Monday, December 31, 2012
MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.
SATURDAY 29th/
SUNDAY 30th/ DECEMBER 2012.
The
forecast for the weekend and into the New Year is good, more sun and clear
skies and the temperatures in the 20s! I took things easy again on Saturday and
kept to the couch and keeping my leg up; Brenda pottered about the house and
caught up with the washing. At lunchtime Anna called in to catch up with the
news and gossip and ended up staying for some lunch, fried Chicken Wings. In
the afternoon we did some reading and I followed the football over in England Newcastle Liverpool won 3-0 at QPR but Everton lost at
home to Chelsea
In the
evening for supper we had ‘ Steak a la Plancha ’with finely sliced Green Beans,
Mushrooms and crisp Chips before we settled down to watch a film; “ Pay It
Forward ”from 2000 is a nice gentle film that you need the hankies out for
especially at the very end; it stars the always very deep Kevin Spacy,the
excellent Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment as the boy with an idea – hence the
title! Jon Bon Jovi pops up as his nasty drunk father also. Catch it.
After a
good lie in we got the Sunday roast on the go; originally we were going to have
Roast Turkey with the ‘ Guerrero’ clan but Mano had to go into work so we
pulled out a small Loin of Pork for us, on Saturday morning Gillian called in
to wish us Happy Xmas and so we ended up asking her to join us, she mentioned
that she was on her way to see her friend Luz so we asked her as well! Cleaver
carving was called for with the Pork!! Brenda went mad on the vegetables;
Cauliflower Florets in a three-Cheese sauce, Fresh Brussels Sprouts with diced
assorted Peppers, Carrot Batons with Garden Peas, Cabbage with Alselgas,Fresh
Parsnip Chips, Baby New Potatoes and Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes, also we had
Chestnut Stuffing and Caramelized Apple slices along with my now famous finger
licking Pan Gravy!! – we then shot up to Bar Rojas and sat in the warm sunshine
for a cool drink and took in the tranquility of Manilva. In the early evening
Brian and Lilli rang us from Pori
The late
film was an American sci-fi disaster movie called “ 2012 ” made in 2009 is about
what was supposed to happen on 21/12/2012 – in the film it does! The special
effects are unbelievable and are not to be missed as the USA and the World
brake apart – John Cusak is the father attempting to lead his family to family
to safety( Watch out for his very cute young daughter) Thandie Newton.Danny
Glover and Woody Harrelson help with all the excitement!
PS; The pictures are starting to arrive on Facebook of the family celebrating the New Year over in Melbourne !
PS; The pictures are starting to arrive on Facebook of the family celebrating the New Year over in Melbourne !
Thoughts
for the Day;
Tough time
never last,but tough people do. When it
gets dark enough,you can see the stars.
…
.
Friday, December 28, 2012
MANILVA - LLANDDULAS NORTH WALES.
THURSDAY/FRIDAY
27th/28th/ DECEMBER 2012.
So Thursday
was a stay at home day as I took things easy and kept my foot up – as much as
possible; it is giving me the chance to catch up with my reading and watch more
TV – if that’s possible! The weather forecast for the weekend and into the New
Year is good, more of the same sun and clear skies but a little cooler, only
17/18degs! The rest of Spain Madrid Madrid Europe .
In the
evening for supper we had Grilled Gammon steaks, Pineapple for Brenda, fried
Eggs for me, with Garden Peas and crisp square Chips plus HP Brown sauce !
Yummy !! We then settled down to watch the Thursday night classic movie on
TVE1; “ El Cid ” from 1961 – the 11th century historical epic ( Over
3 hours long) of course starred Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren – watching it this
time round it means a lot more as we now know more about the history of Spain
and the places, they don’t make films like this anymore!
PS; During
the evening on Facebook we noticed a post from Jenny over in Llanddulas and
later we had a very nice Xmas thank you message and some details that we were
just going to enquire about; Rod her husband is in the Liverpool Heart and
Chest Hospital/Broadgreen for a ‘ Triple by-pass and Valve repair’operation
this morning( Friday) – in fact he is first on the list! We are thinking about
him and Jenny( A very loyal and long serving member of staff at the Seventy
Degrees) and all their family at this most worrying time; we wish him a speedy
recovery and good health for the New Year.
This morning,
Friday, the sun is out and Brenda is doing the running around in the village,
she has just come back from the butchers with our Saturday night steaks, called
into out local shop down our street for some essentials and has now walked down
to the local market with Cheta for some fresh flowers – we did not need to get
the car out for shopping down in Sabinillas today as we are stocked up; Mano
has just dropped off the papers so all's well in Sunny Manilva – except me!! Tonight
we are having Fillet of Salmon in a Provencal sauce for supper with Baby New
Potatoes and some deep-fried Langustines with a dipping sauce to start!
Thoughts
for the Day;
Hope is not
a dream, but a way of making dreams become reality. You’ve got to have hope. Without hope life is
meaningless.
…
.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
MANILVA ( NOT BOXING DAY )
WEDNESDAY
26th/ DECEMBER 2012.
I was up
bright and early and went down to the surgery to get an appointment with the
doctor; here in Spain it is not a Bank Holiday-it’s a normal working day, the
Town Hall was open, the shops and bars are open, chemists, butchers, etc. also
– first thing this morning the water truck was washing and hosing down the
streets. Over the last few weeks I have had the same problem with my legs that
Brenda has – blood circulation – I have been to the doctor and been on a course
of tablets but there has not been much improvement; over Xmas it got worse and
the pain as I was getting out of bed was rather severe so that’s why I went to
the surgery, the doctor ( Relief ) has put me on a special tablet, the same
that Brenda was on but the chemists have to order it, they did and Brenda
picked them up last evening. So I’ am now having to rest and keep my left foot
up especially, I have taken to the couch with cushions in front of the TV so no
problem there! The nurse is looking after me with foot massages and a little
TLC!
We were due
to go around to Sally Ann’s in the afternoon but rang and cancelled; I caught
the football scores for the Boxing Day matches later; City played terrible and
lost 1-0, meanwhile Utd. won and have gone 7 points clear, Everton won-again so
Big Brig over in dark and freezing Pori
For supper
we had Pork Cutlets with Lyonnaise Potatoes before settling down to watch ‘
Downton Abbey ’it was not the Xmas episode, in fact not much happened, it was
the village cricket match! Anyway I’ am now on my way downstairs back to the
settee for more treatment and some TLC from the nurse – hopefully !!
Thoughts
for the Day;
You can
overcome anything if you don’t bellyache. Those who do not complain are never
pitied.
…
.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
MANILVA OVER CHRISTMAS.
MONDAY 24th/
TUESDAY 25TH / DECEMBER 2012.
We had a
nice relaxing day at home on Monday and took things easy; later in the morning
we went for a walk and stopped at Bodega Augustin for a coffee and took in the noon day sunshine. Later in the
afternoon we made contact with the ‘ Moffatt’s over in Old Colwyn on the Skype
Video, Ben was home from university and Tim, later Thea came in after being
caught in the rain shopping in Llandudno,Jo was working at ‘ Clinton Cards’ so
we were able to wish them all the best for the Xmas festivities. In the evening
for dinner we had the two steaks that we picked up from the English Butchers;
Brenda had a very succulent Sirloin with sweet fat and I had very good T-Bone,
I finished them with foaming butter as a treat, I normally dry pan-fry them,
Mushrooms,sliced Green Beans and crisp Chips along with a fine Rioja all helped
as we had an indulgent evening.
On Xmas
morning we were awoken by a very loud thunder clap at 8-15am; what followed was
what you could only call a ‘ Cloudburst ’with severe rain for half an hour( Not
forecast) As you can see in the pictures below everything returned to normal by
lunchtime as we walked to the Manilva Green Aparthotel for our Christmas Lunch;
the Santa picture needs no comment! The whole ‘ Guerreros’clan arrived as we
got into the Xmas spirit in the bar/lounge overlooking the Manilva valley;
Bucks Fizz to start with a prawn salad soon had us in the mood, for our main
course we had Roast Turkey, Roast Pork and Roast Beef, all from our butchers in
the village. They were served with fresh Sprouts,Carrotts and Garden Peas, very
good Mashed Potato and fine proper Roast Potatoes and on the side Stuffing and
Yorkshire pudding –along with ‘OK Gravy! This was produced by a Spanish Chef
that had not cooked a Xmas Lunch before, Carlos had arranged it and worked very
hard to make things go, at one time Mano,Ana Mari and Sally Ann all dived in to
help serve and clear! Xmas Pudding with Brandy sauce made by Sally Ann and
Mince Pies finished off the meal. We retired to the bar as you can see in the
picture below to end a very nice family Christmas Day. The pictures above have
just come in and show Jack and Lyn on Christmas Day over in Melbourne and David
Jane at one of their pubs! We were dropped back up to the village and settled
down for the evening in front of the TV.As you can see Cheta came visiting in
the evening and joined us in front of the TV with Charlie!
Thoughts
for Christmas;
Christmas
is not a date. It is a state of mind.
The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree; the presence of a happy
family all wrapped up in each other.
…
.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.
SUNDAY 23rd/
DECEMBER 2012.
We had a
little lie in on Sunday morning after the night before! It was then sort out
and get ourselves ready for Xmas time! Brenda can’t make her mind up on her
Xmas Day trussuo, I’am sorted – no details yet from Mano ( Hasta Manana ) we
will find out on the day! We are going to the Manilva Aparthotel with all the
family, Carlos is working and has organized the day, so fingers crossed. Then
on Boxing Day we are all around at Sally Ann’s – we think ! Anyway we will have
a “ Helluva ”time and the bonus is the weather, it’s going to be sunny and warm
at around 23/24degs so we can’t complain. In Northern Spain around Santander
In the
evening after supper, the rest of the Pie, we settled down to watch a film; “
First Knight ” from 1995 with Sean Connery as ‘ King Arthur ( The Scottish Burr
) does not work,Richard Gere as ‘ Lancelot ( His prancing walk ) makes you
think! And Julia Ormond is ‘ Guinevere ’Ben Cross gets ‘ Cross ’as the baddie –
Malagant!
Thought for
the Day;
To accept
good advice is but to increase one’s ability.
…
.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
MANILVA THIS WEEKEND.
FRIDAY 21st
/ SATURDAY 22nd / DECEMBER 2012.
Well the
weather forecast for the next week and into the New Year is more of the same,
sun and clear Blue skies! We are still here, the world did not end on 21/12/2012 as some believed ! – Onwards and
upwards !! On Friday morning we did the last big shop
down in Sabinillas including calling into the English Butchers in Puerto
Duquesa where we picked up some Gammon Steaks, Pork Sausage’s, large Kidneys
for the pie, a joint of Topside of Beef ( The Forerib of Scottish Beef is too
expensive) and two steaks, a T-Bone for me and a Sirloin for Brenda! After
dropping the shopping off at the house we went down to the local market with
Cheta and picked up some flowers and Xmas plants for presents for our
neighbours ( No more Poinsettias ! ) In the evening for supper we treated ourselves
to a whole Rodaballo ( Turbot ) baked in the oven with a garnish of large
Gambas along with Baby New Potatoes and Garden Peas. It is definitely the ‘
Queen of Fish ’ The late film was the very moving and true story of a child
prodigy and his mother, it is called “ Little Man Tate ”from 1991 and was
directed by ( Her first ) and starred Jodie Foster; Adam-Hann-Byrd is the boy –
get your hankies ready!
On Saturday
morning on all the TV channels it was the coverage of the draw of “ EL Gordo –
The Big One ” sadly we are still here, so I have put the to-do list away for
another year ! We then got things on the go for dinner with Mano,Anna,Debbie
and Dave later; I made the Steak, Kidney and Mushroom Pie filling with Diced
Onions,Leeks,Carrots,Turnips and my secret ingredients- the Kidneys which the
English Butchers got fo me were Pigs,large,the size of a Breast of Chicken and
they were soft and very tasty – as was the Pie ! See the pictures below of the before and
after, Brenda did plain Broccoli Florets, fresh Baby Sprouts with Smoked Bacon
Sippets,Garden Peas and Baby Carrots mixed and Baby New Potatoes whilst I made
‘ Paysanne ’ potatoes, deep-fried squares tossed in Sautéed diced Onions, Garlic
and Red, Green and Yellow Peppers ! We also prepared some Tapas,Chorizo,Iberia
Ham, semi Corado Cheese and my special savoury Pork Sausages cut into pieces
and coated in Lea and Perrins ( A La Savoy Hotel ) which we had with ‘ Kir
Royal ’made with a Reserva Freixenet Cava; we served a fine Rioja Reserva
Albali – for pudding we had individual Moscatal ( From our next-door neighbours
Campo) Trifles as you can see in the
picture above. Debbie, Dave and me then went on the ‘ Funkin Caipirinha’s ’- its says it on the label - made with
‘ Cachata from Brazil
Meanwhile
over in England Liverpool won,Everton won and Manchester City Barcelona Malaga Madrid Barcelona
Andy has
just dropped off ‘ Charlie ’as he and Maria are going to her family and home in
Seville for Xmas; as I was typing this the “ Xmas Bomba Band ”came along Calle
Mar so I shot up and took some pictures as you can see above.Five hours later they came down our street and stopped outside the house and wished us a Happy Xmas -I took the top picture with the mobile phone!
Thoughts
for the Day;
No road is
long with good company. Friendship isn’t
a big thing – it’s a million little things.
…
.
Friday, December 21, 2012
MANILVA LAST NIGHT.
CHRISTMAS
CONCERT AT ‘ IGLESIA de STA. ANA.
THURSDAY 20 / 12 / 2012.
Last nights
Christmas Concert was the best attended and one of the best ever musically in
the seven years that we have seen it; Fernando had put together a great
selection of different sorts of music on a very special night, it started with
‘ Bolero ’ with the full Manilva Brass Band at its best. ‘ Carmina Burana ’a
new piece was very well received as was the two choral songs from the senior
choir and then the children’s; the hit of the evening was Fernando’s
interpretation of the Gospel song ‘ Oh Happy Days ’with the lead being taken by
a young senorita with a “ Helluva ” voice! The usual ‘ Marcha Radetsky ’ – the
‘ Clapping Song ’ends the concert and for an encore the whole orchestra and the
entire choir sing ‘ Jingle Bells ’in
Spanish of course!! Sally Ann’s son
Dylan, with the Red hair was in the junior choir and one of our neighbours
children was a lead singer when five young senioritis did a choral piece. The
pictures above are taken from the Council web page as they are better than mine
! Thanks !!
Thought for
the Night;
Excellence
is the unlimited ability to improve the quality of what you have to offer.
..
.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
MANILVA THIS WEEK.
TUESDAY 18th/
WEDNESDAY 19th/ THURSDAY 20th/ DECEMBER 2012.
In the
morning Andy came around and managed to fix the Google Chrome so I’ am all back
to normal; the weather forecast is looking better each day and by Saturday we
will be in the mid 20s – just like the old days! Over Xmas is also going to be
fine which is good as we are out and about in sunny Manilva for the
festivities! Brenda went down on the bus to Sabinillas ( she actually got a
lift ) as she had an appointment at her hairdresser’s ready for Xmas; meanwhile
I walked the dog on her regular route were she does the necessary in the gutter
by the bins! When Brenda came back we decided to have a quiet day about the
house catching up with chores; in the evening for supper we had Escalope of
Turkey Breast pan fried in Lemon Butter with savory Basmati Rice that we had
got ready earlier, Sliced Green Beans and a creamy Mushroom sauce. Later on him
Classic Film Channel we caught “ The Great Escape ” from 1963! – and no Steve
McQueen does not make it! The cast is all the actors of the time, to many to
mention, at their best.
On
Wednesday as we got up the sun was out and the skies were blue; after our tea
and toast we freshened ourselves up and at lunchtime went down to Bodega
Augustin to meet the Guerrero clan as they welcomed Dave and Debbie who where
arriving at Malaga Airport and picking up a hire car; nobody was there and when
we checked Mano said he didn’t know when as they were late arriving, Bodega
Augustin was busy so we came back up to Bar Rojas and sat under the Sonbrajo in
the lunchtime sunshine( 19degs.) for a drink and some Tapas, we had the diced
Liver with a plate of Lumy’ famous Patatas Fritos on the side! Mano then rang
and said that they had arrived so we went back down where the whole clan had
gathered – it was by then even hotter in the sun( 21degs.) as we had a good
catch up. In the evening for supper we had for a change Omelette’s, Brenda had
a Cheese one and I had Ham – I make proper Omelette’s which have body and shape
not like those abominations that call Omelette’s on ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen
’!! We then watched a good film “ No Way Out ”from 1987,a murder thriller with
Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman and Sean Young, we forgot that it was ‘ Downton
Abbey ’night so we only caught the last 15 mins – the butler is out of jail !
Today,
Thursday it is another glorious day down here on the Costa Del Sol; Brenda has
her last blood pressure test of the year at lunchtime down at the surgery and
this evening we are going to the Xmas Concert in the church( Watch out for some
pictures) later.
Thoughts
for the Day;
The
greatest wealth is health. He who has
health, has hope. And he who has hope, has everything.
..
.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
MANILVA AT THE START OF A BUSY WEEK.
MONDAY 17th/
DECEMBER 2012.
Well today
has been a bit of a surprise day as the Google Chrome Browser crashed, as I got
up I went to go online and there was no response; I had an early appointment at
the surgery with the nurse for my blood and urine checks and then I was on my
way to Estepona with Mano to see our new bank manager as our online banking
system had also stopped working over the weekend! I called our friend Andy and
arranged for him to come around in the afternoon to see what he could do; the bank
gave me a new pin and password numbers and so when I got back Andy had just
arrived, so he was able to help me set up a new online banking page – we are
back to normal! The Google Chrome Browser problem proved to be a lot more difficult
and in fact Andy has been around again this morning, Tuesday, and has only just
fixed it – back to normal as well – result! Thanks Andy! ( We are having
Charlie his African grey Parrott over Xmas as he is going with Maria to Seville
The weather
forecast for the week is looking good with more sunshine and clear skies, it is
going over the 20degs. mark! We are still into our reading, Patterson’s in the
afternoon and then we have our early evening cocktails. For supper on Monday
evening we had the second pan of Ox-Tail this time with Brenda’s famous creamy
mashed potato, the left over sauce looks like it could become a soup one
lunchtime! On Sunday evening the late film was a classic western/cowboy tail
called “ Broken Trail ”from 2006; it was actually a miniseries made for TV and
won many awards at the time, it starred the excellent Robert Duvall in the main
part as a cowboy with feelings, he is one of the best actors in the part of a
cowboy, the story unfolds as he and his nephew start off on a horse drive
across the wild west and on the way pick up waifs and strays,people,not
animals! Thomas Haden Church and Greta Scacchi( the Tart with a heart ) help to
make the film one not to miss- it is very realistic and the story as it unfolds
grips you right up to the end, have your hankies ready ! On Monday evening we
watched “ Ronin ” with Robert De Niro and Jean Reno and later “ Independence
Day ”- two more great films with the best car chase’s ever filmed in ‘ Ronin ’
PS; This
week is going to be busy as we have the Xmas Concert in the Church on Thursday
evening and Anna’s relations Debbie and Dave are arriving on Wednesday for a
few days and are joing us one evening for ‘ Steak and Kidney Pie ’ Then on
Sunday we think that we are going to have a Xmas Lunch with all the trimmings!
Watch this space.
Thought for
the Day;
We would
accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.
..
.
Monday, December 17, 2012
MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.
SATURDAY 15th / SUNDAY 16th/ DECEMBER 2012.
This weekend we are taking things easy after the week’s happenings; we had a little lie in and then pottered about the house, the weather is still dry and the forecast is for more sun into next week, the temperature is hovering at around 19degs, so our walks are rather pleasant as we wonder around the village with Cheta. We are still the hottest place in Europe ! In the afternoon I watched the football from England Liverpool – oh dear – they lost at home to Aston Villa 1-3 and looked terrible exposed in defense. Everton had a draw against Stoke, sorry Brian and Manchester Utd. won as did City at Newcastle
Today, Sunday we had another good lie in; I then after our tea and toast I set too and made ‘Rabo De Toro ’for the first time! I have used a recipe that I saw on a TV programme that showed the Head Chef of a hotel in Pamplona preparing; I browned off the floured Ox-Tails in virgin Olive Oil and then removed them and cooked off the sliced Onions,Garlic,Carrots,Celery and Turnips, replaced them in the two pans and added a bottle of Red Wine and then a strong Beef and Vegetable Stock,seasond the pots and cooked for the first two hours, then you remove the Ox-Tails and blend the sauces and put them back in the rich Ox-Tail sauce for another two hours! Traditionally it is served with thin sliced fried potatoes – no problem there then! Brenda still wants her vegetables so she has made Cabbage with Alselgas and Baby Carrots. Afterwards we freshened ourselves up and went for a walk; we bumped into Anna so stopped at Bodega Augustin for a coffee. Tonight the football in Spain Barcelona Barcelona
PS; Real Madrid could only manage a 2-2 draw at home but Barcelona
Thought for the Day;
Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time.
..
.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)