MANILVA.

Tuesday/Thursday 23rd/25th December.

Tuesday 23rd.

We had to stay in on Tuesday as we were expecting the Carrier to deliver our goods from England;earlier in the month when we phoned Ben,Carols son,to see how he was after a nasty operation on his back after Carols funeral we found out that they had already sold the house and needed us to move the eight box’s of glass and china that Carol had let us store in her loft.So at very short notice we arranged for a carrier to pick up the goods and bring then to our house in Manilva,which he did very effentially,Brenda had packed everything in Bubble Rap and we had only one small breakage! At the same time they also brought our two collapsible bikes which I don’t now if we will use them due to the steep roads around here,honest!We then went through all the cases and sorted them out and then packed then away on the two top floor’s. We found out later in the week that the Brass Band and Carol concert had been on in the church and we had missed it! We had not spotted it in the Local Paper.so we watched it on the local TV station later on one night and we were very sorry that we had missed it.

Wednesday 24th.

On Wednesday morning we called into Mano and Anna’s for a Pancake Breakfast,one of Salle Ann’s many specialties and as we were talking she told us that she did not like the stuffing in the two Spanish Turkeys that Mano had dropped off at our house yesterday; So when I got back I started to take out the filling of the one I was going to Roast(Due to oven space) after unstitching the bird and found out that I had a disaster on my hands! The bird collapsed and was flat as a pancake as the filling was the whole of the meat,taken from inside and then mixed with all sorts of fat and Garlic Cloves which formed the Turkey,Spanish style! We then panicked and rung the English butcher in Duquesa,we had just picked up the Beef for our Roast over the weekend,they had one Turkey left and where just about to close so I shot down to pick it up.The picture below shows the English Turkey and in the Xmas Day photographs you can see the second Spanish Turkey that I did not un-pick! In the afternoon we caught up withVidal and Gissy to wish them a happy Christmas and to arrange to see them over the holiday.Carlos and Ana Mari had asked us around to their new house for a Buffet supper with all the family in the evening,Ana also made some excellent Frits.On the way back home in the early hours of Christmas day we took the picture of the “ Feliznavidad” sign across the main street as we walked home.

Thursday 25th December 2008

We were up bright and early as Father Christmas had to be ready to go down to the Guerreo house to hand out the presents and bring some Xmas cheer to one and all! As you can see in the pictures he entered into things with great gusto and put a smile on the faces of all the children and the ladies! We then settled down to get ready for the Christmas dinner later in the afternoon,the drink soon started to flow as the folks got changed and the kids played with the toys,the remote control Trucks where soon in the hands of the older children,Mano, Carlos and the Head Chef! We started with the Pink Champagne and Smoked Salmon and Prawns as the time for the Banquet to start got nearer; We had Roasted the two Turkeys and they carved beautifully, the Spanish one was particularly good and very different,we made fresh Chestnut stuffing,Bread sauce,Chipolatas wrapped in Bacon,Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce,Broccoli in Lemon Butter,Carrots glazed in Ginger,Roast Parsnips in Maple Syrup,Sprouts tossed with diced Smoked Bacon and the Famous Roast Potatoes in Duck Fat,I also made two different Gravies to go with the two Birds!! The wine flowed as it always does in the Guerrero house and the Bacardi and Coke came along at a regular pace,Later in the evening it was the time for the family entertainment to start,Carlos and Mano sang and danced to the Bob the Builder Cardboard Box hit,Sally Ann sang a song from a show,Dlyan Brake danced,Jordan sang and danced to a show tune,Fabio joined in with everything until the Morris Dancers hit the floor,Anna and I brought the house down and the audience was spell bound,as you can see in the picture below! As we walked home we stopped at Bar Rojas as the owner asked us in and I finished with a White Firewater and Coke to round off one “ Helluva Christmas Day” in Manilva.