining room as the players which was such a thrill. My only regret is that I have never been to Wimbledon. Spaniards do not follow Wimbledon. They prefer clay of course so the greatest Grand Slam for them is Roland Garros, made famous of course by Spain's best sportsman ever, Rafa Nadal who has won it a record 14 times. I think that Carlos Alcáraz is destined to be his successor. That is absolutely clear. So, I waited with baited breath this week following his progress. 

Tuesday was the day of our return from El Cuetu. It took ages to really set off as before doing so we had to fill up the tank, inflate the tires, buy a pie and cakes from a little bakery in Posada - at Suzy's request - as well as go past the Mirador de Toró where I had left our beach bag. We stopped for a coffee at a roadside cafe where we also got a sandwich for our lunch which we had on the grass by the river at Alar del Rey. We were home by about 5 and were warmly greeted by Suzy and Tana who had kept the house well run in our absence. What I didn't like was the heat that greeted us. We had left Asturias where it was about 22ºc and arrived home to 37ºc which I found unbearable. I used to tolerate the heat better than I do now. After unpacking I jumped straight into the pool to cool off. I did so several times before it was bedtime. I slept well that night but only thanks to the air conditioning without which it would have been impossible to get a wink. To think we had to sleep with a duvet on in Asturias. What a contrast. 

On Wednesday we had lots of things to do. We went to get Eladio's glasses mended, to pick up my sleeping tablets - oh how well I am sleeping these days - and then to get the Mini. It desperately needed servicing after its 13000 km road trip. We found out that it did have a puncture which we now know happened in Cappadocia, owing to the awful cobbled streets. It's a wonder we made it back without really noticing. With the Mini fully serviced, we drove off in two cars and made our way to the nearest cafe for elevenses. Then we went to LM - a DIY centre - to get various things for Eladio to repair my parents' porch chairs which we brought from England when my Father came to live with us. They are nothing special but to me they are everything. The dreadful thing though was that  when we were in the queue somehow we managed to drop 2 tins of paint which went everywhere! Eladio was so embarrassed. He's had a lot to repair upon our return and I want to give him a round of applause for mending the automatic gate, the lock on the small gate, the pool shower head, a socket in the kitchen, as well as the fridge which was leaking. What he couldn't mend was the kitchen tap which was leaking badly and he had to call a plumber.  2 plumbers let us down and finally the insurance company sent one late on Friday at midnight. At least we now have a working kitchen tap!

I came home to put the finishing touches to our lunch. We were to be joined by Olivia who we hadn't seen for 2 weeks. We had a lovely family lunch after which Eladio and I rested in the cool of our room. Just as I was putting my feet up with my kindle by the pool, Oli and Miguel  came with the kids who we hadn't seen for 2 weeks either. It was a joy to see and hear Elliot saying Grandma and rushing to my arms. Little Juliet says "gama" which is so sweet. Soon we were all in the pool, except for Eladio who wouldn't go in for love or money. Thus he was our photographer and took this great shot.

Family pool time. 

And what a great time we had. With this heat, the pool was the only place to be in. Elliot was excited to show us that he can now nearly swim - doggy style - and he loves going under water with his father who is a fantastic swimmer. 

It was great to be all together again. I knew the kids would be hungry after so much time in the pool and between Tana, Suzy and I, we rustled up a lovely dinner which we had outside. It was so good to be together again. 

We went to bed quite late, joined by Pippa, of course. Thursday came and I had lots to do and all at home. I spent most of the morning wearing my scanty nightie busy with tasks. While my husband was mending the chairs, I was on the phone to Samsung about his slow keyboard which took up about1.5h. I juggled tasks and also managed to dead head the geraniums and the roses which have wilted so much in the sun despite the irrigation system. Eladio was having problems with it as there is always a leak somewhere. I also cooked  a lot, making potato salad for a family dinner. I made a huge amount only to be told neither Miguel nor the kids like it so I had to make food for them. Spag bol was the only thing I could come up with. It was after midday that I had my shower and I had it outside by the pool where I even shampooed my hair - how lovely to be able to do that.  These days I don't bother drying my hair preferring the damp feeling on my head. 

Thursday was another family pool time day - there was nowhere else to be in such heat. Even Eladio went in which is highly unusual. So, that day I was the photographer. 

Family pool time again onThursday

We only had one guest that day - a tattooist who was at work so we had the pool to ourselves as we did most of the week which was bliss - that word again.

Friday came and I could no longer put off the food shopping. We had two or three other tasks that day, to take the Volvo to be serviced and to buy a new kitchen tap and some spare parts for the irrigation system which is driving Eladio crazy with leaks all over the garden. Oli joined us for lunch again which was spag bol leftovers - delicious - but we were alone for the rest of the day. I spent part of it by the pool going in and out whilst reading my new book - Colditz (oh yes - but from a different angle) by Ben Macintyre. I have never read anything by him so let's see. Who of my generation born in the UK does not remember the 1972 TV Colditz series?  We watched it as a family religiously every week. In fact I bought the CD box set a while ago but the quality is not good unfortunately. 

We were up far too late that night, owing to having to wait for the emergency plumber service provided by our insurance company. The plumber came just before midnight! So we went to bed with one problem solved. On Saturday we woke up to another huge leak in the garden. Eladio called his garden plumbers once again. He really has a nightmare job looking after the irrigation system with leaks popping up everywhere. I often wonder if the whole thing should be removed and replaced with something more state of the art. That could be said of a lot of things in this big rambling house. It was mended eventually thank goodness which means we can leave today without any worries. He then mowed the lawn while I went out on a quick errand. Yesterday was a quiet day and the heatwave, dubbed Cerberus - a multi headed dog in Greek mythology - gave us a break and the maximum temperature only reached 32ºc. That won't be for long though as another one will be coming soon. But it meant I could sit by the pool in the afternoon without that awful intense heat. We were guest free yesterday which is quite unusual. But not for long as Iñigo - a Spaniard who has lived in the UK probably for as long as I have lived here - arrived late at night. Today a family of 5 is coming but we won't see them as we will have left before they arrive. 

I was up at 6.30 am and here I am writing now before finishing the packing to leave for Santa Pola. We were last there in the spring and I look forward to a few quiet days there with Eladio, Pippa (Pips) and Suzy who is coning with us this time.

By next Sunday we will be home again. Then we have Montrondo to look forward to with Oli and family and our wonderful 40th wedding anniversary trip to France at the end of August. All in all we are having a marvelous summer.

Cheers now until then, 
Masha

Quiet and sunny days in Montrondo, off to El Cuetu. Enjoying Asturias in July, bathing and having dinner at Poo Beach. "Orbayo" rain and other stories.

 El Cuetu, Asturias, Sunday 9th July, 2023

Posing by our table at La Farola del Mar restaurant overlooking Poó Beach. I'm holding a bottle of typical Asturian cider in my hands. 

Good morning my friends. Well, here we are in Asturias at the old house we bought back in 2020. It's usually fully booked at this time of year but someone cancelled a while back and I decided to take those days for ourselves.  And, we are happy to be back in this marvelous part of the country on the north coast of Spain, in between the beaches of Llanes and the Picos de Europa mountain range. If today temperatures will not rise above 20ºc, back home in Madrid mercury will be above 35. So, it's good to get away from the heat. 

It's been a very quiet week. We have enjoyed both Montrondo and El Cuetu and most of the time we were on our own. We hardly followed the news which is maybe a good thing. If I was in the UK, I would be avidly watching Wimbledon but from here in Asturias all I can do is to check the progress of Carlos Alcaraz, the number 1 seed. He is doing well but my bets are on Djokovic winning again. I am also aware that both my country, the UK, and my adopted country, Spain, were playing each other in the Under 21 Euro Final. It was  taking place in Batumi, Georgia, which we visited a while ago on our road trip. Now, most football fans in the world will also know where it is. The teams will have flown from Istanbul to Batumi, so will not have experienced the awful roads in that country. All I can say, in the spirit of British fair play, is that may the best team win. I later read England won, so they must have been the better team or had more luck. Actually they deserved to win as Spain is the five time winner of this trophy which England has only won once in 1984.  Funny, that it is only really sport that has interested me on the news this week.

This time last week  we were still  in Montrondo. We had a bit of a cold spate until last Sunday when the weather got warmer and was pleasant for the rest of our stay. That morning Eladio and Juan, our nephew, set about dealing with the overgrown grass at the front of the houses. Eladio used his father's scythe and Juan used a modern lawn mower. Here they are together enjoying their work.

Juan and Eladio cutting the grass - Eladio the old fashioned way with a scythe and Juan, his nephew with a modern grass cutter. 

I didn't have to cook that day as we had leftover cocido, so off I went for a walk with Pippa along the old path to Murias. It was just gorgeous. I had to take a video to share with you. .I love this time in Montrondo when everything is so beautiful, green, lush and bucolic. I enjoyed the flowers, the views, the sound of the small river, the butterflies and above all the wild flowers in all their summer glory and all this to the backdrop of mountains thickly populated with my father's favourite tree,  birch trees. I kept stopping to take photos and upload them to social media. Here are some

Photos on my walk to Murias last Sunday

I met some people on the way, a few hikers looking for the path to the highest mountain in the area, the Tambarón. I have been up it twice, something I will never forget. I wondered afterwards if they made it as the path to the summit is not easy to find.

Pippa enjoyed every moment of the beautiful walk and once home she rushed into her "father's" arms to greet him. I had to have a picture.

Pippa greeting Eladio after our walk last Sunday

It was lovely to have Juan's company for lunch and dinner. He is just one year older than Suzy and we have known him since the day he was born. We share the same birthday, 8th February. Lunch was leftovers but dinner was a Montrondo classic; friend eggs and chips which I made on the Aga which made them taste even better. 

I can't remember what we watched that night on Netflix but I remember we went to bed around midnight and again I woke up at 8.30 the next day. I slept like a baby in Montrondo. I wonder why.

Monday came and I had things to do. First I had to contact my guest in El Cuetu and our wifi provider, Adamo after Internet was cut off last Saturday. To cut a long story short, it turns out the fiber cables had been cut by sabotage - no one knows who did it - and by the end of the day wifi was back. I hoped this network outage wouldn't affect my guest's evaluation on Airbnb of her stay at our place in Asturias. While managing that, I was in touch with the key holder and cleaner in Santa Pola as the administration had decided to change locks for the outside gate and the swimming pool, without giving residents a chance to get new keys before the change happened. Thankfully my dear neighbour Lucy had it all sorted just before new guests arrived. That was a close shave. The last important task was to contact the Electrolux repair centre in León as our new induction hub stopped working shortly after we arrived in Montrondo. I took a video and was soon able to send it to the technician. He is supposed to be installing a new hub in our absence. Meanwhile, I used the range cooker which makes for lovely meals but takes a long time to heat up. Finally, I took care of guests at home; 4 leaving and 3 new guests coming. I was glad to have Suzy there to help Tana with the transitions and getting room ready. 

The final important task was more food shopping in Villablino. That meant I wouldn't have much time to make lunch so decided on buying lamb chops which Eladio could grill on the BBQ! We enjoyed a quiet coffee in the town before doing our shopping at Gadis, an excellently stocked supermarket. Here is Eladio waiting for his.

Coffee time in Villablino

We were home on good time for lunch and here is my husband grilling the chops which we enjoyed with Juan, our nephew.

Barbecue time in Montrondo

The afternoon was task free and I spent it lazily reading under the shade of the apple tree. It was then that one of Miguel's friends - a TV cameraman - sent me some more photos and videos of "the" wedding. The one I had wanted to share with you - and now I can - is where Olivia says "no" - but soon says "yes". She told the public she couldn't resist doing so. It had us all in stitches and livened up an otherwise boring registry wedding. This is it if you haven't already seen it on my social media pages. But I didn't laugh so much when later a friend posted a news clip of another bride saying no and then yes but on that occasion the judge stopped the ceremony and cancelled the wedding. Imagine! She was told in no uncertain terms that getting married was a serious matter, not to be joked about. Gosh!

I shared it with the family and with Juan over dinner which was home made soup with a pie bought from Gadis which never in my life could I have made as well.

That night we watched the film "Lone Survivor" on Netlix. It's based on a true story about the Seals in Afghanistan and involves a lot of shooting. 

Again that night I slept nearly 8 hours and woke up just before 8 am on Tuesday morning. We spent most of the morning washing linen, cooking and hoovering. I made "spagbol" for lunch which we had alone as Juan had gone to León for the day. While we were doing that, Oli and family were making their way back from Cádiz after 8 nights at a luxury resort. I wondered whether Elliot wanted to go home or not. I wouldn't if I had been him after 8 days of such fun as there were lots of activities for kids, the sea and the hotel pool which was more like a water park. 

I spent my last afternoon reading under the shade of the apple tree in the back garden of our house in Montrondo until it was time for dinner when Juan joined us. I have never seen my husband so talkative as that night after his nephew asked him about his years as a priest and teacher. He told him his life story. I was the one who chipped in at times to add a bit of emotion hahahaha.

Netflix disappointed that night with The Patriot starring Mel Gibson so we turned to a new documentary/drama "Awaking the Titanic" about 14 people from the same village in Ireland who took that voyage. Only 3 survived to tell the tale. Like many people,  I am fascinated with the Titanic. But I got interrupted by a potential guest asking lots of questions about our house in Madrid which led nowhere apart from spoiling my entertainment.

All too soon it was Wednesday, the day we were leaving for Asturias. It is a 2.5h drive as, although, Asturias is the next province to León, it is still quite far, especially because our place here is located on the eastern part of the coast (towards Santander). Here is a map where you can see our route from Villablino (near Montrondo and on the yellow part of  Castilla León) to El Cuetu near  Llanes (our region of Asturias) in the upper right corner. 

Map of Asturias

We didn't leave early so as to give time to Loli to clean, change the sheets and prepare the house for us. I sincerely hoped she would do a better job than she did for the English guests who complained. I was worried too about the Spanish guests leaving that day after having suffered the Internet outage which, although not my fault, they could easily blame me for. I was right to worry; the lady gave me 3 out of 5 complaining about cables!! 

We arrived at around 7 pm to perfect weather and to quite a clean house - at least she had had a go at the windows. After a bit of inspection, I wondered what guests were complaining about. They probably want a spanking new house or apartment right by the beach. Well, they should look elsewhere. Eladio and I love it and were happy to be "home" again. 

I slept well and woke up to a quiet village.  Once again we were waking up in a different house and a different province, like being on the road again, except that everything was familiar. It appeared lots of the other holiday homes were not full either; owing I was told to the "San Fermines" - the bull run fiesta in Pamplona which I hate. That was fine with me. We went into Posada de Llanes - our nearest town - to stock up on food and lots pf provisions for the house, including new bath curtains, new laundry pegs, lots of cleaning materials, etc. We had coffee in the square and contemplated that apart from little upsets, life is good. 

Coffee in the square in Posada de Llanes on Monday

I got some good fillet steak from the local butcher which I used to make boeuf stroganof for lunch which we both adore. Eladio had lots of little house tasks to perform and so did I - washing new sheets, for example. Only when I was free could I sit on our terrace, put my feet up with a cup of tea and read. You should see the flowers - the geraniums and hydrangeas - which are looking spectacular.

Flowers on our terrace looking gorgeous at this time of year

True to tradition, at around 7 pm, I got out a bottle of wine to have a glass each with some pistachios. We always love our wine and pistachio moments. It was during one of these moments, staying at an Airbnb, not so far from here, in the summer of 2020, that we decided to buy a house in the area. We have never looked back. 

Friday was a glorious day with the temperature reaching 25ºc, at least 10 less than in Madrid. Thus I decided to pack a beach bag in case we decided to go in the sea.

The Volvo parked in our street, ready to drive to Posada and to Poó Beach on Friday morning -our house is the semi white one in the distance. 

But first to Posada to pick up a bean stew I had ordered from the butcher and for some more items from the ironmonger Eladio loves so much. It was market day which I love and the square was groaning with people and enticing stalls. I bought a meat pie and some kitchen towels. I would have loved to stay longer but it was coffee time and we wanted to have it by the Playa de Poó at the restaurant bar called La Farola del Mar which is just above the beach. We love that place. You may laugh at the name but not at the beach which is my favourite in the area. It's more an estuary and when the tide is out, it forms little pools where children can paddle and you can walk all the way to the beginning of the village. When the tide is in, it's like an emerald coloured lake with virtually no waves as it is sheltered on both sides by cliffs. The Guardian included it in its ranking of the top 40 beaches in Europe in 2019 and of course alluded to its unfortunate name. Another beach with an unfortunate name they included is Playa de los Muertos (Death Beach!), also in Spain.  During our time this week in El Cuetu we went 3 times in 2 days which is quite a record. 

That morning, as most mornings, the tide was out and the sea far away. Here is Eladio sitting down waiting for our coffee

Coffee by the Playa de Poó on Friday morning. 

You can just spy the hydrangeas in the photo but look at the next one - they grow wild everywhere on the north coast of Spain and are so pretty.

Hydrangeas by the Playa de Poó

We got talking to the waiter, Juan, from Jaén in Andalusia. He told us he worked for free at the restaurant in exchange for food and lodging and that he came because he always remembered being at  Poó beach when he did his military service 40 years ago. Quite a story. He told us how lovely it is there at night with the tide in, so we decided to book a table for dinner yesterday night. He booked table number 14 and we looked forward to dinner there and to meeting him again. 

Normally we walk down to the beach and towards the end  but Friday was definitely a beach day so we walked all across the bay to find the sea as the tide was so far out. We parked ourselves by a rock and I was soon in my bathing costume. Boring Eladio wasn't in the mood - he is not spontaneous like me hahahhaha.

Eladio and Pippa on the beach - my husband fully clothed, hahahhaa. 

I was ready in a jiffy and practically ran to the water to go into the sea. I was surprised the water wasn't cold. I suppose that's global warming for you. 

Playa de Póo. We had to walk quite far to reach the sea as the tide was out

It's such a pity I don't have a photo to show you of  that wonderful moment. But I did take a video once I was out, just to show you how beautiful the setting is. You can watch it here on my YouTube channel. If we hadn't ordered the bean stew for lunch I think we might well have stayed there all day. At about 2 pm we were getting hungry and grudgingly left this beautiful beach.

The bean stew was not as good as usual - too much black pudding which I took out for Eladio who likes it but always comments how unhealthy it is hahahaha. 

I had lots of guest related work to do that afternoon and only at about 5.30 pm, was I free to put up my feet and read on the terrace. I had bleached the chairs which tend to get mold because of the damp and it's a horrible job. By then they were dry and I wiped them with a wet cloth, but just in case I put an old towel under me so as not to get white marks on my clothes which has happened before hahaha. They look lovely and white now but let's see for how long. 

From the terrace I could spy a group of ladies making some sort of big object with huge hydrangeas. I couldn't resist so went to watch and to ask what they were doing. I was told it was the floral offering for the fête the next day in Meré - called Fiestas here. 

Village ladies making the floral offering for the fiestas in Meré  this week

I never saw the finished product but was told loaves of bread were attached to it. It's so funny how bread is often part of religious traditions. In the Russian church and in the Jewish religion, I know that for certain as I have seen it with my own eyes. 

 

We didn't have bread for dinner. We had the lovely meat pie I had bought at the market. I thought it was locally sourced but my neighbour told me it's from León - oh well. We then watched a film about women spies in WW2 working for the SOE who helped resistance movements in German occupied countries. It's quite a coincidence as both in Montrondo and here in Asturias that has been the subject of my reading. Unfortunately though I fell asleep as I often do when we watch TV at night. For once that night I slept really badly and was awake until the early hours. But I wasn't tired when I woke up on Saturday morning. 

The weather forecast was for sun in the morning and God damn it, rain in the afternoon. But that didn't deter the locals from going ahead with their fiestas. These four ladies went past our house clad in their Asturian regional outfits and I had to have a photo. Villagers told me these costumes can cost up to 8000 euros and that most people hire them for the occasion. I think they looked amazing and asked if I could take a photo. They obliged. 

Ladies from the village in the Llanes version of the Asturian regional costume - ready for their fiesta

We could hear bag pipes in the distance and soon other villagers clad in regional dress were all arriving. You are probably wondering why I mention bag pipes. Well, this area is Celtic, something you might not have known, just as Galicia is too. There are 8 Celtic regions which are all in the UK, Ireland and Spain: Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, as well as Galicia and Asturias. 

Maybe we could have joined the fiesta, seen the procession with the floral offering and more people in regional dress, but we preferred a quiet morning by the beach. So off we went yet again to Poo Beach. There we had coffee overlooking a semi crowded but very quiet beach. It  is much favoured by families as the sea is shallow here and nearly wave free. After our coffee we walked to a spot nearer the water. Unbelievably, my husband joined me in the water and he too remarked just how warm it was. The sea was warm but the sky was dark and at around 1.30 it startled to rain slightly; a sort of drizzle. The name for this type of very light rain in northern Spain  is   "chirimiri", whereas  in Asturias it is often referred to as  "orbayu; the Castillian word being "llovizna".  Asturias, which is possibly the wettest area in Spain, has many names for different types of rain just as Finns have lots of different names for snow!

When the "orbayu" came, people picked up their things and left, just as we did. Thankfully, it wasn't cold. We came home to have a shower and our lunch - freshly made cream of carrot and pumpkin soup, followed by the rest of my boeuf stroganof. 

There was no sitting on the terrace that afternoon because of the "orbayu". Instead, I went to bed with my kindle and Pippa and slept for about an hour. After his siesta, Eladio set about covering up the grime that accumulates in between the bathroom tiles that the English lady had complained about. We had bought a special product and I was so happy it worked. Today he will be cleaning all the windows, hahahaha. 

We had a dinner table booked that night at Playa de Poo -  of course. We were not able to sit on table number 14 as it was raining - boohoo. What a pity. When we arrived the beach was practically empty as you can see from the photo below. You may also see there were people bathing in it even though it was raining slightly. I think if we had had our bathing costumes with us, we may have gone in too. There is nothing nicer than swimming in the rain if it is not cold which it wasn't. This was the view from our table. 

View from our table at La Farola del Mar above Poo Beach

We were served by Juan but were in bad luck as far as the cuisine went as the normal chef was not there. Whoever made the food was very average. My mini scallops though, were delicious. 

My favourite food in Asturias - mini scallops

We had our food with local cider which is delicious. This week's feature photo had to be of me overlooking the beach and holding the bottle of precious liquid in my hands. Thank you Eladio for that photo. 

The food was nothing special but the setting was to die for. I took a video to share with you in case you ever come this way. Later I looked up Poo Beach and found British press articles praising Asturias, like this one. The guy is completely right. Read on to find out why. It's from 2011 and Asturias is no longer a closely kept secret to non Spanish tourists, but it still not really on their radar, thank goodness. 

At this time of year it gets dark at 10 pm which makes for long days, my favourite of the year in this area. We were home by about 11 pm and soon in bed.

Today is Sunday, blog day, and we have woken up to more "orbayo" but no worries, the sun will be out in the afternoon. Thus, once again, I shall be able to put my feet up on our flower filled terrace with my kindle, Pippa and a cup of tea. That is my kind of bliss.

On that note, I shall leave you now until next Sunday. Where will that find us you may wonder. You will find out next week. Cheers till then,

Masha. 

Oli and family on "honeymoon" in Cádiz, off to cooler Montrondo, the official wedding photos are out, lunch in a prison and other stories of the week.

 Montrondo, Sunday, 2nd July, 2023

Lush and green Montrondo

Good morning everyone from my husband's village in Montrondo in the north west of Spain (Province of León). We have come here to escape the heatwave in Madrid and many parts of the country. As our village stands at 1000 metres, it is nearly always at least 10ºc less than at home . This week has been a scorcher and I really can't bare temperatures above 35ºc. Thankfully, I had the pool to cool off.  I used it a lot this week before we travelled here on Wednesday.

Last Sunday was a scorcher too and we took refuge by the pool. It was a very quiet day with little to report. Monday was hot and busy for me vs a vs my little hospitality business. Many people reserve months before coming but some reserve at the last minute. I had a few spots free in July at all three houses which worried me a bit but slowly they are being filled up. There are a few free days in El Cuetu which we have decided to book for ourselves and will be heading that way on 5th July. 

Monday came and off we went for our early morning walk at 08.30 when it was already very warm. Our morning coffee was at Alverán where we were joined by our friends, Roberto and Mari Carmen who are amicably divorced. They have just bought an apartment near the airport to rent on Airbnb and wanted to pick my brains. I have become something of an expert and it all seems easy to me now but it wasn't when I started. I should add it still isn't easy as it's a 24h job but at least I know how it works. 

While we had a quiet day at home apart from coffee out, Oli and her family were on their way to Sancti Petri (near Chiclana in Cádiz in the south west by the Atlantic) for their "honeymoon". They are staying at a fancy all inclusive hotel which looks perfect for kids. It was a 6 hour drive with only one stop and, despite their fears, the kids behaved well. Oli later sent us some pics which I'm happy to share here to remember her beach holiday.

The kids behaved in the car on their way to Sancti Petri on Monday

Their ground floor family room and terrace

Enjoying the beach and pool 

I enjoyed our own, far less fancy pool that afternoon too which I had to myself as our Swedish guests were out all day. The highlight of the afternoon was my weekly Skype call with Amanda just after a cold dip. She couldn't believe it was 38ºc, over 100f! - and neither could I. 

It was just Eladio and I for dinner. Suzy was out with friends, Tana had gone into Madrid and our guests were out. We had it as they say, "al fresco", except that it wasn't "fresco" hahahhaha. It was then we decided we would come here on Wednesday instead of Tuesday as we had too much on our plates on Tuesday. 

The day before coming here was all about preparations and other stuff. We had to go to Oli's flat to retrieve the key left behind by the cleaner, Zena, and lock the door. Oli also told us to take any food that could go bad. I then had to do shopping to leave with Tana and Suzy and to take to Montrondo as there are no shops here. It was over coffee at Alveran, we decided to block the 5 free days in Asturias for ourselves. We have done the same for 5 days that are free in July in Santa Pola. Otherwise I'm at 95% occupation which is brilliant. 

Eladio and Suzy had an important appointment at 1 with the town hall to get a census certificate. Without it she can't apply for a local health card which she needs to download her Covid vaccine certificates, which is a  supposed requisite to fly to Bali. You may remember that she was not allowed on the plane when she was supposed to be flying there last month. 

I also had to pack, not much for Montrondo as we have loads of clothes, etc there, but for Asturias where we never leave anything. I hate to add, "as it would get stolen" but that, my friends, is true. Guests often steal. It's sad, but it is true. 

All of that took up most of the morning. The rest of the day was quiet and extremely hot - compared to here. I spent part of the afternoon by the pool and later in the garden until it was time for a quiet dinner with my husband. We watched the news - Putin announcing he had stopped a civil war. Really? I honestly think the whole Wagner mutiny had more to do with the fact that he wanted to absorb the group into the Russian Army. We later watched another interview with Spain's PM, Pedro Sánchez in his unprecedented round of interviews in popular programmes such as "Lo de Evole" and that night in "El Hormiguero". He hardly ever appears on popular TV programmes and this is obviously his strategy to become more appealing for the upcoming elections. Outside Spain he is known as "Mr. Handsome". That is true but, as my Aunty Gloria used to say "never trust a book by its cover". He seems to be riding a wave of success as none of his interviewers - not great hardliners like in England - seem to be able to stop him in his tracks. 

I slept badly that night but I knew I would be able to catch up on some sleep in the car on our way to Montrondo on Wednesday. After saying goodbye to our Swedish guests - and hello to our Peruvian guests and hugging Suzy goodbye, we were off again; not in the Mini but in the old Volvo which knows the way to Montrondo very well. The Volvo also knows we always stop at Palacio de Bornos in Rueda for lunch whatever the time of day it is. We were there at noon, 2 hours earlier than our normal lunch time but still enjoyed a platter of ham and delicious white wine from the region. 

Sitting outside on the terrace for lunch at Palacio de Bornos in Rueda on our way here on Wednesday

We left the heat of Madrid for the cool of the mountains but I still found it warm when we arrived mid afternoon here on Wednesday. Everything was green and the grass was so long, all thanks to the recent rain - it has rained so much in this area as it has in the rest of Europe. We had last been in January when there was a huge snowfall, so the arrival was much more pleasant. We had cleaned the house when we left last time so I only had to deal with a few cobwebs, hahahaha - there are always so many here.

Once we had settled in, I plonked myself on the sunbed in the garden behind the house called "La Era" but I put it under the shade of a big apple tree. There I read and had my cup of decaf tea with Pippa lying on a soft blanket on the thick grass. Later Eladio cut part of the garden with his father's old scythe. 

It was lovely to be back. This is our second home really and has more emotional significance than anything else because my husband was born here and because we built the house to spec. We love it.

I slept well that night and woke up on Thursday morning at 7.40 am which is quite a record for me. Thursday would bring bad news but we didn't know that when we drove to Villablino to do the shopping. We just enjoyed the day. It was sunny but cold for us - 18ºc maximum compared to 35ºc in Madrid, would you believe? I took a good morning from Montrondo video to show you where we are which you can see here. While I took it, I felt on top of the world. I felt right at the bottom by the end of the day - boohoo.  Life brings joy but it always, always, brings worries too doesn't it? But good things happen too. I feel I have this guardian angel that comes and goes. That day she was there and then she wasn't; that is if she is a "she". Who knows? Maybe she is gender neutral, hahahah. 

On the way I had good news, a 10 star review on Booking from a guest who had stayed at our place in Santa Pola. Oh great I thought. Later I got a 3 out of 5 Airbnb review from a stickly English lady after her stay at our house in Asturias. She complained about everything; especially the damp. Well, Asturias is the rainiest region in the country. The complaint that worried me was about the cleaning and truth to tell the lady who does it is not good enough. She does not pay attention to detail. She leaves the house clean enough at first sight but not sparkling clean. The problem is finding someone else. Also she takes care of the house in our absence if anything goes wrong.  So, even if we do find someone to clean it who does it better, who will look after the maintenance? Besides if we do fire her, she is our neighbour and that will be terrible for relations in the village. Oh dear.  Of course, I gently told her to please pay more attention and to clean the areas the guest had complained about in time for the arrival of a new group on Friday. Thus when we go this week, we shall have to do a proper and very deep clean which hopefully will last most of the summer.  As for the guest, I had to eat humble pie, apologising profusely, in a Uriah Heep manner, something I hate. 

We came home with a load of shopping to last us our time here and I made a quick meal of steak and chips. That day I did not lie down under the apple tree reading my book as it was far too cold. 

Pippa only went out sporadically and I caught her on the old stone steps that lead to the garden and had to have a photo to share with you. She loves it here.

Pippa loves Montrondo

So no, I stayed inside. Believe it or not, we had to put the central heating on. We also noticed our clothes and bedding were damp  which must be due to the abundance of unusual heavy rain over the past 3 months, at least.

After dinner we had good news. Oli sent us the link to the official wedding photos. They are out and I want to share them with you because they are great and because Oli and Miguel's wedding was one of the happiest days of my life. This is it and the photographer Roberto, is amazing. I'm sure you'll agree if you take a peek.  It's difficult to say which I loved best but one has to be of Olivia dancing with her father and the other has to be of my beloved dog, Pippa,. our miniature sausage dog who most people probably didn't pay much attention to. These are my top two favourites. Ah and while I am at it, here is a lovely group photo taken after the bride and groom made their entrance.

Some of my favourite of the official wedding photos

We looked and looked at them so many times. I love them -apart from the ones I am in- I have put on so much weight - boohoo again. 

Netflix gave us problems that night. I could not log into our Ikea Uppleva TV bought in 2016. So that had me changing passwords and talking to a kind agent from their customer care department. She was in the Philippines, I was in Montrondo - that is modern technology for you. We both concluded the problem was with the TV. It's supposed to be a smart TV and we now regret buying it from Ikea. It was just easy at the time as most of the stuff we bought for the house when we built it came from the Swedish furniture firm. The next day I rang Ikea who didn't have a clue. I actually sorted it myself after poking around with the remote on the TV app. I reset it and bingo Netflix was back. We can live without it of course. But it was nice to have it back.

Thus we skipped on TV entertainment that night which saw us going to bed at around midnight. It was then that my accountant Pilar gave me the bad news of the day. Friday was the last day for submitting the accounts for last year's Inland Revenue taxes and I got a shock as the amount was huge. That was the bad news. That came on top of arrears the Inland Revenue are demanding for 2021. The law for working from home changed after Covid and applies retroactively. Thus we owe the tax people a huge sum of money. Most of it is because of my Airbnb income but I already pay them so much - about 20%. Add 15% to the tax people and that has made a huge hole in our accounts. Damn it. All that work and so much of it going to the government. I was brought up not to talk about money so I'm not mentioning sums and maybe I shouldn't write about this here, but this blog is about our life and Thursday brought bad financial news. Damn the tax people. 

I didn't wake up in a particularly good mood the next day because of that. It didn't help that the newly replaced induction hob wasn't working. How come? So I had to find the number of the Ikea/Electrolux technican who had changed it in January. He is based in León where it was a holiday on Friday. So, I couldn't make the "cocido" lunch I had planned. Damn it again. On the bright side we decided the only thing for it was to have lunch out so I booked a table in Murias. It was at the semi new "Hotel la Cárcel" (The prison hotel) which was opened a year or so ago and was actually the old prison in Murias. Eladio remembers it very well as a working prison and it was probably very strange for him to have lunch there.  Below is the entrance to the "prison".

 Nuria and her husband welcomed us and served us  goat meat - not my favourite but it was the only thing on the menu. She had a table of 10 people from the village. We sat in the new dining room which we presumed must have been the prison canteen once. No doubt they were not served roast goat, nor wine, nor any other of the delicious food we were served. We liked our meal and will be back. So, you see, we had lunch in a prison this week. 

We had walked there and of course walked back, this time choosing the old country path. It was very overgrown and made for some great pictures. I wish I had taken a video to show you the lushness, the colourful wild flowers or the butterflies. What a beautiful walk. I always love it but love it even more at this time of year when everything is still so green. But we took photos - one below and this week's feature photo of me on the path with little Pippa. 

The beautiful and overgrown old path from Murias to Montrondo

The grass in the front garden of our houses was overgrown too and Eladio got out his father's old scythe again and cut parts of it. It's a huge job. Only people of his age and generation from the village know how to use one. I love to see him using it; it's so bucolic and romantic. He posed for me; my handsome husband with the scythe in his hands.

Eladio using his father's old scythe to cut the grass in front of the house which had grown so much

The rest of the day was quiet. We just had fruit for dinner and then watched the news. The riots in France are quite a thing after a stupid gendarme shot dead a 17 year old for a traffic offence. The country is in rage and people are on the rampage destroying whatever they see. It's an ugly sight. Netflix entertained us that night when we watched the film, Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks) - a true story of Somalian sea pirates taking over a cargo ship and kidnapping the captain. What a story. Thankfully, .these days, ships are now more protected and these awful attacks are over.

On Friday I woke up at 8.40 which is another record. Eladio woke up even later. At about 10 am I got a message from our new guests in El Cuetu to tell me internet was not working. Great I thought and it's Saturday. The service provider is Adamo who I worked for so I immediately contacted their CTO. He immediately got someone to call me who would try to send a technician. The guest was not happy, telling me she had chosen our house because it had free wifi. I think I spent at least 4 hours trying to sort the problem - the main problem being no one was there to open the door to the technician which I sorted too (thank you Mari Paz). But his visit all the way from Santander was in vain. The outage was due to a major incident affecting all the village and they can't repair it until tomorrow or who knows when. Again that had me being Uriah Heep and apologising profusely to my guest. She calmed down in the end but it was tough for me. Sometimes my little business brings me more worries than joys I can tell you but at least I don't have a nasty boss breathing down my neck to report to. 

Meanwhile I was also cooking my "cocido" for which Eladio put on the aga which made the kitchen far too hot but when we eventually sat down to lunch, it was delicious. The afternoon was calmer and I was able, once again, to lie down outside on the sun lounge under the shade of the apple tree with Pippa at my side. 

We had a guest for dinner that night, our nephew Juan who is also Eladio's godson. He has come to spend a few days working from his parent's house here and we were delighted to have his company. I made a makeshift simple dinner of ham with salad and gazpacho, plus plenty of wine and it was good to reconnect with our nephew. Now a grown man, father to two children, he has always been part of our life, being very close to our daughters as there is not much age difference. He was a lovely little boy and he is a lovely man. 

And today is Sunday and it will be another quiet day in Montrondo. I hope it will be a better day than some I have experienced this week. I think it will be. The sun is shining, I don't have to cook as we can eat leftovers and we have plans to walk up into the mountains to get some exercise. Life is good, despite all the little inconveniences it throws at you. 

So, on that positive note, I leave you until next Sunday when, hopefully, we will be in Asturias. Cheers till then,

Masha