Monday, April 30, 2012

SABINILLAS TONIGHT.

SABINILLAS TONIGHT.

SABINILLAS TONIGHT.

SABINILLAS TONIGHT.

MANILVA TODAY.

MONDAY 30th APRIL 2012.

This morning in between the showers I shot down to the surgery and got an appointment with our Doctor; my leg pains have got no better so it is Plan B – stronger pain killers which are also muscle relaxing, soothing stomach tablets and a tablet for last thing at night to ease the pain during the night ! Also positive thinking was advised by our Doctor as he knows that I’ am a Hypochondriac ! Another at home day and an early tea as we are going out with Mano and Carlos tonight to watch the big game of the season; Manchester City v Manchester Utd. at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, down in Sabinillas at the City supporters bar, ‘ Gary’s on the beach, its just three points difference at the top so all to play for as City are ahead on goal difference ! Watch this space.Well the ' Manilva Posse 'hit Gary's Bar Beach Bar down on the front in Sabinillas,Mano and Carlos picked us up and we stopped at Burger King for our Whopper and Frits to set us up for the night ! The Beach Bar is a haven for City surpporter's as the owner Gary is a lifelong ' Blue - strange that his wife is a Utd.supporter and sits with her Red Shirt on !The atmosphere in the ground and in the bar was electric as it kicked off. It was a " Helluva " game and the winning header just before half time brought the house down ! All the City team played their hearts out whilst the Utd. team that Sir Alex had picked just did not work - at one stage Sir Alex and Roberto Mancini nearly came to blows on the touch line - handbags drawn ! At the whistle the bar went mad as we danced and sang 'City Boys '

NB; Manchester City are now on top of the Premier League by 8 goals above Manchester Utd. after their 1-0 win over Utd. with two games to go !Check out the picture above taken down in Sabinillas this evening.


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MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.

SATURDAY/SUNDAY 28th/29th APRIL 2012.

This weekend is a long Bank Holiday here in Spain but the only day that they are closed is Tuesday ; on Saturday morning it was overcast and cloudy as forecast and during the night we had heavy rain, well it is a bank holiday and also the start of the ‘ Feria ’season with the main one in Seville as usual this weekend. So we had an at home day and dodged the showers with the dogs, in the afternoon I caught up with the football in England, for a change Liverpool won with a hat trick from Suarez v Norwich and Everton had a 4-0 win against Fulham.On Sunday Chelsea won 6-1 with a hat trick from Torres ( he’s coming good – it’s the Cup Final this Saturday v Liverpool ! ) In the evening we were going to a dance concert in the new Wine Centre Theater which was advertised on the council Blog page – when we got there is was closed ?! I’ am chasing the Cultural councilor Eva to find out what happened ! We had our Steak and chips and then settled down to watch a film on TVE1 “ Red Sonia ” with Brigette Nielsen in the titles role and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

More heavy rain over night and showers on Sunday morning stopped us going down to the sports ground; so on one of the Spanish Sports Channels I watched the Spanish Motorcycle Grand Prix coverage from Jerez just up the road; later the ‘ La Liga ’games were on, Real beat Sevilla 3-0 and Barcelona beat one of the new teams in ‘ La Liga ’ Rayo Vallecano 0-7 ! No change at the top then but the goal difference has come down ! In the evening we Lamb Cutlets with Boulangere Potatoes for dinner. The late film was a classic Vietnam war story dramatizing the ‘Battle of la Drang ’on November 14th 1965 – 400 against 4000 Viet Cong, it was a true story taken from the book written by the Lieutenant Colonel of the 7th Cavalry Regiment played by Mel Gibson and a young reporter who was also there; “ We Were Soldiers ” 2002 is a film not to miss ! Meanwhile back home at the base the Colonel’s wife played by Madeleine Stowe has the job of delivering the telegrams from Western Union to the wives back on the base about the soldiers killed in action. The action is very realistic and compelling and watch out for the Colonel’s speech about war and the end always brings me to tears !

PS; The picture of the Mosaic Mural was taken this morning , it is only one third done so watch this space ! The other picture shows the weather on Friday, more to come like this later in the week.
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Thought for the Day;


Accept no one’s definition of your life; Define yourself.

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MANILVA THIS MORNING.

Friday, April 27, 2012

MANILVA THIS EVENING.

MANILVA THIS WEEK.

WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY/FRIDAY 25th/26th/27th APRIL 2012.

Yet another hot and sunny day as we set off after our breakfast to walk the dogs; we ended up at Bar Rojas and sat outside under the Sonbrajo to take in the sights,sounds and cooking smells of Manilva as we had an lunchtime snifter ! In the afternoon Brenda was out on the roof terrace reading and I caught up with the WWW.For supper we had Pan Fried flattened Turkey Breast in a foaming Citrus Butter with Basmati Rice and Green Beans accompanied with our rich Tomato sauce before we watched the Real Madrid game – enough said about that the better! The late film was a classic cowboy – “ The Last Hard Men ” from 1976 – with James Coburn, Charlton Heston and Barbara Hershey in the main roles, it’s a goodie – there are more cowboy films to come as it is a season of them on one particular channel !

On Thursday we took things easy around the house and caught up with the chores; meanwhile I was watching on the BBC IPlayer “ Later with Jools Holland ” In the evening just as I was to start cooking dinner Mano phoned and asked us up to Bar Rojas or a few drinks and to watch the football – we were up in a shot and soon got into the spirit of things as we watched the Athletic Bilbao v Sporting ( Portugal ) game in the second leg of the semi-final of the Europa Cup; at half time I had a Lumy ‘ Special Hamburger ’ which is homemade and comes with Tomato,Cos Lettuce, Onions, Crispy Bacon and topped with a fried Egg ! Oh yes of course a plate of Patatas Fritas as well ! The picture below was taken with my new Samsung phone and is my first downloaded picture to appear on the Blog – watch this space! The game was very exciting and the Basque team played very well, Fernando Llorente created two goals and scored the final one in their 3-1 win,4-3 on aggregate ! They will meet Atletico Madrid in the final in Bucharest who easily beat Valencia in the other semi-final with a 5-2 aggregate score. This means that Bilbao are now in two finals as they are also in the ‘ Copa de Rey ’ against Barcelona; the big news over here in Spain which has just broke is that Pep Guardiola is leaving Barcelona at the end of the season and they have just announced at a press conference this morning that the assistant coach Tito Vilanova will be the new boss !! More to follow! The move to name his replacement so swiftly was a surprise. The late film was Sam Peckinpath’s 1969 film “ The Wild Bunch ” with a “ Helluva ” cast of Wiliam Holden,Ernest Borgnine,Robert Ryan,Ben Johnson and Warren Oates – just to mention a few !

This morning, Friday, we have been down in Sabinillas doing the shopping and a couple of messages; after calling into the bank we stopped at an agents to get a price to transfer the car ownership into our names, as in Spain nothing is that simple to do with paperwork and bureaucracy but the price is unbelievable high, so its back to Plan B do it yourself ( With help ) from a friend and go over to Malaga to the traffic office ! We called into the council office to update one of our residency documents, it will be ready on Monday morning – that’s good ! We also spotted in the agent’s office on the wall a document with the details of how to apply on the internet for the Spanish Blue Health card, the ‘ Tarjeta Sanitaria Europea ( TSE ) ‘ so we are going to play it safe and get them anyway ! We did speak to the British Embassy in Madrid yesterday and they confirmed that the cards we have are OK and in the papers this morning is states that the cards will be stopped on the 31st August but only to illegal immigrants that do not have the right paperwork !! Keep your fingers crossed that we are up to date and legal !! We then checked out our local ‘Lidl ’which re-opened yesterday and picked up a very cheap Hand Blender which comes with all the attachments and then checked out the new Butchers and Fishmongers counters – very good. We stopped at the small Fruit and Vegetable market and bought a large bag of local potatoes and I spotted on the shelf the large bottle of Manilva Honey that we have been looking for – two birds with one stone ! Tonight we are having last nights dinner that I did not get round to cooking – Pork Cutlets with Lyonnaise Potatoes with Cabbage and Carrots.


Thought for the Day;


Reputiation is what other people know about you. Honour is what you know about yourself.


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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

MANILVA START OR THE WEEK.

MONDAY/TUESDAY 23rd/24th APRIL 2012.

Monday, ‘ St. Georges Day ’ – see the pictures below - was hot and sunny here in Manilva ; the forecast is for the temperature to rise to 28 degs by Wednesday but it is going a little cooler with some of the damp stuff over the coming weekend ! First thing on Monday morning I was on the phone to England ( Newcastle actually ) to check out that our Spanish health cover is correct as the new government in their austerity cuts and changes are bringing in charges for all pensioners on a pro-rate capped system for all prescriptions; you can have a ‘ European Health Insurance Card ( EHIC ) but our ‘ Tarjeta de Afiliacion ’cards are fine – so no change needed. Both our Chemist Miguel and our Doctor say that the charges will be very minimal if nothing for us. Brenda’s pension arrived in the bank this morning, it has gone up thanks to the small increase and the current rate of the Euro against the Pound which is at its highest in over 18 months ! I then shot around to the surgery as for the last few days I have had quiet bad cramp style pains in my left leg, but all the time and at night and our home treatment was not helping very much ! Our Doctor after giving the me the once over diagnosed a trapped nerve as we suspected and has put me on strong painkiller ‘s which are helping and at the same time he made appointments to get my yearly check over with blood and urine tests, eye test and a foot test – as well as x-rays for my up coming Prostate check over in June which is every two years ! Talk about the full works – the Spanish medical system is very good and quick !
In the evening for our ‘ St. Georges Day ’ dinner we had Steak and Chips with all the trimmings and then settled down to watch, Brenda with her hands over her eyes , “ Hannibel ”2001 the sequel – with Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore, this time and Gary Oldman ( Scary ) in the psychological thriller !!

At one minute to nine on Tuesday morning I was down at the surgery for my foot test, passed with flying colors and at 1-46 pm in the hospital in Estepona my x-rays were taken and passed back to me !! The eye test again at a new medical centre in Estepona will be some time next week and all the sample test are booked in at our surgery for the second week in May !! We called into our bank in Estepona on our way back to arrange for a new Debit card as my current one has been hacked into and used ! Estepona was looking good, it is still our favorite place on the coast and on the way back we stopped at Sabinillas to do our English shopping. In the afternoon Andy called in to check out a few niggling problems on the PCs and also installed a new film channel to watch movies. On the IPlayer I have watched ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen ’ this morning and last night I caught the new series of ‘ New Tricks ’ In the evening we had cold Pork for supper and then watched the second leg semi final of the Champions League between Barcelona and Chelsea, Chelsea leading 1-0 – it was a “ Helluva ” game for bad and good reasons with the match ending 2-2 which meant that Chelsea go through to the final with the agg,2-3 ! Messi missed a penalty and hit the post – oh dear ! Tonight it is the Real Madrid v Bayern Munich game in Madrid with Bayern leading 2-1 – watch this space !

PS; Well it was one " Helluva " match - Bayern went through after the penalty shoot out after extra time had been played - it was 2-1 to Real on the night so it was 3-3 agg.Ronaldo missed a penalty and so did two of his team mates ! Casillas saved one but the Germans finished it off !!

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Thought for the Day;

Anger is the enemy of non-violence and pride is a monster that swallows it up.



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MANILVA TODAY.

Monday, April 23, 2012

MANILVA ON SUNDAY.

SUNDAY 22nd APRIL 2012.

As forecast the weather today is marvelous; clear blue skies and hot sunshine down here on the Costa del Sol ! After our tea and toast, our local honey is coming to an end so we will have to source more, we got things on the go for our Sunday roast dinner – Loin of Pork with Glazed Apple Slices and of course Brenda’s famous vegetables and my equally famous Roast Potatoes and finger licking gravy !! We then freshened ourselves up and just then Mano called to invite us up for drinks at Bar Rojas; Lumy’s Paella ( Tapas portion’s ) helped the drinks go down as it reached 25 degs. In the sun ! In the afternoon Brenda disappeared up to the roof terrace as I watched the football from England ; the early match was Manchester Utd. v Everton and I caught the second half which turned out to be the game of the day as six goals were scored – meaning that Everton came from being 4-2 down to 4-4 ! Sir Alex chocked on his gum ! It meant that if Manchester City beat Wolves they would only be 3 points behind Utd with the next match the derby game at City next Monday evening ! They did beat Wolves 2-0 and at the same time relegated them – game on !! Sadly at the same time Liverpool lost at home to West Ham 0-1 – unbelievably !! Mano joined us in the evening for dinner and after we watched with him the ‘ Million Euros Drop ’ The other evening two ladies on the first question put it all on one answer to start and lost ! They were speechless and so was the presenter – last night another two ladies had 150,00 euros left on the final question and changed their minds and moved it across to the other answer but is turned out that on the replay it was after time so it was moved back to their original choice – as it happened it was the right answer – so they won when they would have lost !! The late film was one that we had not seen or heard of before; “ The Brave One ” from 2007 was an unusual murder/cops story in New York starring Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard - catch it to see what it is all about – very moving ! The pictures below are to celebrate Saint Georges Day tomorrow – even the Manilva council put on a bash on Saturday night down in Sabinillas !


Thought for the Day;


Better than a thousand useless words is one single word that gives peace.


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MANILVA TODAY.SAINT GEORGES DAY.

MANILVA TODAY.SAINT GEORGES DAY.

MANILVA TODAY SAINT GEORGES DAY.

MANILVA TODAY.SAINT GEORGES DAY.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

KENNEDY SPACE CENTRE FLORIDA FRIDAY.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTRE FLORIDA FRIDAY.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTRE FLORIDA FRIDAY.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTRE FLORIDA FRIDAY.

MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY/SATURDAY 19th/20th/21st APRIL 2012.

On Thursday it was a little overcast but brightened up later; the forecast for the weekend is hot and sunny into next week, at the moment as I am typing this it is hot – 23 degs. and rising! We spent the day on chores around the house and in the evening after supper I caught up with the football, it was the first leg games in the semi-finals of the Europa Cup; I choose to watch on the PC the Sporting v Athletic Bilbao match – Bilbao lost 2-1 and the other game that I should have followed was Atl.Madrid v Valencia - Atl.Madrid won 4-2 ! So all the semi – final second legs are next week. The late film was an classic all action cowboy “ The Professionals ” 1966 with Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, Woody Strode and Claudia Cardinale – they don’t make them like this today !

We did the shopping down in Sabinillas on Friday morning and when we got back we went for a walk with dogs around the village; the work on the new Plaza Pozo del Rey is on going – the drilling crane has moved in to start to build the retaining walls as you can see in the pictures below and at the same time they have started on the Mosaic Mural down in front of the new Centre Of Social Services office which will have a local sports theme as you can start to see. Meanwhile over in England at Oakmere in Delamere David and Jane were working on getting ready their second cafe venture; “ Legends ” at the new J&S Motorcycle Showroom ( The largest in the UK ) which is just down the road from the Oulton Park racetrack ! The pictures below give you a little taste of the café, which is opening on Saturday morning with stunt riders,TT winners and Monster trucks ! The breakfast picture has just come in – good value at £6-95 ! All the very best to David and Jane. The other pictures on the Blog below show Brenda’s nephew Jeff indulging himself over on holiday in the USA. He And Annette flew from Kuala Lumpur to Seattle and their daughter Kate flew down from Canada where she lives ; The King Crab looks to die for and the Hamburger is typically American – they have now moved down to Florida and have done Disney and are now at the Kennedy Space Centre – see the pictures above. We were there over 30 years ago as we crossed America from Miami to Los Angeles via New Orleans ,Dallas,Albuerque,New Mexico, Las Vegas and down into Los Angeles ! Now that’s an another story!! Last night for supper we had Fillet of Hake which I bread crumbed and shallow fried with Patatas Brava’s made with the rich Tomato sauce that I made earlier. Mano rang us as he was up in Bar Rojas after work so we went up for a nightcap – Manolo from Bar Rojas had earlier in the day butchered one of his sheep and had it ready in his cellar hanging and ready prepared so Mano bought a leg to go with the leg and shoulder that we already have waiting for a special Sunday lunch when Anna,Sally Ann and Dylan arrive from Tenerife possible some time next week ! The late film was a classic from 1998 – the remake of “ The Perfect Murder ” starring Kirk Duglas,Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortinsen – don’t leave it as you will miss the twist and turns !

The weather today, Saturday is gorgeous with clear blue skies and hot sunshine with more to come in the next few days; after our walk this morning around the village with the two dogs we are now back in the house , Brenda is going up on the roof terrace later and I will watch some football from England on the PC and later this evening after our Steak and Chip dinner we are going to watch the big match over here – Barcelona v Real Madrid – we don’t know where yet – watch out for the result later !! Come on Barca !!

PS; Oh dear - Barcelona lost 1-2 and Real Madrid are now back to seven points clear in ' La Liga '

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Thought for the Day;


Only one principle will give you courage, that is the principle that no evil lasts forever nor indeed for very long.


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OAKMERE AT DELAMERE TODAY.

Friday, April 20, 2012

SEATTLE YESTERDAY USA.

DISNEY ORLANDO FL. TODAY USA.

OAKMERE AT DELAMERE TODAY.

OAKMERE AT DELAMERE TODAY.

OAKMERE AT DELAMERE TODAY.

OAKMERE AT DELAMERE TODAY.

OAKMERE AT DELAMERE TODAY.

OAKMERE AT DELAMERE TODAY.

OAKMERE AT DELAMERE TODAY.

OAKMERE AT DELAMERE TODAY.

MANILVA TODAY.

MANILVA TODAY.

MANILVA TODAY.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

MANILVA YESTERDAY.

WEDNESDAY 18th APRIL 2012.

Wednesday was cloudy and over cast but picked up later; the forecast is more of the same for the next couple of days then warm and sunny over the weekend. It was an at home day so Brenda caught up with the washing and ironing as it excellent for drying, meanwhile I caught up with the blog and the WWW and then went on the BBC IPlayer to watch Saturday Morning Kitchen and the new Matt Lucas show and then the start of 40th series of Later with Jools Holland. On Tuesday evening Mano called to say that he was up in Bar Rojas as he had finished work early so we went up and watched the second half of the Real match – Manuel the owner who is a big Real fan was gutted when the Spanish player Gomez who plays for Bayern scored the very late winning goal. In the morning I made the Steak, Kidney and Mushroom Pie which I finish with pastry in the evening before putting it in the oven as you can see in the before and after pictures below ! We then watched the Chelsea v Barcelona game from Stamford Bridge on TVE1, Barcelona had 73% possession bur failed to convert it to goals whilst Drogba spent more time on rolling on the ground and with Chelsea’s only shot on goal scored the winner ! Next week it is the second legs of both games here in Spain – as it happens the final is being played at the Allianz Stadium in Munich in May – so watch out Real Madrid !! – it’s Bayern’s home ground !!!
The late film was an old classic , “ Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid ” from back in 1969. Paul Newman and Robert Redford playing the lead roles of the two characters loosely based on true facts,nice to see the whole film right from the start. During the day on one particular film channel it is the John Wayne season so all the great ‘ Wayne ’ films are on – too many to mention ( ie. True Grit )


Thought for the Day;


If you believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.


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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

MUNICH.

MUNICH.

MANILVA START OR THE WEEK.

MONDAY/TUESDAY 16th/17th APRIL 2012.

The forecast for the week is quite good, in fact on Monday and Tuesday the sun has been out and the wind has dropped and it is warm; in the rest of Spain it is raining with storms and snow so we can’t complain! Mano is busy at work this week with a demanding family staying at the villa so we have not seen him since Friday evening; we have kept Derrick with us at our house as Mano is not at his for long, the cats are fine and also Feria the boxer who is a doll in no problem – Derrick is fine here and at night he goes to sleep on his blanket and we have to wake him up in the morning! Just after lunch on Monday Brenda took Cheta home and when she came back she did not lock the front door – normally this is fine as Derrick will not crash through the shutter like Cheta – big mistake, the little rascal was off like a shot which we only discovered when he did not arrive by my side when I went upstairs to the office as he usually does! Brenda shot off in hot pursuit down the street as last year he did the opposite when he got out of Mano’s house and ended up in the village chasing a dog that was on heat! It was the same in reverse as he was looking for any dogs as he had sniffed out that Cheta was just about to come in season ( We will have to watch them ) very closely as they play together all the time and Derrick is a little ( not that little ! ) bugger !! Brenda ended up running down to Mano’s in the hot afternoon sun as I started to collect the troops together, the neighbors and also the local police patrol in their 4x4! as I stayed back at the house outside in case he came back. The phone went and it was Brenda to say that he was down at his house and he had just woken Mano up who was home having a siesta! He is now in the ‘Dog House’ and is keeping out of Brenda’s way back here in ‘Fortress Sexton’!!!

In the evening we picked our friend Gillian up from the bus station in Marbella as she had come back on a flight from Southampton to Malaga ,she lives on the Isle of Wight and has a house in Ventnor which she has just put on the market as her tenants have left. She also arrived early as the flight had an 100 hundred mile an hour wind behind it just like Mano’s! For supper we had Steak and chips and then settled down to watch a film as we are now back to Spanish TV – over the weekend we have seen “ The Postman always Rings Twice ” with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange, “ The Silence of the Lambs ” with Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster and then “ Mr. and Mrs. Smith ” with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolly as husband and wife assassins !

Today , Tuesday , is another glorious day so Brenda will be up on the roof terrace later in the afternoon; this evening we are having Cold Chicken and salad with Baby New Potatoes for supper and then we will watch the ‘ Champions League ’ Semi Final first leg match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid – Bayern are Real’s bogey team so it going to be a “ Helluva ” game in the futuristic ‘ Allianz-Arena ’ which is the home ground both for Bayern and TVS Munchen. See the pictures above – Red for Bayern !

PS; Real lost 2-1 to a late goal by Gomez ( Spanish ) and did not play well even Ronaldo was not in the game as the Germans out played them !
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Thought for the Day;


Heredity is what makes the mother and father of a teenager wonder a little about each other.



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Sunday, April 15, 2012

MANILVA OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS.

WEDNESDAY/SUNDAY 11th/15TH APRIL 2012.

Well we have been commuting between the two houses all week; the weather has been OK but we have had it a little overcast and the wind got up one day, the sun has been around and when it is out it goes warm – 23 degs one day ! On Wednesday morning we had a phone call from our dear friend Joyce over in Mostyn; she had sent us a long e-mail and it had come back so she rang to check the e-mail address, we caught up with all her and our news and Brenda had a good gossip – lots of love to you Joyce – we have you in our thoughts at all times. For dinner we had Chicken Curry ( last weeks that had been in the deep freeze ) and Rice and then settled down back at Mano’ to watch some English TV for a change.

On Thursday we had at home days at both the houses and caught up with the chores, cleaning and washing. All the animals are fine and when we go up to ours in the morning Cheta comes charging in as normal; Derrick and her are fine and we walk them together around the village. Over in Chester “ The Lord Binning Pub and Kitchen ” won the Gold award for the ‘ Best Use of Local Produce in a Menu ’and the Bronze award for the ‘ Best Newcomer ’ at the ‘ Giant Chester Food,Drink and Lifestyle Festival ’ David was also on the Radio on the Matt White ‘ Gourmet Night ’ show on Radio Manchester talking about matching Ale and Cheese and at the same time managed to plug the ‘ Binning ’!

We went down to Sabinillas on Friday morning for the shopping, just as we got down to the bottom we saw Andy standing on the side of the road were we used to wait for a lift so we turned around and dropped him off at his house in the village, as we came back we passed the bus stop again were we used to wait and Nikita was there so we gave him a lift down – we now what it feels like when you are looking for a lift ! On Thursday and Friday afternoon we watched the Racing from Aintree; lots of memories as I was brought up just around the corner and used to play on the racecourse as a small boy. I also was taken into the ‘ Adelphi Hotel ’to see my Uncle on Grand National Saturday as he was the Head Florist there for over fifty years – my first taste of the sights, sounds and smells of Hotels ! In the evening for dinner we had ‘ Goujons of Panga ’ again as we enjoyed them last week; on checking out ‘ Panga ’I was surprised to find out that it is an imported fish from Mekong Delta in Vietnam ! It does not have a very good press in fact lots of comments said don’t eat it – its toxic !! But it sold all over the World as the ‘ Poor Mans Cod ’and it has been passed by the World Health Authority – so there !! Later we picked Mano up from the Airport in Malaga,the flight was 20 mins early – a strong wind helped – we caught up with all the very sad news and happenings over in Tenerife and dropped him back at his house, he was back in work on Saturday morning. Anna has stayed with Sally Ann and Dylan for the time being but it sounds like they coming back with Anna to live here – watch this space !

We settled back into the house and had an at home day to catch up with things; at lunchtime I watched the Semi-Final of the FA Cup from Wembley; Big Bri had managed to get a ticket to watch his beloved Everton and flew over on Friday from Finland; sadly Everton made two bad defensive mistakes and Liverpool won 2-1 with an Andy Carroll header ! Brian was last seen drowning his sorrows somewhere in London – god knows what would have happened if Everton had won – he might have stayed there for the Final ! Sorry Lilli !! Manchester City won 6-1 so the pressure is back on Manchester Utd.to beat the Villa today and maintain their lead. Later I managed to get the Grand National meeting on the PC but just as they where about to start a weather front came over and I lost the connection ! We had to follow it on the BBC Sports news text. In the evening we had Steak and Chips for supper and then watched the Barcelona match, they won as did Real Madrid earlier so no change at the top here.

This morning after a lie in we got the Sunday Roast on the go – Chicken with all the trimmings – Mano might join us depending on work. Later in the other Semi-Final of the FA Cup again at Wembley Spurs take on Chelsea. Watch this space.

PS; Chelsea have just beaten Spurs 5-1 so they will meet Liverpool in the final next month and Manchester Utd. won 2-0 so no change at the top - still five points !

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Thought for the Day;

Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.


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Saturday, April 14, 2012

RMS TITANIC 14/15 TH APRIL 1912.

The RMS TITANIC was a British passenger ship that sank in the North Atlantic on the night of the 14/15th April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton on route to New York. She was carrying 2223 people and 1514 died in one of deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. She was the largest ship afloat at the time and was operated by the Whit Star Line and was built between 1909-11 by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. She only had enough lifeboats ( 20 ) for 1178 people – a third of its total passenger and crew capacity.


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RMS TITANIC 14/15TH APRIL 1912.

RMS TITANIC 14/15TH APRIL 1912.

RMS TITANIC 14/15TH APRIL 1912.

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RMS TITANIC 14/15TH APRIL 1912.

RMS TITANIC 14/15TH APRIL 1912.

RMS TITANIC 14/15TH APRIL 1912.

RMS TITANIC 14/15TH APRIL 1912.

RMS TITANIC 14/15TH APRIL 1912.

RMS TITANIC 14/15TH APRIL 1912.

RMS TITANIC 14/15TH APRIL 1912.

RMS TITANIC 14/15TH APRIL 1912.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

MANILVA NEWSFLASH.

Watch out for the news of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on the night of 14/15th April 1912.together with pictures,maps and details.


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MANILVA TODAY.

MANILVA TODAY.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

MANILVA.

THURSDAY/TUESDAY 5th/ 10th APRIL 2012.

After the tragic news hit us early on Thursday morning we went around to Mano and Ann’s and took them off to the airport; we then sorted ourselves out, we are staying at their house but coming back up to ours at lunchtime and in the evening so we cooking here and also doing the washing and cleaning and changing clothes. The animals are no problem, Derrick comes with us everywhere while Feria stays at Mano’s,she is a doll, the two cats come and go as they please, Bella the Siamese is out at night and Fish the black and white is out all day ! We are enjoying sleeping at Ann’s, the bed is very comfortable and of course the views during the day and at night are to die for; the weather has changed and we are now back to clear blue skies and warm sunshine since Sunday. The actual news did not break until Saturday lunchtime when Sally Ann posted a message on her Facebook page; since then we have been approached by loads of the locals, the Mayor, the Chief of Police, the Chemist and so on. We did not make the processions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday but on Sunday after getting our Sunday Roast on the go we went up to Bar Rojas to watch the Easter Sunday procession which is the last of the Semana Santa week. As you can see it was a glorious day and the village was at its best; the pictures below show the ‘ Tronos ’ ( Tableau ) as it made it way up and down Calle Mar; Francisco ( Ringo/Paco ) was given the honour of conducting and leading the band. We had lunch afterwards at Bar Rojas with Paella and skewers of Garlic baby Prawns as more people came up to us to offer their condolences to pass on to all the family. The reaction on Facebook has been amazing including two particular messages, one from North Wales and one from the USA! who contacted us to update them on the news and pass on their thoughts when we see Sally Ann next -all old friends of Sally Ann’s and the family from back in Colwyn Bay. The funeral took place on Monday in Tenerife, Carlos and Anna Mari went over on Saturday and we are now waiting to hear what is happening next. Our thoughts are with them all at this tragic time.

Now a little catch up on what we have been up to; over the weekend is was of course sport as we have Mano and Anna’s large screen TV to watch, the Boat Race was exciting for a change after being stopped and restarted for the first time in its history – Cambridge won. I was able to watch all the Premier games on Match of the Day, meanwhile over here Barcelona closed the gap behind Real Madrid to four points when they won but Real could only manage a goal less draw ! My favourite ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen’ was very good and on Sunday I was able to follow the World Track Cycling Championship live from Melbourne, this is my sport and the racing was electrifying and the British won lots of medals which is very good for Olympics later this year ! At the end in the last race, the ‘ Keiron ’Sir Chris Hoy came from four back in the last 50 meters and found a gap on the inside and won ! After speaking to Tim in Old Colwyn he told us that Ben his son who is 18 later this month has achieved his Gold Medal for the Duke of Edinburgh awards and will receive it later in the year at Buckingham Palace – well done Ben we are very proud and thinks that it is a marvelous achievement ! On the TV we have been watching some of the current series and even saw ‘ Just a Minute ’my favourite Radio programme on BBC2 ! The two concerts that we have seen where very good, Lionel Ritchie live in the TV studio and Adele live at the Albert Hall – I like her singing but not her personality ! On the food front we picked up some Pork Chops and Sirloin Steaks from the English butchers on the way back from the airport which were tasty, succulent and full of flavor, the Shoulder of Lamb studded with Garlic along with Boulangere potatoes was delicious and yesterday we had some Calves Liver with Smoked Bacon and Sausage !! So that’s it for now – back to updating the blog daily !

PS; Liverpool finally won at Blackburn 2-3 with a Andy Carroll header in stoppage time ! Over here Barcelona won 4-0 and are now only 1 point behind Real who have a game in hand and play on Wednesday night in a derby clash at Atl Madrid.

PPS; Real Madrid won 1-4 with a hatrick from Ronaldo,his seventh of the season so they are still five points clear as Manchester Utd. lost at Wigan 1-0 Sir Alex was not happy as they were totally outplayed as Manchester City won 4-0 against West Brom.and so are only five points behind Utd !

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Thought for the Day;


Our chief want in life is someone who will make us do what we can;


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MANILVA LAST WEEKEND.

MANILVA LAST WEEKEND.