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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