Sexton's Travels

MANILVA TODAY.NEWSFLASH.

2012-02-01T21:14:00.005Z

Sadly this picture Blog below is the last to be taken by our Sony Cyber-shot camera as I dropped it on the front on Sunday as we walked back to the marina ! Nikita managed to get it to work so as I was able to download the pictures.

The new camera is on charge at the moment; we went over to the Hypermarket in Estepona and got a good deal on a Casio Exilim which has twice as much Megapixels and a 5x Optical zoom !

PS; The new Smartphone is on the way by courier - A Samsung Galaxy Ace, our Smartphone Installation Director of Communications, Anna ( She likes Titles )is standing by to help !

WATCH THIS SPOT.

PUERTO DE LA DUQUESA SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

2012-02-01T17:25:00.001Z

PUERTO DE LA DUQUESA SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

2012-02-01T16:00:00.002Z

PUERTO DE LA DUQUESA SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

2012-02-01T15:33:00.002Z

PUERTO DE LA DUQUESA SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

2012-02-01T15:28:00.003Z

PUERTO DE LA DUQUESA SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

2012-02-01T15:21:00.002Z

PUERTO DE LA DUQUESA SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

2012-02-01T15:18:00.002Z

PUERTO DE LA DUQUESA SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

2012-02-01T15:14:00.002Z

PUERTO DE LA DUQUESA SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

2012-02-01T15:10:00.002Z

PUERTO DE LA DUQUESA SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

2012-02-01T15:06:00.003Z

PUERTO DE LA DUQUESA SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

2012-02-01T15:03:00.002Z

PUERTO DE LA DUQUESA SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

2012-02-01T15:00:00.002Z

PUERTO DE LA DUQUESA SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

2012-02-01T14:57:00.002Z

PUERTO DE LA DUQUESA SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

2012-02-01T14:52:00.001Z

MANILVA SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

2012-02-01T14:46:00.002Z

MANILVA START OR THE WEEK.

2012-01-31T16:06:00.003Z

MONDAY/TUESDAY 30th/31st JANUARY 2012.

After a lie in and breakfast we went for a long walk around the village with Cheta; in the morning when we take the cover off Charlie’s cage for the next hour he doesn’t stop talking and making all the sounds that he has got to know, he is now barking like the dog, making all sorts of whistles and clicking noises, saying words like ‘Charlie is a good boy, Come on Charlie and his favourite Que Calor? ’ We are trying to get him to say Brenda and think that we are nearly there! Some of the words you can’t make out until you get used to them, last night we had to turn over to another film as the one that we were watching had a lot of swear words in it! At other times he goes quiet as he is watching the TV and when he is eating he has to concentrates as he balances on one leg and uses the other claw to hold what he is eating. We have just cleaned his cage and freshened up his feed and water. In the early evening we went around to Fabio’s 6th birthday party, it takes place in a very large garage under the grandparent’s home and is used by lots of families in the village for their parties; it gets rather loud and noisy as the kids are able to run wild and play on the slides etc.Carlos and Anna Mari looked after us very well,Gin and Bacardi did not stop flowing and Anna Mari’s mother ,Antonia, is the best cook in the village and her Tortilla,Carne Merchada and Russian salad are to die for. A great night was had by all and we even came home with a children’s party box full of sweets! The film that we had to turn off was called ‘ This is England ’from 2006,it was about a troubled 12 year old boy on his school holidays who is befriended by a bunch of Skinheads back in 1983 – based on the true experience of the director.

PS; Over in Old Colwyn it is Thea’s birthday, we called and just missed her but she did get the card – “ Happy Birthday ” Thea – have a “ Helluva ” day,love Malcolm and Brenda xx

This morning we took Cheta to the vets for her monthly shampoo and then shot down to Sabinillas to make an appointment to get Brenda a shampoo and cut also ! We called into the bank and did some other messages and picked up birthday cards from the English bookshop, when we got back to the village Cheta was ready. The weather is still blue skies and sunshine and the forecast through the weekend is more of the same but a little colder, there is a major cold front over the rest of Europe, Brian in Pori is down to minus 14/24 ! We can’t complain as we are not going below 15 degs, plus down here on the Coata Del Sol.!! At lunchtime Mano called in and arranged with our new phone/internet provider ‘ Jazztel ’to have a ‘BlackBerry ’phone with them, it costs nothing for the phone, to buy it would be 300 euros, you get free landline and mobile calls in Spain, free international calls and SMS for a certain number of hours per month and 24 hour internet, all for a very cheap monthly rental contract – our first Smartphone ! Standby for the test calls etc. !!

In the morning w are going over to Estepona to pick up some essential toiletries and at the same time I am going to my barbers to get an inch cut off, it is below my shoulders ! While we are in Estepona we are going to call into the Hypermarket to sign for our card to be updated so as we can take advantage of their 0ver 65 promotion, we will also check out the new camera’s just in case as they have the best offers. On the way back Brenda is going to her regular hairdresser in Sabinillas for her wash and cut. So we will all be looking smart by tomorrow night, no pictures at the moment but we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Lastly as you can see below it is the 150th anniversary of ‘ Bacardi ’ I have been drinking it for fifty of those years sine I was introduced to Bacardi and Coke in Bala,North Wales at the tender age of sixteen !

PS; Charlie has just said ' Where's Brenda ' !!

Thought for the Day;

As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point in the wrong direction.

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MANILVA TODAY.

2012-01-31T14:02:00.001Z

MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.

2012-01-30T13:24:00.001Z

SATURDAY/SUNDAY 28th/29th JANUARY 2012.

It was a little overcast to start on Saturday morning but picked up later; the rain that we were supposed to have came during the night and did not last for long. We went for a walk with dog after breakfast and then had an at home day to catch up with things around the house; Brenda managed to get some washing out to dry and I caught up with the WWW. We did find out what the main TV Channel ‘ La Sexta’ was doing in the village on Friday at lunchtime, the local opposition party had asked at the council meeting the day before about the miss-use of a council credit card for the purchase of petrol; two council employees, so far unnamed, have been suspended for the alleged allegation ! They interviewed the councilors from from the PP and PSOE parties as well as the Mayor and also some locals in Calle Mar. More to come ! I watched the match from Anfield,Liverpool played a lot better and won convincingly over Manchester Utd. 2-1 In the evening we had Steak and Chips for dinner and then watched the TV – all the football from the FA Cup 4th round was shown as well as the Spanish ‘ La Liga ’matches, Real Madrid won 3-1 but Barcelona could only manage a draw so our now 7 points behind Madrid – ‘ The Chosen One ’ had a smirk on his face at the interviews later !

On Sunday morning after our tea and toast it was so nice that we decided to go for a drive; Cheta loves going in a car, she stands on Brenda’s lap and puts her front legs on the dashboard and her little head goes from side to side taking in the views ! We ended up down in Puerto de la Duquesa and then walked around the marina and then along towards Castillo de la Duquesa; it was a glorious day as we took in the sights as you will see hopefully when I get to publish the pictures ,if the camera is fixed – fingers crossed ! We then came back up to the village and sat outside Bar Rojas in the warm sunshine for a Tapas lunch; Mano and Anna came along a little later and joined us for a drink and chat, as we took in the atmosphere sat under the Sonbajo there was a small sudden gust of wind, it brought down a shower of rain water from the new cover and it drenched Anna from head to foot ! It was very funny, even Anna saw the funny side later ! Lumy took her up to their apartment and she reappeared a little later after the hairdryer had dried her out !! In the evening we had Lamb Cutlets roasted on Boulangere potatoes that I hade made in the morning before we went out. We have also been asked to Fabio’s birthday party on Monday evening, he is six this year.

Thought for the Day;

Luck helps most when you don’t rely upon it too much.

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MANILVA TODAY.NEWSFLASH.

2012-01-29T13:40:00.002Z

Just a quick update; I have just dropped our precious camera as we were down in Puerto de la Duquesa this lunchtime so no pictures at the moment,watch this space as Nikita,our IT expert is trying to fix it !

MANILVA.

2012-01-28T16:07:00.002Z

MANILVA/ CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA.

2012-01-28T16:02:00.001Z

FRIDAY 27th JANUARY 2012.

The forecast for the weekend was not so good but as we got up on Friday morning the sun was out and it stayed out for the rest of the day; firstly we had a little emergency to attend to, Brenda had cracked another tooth so we got up early and shot around to our local Dentist in the next street, he saw her immediately and all was well and fixed within the hour – great service and not expensive! We then went for a walk with Cheta down to the local market for some fresh flowers and on the way back took the picture of the new ‘ Manilva ’sign above the water feature at the top of the village as you can see below. Charlie has settled in very well and is talking all the time, he has started to imitate the dogs bark and I’ am trying to get him to say ‘Brenda ’! He loves fresh fruit so Brenda is giving him Orange, Apple, and Banana diced small and also he loves raw Carrot, the Sunflower seeds and Monkey nuts go down well all the time and Brenda is now feeding him peeled Grapes – he adores them!! We then got ourselves smartened up as we were out for lunch; yesterdays visit to the castle was so as we could get some tickets to the council presentation today down in Castillo de la Duquesa at the Bar Lo De Carmona. It was to show and introduce the Winter-Spring activities.

CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA;

As we set off in the car we passed the bus stop were we wait for lifts or the bus and our friend Gillian was standing there with her friend Luz and so we offered them a lift down, it turned out that they were going to the same function ! We stopped on the way to pick up the papers and then dropped down into Castillo de la Duquesa past the new Mural; they had a very good turnout, over two hundred people from the Manilva area which covers a large part of the coast and many large urbanization’s as you can see in the picture above. The Manilva Foreign Residents Delegation led by Councillor Diego Urieta have arranged a series of activities during the next six months; the Mayor Antonia Munoz welcomed all the guests and then Diego introduced the programme which was then translated into English by Beli; the ticket also gave us a free drink and a Tapas ! So in conjunction with the Cultural Department and the Festival Department there is a lot going on as usual. Some of the things that have been arranged are; Wine Tastings at the new Wine Centre, A Mediterranean Cooking Course, Dinners and Shows, a visit to Jerez for a sherry tasting and a six day visit to Madrid. Lectures about income tax etc,Artist’s Exhibitions, Charity Events, a Zoo Visit and finally a trip to Seville to see the Opera ‘ Madam Butterfly ’The pictures below give you a little idea of the day with the main participants ! A great time was had by all and thanks to the Mayor, Diego, Beli and all the councilors and members of the department for making us so welcome.

Thought for the Day;

It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.

PS; While I have been typing this Liverpool have just beaten Manchester Utd. 2-1 in the 4th round of the FA Cup !!

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MANILVA/ CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA.

2012-01-27T16:40:00.002Z

MANILVA/ CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA.

2012-01-27T16:19:00.003Z

MANILVA/ CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA.

2012-01-27T16:15:00.001Z

MANILVA/ CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA.

2012-01-27T16:09:00.003Z

MANILVA/ CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA.

2012-01-27T16:05:00.004Z

MANILVA/ CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA.

2012-01-27T16:01:00.001Z

MANILVA/ CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA.

2012-01-27T15:48:00.003Z

MANILVA THIS WEEK.

2012-01-26T15:54:00.001Z

MONDAY/THURSDAY 23rd/ 26th JANUARY 2012.

The forecast for the week is good but at the weekend there is bit of the wet stuff on the way, the first in the last four months; after our tea and toast, Brenda has Manilva Honey and I have Diet Strawberry Jam on mine, we went for a walk around the village with Cheta who has now fully recovered and is back to her normal boisterous self on Monday morning. Anna called in to catch up with all the news and gossip and later we spoke to Tim over in Old Colwyn to find out how he was after the run; he and his friends have raised over £ 2000 pounds for a hospice in North Wales but he has now hung up his running shoes, if fact he is going to loose them! So no marathons in London or New York!! Tim’s eldest daughter, Stacey, came up from London with her partner and their daughter Ollie for the race.
In the evening we had cold Chicken for dinner and then watched “ Die Hard 11 with Bruce Willis – he won as usual !

After our usual walk on Tuesday morning, we go different ways around and through the village, we called into the butchers and picked up some diced Beef for a pie but neither butchers had any Kidneys so it is going to be a Beef and Mushroom Pie. Brenda then had a cleaning and washing day so I retired to the office and watched on the BBCIPlayer ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen and Something for the Weekend ’For dinner we had Pork Cutlets with our favourite Lyonnaise Potatoes and then watched some Spanish topical news on the TV.

Wednesday was another beautiful day as we walked around to the surgery; Brenda has now got two appointments at the Costa del Sol Hospital over in Marbella in February to get the results of her scans on her legs and check on her ointments and I updated our doctor on my checkup on the Prostrate and arranged for the tests and X-Rays in six months time, at the same time the nurse dressed a nasty cut on my leg which I got a few weeks ago on the car door – so we are both fine and will live to fight another day ! When we went for our walk later is was hot as we sat down on the Mirador on our ‘ Derby and Joan ’ seat. I had made the Beef and Mushroom Pie filling before we went to the surgery and finished cooking it when we came back to the house, I put the Puff Pastry top on just before it goes in the oven and brush it with egg wash,twice,before it goes in the oven – the baking smell of the pastry is divine ! We sat down to it with Cabbage and Carrots and Chips, even if I do say so – it was scrummy ! I had tweaked the recipe and added more herbs so it tasted divine !!

After dinner it was time for football; over in England Liverpool v Manchester City was the main match in the second leg of the ‘ Carling Cup Semi Final ’The score was 2-2 on the night but Liverpool won 3-2 on aggregate, Belamany hit a cracking goal for Liverpool and Jo Hart the City goalkeeper kept them in the game with some spectacular saves, Liverpool will play Cardiff in the final at Wembley.Here in Spain it was another ‘ Classico ’ between Barcelona and Real Madrid in the second leg of the quarter finals of the ‘ Cope del Rey ’Barcelona scored two quick goals at the start of the second half but Real Madrid came back late and scored two in reply !As usual the match was full of incidents but it meant that Barcelona won 4-3 on aggregate to go through to the next round. I ended up at Bar Rojas leading the ‘ Barca ’supporters and giving Manolo the Red Card !
The late film on the classic channel was ‘ Where Eagles Dare ’ from 1968 with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood in the main parts – still good after all the years.

Today, Thursday, we were up early as we were taking Andy and Maria to the airport in Gibraltar; they dropped Charlie off in his cage on his stand and he has soon settled in, he is whistling and starting to talk already as you can see in the picture below; as we have Andy’s car for a week we called into Castillo de la Duquesa to pick up tickets for a council bash tomorrow lunchtime ( Free drink and a Tapas ) and so took some pictures of the castle and the village of the same name. The council has been doing some finishing work on the plaza and around the village with the colorful mosaics and the Roman Museum and the Fencing Exhibition is also looking good in the pictures below. The Fortress dates back to 8th century BC and the Roman site next to it go back to the 1st/5th centuries AD. The castle was built in 1767 under the reign of Charles 111 of Spain. The court yard of the castle is now used for amongst other thing wedding receptions, in fact Mano and Anna’s daughter Sally was the first bride to get married there a few years ago when Mano had the idea that it would make a rather special setting ! We stopped at the port of Duquesa and called into the English butchers were we found some Kidneys for the next time and also Calves Liver for another day. When we got back to the village we found television crews from the main TV channels in Calle Mar, they had been interviewing locals and had been in the Town Hall – we don’t know what it is about so watch this space – that’s what happens when we go out !

PS; Charlie is a bit of a character,he likes Monkey Nuts and Fruit ( Diced Apple ) Sunflower Seeds and Diced Carrots - so he is a fruit and nutcase !!

Thought for the Day;

Happiness is a gentle steering of the soul.

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CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA THIS MORNING.

2012-01-26T13:31:00.002Z

CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA THIS MORNING.

2012-01-26T13:26:00.002Z

CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA THIS MORNING.

2012-01-26T13:23:00.002Z

CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA THIS MORNING.

2012-01-26T13:19:00.001Z

CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA THIS MORNING.

2012-01-26T13:16:00.002Z

CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA THIS MORNING.

2012-01-26T13:12:00.002Z

CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA THIS MORNING.

2012-01-26T13:08:00.002Z

CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA THIS MORNING.

2012-01-26T13:05:00.002Z

CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA THIS MORNING.

2012-01-26T12:57:00.003Z

CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA THIS MORNING.

2012-01-26T12:49:00.003Z

CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA THIS MORNING.

2012-01-26T12:43:00.001Z

CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA THIS MORNING.

2012-01-26T12:39:00.003Z

PUERTO DE LA DUQUESA THIS MORNING.

2012-01-26T12:32:00.002Z

MANILVA THURSDAY MORNING.

2012-01-26T12:26:00.002Z

MANILVA THIS WEEK.PICTURE BLOG.

2012-01-26T12:12:00.001Z

THURSDAY 26th JANUARY 2012.

The pictures above have been taken over the last few days in sunny Manilva and I will talk about them in the Blog to follow;

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MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.

2012-01-23T20:32:00.002Z

MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.

2012-01-23T20:29:00.002Z

MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.

2012-01-23T20:26:00.001Z

MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.

2012-01-23T20:23:00.001Z

MANILVA SATURDAY LUNCHTIME.

2012-01-23T20:19:00.001Z

MANILVA SATURDAY LUNCHTIME.

2012-01-23T20:16:00.003Z

MANILVA SUNDAY EVENING.

2012-01-23T20:08:00.002Z

OLD COLWYN FRIDAY.

2012-01-23T17:29:00.004Z

SIBERIA 1930s

2012-01-23T17:23:00.002Z

MANILVA THIS WEEKEND.

2012-01-23T16:46:00.002Z

FRIDAY /SATURDAY/SUNDAY 20th/21st/22nd JANUARY 2012.

The forecast for the weekend and into next week is sun and that is exactly what we have had; as the day goes on and by late morning it is hot as we are out walking the dog. On Friday morning we went down to Sabinillas to do the shopping, Carlos’s wife Ana Mari gave us a lift down so we went to both supermarkets, the bank and the English Bookshop, when we got back we then walked down to the local market for some fresh flowers and also called into the surgery to arrange an appointment for both of us for a check up and update on our hospital visits next week.Mano and Anna called in over lunchtime for a gossip and so we arranged for them to come for Sunday roast dinner as Andy was also joining us after he had completed some work on the PCs over the weekend. He has been clearing up the memory and history on both PCs and sorting out some ongoing problems as well as showing me some short cuts and updating pages; all this has made them both a lot faster after the change to our new more powerful Jazztel system on Thursday. Andy also introduced us to ‘ Hub Pages ’ an online topical blog site which you can write and post articles on and eventually earn some money by the advertising that you show in relation to your blog – so I’ am now a fully signed up ‘ Hubber ’!! Over in North Wales Tim was running in the ‘ Two Piers ’charity race, he finished in 1 hour and 13 minutes and he and his five other ‘ Muskateers ’have made over £ 2,000 ! The picture above shows them in Tim’s front garden before they set off,from the left Wes,Stacey,Tims elder daughter,Tim,Tony Baby,Cameron and finally Patrick.

I forgot to mention the football during the week here in Spain; it was the first leg of the Copa de Rey quarter final between Real Madrid and Barcelona, Barcelona won 2-1 after going a goal down early on in the match and the second leg is next week up at the Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona which is the largest football stadium in Europe – 96,366.I watched the game at home but was running up and down the street to Bar Rojas with my whistle and yellow and red cards as I had a bet with Manolo,2-0 for ‘ Barca ’ A large Bacardi and Coke !
The late film was “ Patriot Games ” 1992 with Harrison Ford and Sean Bean as the ‘ Baddie ’ based on the Tom Clancy book.

On Saturday morning after breakfast we went for a good walk with Cheta; she is getting back to her old self day by day and we ended up back at Bar Rojas where we had a light Tapas lunch sat outside in the warm sunshine, two sorts of ‘ Albondigas ’ and Lumy’s ‘ Carne de Tomate ’! The pictures above show the football down at the ground and also an update on the work on the new retaining wall. When we came back we made a Trifle for Sunday dinner; I used Manzanilla Sherry from Sanlucar de Barrameda where Mano was born, the sponge was ‘ Pandoro Verona ’ which come from an old 1894 recipe, Strawberry Jam,Peaches,Pineapple and Strawberries and Brenda made the Strawberry jelly and custard ! We topped it off with the whipped cream on Sunday evening and shavings of Mars Bar ! Sadly I didn’t’ take a picture as it went very quickly !!

In the afternoon Andy came around after a sleep as he had worked on Friday night at the Manilva Green Aparthotel, as night manager, to do some more work on the PCs and stayed for supper before he went into work again – it was Steak and Chips with all the trimmings. We then watched another classic film from 1990, “ The Griffters ”with John Cusak,Anjelica Huston and Annette Bening in the main parts, one to watch with two surprise s at the end !!

Yesterday,Sunday,was another glorious day in Sunny Manilva; in the morning we got the Roast Chicken on the go with Sage and Onion Stuffing and Pan Gravy, Brenda’s vegetables were, Cauliflower and Broccoli Florets in Cheese sauce, Glazed Carrotts,Cabbage with Alselgas, Sliced Green Beans and Garden Peas and Baby New Potatoes and I did the Roast Potatoes. After lunch I watched the match between Tottenham and Manchester City – City won 3-2 after a last minute of injury time penalty ! Here in Spain both Barcelona and Real Madrid won 4-1 including a Messi hat-trick !

Mano and Anna came around in the evening and joined us along with Andy for a “ Helluva ” Sunday dinner, Andy has been able to spend the time here on the PCs in between work as his new lady Maria is away in Seville with her family for the week. After dinner we all sat down and relaxed to let the food go down and on a Spanish Documentary Channel I programme had just started; it turned out to be a classic BBC show about Ewan McGregor’s and Charley Boorman’s motorcycle journey around the world from London to New York over 22,345 miles “ Long Way Round ”from 2004. It was the complete show not in episodes and was on for a “ Helluva ” time ! Eventually Mano and Anna went home, Brenda went to bed, Andy went to sleep and then went home and I stayed up to the end ! The best bits where in Outer Mongolia and Russia; in Mongolia they had to eat a soup,/broth made from Lambs, Goats and any other testicles that the herdsmen could find !! In Russia, in Siberia, they hit the notorious and very dangerous ‘ Road of Bones ’which was made by the political prisoners in the Gulags back in the1930s when Stalin was in power, as they died or were shot their bodies were buried into the road ! The picture above shows then at work.

Thought for the Day;

And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that counts, it’s the life in your years.

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LIVERPOOL

2012-01-19T13:29:00.001Z

LIVERPOOL

2012-01-19T13:25:00.001Z

LIVERPOOL

2012-01-19T13:19:00.002Z

LIVERPOOL

2012-01-19T13:16:00.002Z

PORT SUNLIGHT.

2012-01-19T13:12:00.003Z

PORT SUNLIGHT.

2012-01-19T13:08:00.002Z

PORT SUNLIGHT.

2012-01-19T13:05:00.002Z

PORT SUNLIGHT.

2012-01-19T13:01:00.001Z

PORT SUNLIGHT.

2012-01-19T12:58:00.001Z

PORT SUNLIGHT.

2012-01-19T12:55:00.002Z

PORT SUNLIGHT.

2012-01-19T12:50:00.002Z

MANILVA THIS WEEK.

2012-01-19T12:42:00.003Z

MONDAY/TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY 16th/17th/18th/19th JANUARY 2012.

The forecast for the week and over the weekend is blue skies and sun; Monday started just like this, it is still a little sharp but in the sun it is warm and when there is no breeze it is hot! We went for a walk with Cheta and then when we came back it was a Brenda catch up day with the washing the top priority, I retired to the office and caught up with WWW. I read the newspapers on line, the ‘Mail ’is the best and the quickest at updating the news as it happens, then I check out a Spanish newspaper ‘ El Pais ’- ‘ The Country ’which has a very good English translation and means that I can confirm what we have seen on the news the day before ! I then go to the BBC News and catch up with what is happening in the world, the sports page is excellent and also the current market movements with the Euro! I also have ITN,Channel 4,Sky and CNN to check out the video’s of the day as well as the excellent ‘ Al Jazeera ’station which broadcasts in English from the gulf and does very good in depth reports on the middle and far east. I also have on-line the Liverpool Echo and Daily Post and the North Wales Weekly News as well as a very good blog-page based in Llandudno! Then I watch at different times of the day on the BBCIPlayer the programmes that we follow; ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen ’ ‘ Something for the Weekend ’’ Sicily Unpacked ’ and ‘ New Tricks ’ and other shows as I spot them, Brenda meanwhile catches things as she is passing through the office or when I call her !At the moment I’ am learning with the help of our friend Andy how to download films and lots of other stuff to the Hard Drive and then transfer it to the Memory stick which we then can watch on the new TV downstairs, at our pleasure ! Watch this space.

On Tuesday after our trip to the vets with Cheta we took her for a walk in the afternoon for a change and I took the pictures below of the ‘ Plaza Pozo Del Rey ’ – the ‘ Kings Well ’square before the development starts in the next few weeks; basically then are going to make it bigger and better ! The work on the new Social Services Office is starting to show results and will be open soon, they are also at the moment working again on the new square next to the Wine Centre building the retaining walls, they must have found some money in the ‘ Coffers ’ Each time we are out more of the new Tourist Information Signs are appearing, the latest is just around the corner in the next street from ours and gives you the story of the ‘ Torres House ’ When we came back Brenda took Cheta home to help give her the tablets, she is a clever little madam and does everything possible not to take them and it took three of them to get them down ! In the evening we had Pork Cutlets with Lyonnaise Potatoes the for dinner and then watched on TVE1 regular programme about Spanish people living and working abroad; it is in a different county and city each week and this weeks was from Liverpool ! Lots of memories came back as they showed the new Cavern, the Pier Head, Saint Georges Hall, the oldest pub in the city-the ‘ Poste House ’ and the grandest pub in the country the ‘ Philharmonic Dining Rooms ’ which was built in 1898 is known as ‘ The Phil ’It is a Grade 2 listed building and they even showed the famous gents urinals which feature the stalls which are constructed of a particular attractive Roseate Marble; it is said that to be a true ‘Scouse Lady ’you have to go into them to take in the sights and smells ! Brenda did the last time we were there !! The pictures are above of the Phil but sadly not the urinals ! Later the programme went to Anfield,sorry Brian no Goodison ! and then Sefton Park and the ‘ Palm House ’before it ended up in ‘ Port Sunlight ’ at the ‘ Bridge Inn ’ ‘ Christ Church ’ and the ‘ Lady Lever Art Gallery ’ More pictures above with lots of memories, mostly happy with some sad !

We were up bright and early on Wednesday morning and after tea and toast and a freshen up, our new giant super shower is brilliant, we set off to the Hospital on the far side of Marbella; Andy very kindly picked us up and drove over along the coast road on a warm sunny day. The appointment with the consultant to check and update my Prostate went very well, he said that everything looks fine for a man of my age ! I have to go back in six months for a further check up with more blood and urine tests and an x-ray of the Kidney just to be sure. When we got home Brian called us on the Skype video and we caught up with all the news and gossip here and in Pori over Christmas. In the evening Andy joined us for supper, we had pulled out the Turkey Curry and we topped it up with some fresh Pineapple and Mushrooms and had it with Basmati Rice and Chips. Next week Andy is going over to England for a week with the new lady in his life Maria to see his mom in Derby but first they have to go down to Brighton to a funeral of a good friend so we are taking them to the new airport in Gibraltar in his car and picking them up when they return to Malaga airport the following week, we are also looking after his other ‘ Bird ’ – Charlie – the African Grey Parrot ! Watch this space for the pictures !!

Today is yet another glorious day in sunny Manilva; Brenda has just taken Cheta to the vets for a check as she is not eating or drinking very much and it is proving very differcult to give her the tablets, we will go for a walk with her later and hopefully she will start to get better although she is still her normal lively self but is not quite back to normal yet. The vet has just said to let her eat and drink as she will soon get her appetite back and if she has no sickness and to stop the tablets but she is still not very well.
Over in Old Colwyn our very dear friend Tim has been training since Xmas as he is running in a charity 10kms. road race between the two piers from Llandudno to Colwyn Bay tomorrow; it is flat all the way as they run along the promenade and front to Colwyn Bay with only one problem in the way – the Little Orme ! Come on Tim we know that you can do it, next it will be the London Marathon before you know it and then New York !! This afternoon Andy came around to do some work on the PCs; just as he started the internet went off,it was our new provider taking over the system so he was on hand to change the boxes and register the system on line, all working great and a lot more faster !Tonight we are having Flattened Chicken Breast pan fried in foaming Lemon Butter with Baby New Potatoes so Andy stayed and joined us for dinner,again !! and after we will watch the Spanish soap that we follow.

PS; While I have been posting the pictures we had a nice surprise Skype Video call from Jeff and Annette over in Kuala Lumpur from their new condo; they have the latest TV with Skype and so they had us on full screen in the lounge and gave us the tour of the apartment including the view of the " Petronas Towers" They have just come back from Christmas with their daughter Kate over in Edmonton Canada !

Thought for the Day;

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. For Tim !

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MANILVA THIS AFTERNOON.

2012-01-17T17:18:00.002Z

MANILVA THIS AFTERNOON.

2012-01-17T17:14:00.003Z

MANILVA THIS AFTERNOON.

2012-01-17T17:10:00.001Z

MANILVA THIS AFTERNOON.

2012-01-17T17:07:00.001Z

MANILVA THIS AFTERNOON.

2012-01-17T17:04:00.002Z

MANILVA THIS AFTERNOON.

2012-01-17T16:59:00.002Z

MANILVA THIS AFTERNOON.

2012-01-17T16:55:00.002Z

MANILVA THIS AFTERNOON.

2012-01-17T16:51:00.001Z

MANILVA THIS AFTERNOON.

2012-01-17T16:46:00.002Z

MANILVA THIS AFTERNOON.

2012-01-17T16:41:00.002Z

MANILVA THIS AFTERNOON.

2012-01-17T16:37:00.001Z

MANILVA THIS AFTERNOON.

2012-01-17T16:33:00.002Z

MANILVA THIS AFTERNOON.

2012-01-17T16:28:00.002Z

MANILVA THIS AFTERNOON.

2012-01-17T16:23:00.001Z

MANILVA NEWSFLASH.

2012-01-17T13:33:00.001Z

TUESDAY 17th JANUARY 2012.

NEWS UPDATE RE CHETA HEALTH CHECK.

This morning as usual Cheta came crashing in through the shutters and seemed back to her normal boistress self; we called into see Isobel and she said that she had been sick during the night and also had the ‘ Trots ’ and was off her food so we whipped her around to the vets in Calle Mar. They took her temperature and it was high and said that she possible had a fever, they then had to give her two injections, when this happens I’ am afraid that I have to go outside because I can’t stand to hear her squeal ! She is on a course of tablets, which we collected from the chemists, three times a day and we also had to give her a worming tablet straight away; we took her home and on the way we called at Isobel’s daughters house to explain to her what was happening and she came around to tell Isobel what to do as she is very canny and won’t take the tablets, she spits them out when you hide them in her favorite cheese ! So they had to open her mouth we great difficulty and pop it in and then keep her mouth closed until she has swolled it !! She is also on no water or food for 24hrs. at the same time. Brenda is going to call in later to see how she is and first thing in the morning before we set of to the hospital on the far side of Marbella as I have an appointment for my two yearly Prostrate check, which I’ am not looking forward to !

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.

MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.

2012-01-16T15:49:00.001Z

SUNDAY 15th JANUARY 2012.

On Sunday morning after our tea and toast I got our Sunday dinner ready; for a change we had a golden oldie “ Chicken Chasseur ” Over the last couple of weeks on Saturday Morning Kitchen they have been doing some of the old greats that I was brought up on in the kitchens. This week for instance it was “ Beef Strogonoff ”which was made the classic way as I was shown – so watch this space !

Anyway back to the Chicken Chasseur; I rough cut the Chicken,Leg,Thigh and Breast, into pieces and dusted it is seasoned flour and quickly browned it off in hot foaming butter then placed it on the side and made the sauce by cooking off the diced Onions and Baby Mushrooms cut in half and deglazing the pan with a good measure of White Wine. I then added the Tomato Sauce and Tomato Concasse that I had made earlier and flamed it with Brandy ! Then I added the Chicken Stock and Beef Demi-Glaze and seasoned to taste before thickening it with Beurre Manie – equal parts of Butter and Flour combined. I then added the Chicken pieces back into the sauce and left it to stand, in the evening it was cooked ‘ Casserole Style ’ quickly in a hot oven; Brenda had in the morning cooked and peeled the Baby New Potatoes and I then tossed them in foaming Butter to brown and sprinkled with chopped Parsley – another version of the classic ‘ Pommes Noisettes ’which we had with our last classic “ Petit Pois a la Flamande ” Baby Peas and Baby Carrots mixed. We sat down to another memorable meal, the Chicken Chasseur was very succulent and tasted just like we remembered and the Potatoes and Vegetables were spot on – even if we do say so ourselves !

Earlier in the day we went for a short walk with Cheta but she was still a little off colour so we stopped at Bar Rojas and Brenda cuddled her on her knee wrapped in her Poncho! We had a plate of ‘ Carne Merchada ’with Frits to pick at and then walked back to the house and Brenda took Cheta back to hers and put her to bed ! In the afternoon I watched the football in England, Liverpool played terrible in another goalless draw, this time against Stoke!

FILM WATCHING;

I must admit that we are watching a lot of films at the moment, the reason being is that we can ! As I have said before in a past life we did never see a film in its entirety, it was either the start or the end !! So now we have the time to see a picture from start to finish – Yesterday we saw “ Spartacus ”1960 with Kirk Douglas,Tony Curtis,Jean Simmons.Laurance Oliver,Peter Ustinov and Herbert Lom – they don’t have casts like that now ! The film won four Oscars. Then it was another great one “ The Guns of Navarone ” 1961 with another great cast led by Gregory Peck and finally after dinner “ King Kong ” which was the made for TV version from 1976 with in the starring roles a young Jessica Lange and Kurt Russell !

Thought for the Day;

I’am an idealist. I don’t know where I’ m going but I’m on my way.

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MANILVA THIS WEEK.

2012-01-14T15:57:00.003Z

THURSDAY/FRIDAY/SATURDAY 12th/13th/14th JANUARY 2012.

Well the forecast for the next few days is cloudy and overcast with some rain on Sunday and Monday, the first in three months! We have had the mildest and warmest October/November/December on record so we can’t complain. Thursday was an at home day after a brisk walk with the dog, Brenda caught up with her washing and cleaning and I was in the office catching up with e-mails,Facebook and the Blog ! I also watched on the BBCIPlayer a new episode of ‘ New Tricks ’with Alun Arnstrong,James Bolam.Dennis Waterman and Amanda Redman,allways a good watch as the eccentric bunch of ex-policemen investigate old unsolved crimes.
For supper we had Chicken Curry from the freezer which I added some cooked fillets to in the morning and we treated ourselves by having rice and chips ! Thursday is our Spanish soap night with another moving episode as the wife of the main character has gone into hospital for a Breast Cancer operation, at one point he also ended up in the same hospital after having a small heart attack !! Well it is soap.

Friday morning was our shopping day as we went down on the bus and caught up with all the little things that we needed and could not get in the village; Spot Lights for the office, a new Whisk and a large glass Trifle Bowl, both the English goods from one supermarket and our regular stuff from the main Hypermarket, posted a birthday card by Royal Mail and picked up the papers ! When we got back the sun had come out and it was warm so Brenda went down to the village market with the dog for fresh flowers and ordered a bag of Potatoes ( 15 Kilos ) to be delivered by scooter. I stayed in as our friend Andy was bringing a Battery charger to charge the battery on the Smart car, as usual on the Smart car nothing is simple, it is located under the floor on the passenger side and takes some getting out,thanks Andy and Mano !
In the evening we had Fish( Battered Haddock ) with Chips and mushy Peas for supper before we settled down to watch a film; “ Sudden Impact ” from 1983 with Clint Eastwood and Sandra Locke in one of his classic ‘ Dirty Harry ’roles. Later we caught up with an episode of ‘ Downton Abbey ’which we have now found on one of the new channels.

Today it is cloudy but with some sunshine so we went up to Bar Rojas and sat outside for a drink and a small Tapas at lunchtime after going for a short walk with Cheta,she is a little off colour at the moment so it’s the vets on Monday if she is no better. Every day I have taken a picture of the on-going work which has started up again on the new square next to the Wine Centre as you can see, any moment now they are starting a new project in the heart of the village which has been mainly funded by the regional government to the tune of 2-7 million euros ! Watch this space for the full story and pictures ! This afternoon I will watch the football from England on the PC in the office and tonight the Spanish football on the TV.
Tonight it is our Saturday night special of Steak and Chips for supper and then a film, at the moment we are going film mad so our Spanish programme watching has dropped off but we still are watching all the news and the weather forecasts on TVE1.

Thought for the Day;

Only two things can reveal life’s great secrets; suffering and love.

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MANILVA THIS MORNING.

2012-01-14T14:37:00.001Z

MANILVA THIS MORNING.

2012-01-13T13:14:00.002Z

MANILVA THIS LUNCHTIME.

2012-01-12T13:05:00.002Z

MANILVA THIS LUNCHTIME.

2012-01-12T12:59:00.001Z

" GILDA "

2012-01-12T11:51:00.002Z

" GILDA "

2012-01-12T11:46:00.001Z

" GILDA "

2012-01-12T11:40:00.001Z

MANILVA THIS WEEK.

2012-01-11T12:27:00.006Z

WEDNESDAY 11th JANUARY 2012.

This morning after breakfast we went for a walk with the dog; it is a bit nippy for the next couple of days, by our standards 16degs! but the sun will be out later. We called into the butchers and bought some lovely fresh local Liver, sliced thin, for dinner tonight, which we are having with Smoked Bacon and English homemade Cumberland Sausages and of course Brenda’s Cabbage with Alselgas, Glazed Carrots and Garden Peas – she has just peeled the baby new Potatoes after cooking them and we are debating weather to toss them in foaming butter later!? Decisions, Decisions !!

Meanwhile over on the Gulf Coast of Florida David and Jane are sitting by the pool, it’s 28degs,sipping their ‘ Raspberry Mojitos ’on their well deserved belated Honeymoon after the party of the year last Saturday ‘ Upstairs ’ at the ‘ Lord Binning Pub and Kitchen ’ in Kelsall outside Chester. We know that they will have a “ Helluva ” time – everything in moderation !!

Last nights film after our dinner was a good western – ‘The Missouri Breaks ’1976 with Marlon Brando being himself and Jack Nicholson also doing his thing!

The late film tonight was a Black and White Film Noir; " Gilda " 1946 starring Rita Hayworth,Glenn Ford and George McCready,directed by Charles Vidor, in the story of of a sinister boss of a South American casino who finds that his right hand man and his new sensuous wife already know each other.It was Glenn Fords first film since returning from the war and Rita Hayworth's first starring role;The pictures above give you a little idea of the style of the film and shows the classic Black Silk dress that Rita Hayworth sang ( Dubbed ) and danced to the song ' Put the Blame on Mame ' in which she removes just one of her gloves in a classic striptease that was nearly cut by the censors at the time ! They don't make films like this now !!

PS; Tonight's big game is Manchester City v Liverpool in the Carling Cup Semi-final.1st leg. Liverpool won 1-0 with a Gerrard penalty !
.

Thought for the Day;

The bad news is that time flies. The good news is you’re the Pilot.

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MANILVA THIS WEEKEND.AND THE START OF THE WEEK.

2012-01-10T13:24:00.000Z

SUNDAY/MONDAY/TUESDAY 8th/9th/ 10th JANUARY 2012.

On Sunday after our tea and toast I prepared the Boulangere Potatoes for our dinner, Brenda got some vegetables ready and we then freshened ourselves up before we went for a walk with Cheta around the village; the weather is still sun and blue skies but it is a little cooler, 16/18 degs.The forecast is still more of the same next week and no sign of any wet weather, at the moment !

In the afternoon I watched the football from England, FA Cup games and also the Spanish Liga started up after their Xmas Holiday, Real Madrid won but Barcelona could only draw in the local derby with Espanyol,Mano’s team, so they are now five points behind Madrid ! I then caught up on the BBCIPlayer with ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen ’ we then watched the Sunday afternoon film on TVE1 – “ Zulu ” which is always a good watch and of course a true story; in the early evening we had some visitor’s Rafael and Marjoleine,the owners son and his wife, called in to wish us ‘ Feliz Ano Nuevo ’with their two daughters,Alexander,who is now five and their new baby Daniella who is just three months ! They are both lawyers and have a practice down in Sabinillas.

We then had our dinner of Local Lamb Cutlets with the Boulangere Potatoes and settled down to watch the sports round up on TVE2 of all the games here and in England; we then had more visitor’s Mano and Anna called in, we had not seen them since Thursday when we called at their house and Anna was in bed not feeling well, they had come out for a late walk and to pick up some cigarette papers from the ‘ Tabac ’ in the village, so we then caught up with all the news and village gossip. The late film was the final part of the Godfather.

We went for our walk on Monday morning and called into the vets to book Cheta in for her first shampoo and blow dry for 2012, the pictures of her are below; on the way back we picked up some Pork Cutlets for dinner. Brenda then went into one of her washing and cleaning modes and I retired to the office and found on the IPlayer a very good documentary, it is called “ Sicily Unpacked ” and is presented by the art historian Andrew Grundy Dixon and the chef, Giorgio Locatelli. They are traveling around Sicily and Andrew Dixon is showing him all the churches, pictures and the history of the Island ,starting in Palermo, meanwhile Giorgio is talking about the food and cooking the local dish’s ! Lobster and a very unusual Sardine Pasta were on the menu, the Sardines from the local market, which was unbelievable, were filleted and cleaned by hand by the fishmonger in a seven step operation ! Another one to watch.

Today we are having a at home day as it is a little overcast but the forecast for the next few days is fine; the new router and details from ‘ Jazztel ’ has just arrived by courier so fingers crossed we will be online in the next few days, there might be a little time of no blogging as we connect !

Tonight we are having Turkey Escalopes pan fried in foaming butter and served with Basmati Rice and Sliced Green Beans, this morning I have made a cream sauce with sliced Mushrooms and diced Green and Red Pimento’s to go with it.

Thought for the Day;

Many people look forward to the New Year for a new start of old habits.

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MANILVA THIS EVENING.

2012-01-09T18:16:00.001Z

MANILVA THIS EVENING.

2012-01-09T18:11:00.001Z

MANILVA TODAY.

2012-01-07T15:33:00.000Z

MANILVA TODAY.

2012-01-07T15:29:00.002Z

MANILVA TODAY.

2012-01-07T15:24:00.002Z

MANILVA TODAY.

2012-01-07T15:20:00.002Z

MANILVA THIS WEEK.

2012-01-07T15:17:00.000Z

THURSDAY 5th JANUARY 2012 “ THREE KINGS PARADE ”

It was a clear and crisp evening as we walked up to Bar Rojas to grab a table under the Sonbrajo to watch the parade go past; the whole village turns out with all the children with their plastic bags ready to catch the ‘ Caramelos ’that are thrown by the floats as they pass, the noise is unbelievable as it builds up to the time, always late, as the whole parade has been down in Castilla Duquesa and Sabinillas earlier ! The police lead the way with their lights flashing and the sirens at full blast; this year the ‘ Pastoral ’ Band led the way with the ‘ Zambomba ’ drums thumping out the beat. The cartoon characters soon get the crowds going, the young children squeal with delight, as you can see ‘ Sponge Bob ’attacked me, it turned out to be Mario, our local councilor, who told me this morning down at the Basketball that it was him !

The Three Kings, Gasper,Melchior and Balthaser,then come along Calle Mar with the Chi Chi Pom ‘ Charanga ’ Band for 2012 made up from members of the Manilva Brass Band in the middle; it creates a terrific atmosphere as they throw hundreds of thousands of sweets which are colleted by the kids and adults ( Brenda ) ! The parade goes all around the village and then comes back down Calle Mar in the opposite direction, the big question is who are playing the Three Kings, this year one was defiantly one of the councilors ! The same councilors from the picture in the morning of the council meeting !! The picture below of the parade shows you just a small sample of the action.

Cracker of the Day;

Where would you find Chili Beans ? At the North Pole !

FRIDAY 6th JANUARY 2012 “ THREE KINGS DAY ”

On Friday morning the village was very quiet, the only sound was coming from all the houses as the children opened their presents; the streets then come alive as they play out, mainly on their new bicycles watched over by their parents, it is their ‘ Christmas Day ’! It was another beautiful day down here on the Costa del Sol as you can see in the pictures below across to the mountains and down the coast. Outside the church the new information/tourist board has gone up which gives the history of the Iglesia Santa Ana back from the 16th century ! We went for a long walk with Cheta all around the village and ended up sat on the Mirador in the warm sunshine,Mano says that we should have our names on a plaque on the seat and that we look like ‘ Darby and Joan ’ !!

The other picture is of the ‘ Roscan De Reyes ’ traditional cake; it is a sweet sponge ring filled with pastry cream and decorated with Candied Fruits,as they are making it they put toy Three Kings and a dried Broad Bean in the mix, If you get the bean you have to pay for next years cake – I got it !! We will be having it with our afternoon cup of tea for the next few days.

In the afternoon Brenda was up on the roof terrace taking in the sunshine as I caught the FA Cup football from England, it was the Liverpool v Oldham match which was not shown on any of the English channels but I was able to see it on my sports channel ! Liverpool won 5-1 eventually and even Andy Carroll scored !

For supper we had Scampi Provencale with Rice before we settled down to watch some films; first it was a very compelling and moving story, partly true, about the Antarctica and dog sledges; called ‘Eight Below’ after the eight Huskies in the story, who at the beginning save the lives of two explorers but are left behind for the winter when the ice station and injured men are evacuated by helicopter, because there was no room! They have to fend for themselves for over 250 days until their handler get back to them, six survive and the final scenes where tear jerking ! One to watch. Then it was a Pierce Brosnan/Liam Neeson film “ Seraphim Falls ”about a bounty hunt after the civil war in the USA between the Union and Confederate Colonels – lots of shooting and gore as it goes on and on – watch it to see the end. Finally I watched a 1970 film with a young Sean Connery and Richard Harris in the main parts, “ The Molly Maguire’s ” based on true characters back in 1876 in the coal mines of Pennsylvania, it was filmed in the actual town, Eckley, Connery is a spy and Harris is the baddy ! Even the court house in some scenes is original and still in use today !

Cracker of the Day;

Why did the Jockey take his saddle to bed ? In case he had nightmares !

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SATURDAY 7th JANUARY 2012.

This morning after breakfast we walked down to the sports complex; at the football ground there was an all day competition on between local junior teams on two pitches but we could not get in as it was pay at the entrance and we did not have any money with us ! So we went into the sports hall where there was also an all day Basketball competition taking place on four courts, it was different aged teams of juniors and seniors consisting of three players in each team and playing into one basket ! It was timed and on a knockout basis, the atmosphere was great with loud music playing and the crowds shouting for their team ! Just a couple of pictures of the two best senior teams on the attack are above. On the way back I took the pictures of the motorcycles parked outside the Town Hall ,they had stopped along with some others for coffee.

Tonight it is Steak and Chips for dinner followed by another film ! Watch this space.

Thought for the Week;

Cheers to a New Year and another chance to get it right.

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MANILVA THIS MORNING.

2012-01-06T12:44:00.003Z