MANILVA, CALLE SAN VICENTE 1

Sunday 13th April.

We had invited Vidal and Gissy for Sunday lunch as a” thank you” for all their help when we moved in over two months ago but at the last minute they got asked to do a surprise birthday party on the beach front in Estepona so we had to take a rain check on the Roast Leg of Lamb ! Over the weekend we have e-mailed our friend Jane in Chester and we are waiting to hear if she will be our first guest.

Monday 14th April.

As we got up today it was cloudy and rain was forecast so we decided to stay in and catch up with all the little jobs around the house; we fitted a new toilet seat, oiled the squeaky door’s and cupboards, super-glued the shower rails in the bathroom and put up new curtains in the our bedroom! Jane e-mailed to say that she had booked a flight from Liverpool to Malaga two weeks today so she will be our first guest.I then settled into the office and started to set up the large Dell PC which I have not been able to use since we set off, I installed the new printer and produced my first picture on photo gloss paper,it was the picture of Brenda’s sister Lyn in New Zealand and it is now in a picture frame ! For dinner we put on a curry and then watched the local Spanish TV stations which when the Sur English paper comes out on Friday we check to see if what we thought was happening, was!

Tuesday 15th April.

Today was also rainy so I spent some time on the new PC and I am now typing this on “ Word “ for the first time after some false starts as I had not used word before so it took me a little time to work it all out.I have also put together my idea’s for my Radio/TV programme and at the same time I’ve installed some of the local Radio and TV stations on the PC.I also was able to translate the copy into Spanish on the excellent Google page and then print off my first drafts! If you are now reading this and looking at the pictures of the guest bedroom it means that I have also managed to publish it on the blog page as well !

Wednesday 16th April.

We called in to see Mano today at the Aparthotel as we had not seen him for couple of weeks and catch up with all the news. The full license has been granted by the Mayor,we spotted the owner on the local TV station signing the papers.Anna has come back from North Wales after a week with a bad cold and is still in bed! Carlos’s wife Anna has started work in the café bar and supermarket so Mano is now able to get out and about a bit. Over the weekend and during the week Fabio has not been very well and when we saw him in the village he did not look his usual happy self but when we met them down in Sabinillas for a coffee he looked a lot better.In the evening we watched the “ Kings Cup “ it was the final between Valencia and Getafe,its like our FA cup –Getafe lost again !

Thursday 17th April.

Today as the weather picked up we went out to the hypermarket for our weekly shop and also called into the furniture shop and chose some pictures to go in our bedroom and the dressing room as well as some small rugs to go by the beds.We then went across to the English butcher’s for some Lamb Chops and we had them for supper with Boulangere potatoes after we finished getting the guest room ready.

Friday 18th April.

As we passed on our way to the garage to check on the Winnebago,no news yet, we called into to see Vidal and Gissy.Vidal was busy dressmaking! It’s one of his many talents and at the moment he is making a new waistcoat and was very busy on his sewing machine finishing it off for the gig later in the evening! For supper we had pan –fried Chicken Breasts which were the offer of the week at the hypermarket.

Saturday 19th April.

Today we are having a quiet day, Brenda is ironing and also stitching some curtain which we bought in the hypermarket along with new shower curtains,we also found in the local market on Wednesday a small curtain for the bathroom window. Next week we are going to the Garden centre to get some plants to put on the front of the house on the balconies and also on the roof terrace. Tonight we are having Steak and Frits for dinner,We buy from the local butchers as well and during the week we had some excellent Entrecote. We now cook with the local olive oil all the time and are now getting to know how to use it and at what temperatures to use! Tomorrow Anna is coming for dinner,still no Mano as he is working ! and we are having Roast Leg of Pork with all the trimmings for the first time.