Tuesday, December 31, 2013
DRY AND WARM IN SUNNY MANILVA ON NEW YEARS EVE 2013;
TUESDAY 31st/
DECEMBER 2013!
Another
nice lie in this morning as we all overslept as its very quiet in the village
today; after our tea and toast we had our showers and freshened ourselves up
for the day ahead. We then went for a walk around the village with the dogs, we
called into the small photographic shop inside one of the bars to have the
camera checked out – no luck! Brenda stocked up with some more essentials form
our local ‘Mini-supermarket’ in our street and I called into the bank.
The weather
forecast is dry and sunny with no wind, not like the rest of Spain
Tonight’s
supper is ready ‘Steak a la Plancha’ – the steaks are trimmed and seasoned, the
chips have been blanched, the Mushrooms are ready and the finely sliced Green
Beans have been cooked! We are having tomorrow at lunchtime Smoked Salmon and
Scrambled Eggs instead of the Brunch with a nice bottle of chilled Cava Reserva;
then in the evening we are looking forward to the marinated Lamb!
I’ve been
catching up with the E-mails this morning; we had our second musical card from England
Later this afternoon our dear friend Rafael from Madrid called to wish us all the best for 2014,I've know Rafael since 1965 back in Liverpool when I went to work at the 'Stork Hotel' in Queens Square as a Trainee Assistant Manager - he had just married his beloved wife Jill who sadly passed away at this time last year;so we had a good catch up as he has three sons,since our last chat he has become a grandfather for the fourth time! - We wish him and all his family a 'Healthy and Wealthy New Year'
Later this afternoon our dear friend Rafael from Madrid called to wish us all the best for 2014,I've know Rafael since 1965 back in Liverpool when I went to work at the 'Stork Hotel' in Queens Square as a Trainee Assistant Manager - he had just married his beloved wife Jill who sadly passed away at this time last year;so we had a good catch up as he has three sons,since our last chat he has become a grandfather for the fourth time! - We wish him and all his family a 'Healthy and Wealthy New Year'
I’ve got my
2014 Wall Chart Planner ready – we are taking bookings – book early to avoid
disappointment!
After
supper this evening we will watch the ‘New Year’ arrive on TVE 1 which come
live from the ‘Plaza Puerto De Sol’ in Madrid; we have our small tins ready of
the traditional 12 grapes that you eat on each stroke of Midnight! We are then
going to walk down to the Mirador at the entrance to the village to watch the
fireworks along the coast below; depending on the weather we might carry on and
call into to see Mano at the hotel – but it’s a bit of a walk back!
Thought for
the Day; See above.
..
Monday, December 30, 2013
DRY AND WARM IN SUNNY MANILVA AT THE START OF THE WEEK;
MONDAY 30th/DECEMER
2013.
We had a
little lie in this morning, all three of us as Charlie didn’t get up! After our
tea and toast I made tonight’s supper – ‘ Sausage Casserole’ in a Red wine
gravy with Onions, Mushrooms and Smoked Bacon; Brenda has gone down on the bus
to Sabinillas to do some light shopping and when she comes back she is making
her famous ‘Mashed Potatoes’I met here off the bus with the the two dogs.
Mano has
just rang to say that he has booked the car into the garage on his way home, on
Thursday morning for its service and check, fingers crossed! I called into the
small bank in the village so later when we are out with both of the dogs I will
go into the butchers for our New Years Eve ‘Steak a la Plancha’When I was in the butchers he had a nice piece of Local Lamb,off the bone,that he had marinated in Virgin Oil,White wine and mixed fresh herbs - so we are having it for supper on New Years Day with Boulangere Potatoes .
No plans
for tomorrow night, so far, so we will proberly go down to watch the fireworks
down on the coast from the Mirador at the bottom of the village; as I’ am
typing this the ‘Skype vide went and it was Tim over in Old Colwyn, so we had a
little catch up, we are calling him on Thursday as its his birthday after I’ve
been to the surgery for my tests ready for my appointments in February at the
hospital over in Marbella.
Mano and Anna called in just after lunch to we had a good catch up and gossip,they have nothing planned for tomorrow night as Mano is due in work at 12-00 midnight! so we might carry past the Mirador and call in to see him,depending on the weather;the forecast is good for the next few days and getting a little warmer.
Mano and Anna called in just after lunch to we had a good catch up and gossip,they have nothing planned for tomorrow night as Mano is due in work at 12-00 midnight! so we might carry past the Mirador and call in to see him,depending on the weather;the forecast is good for the next few days and getting a little warmer.
No sport
today but its all happening again on New Years Day over in the ‘Premiere
League’ in the UK; Swansea v Man City, Liverpool v Hull and Stoke v Everton. This
coming weekend the ‘La Liga’ over here starts up after their Xmas holidays!
Last nights
film was an all action/shooting/fighting called “ The Package ” made earlier
this year! It starred ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and Dolph Lundgren – he who
can’t act and Austin
Thought for
the Day; See above.
..
Sunday, December 29, 2013
BRIGHT AND WARM IN SUNNY MANILVA ON SUNDAY;
SUNDAY 29th/
DECEMBER 2013.
This
morning as I was out walking Charlie the sun was already out and the sky was
blue; later at lunchtime as we went for a long walk around the football pitch
with both the dogs it was a glorious hot and sunny day! We are so lucky for the
time of the year; it’s like when we first arrived down here on the ‘Costa Del
Sol’a few years ago and we were able to sit out for our New Days brunch at a
posh poolside ‘In’ restaurant – happy memories!
After our
tea & toast Brenda washed her hair and had a nice leisurely shower and
freshen up; I then had a shave and shower before doing my ‘Pilates’ exercises
and having a quick rub-down from Brenda! What a life down here in sunny
Manilva!!
Tomorrow
Brenda is going down on the bus to Sabinillas for a little shopping as I will
be looking after the two dogs, she is also going down to the surgery as she
needs to see our doctor to get a new prescription for her eye ointment; we have
also started to plan the menu’s for the week, on Monday we are having Sausages
in Onion gravy with Mashed Potatoes, then on New Year Eve its ‘Steak& Chips
night, on New Years Day 2014! - We are having a little brunch and in the
evening ‘Medallions of Pork Fillet’!
While we
were out we called into Andy’s to wish him all the seasons greeting’s, Maria
was out at work down in a restaurant in Sabinillas; when we got back I made my
now famous ‘Charcutiere’ sauce for the evenings supper, we are having Baked
English cut Pork Chops with glazed ‘Fuji’ Apple slices, mashed Carrots & Parsnips,
sliced Green Beans and ‘Breton’ style potatoes made with Red, Yellow and Green
diced Peppers, Onions and Leeks – then the cooked diced potatoes tossed with
them in foaming butter! - Yummy!
This
afternoon I will watch the Chelsea v Liverpool game on the large PC in the
office, at the moment the Everton v Southampton game is on ( is Big Bri
there?!) – Result later. A win for
Everton 2-1 So Big Bri will be somewhere celebrating no doubt! Not a good result for Liverpool loosing 1-2 at Chelsea!
Tonight
after supper we watch the news and weather and then catch a film.
Thought for
the Day; See above.
..
Saturday, December 28, 2013
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CLEAR AND WARM IN SUNNY MANILVA ON SATURDAY;
SATURDAY 28th/
DECEMBER 2013.
Overnight
the rains came back but not as heavy and no wind so this morning when Charlie
woke me up at 8-00am it was dry as we went out for his first walk of the day;
its stayed fine and when we went for our walk later with both of the dogs is
was warm and sunny!
We are
having another day at home taking things easy, when we got back I made some
Tartar sauce for this evening’s supper as we are having ‘Goujons of Hake’ using
the local bakeries breadcrumbs with twice- cooked small square chips and Mushy
Peas.
At
lunchtime Mano & Anna called in for a long chat and gossip; yesterday
afternoon Brenda was taking some pictures of Charlie and as she went to turn
off the camera it would not close, it seem to have frozen with the lens out and
is not responding to anything you do?! Oh dear!! Watch this space as both the
mobile phones are also acting up so I can’t use the cameras on them and then
send them to the PC/E-mail! Anna tried to fix them but with no luck at the
moment! I’ am lost without the camera so no local pictures for now!!
This
afternoon it’s more football over in the ‘Premier League’ over in England Manchester City Crystal Palace Southampton and Chelsea Liverpool .Manchester City had a hard fought win 1-0 to go top of the league at the moment!
The picture
Blog above is from the ‘Ffestiniog Railway’ in North Wales operating today
after the storms had closed it for a couple of days; the ‘Garratt’s’ are rather
special, KI is a classic, the two trains with the carriages are approaching
‘Ynys Ferlas’ and the unusual locomotive is the track inspection train – finely
the KI is steaming across the ‘Traeth’ out of Porthmadog Harbour!
After
supper this evening we find a film to watch, last nights was the original
‘Spartacus’ from 1960!! We started to watch " The Bourne Supremacy" but another film came up on another channel so we switched over to follow " Colombiana" from 2011 with the delectable Zoe Saldana in the title role as a very violent assassin/murderer on a mission of revenge !
Thought for
the Day; See above.
..
Friday, December 27, 2013
WARM AND DRY WITH NO WIND IN SUNNY MANILVA AT THE START OF THE WEKEND
FRIDAY 27th/
DECEMBER 2013.
Another
little lie in this morning for all of us, I then took Charlie for his first
walk of the day and when we got back it was time for our tea & toast (
Brown with butter for Charlie!) It’s another beautiful day here in sunny
Manilva but tomorrow we could have some of the wet stuff but back to normal on
Sunday to the run up to the New Year!
Brenda has
just caught the bus down to Sabinillas to do some light shopping, pick up the
papers and send a condolence card to one of her old friends who has lost her
husband just before Xmas; We walked her to the bus and will meet her later as
she come back up to the village;I’am as you see catching up with the Blog
and then E-mails.
The menus
over the weekend have changed as tonight we are having the rest of the Roast
Beef which we really enjoyed last night, cold with a fry-up of the leftover
vegetables and potatoes, then tomorrow its going to be Fish & Chip night
and then on Sunday no roast so we are going to have Baked English cut Pork
Chops!
I’ am going
to meet Brenda off the bus later with both dogs as Chispa has just come
knocking on the front door as I’ am upstairs in the office! They both get on
and are sitting at my feet as normal as I’ am on the PC typing!! We will the go
for a nice walk with them around the village.
No plans
for the weekend ,we are jus taking things easy and relaxing at home; Brenda is
trying to get some washing out today and will then no doubt find something to
clean,wash,polish,hoover etc.
Last night
on TVE1 on the news is showed all the high lights of the football over in
England as all over Europe the rest on the footballers are on their Xmas
holidays! We then channel hopped and watch nothing in particular. This evening
we will find a good film to watch later.
Thought for
the Day; See above.
..
Thursday, December 26, 2013
CLEAR CRISP AND WARM IN SUNNY MANILVA ON BOXING DAY;
THURSDAY 26th/
DECEMBER 2013. BOXING DAY.
This
morning we all slept in until 9-0am – thank god! Today as forecast it has
totally changed so the first walk of the day with Charlie was fine, clear and
crisp with a blue sky and no wind!! Today we are having a ‘Derby & Joan’
day at home after yesterdays festivities; after our breakfast of tea and toast
we got our ‘Boxing Day’ supper on the go; Roast Entrecote on the Bone’ – see
the picture above as it came out of the oven – cooked ‘Rare’!!
Brenda’s
vegetables are Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Bacon snippets, crushed Carrots
& Baby Turnips, Roast Parsnips in local Honey, Garden Peas and Baby New
Poatatoes,the Duck fat Roast Potatoes are today rough cut into chunks for a
change! A rich pan-gravy and giant Yorkshire puddings will also help with our special
Boxing Day supper; while we getting things read Chispa came crashing in as she
had missed not being able to get out yesterday.
Later at
lunchtime we all went for a nice walk in the noon-day sunshine around the
village; everything is normal today here in sunny Manilva as its not a ‘Bank
Holiday’ here in Spain; the bin wagon was collecting the rubbish last night as
I took Charlie on his late walk, this morning the street cleaners are busy, the
shops and some of the bars are open and the workmen are out on all the latest
projects around the village.The postman also delivered some more cards- they are starting to mount up! See the pictures above of the New ‘Plaza Pozo Del
Rey’ including the water feature working.
This
afternoon later I will watch on the large PC the big match of the day over in England Man City Liverpool as it’s the late kick-off; at the
moment Everton are hosting Sunderland as well as Big Brian, his family and mates!! See the picture above of
the famous ‘Gwladys Street’end at Goodison in which as a very young boy I used
to go on my bike to my Auntie’s!
Oh dear - Big Bri will not be happy this evening and will no doubt be out drowning his sorrows!! Everton 0 - Sunderland 1 The late result was a fine win for; Manchester City 2 - Liverpool 1 - it takes then to second position in the Premiere League behind Arsenal after their nine out of nine wins at home for City!!
Oh dear - Big Bri will not be happy this evening and will no doubt be out drowning his sorrows!! Everton 0 - Sunderland 1 The late result was a fine win for; Manchester City 2 - Liverpool 1 - it takes then to second position in the Premiere League behind Arsenal after their nine out of nine wins at home for City!!
This
evening after our special supper that we are looking forward to we will settle
down to watch the news and then find a film to watch; see the picture above of the table creaking under the weight,I could not fit the Gravy Boat on ! The Beef was to die for,very tasty and tender and cooked to perfection - even if I do say so myself !! A very fine Rioja helped make it a meal to remember.
PS; the
answer to the Christmas Picture is; ‘Gwrych Castle
Thought for
the Day; See above.
..
VERY WET AND WINDY IN SUNNY MANILVA ON CHRISTMAS DAY;
WEDNESDAY
25th/ DECEMBER 2013. “ CHRISTMAS DAY ”
Well they
say that the ‘best laid plans of man and’ – as I was awoken at 6-30 am by
Charlie to go for his first walk of the day! Now for the really bad news, the
Atlantic storm as forecast hit us over night and by 6-31 am it was at its
height! The wind was at storm force and the rain was blowing horizontally up
our street!! Both the dog and I came back looking like we had just been washed
in! The rest of the day was the same so we did not see Chipsa.
After a
little lie for all of us we set too to get our side of the Xmas Day feast on
the go; I roasted the two Crowns of Turkey followed by the Roast Beef joint,
then made a large pan of my famous finger coating Gravy, the savory stuffing
was Cranberry & Chestnut, later before we were picked up by Dominco at
5-0pm I roasted a large tray of my special Duck fat Roast Potatoes and lastly
we whipped the cream to top of the trifle! We packed every thing up and took
all the necessary bits and pieces including my best Carvening Knife and Fork.
After
having our shower and getting dressed up we had a late Xmas Brunch of ‘Smoked
Salmon and Scrambled Eggs’ with ‘Kir Royale’ to set us up for the night ahead!
We arrived
at Carlos’s house which Tom the pro-gofer is renting and soon realized that we
needed all sorts of stuff, a Microwave,Tabel Knives,Cloths,Tabel Mats, Napkins
etc; Caros shot off and came back with everything as we opened up the large
table and set it. the family stared arriving in dribs and drabs, Mano and Anna,
Sally Ann with Dylan and then Anna Mari and Fabio. See the picture above. Sally
brought her contributions along including lots of assorted bottles of wine, Red
&White,Cava,Pink Cava and Sherry.
Meanwhile I
was in the very small kitchen finding out what worked and how, sorting all the
food out and finding the crockery to serve it all on! Sally got her Lobster
Salad ready with the beautiful fresh small Lobsters that she had bought, she
also had all the vegetables ready, Baby Garden Peas with Ham, Brussels Sprouts
and mashed Carrots, Parsnips Chips, Braised Onions in a white cream sauce along
with the ‘Pigs in Blankets and her homemade Yorkshire Puddings!
I then had
to work out how to heat everything and get it all out hot! I used the
Micowave,three rings on the hot-plate, the large Plancha Griddle plate that
Carlos also brought along – thank god! I carved the Turkey and Beef onto large
serving plates that Sally had donated – we the had lift off with Brenda’s and
Sally’s help, most of the vegetables went on the table and I served the meats
and the Roast Potatoes with my good-old large/trusty serving spoon & fork
which I’ve had for over fifty year!
A memorable
Xmas dinner for all sorts of reasons went down very well and was enjoyed by all
– I think! By then the proceeding got loud and noisy as we had a game of table
Bingo which came within the special Xmas Crackers from ‘Marks and Spencer in Gibraltar !’ ( Fabio won!) All this time
Charlie was wandering around taking in the sights and sounds, he also had his
Xmas dinner and ate it all up! One satisfied customer anyway!!
Later Peter
and Barbara came along with their three children,Jake,Megan and Leah as they
live only a couple of doors way, so the festivities really took off and go very
loud and boisterous!! The ‘Trifle’ and other Desserts that Sally had made will
have to wait for another day.
Dominico
dropped us back up to our house with Charlie sat on my knee in the Jaguar to
end a ‘ Helluva’ Xmas dinner! It was then time for his final walk of the
day,luckly the rain and winds had
stopped as forecast and in fact it was mild! Result !!
Thought for
the Day; See above.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
OVERCAST AND CLOUDY IN SUNNY MANILVA ON TUESDAY " NOCHEBUENA"
TUESDAY 24th/
DECMEMBER 2013. “ NOCNEBUENA ” - XMAS
EVENING
We were up
early so as to get ourselves sorted out before Charlie arrived; as you can see
in the picture above he’s here and we have been for a good long walk with both
the dogs around the village, so far so good, he seems to be settling in, he’s
found Chispa’s tennis ball to play with and his food bowl is already for him!
Later in
the morning two Turkey Breasts was dropped off by Dominico along with a nice
piece of Beef for roasting – all for tomorrows feast around with the ‘ Guerrero
Clan’ – we have decided to do all the roasting tomorrow morning, the Turkey
along with a leg first and then make the gravy, then I will roast the Beef
joint; lastly before we are picked up I will roast the potatoes in Duck Fat, I’
am also making a savory Cranberry & Chestnut stuffing, Sally Ann has
everything else on the go, she’s even making the Yorkshire puddings!
We are then
going to smarten ourselves up and have a ‘Smoked Salmon and Scrambled Egg’
brunch with no doubt something sparkling to start the day in the way we aim to
go on!
We also
have our ‘posh’ Sherry, Peach & Strawberry Trifle on the go, for the sponge
we used ‘Lemon Magdalena’s’ soaked in the local Manzanilla Sherry from up the coast,
Diet Strawberry Jam, tinned Peaches and the juice to make the Strawberry Jelly, fresh local strawberries from Almeria – later Brenda will make the custard and then tomorrow at the last moment the
whipped cream and a decoration of Walnuts and baby Mars Bars!!
Also this
morning our handyman, Joachim called in to fix the hot water tap in the main
kitchen and also fix a new set of taps to the shower unit at the same time – we
have lift off – all working and piping hot water! All the water problems are
caused by the ‘Cal
We are
going to try and get Charlie into a routine with his walks, he will go on our
usual walk with Chispa at lunchtime, and then I will take him in the early
evening and again later before going to bed so as we can hopefully not have to
get up to early for his morning walk! That’s the plan – watch this space! Today
the rain has kept away but its overcast and cloudy bur still warm, sadly
tomorrow Christmas Day we are in for the rain and wind from the tail-end of the
storms that have hit the UK
This
evening for our supper we are having ‘Steak a la Plancha’ with sautéed
Mushrooms & Onions, finely sliced Green Beans and twice cooked chips, mine
topped with a fried Campo Egg and Brenda’s with deep-fried garlic buds – a nice
béarnaise sauce on the side! We will then settle down to watch the Xmas Eve
programmes on the various channels as well as finding a good film to watch.
Thought for
the Day; See above.
..
Monday, December 23, 2013
WARM AND SUNNY WITH CLEAR BLUE SKY IN SUNNY MANILVA AT THE START OF THE XMAS WEEK
MONDAY 23rd/
DECEMBER 2013.
We had our
last lie in for a little while as when Charlie arrives tomorrow morning it
sounds like he goes out early for his first message of the day! After our tea,
toast and fresh fruit I shot around to our butchers to pick up our ‘Boxing Day’
“ Entrecote on the Bone ” which he has been hanging and maturing and a couple
of nice steak’s for Xmas Evening;See the picture above. Brenda is pottering about the house finding
jobs to do and I’ am in the office on the WWW catching up on the
E-mails,Facebook and the Blog!
The weather
today is clear Blue sky, sunshine and warm in sunny Manilva BUT tomorrow we
have the tail end of the Atlantic storm that is hitting the UK sweeping across
the country so its rain and winds and more of the same on Xmas Day !! Oh dear!!!
Such a shame as we have been able to sit out at lunchtimes when we have been
out and go out with the dog without our coats. “B----r!”
At lunchtime we went for our walk withe dog and found that the new 'Plaza Pozo Del Rey' park is open,they have finished it off very well as usual and had just planted the 'Cactus Garden' ! The underground car park is yet to open; the new small square in Call Mar is taking shape fast as is the new passage way,meanwhile the clean up at the church is nearly finished - finally in 'Plaza de la Vendimia' a certain lady was determined to get in the picture as you can see above!
At lunchtime we went for our walk withe dog and found that the new 'Plaza Pozo Del Rey' park is open,they have finished it off very well as usual and had just planted the 'Cactus Garden' ! The underground car park is yet to open; the new small square in Call Mar is taking shape fast as is the new passage way,meanwhile the clean up at the church is nearly finished - finally in 'Plaza de la Vendimia' a certain lady was determined to get in the picture as you can see above!
No football
over here in’La Liga’ until the 4th January – they have a long ‘Xmas
Break’ but over in England it’s the traditional ‘Boxing Day’ games with Everton
hosting Sunderland, will Big Bri be at ‘Goodison Park?’ and Manchester City
welcome Liverpool !
This
evening we are having the rest of the Smoked Chicken – cold with vegetables and
sautéed/diced Potatoes before we settle down to watch a film, at the moment of
course there are lots to choose from on all the channels! Last nights film was
“ Unknown ” from 2011 – it’s a psychological thriller that takes place in Berlin
Thought for
the Day; See above.
..
WARM AND SUNNY WITH CLEAR BLUE SKY IN SUNNY MANILVA AT THE START OF THE XMAS WEEK
MONDAY 23rd/
DECEMBER 2013.
We had our
last lie in for a little while as when Charlie arrives tomorrow morning it
sounds like he goes out early for his first message of the day! After our tea,
toast and fresh fruit I shot around to our butchers to pick up our ‘Boxing Day’
“ Entrecote on the Bone ” which he has been hanging and maturing and a couple
of nice steak’s for Xmas Evening; Brenda is pottering about the house finding
jobs to do and I’ am in the office on the WWW catching up on the
E-mails,Facebook and the Blog!
The weather
today is clear Blue sky, sunshine and warm in sunny Manilva BUT tomorrow we
have the tail end of the Atlantic storm that is hitting the UK sweeping across
the country so its rain and winds and more of the same on Xmas Day !! Oh dear!!!
Such a shame as we have been able to sit out at lunchtimes when we have been
out and go out with the dog without our coats. “B----r!”
No football
over here in’La Liga’ until the 4th January – they have a long ‘Xmas
Break’ but over in England it’s the traditional ‘Boxing Day’ games with Everton
hosting Sunderland, will Big Bri be at ‘Goodison Park?’ and Manchester City
welcome Liverpool !
This
evening we are having the rest of the Smoked Chicken – cold with vegetables and
sautéed/diced Potatoes before we settle down to watch a film, at the moment of
course there are lots to choose from on all the channels! Last nights film was
“ Unknown ” from 2011 – it’s a psychological thriller that takes place in Berlin
Thought for
the Day; See above.
..
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