Monday, March 19, 2012
MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.
THURSDAY/FRIDAY/SATURDAY/SUNDAY 15th/18th MARCH 2012.
Well the weather forecast for the next few days and into next week is good, more of the same with sun and clear skies; the last five months – October/February – have been the driest and sunniest in the last thirty years, we have only have had two days of rain and this weekend it reached 24 degs in Sunny Manilva ! But it is ‘Semana Santa’ week coming up at the end of the month when the record in the past for the Easter religious processions is not good so we are not there yet !! We met Anna outside Bar Rojas on Thursday morning and sat and had a coffee in the warm sun, later Brenda was up in her favourite spot ,the roof terrace, reading her latest book as I was updating the blog.In the evening it was the second leg matches in the ‘ UEFA Europa League – Manchester Utd. went out to Athletico Bilbao,who played brilliantly and Manchester City went out also to Sporting Lisbon but at least put up a fight.
On Friday morning we went down to Sabinillas in the car, they will be missing us at the bus stop, to do the shopping and pick up the papers; later we went for our walk with Cheta and once again bumped into Mano and Anna, this time by Bar Rojas so we took in the sunshine and caught up with all the news. In the afternoon I watched the racing from Cheltenham, it was the ‘ Gold Cup ’with Kato Star going for a third win – sadly she was pulled up after spraining a muscle at the water jump, ‘ Synchronised ’ ridden by A.P McCoy won, his second win in the Gold Cup, the trainer was Jonjo O’Neil, his first win in the Gold Cup and the owner was J.P. McManus the legendary Irish gambler with his first win ! In the evening for dinner we had Pan Fried Fillet of Hake, the fishmonger suggested filleting the fish rather than cutting it into steaks as per normal, and I floured it and finished it in foaming Lemon Butter which we had with Garden Peas and Square Chips, earlier in the day Brenda suggested that it would be nice with a Tomato sauce on the side so I set to and made a rich Tomato sauce with local Tomatoes,Onions,Garlic and Sweet Pimento powder and of course the secret ingredients ( Sugar,Vinagar and Tabasco ) but with one difference, this time I used a Blender for the first time which suddenly Brenda had remembered we had hidden away ! It was a Wedding Present with a ‘ Rosemary Conley ’ juicer/blender that we have never had the chance to use ! You split the works in two and attach the blender, it worked perfectly and I then adjusted the consistency with ‘ Harina Fino de Maiz ’which we found the other day to replace our Cornflower – and yes it is all right to use Cornflower and Arrowroot – James Martin on ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen ’this weekend was cooking with it !! It was a delicious supper and we have used the Tomato sauce since with Pasta and Courgettes !
We walked down to the sports complex on Saturday morning after our breakfast and I took the pictures below of the Seven-a-Side Football and the Basketball. At lunchtime it was the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup, Everton could only manage a 1-1 draw with Sunderland so it’s replay next week. Then it was the big one “ The Six Nations Rugby ”Scotland got the wooden spoon after loosing to Italy and all the other teams; next it was Wales v France at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff with Wales going for the ‘ Grand Slam ’their third in seven years ! It was a “ Helluva ”game and Wales played really well and beat the French 16-9 and won the Grand Slam ( all five teams beaten ) and at the same time avenged their defeat in the World Cup by the French ! Brenda came down in her Bikini from the roof terrace to watch the celebrations. In Cardiff there was over 250,000 people crammed into the city which then went mad ! Later England beat Ireland at Twickenham when they overwhelmed the Irish pack and won 30-9.For dinner we had Steak and Chips with all the trimmings and then settled down to watch a little TV.
Yesterday, Sunday was a glorious day as we went for our walk; it was hot and not a breeze in sight as we sat outside Bar Rojas,Mano and Anna joined us for a drink and later we had the Paella for lunch. Before our walk I had entered a competition in the ‘ Sur in English ’Each week there is a picture of a iconic building somewhere in the world which you have to give the name of and which city it is in ! This week the picture with the clue – was of an iconic shipping company headquarters in one of the great ports of the UK. It was of course Liverpool and the Pier Head but they were wrong with the clue as the building shown was the ‘ Mersey Docks and Harbour Board Building’ know locally as the ‘ Dock Office ’ not the ‘ Cunard Building’ which is next to it !! So I have sent a long e-mail and the pictures above showing “ The Three Graces ” with the ‘Royal Liver Building ’ with the two mythical Liver Birds on the clock towers where my father worked for the ‘ Royal Liver Friendly Society’ for many years ! I also sent pictures of the old trams called the ‘ Green Goddesses ’ which we used to go onto town on and also the famous ‘ Overhead Railway ’ which was the first electrically operated overhead railway in the world which we caught from Seaforth.Another binding memory was seeing for the first time in the docks what was at the time the worlds largest floating crane ‘ Mammoth ’ Great childhood memories of Liverpool back in the 1950s !
In the afternoon I watched Liverpool beat Stoke in the FA Cup 2-1 and set up a possible semi final place against Everton at ‘ Anfield South ’ ( Wembley ) if they can beat Sunderland in the replay ! Big Bri watch out !! Torres scored two goals for Chelsea as they beat Leicester 5-2 in the over match whilst Manchester Utd.in the Premier League beat Wolves 0-5 ! In the evening for supper we had Lamb Cutlets Roasted on Boulangere Potatoes with all the usual vegetables served with Fresh Mint sauce. Here in Spain Barcelona won with a Messi wonder goal but Real Madrid could only draw at home with good old Malaga 1-1. We then watched the late film “ Misson Impossible 111 with Tom Cruise being Tom Cruise !
Thought for the Day;
One is never old to unlearn bad habits.
..
.
Well the weather forecast for the next few days and into next week is good, more of the same with sun and clear skies; the last five months – October/February – have been the driest and sunniest in the last thirty years, we have only have had two days of rain and this weekend it reached 24 degs in Sunny Manilva ! But it is ‘Semana Santa’ week coming up at the end of the month when the record in the past for the Easter religious processions is not good so we are not there yet !! We met Anna outside Bar Rojas on Thursday morning and sat and had a coffee in the warm sun, later Brenda was up in her favourite spot ,the roof terrace, reading her latest book as I was updating the blog.In the evening it was the second leg matches in the ‘ UEFA Europa League – Manchester Utd. went out to Athletico Bilbao,who played brilliantly and Manchester City went out also to Sporting Lisbon but at least put up a fight.
On Friday morning we went down to Sabinillas in the car, they will be missing us at the bus stop, to do the shopping and pick up the papers; later we went for our walk with Cheta and once again bumped into Mano and Anna, this time by Bar Rojas so we took in the sunshine and caught up with all the news. In the afternoon I watched the racing from Cheltenham, it was the ‘ Gold Cup ’with Kato Star going for a third win – sadly she was pulled up after spraining a muscle at the water jump, ‘ Synchronised ’ ridden by A.P McCoy won, his second win in the Gold Cup, the trainer was Jonjo O’Neil, his first win in the Gold Cup and the owner was J.P. McManus the legendary Irish gambler with his first win ! In the evening for dinner we had Pan Fried Fillet of Hake, the fishmonger suggested filleting the fish rather than cutting it into steaks as per normal, and I floured it and finished it in foaming Lemon Butter which we had with Garden Peas and Square Chips, earlier in the day Brenda suggested that it would be nice with a Tomato sauce on the side so I set to and made a rich Tomato sauce with local Tomatoes,Onions,Garlic and Sweet Pimento powder and of course the secret ingredients ( Sugar,Vinagar and Tabasco ) but with one difference, this time I used a Blender for the first time which suddenly Brenda had remembered we had hidden away ! It was a Wedding Present with a ‘ Rosemary Conley ’ juicer/blender that we have never had the chance to use ! You split the works in two and attach the blender, it worked perfectly and I then adjusted the consistency with ‘ Harina Fino de Maiz ’which we found the other day to replace our Cornflower – and yes it is all right to use Cornflower and Arrowroot – James Martin on ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen ’this weekend was cooking with it !! It was a delicious supper and we have used the Tomato sauce since with Pasta and Courgettes !
We walked down to the sports complex on Saturday morning after our breakfast and I took the pictures below of the Seven-a-Side Football and the Basketball. At lunchtime it was the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup, Everton could only manage a 1-1 draw with Sunderland so it’s replay next week. Then it was the big one “ The Six Nations Rugby ”Scotland got the wooden spoon after loosing to Italy and all the other teams; next it was Wales v France at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff with Wales going for the ‘ Grand Slam ’their third in seven years ! It was a “ Helluva ”game and Wales played really well and beat the French 16-9 and won the Grand Slam ( all five teams beaten ) and at the same time avenged their defeat in the World Cup by the French ! Brenda came down in her Bikini from the roof terrace to watch the celebrations. In Cardiff there was over 250,000 people crammed into the city which then went mad ! Later England beat Ireland at Twickenham when they overwhelmed the Irish pack and won 30-9.For dinner we had Steak and Chips with all the trimmings and then settled down to watch a little TV.
Yesterday, Sunday was a glorious day as we went for our walk; it was hot and not a breeze in sight as we sat outside Bar Rojas,Mano and Anna joined us for a drink and later we had the Paella for lunch. Before our walk I had entered a competition in the ‘ Sur in English ’Each week there is a picture of a iconic building somewhere in the world which you have to give the name of and which city it is in ! This week the picture with the clue – was of an iconic shipping company headquarters in one of the great ports of the UK. It was of course Liverpool and the Pier Head but they were wrong with the clue as the building shown was the ‘ Mersey Docks and Harbour Board Building’ know locally as the ‘ Dock Office ’ not the ‘ Cunard Building’ which is next to it !! So I have sent a long e-mail and the pictures above showing “ The Three Graces ” with the ‘Royal Liver Building ’ with the two mythical Liver Birds on the clock towers where my father worked for the ‘ Royal Liver Friendly Society’ for many years ! I also sent pictures of the old trams called the ‘ Green Goddesses ’ which we used to go onto town on and also the famous ‘ Overhead Railway ’ which was the first electrically operated overhead railway in the world which we caught from Seaforth.Another binding memory was seeing for the first time in the docks what was at the time the worlds largest floating crane ‘ Mammoth ’ Great childhood memories of Liverpool back in the 1950s !
In the afternoon I watched Liverpool beat Stoke in the FA Cup 2-1 and set up a possible semi final place against Everton at ‘ Anfield South ’ ( Wembley ) if they can beat Sunderland in the replay ! Big Bri watch out !! Torres scored two goals for Chelsea as they beat Leicester 5-2 in the over match whilst Manchester Utd.in the Premier League beat Wolves 0-5 ! In the evening for supper we had Lamb Cutlets Roasted on Boulangere Potatoes with all the usual vegetables served with Fresh Mint sauce. Here in Spain Barcelona won with a Messi wonder goal but Real Madrid could only draw at home with good old Malaga 1-1. We then watched the late film “ Misson Impossible 111 with Tom Cruise being Tom Cruise !
Thought for the Day;
One is never old to unlearn bad habits.
..
.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
MANILVA THIS WEEK.
MONDAY/TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY 13th/14th/15th MARCH 2012.
The forecast for this week is clear skies and warm sun; on Monday we had an at home day to catch up with the chores around the house and I disappeared into the office to loose myself on the WWW. The pictures from Melbourne came in early and just show how good Jack looks after his operation. Brenda ended up on the roof terrace taking in the sun and reading and I tried to set up a connection to watch the racing from Cheltenham over the next few days – with no luck – so I will have to follow it on the BBC Sports channel text and chat; at the same time I did have some luck as I was able to sign up and then log-on to Channel 4’s Iplayer 40D at last and I’ am now able to follow ‘Shameless’! In the evening we had Cold Pork for supper and then caught up with the news and weather; the main weather reports are on twice a day on TVE1 and are very comprehensive.
On Tuesday morning we took Cheta for her cut and trim as her coat at this time of the year starts to go, she as usual ends up looking like ‘ ET ’ as you can see in the pictures below ! Later I was in the office following the racing when the new phone went and showed the message that had appeared on ‘ Oscars ’blog; it has brought back all the memories of the Hotel Seventy Degrees back in the late 70s and early 80s. At the time it was the best and led all the others in food, style and service and of course the loyal customers and staff all helped to make it something special to be be proud of. In the evening after dinner of Pork Cutlets with our favourite Lyonnaise Potatoes we settled down and watched TV after I caught the Derby Match Liverpool v Everton – on the PC, Liverpool won 3-0 with a Gerrard hat trick – sorry Big Bri !
In the morning on Wednesday I got the Braised Steak on the go; I sauté lots of sliced Onions and then pan fry the floured steaks to brown them off, I make the sauce with diced Onions, Carrots, Garlic, Celery, Leeks, Turnips, Mushrooms and Green Beans all sautéed in Red Wine and Tomato Sauce and then a Beef and Vegetable Stock to finish – I then put all the ingredients together in a large braising dish ready to go in the oven for a couple of hours in the evening! After our walk with the dog Brenda went up on the roof terrace and I followed the racing from Cheltenham; it was very exciting and at the same time it is very frustrating as I’ am watching the text come up on the screen – I have also now found that I can listen to a commentary on Radio 5 Live at the same time ! but sadly still no pictures. After dinner we watched the football from Madrid on our local regional channel; Real beat CSKA Moscow 4-1 – aggregate 5-2 to go into the Quarter Finals of the UEFA Champions League but the match of the night was in England when Chelsea came back against Napoli after loosing badly in the first leg 3-1 and beat them 4-1 after extra time to go through to the next round as well. The late film was a political thriller a ‘Goodin’ called “ The Interpreter ”with Nicole Kidman in the title role and Sean Penn also starring in the last film directed by Sydney Pollack in 2005.
Thought for the Day;
A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.
..
.
The forecast for this week is clear skies and warm sun; on Monday we had an at home day to catch up with the chores around the house and I disappeared into the office to loose myself on the WWW. The pictures from Melbourne came in early and just show how good Jack looks after his operation. Brenda ended up on the roof terrace taking in the sun and reading and I tried to set up a connection to watch the racing from Cheltenham over the next few days – with no luck – so I will have to follow it on the BBC Sports channel text and chat; at the same time I did have some luck as I was able to sign up and then log-on to Channel 4’s Iplayer 40D at last and I’ am now able to follow ‘Shameless’! In the evening we had Cold Pork for supper and then caught up with the news and weather; the main weather reports are on twice a day on TVE1 and are very comprehensive.
On Tuesday morning we took Cheta for her cut and trim as her coat at this time of the year starts to go, she as usual ends up looking like ‘ ET ’ as you can see in the pictures below ! Later I was in the office following the racing when the new phone went and showed the message that had appeared on ‘ Oscars ’blog; it has brought back all the memories of the Hotel Seventy Degrees back in the late 70s and early 80s. At the time it was the best and led all the others in food, style and service and of course the loyal customers and staff all helped to make it something special to be be proud of. In the evening after dinner of Pork Cutlets with our favourite Lyonnaise Potatoes we settled down and watched TV after I caught the Derby Match Liverpool v Everton – on the PC, Liverpool won 3-0 with a Gerrard hat trick – sorry Big Bri !
In the morning on Wednesday I got the Braised Steak on the go; I sauté lots of sliced Onions and then pan fry the floured steaks to brown them off, I make the sauce with diced Onions, Carrots, Garlic, Celery, Leeks, Turnips, Mushrooms and Green Beans all sautéed in Red Wine and Tomato Sauce and then a Beef and Vegetable Stock to finish – I then put all the ingredients together in a large braising dish ready to go in the oven for a couple of hours in the evening! After our walk with the dog Brenda went up on the roof terrace and I followed the racing from Cheltenham; it was very exciting and at the same time it is very frustrating as I’ am watching the text come up on the screen – I have also now found that I can listen to a commentary on Radio 5 Live at the same time ! but sadly still no pictures. After dinner we watched the football from Madrid on our local regional channel; Real beat CSKA Moscow 4-1 – aggregate 5-2 to go into the Quarter Finals of the UEFA Champions League but the match of the night was in England when Chelsea came back against Napoli after loosing badly in the first leg 3-1 and beat them 4-1 after extra time to go through to the next round as well. The late film was a political thriller a ‘Goodin’ called “ The Interpreter ”with Nicole Kidman in the title role and Sean Penn also starring in the last film directed by Sydney Pollack in 2005.
Thought for the Day;
A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.
..
.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
MANILVA THIS AFTERNOON.
The link below to ' Oscars Blog ' a friend in Llandudno,shows the Blog comment that he posted in July 2010 and then the further comments that followed; this afternoon as I was watching and listening to the Cheltenham Festival my new Blackberry went and it showed for the first time after going fully online on Sunday that I had a message in our Googlemail. It is a very nice comment from ' Anonymous ' about his/her childhood memories about dining at the Hotel Seventy Degrees back in the early eighties which had just posted on the original blog. Very happy memories about the Hotel and Horizon Suite Restaurant and all the old loyal customers and of course the staff.We are both very moved and at the same time proud of the good old days.Just click on to see and read !!
..
..
Monday, March 12, 2012
MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.
FRIDAY/SATURDAY/SUNDAY 9th/10th/11th MARCH 2012.
This weekend the forecast yet again is clear skies, sun and a little breeze; first thing on Friday morning Mano picked us up and we shot across to our bank in Estepona as we needed to collect some cash and also they are now offering very competitive car insurance. David our bank manager was very helpful and also Mano who is an agent for the bank; The bank is now called ‘ Targa Bank ’after a merger and are now offering lots more services. We had one slight hiccup as I had left the Smart car insurance forms in the file when I sold it! We needed it as this was the first time we have had a Spanish Car Insurance and to claim the no-claims bonus we needed proof ! After a bit of a chase round we finally got in touch with our old insurance agents in Colwyn Bay and arranged for the necessary documents to be e-mailed to the bank ! So it was then back to Manilva to meet and collect the keys and documents from the owner who we met in Bodega Augustine ( The Office ) We then set off in the new car down to Sabinillas to do the shopping as you can see in the pictures below. We are parking the car in the underground council car park over the weekend and will reclaim our spot in the small square behind our house next week ! In the evening we treated ourselves to a night out up at Bar Rojas for supper and to give the Chef and his assistant a night off ! Brenda had ‘ Gallo Frito ’with Tomato salad and I had ‘ Huevos Frito with Patatas Fritas ’which is served with fried Garlic Cloves which Brenda loves ! The late classic film was “ Casablanca “ from 1942 – they don’t make films like this now !
On Saturday morning we went out in the car over to Marbella to the car Hypermarket to buy two yellow fluorescent jackets and a breakdown triangle that you are required by law to have along with spare bulbs etc.As we reached the exit the van behind us flashed his lights, I had just felt a small bump, when I looked in the wing mirror I saw that the rear off-side tyre had gone and the sparks were flying ! We limped in the car repair bay which very luckily was not far !! The tires had passed the ITV( MOT ) three months ago but we did realize that we would need to check them before the next one in November – but not so soon ! The law in Spain about tires is that they should match one another front and back – so you have to have two new tires ! We ended up doing a deal and getting a very good rate for four as we thought that we might as well do it now than later !! This also meant that we had a couple of hours to window shop in ‘ La Canadia ’ which is the largest shopping mall on the coast, so we did a little shopping in the food Hypermarket and also called into the new Marks and Spencer’s. On the way back to pick up the car, they are very efficient and tell you when it will be ready, then call and text you at the same time, we stopped for a coffee in a ‘Chringito ’outside the front entrance which is were I took the picture above of the Paella! The car on the way back was a dream with a smoother ride, positive steering and braking- all the result of the new tires! Mano and Anna called in with Fabio after lunch to catch up with the news. Later in the afternoon I watched the Rugby Six Nations from the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff – Wales beat Italy 24-3 and opened up in the second half. Over in England Liverpool lost to Sunderland 1-0 and played terrible. In the evening we had Sirloin Steaks for dinner which we bought earlier at the food Hypermarket with all the trimmings and then settled down to watch the late film – “ The Sum of Fears “ from 2002 with Morgan Freeman and Ben Affleck as a young ‘ Jack Ryan ’ it is a political/action thriller.
Sunday morning after a little lie in we got the roast on the go – Loin of Pork, Brenda prepared all her vegetables and Potatoes and we then had for a change a good old fashioned Prawn Cocktail made with Brenda’s famous Marie Rose sauce! We had bought the Gambas over in Marbella and they were tasty and juicy and large! In the afternoon our friends Peter, Barbara and their children Jake, Megan and Leah called in to help me finalize the installing of the new phone settings as they had last years model of the same phone – so now thanks to Peter I’ am fully operational with Skype Video,Facebook,Googlemail,Sextons Blog,Contacts,Internet and Wi Fi !! Later I watched the Rugby from Paris – England beat the French 22-24 and scored three great tries ! The French missed a penalty kick in the last few second to win the game !! The football over in England was rather exciting as Manchester Utd. beat West Brom 2-0 and Manchester City lost at Swansea 1-0 so Utd, are one point ahead in the Premier League and Brian’s Everton had a good win over Spurs 1-0.Real Madrid and Barcelona both won away so there is no change at the top in ‘ La Liga ’ Another good result was in the Paris – Nice cycle race over the last week when Bradley Wiggins won, only the second Englishman to win the race- the last was Tom Simpson 45 years ago – his hero, my Dads’ hero and mine ! In the evening Mano and Anna joined us the for the Sunday roast and we then watched with them ‘ The Million Euro Drop ’ and with their help we got more answers right and even guessed the questions !! The still give the money in Pesetas so as to make it look more !! Also above is the picture from Mano and Anna’s house, as promised a few weeks ago of the poet ‘ Lorca ’ We then caught a late film, one that we had not seen before, it starred Jodie Foster as a mother who wakes up on a transatlantic flight to find that her young daughter has gone missing – “ Flightplan ” with Sean Bean as the pilot- don’t miss it – it is very gripping !
PS; The pictures below came in this morning from Melbourne and show how well Jack is looking,the two great grandchildren are Michael and Kelly's ,Deb's son who we last saw when he was about five over in North Wales when Deb came over on a visit from Australia and stayed with Brenda's mum and dad !
..
Thought for the Day;
Ability without control is worthless.
..
.
This weekend the forecast yet again is clear skies, sun and a little breeze; first thing on Friday morning Mano picked us up and we shot across to our bank in Estepona as we needed to collect some cash and also they are now offering very competitive car insurance. David our bank manager was very helpful and also Mano who is an agent for the bank; The bank is now called ‘ Targa Bank ’after a merger and are now offering lots more services. We had one slight hiccup as I had left the Smart car insurance forms in the file when I sold it! We needed it as this was the first time we have had a Spanish Car Insurance and to claim the no-claims bonus we needed proof ! After a bit of a chase round we finally got in touch with our old insurance agents in Colwyn Bay and arranged for the necessary documents to be e-mailed to the bank ! So it was then back to Manilva to meet and collect the keys and documents from the owner who we met in Bodega Augustine ( The Office ) We then set off in the new car down to Sabinillas to do the shopping as you can see in the pictures below. We are parking the car in the underground council car park over the weekend and will reclaim our spot in the small square behind our house next week ! In the evening we treated ourselves to a night out up at Bar Rojas for supper and to give the Chef and his assistant a night off ! Brenda had ‘ Gallo Frito ’with Tomato salad and I had ‘ Huevos Frito with Patatas Fritas ’which is served with fried Garlic Cloves which Brenda loves ! The late classic film was “ Casablanca “ from 1942 – they don’t make films like this now !
On Saturday morning we went out in the car over to Marbella to the car Hypermarket to buy two yellow fluorescent jackets and a breakdown triangle that you are required by law to have along with spare bulbs etc.As we reached the exit the van behind us flashed his lights, I had just felt a small bump, when I looked in the wing mirror I saw that the rear off-side tyre had gone and the sparks were flying ! We limped in the car repair bay which very luckily was not far !! The tires had passed the ITV( MOT ) three months ago but we did realize that we would need to check them before the next one in November – but not so soon ! The law in Spain about tires is that they should match one another front and back – so you have to have two new tires ! We ended up doing a deal and getting a very good rate for four as we thought that we might as well do it now than later !! This also meant that we had a couple of hours to window shop in ‘ La Canadia ’ which is the largest shopping mall on the coast, so we did a little shopping in the food Hypermarket and also called into the new Marks and Spencer’s. On the way back to pick up the car, they are very efficient and tell you when it will be ready, then call and text you at the same time, we stopped for a coffee in a ‘Chringito ’outside the front entrance which is were I took the picture above of the Paella! The car on the way back was a dream with a smoother ride, positive steering and braking- all the result of the new tires! Mano and Anna called in with Fabio after lunch to catch up with the news. Later in the afternoon I watched the Rugby Six Nations from the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff – Wales beat Italy 24-3 and opened up in the second half. Over in England Liverpool lost to Sunderland 1-0 and played terrible. In the evening we had Sirloin Steaks for dinner which we bought earlier at the food Hypermarket with all the trimmings and then settled down to watch the late film – “ The Sum of Fears “ from 2002 with Morgan Freeman and Ben Affleck as a young ‘ Jack Ryan ’ it is a political/action thriller.
Sunday morning after a little lie in we got the roast on the go – Loin of Pork, Brenda prepared all her vegetables and Potatoes and we then had for a change a good old fashioned Prawn Cocktail made with Brenda’s famous Marie Rose sauce! We had bought the Gambas over in Marbella and they were tasty and juicy and large! In the afternoon our friends Peter, Barbara and their children Jake, Megan and Leah called in to help me finalize the installing of the new phone settings as they had last years model of the same phone – so now thanks to Peter I’ am fully operational with Skype Video,Facebook,Googlemail,Sextons Blog,Contacts,Internet and Wi Fi !! Later I watched the Rugby from Paris – England beat the French 22-24 and scored three great tries ! The French missed a penalty kick in the last few second to win the game !! The football over in England was rather exciting as Manchester Utd. beat West Brom 2-0 and Manchester City lost at Swansea 1-0 so Utd, are one point ahead in the Premier League and Brian’s Everton had a good win over Spurs 1-0.Real Madrid and Barcelona both won away so there is no change at the top in ‘ La Liga ’ Another good result was in the Paris – Nice cycle race over the last week when Bradley Wiggins won, only the second Englishman to win the race- the last was Tom Simpson 45 years ago – his hero, my Dads’ hero and mine ! In the evening Mano and Anna joined us the for the Sunday roast and we then watched with them ‘ The Million Euro Drop ’ and with their help we got more answers right and even guessed the questions !! The still give the money in Pesetas so as to make it look more !! Also above is the picture from Mano and Anna’s house, as promised a few weeks ago of the poet ‘ Lorca ’ We then caught a late film, one that we had not seen before, it starred Jodie Foster as a mother who wakes up on a transatlantic flight to find that her young daughter has gone missing – “ Flightplan ” with Sean Bean as the pilot- don’t miss it – it is very gripping !
PS; The pictures below came in this morning from Melbourne and show how well Jack is looking,the two great grandchildren are Michael and Kelly's ,Deb's son who we last saw when he was about five over in North Wales when Deb came over on a visit from Australia and stayed with Brenda's mum and dad !
..
Thought for the Day;
Ability without control is worthless.
..
.
Friday, March 09, 2012
MANILVA NEWSFLASH.
FRIDAY 9th MARCH 2012.
We have just come home after doing the shopping in Sabinillas in the new car; it is ' Ferrari ' Red - it thinks it is a Ferrari,Brenda wishes that it was a Ferrari and I wish that it went like a Ferrari ! But it is just a ' Ford Fiesta ' !! We found it on Wednesday up by the local Ford garage showing a For Sale sign privately and made contact with Mano's help and the deal was done; it has low mileage,one local lady owner,ITV ( MOT ) up to November,the Road Tax is 34 euros a year and the insurance done through our Bank in Estepona is 23 euros per month ! Mano has helped with all the paper work and we will register the change of ownership next week. Watch out your roving reporter is out and about again - first stop Gibraltar next week !! See the pictures above as we set off on our first trip.
We have just come home after doing the shopping in Sabinillas in the new car; it is ' Ferrari ' Red - it thinks it is a Ferrari,Brenda wishes that it was a Ferrari and I wish that it went like a Ferrari ! But it is just a ' Ford Fiesta ' !! We found it on Wednesday up by the local Ford garage showing a For Sale sign privately and made contact with Mano's help and the deal was done; it has low mileage,one local lady owner,ITV ( MOT ) up to November,the Road Tax is 34 euros a year and the insurance done through our Bank in Estepona is 23 euros per month ! Mano has helped with all the paper work and we will register the change of ownership next week. Watch out your roving reporter is out and about again - first stop Gibraltar next week !! See the pictures above as we set off on our first trip.
Thursday, March 08, 2012
MANILVA THIS WEEK.
MONDAY/TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY 5th/8th MARCH 2012.
The forecast for the week is very good; sun and clear skies and no breeze so it’s Bikini time for Brenda up on the terrace ! This week we are taking things easy at home and are keeping to our routine of walking in the morning with Cheta, reading in the afternoon and watching the news and a film after supper. Cold Lamb on Monday night was very tasty, we do like cold meats and the leftover vegetables and Boulangere Potatoes also went down well !
On Tuesday morning after our tea and toast we had a “ Helluva “ day; over the weekend we made up our minds, finally, and have decided to sell the Smart car, it will cost too much to change it to Spanish plates and documents etc. so on Monday I rung around to all the car buyers in the local papers and got immediate results; I also posted the details on the Internet Selling Paper and E-mailed one enquiry at the same time. The phone started first thing in the morning and by lunchtime I had had three offers and then met one of them and sold the car by 2-00pm ! We are very sorry to see the Smart car go, we loved it and have had lots of fun with it but life goes on – the picture above is in memory of the car and what it thought it was ! Mano and Anna have been very helpful and Mano is going to help us when we find a car for sale locally, we don’t need or want anything flash, in fact a cheap. old banger will do for our needs ! In the evening for dinner we had Pork Cutlets with more Boulangere Potatoes.
As we were out walking on Wednesday morning we saw that there was a small exhibition of paintings in the new Wine Centre to celebrate the Week of Women; the pictures below show them in the upstairs foyer of the Centre outside the Presentation Theater which I discovered had been fitted with the new seating, I could not find the light switches but you can see them anyway! After supper of Chicken Curry we watched the football on Spanish TV, the night before we saw the Arsenal nearly make the comeback of the year against Milan when they scored three goals in the first half to make it 3-4 on aggregate but sadly did not go through, meanwhile Barcelona beat Bayer Leverkuson 10-2 and on the night beat them 7-1 with Messi scoring five sublime goals – a record for a Champions League Match!
Today on our walk this morning we arranged to meet Mano at the local garage and car showrooms in the village; as we got there we spotted just outside Carlo’s house a car up for sale privately, so Mano rang for us and we are meeting this afternoon in Bar Augustine as it looks rather good, keep your fingers crossed and watch this space! As we came back into Calle Mar outside the Town Hall there was a gathering for ‘ International Women’s Day ’ with the Mayor,Antonia leading the proceedings as you can see in the pictures above. The other pictures below show the Bacardi Brewery and a job I would die for – tasting! and from Australia a picture that brings a smile to your face!! Tonight we are having Flattened Chicken Breast in Breadcrumbs cooked in foaming butter with square chips and I’ am open to request as to the garnish !
Thought for the Day;
You already possess everything necessary to become great.
The forecast for the week is very good; sun and clear skies and no breeze so it’s Bikini time for Brenda up on the terrace ! This week we are taking things easy at home and are keeping to our routine of walking in the morning with Cheta, reading in the afternoon and watching the news and a film after supper. Cold Lamb on Monday night was very tasty, we do like cold meats and the leftover vegetables and Boulangere Potatoes also went down well !
On Tuesday morning after our tea and toast we had a “ Helluva “ day; over the weekend we made up our minds, finally, and have decided to sell the Smart car, it will cost too much to change it to Spanish plates and documents etc. so on Monday I rung around to all the car buyers in the local papers and got immediate results; I also posted the details on the Internet Selling Paper and E-mailed one enquiry at the same time. The phone started first thing in the morning and by lunchtime I had had three offers and then met one of them and sold the car by 2-00pm ! We are very sorry to see the Smart car go, we loved it and have had lots of fun with it but life goes on – the picture above is in memory of the car and what it thought it was ! Mano and Anna have been very helpful and Mano is going to help us when we find a car for sale locally, we don’t need or want anything flash, in fact a cheap. old banger will do for our needs ! In the evening for dinner we had Pork Cutlets with more Boulangere Potatoes.
As we were out walking on Wednesday morning we saw that there was a small exhibition of paintings in the new Wine Centre to celebrate the Week of Women; the pictures below show them in the upstairs foyer of the Centre outside the Presentation Theater which I discovered had been fitted with the new seating, I could not find the light switches but you can see them anyway! After supper of Chicken Curry we watched the football on Spanish TV, the night before we saw the Arsenal nearly make the comeback of the year against Milan when they scored three goals in the first half to make it 3-4 on aggregate but sadly did not go through, meanwhile Barcelona beat Bayer Leverkuson 10-2 and on the night beat them 7-1 with Messi scoring five sublime goals – a record for a Champions League Match!
Today on our walk this morning we arranged to meet Mano at the local garage and car showrooms in the village; as we got there we spotted just outside Carlo’s house a car up for sale privately, so Mano rang for us and we are meeting this afternoon in Bar Augustine as it looks rather good, keep your fingers crossed and watch this space! As we came back into Calle Mar outside the Town Hall there was a gathering for ‘ International Women’s Day ’ with the Mayor,Antonia leading the proceedings as you can see in the pictures above. The other pictures below show the Bacardi Brewery and a job I would die for – tasting! and from Australia a picture that brings a smile to your face!! Tonight we are having Flattened Chicken Breast in Breadcrumbs cooked in foaming butter with square chips and I’ am open to request as to the garnish !
Thought for the Day;
You already possess everything necessary to become great.
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Monday, March 05, 2012
MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.
FRIDAY/SATURDAY/SUNDAY 2nd/3rd/4th MARCH 2012.
The forecast rain on Friday morning did arrive ,but at lunchtime, so we were able to do all our shopping including the local market and the butchers before it started ; it did not last long and was not heavy and we are now back to clear Blue skies and the sun by lunchtime and in the afternoon Brenda has been out on the roof terrace in her bikini reading the papers and her book ! In the evening for supper we had Pan Fried Salmon fillets in foaming Lemon Butter with Baby New Potatoes and Garden Peas before we watched the news and then a film; “ Red Planet ” starring Val Kilmer in a story of a trip to Mars in 2056AD to save the world – watch it to find out if he did !
On Saturday morning after a Fried Egg toasted buttie we went for a walk to the sports complex; in the football ground there was a junior 11xside game on with Manilva in the lead as we left and in the sports hall they had a half term sport school taking place. By the time we came back it was shirt sleeve weather and the forecast into next week is more of the same with the temperature going over the twenty deg. mark ! I watched the Football over in England on yet another new sports channel that Brian has put me onto; Manchester City won at Bolton and on Sunday Manchester Utd. beat Spurs 1-3 so there is no change at the top. Here Barcelona won and Real Madrid so everything stays the same here a well. For dinner we had our usual Steak and Chips with all the trimmings and then watched the late football from Seville.
After a lie in on Sunday morning we got the Roast on the go; we had bought a Shoulder of Spanish Lamb for the two of us and Brenda kept the vegetables simple, Baby Carrots, Garden Peas and Cabbage as I made a large dish of Boulangere Potatoes to go with the Lamb which I had studded with Garlic and Rosemary together with a rich Herb Gravy. The Lamb was delicious and we will have the Shoulder again. At lunchtime after a short walk with the dog we stopped at Bar Rojas and sat in the warm sunshine as we had our lunch, Brenda had ‘ Gambas Pil Pil ’with lots of ‘ Pan Morena ’ to soak up all the Garlic juices and I had the Paella. In the afternoon I watched the Six Nations Rugby from Paris, it was the game that as postponed due to snow a couple of weeks ago, Ireland played very well and the final score was 17-17 with that man Sexton man of the match – again ! After our late Sunday Roast the film was a nice story about a father in Ireland fighting to get his children out of the Orphanages and was based on a true story played by Pierce Brosnan it was very moving and his young daughter played by Sophie Vavasseur in the title role “ Evelyn ” Get the tissues ready !
Thought for the Day;
Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.
..
.
The forecast rain on Friday morning did arrive ,but at lunchtime, so we were able to do all our shopping including the local market and the butchers before it started ; it did not last long and was not heavy and we are now back to clear Blue skies and the sun by lunchtime and in the afternoon Brenda has been out on the roof terrace in her bikini reading the papers and her book ! In the evening for supper we had Pan Fried Salmon fillets in foaming Lemon Butter with Baby New Potatoes and Garden Peas before we watched the news and then a film; “ Red Planet ” starring Val Kilmer in a story of a trip to Mars in 2056AD to save the world – watch it to find out if he did !
On Saturday morning after a Fried Egg toasted buttie we went for a walk to the sports complex; in the football ground there was a junior 11xside game on with Manilva in the lead as we left and in the sports hall they had a half term sport school taking place. By the time we came back it was shirt sleeve weather and the forecast into next week is more of the same with the temperature going over the twenty deg. mark ! I watched the Football over in England on yet another new sports channel that Brian has put me onto; Manchester City won at Bolton and on Sunday Manchester Utd. beat Spurs 1-3 so there is no change at the top. Here Barcelona won and Real Madrid so everything stays the same here a well. For dinner we had our usual Steak and Chips with all the trimmings and then watched the late football from Seville.
After a lie in on Sunday morning we got the Roast on the go; we had bought a Shoulder of Spanish Lamb for the two of us and Brenda kept the vegetables simple, Baby Carrots, Garden Peas and Cabbage as I made a large dish of Boulangere Potatoes to go with the Lamb which I had studded with Garlic and Rosemary together with a rich Herb Gravy. The Lamb was delicious and we will have the Shoulder again. At lunchtime after a short walk with the dog we stopped at Bar Rojas and sat in the warm sunshine as we had our lunch, Brenda had ‘ Gambas Pil Pil ’with lots of ‘ Pan Morena ’ to soak up all the Garlic juices and I had the Paella. In the afternoon I watched the Six Nations Rugby from Paris, it was the game that as postponed due to snow a couple of weeks ago, Ireland played very well and the final score was 17-17 with that man Sexton man of the match – again ! After our late Sunday Roast the film was a nice story about a father in Ireland fighting to get his children out of the Orphanages and was based on a true story played by Pierce Brosnan it was very moving and his young daughter played by Sophie Vavasseur in the title role “ Evelyn ” Get the tissues ready !
Thought for the Day;
Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.
..
.
Thursday, March 01, 2012
MANILVA THIS WEEK.
MONDAY/TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY 27th/28th/29th FEBRUARY 2012.
As we got up on Monday morning the sun was out and the forecast for the week is more of the same but with some rain by the weekend; we went for a good walk around the village with Cheta and on the way back we booked her in at the vets for a shampoo on Wednesday morning. Outside the town hall they were starting to set up the stage for Tuesday’s celebrations, Mano and Anna called in to catch up with all the local news and gossip and then Brenda went up on the roof terrace and I hit the office. For dinner we had Minute Steak smeared in Mustard quickly pan fried with Sauté Mushrooms and Onions and crisp chips! The late film turned out to be a classic; “ No Country for Old Men ”from only 2007. It is a crime thriller with lots of twists-violence and mayhem ensues after a hunter stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of Heroin and over 2 million dollars; it takes place down on the River Grande in West Texas in the 1980s.The film is a ‘ Coen Bros. ’ classic which won four Oscars in 2008; Best Film,Best Director, Best Written and Best Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem playing the assassin ! The other main actors are Tommy Lee Jones as the local sheriff and Josh Brolin as the one being chased. Don’t miss it !!
MANILVA ANDALAUCIA DAY TUESDAY 28TH FEBRUAY 2012.
Tuesday morning was sunny but a little crisp as we made our way up to the top of our street for the start of the proceedings; the pictures below show you the day as it unfolded but not the atmosphere. The Manilva Brass Band marches into the village, led by Fernando, the civic dignitaries gather and after the speech by the Mayor, Antonia Munoz, the flag raising takes place as the massed choirs sing the Andalucia Anthem. The Chief of Police,Paco, is in his best dress uniform and stands rigid with his salute. Then the two choirs sing to the music of the Brass Band before the Flamenco Dance School comes on stage. Meanwhile the village is bouncing along Calle Mar with stalls and rides for the children and the main bars doing a roaring trade. Lumy in Bar Rojas had one of her Paella’s on the go as you can see. Later in the afternoon there was Fandango singing and dancing and then a loud Rumba Band; in the evening it was the turn of the Music School with a young girl band and finally Isobel belting out pop hits from the Beatles and The Police which we had a good dance and sing along to finish off the day. In between we had a Cold Chicken supper.
On Wednesday morning we caught the bus down to Sabinillas to do an English shop from Supersol; we got a lift back up from a local and then took Cheta for her wash and brush up at the vets. In the afternoon I posted the picture Blog and caught up with all the news on the WWW. In the evening after dinner, Pork Cutlets and Lyonnaise Potatoes we watched the football, both matches with interest for us were on the Spanish Sports channel; Spain beat Venezuela 5-0 with a wonder goal by Davis Silva and the new/young England team lost to Holland 3-2.
ST.DAVIDS DAY THURSDAY 1st MARCH 2012 “ CYMRU AM BYTH ”
Today it is bright and sunny for St. David’s Day; first thing this morning Brenda was up on the top balcony putting the flag out as you can see in the picture above, that’s her in the stripped sweater with Cheta leaning through he rails ! The locals all ask what the flag is so we tell them that it is our Saint’s day back in Wales – in Spanish with difficulty ! We are having an at home day after all the excitement of the last few days and are digging out our wet gear for tomorrows shopping trip ! This evening for supper it is Pan Fried Liver and Bacon with Chipolatas and Sauté Onions together with cubed crisp chips. The film tonight on the golden oldies channel is “ 55 Days at Peking ”with Charlton Heston and Ava Gardener.
Thought for the Day;
If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live.
..
.
As we got up on Monday morning the sun was out and the forecast for the week is more of the same but with some rain by the weekend; we went for a good walk around the village with Cheta and on the way back we booked her in at the vets for a shampoo on Wednesday morning. Outside the town hall they were starting to set up the stage for Tuesday’s celebrations, Mano and Anna called in to catch up with all the local news and gossip and then Brenda went up on the roof terrace and I hit the office. For dinner we had Minute Steak smeared in Mustard quickly pan fried with Sauté Mushrooms and Onions and crisp chips! The late film turned out to be a classic; “ No Country for Old Men ”from only 2007. It is a crime thriller with lots of twists-violence and mayhem ensues after a hunter stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of Heroin and over 2 million dollars; it takes place down on the River Grande in West Texas in the 1980s.The film is a ‘ Coen Bros. ’ classic which won four Oscars in 2008; Best Film,Best Director, Best Written and Best Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem playing the assassin ! The other main actors are Tommy Lee Jones as the local sheriff and Josh Brolin as the one being chased. Don’t miss it !!
MANILVA ANDALAUCIA DAY TUESDAY 28TH FEBRUAY 2012.
Tuesday morning was sunny but a little crisp as we made our way up to the top of our street for the start of the proceedings; the pictures below show you the day as it unfolded but not the atmosphere. The Manilva Brass Band marches into the village, led by Fernando, the civic dignitaries gather and after the speech by the Mayor, Antonia Munoz, the flag raising takes place as the massed choirs sing the Andalucia Anthem. The Chief of Police,Paco, is in his best dress uniform and stands rigid with his salute. Then the two choirs sing to the music of the Brass Band before the Flamenco Dance School comes on stage. Meanwhile the village is bouncing along Calle Mar with stalls and rides for the children and the main bars doing a roaring trade. Lumy in Bar Rojas had one of her Paella’s on the go as you can see. Later in the afternoon there was Fandango singing and dancing and then a loud Rumba Band; in the evening it was the turn of the Music School with a young girl band and finally Isobel belting out pop hits from the Beatles and The Police which we had a good dance and sing along to finish off the day. In between we had a Cold Chicken supper.
On Wednesday morning we caught the bus down to Sabinillas to do an English shop from Supersol; we got a lift back up from a local and then took Cheta for her wash and brush up at the vets. In the afternoon I posted the picture Blog and caught up with all the news on the WWW. In the evening after dinner, Pork Cutlets and Lyonnaise Potatoes we watched the football, both matches with interest for us were on the Spanish Sports channel; Spain beat Venezuela 5-0 with a wonder goal by Davis Silva and the new/young England team lost to Holland 3-2.
ST.DAVIDS DAY THURSDAY 1st MARCH 2012 “ CYMRU AM BYTH ”
Today it is bright and sunny for St. David’s Day; first thing this morning Brenda was up on the top balcony putting the flag out as you can see in the picture above, that’s her in the stripped sweater with Cheta leaning through he rails ! The locals all ask what the flag is so we tell them that it is our Saint’s day back in Wales – in Spanish with difficulty ! We are having an at home day after all the excitement of the last few days and are digging out our wet gear for tomorrows shopping trip ! This evening for supper it is Pan Fried Liver and Bacon with Chipolatas and Sauté Onions together with cubed crisp chips. The film tonight on the golden oldies channel is “ 55 Days at Peking ”with Charlton Heston and Ava Gardener.
Thought for the Day;
If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live.
..
.
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