THURSDAY 29 th APRIL 2010.
Our main PC which we use all the time has gone in for repair as the screen is not working,this happened yesterday afternoon and means that amongst other things the blog page will be some what restricted for a short while,it also effects e-mails and Skype video as this PC has only the basics and it will take me a little while to get up to speed on it!
Watch this space for a update!!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
MANILVA WEEKEND.
MONDAY 26TH. APRIL 2010.
On Wednesday morning Brenda had an appointment at the surgery for a general check up so we decided to catch the village bus, which starts from outside, and go down to Sabinillas; the only problem was we missed the twelve o’clock one by a minute! They are on the hour every hour at this time of the year and they go down and along the coast and then return on the half hour. We then met Mano and Anna and caught up with their news as we sat outside Bar Rojas for some tapas.
Thursday was the last day for rain so in between showers we set off over to see Gissy in Estepona and at the same time get our hair done; we had a light lunch with her and caught up with all her and our news, on the way back we did all our weekend shopping.
The weather has now changed for the better and it looks like we will get a full week of sunshine as the temperature’s reach 27degs. So on Friday morning we walked around to the small fish market at the top of the main street and bought some fresh Cod steaks which we had for supper; I baked them in a rich Tomato sauce and we had Saffron new potatoes and garden peas, We then carried on down to the small Friday market, by the sports hall and picked up our fresh vegetables and also from the flower stall some plants for outside and inside the house. We dropped every thing back at the house and then went to catch the local bus at the bus stop just a few yards from our house at twelve o’clock again; this time we were early and so we waited and waited and waited! No bus arrived, we checked the time tables, asked the locals and a policeman and still no bus, it was now over forty minutes late; at the junction, where the bus stop is, all the cars entering the village pass but we had no luck in spotting anybody we knew, just when we were about to give up Mano and Anna came along in their car and they then gave us a lift down to Sabinillas where we picked up the papers and then went for a drink as we needed one after our trials and tribulations of trying to catch a bus !! We then came back up to Bar Rojas and sat outside in the very warm sun and had another drink and some fresh Patatas Fritas ! The bus saga will continue next week when we regain our energy, this all started because we parked the Smart car in our spot behind our house and decided to use the bus for a change
We got up bright and early on Saturday and after breakfast of Brenda’s poached eggs to start the day we caught up with the chores; Brenda is still on a cleaning and washing plan so I went into the kitchen and started on things for the weekend; first I made a Ratatouille with all the fresh vegetables from the market,Aubergines,Courgetts,Red,Yellow and Green Peppers, Leeks,Mushrooms,Green Beans,Onions,Tomatoes and lots of Garlic, all cooked in a rich Tomato sauce ! I then for a change made a Chicken Curry for dinner as we bought more powders and pastes from the big hypermarket over in Estepona on Thursday; We also made some individual trifles as a surprise treat for Anna, her favourite, Brenda made the strawberry jelly and custard and I started on the sponge which I soaked with a generous amount of Madeira wine, Local Strawberries, Pineapple and Peach slices on top of the sponge which was coated with Strawberry jam was then topped off with whipped double cream, a joint effort !!
On Saturday night after our Hot and tasty Chicken Curry we settled down to watch the TV; on TVE2 we watched a live music show; the artist who was new to us was Luz Casal,she is a fabulous singer and has a real together band with stings, horn section, two excellent guitarists, drums and a very clever piano/organist and backing singers, she is now in her fifties and came to fame back in the 80s.in Spain; Her music, on Wikipedia is described as soft adult rock ! She was very good and we really enjoyed the show and will buy a CD when we are next out.
After a lie in on Sunday morning we prepared Sunday dinner, Mano and Anna joined us so I roasted the other Leg of Lamb that they bought, studded it with Garlic cloves and Rosemary and we had all our usual vegetables and potatoes along with the Ratatouille; we then attacked the trifles and even Mano enjoyed them, he had a glass of Maderia wine at the start of the meal ! We then retired to Bar Rojas for a nightcap to end a perfect weekend in a very sunny Manilva.The pictures below show you the weekend at it happened and Brenda is in our chill out room on the first floor, chilling out !!
PS; Happy birthday to young Jack over in Melbourne, we tried on Skype video but missed you !
.
On Wednesday morning Brenda had an appointment at the surgery for a general check up so we decided to catch the village bus, which starts from outside, and go down to Sabinillas; the only problem was we missed the twelve o’clock one by a minute! They are on the hour every hour at this time of the year and they go down and along the coast and then return on the half hour. We then met Mano and Anna and caught up with their news as we sat outside Bar Rojas for some tapas.
Thursday was the last day for rain so in between showers we set off over to see Gissy in Estepona and at the same time get our hair done; we had a light lunch with her and caught up with all her and our news, on the way back we did all our weekend shopping.
The weather has now changed for the better and it looks like we will get a full week of sunshine as the temperature’s reach 27degs. So on Friday morning we walked around to the small fish market at the top of the main street and bought some fresh Cod steaks which we had for supper; I baked them in a rich Tomato sauce and we had Saffron new potatoes and garden peas, We then carried on down to the small Friday market, by the sports hall and picked up our fresh vegetables and also from the flower stall some plants for outside and inside the house. We dropped every thing back at the house and then went to catch the local bus at the bus stop just a few yards from our house at twelve o’clock again; this time we were early and so we waited and waited and waited! No bus arrived, we checked the time tables, asked the locals and a policeman and still no bus, it was now over forty minutes late; at the junction, where the bus stop is, all the cars entering the village pass but we had no luck in spotting anybody we knew, just when we were about to give up Mano and Anna came along in their car and they then gave us a lift down to Sabinillas where we picked up the papers and then went for a drink as we needed one after our trials and tribulations of trying to catch a bus !! We then came back up to Bar Rojas and sat outside in the very warm sun and had another drink and some fresh Patatas Fritas ! The bus saga will continue next week when we regain our energy, this all started because we parked the Smart car in our spot behind our house and decided to use the bus for a change
We got up bright and early on Saturday and after breakfast of Brenda’s poached eggs to start the day we caught up with the chores; Brenda is still on a cleaning and washing plan so I went into the kitchen and started on things for the weekend; first I made a Ratatouille with all the fresh vegetables from the market,Aubergines,Courgetts,Red,Yellow and Green Peppers, Leeks,Mushrooms,Green Beans,Onions,Tomatoes and lots of Garlic, all cooked in a rich Tomato sauce ! I then for a change made a Chicken Curry for dinner as we bought more powders and pastes from the big hypermarket over in Estepona on Thursday; We also made some individual trifles as a surprise treat for Anna, her favourite, Brenda made the strawberry jelly and custard and I started on the sponge which I soaked with a generous amount of Madeira wine, Local Strawberries, Pineapple and Peach slices on top of the sponge which was coated with Strawberry jam was then topped off with whipped double cream, a joint effort !!
On Saturday night after our Hot and tasty Chicken Curry we settled down to watch the TV; on TVE2 we watched a live music show; the artist who was new to us was Luz Casal,she is a fabulous singer and has a real together band with stings, horn section, two excellent guitarists, drums and a very clever piano/organist and backing singers, she is now in her fifties and came to fame back in the 80s.in Spain; Her music, on Wikipedia is described as soft adult rock ! She was very good and we really enjoyed the show and will buy a CD when we are next out.
After a lie in on Sunday morning we prepared Sunday dinner, Mano and Anna joined us so I roasted the other Leg of Lamb that they bought, studded it with Garlic cloves and Rosemary and we had all our usual vegetables and potatoes along with the Ratatouille; we then attacked the trifles and even Mano enjoyed them, he had a glass of Maderia wine at the start of the meal ! We then retired to Bar Rojas for a nightcap to end a perfect weekend in a very sunny Manilva.The pictures below show you the weekend at it happened and Brenda is in our chill out room on the first floor, chilling out !!
PS; Happy birthday to young Jack over in Melbourne, we tried on Skype video but missed you !
.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
MANILVA TODAY.
TUESDAY 20TH. APRIL 2010.
After the excitement of the monsoon we went out for the weekend shopping on Friday morning down to Sabinillas in-between more light showers; we picked up in the fish market a couple of Soles which I baked in the oven, we had them for supper with minted new potatoes and garden peas. We then settled down to watch some of our regular Spanish TV programmes; on a Friday there is a young children’s show for new talent and the presenter is very good with them, he was sat in a wheel chair and we thought that he had broken a leg or something, in fact he had a stroke earlier in the year but is carrying on with the show!
On Saturday we pottered about the house and in the afternoon we watched the live match which was Manchester City v Manchester United – jammy Utd. scored in the third minute of extra time! In the evening we had our usual steak and frits for dinner with all the trimmings.
This Sunday Mano and Anna once again joined us for our Sunday roast, this time it was Chicken with Lemon stuffing and Brenda’s usual selection of vegetables along with crispy roast potatoes cooked in Duck fat. Later we went up to Bar Rojas for some Carajillo’s to round off the night; the only problem was that Brenda kept me up half the night talking!
We went for a long walk on Monday as the weather had picked up and the sun was out, in fact by the time we bumped into Mano and Anna with a couple of other friends down in Morena’s bar it was 23 degs, in the shade ! Morena made fresh Patatas Fritas with some Tapas as we sat outside and once again watched the world go by.
This morning we have been out in the village to do some shopping in the small general shops for our fresh vegetables and at the same time I took the chance to take some more pictures around the village; the urbanization is below the village and over looks the mountains in the other picture below, the church and the fountain are at their best on a clear blue sky day, the sports hall, football pitch and paddle tennis courts were quiet as were the children’s play area and the only pensioner on the exercise machines was Brenda ! I don’t fit the category just yet !!
After the excitement of the monsoon we went out for the weekend shopping on Friday morning down to Sabinillas in-between more light showers; we picked up in the fish market a couple of Soles which I baked in the oven, we had them for supper with minted new potatoes and garden peas. We then settled down to watch some of our regular Spanish TV programmes; on a Friday there is a young children’s show for new talent and the presenter is very good with them, he was sat in a wheel chair and we thought that he had broken a leg or something, in fact he had a stroke earlier in the year but is carrying on with the show!
On Saturday we pottered about the house and in the afternoon we watched the live match which was Manchester City v Manchester United – jammy Utd. scored in the third minute of extra time! In the evening we had our usual steak and frits for dinner with all the trimmings.
This Sunday Mano and Anna once again joined us for our Sunday roast, this time it was Chicken with Lemon stuffing and Brenda’s usual selection of vegetables along with crispy roast potatoes cooked in Duck fat. Later we went up to Bar Rojas for some Carajillo’s to round off the night; the only problem was that Brenda kept me up half the night talking!
We went for a long walk on Monday as the weather had picked up and the sun was out, in fact by the time we bumped into Mano and Anna with a couple of other friends down in Morena’s bar it was 23 degs, in the shade ! Morena made fresh Patatas Fritas with some Tapas as we sat outside and once again watched the world go by.
This morning we have been out in the village to do some shopping in the small general shops for our fresh vegetables and at the same time I took the chance to take some more pictures around the village; the urbanization is below the village and over looks the mountains in the other picture below, the church and the fountain are at their best on a clear blue sky day, the sports hall, football pitch and paddle tennis courts were quiet as were the children’s play area and the only pensioner on the exercise machines was Brenda ! I don’t fit the category just yet !!
Friday, April 16, 2010
MANILVA WEATHER FLASH.
FRIDAY 16TH. APRIL 2010.
This morning we have been out and about in Estepona and Sabinillas after the storms of the last two days; on Wednesday evening, as forecast, the rain started at about 11-00pm and did not stop until 11-ooam on Thursday. When I say rain in fact it was a Monsoon, it was the most severe and heavy rain that anybody has ever seen here in Manilva, the locals can’t remember any thing like it in their lifetime! We have not had any problems at our house and in the street but in other parts of the village and down in Sabinillas it has been horrific; at Mano and Anna’s house and complex, on the side of the hill above the vine fields, their problem this time was a mud slide that blocked the drains when a retaining bank gave way! They were out all yesterday shoveling away the mud and Mano went and got a friend who has a JCB to help dig out a car and clean away the debris. Some of the house’s still ended up with mud inside and at the same time the electricity was cut off! It then starts to wash away all the earth banks by the side of the road and soon goes down the hill into Sabinillas which then became flooded again like the time a few weeks ago when we got caught on the Smart car; only this time it was much worse and people had to be rescued from their cars, the river in the valley overflowed and washed away the road. All the main drains stopped working and in Puerto Duquesa all the businesses were flooded, the same also happened in Estepona and further along the coast.
So last night on Spanish TV the main news on all the eight terrestrial channels was good old little Manilva !! The emergency services were called out to help rescue people from their cars and homes and pump out the water; one of the main problems here is the underground car parks, which all the buildings have, they are the first to be hit and it causes the most damage to the cars.
So all in all it brought a little excitement into our life down here in sunny Manilva !
This morning we have been out and about in Estepona and Sabinillas after the storms of the last two days; on Wednesday evening, as forecast, the rain started at about 11-00pm and did not stop until 11-ooam on Thursday. When I say rain in fact it was a Monsoon, it was the most severe and heavy rain that anybody has ever seen here in Manilva, the locals can’t remember any thing like it in their lifetime! We have not had any problems at our house and in the street but in other parts of the village and down in Sabinillas it has been horrific; at Mano and Anna’s house and complex, on the side of the hill above the vine fields, their problem this time was a mud slide that blocked the drains when a retaining bank gave way! They were out all yesterday shoveling away the mud and Mano went and got a friend who has a JCB to help dig out a car and clean away the debris. Some of the house’s still ended up with mud inside and at the same time the electricity was cut off! It then starts to wash away all the earth banks by the side of the road and soon goes down the hill into Sabinillas which then became flooded again like the time a few weeks ago when we got caught on the Smart car; only this time it was much worse and people had to be rescued from their cars, the river in the valley overflowed and washed away the road. All the main drains stopped working and in Puerto Duquesa all the businesses were flooded, the same also happened in Estepona and further along the coast.
So last night on Spanish TV the main news on all the eight terrestrial channels was good old little Manilva !! The emergency services were called out to help rescue people from their cars and homes and pump out the water; one of the main problems here is the underground car parks, which all the buildings have, they are the first to be hit and it causes the most damage to the cars.
So all in all it brought a little excitement into our life down here in sunny Manilva !
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
MANILVA TODAY FRIEND'S RE UNITED.
TUESDAY 13TH. APRIL 2010.
Today as you can see in the pictures below it is rather cloudy and overcast but it is still warm,20degs. First thing this morning we walked around to the surgery as Brenda had an appointment to get her Anti-Tetanus booster jab, on the way back we bumped into Lume, the wife of the owner of Bar Rojas, they have been closed for the last three days as Manola’s father had died down in Estepona.Brenda then went on an extreme cleaning spree, mopping all the Marble floors, cleaning all the tiles in both kitchens, washing and polishing all the cupboards and then taking down and washing the net curtains in the lounge, I was tired out just watching her but I did hold the small ladder when she was putting the curtains back up !
We then went for a walk down through the village as we needed some English tea bags; on the way I took the pictures below to remind you about the village. Whilst we were out we bumped into lots of people,Andy,who lost his wife a few weeks ago was coming out of the post office, the owner of the bar that Mano use’s a lot shouted to me as he had kept some Semana Santa posters for me, the Mayor was just leaving the new council chambers on the left of the police station so we talked about the fast progress on the new Wine Center, next we passed Carlos’s house and the door was open, he and his wife Anna Mari were painting so we stopped to say hello, a friend of his, Brian was there also and as we talked it came up about our Spanish mobile going Russian; the other day we tried to get it fixed down in the office in Estepona,with no luck, so we had to buy a new one, it only cost three euros as they gave us twelve euros credit on the old one ! Anyway he went on the Internet and immediately managed to fix it, so now for the time being I have two Spanish mobiles ! On the way back Mano was in the Bar for a meeting so we caught up with him, we found the tea bags in the smallest shop,Toto;s who gets them in for Anna and finally as we got back to the house Anna called in for a cup of tea, which luckily we had !!
It just goe’s to show you what a small world it is in Manilva !!
Today as you can see in the pictures below it is rather cloudy and overcast but it is still warm,20degs. First thing this morning we walked around to the surgery as Brenda had an appointment to get her Anti-Tetanus booster jab, on the way back we bumped into Lume, the wife of the owner of Bar Rojas, they have been closed for the last three days as Manola’s father had died down in Estepona.Brenda then went on an extreme cleaning spree, mopping all the Marble floors, cleaning all the tiles in both kitchens, washing and polishing all the cupboards and then taking down and washing the net curtains in the lounge, I was tired out just watching her but I did hold the small ladder when she was putting the curtains back up !
We then went for a walk down through the village as we needed some English tea bags; on the way I took the pictures below to remind you about the village. Whilst we were out we bumped into lots of people,Andy,who lost his wife a few weeks ago was coming out of the post office, the owner of the bar that Mano use’s a lot shouted to me as he had kept some Semana Santa posters for me, the Mayor was just leaving the new council chambers on the left of the police station so we talked about the fast progress on the new Wine Center, next we passed Carlos’s house and the door was open, he and his wife Anna Mari were painting so we stopped to say hello, a friend of his, Brian was there also and as we talked it came up about our Spanish mobile going Russian; the other day we tried to get it fixed down in the office in Estepona,with no luck, so we had to buy a new one, it only cost three euros as they gave us twelve euros credit on the old one ! Anyway he went on the Internet and immediately managed to fix it, so now for the time being I have two Spanish mobiles ! On the way back Mano was in the Bar for a meeting so we caught up with him, we found the tea bags in the smallest shop,Toto;s who gets them in for Anna and finally as we got back to the house Anna called in for a cup of tea, which luckily we had !!
It just goe’s to show you what a small world it is in Manilva !!
Monday, April 12, 2010
ONE HELLUVA WEEKEND IN MANILVA.
MONDAY 12TH APRIL 2010.
On Friday morning we went down to the supermarket for the weekend shopping and at the same time picked up the two Legs of Lamb from the English butchers; the weather at the moment is OK but with a little wind it can get a bit crisp in the evening, the village is back to it’s normal tranquil self as we settle back into life in Manilva. In the evening we had for supper Baked Soles which we picked up at the fish market in the village earlier in the week with some local new potatoes and garden peas.
As we got up on Saturday morning we decided to go for a walk around the village to see what had been going on; the work on the new Wine Center is coming along, at the moment the electricians are finishing off; a couple of new little shops have opened, small general stores which open all hours, the work on the church which seems to go on for ever, but you can’t see any difference and at the top of the main street they have knocked down some old buildings and widened the corner, which was very dangerous, and at the same time they are putting in a small water feature. We ended up down at the sports hall and watched the under 12s girls basketball, they are very committed and play on the full size court, sorry to say that Manilva got beat! We then strolled across to the football ground and watched the seven a side football, two matches take place at the same time, across the main pitch, they are local teams from the bars and business’s in the area and the football is very exciting as it is played from end to end, Afterwards we then walked down to Mano and Ann’s house at the other end of the village, past the house’s that collapsed after the storms, we caught up with all the village gossip and made arrangements for our Sunday lunch; Anna calls in all the time to our house so we exchange books and so on.
When we got back we could not watch the Grand National, as we don’t have English TV, so I followed it on BBC news on the laptop, it was a great result, I had been telling Anna that it would be very special if Tony McCoy did win, he has been the champion jockey for the past 14 years and has ridden in the race 15 times, so it was very emotional when he finally won on Don’t Push It! The trainer Jonjo O’Neill,my hero when he was riding, took part in the race seven times and never finished and the owner J.P. McManus who’s horse’s in the past had won everything, like Tony McCoy, won for the first time, a treble !!
Later in the evening after dinner, steak and chips with all the trimmings, we then watched the live football which was the biggest match of the year in Spain,Real Madrid v Barcelona, it does not start until 10-00pm local time and the stadium holds 80,000 thousand people, at the start of the match they were joint top of the league, the coverage is on all the channels and the atmosphere is electric in Madrid; Barcelona won 2 nil and Messi scored,it means they they go three points clear at the top,
After a lie in on Sunday morning we prepared the Sunday lunch, in fact dinner, as Mano and Anna, who had bought the Lamb, joined us at 7-00pm,as arranged, we have put one Leg of Lamb away for another time, The Lamb was studded with Garlic cloves and Rosemary, Brenda as usual had prepared Cauliflower and Broccoli Mornay,Braised Leeks with Mushrooms, Cabbage and Spanish Spring greens and Baby Carrots with Garden Pears, meanwhile I made Boulangere Potatoes and Herb Roasted New Potatoes and a rich finger coating Rosemary pan gravy ! Mano brought a fine Rioja ,which was enjoyed by all and we all had a relaxing sit down afterwards as we put the world to rights, great company, great friends and a great time was had by all, another treble !!
On Friday morning we went down to the supermarket for the weekend shopping and at the same time picked up the two Legs of Lamb from the English butchers; the weather at the moment is OK but with a little wind it can get a bit crisp in the evening, the village is back to it’s normal tranquil self as we settle back into life in Manilva. In the evening we had for supper Baked Soles which we picked up at the fish market in the village earlier in the week with some local new potatoes and garden peas.
As we got up on Saturday morning we decided to go for a walk around the village to see what had been going on; the work on the new Wine Center is coming along, at the moment the electricians are finishing off; a couple of new little shops have opened, small general stores which open all hours, the work on the church which seems to go on for ever, but you can’t see any difference and at the top of the main street they have knocked down some old buildings and widened the corner, which was very dangerous, and at the same time they are putting in a small water feature. We ended up down at the sports hall and watched the under 12s girls basketball, they are very committed and play on the full size court, sorry to say that Manilva got beat! We then strolled across to the football ground and watched the seven a side football, two matches take place at the same time, across the main pitch, they are local teams from the bars and business’s in the area and the football is very exciting as it is played from end to end, Afterwards we then walked down to Mano and Ann’s house at the other end of the village, past the house’s that collapsed after the storms, we caught up with all the village gossip and made arrangements for our Sunday lunch; Anna calls in all the time to our house so we exchange books and so on.
When we got back we could not watch the Grand National, as we don’t have English TV, so I followed it on BBC news on the laptop, it was a great result, I had been telling Anna that it would be very special if Tony McCoy did win, he has been the champion jockey for the past 14 years and has ridden in the race 15 times, so it was very emotional when he finally won on Don’t Push It! The trainer Jonjo O’Neill,my hero when he was riding, took part in the race seven times and never finished and the owner J.P. McManus who’s horse’s in the past had won everything, like Tony McCoy, won for the first time, a treble !!
Later in the evening after dinner, steak and chips with all the trimmings, we then watched the live football which was the biggest match of the year in Spain,Real Madrid v Barcelona, it does not start until 10-00pm local time and the stadium holds 80,000 thousand people, at the start of the match they were joint top of the league, the coverage is on all the channels and the atmosphere is electric in Madrid; Barcelona won 2 nil and Messi scored,it means they they go three points clear at the top,
After a lie in on Sunday morning we prepared the Sunday lunch, in fact dinner, as Mano and Anna, who had bought the Lamb, joined us at 7-00pm,as arranged, we have put one Leg of Lamb away for another time, The Lamb was studded with Garlic cloves and Rosemary, Brenda as usual had prepared Cauliflower and Broccoli Mornay,Braised Leeks with Mushrooms, Cabbage and Spanish Spring greens and Baby Carrots with Garden Pears, meanwhile I made Boulangere Potatoes and Herb Roasted New Potatoes and a rich finger coating Rosemary pan gravy ! Mano brought a fine Rioja ,which was enjoyed by all and we all had a relaxing sit down afterwards as we put the world to rights, great company, great friends and a great time was had by all, another treble !!
Thursday, April 08, 2010
DAILY LIFE IN MANILVA.
THURSDAY 8TH APRIL 2010.
I have just finished making a Chicken curry for dinner tonight, it’s on the stove simmering away so I have come upstairs to the office to catch up,on Tuesday we had an at home day and sorted and packed everything away, the weather was rather overcast and cloudy so it was a good day to settle back into our home. In the evening we had Pork escalopes in a lemon butter sauce and Layonaise potatoes for supper before settling down to read, over the last couple of day I have been reading James Patterson, which I’m into, as we had no TV; the Spanish system at the start of the year was upgraded, digital/analogue and we needed a small conversion box to get thing working again.
On Wednesday morning Mano and Anna called in so Mano helped me install the box and now we have our picture clearer than ever and some more channels; Mano then came up in the office and we tried to install the page for our electricity company, we have come back to a rather large estimated bill and so we want to go online and put our readings in every month,Mano had had the same problem and also our neighbours as well, it happens at this time of the year but we could not get the page to accept our details, so it’s going to be plan B,try again later ! We then went up to Bar Rojas for a lunchtime drink as it was a beautiful day, the hottest so far, so we sat outside and took in the tranquility of the village and watch the world go by, as we sit in Calle Mar which is one way, we see all the cars go past and also the locals going about their daily business, the Mayor calls in for a coffee, the Chief of Police stops and says hello, locals stop and chat and gossip! Later we had a plate of Patatas Fritas with Mayonaises before we went back to our house and went up on the roof terrace for our early evening cocktail as we took in the evening sunshine;
This morning at lunchtime we walked around to the clinic as Brenda had an appointment, it turned out to be the last one as it has cleared up and does not need dressing any more just a little antiseptic wash each day, which is good news. Brenda is up on the terrace and I am just going to join her for our first drink of the day, the house smells like a Curry house, as you walk through the village at different times of the day you can smell what’s on the stove and tell what they are cooking, our next door neighbour this week has passed through our back kitchen windows from her back yard lots of fresh fruit and vegetables from their garden outside the village, spring greens, Broad Beans in the pod, Brenda’s favorite and this morning very large Lemons ! I don’t know what they think about the smells from our house.
I have just finished making a Chicken curry for dinner tonight, it’s on the stove simmering away so I have come upstairs to the office to catch up,on Tuesday we had an at home day and sorted and packed everything away, the weather was rather overcast and cloudy so it was a good day to settle back into our home. In the evening we had Pork escalopes in a lemon butter sauce and Layonaise potatoes for supper before settling down to read, over the last couple of day I have been reading James Patterson, which I’m into, as we had no TV; the Spanish system at the start of the year was upgraded, digital/analogue and we needed a small conversion box to get thing working again.
On Wednesday morning Mano and Anna called in so Mano helped me install the box and now we have our picture clearer than ever and some more channels; Mano then came up in the office and we tried to install the page for our electricity company, we have come back to a rather large estimated bill and so we want to go online and put our readings in every month,Mano had had the same problem and also our neighbours as well, it happens at this time of the year but we could not get the page to accept our details, so it’s going to be plan B,try again later ! We then went up to Bar Rojas for a lunchtime drink as it was a beautiful day, the hottest so far, so we sat outside and took in the tranquility of the village and watch the world go by, as we sit in Calle Mar which is one way, we see all the cars go past and also the locals going about their daily business, the Mayor calls in for a coffee, the Chief of Police stops and says hello, locals stop and chat and gossip! Later we had a plate of Patatas Fritas with Mayonaises before we went back to our house and went up on the roof terrace for our early evening cocktail as we took in the evening sunshine;
This morning at lunchtime we walked around to the clinic as Brenda had an appointment, it turned out to be the last one as it has cleared up and does not need dressing any more just a little antiseptic wash each day, which is good news. Brenda is up on the terrace and I am just going to join her for our first drink of the day, the house smells like a Curry house, as you walk through the village at different times of the day you can smell what’s on the stove and tell what they are cooking, our next door neighbour this week has passed through our back kitchen windows from her back yard lots of fresh fruit and vegetables from their garden outside the village, spring greens, Broad Beans in the pod, Brenda’s favorite and this morning very large Lemons ! I don’t know what they think about the smells from our house.
Monday, April 05, 2010
MANILVA SEMANA SANTA.
MONDAY 5th. APRIL 2010.
We arrived home on Saturday afternoon at about 4-00pm as we stopped at the supermarket to pick up some essentials; the weather was gorgeous, it was the best day by far with blue skies and the temperature was 25degs. We unpacked the Smart car outside our front door and started to air the house as we pulled up all the shutters and opened all the windows; as we were just getting clear Mano and Anna called in to welcome us back to Manilva,a few drinks later and we were feeling no pain ! They went off as Mano had to get to bed as he is working as the night manager at the Manilva Green Aparthotel so after a little more sorting out we went up our street to Bar Rojas for some supper; they welcomed us with open arms as did all our neighbours next to us in our street. We sat outside and took in the peace and tranquility of the village as we watched the world go by, for supper Brenda had a Frito Pescado cooked in a very light batter and I had Eggs Frito and Patatas Fritas,the eggs were still in the Chicken in the morning and the potatoes were still in the ground ! They always serve on the side of the plate roasted Garlic cloves which Brenda ate with glee; we had moved inside as the match on the TV was Barcelona v Atl-Madrid,it got very noisy as Barcelona murdered Madrid ! We went to bed and slept the sleep of the content!
As we woke on Sunday morning the sun was out and the blue skies did not have a cloud in the sky; our first job was to get Brenda’s wound seen to so we walked around to the surgery and we struck lucky; there was a duty Doctor and a Paramedic and they checked out Brenda and redressed her wound, which is looking a lot better, we then made the arrangements to see the nurse during the week and have the Anti-Tetanus booster jab. The village was already busy as all the locals .dressed in their finest made their way down to the church; we had a coffee in the main street and then went to the church which was full to capacity and also all the crowds had gathered outside to see the procession. It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies and the temperature rose to 25degs.again,the air was filled with incense from alter boys as the came out onto the steps and the crowds all applauded as the Tableau of the Virgen del Rosario was brought out to start the procession; in the pictures below you cam see the main street and the town hall earlier in the morning, then the Tableau leaving the church, the Mayor is saying hello to us and in the next picture the town council and the Padre are leading the walk behind the village Brass Band which leads the procession in a slow march, meanwhile we made our way back to Bar Rojas were they were finishing the Paella,Lume the owners wife is on the left, we got a prime seat outside and Anna came and joined us as the Tableau reached the town hall on its first pass, and the next picture shows the band leader after they turned around at the bottom of the village leading them back along Calle Mar towards the top of our street, in the final picture Juan our friend is in the sunglasses next to last on the left as he carries the tableau along with about 40 other lodge members. The afternoon then gets going as all the bars fill up with all the families and as we sat outside lots of the locals came up to us and welcomed us back as we sat enjoying the Paella,we then walked down to the house and Brenda went up on the roof terrace and I had a little siesta !
In the evening I made some savory mince for a Cottage pie for today, which Brenda has just finished with her famous mash and for supper we had flattened Breast of Chicken cooked in a foaming Curry butter sauce with baked potatoes.
Today we have been catching up with all the chore around the house ( Brenda ) and I have been in the office sorting out the e-mails and Face book messages, then bringing the blog up to date, as you can see ! the only problem being that we have been having power cuts all day and I was very lucky to manage to save the work as I went along; this morning we had a Skype SMS message from Kuala Lumpur,from Jeff and Annette to say that they are coming to see us at the end of June for a very quick visit ( Two Days ) so we called them back on the Skype video and had a long chat with Annette, Jeff was away on business in Hong Kong and South Korea,she brought us up to date with all their news including that their daughter Kate, who is 21 this year, is in Canada and they are visiting her at the same time when they come over to England. Tomorrow we have a little running around to do for light bulbs and things including getting my Spanish mobile back into English as it at the moment in Russian !!
We arrived home on Saturday afternoon at about 4-00pm as we stopped at the supermarket to pick up some essentials; the weather was gorgeous, it was the best day by far with blue skies and the temperature was 25degs. We unpacked the Smart car outside our front door and started to air the house as we pulled up all the shutters and opened all the windows; as we were just getting clear Mano and Anna called in to welcome us back to Manilva,a few drinks later and we were feeling no pain ! They went off as Mano had to get to bed as he is working as the night manager at the Manilva Green Aparthotel so after a little more sorting out we went up our street to Bar Rojas for some supper; they welcomed us with open arms as did all our neighbours next to us in our street. We sat outside and took in the peace and tranquility of the village as we watched the world go by, for supper Brenda had a Frito Pescado cooked in a very light batter and I had Eggs Frito and Patatas Fritas,the eggs were still in the Chicken in the morning and the potatoes were still in the ground ! They always serve on the side of the plate roasted Garlic cloves which Brenda ate with glee; we had moved inside as the match on the TV was Barcelona v Atl-Madrid,it got very noisy as Barcelona murdered Madrid ! We went to bed and slept the sleep of the content!
As we woke on Sunday morning the sun was out and the blue skies did not have a cloud in the sky; our first job was to get Brenda’s wound seen to so we walked around to the surgery and we struck lucky; there was a duty Doctor and a Paramedic and they checked out Brenda and redressed her wound, which is looking a lot better, we then made the arrangements to see the nurse during the week and have the Anti-Tetanus booster jab. The village was already busy as all the locals .dressed in their finest made their way down to the church; we had a coffee in the main street and then went to the church which was full to capacity and also all the crowds had gathered outside to see the procession. It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies and the temperature rose to 25degs.again,the air was filled with incense from alter boys as the came out onto the steps and the crowds all applauded as the Tableau of the Virgen del Rosario was brought out to start the procession; in the pictures below you cam see the main street and the town hall earlier in the morning, then the Tableau leaving the church, the Mayor is saying hello to us and in the next picture the town council and the Padre are leading the walk behind the village Brass Band which leads the procession in a slow march, meanwhile we made our way back to Bar Rojas were they were finishing the Paella,Lume the owners wife is on the left, we got a prime seat outside and Anna came and joined us as the Tableau reached the town hall on its first pass, and the next picture shows the band leader after they turned around at the bottom of the village leading them back along Calle Mar towards the top of our street, in the final picture Juan our friend is in the sunglasses next to last on the left as he carries the tableau along with about 40 other lodge members. The afternoon then gets going as all the bars fill up with all the families and as we sat outside lots of the locals came up to us and welcomed us back as we sat enjoying the Paella,we then walked down to the house and Brenda went up on the roof terrace and I had a little siesta !
In the evening I made some savory mince for a Cottage pie for today, which Brenda has just finished with her famous mash and for supper we had flattened Breast of Chicken cooked in a foaming Curry butter sauce with baked potatoes.
Today we have been catching up with all the chore around the house ( Brenda ) and I have been in the office sorting out the e-mails and Face book messages, then bringing the blog up to date, as you can see ! the only problem being that we have been having power cuts all day and I was very lucky to manage to save the work as I went along; this morning we had a Skype SMS message from Kuala Lumpur,from Jeff and Annette to say that they are coming to see us at the end of June for a very quick visit ( Two Days ) so we called them back on the Skype video and had a long chat with Annette, Jeff was away on business in Hong Kong and South Korea,she brought us up to date with all their news including that their daughter Kate, who is 21 this year, is in Canada and they are visiting her at the same time when they come over to England. Tomorrow we have a little running around to do for light bulbs and things including getting my Spanish mobile back into English as it at the moment in Russian !!
Saturday, April 03, 2010
Friday, April 02, 2010
NEWS UPDATE; THE SAGA CONTINUES.
FRIDAY 2nd APRIL 2010.
Well we are still here in Sunny Tarifa and it is looking like the saga is going to go on for a while longer; this morning we went to the clinic in Tarifa and one of the doctors that has been looking after Brenda took us straight in to check the wound, yesterday we signed out from the clinic as we thought that we would be back in Manilva !
Chris phoned at about noon and said that he had broken down again, this time in Bordeaux,he had got the car repaired and was heading for North West Spain and then across through Madrid to the Costa del Sol; This time it was terminal with his car and he was having to leave it at the garage, he is taking a flight from Bordeaux to either Malaga,which would be the best as Mano has said that he will go and pick him at the airport, or back to London and then catch the next available flight to Gibraltar!!
Needless to say we have cancelled Easter at home in Manilva,this morning I rang the English butchers and he has re-hung our two Legs of Lamb for another time ! We are very low on food and drink as the shops have been shut for the last two days and we did not expect to be still here; for today the ration is one Egg each !
Meanwhile Joan who is not very well at the best of times doesn’t know whether she is on this earth or fuller’s !! I must say that it has got us shaking a bit as we are very concerned as we are struggling to keep on top of things; the three main bills of Water, Electricity and the Phones are all due in the next week or so and there is still no sign of any money transfers coming through.
As I have said many times before – WATCH THIS SPACE !!
Thought for Today;
We are P- - - - d O - - !
.
Well we are still here in Sunny Tarifa and it is looking like the saga is going to go on for a while longer; this morning we went to the clinic in Tarifa and one of the doctors that has been looking after Brenda took us straight in to check the wound, yesterday we signed out from the clinic as we thought that we would be back in Manilva !
Chris phoned at about noon and said that he had broken down again, this time in Bordeaux,he had got the car repaired and was heading for North West Spain and then across through Madrid to the Costa del Sol; This time it was terminal with his car and he was having to leave it at the garage, he is taking a flight from Bordeaux to either Malaga,which would be the best as Mano has said that he will go and pick him at the airport, or back to London and then catch the next available flight to Gibraltar!!
Needless to say we have cancelled Easter at home in Manilva,this morning I rang the English butchers and he has re-hung our two Legs of Lamb for another time ! We are very low on food and drink as the shops have been shut for the last two days and we did not expect to be still here; for today the ration is one Egg each !
Meanwhile Joan who is not very well at the best of times doesn’t know whether she is on this earth or fuller’s !! I must say that it has got us shaking a bit as we are very concerned as we are struggling to keep on top of things; the three main bills of Water, Electricity and the Phones are all due in the next week or so and there is still no sign of any money transfers coming through.
As I have said many times before – WATCH THIS SPACE !!
Thought for Today;
We are P- - - - d O - - !
.
Thursday, April 01, 2010
NEWSFLASH ( APRIL FOOL'S DAY ) 1ST APRIL 2010.
THURSDAY 1ST APRIL 2010.
Yes it’s April Fools Day and yes we have been caught!! This morning after coming back from the clinic and signing off we packed the Smart car and were ready to leave when Chris arrived later in the day.
The phone went just before noon and it was Chris ringing to say that he had broken down in Northern France and was waiting to hear what the problem was and how long it would take to repair!
Later in the afternoon he rang back to say that they were bringing a new manifold from another town and he hoped to be back on the road by the late afternoon; he is 15/16 hours of non-stop driving away from us here in Tarifa !
We have unpacked the Smart car and Brenda is at the moment remaking the bed for tonight; we have not got a lot of food in the villa and the shops are closed today for the Semana Santa weekend ! It’s going to be Egg and chips for dinner tonight !
So we hope to see him some time tomorrow morning !!!
PS; No joy I"am afraid, the car is still not fixed and the garage has closed until Friday morning so we are going to cancel our Easter Sunday lunch !
Thought for Today;
If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
.
Yes it’s April Fools Day and yes we have been caught!! This morning after coming back from the clinic and signing off we packed the Smart car and were ready to leave when Chris arrived later in the day.
The phone went just before noon and it was Chris ringing to say that he had broken down in Northern France and was waiting to hear what the problem was and how long it would take to repair!
Later in the afternoon he rang back to say that they were bringing a new manifold from another town and he hoped to be back on the road by the late afternoon; he is 15/16 hours of non-stop driving away from us here in Tarifa !
We have unpacked the Smart car and Brenda is at the moment remaking the bed for tonight; we have not got a lot of food in the villa and the shops are closed today for the Semana Santa weekend ! It’s going to be Egg and chips for dinner tonight !
So we hope to see him some time tomorrow morning !!!
PS; No joy I"am afraid, the car is still not fixed and the garage has closed until Friday morning so we are going to cancel our Easter Sunday lunch !
Thought for Today;
If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
.
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