Saturday/Tuesday 27th/30th December.
Saturday 27th.
During the day we got our selves sorted for the invasion of the Guerrero clan for dinner! We had some tapas to start with along with Pink Cava and then Roast Rib of Beef on the bone along with Cabbage,Mashed Carrots and Turnips,glazed Green Beans and garden Peas together with a stack of Roast Potatoes in Duck Fat,all washed down with Sangre de Toro,Torres.We just about got ten of us around two tables,we put a heater in the chill out room uptairs for the smokers,that’s everybody and the front door was open to create more space and as they passed in the street our neighbors called in! Sally and her kids are leaving for Tenerife first thing in the morning so I got her to write a message in our guest book before she left.
Sunday 28th.
After a late start and thank god for the dishwasher! we managed to sort the house and get it back to normal,In the afternoon I watched for the first time on the PC,Carlos rang to say that it was live on RTVE,ES, the main Spanish TV station Web Page,the Liverpool match which was just amazing,5-1 !! and now I have another way of watching the football when it is not on the TV! On checking the e-mails and messages on Facebook I caught up with some replies and will do some more over the next couple of days,thanks to in no particular order; Joyce,Debbie,Celia,Glenys,Penny and Jenny! amongst many others. In the evening,we had another Turkey experience,we have now had Turkey sandwiches, Cold Turkey,Turkey and Pinapple Curry! The same is going to happen with the Beef,as I am typing this the Beef sandwich is ready and I’m making a pan of stew later!
Monday 29th.
It was a little better today so we went for a walk at lunchtime and ended up at Mano and Anna’s to catch up with the news,Sally had arrived back in Tenerife safely, and we are making arrangements for next year already; Mano then made a lovely warm Spanish Turkey Baguette for a snack,you can’t get enough,Honest! In the evening we settled down and watched the TV including a documentary,filmed from a helicopter,which shows you all around Spain,it”s on TV2 and we watch it often,One day we are going to tour the country in the Smart car as it is very spectacular;each area is different and the architecture is out of this world.
Tuesday 30th.
Today we popped down to Sabinillas for some shopping and a newspaper,it is actually nice to read the paper in the hand rather than on the web for a change.Brenda is hanging the washing out,it”s not very good drying weather at the moment and next she is doing the ironing so I’m keeping out of the way in the office as it is her least favourite thing and she gets just a little unhappy with life as she does it!! Mano has just let us know that we are going to let in the New Year at Carlos’s new house so we are going to make the arrangements later about food and more importantly the drink!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
MANILVA.
Friday 26th December 2008.
After a little lie in we got ourselves ready and walked down to Mano’s in the warm lunchtime sun to collect the Smart Car and catch up with all the gang.We ended up on the front down in Sabinillas at the Bar Med to watch the Manchester City match but when we got there the system had broken down so we had to watch the Sky Sports report,City won and Liverpool! In one of the pictures below you can see the sign outside Carlos’s house,Main Road rules!The picture just below shows the beach and view from Bar Med this afternoon! Tonight we are having a quiet night in,we are having cold Turkey and Chips for supper! Tomorrow the Guerrero family are coming to us for a Roast Beef dinner as Sally Ann and the kids are flying back to Tenerife on Sunday morning.
After a little lie in we got ourselves ready and walked down to Mano’s in the warm lunchtime sun to collect the Smart Car and catch up with all the gang.We ended up on the front down in Sabinillas at the Bar Med to watch the Manchester City match but when we got there the system had broken down so we had to watch the Sky Sports report,City won and Liverpool! In one of the pictures below you can see the sign outside Carlos’s house,Main Road rules!The picture just below shows the beach and view from Bar Med this afternoon! Tonight we are having a quiet night in,we are having cold Turkey and Chips for supper! Tomorrow the Guerrero family are coming to us for a Roast Beef dinner as Sally Ann and the kids are flying back to Tenerife on Sunday morning.
MANILVA.
Tuesday/Thursday 23rd/25th December.
Tuesday 23rd.
We had to stay in on Tuesday as we were expecting the Carrier to deliver our goods from England;earlier in the month when we phoned Ben,Carols son,to see how he was after a nasty operation on his back after Carols funeral we found out that they had already sold the house and needed us to move the eight box’s of glass and china that Carol had let us store in her loft.So at very short notice we arranged for a carrier to pick up the goods and bring then to our house in Manilva,which he did very effentially,Brenda had packed everything in Bubble Rap and we had only one small breakage! At the same time they also brought our two collapsible bikes which I don’t now if we will use them due to the steep roads around here,honest!We then went through all the cases and sorted them out and then packed then away on the two top floor’s. We found out later in the week that the Brass Band and Carol concert had been on in the church and we had missed it! We had not spotted it in the Local Paper.so we watched it on the local TV station later on one night and we were very sorry that we had missed it.
Wednesday 24th.
On Wednesday morning we called into Mano and Anna’s for a Pancake Breakfast,one of Salle Ann’s many specialties and as we were talking she told us that she did not like the stuffing in the two Spanish Turkeys that Mano had dropped off at our house yesterday; So when I got back I started to take out the filling of the one I was going to Roast(Due to oven space) after unstitching the bird and found out that I had a disaster on my hands! The bird collapsed and was flat as a pancake as the filling was the whole of the meat,taken from inside and then mixed with all sorts of fat and Garlic Cloves which formed the Turkey,Spanish style! We then panicked and rung the English butcher in Duquesa,we had just picked up the Beef for our Roast over the weekend,they had one Turkey left and where just about to close so I shot down to pick it up.The picture below shows the English Turkey and in the Xmas Day photographs you can see the second Spanish Turkey that I did not un-pick! In the afternoon we caught up withVidal and Gissy to wish them a happy Christmas and to arrange to see them over the holiday.Carlos and Ana Mari had asked us around to their new house for a Buffet supper with all the family in the evening,Ana also made some excellent Frits.On the way back home in the early hours of Christmas day we took the picture of the “ Feliznavidad” sign across the main street as we walked home.
Thursday 25th December 2008
We were up bright and early as Father Christmas had to be ready to go down to the Guerreo house to hand out the presents and bring some Xmas cheer to one and all! As you can see in the pictures he entered into things with great gusto and put a smile on the faces of all the children and the ladies! We then settled down to get ready for the Christmas dinner later in the afternoon,the drink soon started to flow as the folks got changed and the kids played with the toys,the remote control Trucks where soon in the hands of the older children,Mano, Carlos and the Head Chef! We started with the Pink Champagne and Smoked Salmon and Prawns as the time for the Banquet to start got nearer; We had Roasted the two Turkeys and they carved beautifully, the Spanish one was particularly good and very different,we made fresh Chestnut stuffing,Bread sauce,Chipolatas wrapped in Bacon,Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce,Broccoli in Lemon Butter,Carrots glazed in Ginger,Roast Parsnips in Maple Syrup,Sprouts tossed with diced Smoked Bacon and the Famous Roast Potatoes in Duck Fat,I also made two different Gravies to go with the two Birds!! The wine flowed as it always does in the Guerrero house and the Bacardi and Coke came along at a regular pace,Later in the evening it was the time for the family entertainment to start,Carlos and Mano sang and danced to the Bob the Builder Cardboard Box hit,Sally Ann sang a song from a show,Dlyan Brake danced,Jordan sang and danced to a show tune,Fabio joined in with everything until the Morris Dancers hit the floor,Anna and I brought the house down and the audience was spell bound,as you can see in the picture below! As we walked home we stopped at Bar Rojas as the owner asked us in and I finished with a White Firewater and Coke to round off one “ Helluva Christmas Day” in Manilva.
Tuesday 23rd.
We had to stay in on Tuesday as we were expecting the Carrier to deliver our goods from England;earlier in the month when we phoned Ben,Carols son,to see how he was after a nasty operation on his back after Carols funeral we found out that they had already sold the house and needed us to move the eight box’s of glass and china that Carol had let us store in her loft.So at very short notice we arranged for a carrier to pick up the goods and bring then to our house in Manilva,which he did very effentially,Brenda had packed everything in Bubble Rap and we had only one small breakage! At the same time they also brought our two collapsible bikes which I don’t now if we will use them due to the steep roads around here,honest!We then went through all the cases and sorted them out and then packed then away on the two top floor’s. We found out later in the week that the Brass Band and Carol concert had been on in the church and we had missed it! We had not spotted it in the Local Paper.so we watched it on the local TV station later on one night and we were very sorry that we had missed it.
Wednesday 24th.
On Wednesday morning we called into Mano and Anna’s for a Pancake Breakfast,one of Salle Ann’s many specialties and as we were talking she told us that she did not like the stuffing in the two Spanish Turkeys that Mano had dropped off at our house yesterday; So when I got back I started to take out the filling of the one I was going to Roast(Due to oven space) after unstitching the bird and found out that I had a disaster on my hands! The bird collapsed and was flat as a pancake as the filling was the whole of the meat,taken from inside and then mixed with all sorts of fat and Garlic Cloves which formed the Turkey,Spanish style! We then panicked and rung the English butcher in Duquesa,we had just picked up the Beef for our Roast over the weekend,they had one Turkey left and where just about to close so I shot down to pick it up.The picture below shows the English Turkey and in the Xmas Day photographs you can see the second Spanish Turkey that I did not un-pick! In the afternoon we caught up withVidal and Gissy to wish them a happy Christmas and to arrange to see them over the holiday.Carlos and Ana Mari had asked us around to their new house for a Buffet supper with all the family in the evening,Ana also made some excellent Frits.On the way back home in the early hours of Christmas day we took the picture of the “ Feliznavidad” sign across the main street as we walked home.
Thursday 25th December 2008
We were up bright and early as Father Christmas had to be ready to go down to the Guerreo house to hand out the presents and bring some Xmas cheer to one and all! As you can see in the pictures he entered into things with great gusto and put a smile on the faces of all the children and the ladies! We then settled down to get ready for the Christmas dinner later in the afternoon,the drink soon started to flow as the folks got changed and the kids played with the toys,the remote control Trucks where soon in the hands of the older children,Mano, Carlos and the Head Chef! We started with the Pink Champagne and Smoked Salmon and Prawns as the time for the Banquet to start got nearer; We had Roasted the two Turkeys and they carved beautifully, the Spanish one was particularly good and very different,we made fresh Chestnut stuffing,Bread sauce,Chipolatas wrapped in Bacon,Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce,Broccoli in Lemon Butter,Carrots glazed in Ginger,Roast Parsnips in Maple Syrup,Sprouts tossed with diced Smoked Bacon and the Famous Roast Potatoes in Duck Fat,I also made two different Gravies to go with the two Birds!! The wine flowed as it always does in the Guerrero house and the Bacardi and Coke came along at a regular pace,Later in the evening it was the time for the family entertainment to start,Carlos and Mano sang and danced to the Bob the Builder Cardboard Box hit,Sally Ann sang a song from a show,Dlyan Brake danced,Jordan sang and danced to a show tune,Fabio joined in with everything until the Morris Dancers hit the floor,Anna and I brought the house down and the audience was spell bound,as you can see in the picture below! As we walked home we stopped at Bar Rojas as the owner asked us in and I finished with a White Firewater and Coke to round off one “ Helluva Christmas Day” in Manilva.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
MANILVA.
Wednesday 24th.December.
This is the first Turkey out of the oven from the central kitchens in Calle San Vicente! Tomorrow we are roasting a Spanish Bird at the Guerrero Family house!
This is the first Turkey out of the oven from the central kitchens in Calle San Vicente! Tomorrow we are roasting a Spanish Bird at the Guerrero Family house!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
MANILVA.
Saturday 20th/Monday 22nd. December.
Saturday was a hot and sunny day as we had a day at home,Brenda was out on the roof terrace in the afternoon as I caught up with the blog page in the office.Later I made a Chicken Curry as the local butcher had some large Breast’s! when we called in for the weekend goods. In the evening as we watched the TV and caught up with all the football highlights,at the same time we followed the final of Strictly Come Dancing on the PC,like with the football we follow the News blog which is updated every two minutes,live, and with pictures-Lisa was robbed!On Sunday we went for a walk at lunchtime and bumped into Andy and Anna,so we called into Bar Rojas for a drink.As we came along the main street the police were blocking off the roads and that’s when we found out about the Xmas Band Parade in the pictures below.As usual we had our Brunch late as we ended up having some Tapas in the bar.First thing on Monday morning we called into Mano and Anna’s to catch up with Sally Ann and the kids who arrived from Tenerife on Saturday and started to make the arrangements for Xmas Lunch.After shopping and calling into the Bank in Estepona when we returned home we found that a lot of Xmas cards had arrived,thanks! One of the cards was from a friend that we met,a long time ago now,in Le Touquet at the start of our travels so thanks to Gordan who is still following us on the blog page and has acquired a Smart car and trailer behind his Motorhome! We then watched the Lottery draw on TV, ‘ El Gordo” is the largest in Europe and is held every year at the same time,one ticket costs 20 euros but the prize money is unbelievable.Mano is the local agent so we have always bought our ticket from him,they are sold in blocks in different areas so the same number is won by whole families,bars,shops etc.It means that the whole village can become millionaire’s over night! And no we did not win,again!!
Saturday was a hot and sunny day as we had a day at home,Brenda was out on the roof terrace in the afternoon as I caught up with the blog page in the office.Later I made a Chicken Curry as the local butcher had some large Breast’s! when we called in for the weekend goods. In the evening as we watched the TV and caught up with all the football highlights,at the same time we followed the final of Strictly Come Dancing on the PC,like with the football we follow the News blog which is updated every two minutes,live, and with pictures-Lisa was robbed!On Sunday we went for a walk at lunchtime and bumped into Andy and Anna,so we called into Bar Rojas for a drink.As we came along the main street the police were blocking off the roads and that’s when we found out about the Xmas Band Parade in the pictures below.As usual we had our Brunch late as we ended up having some Tapas in the bar.First thing on Monday morning we called into Mano and Anna’s to catch up with Sally Ann and the kids who arrived from Tenerife on Saturday and started to make the arrangements for Xmas Lunch.After shopping and calling into the Bank in Estepona when we returned home we found that a lot of Xmas cards had arrived,thanks! One of the cards was from a friend that we met,a long time ago now,in Le Touquet at the start of our travels so thanks to Gordan who is still following us on the blog page and has acquired a Smart car and trailer behind his Motorhome! We then watched the Lottery draw on TV, ‘ El Gordo” is the largest in Europe and is held every year at the same time,one ticket costs 20 euros but the prize money is unbelievable.Mano is the local agent so we have always bought our ticket from him,they are sold in blocks in different areas so the same number is won by whole families,bars,shops etc.It means that the whole village can become millionaire’s over night! And no we did not win,again!!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
MANILVA CALLE MAR.
TSunday 21st.December.
As we sat in Bar Rojas for our Sunday lunchtime drink and Tapas the village suddenly came alive as a street band came marching along Calle Mar a bit like a Salvation Army Band in the UK,with Tambourines,Triangles,Bells and Water Drums accompanied with the singers chanting Xmas songs,all in the warm sunshine.The pictures above were taken later in the afternoon as the band came down our street and around the block on their way back to the School of Music
As we sat in Bar Rojas for our Sunday lunchtime drink and Tapas the village suddenly came alive as a street band came marching along Calle Mar a bit like a Salvation Army Band in the UK,with Tambourines,Triangles,Bells and Water Drums accompanied with the singers chanting Xmas songs,all in the warm sunshine.The pictures above were taken later in the afternoon as the band came down our street and around the block on their way back to the School of Music
Saturday, December 20, 2008
MANILVA,CALLE SAN VICENTE 1
Friday 19th December.
In the morning we stayed local and called into the butchers for the weekend meat and at the local market at the bottom of the village next to the sports hall we picked up some more Poinsettias,you can never have enough!The sun is out and it is not as cold at night now and the forecast is looking good for the Christmas week.In the evening we had Pork Cutlets for dinner with Chips,for a change along with local Cabbage,over the last few weeks we have got into Cabbage as the next day I make Bubble and Squeak with Brenda’s left over Mashed potatoes!Later on the TV we watched a live concert from the Bullring in Madrid,AC/DC were unbelievable;they played all their classic songs,Brian Johnson’s voice is still out of this world and Angus Young is a mad man! The sound was fantastic and the stage and pyrotechnics had to be seen to be believed,the atmosphere was electric as the Bullring in Madrid which is the largest in Spain added to the whole experience! The picture below shows the Xmas stockings for the children,the two on the right are for the lads and the large one on the left is for Jordan,Brenda’s stockings are not on show!
In the morning we stayed local and called into the butchers for the weekend meat and at the local market at the bottom of the village next to the sports hall we picked up some more Poinsettias,you can never have enough!The sun is out and it is not as cold at night now and the forecast is looking good for the Christmas week.In the evening we had Pork Cutlets for dinner with Chips,for a change along with local Cabbage,over the last few weeks we have got into Cabbage as the next day I make Bubble and Squeak with Brenda’s left over Mashed potatoes!Later on the TV we watched a live concert from the Bullring in Madrid,AC/DC were unbelievable;they played all their classic songs,Brian Johnson’s voice is still out of this world and Angus Young is a mad man! The sound was fantastic and the stage and pyrotechnics had to be seen to be believed,the atmosphere was electric as the Bullring in Madrid which is the largest in Spain added to the whole experience! The picture below shows the Xmas stockings for the children,the two on the right are for the lads and the large one on the left is for Jordan,Brenda’s stockings are not on show!
MANILVA,CALLE SAN VICENTE 1
Friday 19th December.
In the morning we stayed local and called into the butchers for the weekend meat and at the local market at the bottom of the village next to the sports hall we picked up some more Poinsettias,you can never have enough!The sun is out and it is not as cold at night now and the forecast is looking good for the Christmas week.In the evening we had Pork Cutlets for dinner with Chips,for a change along with local Cabbage,over the last few weeks we have got into Cabbage as the next day I make Bubble and Squeak with Brenda’s left over Mashed potatoes!Later on the TV we watched a live concert from the Bullring in Madrid,AC/DC were unbelievable;they played all their classic songs,Brian Johnson’s voice is still out of this world and Angus Young is a mad man! The sound was fantastic and the stage and pyrotechnics had to be seen to be believed,the atmosphere was electric as the Bullring in Madrid which is the largest in Spain added to the whole experience! The picture below shows the Xmas stockings for the children,the two on the left are for the lads and the large one on the right is for Jordan,Brenda’s stockings are not on show!
In the morning we stayed local and called into the butchers for the weekend meat and at the local market at the bottom of the village next to the sports hall we picked up some more Poinsettias,you can never have enough!The sun is out and it is not as cold at night now and the forecast is looking good for the Christmas week.In the evening we had Pork Cutlets for dinner with Chips,for a change along with local Cabbage,over the last few weeks we have got into Cabbage as the next day I make Bubble and Squeak with Brenda’s left over Mashed potatoes!Later on the TV we watched a live concert from the Bullring in Madrid,AC/DC were unbelievable;they played all their classic songs,Brian Johnson’s voice is still out of this world and Angus Young is a mad man! The sound was fantastic and the stage and pyrotechnics had to be seen to be believed,the atmosphere was electric as the Bullring in Madrid which is the largest in Spain added to the whole experience! The picture below shows the Xmas stockings for the children,the two on the left are for the lads and the large one on the right is for Jordan,Brenda’s stockings are not on show!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
ELVIRIA.
Tuesday/Thursday 16th./18th. December.
Tuesday was a at home day after the night before when we had a lovely evening with Mano and Anna,the weather has turned and we are back to sunshine and blue skies every day;the temperature is going up every day and by the weekend it will be 20degs.After catching up with the chores around the house and hanging the washing out on the roof terrace Brenda settled down to her book as I spent some time on the PC.s as we had seen on the news the problems with “ Internet Explorer” I’ve gone on to “ Firefox” as my main browser for now until the upgrade comes through and at the same time I’ve checked all my Anti Virus are up to date! We had a light supper and a early night after a busy weekend of doing nothing!On Wednesday morning we went across to the Hypermarket in Estepona to stock up for the Xmas festivities and at the same time we bought some presents for the kids,remote control cars for Fabio and Dylan( The adults we be able to have some fun with them) and a makeup bag for Jordan.In the evening we had Farmhouse Sausage and mash with onions and gravy along with assorted vegetables a la Brenda!Today we went out for our" Xmas lunch" at the Beach House at Elvira,using the last of our vouchers from the Marriott sales training,The weather was spectacular as we sat outside in the hot sun; we had decided to go as over Xmas we are going to spend a lot of time in the kitchen looking after the Guerrero family! Brenda had Deep Fried Chicken Livers with Chili Jam and I had three assorted Samosas with a Lime dip.We went all fishy for our main course,Brenda had the Fish Pie with a Potato Cheese top and a had the Fish and chips in the Beach style!On the way back we stopped at the beach down on Sabinilias for a coffee,the pictures below will give you a little taste of our day out on the Costa del Sol!
Tuesday was a at home day after the night before when we had a lovely evening with Mano and Anna,the weather has turned and we are back to sunshine and blue skies every day;the temperature is going up every day and by the weekend it will be 20degs.After catching up with the chores around the house and hanging the washing out on the roof terrace Brenda settled down to her book as I spent some time on the PC.s as we had seen on the news the problems with “ Internet Explorer” I’ve gone on to “ Firefox” as my main browser for now until the upgrade comes through and at the same time I’ve checked all my Anti Virus are up to date! We had a light supper and a early night after a busy weekend of doing nothing!On Wednesday morning we went across to the Hypermarket in Estepona to stock up for the Xmas festivities and at the same time we bought some presents for the kids,remote control cars for Fabio and Dylan( The adults we be able to have some fun with them) and a makeup bag for Jordan.In the evening we had Farmhouse Sausage and mash with onions and gravy along with assorted vegetables a la Brenda!Today we went out for our" Xmas lunch" at the Beach House at Elvira,using the last of our vouchers from the Marriott sales training,The weather was spectacular as we sat outside in the hot sun; we had decided to go as over Xmas we are going to spend a lot of time in the kitchen looking after the Guerrero family! Brenda had Deep Fried Chicken Livers with Chili Jam and I had three assorted Samosas with a Lime dip.We went all fishy for our main course,Brenda had the Fish Pie with a Potato Cheese top and a had the Fish and chips in the Beach style!On the way back we stopped at the beach down on Sabinilias for a coffee,the pictures below will give you a little taste of our day out on the Costa del Sol!
Monday, December 15, 2008
MANILVA.
Friday/Monday,12th./15th. December.
In the morning we shot across to Estepona and called in to see Vidal and Gissy,it was Gissy’s birthday so we had a little something for her along with a glass of wine to help the day start off in the right direction! On the way back we called into the site where we had the Winnebago last Christmas,just in case any Xmas cards go there! It seems a long way away now from when we came back in September 2007 with the Smart car on its trailer,a lot’s happened since then! In the evening for supper we had Pan Fried Fillets of Salmon and Pink Trout with a Ratatouille and then watched a little TV.Over the weekend the forecast is for rain during the night but sunny and cold in the day,as we got up we found that we had no water so we had to use the spring tap,which is outside our front door,along with all our other neighbours.In the evening we had two nice steaks from our local butcher with Frits,During the day I watched the Liverpool match,live,they drew with Hull and in the evening it was the Real Madrid/Barcelona match from the Nou Camp stadium which seats 96,ooo thousand, the match does not kick off until 10pm and Barcelona murdered Real!After our usual Sunday lie in we walked down to Mano and Anna’s as she had come back from North Wales on Saturday and caught up with all her news and made some plans for Xmas,whilst we were there Carlos called in with Fabio,who is a lovely little happy boy. On the way back we called into Bar Rojas for a glass of Rosado and as we were sat at the bar some other customers had a selection of Tapas with fresh Batata frits,so we had a plate with some Breaded Chicken fillets! The water did not come back on until late in the afternoon as we got in so we had Brunch late again for dinner!This morning we had an appointment at the bank to close our account in North Wales and on the way back we picked up a large fresh Chicken ,for dinner,which we are roasting with all the trimmings including the famous Roast potatoes in Duck fat! Mano and Anna are joining us for our first Roast since May when all the family were last together.
In the morning we shot across to Estepona and called in to see Vidal and Gissy,it was Gissy’s birthday so we had a little something for her along with a glass of wine to help the day start off in the right direction! On the way back we called into the site where we had the Winnebago last Christmas,just in case any Xmas cards go there! It seems a long way away now from when we came back in September 2007 with the Smart car on its trailer,a lot’s happened since then! In the evening for supper we had Pan Fried Fillets of Salmon and Pink Trout with a Ratatouille and then watched a little TV.Over the weekend the forecast is for rain during the night but sunny and cold in the day,as we got up we found that we had no water so we had to use the spring tap,which is outside our front door,along with all our other neighbours.In the evening we had two nice steaks from our local butcher with Frits,During the day I watched the Liverpool match,live,they drew with Hull and in the evening it was the Real Madrid/Barcelona match from the Nou Camp stadium which seats 96,ooo thousand, the match does not kick off until 10pm and Barcelona murdered Real!After our usual Sunday lie in we walked down to Mano and Anna’s as she had come back from North Wales on Saturday and caught up with all her news and made some plans for Xmas,whilst we were there Carlos called in with Fabio,who is a lovely little happy boy. On the way back we called into Bar Rojas for a glass of Rosado and as we were sat at the bar some other customers had a selection of Tapas with fresh Batata frits,so we had a plate with some Breaded Chicken fillets! The water did not come back on until late in the afternoon as we got in so we had Brunch late again for dinner!This morning we had an appointment at the bank to close our account in North Wales and on the way back we picked up a large fresh Chicken ,for dinner,which we are roasting with all the trimmings including the famous Roast potatoes in Duck fat! Mano and Anna are joining us for our first Roast since May when all the family were last together.
Friday, December 12, 2008
MANILVA,XMAS 2008.
The lights went on in Manilva this evening all along the main street and also on the Town Hall.As I went to take the pictures the Full moon came out,it is a special one that only happens every fifeteen years and it is 14% bigger and 30% brighter!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
MANILVA.
Monday/Thursday 8th./11th. December.
Monday was a at home day so “we” caught up with housework and washing and in the afternoon I made a Chicken Curry for dinner,the forecast for the week is sunny but it goes cold in the evenings,the rest of Spain is covered in snow.Spain is very mountainous and on the TV.every day they show the snow reports from around the country,it is only the Costa Del Sol that misses the bad weather!On Tuesday we went across to Estepona in the morning to the Hypermarket and on the way back we called into the bank,we are watching the exchange rate with interest as it means that the pension is going down,it looks like it will be one for one by the end of the week as I am typing this blog!In the evening we had Small Dab Soles pan fried with with Gambas which we had bought fresh from the market,earlier in the day. The weather on Wednesday was beautiful with clear blue sky,no breeze and in the sun it was warm.Brenda went shopping for the Xmas cards so I sat and read the papers overlooking the marina in Estepona with a Tinto de Verano in front of me!In the afternoon when we got home I noticed that the folks in Australia had been trying to call us on Skype so we called Lyn even though it was late for them,the news was very good,Lyn is getting married to Jack who proposed to her on bended knee on her birthday!She is very excited and is acting like a school girl,we think that it is smashing news and wish them all the luck in the world!!They have booked their flight over to the UK.in May and they are planning to come and stay with us,they could be “ Mr and Mrs Irving ” by then! Over the last couple of days I have read “ The Da Vinci Code” for the first time,interesting,very interesting! Brenda at the same time is now reading a book every week,we read in the late afternoon as the sun goes down and as we have our evening cocktail and nibbles in the lounge! At the moment Brenda has the washing machine on and the drain pipe has just fallen out and flooded the kitchen,there are some strange non Spanish sounds coming from the washer woman!! Tonight I am making a Lamb Stew for supper with 7/8 different vegetables and local potatoes in it as well as local Cabbage on the side!
Monday was a at home day so “we” caught up with housework and washing and in the afternoon I made a Chicken Curry for dinner,the forecast for the week is sunny but it goes cold in the evenings,the rest of Spain is covered in snow.Spain is very mountainous and on the TV.every day they show the snow reports from around the country,it is only the Costa Del Sol that misses the bad weather!On Tuesday we went across to Estepona in the morning to the Hypermarket and on the way back we called into the bank,we are watching the exchange rate with interest as it means that the pension is going down,it looks like it will be one for one by the end of the week as I am typing this blog!In the evening we had Small Dab Soles pan fried with with Gambas which we had bought fresh from the market,earlier in the day. The weather on Wednesday was beautiful with clear blue sky,no breeze and in the sun it was warm.Brenda went shopping for the Xmas cards so I sat and read the papers overlooking the marina in Estepona with a Tinto de Verano in front of me!In the afternoon when we got home I noticed that the folks in Australia had been trying to call us on Skype so we called Lyn even though it was late for them,the news was very good,Lyn is getting married to Jack who proposed to her on bended knee on her birthday!She is very excited and is acting like a school girl,we think that it is smashing news and wish them all the luck in the world!!They have booked their flight over to the UK.in May and they are planning to come and stay with us,they could be “ Mr and Mrs Irving ” by then! Over the last couple of days I have read “ The Da Vinci Code” for the first time,interesting,very interesting! Brenda at the same time is now reading a book every week,we read in the late afternoon as the sun goes down and as we have our evening cocktail and nibbles in the lounge! At the moment Brenda has the washing machine on and the drain pipe has just fallen out and flooded the kitchen,there are some strange non Spanish sounds coming from the washer woman!! Tonight I am making a Lamb Stew for supper with 7/8 different vegetables and local potatoes in it as well as local Cabbage on the side!
Sunday, December 07, 2008
MANILVA.
Thursday/Sunday 4th./7th. December.
Yet another sunny day as we packed the Smart car to be ready to move back over to the house on Friday morning as we are picking up Clive and Carolyn from Malaga airport tonight at 8-30pm. We will miss the animals and especially walking Bruno along the lanes around the villa in Guadalmina.On the way back we called into the English butchers to stock up for weekend as it is a Bank Holiday weekend in Spain;On Saturday it is the 30th anniversary of the Spanish Constitution being signed after the death of Franco and on Monday it is
a very religious day celebrating the Immaculate Conception! For supper on Friday we had Pan Fried Calves Liver with Crispy Bacon and Sausage and Brenda made her famous Mashed Potatoes.Mano called in on Saturday morning to catch up with the news,Anna is away at the house in North Wales so we have asked him around for Sunday Brunch.In the evening we had Steak and Frits for dinner and then watched TV,in the afternoon the Liverpool match was on,we won! and in the evening Barcelona won and there where stacks of goals in the Spanish Liga.We went for a little walk on Sunday morning after a lie in and on the way back we called into Bar Rojas for a quick one and met Mano with Carlos,who was not working,so he joined us for Brunch.The Picture below shows our Xmas Tree in the corner of the lounge.
Yet another sunny day as we packed the Smart car to be ready to move back over to the house on Friday morning as we are picking up Clive and Carolyn from Malaga airport tonight at 8-30pm. We will miss the animals and especially walking Bruno along the lanes around the villa in Guadalmina.On the way back we called into the English butchers to stock up for weekend as it is a Bank Holiday weekend in Spain;On Saturday it is the 30th anniversary of the Spanish Constitution being signed after the death of Franco and on Monday it is
a very religious day celebrating the Immaculate Conception! For supper on Friday we had Pan Fried Calves Liver with Crispy Bacon and Sausage and Brenda made her famous Mashed Potatoes.Mano called in on Saturday morning to catch up with the news,Anna is away at the house in North Wales so we have asked him around for Sunday Brunch.In the evening we had Steak and Frits for dinner and then watched TV,in the afternoon the Liverpool match was on,we won! and in the evening Barcelona won and there where stacks of goals in the Spanish Liga.We went for a little walk on Sunday morning after a lie in and on the way back we called into Bar Rojas for a quick one and met Mano with Carlos,who was not working,so he joined us for Brunch.The Picture below shows our Xmas Tree in the corner of the lounge.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
GUADALMINA ALTA.
Monday/Wednesday 1st/3rd. December 2008.
After the weekend festivities we settled back into life at the villa;the two house cats have been coming and going as normal and the wild cats outside,now down to four,are still hanging around waiting to be fed.Bruno has not been his normal self as he has a sore paw so we have been walking him at a gentle pace and bathing it in warm salty water,there is no sign of the fish in the fountain but their feed is gone in the morning!The garage rang to say that the part had arrived from Madrid and they would call us when the car was ready;the pressure cap took no time to fix and reprime the system but it turned out that the door lock part that had broken,a very small and simple plastic clip and wire, took over five hours to repair as they had to strip down the door to its metal frame! They took some pictures to show us what they had to do,this was after they had been on the Smart car repair site on the Web,as usual nothing is simple with the Smart car!! Hermann,the “Auto Doctor” then brought the car up to villa from Estepona late on Monday night.On Tuesday we popped out in the car to give it a little run as we had to call into the bank and catch up with the shopping,over the weekend we had to use the Toyota Land cruiser as the Astra has a flat tyre which was like that when we arrived!Today the tree surgeon was due to come and treat the Palm tree as well as chop down and tidy up the trees at the bottom of the garden but he has just rung to say that he is ill!We are still waiting to hear when the folks are coming home,it could be on Thursday or even Friday so we have arranged for the cleaner,Merly,to come tomorrow;at the moment the gardener,Miguel,is out side the front door planting a display of Poinsettias.
After the weekend festivities we settled back into life at the villa;the two house cats have been coming and going as normal and the wild cats outside,now down to four,are still hanging around waiting to be fed.Bruno has not been his normal self as he has a sore paw so we have been walking him at a gentle pace and bathing it in warm salty water,there is no sign of the fish in the fountain but their feed is gone in the morning!The garage rang to say that the part had arrived from Madrid and they would call us when the car was ready;the pressure cap took no time to fix and reprime the system but it turned out that the door lock part that had broken,a very small and simple plastic clip and wire, took over five hours to repair as they had to strip down the door to its metal frame! They took some pictures to show us what they had to do,this was after they had been on the Smart car repair site on the Web,as usual nothing is simple with the Smart car!! Hermann,the “Auto Doctor” then brought the car up to villa from Estepona late on Monday night.On Tuesday we popped out in the car to give it a little run as we had to call into the bank and catch up with the shopping,over the weekend we had to use the Toyota Land cruiser as the Astra has a flat tyre which was like that when we arrived!Today the tree surgeon was due to come and treat the Palm tree as well as chop down and tidy up the trees at the bottom of the garden but he has just rung to say that he is ill!We are still waiting to hear when the folks are coming home,it could be on Thursday or even Friday so we have arranged for the cleaner,Merly,to come tomorrow;at the moment the gardener,Miguel,is out side the front door planting a display of Poinsettias.
Monday, December 01, 2008
GUADALMINA ALTA.
Sunday 30th. November.
On our way back to the villa we stopped in Guadalmina for a mug of tea and ended up having a Cheese and Ham Toastie with a Bacon and Egg Boasted buttie in Tricky Ricky’s! Just like the old times on the way back from the clubs in Liverpool and Manchester in the late 70s!! The weather at the moment is cool with blue skies,when we walk the dog it is still very warm in the sun.During the afternoon we sat on the terrace and read the papers and had our usual Brunch in the early evening before we settled down to watch Strictly Come Dancing and the new Wallender programme on BBC. as well as a very good and interesting documentary on China.The picture below shows the snow capped mountains in the distance behind the villa.
On our way back to the villa we stopped in Guadalmina for a mug of tea and ended up having a Cheese and Ham Toastie with a Bacon and Egg Boasted buttie in Tricky Ricky’s! Just like the old times on the way back from the clubs in Liverpool and Manchester in the late 70s!! The weather at the moment is cool with blue skies,when we walk the dog it is still very warm in the sun.During the afternoon we sat on the terrace and read the papers and had our usual Brunch in the early evening before we settled down to watch Strictly Come Dancing and the new Wallender programme on BBC. as well as a very good and interesting documentary on China.The picture below shows the snow capped mountains in the distance behind the villa.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
PLAYA ANDALUZA AND CABOPINO.
Saturday 29th. November.
After a lie in,well it was our anniversary!For breakfast we had Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Pink Trout before we packed our overnight bags to move down for the night to the Marriot Vacation Club at Playa Andaluza,Carolyn had arranged for her friend,Sue,to move in for the night and look after the animals and the villa,we had met her on Friday when she called in to make the arrangements with us.The stay at the resort was free and the sales manager had booked a very large two bedroomed apartment overlooking the sea ,as you can see in the picture below;both bedrooms have very large beds and our master bedroom had a Jaccuzi Bath and separate power shower wet room! They are furnished to a very high standard and are fully equipped including large screen TVs. in the lounge and bedroom. We settled in and then after watching the Rugby,Wales beat Australia!! we then went down to the indoor pool for a swim and a dip in the large warm Whirlpool Spa's overlooking the beach at the front of the complex. In the evening before we went out we opened a bottle of well chilled Pink Champagne that we had brought with us;we then went to the Restaurante Da Bruno in Cabopino,again using one of our free vouchers for dinner,the owner,Bruno,greeted us and we settled down to order as the live music duo,who were very good,played in the background.Brenda had the Cappaccio of Beef which just melted in your mouth and I had Prawn cocktail made with ten large Gambas!
For her main course Brenda had the Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb “ Pink” which was two small racks put together and was just to die for,the Lamb was succulent and sweet and fell off the bone! I had the Escalope of Veal in a Lemon wine sauce,it was the best Veal that I’ve tasted in a very long while and once again it just melted in the mouth,both came with Wilted Greens,Dauphinoise Potatoes and Frits.With the meal we had a bottle of the excellent house Valpolicella to wash down the meal and end a memorable meal on our 37th.wedding anniversary!!
After a lie in,well it was our anniversary!For breakfast we had Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Pink Trout before we packed our overnight bags to move down for the night to the Marriot Vacation Club at Playa Andaluza,Carolyn had arranged for her friend,Sue,to move in for the night and look after the animals and the villa,we had met her on Friday when she called in to make the arrangements with us.The stay at the resort was free and the sales manager had booked a very large two bedroomed apartment overlooking the sea ,as you can see in the picture below;both bedrooms have very large beds and our master bedroom had a Jaccuzi Bath and separate power shower wet room! They are furnished to a very high standard and are fully equipped including large screen TVs. in the lounge and bedroom. We settled in and then after watching the Rugby,Wales beat Australia!! we then went down to the indoor pool for a swim and a dip in the large warm Whirlpool Spa's overlooking the beach at the front of the complex. In the evening before we went out we opened a bottle of well chilled Pink Champagne that we had brought with us;we then went to the Restaurante Da Bruno in Cabopino,again using one of our free vouchers for dinner,the owner,Bruno,greeted us and we settled down to order as the live music duo,who were very good,played in the background.Brenda had the Cappaccio of Beef which just melted in your mouth and I had Prawn cocktail made with ten large Gambas!
For her main course Brenda had the Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb “ Pink” which was two small racks put together and was just to die for,the Lamb was succulent and sweet and fell off the bone! I had the Escalope of Veal in a Lemon wine sauce,it was the best Veal that I’ve tasted in a very long while and once again it just melted in the mouth,both came with Wilted Greens,Dauphinoise Potatoes and Frits.With the meal we had a bottle of the excellent house Valpolicella to wash down the meal and end a memorable meal on our 37th.wedding anniversary!!
MANILVA,GUADALMINA ALTA.
Thursday 27th.November.
As we got up this morning the first thing to do was to check the PC.and the bank account,the second payment had arrived! We then had to get our selves sorted out as we have to go across to the villa early on Friday morning to take Carolyn to the airport.In the afternoon Gissy called in to give Brenda the full works, highlights, cutting and styling as well as a trim and style for me;at the same time she gave Brenda a face mask and I had a face massage! In the evening we had a light supper and an early night in bed.
Friday 28th November.
We shot across to Gualdalmina and took Carolyn to the airport in Malaga to catch her flight to London as Clive was in Italy and was joining her later.As we had arrived at the villa the Smart car was showing a rise in temperature so when we returned from the airport we checked out the coolant level etc.and found that the plastic pressure cap was missing!We had a appointment at the garage in Estepona to fix the broken door catch so we drove to the garage very slowly and when we arrived the owner started to work on it;the new part for the door catch had arrived and he shot around to the Mercedes parts shop and ordered the new plastic pressure cap,but it would not be in untill Monday as it had to come from Madrid.! So we had to leave the Smart car in the garage and the owner dropped us back to villa.In the evening we had Pork Chops for dinner with Baked Potatoes and watched the news on the TV.
As we got up this morning the first thing to do was to check the PC.and the bank account,the second payment had arrived! We then had to get our selves sorted out as we have to go across to the villa early on Friday morning to take Carolyn to the airport.In the afternoon Gissy called in to give Brenda the full works, highlights, cutting and styling as well as a trim and style for me;at the same time she gave Brenda a face mask and I had a face massage! In the evening we had a light supper and an early night in bed.
Friday 28th November.
We shot across to Gualdalmina and took Carolyn to the airport in Malaga to catch her flight to London as Clive was in Italy and was joining her later.As we had arrived at the villa the Smart car was showing a rise in temperature so when we returned from the airport we checked out the coolant level etc.and found that the plastic pressure cap was missing!We had a appointment at the garage in Estepona to fix the broken door catch so we drove to the garage very slowly and when we arrived the owner started to work on it;the new part for the door catch had arrived and he shot around to the Mercedes parts shop and ordered the new plastic pressure cap,but it would not be in untill Monday as it had to come from Madrid.! So we had to leave the Smart car in the garage and the owner dropped us back to villa.In the evening we had Pork Chops for dinner with Baked Potatoes and watched the news on the TV.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
MANILVA.
Monday/Wednesday 24th/26th November.
On Monday morning we called into the bank to set up the Internet Banking page on the PC.so we can follow the transfer of the payments from Germany and then called into the Hypermarket to buy some Christmas Decorations for the house as the ones that we have got are too small as they came from the Winnebago.We bought our first tree and all the decorations but as we had a discount voucher, that we had earned from the last three months,it cost us practically nothing! The tree is now in the lounge with all the lights on it and Brenda has done a marvelous job of decorating it,also the chill out room had had the treatment as well;we have Poinsettia’s in all the rooms so the house has a lovely Christmas feeling. Just as we were going out we had a Skype call from Australia,it was Lyn, so Brenda was able to have a long chat as it costs nothing,Skype to Skype! For supper we had Pork Cutlets from the butcher in the village and then caught up with some reading,we have a English Bookshop down in Sabinillas which exchanges books and buys back from you the books that you have bought from them at the same time so it costs very little for our reading! The weather is changing for a couple of days in the middle of the week but it is still sunny during the day,on Tuesday on the way back from shopping we called into see Mano and Anna to check on the Xmas arrangements as e-mails have been flying between here and Tenerife,with Sally Ann in her business mode,to make sure that we miss nothing! Mano and Anna in the evening joined us for dinner as we had Braised Steak and Onions,Cabbage,Mashed Carrots and Swede,Mushy Peas and the famous Brenda Mashed Potatoes all washed down with a fine Rioja and followed with music and dancing as we listened to the I Pod in its Speaker dock! Today as we checked the Spanish Bank account,on line, the first payment had been transferred and the second one will be in by the end of week,we hope!We have been asked to house sit by Clive and Carolyn this weekend for a few days from Friday to Friday,so we are fitting it in with our prebooked night out at the Marriot Resort on Saturday( Our Wedding Anniversary) As we were out and about on our travels the door handle of the Smart Car broke but as we were near Vidals we called in and he has arranged for his garage to order the part and fix it. Tonight is curry night,you can smell it at the top of the street!
On Monday morning we called into the bank to set up the Internet Banking page on the PC.so we can follow the transfer of the payments from Germany and then called into the Hypermarket to buy some Christmas Decorations for the house as the ones that we have got are too small as they came from the Winnebago.We bought our first tree and all the decorations but as we had a discount voucher, that we had earned from the last three months,it cost us practically nothing! The tree is now in the lounge with all the lights on it and Brenda has done a marvelous job of decorating it,also the chill out room had had the treatment as well;we have Poinsettia’s in all the rooms so the house has a lovely Christmas feeling. Just as we were going out we had a Skype call from Australia,it was Lyn, so Brenda was able to have a long chat as it costs nothing,Skype to Skype! For supper we had Pork Cutlets from the butcher in the village and then caught up with some reading,we have a English Bookshop down in Sabinillas which exchanges books and buys back from you the books that you have bought from them at the same time so it costs very little for our reading! The weather is changing for a couple of days in the middle of the week but it is still sunny during the day,on Tuesday on the way back from shopping we called into see Mano and Anna to check on the Xmas arrangements as e-mails have been flying between here and Tenerife,with Sally Ann in her business mode,to make sure that we miss nothing! Mano and Anna in the evening joined us for dinner as we had Braised Steak and Onions,Cabbage,Mashed Carrots and Swede,Mushy Peas and the famous Brenda Mashed Potatoes all washed down with a fine Rioja and followed with music and dancing as we listened to the I Pod in its Speaker dock! Today as we checked the Spanish Bank account,on line, the first payment had been transferred and the second one will be in by the end of week,we hope!We have been asked to house sit by Clive and Carolyn this weekend for a few days from Friday to Friday,so we are fitting it in with our prebooked night out at the Marriot Resort on Saturday( Our Wedding Anniversary) As we were out and about on our travels the door handle of the Smart Car broke but as we were near Vidals we called in and he has arranged for his garage to order the part and fix it. Tonight is curry night,you can smell it at the top of the street!
Monday, November 24, 2008
MANILVA XMAS NEWS UPDATE.
Father Xmas arrived early during the night in Manilva and made his way to our house as you can see in the pictures below,so we have put one of our Poisettias in the Lounge window display.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
MANILVA.
Thursday/Sunday 20th/23rd. November.
On Thursday morning we shot across to the garage to check on the money transfer; when we then found out that still nothing had happened a lively and loud discussion took place about the ongoing saga and what we thought should happen very quickly in the next few days! First thing on Friday we did the weekend shopping and when we returned to the house we found an e-mail from the garage saying that the money had arrived in their account and that the transfer,in stages, would take place from Monday under Spanish banking rules!!We also received a phone call from the Marriot Resort to confirm our free stay next weekend, when it is our wedding anniversary,in the Estepona complex at a two bed roomed apartment on the front over looking the sea with all the facilities including swimming pool and Jacuzzi.This comes from when we did the sales training earlier in the year,we also will use one of our vouchers to go out to dinner on Saturday night at Da Bruno in Cabopino !They are going to re book us for more training in February next year as well! In the evening we had Pan –Fried Fillets of Salmon with New Potatoes and Garden Peas for supper.As the weather is so nice we went for a walk on Saturday morning around the village and bumped into Mano,Anna and Carlos and ended up back at Carlos’s house watching the tennis,Spain are in the final of the Davies Cup against Argentina and are leading at the moment.In the afternoon I watched the report of the City match,on the BBC,on the PC,they beat Arsenal and later during the night Ricky Hatton won in Las Vegas!! So the Guerrero family are very happy!In the evening we had Steak and Frits for supper.Today we had our usual lie in and then set off around the village,we ended up in the Sports Hall watching the Basketball,Manilva won against Marbella.On the way back we met Anna with Fabio and after she had dropped him off at the grandparents, we ended up in Bar Rojas for some drinks and their lovely fresh Tapas made by the wife of the owner,Manuelo,including a straight from the oven Tortilla! Tonight we are having our Brunch for supper!!
On Thursday morning we shot across to the garage to check on the money transfer; when we then found out that still nothing had happened a lively and loud discussion took place about the ongoing saga and what we thought should happen very quickly in the next few days! First thing on Friday we did the weekend shopping and when we returned to the house we found an e-mail from the garage saying that the money had arrived in their account and that the transfer,in stages, would take place from Monday under Spanish banking rules!!We also received a phone call from the Marriot Resort to confirm our free stay next weekend, when it is our wedding anniversary,in the Estepona complex at a two bed roomed apartment on the front over looking the sea with all the facilities including swimming pool and Jacuzzi.This comes from when we did the sales training earlier in the year,we also will use one of our vouchers to go out to dinner on Saturday night at Da Bruno in Cabopino !They are going to re book us for more training in February next year as well! In the evening we had Pan –Fried Fillets of Salmon with New Potatoes and Garden Peas for supper.As the weather is so nice we went for a walk on Saturday morning around the village and bumped into Mano,Anna and Carlos and ended up back at Carlos’s house watching the tennis,Spain are in the final of the Davies Cup against Argentina and are leading at the moment.In the afternoon I watched the report of the City match,on the BBC,on the PC,they beat Arsenal and later during the night Ricky Hatton won in Las Vegas!! So the Guerrero family are very happy!In the evening we had Steak and Frits for supper.Today we had our usual lie in and then set off around the village,we ended up in the Sports Hall watching the Basketball,Manilva won against Marbella.On the way back we met Anna with Fabio and after she had dropped him off at the grandparents, we ended up in Bar Rojas for some drinks and their lovely fresh Tapas made by the wife of the owner,Manuelo,including a straight from the oven Tortilla! Tonight we are having our Brunch for supper!!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
MANILVA.
Friday/Wednesday 14th/19th November.
The forecast for the next seven days is warm and sunny,which at this time of the year is just right with the clear blue skies and windless days lasting from the early morning to late afternoon;Brenda is out on the roof terrace at every chance she can get!We called into the bank in Estepona to update them on the saga and we rang our bank in Colwyn Bay with the same news on the Skype phone,which has just been upgraded again and is now even better.In the evening we called Tim in Colwyn Bay and found that he was “ Home Alone ” as Thea had gone away for the weekend to a girlfriends and Jo and Ben where out and about,so we were able to have a long chat and catch up with all the news!On Saturday we had a day at home as “we” caught up with the housework, I read a book from cover to cover in-between interruptions and cooking Rib Eye Steak and Frits for supper! We had our usual lie in on Sunday and then went for a walk around the village,there are still parts which we have not seen even now, when we arrived at the sports stadium it was very busy with a Padel Tennis tournament by the side of the football pitch, Five-a Side football on the outside hard pitch and a junior Basketball game in the main sports hall.As we came along the main street we went into Bar Rojas for a little aperitif;it is at the top of our street,an hour later we headed for home after having had some excellent Tapas and a rather nice Rose Rioja.Later in the afternoon we had Brunch before we settled down to watch the Football,both Spanish and English,this time Liverpool won with a fabulous assisted goal from Torres! After the weekend we popped out to top up with the essentials,the bank transfer is due to go through later in the week so we went to the garage on the other side of Estepona to confirm the details yet again!In the evening I made a Beef Stew with ten different vegetables, which we had for dinner with Cabbage which we had bought from our local vegetable shop and fresh Beetroot.As the weather was still so nice on Tuesday we decided to walk down to see Mano and Anna at their house,we caught them in and so we had a meeting to plan the Xmas day celebrations when we are cooking Xmas lunch for all the family;this includes the Champagne reception with Canapes,Xmas lunch with all the trimmings and entertainment after! They told us that they had seen the QE2 going past in the evening on Monday,Anna spotted the lights from her bedroom window but did not realize it was the QE2 until they saw it on the news the following morning,it was on its way into the Mediterranean from the Straits of Gibraltar on its way to Dubai to end up as a hotel.Today is a washing day with all the curtains out to dry on the roof terrace;tonight we are having Chicken breasts in a cream sauce with stir-fried savory rice for supper,we will then watch the Spanish version of Strictly Come Dancing ( John Sergeant has just resigned ) in England!
The forecast for the next seven days is warm and sunny,which at this time of the year is just right with the clear blue skies and windless days lasting from the early morning to late afternoon;Brenda is out on the roof terrace at every chance she can get!We called into the bank in Estepona to update them on the saga and we rang our bank in Colwyn Bay with the same news on the Skype phone,which has just been upgraded again and is now even better.In the evening we called Tim in Colwyn Bay and found that he was “ Home Alone ” as Thea had gone away for the weekend to a girlfriends and Jo and Ben where out and about,so we were able to have a long chat and catch up with all the news!On Saturday we had a day at home as “we” caught up with the housework, I read a book from cover to cover in-between interruptions and cooking Rib Eye Steak and Frits for supper! We had our usual lie in on Sunday and then went for a walk around the village,there are still parts which we have not seen even now, when we arrived at the sports stadium it was very busy with a Padel Tennis tournament by the side of the football pitch, Five-a Side football on the outside hard pitch and a junior Basketball game in the main sports hall.As we came along the main street we went into Bar Rojas for a little aperitif;it is at the top of our street,an hour later we headed for home after having had some excellent Tapas and a rather nice Rose Rioja.Later in the afternoon we had Brunch before we settled down to watch the Football,both Spanish and English,this time Liverpool won with a fabulous assisted goal from Torres! After the weekend we popped out to top up with the essentials,the bank transfer is due to go through later in the week so we went to the garage on the other side of Estepona to confirm the details yet again!In the evening I made a Beef Stew with ten different vegetables, which we had for dinner with Cabbage which we had bought from our local vegetable shop and fresh Beetroot.As the weather was still so nice on Tuesday we decided to walk down to see Mano and Anna at their house,we caught them in and so we had a meeting to plan the Xmas day celebrations when we are cooking Xmas lunch for all the family;this includes the Champagne reception with Canapes,Xmas lunch with all the trimmings and entertainment after! They told us that they had seen the QE2 going past in the evening on Monday,Anna spotted the lights from her bedroom window but did not realize it was the QE2 until they saw it on the news the following morning,it was on its way into the Mediterranean from the Straits of Gibraltar on its way to Dubai to end up as a hotel.Today is a washing day with all the curtains out to dry on the roof terrace;tonight we are having Chicken breasts in a cream sauce with stir-fried savory rice for supper,we will then watch the Spanish version of Strictly Come Dancing ( John Sergeant has just resigned ) in England!
MANILVA,NEWS UPDATE.
Wednesday 19th.November.
Winnebago – Latest News;
The wheels of the German and Spanish banks are going very slow,there are all sorts of rules to do with money transfers,we still are a few days away from the final payment coming through,in the meantime the picture below shows the Winnebago at its best with the Smart car on the trailer as we entered Portsmouth to go on the ferry to Bilbao at the start of our currant journey last year-it seems such a long time ago now!
Winnebago – Latest News;
The wheels of the German and Spanish banks are going very slow,there are all sorts of rules to do with money transfers,we still are a few days away from the final payment coming through,in the meantime the picture below shows the Winnebago at its best with the Smart car on the trailer as we entered Portsmouth to go on the ferry to Bilbao at the start of our currant journey last year-it seems such a long time ago now!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
MANILVA,CHRISTMAS 2008 STARTS.
Thursday 13th.November.
As we came back to Manilva today the council workmen were putting up the Xmas decorations along the main street.It is a beautiful day on the Costa del Sol with the temperature at 21degs. and the views across to the mountains and out to sea to Gibraltar and Africa are unbelievable as you can see in the pictures below.
As we came back to Manilva today the council workmen were putting up the Xmas decorations along the main street.It is a beautiful day on the Costa del Sol with the temperature at 21degs. and the views across to the mountains and out to sea to Gibraltar and Africa are unbelievable as you can see in the pictures below.
WINNEBAGO UPDATE.
Thursday 13th.November.
As you will see we have sold the Winnebago over the weekend in Germany at the sister garage in Hamburg to a German customer.The deposit has been paid to us and the bank transfer is going to take place this weekend,so by Monday next week the saga will be over! We have not made as much as we would like due to the state of the market,the dollar exchange and the euro rate at the moment, we had no other option at the present time but to sell.The last part of the equation is having the Smart car transferred to Spanish plates and registered in Spain as we are now Spanish residents!
As you will see we have sold the Winnebago over the weekend in Germany at the sister garage in Hamburg to a German customer.The deposit has been paid to us and the bank transfer is going to take place this weekend,so by Monday next week the saga will be over! We have not made as much as we would like due to the state of the market,the dollar exchange and the euro rate at the moment, we had no other option at the present time but to sell.The last part of the equation is having the Smart car transferred to Spanish plates and registered in Spain as we are now Spanish residents!
MANILVA.
Monday/Thursday 10th/13th. November.
On Monday morning we shot across to the garage and we were able to confirm that the Winnebago had been sold on Friday evening to a German buyer! Payment to follow!! We then did some local shopping and for supper we had Calves Liver with Crisp Smoked Bacon,Pork Sausage,Saute Fried Onions and Brenda’s famous mashed potatoes.The weather this week is getting better every day,the sun is out first thing in the morning and the temperature is going up to 22degs by Friday! We stopped off at the bank on Tuesday morning to keep them up to date with the Winnebago saga, we banked the cash deposit and confirmed the transfer details from the German account.After our usual breakfast of toast,orange juice and fresh fruit,on Wednesday, we went down to Estepona to the hypermarket to catch up with the shopping,In the evening we had a Chicken curry for supper which I had made in the afternoon as Brenda was out on the terrace once again in the sun,catching up with her reading.Later on we watched the cup football here in Spain and the Carling cup in England,Liverpool lost and played terrible!This morning we have been out and about in Sabinillas buying a oil heater for the lounge as it is starting to get a little cool in the late evening and we don’t want to use the Air Conditioning. We then called into the garage to make sure that everything is going through with the bank transfer. Tonight we are having Omelets with fresh Gambas for supper and a night in with a DVD.
On Monday morning we shot across to the garage and we were able to confirm that the Winnebago had been sold on Friday evening to a German buyer! Payment to follow!! We then did some local shopping and for supper we had Calves Liver with Crisp Smoked Bacon,Pork Sausage,Saute Fried Onions and Brenda’s famous mashed potatoes.The weather this week is getting better every day,the sun is out first thing in the morning and the temperature is going up to 22degs by Friday! We stopped off at the bank on Tuesday morning to keep them up to date with the Winnebago saga, we banked the cash deposit and confirmed the transfer details from the German account.After our usual breakfast of toast,orange juice and fresh fruit,on Wednesday, we went down to Estepona to the hypermarket to catch up with the shopping,In the evening we had a Chicken curry for supper which I had made in the afternoon as Brenda was out on the terrace once again in the sun,catching up with her reading.Later on we watched the cup football here in Spain and the Carling cup in England,Liverpool lost and played terrible!This morning we have been out and about in Sabinillas buying a oil heater for the lounge as it is starting to get a little cool in the late evening and we don’t want to use the Air Conditioning. We then called into the garage to make sure that everything is going through with the bank transfer. Tonight we are having Omelets with fresh Gambas for supper and a night in with a DVD.
Monday, November 10, 2008
MANILVA.
Saturday 8th.November.
We picked up Clive and Carolyn from the airport last night;their flight was early so we were able to drive in without stopping and were back at the villa by midnight.They are planning some more trips away so they have asked us to look after the villa and the animals again in the future.We stayed over night and in the morning we came back to Manilva after calling into the butchers as we were passing to buy some stuff for the weekend.It was nice to come home as we have been away for nearly four weeks altogether,Brenda is catching up with the washing and unpacking,with my help and I’ve been in the office checking on e-mails etc.All our neighbours seemed to have missed us and have been asking where we have been!The plants are ok as it has been raining,the only one that is not all right is the Ucha plant in the chill out room,it’s not been happy for a couple of months!In the evening we had Steak and frits for supper and watched the football on the TV.It was really exciting,Real Madrid beat Malaga,just and Barcelona scored six goals!
Sunday 9th November.
After a long lie in we got up to a sunny day and started to plan for the week ahead;on checking the calendar we noticed that it was Mano and Annas wedding anniversary so we rang them and asked them round for Brunch later in the day,They arrived with Carlos so we opened the Cava and had some Bucks Fizz to start the celebrations!We had Eggs,Bacon,Sausage,Mushrooms,Tomato,Baked Beans and Saute potatoes which hit the spot and set us up for the day.We then went back to Carlo’s house,which is called Maine Road, to watch on the large screen Manchester City play Spurs,City lost and did not play well.We ended up in the local bar by Carlos;s playing pool and Mano and I played two locals in a hot game of Dominos using Spanish rules !
We picked up Clive and Carolyn from the airport last night;their flight was early so we were able to drive in without stopping and were back at the villa by midnight.They are planning some more trips away so they have asked us to look after the villa and the animals again in the future.We stayed over night and in the morning we came back to Manilva after calling into the butchers as we were passing to buy some stuff for the weekend.It was nice to come home as we have been away for nearly four weeks altogether,Brenda is catching up with the washing and unpacking,with my help and I’ve been in the office checking on e-mails etc.All our neighbours seemed to have missed us and have been asking where we have been!The plants are ok as it has been raining,the only one that is not all right is the Ucha plant in the chill out room,it’s not been happy for a couple of months!In the evening we had Steak and frits for supper and watched the football on the TV.It was really exciting,Real Madrid beat Malaga,just and Barcelona scored six goals!
Sunday 9th November.
After a long lie in we got up to a sunny day and started to plan for the week ahead;on checking the calendar we noticed that it was Mano and Annas wedding anniversary so we rang them and asked them round for Brunch later in the day,They arrived with Carlos so we opened the Cava and had some Bucks Fizz to start the celebrations!We had Eggs,Bacon,Sausage,Mushrooms,Tomato,Baked Beans and Saute potatoes which hit the spot and set us up for the day.We then went back to Carlo’s house,which is called Maine Road, to watch on the large screen Manchester City play Spurs,City lost and did not play well.We ended up in the local bar by Carlos;s playing pool and Mano and I played two locals in a hot game of Dominos using Spanish rules !
Friday, November 07, 2008
CASA DEL ABUELO.
Monday/Friday 3rd./7th.November.
As we got up on Monday morning we were not “ Happy Bunnies” after the disappointment of not selling the Winnebago on eBay over the weekend;it means that we are back to square one,we have to go through our options and go and see the garage later today.The forecast for the next ten days is good with warm sunshine and crisp evenings to look forward to.In the villa everything is fine,the animals have settled down to our routine and we are enjoying our time here in Gualdalmina.On Tuesday we caught up with the shopping and called into the English butchers which is just down the road,they had diced Lamb on offer so we are making a large pan of Stew which will end up as Scouse for another meal! In the evening we watched Jools Holland,he had the Rev. Al Green on,Clive and Carolyn are going to see him on Wednesday evening at the Albert Hall,The Killers,who were very good and our favourites at the moment,Pendulum,who were introduced to us by the Moffatts! They were unbelievable for their first time” Live ”on TV.We caught up with our chores around the house and Brenda hung out the washing in the warm sun on Wednesday morning, which was the first chance for a few days due to the cold weather we have been having.Thursday was a lovely Costa del Sol day as we went out to find the market in San Pedro,which as it happens is just around the corner from us.It was very busy and also very large and is one of the best that we have been to,they are on every day of the week up and down the coast and offer very cheap goods,food and bargains! We then called into the garage to discuss with the owner our options;it is the wrong time to sell as the market is low due to the dollar problems but we do not have the time to wait so we are having to sell it for far less than it is worth.It looks like we have a cash customer in Germany so we are making our minds up over night.Today,Friday,is our last day in the villa as Clive and Carolyn are returning tonight,we are picking them up from the airport in Malaga at 11-00pm.and we are going home in the morning to Manilva.In the last few minutes we have accepted an offer for the Winnebago from a person in Germany so now we have to cross our fingers and watch out for the money transfer!! To be continued;
As we got up on Monday morning we were not “ Happy Bunnies” after the disappointment of not selling the Winnebago on eBay over the weekend;it means that we are back to square one,we have to go through our options and go and see the garage later today.The forecast for the next ten days is good with warm sunshine and crisp evenings to look forward to.In the villa everything is fine,the animals have settled down to our routine and we are enjoying our time here in Gualdalmina.On Tuesday we caught up with the shopping and called into the English butchers which is just down the road,they had diced Lamb on offer so we are making a large pan of Stew which will end up as Scouse for another meal! In the evening we watched Jools Holland,he had the Rev. Al Green on,Clive and Carolyn are going to see him on Wednesday evening at the Albert Hall,The Killers,who were very good and our favourites at the moment,Pendulum,who were introduced to us by the Moffatts! They were unbelievable for their first time” Live ”on TV.We caught up with our chores around the house and Brenda hung out the washing in the warm sun on Wednesday morning, which was the first chance for a few days due to the cold weather we have been having.Thursday was a lovely Costa del Sol day as we went out to find the market in San Pedro,which as it happens is just around the corner from us.It was very busy and also very large and is one of the best that we have been to,they are on every day of the week up and down the coast and offer very cheap goods,food and bargains! We then called into the garage to discuss with the owner our options;it is the wrong time to sell as the market is low due to the dollar problems but we do not have the time to wait so we are having to sell it for far less than it is worth.It looks like we have a cash customer in Germany so we are making our minds up over night.Today,Friday,is our last day in the villa as Clive and Carolyn are returning tonight,we are picking them up from the airport in Malaga at 11-00pm.and we are going home in the morning to Manilva.In the last few minutes we have accepted an offer for the Winnebago from a person in Germany so now we have to cross our fingers and watch out for the money transfer!! To be continued;
Monday, November 03, 2008
CASA DEL ABUELO.
Saturday 1st.November 2008.
Today was a cold and wet day as forecast so we had a day at home after we had been over to the garage to speak to the owner to check out the final arrangements for the eBay sale on Sunday.Everywhere in Spain is closed as it is “ All Saints Day” so the roads are quiet and Guadalmina is like a ghost town.In the evening we watched the TV and had Minute Steak and Frits for supper.
Sunday 2nd.November.
After a lie in we went for a walk with the dog along the lanes in-between the showers and when we returned we had our usual Sunday Brunch to keep us going for the night ahead;later in the afternoon we watched the Grand Prix which got us all hyped up ready for the eBay sale finishing at 9 00pm!As the clock ticked down we sat in front of the PC and watched with anticipatory excitement!! The bad news is that it did not reach the total that we wanted so the garage jumped in and stopped the sale at the last second, the good news is that we live to fight another day!!!
Today was a cold and wet day as forecast so we had a day at home after we had been over to the garage to speak to the owner to check out the final arrangements for the eBay sale on Sunday.Everywhere in Spain is closed as it is “ All Saints Day” so the roads are quiet and Guadalmina is like a ghost town.In the evening we watched the TV and had Minute Steak and Frits for supper.
Sunday 2nd.November.
After a lie in we went for a walk with the dog along the lanes in-between the showers and when we returned we had our usual Sunday Brunch to keep us going for the night ahead;later in the afternoon we watched the Grand Prix which got us all hyped up ready for the eBay sale finishing at 9 00pm!As the clock ticked down we sat in front of the PC and watched with anticipatory excitement!! The bad news is that it did not reach the total that we wanted so the garage jumped in and stopped the sale at the last second, the good news is that we live to fight another day!!!
Friday, October 31, 2008
CASA DEL ABUELO. DOG REPORTED LOST,THEN FOUND.
Friday 31st.October.
As forecast the rain started at 7-ooam and has not stopped since;when it rains in Spain it is always very severe and non-stop! As the morning went on it became time to take the dog out for his walk so I got myself a large waterproof with a hood and wrapped up to brave the conditions,with the umbrella up and the hood down I set of with the dog down the lane by the villa.It soon became a cloudburst and the lane was awash with flowing water cascading down like a river!In the meantime Bruno had disappeared into the mist along his favourite spots and could not hear me when I called and whistled for him to come back,every so often he appeared out of the mist and then shot off into the woods by the side of a steep drop down a grassy ,muddy bank only this time there was no sign of him for over 15mins as I screamed and whistled for him to come back! I then started to walk back towards the villa along the lane to the spot where he usually comes to us and we put the lead back on,no Bruno!!After another 15mins I was just about to go back to villa to get Brenda to come and help me find the damn dog when she came out looking for me,the dog had run home right at the start and she thought that it was me that had gone missing over the cliff into the woods when the dog came home without me!!!The dog is keeping out of my way at the moment and I’ve just been rubbed down and dried !!!!
As forecast the rain started at 7-ooam and has not stopped since;when it rains in Spain it is always very severe and non-stop! As the morning went on it became time to take the dog out for his walk so I got myself a large waterproof with a hood and wrapped up to brave the conditions,with the umbrella up and the hood down I set of with the dog down the lane by the villa.It soon became a cloudburst and the lane was awash with flowing water cascading down like a river!In the meantime Bruno had disappeared into the mist along his favourite spots and could not hear me when I called and whistled for him to come back,every so often he appeared out of the mist and then shot off into the woods by the side of a steep drop down a grassy ,muddy bank only this time there was no sign of him for over 15mins as I screamed and whistled for him to come back! I then started to walk back towards the villa along the lane to the spot where he usually comes to us and we put the lead back on,no Bruno!!After another 15mins I was just about to go back to villa to get Brenda to come and help me find the damn dog when she came out looking for me,the dog had run home right at the start and she thought that it was me that had gone missing over the cliff into the woods when the dog came home without me!!!The dog is keeping out of my way at the moment and I’ve just been rubbed down and dried !!!!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
CASA DEL ABUELO.
Thursday 30th.October.
First thing in the morning is dog walking time after we have fed the fish in the pond.This morning when I went to the pond –no fish! after exhaustive enquiries and searching, including speaking to the pond man,he suggested that it was the gardner when he was cutting down the bushes on the wall-they might have been spooked!! We thought that we had been “Fishnapped” !!!The pictures below shows Bruno on his morning walk up the lane behind the villa and the views of the mountains behind Marbella on a gorgeous day-the last for a few days as the forecast is rain and the temperature is going below 20 degs. for the first time in ten months!
First thing in the morning is dog walking time after we have fed the fish in the pond.This morning when I went to the pond –no fish! after exhaustive enquiries and searching, including speaking to the pond man,he suggested that it was the gardner when he was cutting down the bushes on the wall-they might have been spooked!! We thought that we had been “Fishnapped” !!!The pictures below shows Bruno on his morning walk up the lane behind the villa and the views of the mountains behind Marbella on a gorgeous day-the last for a few days as the forecast is rain and the temperature is going below 20 degs. for the first time in ten months!
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