GUADALMINA LA CASA DEL ABUELO.NEWSFLASH.

WEDNESDAY 29TH JUNE 2011.

Just a quick note to say that we are now here but will not be able to blog at the moment!


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MANILVA START OF THE WEEK.

MONDAY/TUESDAY 27^th/28^th JUNE 2011.

The weather forecast for this week is sun, sun, sun and more SUN! In parts of Spain during the day it reached 43degs.! We took things easy and just pottered about on Monday and caught up with the jobs around the house; Brenda then had some quality time on the roof terrace and I caught up with the blog-page and Facebook as well as the e-mails. Carolyn phoned to arrange for us to go over on Wednesday morning, early, for six days; we will be back next Tuesday evening late. This means that we will probably not be on line as the connection at the moment over in Guadalmina is not good; we will just have to swim and eat and watch Wimbledon ! For dinner we had Flattened Chicken Breast in a Balsamic Vinegar glaze with a version of Patatas Bravas, made with Tomato Frito and Smoked Marinated Red Peppers ! During the day as I was on the WWW.I tried the connection that Brian set up before he went to Finland so as we could watch English TV via the BBC- IPLAYER,which is not normally available here. It was mainly for ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen ’and straight away we were watching the video of Saturdays programme,I then realized that this is why we have been able now to watch the Tennis live on the BBC news page and Glastonbury ! We are still waiting after three months for the new fast IT and phone system to be installed, when it is we will then be able to watch all the TV from the BBC live !!

This morning as we were getting freshened up Anna called and stayed for a long chat; we then walked up to Bar Rojas with her and Cheta and had a light Tapas lunch and some cold drinks as we arranged for Anna to water our flowers while we are away; Brenda has just hung out the washing and we are packed and ready for our trip over to the villa in Guadalmina-it’s a hard life but we will survive !

Thought for the Day;

Humor is a rubber sword, it allows you to make a point without drawing blood.

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MANILVA SUNDAY MORNING.

MANILVA SUNDAY MORNING.

MANILVA SUNDAY MORNING.

MANILVA THIS WEEKEND.

SATURDAY/SUNDAY 25^th/26^th JUNE 2011.

After our usual ‘ Campo ‘ Poached Eggs on Toast for breakfast we took things easy for the rest of the day as it got hotter and hotter; Cheta was in and out as she chased around the local streets and played with the young children, who are now on holiday, and the other small dogs in the area. On the TV it was the Motorcycle GP from Holland which has extensive coverage here because of all the Spanish riders, there was lots of crashes in the wet conditions and a surprises at the same time, Ben Spies from America won his first GP and a young Spaniard, Maverick Vinales led two other Spanish riders to a one, two, three in the 125cc, meanwhile in the Moto 2 race another Spaniard, Marc Marquez won!  In the evening after our Entrecote Steak and Chips for dinner we watched a film after the football, it was the Euro Under-21 Championship Final from Denmark, Spain were playing Switzerland and won when they scored two wonder goals including a left footed 40-yard free kick from Alcantara, Spain-already World Cup and European Championship winners at senior level – added another trophy to their burgeoning collection!

We had a little lie in on Sunday morning and after getting ourselves sorted we went for a walk with Cheta before it got too hot; as we strolled to the top of our street in Calle Mar we found out that we had just missed the ‘Corpus Christi ’celebration and procession, I has not seen the date in the local calendar-sorry! Anyway we walked down through the village to the church and managed to get a couple of pictures on the way of the small tableau’s that people make outside their houses and then took the pictures above of the children in their Communion costumes. Corpus Christi is celebrated all over Spain in different ways, one of the most spectacular takes place in La Orotava on Tenerife, it is famous for its flower carpet which is layed along the main street by different organizations and at the end there is a religious tapestry made with peculiar volcanic sands. In our own small way Manilva has flower petals all along the streets ! We then retired back to Bar Rojas for a cool drink under the Sonbrajo. In the afternoon I watched the Grand Prix from Valencia on the large PC, the weather at this time of the year effects the television reception, so I have the main TV channels on the PC and can watch the sport as needed;Vettel won again and Fernando Alonso was second in what was a historic race because all the drivers finished, for only the fourth time in Grand Prix history and at the same time it was the most cars to finish – 24 ! Not a lot of people know that !! Mano and Anna called in, early evening so we caught up with all the news and gossip as we had not seen them for a few days. We had a light supper and then settled down to watch the TV news.

GLASTONBURY 2011.

We have been watching this year’s festival on the PC; for the first time we have been able to watch the live performances, on Friday afternoon we caught B.B.King and his band, still rocking it out with a set of very professional musicians. The BBC TV coverage is very comprehensive on BBC2/3/4 and the Glastonbury web page has all the details, video’s etc. In the evening it was the first appearance at the festival for U2 ! They were very good, no gimmicks, no moving stages etc just four top musicians at the top of their craft ! The sound which comes from just the two guitars and drums, as well as Bono’s voice, is unbelievable. On Saturday evening it was Coldplay’s turn and they did not disappoint. Then on Sunday evening it was Beyonce on the Pyramid stage to close the festival, she was the first Lady to have this privilege, she gave the best performance of her life with her all girl band and backing singers, her dancers are also very special and the show was memorable as she belted out all her hits and some new ones, watched in the crowd by her husband, the rapper JAY-Z and her best friend Gwyneth Palltrow, “ Bootylicious ! Beyonce ”in her black hot pants and gold belted jacket with her hair blowing curly and free in the air stole the festival !! Another interesting fact is that over the main three days of the festival on eight stages over 170 band/acts played live !

Thought for the Day;

Let us be gratefull for fools, but for them, the rest of us would not succeed.

                                                                                                                                                

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MANILVA SAN JUAN 2011.

MANILVA SAN JUAN 2011.

MANILVA THIS WEEK.

WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY/FRIDAY 22^nd/23^rd/24^th JUNE 2011.

WEDNESDAY 22^ND JUNE BRENDA’S BIRTHDAY.

The weather forecast for this week is hot and sunny and next week it is getting even hotter, 40degs plus and rising! For this time of the year it is now the hottest time all over Spain in living memory; the weather is coming across from Africa and even the Northern parts of the country are in the high 30s! We came home from the villa in Guadalmina on Wednesday morning as they did not get back from Italy until 1-00am after I had picked them up from the bus station in Marbella.On the way we stopped and did some shopping to stock us up for the week; we could be back at the villa next week as the folks are going to England, we are waiting for the call ! After our morning tea and toast we got ourselves ready and walked down to Bodega Augustin for a Tapas lunch, Brenda had Fried Calamari with a Garlic dip and I had a Crab and Pepper Vinaigrette and Carne de Tomates.Now that there is no smoking in all the bars they all have outside covered area’s so you can sit and enjoy the sun with a little breeze as they have to be open on two sides! On the way back up we stopped at Bar Rojas for another one and ordered Brenda’s fish supper, Mano stopped as he was passing in the executive Lexus on his way back to the villa after getting two new tyres fitted to wish Brenda Happy Birthday.It was then siesta time, Brenda on the roof terrace and me reading a book in the chill out room as it gets into the high 30s in the afternoon, we then had our usual evening cocktails to start off the night in the right way; we walked up to Bar Rojas and sat outside in the cooler air of the evening, Brenda had the John Dory in a light batter with a salad and I had a rich meat stew with Patatas Fritas and a Huevos Fritas on the top ! More drinks followed as we sat and reminisced about all the past birthdays! Thanks once again for all the cards,e-mails and Facebook messages.

Thursday morning we had a little lie in ! We then took it easy and had a day at home pottering about,Cheta comes in and out all the time as she is playing out in the street, and it is too hot to walk her during the day.We made contact on the Skype video with Jack and Lyn in Melbourne after speaking to the two sisters in England, Lyn has not been too well since we last spoke to them but is now well on the road to recovery. In the evening we had Flattened breast of Chicken pan fried in foaming butter with crisp local Green beans and a savory rice made with green Peppers and Red Smoked Peppers, I also made a Creamy Mushroom sauce which finishes off the meal as the rice ends up like a Risotto ! We had decided not to go down to the ‘ San Juan ’ Fire Festival on the beach in Sabinillas as you can watch it on the local TV and see the fireworks from the edge of the village, that is if there is no see mist – there was ! The picture above were taken from Facebook. We then watched on the TV “ The Tudors ”It has been on for a few weeks and they show two episodes back to back, we are really in to it so we have had to brush up on our history, the new voice activated Google is very impressive, you just say what you want and it appears ! No typing!

On Friday morning we went down to Sabinillas on the bus, it was a local bank holiday and most of the shops and the supermarkets were shut but we needed to get some cash from the machine ( No commission ) and the English paper shop is open so Brenda was able to post a birthday card with the Royal Mail express post and pick up the papers, we also needed a new wall clock for the kitchen and luckily the Chinese Hypermarket was open ! We then had breakfast in the square with mugs of tea and Bacon and Sausage butties ! Before we caught the bus back up to the village. As we got back into the house I noticed that we had lost a small white plastic bag which had the card in it but also some important medical documents and bills which we were going to pay -  Panic and lots of shouting followed ! Brenda then got on the phone to the book shop and café but with no luck, we did not have the Chinese number and we don’t speak any Mandarin !! The lady in the bookshop was very helpful and got one of her customers to pop along to the Hypermarket, he found the bag and she rung us back !! We then caught the next bus back down and collected the package with grateful thanks, we then ran across the road and caught the return bus back up to the village – we had earned our drink in Bar Rojas by then !! The classic film was “ Pearl Harbour ” it was not very good as we ended another “ Helluva ” Day in sunny Manilva.

Thought for the Day;

A tough lesson in life that one has to learn is that not everybody wishes you well.

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MANILVA THIS LUNCHTIME.

WEDNESDAY 24th/ JUNE 2011.


Today is Brenda's birthday,thanks for all the cards,we are going down to Bodega Augustin for a celebration drink and this evening we are going to have a light supper sat under the sonbrajo outside Bar Rojas taking in the sights and sounds of Manilva.!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENDA ! WE WILL HAVE A " HELLUVA " DAY.


Thought for the Day;


Be loyal to your friends.



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GUADALMINA LA CASA DEL ABUELO.

SATURDAY/SUNDAY/MONDAY/TUESDAY 18^th/19^th/ 20^th/21^st JUNE 2011.

We have just got back from the villa, this morning, after four days of relaxing and taking things easy; we watched some English TV for a change and caught up with the reading as we ate out on the terrace and had a long swim each afternoon. We are going back early next week as the folks are away again, this time in England. The internet connection was not too good so I had to catch up with the blog as we came back today!




Thought for the Day;




Be understanding to your enemies.




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GUADALMINA LA CASA DEL ABUELO.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC CONCERT.

FRIDAY 17^th JUNE 2011.

Just a quick update on the School of Music end of term Concert; Fernando, the Director, The Mayor, Antonia and the new councilor of the Culture Dept.Evangelina Peralta started the show off, the very young choir, all dressed up in their Circus costumes got things on the way; Various young performers had their moment in the spotlight as the evening went on, the guitar group featured a friends daughter on the lead guitar, the young rock band played ‘ Smoke in the Water ‘ by Deep Purple while the ‘ Bangles ‘ style girl band did a version of ‘ Walk Like An Egyptian ’ At one stage the village Choir came on and sang two local Spanish country Airs! Then different sections of the Bras Band performed various numbers before the older artists came on, Isobel has a “ Helluva ” voice and belts out her songs in English and ended up at the end of the night joining in with the full combo band as they played all the crowds favourite songs and dances ! The show started at 8-00pm and was still going on at 2-15am, the Mayor by then was dancing and singing along as the concert reached its climax, A great night on a balmy evening in Manilva with the series of summer concerts on Friday evenings to look forward to next.




Thought for the Day;


Be strong enough to face the world each day.


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SCHOOL OF MUSIC CONCERT.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC CONCERT.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC CONCERT.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC CONCERT.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC CONCERT.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC CONCERT.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC CONCERT.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC CONCERT.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC CONCERT.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC CONCERT.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC CONCERT.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC CONCERT.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC CONCERT.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC CONCERT.

MANILVA FRIDAY EVENING.

FRIDAY 17th JUNE 2011.

On Friday evening we had another great night at the School of Music end of term Concert; it was held on the terrace by the side of the school and the Manilva TV studios on a balmy warm night with a light ' Levante ' breeze blowing in,they had a bouncy castle and the bar set up at the back and seating for over a couple of hundred people.The pictures above give you a little idea of the concert which started at 8-00pm and was still going on at 2-15pm as we walked back home ! I will report on the concert after posting the pictures above.


Thought for the Day;


Be generous to those who need your help.

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GUADALMINA LA CASA DEL ABUELO.NEWSFLASH.

GUADALMINA LA CASA DEL ABUELO.NEWSFLASH.

SATURDAY 18th/ JUNE 2011.

We are now settled into the villa and have had our first swim as today it reached 38degs in the afternoon ! The main problem is that the Wi-Fi i  contact is not good at the moment and I don't know if I will be able to blog as normal; Watch this Space.

Thought for the Day;

Be weak enough to know you cannot do everything alone.


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MANILVA THIS EVENING.

MANILVA THIS EVENING.

MANILVA THIS WEEK.

TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY 14^th/15^th/15^th JUNE 2011.

On Tuesday morning after breakfast Brenda jumped on the bus down to Sabinillas to go to the Hairdresser’s ; meanwhile back in the office I managed to break my very special Yellow computer chair when I moved and lent over to check out some details on the second PC as I was typing the blog on the large PC,I’ve done this move hundreds of times but this time ended up on the floor ! One of the four legs had snapped off and it is beyond repair,it must have been the weight !! Luckily no damage or broken bones !! Brenda caught the bus back up to the village later in the morning after her Birthday hair cut and style ( Next Wednesday ) Hint, Hint !

In the afternoon we watched on the large PC the first day of the racing from Royal Ascot, the connection was very good, via the USA, so we had the full BBC coverage with all the racing and the fashions ! Brenda then retired to the roof terrace and I carried on the WWW. sat on a very uncomfortable chair ! In the evening we had Egg and Chips with cold York Ham for supper before we settled down to watch the TV.

Wednesday morning it was hot and very sunny from early on so by lunchtime it is too hot to walk the dogs for a long walk around the village so Brenda just takes Derick out to do his business! Just before lunchtime we made contact with Zoë on the Skype video over in Manchester, as it was her birthday, we had a long chat as her husband Graham has now retired from his job of a Captain on large executive yachts, so they are now planning the next stage in their lives. Over in Kuala Lumpur it was Jeff’s birthday but we could not make contact. Happy Birthday to Zoë and Jeff !! The racing from Ascot was very exciting when the odds-on-favourite ‘ So You Think ’bread in New Zealand and a champion in Australia was beaten by a short head by ‘ Rewilding ’ ridden by Frankie Dettori in the ‘Prince of Wales’s Stakes’ ! More time on the roof terrace for Brenda, even the locals are commenting on her colour,we then had our usual early evening cocktail in the chill out room and listened to loud 70s Blues music. For dinner we had English Pork Sausages, that we had picked up from the butchers in Puerto Duquesa, which I pan fried until they were crisp and brown and then finished them in the oven in a rich Onion sauce that I had made in the morning; Brenda’s Cabbage with Alcelgas and New Potatoes were just right to go with the Sausages. We then walked down to the terrace in front of School of Music were they have just put up the stage for the end of term concert on Friday evening; we had gone to see the eclipse of the Moon, on Monday and Tuesday evenings it was clear and very bright but sadly last night there was no sign of anything in the sky! We were very disappointed and came back with our tails between our legs! We then started to watch the classic film of the week ‘ 55 Days in Peking ’ with Charlton Heston.Brenda went up to our terrace to hang some washing out and screamed down for me to come up; the sky had cleared and it was a beautiful starry night, the Deep Lunar Eclipse of the Moon was clearly visible as it started on its second stage, the Red colour was caused by ash from the Chilean Volcano, by then I was able to catch the picture below with our small Sony 7-2 mega pixels camera that we take all our pictures with, not bad and if you scroll over them quickly you can see the effect ! We also had our racing binoculars out; I had polished them up earlier as we had not used them since May 5^th 1986 when we last went to Ludlow races !! The magnification of 10X-30X50 with zoom gave us a very clear view; I even tried to take a picture through with the camera through the lenses but sadly it did not work !! While we were out Carolyn rang to re-arrange the house sit, we are now going over on Saturday lunchtime and will be back on Wednesday morning in time for Brenda’s birthday celebrations, the cards have started to arrive already, thank you.

Today we are taking things easy and just pottering about the house as it is really hot; the two dogs are running around in the house but Derick will not play with Cheta,we have to feed them separately as they are both protective of their food ! On Facebook Lilli has confirmed this morning that they are planning to come over at the start of September for the Vendimia festival with her Rock N Roll dad and his best fiend who is a World Record holding Sky Diver-Honest ! We are also hoping that David and Jane are here on their honeymoon as they getting married in Birkenhead registry Office on the 26^th July ! Mano is off today and is picking Anna up from the airport this afternoon so they are collecting Derick this evening; we are going to have Omelette’s for supper and just chill out and take things easy.

Thought for the Day;

Fine friendship requires duration rather than fitful intensity.

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MANILVA YESTERDAY EVENING.

MANILVA YESTERDAY EVENING.

MANILVA YESTERDAY EVENING.

MANILVA YESTERDAY EVENING.

MANILVA YESTERDAY EVENING.

MANILVA YESTERDAY EVENING.

MANILVA YESTERDAY EVENING.

MANILVA YESTERDAY EVENING.

MANILVA YESTERDAY EVENING.

MANILVA THIS MORNING.

MONDAY 13^th JUNE 2011.

As forecast the weather is glorious with the sun out from first thing in the morning so by lunchtime it is really hot; after our Tea and Toast we sorted ourselves out for our short stay over in Guadalmina, I rang Tim in Old Colwyn as he goes away this coming weekend to London, first, to see his daughter Stacey and her family before he goes to his friends in Tampere in Finland for the Summer Solstice celebrations; he has managed to get a direct flight from Stansted and while he is there he is going to meet Brian and Lilli over on the coast in Pori, I’ve put them in contact and they are looking forward to meeting Tim for the first time ! Brenda retired to the roof terrace but keeps in the shade of the sun umbrella ( Moet Chandon ) as it is now so hot, at night it is not dropping below 24degs. so we now have the fans out ready to use downstairs in the lounge, in my office and in the Master bedroom as required. In the evening Mano called in to pick Derick up and caught up with the news from Tenerife, the show was a great success and Jordan got a standing ovation ! Well done Jordan ! We then had a cold Pork supper and just as we finished Carolyn phoned to say that she was very sorry but she would have to postpone the house sit for a few days as they had an emergency business problem, it means also that we might be able to go to the music concert on Friday; we phoned Mano and he brought Derick back so we now have him until Thursday when Anna gets back. Later we went for a walk in the cool of the evening with the two dogs and bumped into Mano again down in Bodega Augustine ; on Tuesday morning he is taking the owners family back to Sanlucer de Barrameda, in the executive ‘ Lexus ’They live there and so they are going for lunch at the most expensive and exclusive seafood restaurant down on the river front and Mano is joining them ! Of course Mano knows his way around the town as he was born there along with his twelve brothers and sisters !! The picture below was taken after Brenda had come back from the hairdressers, this morning, in Sabinillas,she went on the bus and managed to catch another one back up.

Thought for the Day;

Don’t do what you want, Do what you don’ want. Do what you are trained not to want. Do the things that scare you the most !

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MANILVA THIS MORNING.

MANILVA THIS WEEKEND.

SATURDAY/SUNDAY 11^th/12^th JUNE 2011.

As we got up on Saturday morning the sun was out and the forecast for the weekend was hot, by Tuesday it will be 37degs, at the moment as I am typing this it is 35degs and rising! After our Poached Eggs for breakfast we freshened ourselves up; we are now in our summer mode and you have to shower at the coolest time of day. As I was checking out the WWW. I clicked onto the BBC News page and that is how I got the Trooping the Colour pictures below.Mano and Anna dropped Derick off on the way to the airport so as we went for our walk we had the two dogs with us; we went down to the New Town Hall Council Chambers next to the Police and Fire stations as it was the day for the investiture of the new Mayor, the street was packed and you could not get into the chamber but I managed to talk my way in and got the pictures and report below ! We then came back up to Bar Rojas for a cooling drink and some Tapas, Fresh Grilled Sardines with warm bread, our first this year. In the evening after our Steak and Chips we settled down to watch the late classic film, Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

On Sunday morning we got the roast ready for dinner later in the evening as Mano was joining us after he had dropped off the latest customers from the villa back to the airport; Roast Loin of Pork with Glazed Apple Slices,Savoury Stuffing and Thick Gravy along with Brenda’s selection of vegetables and potatoes. We started to watch the Grand Prix from Canada late in the afternoon and were still watching it late into the evening due to all the stoppages and at one time it was halted for over two hours due to a heavy cloudburst! Little did we know what was to follow; Jenson Button took a stunning victory in the most dramatic, rain-affected Grand Prix when he passed Sebastian Vettel on the last lap of an absorbing race! But this was only part of the story in the incident packed race which saw the safety car used five times, Button made five pit stops as well as an enforced visit to the pits for a drive – through penalty for speeding under the safety car! It also included two incidents, one with his team mate Hamilton and then with Alonso, both of which crashed out!! At one stage he was last and in the over the next twenty laps he overtook everybody, all still in the rain and when the track was drying out. It was one of the races of his life and the best grand Prix of a spectacular career; He out drove, out thinked, attacked, changed his tyres at the right moment and left the other drivers in his spray!!! It will go down in memory as one of the greatest Grand Prix’s ever.

I have just posted the picture below of Jeff and Annette with their two children Paul and Kate on the holiday in Macau back in May; it was the first time in two years that they had been together, Kate arrived with her boyfriend from Canada were she lives and works, Jeff flew in from Chicago via Kuala Lumpur and Annette had called into Brisbane and picked up Paul, who lives in the family home, she had stopped on the way from Kuala Lumpur in New Zealand to see a friend and her family who lives in Nelson on the South island; it is named after Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson and is at the north tip of the island in the Marlborough Wine Region from where two of our most favorite Sauvignon Blanc’s come from, ‘ Cloudy Bay and Oyster Bay ’Annette’s old boss who has retired now has a winery in the same region, the pictures of the South Island are as usual out of this world and are spectacular !

Thought for the Day;

What makes the engine go ? Desire,Desire,Desire !

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MACAU.

LONDON THIS MORNING.

LONDON TROOPING THE COLOUR PARADE SATURDAY 11^th JUNE 2011.

The pictures below are not of the best quality as I took them standing in front of the screen of the large PC, they are also a bonus as normally I can’t get BBC TV live pictures; I logged on to the normal BBC News page and clicked the button and the live feed came on ! The ceremony marked the 85^th birthday of the Sovereign and came a day after the Duke of Edinburgh’s 90^th birthday. The colour trooped this year was that of the 1^st Battalion Scots Guards; the ceremony which unfolded was symbolic affair Centuries ago, the colour or flag was a rallying point in battle. The Queen stood side by side with Duke as she took the Royal salute as the ceremonial flag was paraded past her followed by Guardsmen in both slow and quick time whilst the Massed Bands played. Then the two Regiments of the Household Mounted Cavalry rode pass at the trot led by the only two animals in the British Army to have a rank, Major, the drum horses ! The music is very impressive as each Regiment has its own tunes for the different marches ie. Scots Guards,Welsh Guards,Irish Guards,Grenadier Guards and the Coldsteam Guards which are all distinguished by the button formations on their Red Tunics.

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LONDON THIS MORNING.

LONDON THIS MORNING.

LONDON THIS MORNING.

LONDON THIS MORNING.

LONDON THIS MORNING.

LONDON THIS MORNING.

LONDON THIS MORNING.

LONDON THIS MORNING.

LONDON THIS MORNING.

MANILVA THIS LUNCHTIME.

 SATURDAY 11^th JUNE 2011.

At lunchtime today the Investiture took place of the new Mayor Antonia Munoz for the term of 2011 – 2015; the rumors going around turned out to be totally unfounded so I will not repeat them. The Izquierda Unida party joined with the AM party of Emillilo Berenguer,the local Doctor, in a coalition which gave the IU with eight councilors and the two councilors of the AM party the majority vote needed as there are seventeen seats in total; Emillilo will be the Deputy Mayor again and full list of Council jobs will be announced shortly. The pictures below were taken in the Council Chamber after the Investiture and speeches had taken place, the strong Police presence was there as it is public meeting and the crowds were packed in the chamber and outside !

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MANILVA THIS LUNCHTIME.

MANILVA THIS LUNCHTIME.

MANILVA THIS LUNCHTIME.

MANILVA THIS LUNCHTIME.

MANILVA THIS LUNCHTIME.

MANILVA START OF THE WEEKEND.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY 9^th/10^th JUNE 2011.

After our morning tea and toast with some fresh fruit we set off for our walk around the village with Cheta; on the way back we bumped into Anna ( Again ) and Carlos sat outside Bar Rojas this time so we joined them for our regular lunchtime drink. The weather, as forecast is getting hotter and this weekend we should be over 30degs. for the first time this year ! As we came back to the house after putting the world to rights one again we planned our weekend out; For supper I made a Provencale Sauce with Red Peppers and cooked some Chicken Albondigas (Meatballs) which I then added to the sauce and in the evening Brenda cooked some Penna Pasta ( Rigatoni ) which was a nice change.

Today we went down to Sabinillas to do the supermarket shopping, pick up the English Language newspapers and post some Birthday cards ( Watch out if your birthday is in the next few days !  ) When we got back we then went for a walk down to the Friday local market by the Sports Ground for fresh flowers, as we approached the complex we could hear lots of excited children shouting; it was the Junior School Sports Day as you can see in the picture below, it was bedlam as the various mixed classes played one another, they even had the village Ambulance on standby ! On the way back I took a picture of the pool which had just been painted ready to be filled next week. We called into out local butchers and picked up our steak for dinner on Saturday, on Sunday we are planning to have Roast Loin of Pork, We then went up to Bar Rojas for our Friday lunchtime snifter ! As we were taking in the hot sunshine a Senor’ in Blue medical overalls came along and introduced himself; it turned out that he is the village Dentist and has practiced in Manilva for over 25 years, but he was also the White coated Master of Wine at the Wine Tasting last week ! We have our own Dentist in Estepona, which we found before we came to live in the village, but we have passed his surgery many times just off Calle Mar, he was very nice and even bought us a drink before he was called back by his receptionist ! Thanks Victor ! As we got back into the house my mobile went, it was Carolyn from Guadalmina asking us if we could do four days next week as they have to fly off to Italy, which is fine, and also she asked us to pencil in a week at the end of the month as they have to go to England.The only thing that we are now going to miss is the Music Concert,on the open air terrace for the end of term celebrations of the School of Music next Friday evening. Finally tomorrow is the day for the ‘ Investiture’ of the New Mayor, watch this space as all will be revealed as the gossip mongers have been about !

Thought for the Day;

Anything looked at closely becomes wonderful.

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MANILVA START OF THE WEEKEND.

MANILVA START OF THE WEEKEND.