Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
MANILVA AT THE START OF THE WEEK
MONDAY 28th/
TUESDAY 29th/ WEDNESDAY 30th/ JANUARY 2013.
Well the
sun and clear blue skies are well and truly back as you can see in the pictures
below taken on Wednesday lunchtime; it is reaching 22deg and the forecast for
over the weekend and into next week is more of the same; we went for a long
walk with the dog and ended up down at Bodega Augustin for coffee. In the
afternoon Brenda is able to go up on the roof terrace and read for a couple of
hours, it is also good drying weather so the washing is all up to date! On
Monday evening we had cold Lamb for supper with the leftovers, we always enjoy
cold roast meats, they are so tasty and with some ‘ Clever ‘ carving we ended
up with two full meals and enough for a sandwich.
On Tuesday
it was more of the same as we took in the tranquility and atmosphere of the
village; no appointments this week so we are taking things easy as we are
coming up to some busy weeks ahead. In the evening for supper we had Pork
Cutlets with Boulangere Potatoes and Cabbage with Alsegas,fresh from our next
door neighbor’s campo
Today,
Wednesday I made some Braised Steak and Onions for supper; I get it ready and
pop it in the oven this evening to finish, we are having New Potatoes and
Garden Peas and Carrots with it before we settle down to watch the TV. At
lunchtime as you can see we went for a walk around the village, the football
ground is looking good ( It’s Artificial !) as there is a busy sports weekend
ahead. The work on ‘ Plaza Pozo Del Rey’ is coming along slowly as they do the
finishening touches. The work on the church is due to start on February 1st
so I have taken some pictures of the outside before it starts, inside
pictures to follow; yesterday there was a council meeting in the church with
all the relevant people there as it is a large job and is going to take over
nine months to complete. Watch this space. Tonight it is the ‘ Copa Del
Rey’Semi-final first leg Real Madrid v Barcelona
PS; The
folks have just rung to say that their trip is booked/on for June,they are very
excited just as we are – come on Jack and Lyn we can’t wait!
Over the
last couple of days we have had a ‘ Busy’ time watching all sorts of films; “
Ride with Devil ” from 1999 is a compelling tale based in Missouri at the start
of the Civil War and stars Tobey Maguire and in the female role ‘ Jewel’? Later
we caught a very gripping and very well acted story of a family in mid- America
PPS; We also managed to catch Thea on the Skype video in the evening to wish her 'Happy Birthday' and at the same time we had a good chat and caught up with all their news over in a very cold Old Colwyn.
PPS; We also managed to catch Thea on the Skype video in the evening to wish her 'Happy Birthday' and at the same time we had a good chat and caught up with all their news over in a very cold Old Colwyn.
Thoughts
for the Day;
If you wish
to reach the highest, begin at the lowest.
Ambition is but the evil shadow of aspiration.
…
.
Monday, January 28, 2013
MANILVA ON SUNDAY.
SUNDAY 27th/
JANUARY 2013.
Another
sunny day as we got up but with a little wind blowing in; we got our ‘ Sunday
Roast’ on the go – Shoulder of Spanish Lamb studded with Garlic and Rosemary
finished on Boulangere Potatoes,Cauilflower and Broccoli florets Mornay and
Garden Peas with diced Carrots and I made a rather good finger coating Rosemary
Gravy. We then freshened ourselves up and went up to Bar Rojas for a drink and
Tapas sat under the Sonbrajo.
Later in
the afternoon it was the 4th round of the FA.Cup over in England Oldham , at the same time Spurs lost at
Leeds Utd 2-1 and Chelsea Getafe Barcelona
After our
dinner in the evening washed down with a rather nice Rioja we settled down to
watch a film; “ Ocean’s 13” from 2007 with an ensemble cast including George
Clooney,Brad Pitt,Matt Damon, Andy Garcia,Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin in one ‘
Helluva ’ Red dress – just! Later we caught another good Tom Clancy tail with
his character ‘ Jack Ryan’played by Harrison Ford in “ Clear And Present
Danger” from 1994.
PS; As I am
typing this, on Monday morning I have opened the ‘ Brenda Birthday Slush Fund ’
which we are putting something into every week after our call on the Skype
video from Jack and Lyn over in Melbourne confirming that they are coming over
in June; more details to follow at a later date as I plan the weekend
celebrations for Brenda’s birthday- where to go for dinner on the Saturday
night and of course where to have Sunday lunch – just to start ?! Brenda has
spoken to her sisters over in England
Thoughts
for the Day;
We all live
under the same sky, but we don’t all have the same horizon. Family is the most effective form of
government.
..
.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
MANILVA THIS WEEKEND.
SATURDAY 26
th/ JANUARY 2013
We had a
nice lie in on Saturday morning and awoke to clear but cool day, the forecast
is getting back to normal by Monday and next week it is getting warmer – up to
21degs! After our tea and toast we got in touch with Jack and Lyn on the Skype
video – we wished them “ Happy Australia Day ” – they had a ‘ Barbie’ in the
afternoon with some friends that had come around; it was the evening there so
they were watching the Tennis which is just up the road from them in Melbourne.
It sound like they are planning to come over later in the year for six weeks
and visit the sisters over in England and at the same time take in Scotland and
of course come and stay with us ! Brenda is already getting excited as this
year her birthday in June is a big one – which we going to celebrate in style!
There is also the possibility that Norah and Jenny might come over at the same
time – so we would have the four sisters together here - Watch this space !!!! As
you can see in the picture above Jane has become a grandmother for the third
time when her daughter Alexa had a bouncing baby boy- Harry on Friday. Over in
England it was FA Cup day – Everton beat Bolton 1-2 and City just managed to
beat Stoke 0-1. In the evening for supper we had our English Sirloin steaks, as
you can see in the picture above! We had finely sliced Green Beans with Baby
Button Mushrooms and crisp Chips – we then found a film to watch “ Point Break
”from 1991 with Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze and Gary Busey in a story of a FBI
agent who goes under cover as a surfer to catch a gang of bankrobbers.
PS; This morning,Monday Jack and Lyn called on the Skype video to say that they are booking their visit to England,for six weeks arriving in London on the 8th June ! It means that they will be able to fly out to see us with Norah and Jenny for the weekend of the 22nd on Brenda's 70th birthday celebrations- to say that everybody is excited is somewhat of an under statement !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Watch this space.
PS; This morning,Monday Jack and Lyn called on the Skype video to say that they are booking their visit to England,for six weeks arriving in London on the 8th June ! It means that they will be able to fly out to see us with Norah and Jenny for the weekend of the 22nd on Brenda's 70th birthday celebrations- to say that everybody is excited is somewhat of an under statement !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Watch this space.
Thought for
the Day;
Only
Mothers can think of the future, because they give birth to it in their
children.
..
.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
MANILVA AT THE START OF THE WEEKEND
THURSDAY 24th/
FRIDAY 25th/ JANUARY 2013.
Well the
wet stuff hit us over night, as we got up on Thursday morning the heavens
opened, but only for a short while as it settled down to a cool dry grey day
for a change in sunny Manilva! We are still very lucky as the rest of Spain is
getting it bad with heavy snow and severe rain storms; the forecast for the
weekend is better with no rain and gradually getting more sun and clear skies
by Sunday/Monday – back to normal and the temperature will be back up to 20degs+!
We settled down to some serious reading in the afternoon and later in the
evening for supper we had Grilled Sausages,Tomato,Heinz Baked Beans, Fried Eggs
and Chips with of course HP Brown sauce!
We then
watched the news and then found on TVE2 a delightful film called “ Crush ”from
2001 – it is the story of three forty-something career woman, a headmistress
played by the very watch able Andie Macdowell,the village doctor played by Anna
Chancellor and the local police superintendent is the excellent Imelda Staunton
– it follows their life’s in a rural village in middle England in the present
day; it is very moving and very well acted and there is a big surprise as their
story unfolds - get the hanky ready!
Later on
one of the other channels it was the football, a late 10-00pm kick off in the ‘
Copa Del Rey’ quarter final second-leg over here at Malaga, it was a thrilling game,
Pique got on the score sheet and dedicated his goal to his new born son ‘ Milan
!? It was 4-2 0n the night and 6-4 on aggregate as Barcelona set up a
semi-final place against their arch-rivals Real Madrid who progressed after
beating Valencia, the other semi-final is between Athletico Madrid who play
Sevilla.
This
morning,Friday we shot down early to Sabinillas for our weekend shopping; it is still
cool and overcast so we are having another at home day; the dog is here and is
playing around the house as she shadows Brenda. Mano and Anna called in to pick up the papers and have a chat just after lunch. Tonight we are having Fresh
Large Gambas( See the picture's above) again as they are so cheap at the moment,
I will try them out on our new griddle pan- dry with just a little salt and
lots of Lemon Juice on them after they are cooked! Mmmm!!! Later we caught a very good legal thriller " A Time to Kill " from 1996 based in the deep south of Mississippi with a great cast; Mathew McConaughey,Kevin Spacey,Patrick McGoohan,Donald and Kiefor Sutherland,Samuel L Jackson,Ashley Judd and Sandra Bullock ! The late film was " The Bourne Identity " with Matt Damon.
PS; This afternoon we managed to catch up with Tim, Thea and Jo on the Skype video- they had already started celebrating Jo getting a job set up in September after leaving university - at a school in downtown Ellesmere Port !Well done Jo !!
PS; This afternoon we managed to catch up with Tim, Thea and Jo on the Skype video- they had already started celebrating Jo getting a job set up in September after leaving university - at a school in downtown Ellesmere Port !Well done Jo !!
Thought for
the Day;
A joy
that’s shared is a joy made double.
…
.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
MANILVA AT THE START OF THE WEEK
MONDAY 21st/
TUESDAY 22nd/ WEDNESDAY 23rd/ JANUARY 2013.
The local
forecast for here is a little colder this week and some of the wet stuff
towards the end of the week although the skies are still clear and the sun is
out at the moment; the rest of Spain it getting it rather bad with floods, high
winds and snow storms so we can’t complain! On Monday we had a at home day
pottering about the house and catching up with the chores; I ended up in the
office checking out the WWW.In the evening for
supper we had flattened Turkey Breast cooked on the griddle and coated in
foaming Lime Butter with baby New Potatoes and Garden Peas – simple but nice –
we then watched “ Double Impact ”from 1991 starring ‘ 2 ’Jean Claude Van
Damme’s as if ‘1 ’ is not enough – he wrote(?) and co-produced the film and
tries to act the two parts! Hilarious!!
On Tuesday
morning we went for a walk around the village with the dog; the work on the ‘
Plaza Pozo Del Rey ’is going along slowly as you can see in the picture below,
the council have just announced that at the same time they are going to put in
new drains in the surrounding streets and then resurface them so as to finish
off the project properly! Next month the work is due to start on ‘ Santa Ana ’Church
which will take over nine months to complete – the scaffolding is going up
inside and out to get access to all the corners that are battered ! Watch this
space. In the afternoon we found a rather nice film “ The Fabulous Baker Boys ”
from 1989 starring the real life brothers, Jeff and Beau Bridges
We picked
up some Pork Cutlets from our butchers which we had in the evening for supper –
I grilled them on our new griddle pan, which is very good and Brenda got the
Cabbage with Alselgas and Mashed Carrots and Turnips on the go – I made a new
Potato dish with cooked / cubed cold new potatoes fried in foaming butter with
chopped Onions and Garlic, diced Red Peppers and cubed Smoked Ham – rather
tasty and just right with Cutlets. It was then ‘ Cowboy’ time – a classic John
Wayne movie called “ The Sons of Katie Elder ” from 1965 with Dean Martin and
George Kennedy as one of the baddies! It’s the story of the four brothers
trying to atone for their sins to a saintly mother who has recently died – John
Wayne at his best !
This
morning, Wednesday we were up early as I had an appointment at our doctors to
update him on my hospital visits and also renew a prescriptions, he also gave
Brenda the once over – so it was two birds killed with one stone! Today with
the ‘ Lavante’ wind blowing it is the first time that our night-time
temperatures are due to drop below 10degs! – the day-time temperature is still
hovering at 15/16degs with the sunny still out! Yesterday on Facebook Tim
posted a picture of himself playing golf at Old Colwyn(?) Come on over Tim as you will need your
sunglasses and no woolly hat to play here in Sunny Manilva at our local courses
!! See the pictures above. This evening is ‘ Curry Night’ here in Manilva with
some of my now famous Chicken Curry from the other week on the menu; we will
then channel hop and watch the news and then a film.
Thoughts
for the Day;
It’s what
you learn after you know it all counts.
You learn something every day if you pay attention.
..
.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.
SATURDAY 19th/
SUNDAY 20th/ JANUARY 2013.
After the
storm had passed we were left with the wind gusting every so often; at
lunchtime it brought down our next door neighbours, Anna, shutters which I
retrieved from up the street for her, so it was a at home day for the Sextons
in a still unbelievably sunny Manilva! The dog appeared during the morning; she
missed crashing through the shutters as usual and stayed inside playing for the
rest of the morning. In the afternoon I watched the football from England Liverpool had a good win against Norwich Manchester City Southampton . Over in ‘ La Liga ’there was a big shock when Barcelona squandered a
0-2 lead and lost 2-3 at Real Sociedad who scored the winning goal in injury
time! In the evening for supper it was our usual ‘Steak Night ’ with our new ‘
Griddle Pan’ that we bought on Friday in Supersol-a bargain as it is a very
heavy duty one that we have been looking for; we then settled down to watch a
film, it was a Spanish film, we do watch some Spanish films as we are just
about able to follow them, called “The 13 Roses”from 2007.We have seen it
before and I have written about it on the blog, but as we learn more about
Spain and the Civil War we are able to understand more about the history, the
13 women,Republian supporters and at the same time 48 men were shot towards the
end of the Civil war in 1939, in Madrid as Franco was starting to celebrate
winning in reprisal for the shooting of some of his supporters- they had
nothing to do with the killings – they were innocent victims ! It is very moving and of course it is a true
story so it brings home the horrors of the Civil War which to this day are
still remembered in a ceremony at the graves each year – the war is still in
the news, only last week they were exhuming bodies from a mass grave and the
scars run deep in politics and government.
On Sunday
we had a little lie in before Getting the ‘ Coq Au Vin’ on the go; sadly Andy
had to call off as he had been called into work at the Aparthotel on the 5-12
shifts so our second choice, standbys guests – Mano and Anna were invited and
excepted! Mano helped me to put the shutter back up when they arrived and we
then had a very enjoyable meal as you can see in the picture below; I even had Croutons
as a garnish, you can see the marks on them from the new griddle pan and
Brenda’s mash went down a treat, I had made the ‘Crepe ’mix in the morning and
we had then with Sugar and Lemon and Vanilla Ice cream! I had watched the
football in the afternoon, Chelsea just managed to hold onto a win against
Arsenal 2-1and then Utd,could only draw with Spurs 1-1 who equalized in injury
time much to Sir Alex’s displeasure! Here Real Madrid thrashed Valencia 0-5
with Ronaldo scoring 2 and Atl.Madrid won 2-0 so are now only 8 points behind
Barcelona with Real up to 15 points adrift! We than caught up with the news and
weather on TVE1.
Thoughts
for the Day;
Bravery is
being the only one who knows you’re afraid. Fight till the last gasp.
…
.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Saturday, January 19, 2013
MANILVA WEATHERFLASH
SATURDAY 19TH JANUARY 2013
We were rudely woken this morning with a very loud crash/bang; our front door shutter had been blown off and ended up half-way up our street ! The forecast for today was severe storms with heavy rain and hurricane force winds!! It is the tail end of the weather that is hitting the rest of Europe and the UK -It come's in from the Atlantic in the west and then turns towards the north east of Spain.As usual down here in Sunny Manilva when it rains - it does it properly!! I had to go out with only my bathrobe on to retrieve them - I can confirm that the wind was blowing up the street and was hitting the parts that it should not!! It is back to normal tomorrow on the forecast,sun and 19degs - fingers crossed.
..
We were rudely woken this morning with a very loud crash/bang; our front door shutter had been blown off and ended up half-way up our street ! The forecast for today was severe storms with heavy rain and hurricane force winds!! It is the tail end of the weather that is hitting the rest of Europe and the UK -It come's in from the Atlantic in the west and then turns towards the north east of Spain.As usual down here in Sunny Manilva when it rains - it does it properly!! I had to go out with only my bathrobe on to retrieve them - I can confirm that the wind was blowing up the street and was hitting the parts that it should not!! It is back to normal tomorrow on the forecast,sun and 19degs - fingers crossed.
..
Friday, January 18, 2013
MANILVA AT THE START OF THE WEEKEND.
THURSDAY 17th/
FRIDAY 18th/ JANUARY 2013.
It was
still sunny and clear on Thursday as we went for our walk with the dog; when we
got back Andy called in and as you can see fixed the seat covers in the Fiesta.
Next on the list to fix/update is the radio and then we are up to date,
hopefully, with the car! I managed to get the BBCTVIPlayer working for a short
while and so I was able to catch up with ‘Saturday Morning Kitchen. One of the
guest Chefs made a golden oldie ‘ Coq Au Vin’ so this Sunday for a change I’ve
put it on the menu; he showed how to cut up the whole Chicken into 13 equal
pieces, I think I can get more – watch this space! This morning we found in the
wholesale greengrocers down in Sabinillas some Shallots for the first time, so
my recipe will be very authentic along with the Button Mushrooms and Bacon
Lardons cut from a thick slice of our local Bacon; I’am marinating the Chicken
pieces in a whole bottle of local Red Wine on Saturday ready for Sunday; we are
going to have Brenda’s famous Mashed Potato with it and Baby Carrots and Garden
Peas mixed, another old favourite.Andy and Marie are joining us for dinner – I’
am going to also make my famous ‘ Crepes ’cooked to order and served with all
sorts of sweet goodies! After supper on Thursday evening, we had ‘Pan Seared
Calves Liver’ with a small Lamb Chop from the English butchers over in
Guadalmina,which we picked up on the way back from the hospital together with
more Lyonnaise Potatoes that I had made – we watched our Spanish Soap and
caught up with the ‘ Copa Del Rey’ results, Real Madrid beat Valencia 2-0 in
the first leg and Barcelona drew with Malaga 2-2 in Madrid after going two up –
the return leg in Malaga next week is going to be a cracker! It means that if Barcelona
This
morning we have been down to Sabinillas for the shopping, we called into the
Sports Office on the way and got a refund for our basketball tickets; as you
can see below we missed a really exciting game in the main sports hall over in Malaga,
two coaches went with 110 people from the village – Real Madrid beat Unicaja Malaga
64-72 – It is on TVE1 on Sunday on the Basketball highlights show so we will
watch it then! Over in Pori Finland
PS; This afternoon a letter arrived in our post box from Finland(Correctly) addressed to the Don and Dona Sexton;it was a very nice thank you card for us both and a typical birthday card for me - the problem is that it has taken nearly five months to get to us from Brian and Lilli in Pori !! They must have sent it in September 2012 after their visit for 'Vandimia ' at the start of the month !! Thanks and love to Brian and Lilli - Keep warm !!
PPS; When can we expect the Xmas card to arrive !!!!!!!!!!! ( It did arrive on time - only joking !)
PS; This afternoon a letter arrived in our post box from Finland(Correctly) addressed to the Don and Dona Sexton;it was a very nice thank you card for us both and a typical birthday card for me - the problem is that it has taken nearly five months to get to us from Brian and Lilli in Pori !! They must have sent it in September 2012 after their visit for 'Vandimia ' at the start of the month !! Thanks and love to Brian and Lilli - Keep warm !!
PPS; When can we expect the Xmas card to arrive !!!!!!!!!!! ( It did arrive on time - only joking !)
Thoughts
for the Day;
Adversity
introduces a man to himself. Tough
times never last, but tough people do.
..
.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
MANILVA TONIGHT NEWFLASH
This evening at 6-30pm my phone went,it was Mario our local councilor ,who is the Sports Director, asking me why we had not caught the bus to the Basketball in Malaga ? The Sports office rang me yesterday and confirmed that the bus was leaving at 6-15pm.The poster and the office clearly says Friday 18th January ! Oh Dear !! We are very upset to miss our trip out to watch the game between Unicaja Malaga v Real Madrid - yesterday I had been online checking out the teams and the latest results in the ' Turkish Airlines Euroleague 'and while I was researching about basketball in general I noticed in the fixtures that the game was listed for Thursday 17th/ January but did not think anything of it as the poster clearly shows the Friday date !! It turns out that they had printed the poster wrong!! I wrongly thought that the date had been changed - you know what 'Thought Did'
..
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
MANILVA AND MARBELLA
TUESDAY 15th/
WEDNESDAY 16th/ JANUARY 2013.
Tuesday was
an at home day taking things easy; the ‘ Lavante ’ wind was blowing in off the
Mediterranean so it was rather cold but the sun was still out, in the rest of
Spain in the mountains they were on a ‘ Red Alert’ for heavy snow and in all
the Northern Regions it was the ‘ Orange Alert’ for rain ! So we are getting
our heads into our latest books during the day and in the evening as usual we
are Channel hopping; for supper last night we had Minute Steak and Chips and
then watched a rather strange film called “ Judgment at Nuremberg ”from 1961! It starred, wait for it, Spencer
Tracy,Burt Lancaster.Richard Widmark,Maximillian Schell, who won the Oscar for
Best Actor, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift,Werner Klemperer
and even William Shatner in the story of the trails of the non-combatants and
the crimes that they committed in violation of the Law of Nations.
This morning,
Wednesday, we were up bright and breezy, just like the weather, as I had my six
month ‘ Prostrate’ check up with my Consultant over at the Costa Del Sol Hospital Marbella Marbella
PS; On Thursday lunchtime Andy called in and worked out how to fit the seat covers,as you can see above ! Thanks Andy( And Brenda) for getting the job done !!
PS; On Thursday lunchtime Andy called in and worked out how to fit the seat covers,as you can see above ! Thanks Andy( And Brenda) for getting the job done !!
Thoughts
for the Day;
Happiness lies,
first of all, in health. Health and
intellect are two blessings of life.
…
.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND AND AT THE START OF THIS WEEK
SATURDAY 12th/SUNDAY
13th/MONDAY 14th/ JANUARY 2013.
On Saturday
after going down to the Sports Complex we came back to Bar Rojas and sat in the
lunchtime sunshine and had a nice drink and some Tapas; in the afternoon I
watched a little football from England Swansea
We had a
little lie in on Sunday morning and then got the roast on the go, as you can
see in the pictures Blog below! After we finished and had freshened up we had a
Smoked Bacon Buttie to keep us going; I then retired to the office to watch the
football from England Liverpool lost to Manchester Utd. 1-2 but
played very well for last 30 mins and deserved a draw! Then Manchester City
Mano and
Anna joined us for dinner and brought a very nice bottle of Champagne
This
morning, Monday we went down to the Cultural Department Offices next to the
Sports Office to enquire about a coach trip to Cadiz in February; we bumped
into Mario and thanked him for arranging the tickets for the basketball this
Friday then our friend Lucy who works in the office told us about the trip. It
is on Sunday the 10TH/ February and leaves at 8-00am in the morning
and does not get back until after 10-00pm! It is the ‘ Carnival ’ in Cadiz
which takes place over ten days from the 7th to the 17th
February and is the largest in Spain and one of the top three in the world!-
with millions of visitors to the city and all the hotels booked for years in
advance. This weekend in the city the food festivals have started and also over
the next few weeks the singing groups “ Quartets Chirigota ”perform at the
spectacular ‘Gran Teatro Falla’ It is ‘ Party Time ’in a big way with lots of
live music and singing, rides and fireworks,Tablaos and by tradition you dress
in should dress in fancy dress costumes and masks !! Watch this space. We have
booked our tickets !! Cadiz Iberian Peninsula and one of the oldest in Spain Old Town
PS; The
pictures above show the ongoing work on the ‘ Plaza Pozo Del Rey’ and the
children’s playground on another fine day here in sunny Manilva.
Thoughts
for the Day;
We wander
for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.
Not all those who wander are lost.
…
.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
MANILVA SUNDAY MORNING KITCHEN
The pictures below show today's Roast Topside of Beef,cooked Rare as you can see;and this morning's preparation ready for tonights dinner; Brenda has her usual vegetables,Cauliflower and Broccoli florets coated in a three Cheese sauce( Mature Cheddar,Gouda and Parmesan) Carrots with diced Turnip,Cabbage with Aselgas,Parsnip Chips( Fried later) and Baby New Potatoes( Skinned when cool) Tonight there will also be Garden Peas.I will post a picture of the Yorkshire Puddings and the Goose Fat Roast Potatoes when they come out of the oven later ! Finally the Finger licking Pan Gravy is cooking out in the roasting tray.
..
Saturday, January 12, 2013
MANILVA TODAY.
SATURDAY 12th/ JANUARY 2013.
After a nice lie in this morning we had Brenda's famous Poached Eggs on Toast for breakfast as you can see in the picture below! The picture below of Old Sabinillas back in 1965 shows it as a fishing pueblo with the road up to Manilva in the middle of the picture - the large building is a mystery at the moment! Not any more - it was one of the first hotels in the area - knocked down in the late 70s! ( Thanks Gary )
We have just got back from the sports field,the football on the seven-a-side was between the Police in Blue, of course!( The team everybody wants to beat) and a' Latinos ' team.Meanwhile in the sports hall the junior Basketball on the half-size with low baskets arena was Manilva in the black and another local team - very competitive and lots of energy.
While we were down at the football we bumped into Gary from'Manilva Media Workshop' who also produces the 'Resident' newspaper,the ' Manilva Life ' web-page and also has a live music programme on FM. I'am now the official Manilva correspondent ( Part-Time,Retired,Non- Stipendiary ) for all of the above and also a contributing editor ( Sic!) from our blog-page !! Watch this space.
..
After a nice lie in this morning we had Brenda's famous Poached Eggs on Toast for breakfast as you can see in the picture below! The picture below of Old Sabinillas back in 1965 shows it as a fishing pueblo with the road up to Manilva in the middle of the picture - the large building is a mystery at the moment! Not any more - it was one of the first hotels in the area - knocked down in the late 70s! ( Thanks Gary )
We have just got back from the sports field,the football on the seven-a-side was between the Police in Blue, of course!( The team everybody wants to beat) and a' Latinos ' team.Meanwhile in the sports hall the junior Basketball on the half-size with low baskets arena was Manilva in the black and another local team - very competitive and lots of energy.
While we were down at the football we bumped into Gary from'Manilva Media Workshop' who also produces the 'Resident' newspaper,the ' Manilva Life ' web-page and also has a live music programme on FM. I'am now the official Manilva correspondent ( Part-Time,Retired,Non- Stipendiary ) for all of the above and also a contributing editor ( Sic!) from our blog-page !! Watch this space.
..
Friday, January 11, 2013
MANILVA AT THE START OF THE WEEKEND.
THURSDAY 10th/
FRIDAY 11th/ JANUARY 2013.
We awoke to
yet another sunny morning, the sun shines into our bedroom as we pull up the
blinds; it was so nice that when we went for a walk with Cheta, we did not need
our coats, we ended up down at Bodega Augustin and bumped into Mano and Anna
who were out for their morning walk and coffee; we caught up with all their
news and some village gossip; we have asked them for Sunday Dinner as we are
planning to roast the Topside of Beef, we will have to wait and see as they
never know what they are doing it’s
called ‘ Hasta Manana ’! In the afternoon Brenda retired to the roof terrace
and I tried to watch ‘Saturday Morning Kitchen ’on the BBCIPlayer – I’ am
having problems getting a good contact – it must be the satellite updates that
they are setting in motion. In the evening for supper we had Cold Smoked York
Ham with Egg and Chips before we caught up with football news; it was the ‘
Copa Del Rey ’( Same as our FA Cup ) – Barcelona
PS; Mano and Anna have just confirmed that they are coming on Sunday.
PS; Mano and Anna have just confirmed that they are coming on Sunday.
This
morning we went down to Sabinilas for the weekend shopping; we called and
picked up the papers and also some more books ‘ Patterson’s ’for our reading.
After we came back we walked down to market with the dog for flowers and I
spotted some socks on the 241 stall at 3euros! I then went across to the council Sports office and enquired again about the Basketball tickets,we were on the waiting list but they informed me that they had had a phone call and we are on the trip next Friday - result - it pays to have friends in high place's !We are waiting on Jane sending
us their flight details for ‘ Valentines ’weekend on the 15th Feb.
We are really looking forward to our first guests this year and hope that the
sunny weather hold out! Tonight we are having some large fresh Gambas to start
– A La Plancha – with sea salt and then the rest of the Goujons of Hake with
homemade Tartare sauce from last week. It is then film night so we will channel
hop and find something to watch.I found the " Shooter " from 2007 - a conspiracy thriller with Mark Wahlberg in the title role and Danny Glover,for a change,as the baddie!
Thought for
the Day;
Television
is the triumph of machine over people.
..
.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
MANILVA OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
TUESDAY 8th/
WEDNESDAY 9th/ JANUARY 2013.
After
breakfast on Tuesday morning, tea and toast, Brenda took Cheta around to the
vets for a shampoo and brush up and picked her up later – not very good, she
looked just the same so we are going to look after her in the future; we do a
much better job anyway! It was a take it easy day at home as I caught up with
the WWW. and Brenda pottered about; in the afternoons she is able to go up on
the roof terrace for a couple of hours as it warms up and the sun is overhead.
We have finished our books so on Friday we will call into the English bookshop
and exchange them; In the evening we had Minute Steak’s with Baked Potatoes for
supper and then channel hopped and watched the news.
Yesterday morning,
Wednesday, we had to get up early as we both had appointments with our doctor
at the surgery; we updated our medications and he gave us the once over and
checked out two appointments at the hospital, one is next week for my six month
check up with the Prostrate, I have the X-Ray and the blood and urine results
have gone through to the hospital – so fingers crossed! Meanwhile it is keep taking the tablets!! Brenda
requested something different for supper so I came up with “ Chuleta De Cerdo
Charcutiere ” – Pork Cutlet served with a very sharp Piquant sauce – I made the
sauce in the morning, finely diced Onions sweated off and then White Wine and
Beef stock added and reduced, then I added the finely sliced Gherkins along
with a three Mustard paste and finished with small amount of a rich Beef glaze
– seasoned to taste – the aromas wafted around the house and up the street! Not
bad even if I do say so myself !! We had them with the last of the Boulangere
Potatoes and Cabbage with Alselgas and diced Carrots and baby Turnips – comfort
food for the Gods!
Just a
reminder that we are open for visitors, the calendar is ready – book early to
avoid disappointment – bed and breakfast, full English or Spanish with full
board available including Gourmet International/Local cuisine with fine wines
personally selected by your hosts. Chauffeur escorted excursions to all parts,
dining out experiences at local Ventas and Restaurants, Golf at local courses
can be arranged and swimming both indoors and out, weather permitting. Beach
visits are not a problem and the local bars are well stocked with all our
favorite drinks and wine – a warm welcome is ensured – Airport transfers are
included with a stop off for Tapas to set the tone for your holiday experience
! Come on over the ‘ Kir Royal ’welcome drink made with Freixenet Cava Brut is
chilled and ready!
PS; We have just had our first enquiry/booking for the weekend of the 15th February from Jane and David over in Cheshire !
PS; We have just had our first enquiry/booking for the weekend of the 15th February from Jane and David over in Cheshire !
Thoughts
for the Day;
Each friend
represents a world in us, a world possible not born until they arrive. No road
is long with good company.
…
.
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
MANILVA AT THE START OF THE WEEK.
MONDAY 7th/
JANUARY 2013.
Monday was
a bank holiday here in Spain for the ‘ Three Kings ’on Sunday; the village was
very quiet after the day before which is a real family day with children all
over the place running around with toys. The weather forecast for the week is
more of the same – Sun with the temperature hovering at around 18/19 degs!
First thing it was time for the Xmas decorations to come down; Father Christmas
has left the house! In the post we had a Xmas card from Jeff and Annette in Kuala Lumpur
At
lunchtime we went up to Bar Rojas for some Tapas as you can see in the picture
below; we sat in the warm sunshine as it reached 23 degs and enjoyed our drinks
and Lumy’s Diced Liver with Patatas Fritas. In the evening just before supper
the phone went; it was our very old and dear friend Rafael in Madrid ringing to
let us know that his very dear and lovely wife Jill had died just after the New
Year – we were just about to make contact with them as for the first time in
over 45 years we did not receive an Xmas card from him – it turned out that he
had been at the hospital all over Xmas.I met Rafael and Jill at the Stork Hotel
in Liverpool back in 1965 when I was an assistant manager and he was the senior
assistant manager,he had just got married to Jill, a Birmingham girl, at the
time ! They were both very good to us seven years ago when we first came to Spain Madrid Spain Toledo
Over in
England in the FA Cup game Everton won at Cheltenham 1-5 to make Brian very
happy and Lionel Messi won the ‘Ballon d’Or ’for the forth year running as the
worlds best player; Ronaldo was not a happy bunny and it knocked the smirk of
his face! Vicente Del Bosque won the coach of the year. The late film was a ‘
Caper Movie ’ “ Entrapment ” from 1999 with Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta
Jones in the main roles, it end’s up in Kuala Lumpur at the ‘ Petronas Towers
’which are just across the road from Jeff and Annett’s condo – it’s a small
world!
Thought for
the Day;
Life brings
simple pleasures to us every day. It is up to us to make them wonderful
memories.
..
.
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