Wednesday 29th April.
Last night we had a e-mail from Jo ,Tim’s daughter, in Old Colwyn asking us to see if we could get her some tickets for the Benicassim Rock Festival in Valencia later in the year as she was getting quoted silly prices over in England; we got onto the official site only to find out that they were sold out and the only tickets available were on the dodgy agency sites, again at silly prices ! Sorry Jo !! Tim and a friend are going again this year to Glastonbury, they have been before, you know what they say, old rockers never die they just go to sleep in a tent!! This morning we went across to Estepona to our favorite furniture shop to pick up some things for the guest bedroom ready for when Jack and Lyn arrive at the start of June as well as some nick knacks for around the house. When we got home Mano rang to ask us out for lunch at Bar La Morena as he had spotted her making a rather special “ En Blanco ”soup; it’s a Potato and Fish soup in a vegetable stock that you mash up and eat with crusty bread, it was delicious,Mano and I then had Huevos de Corral Frito to follow ( Fresh Local Fried Eggs and Fresh Frits ) In the evening Mano joined us for a Chicken Curry with Rice which I made in the afternoon;we then went back to the Bar to watch the Manchester Utd/Arsenal match on the large screen TV-Ug !! The weather at the moment is just right, warm sun, Blue skies, no clouds and a little breeze and the forecast is the same for the next week,on the way back this evening as we were walking up through the village there was a partial eclipse of the moon.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
MANILVA.
Sunday/Monday/Tuesday 26th/27th/28th April.
Sunday 26th.
After getting up late we decided to have a lazy day,so no washing,cleaning,moving, dusting,repairing etc.for Brenda! We walked up to Bar Rojas for a lunchtime drink and some Tapas with fresh frits and watched the start of the Grand Prix on the large screen TV and also later the highlights of the Motor GP from Japan in which two of the Spanish riders won,meanwhile in the Grand Prix Alonso was not going well and the Spanish locals were not happy as there is no love lost between him and Hamilton and English drivers in general so we came home and watched the end of the race! In the evening we had Pork Cutlets for supper with Lyonaise Potatoes and fresh Green Beans before we watched a film.
Monday 27th.
We got up early as I had to be at the hospital in Estepona for a X- Ray at 8-59am! The local hospital is very busy and just one lady was controlling the system very efficiently,I went in at 8-58 and came out with my X-Ray at 9-05 am !! We then called into the Dentist’s with out an appointment as Brenda was still not right with her teeth from last week and she was taken in straight away and seen to and arranged to go back at 7-00pm to finish the work off!! We then called into the discount cosmetic shop to pick up some essentials and finally called into the bank to pick up my new card which had arrived after just five days! On the way back to Manilva we had a call from the family lawyer,who we had called earlier in the morning,to say that she could see us in two minutes so we went to her office in Sabinillas and have arranged to have two new washbasins and taps fitted in our bathroom as the old ones are cracked and not working,Mano and Juan called in and have sent a very good quote to her today! All this shows Spanish efficiency, especially on the medical side at its best and is defiantly not the “ Manana” of old Spain! We have not had a call from Chris in Tarifa,so far, so our next job is next weekend for Clive and Carolyn for five/six days from the 9th May.
Tuesday 28th.
This morning I had an appointment at the local surgery to take my blood pressure, which was a little high but I still have two more to go, one on Thursday and one next week as well as all the blood and sample tests on Monday,again at the surgery-we have a list on the side of the fridge with all the dates and times! as all the slips have exact times and details; I’am also drinking water as if its going out of fashion!! The nurse is watching me with her beady eye at all times also !! Last night we had a call from my oldest school friend, Alan to say that his mother, Ann had passed away over the weekend,” Aunty Ann” who was 101 in January had a very good and happy life and will be sadly missed by all her family; our thoughts go to Alan and Glenys and their children Mark,Miranda and Michael at this sad time. She was my moms best friend and they got up to all sorts of mischief over the years when they came to see us at our various hotels,especially in Colwyn Bay at the 70 degs! Tim our best friend remembers them with great affection and was sad to hear the news and Mano also as he used to look after them sat on the best table in the restaurant,Table 7,in the corner of the window!
Sunday 26th.
After getting up late we decided to have a lazy day,so no washing,cleaning,moving, dusting,repairing etc.for Brenda! We walked up to Bar Rojas for a lunchtime drink and some Tapas with fresh frits and watched the start of the Grand Prix on the large screen TV and also later the highlights of the Motor GP from Japan in which two of the Spanish riders won,meanwhile in the Grand Prix Alonso was not going well and the Spanish locals were not happy as there is no love lost between him and Hamilton and English drivers in general so we came home and watched the end of the race! In the evening we had Pork Cutlets for supper with Lyonaise Potatoes and fresh Green Beans before we watched a film.
Monday 27th.
We got up early as I had to be at the hospital in Estepona for a X- Ray at 8-59am! The local hospital is very busy and just one lady was controlling the system very efficiently,I went in at 8-58 and came out with my X-Ray at 9-05 am !! We then called into the Dentist’s with out an appointment as Brenda was still not right with her teeth from last week and she was taken in straight away and seen to and arranged to go back at 7-00pm to finish the work off!! We then called into the discount cosmetic shop to pick up some essentials and finally called into the bank to pick up my new card which had arrived after just five days! On the way back to Manilva we had a call from the family lawyer,who we had called earlier in the morning,to say that she could see us in two minutes so we went to her office in Sabinillas and have arranged to have two new washbasins and taps fitted in our bathroom as the old ones are cracked and not working,Mano and Juan called in and have sent a very good quote to her today! All this shows Spanish efficiency, especially on the medical side at its best and is defiantly not the “ Manana” of old Spain! We have not had a call from Chris in Tarifa,so far, so our next job is next weekend for Clive and Carolyn for five/six days from the 9th May.
Tuesday 28th.
This morning I had an appointment at the local surgery to take my blood pressure, which was a little high but I still have two more to go, one on Thursday and one next week as well as all the blood and sample tests on Monday,again at the surgery-we have a list on the side of the fridge with all the dates and times! as all the slips have exact times and details; I’am also drinking water as if its going out of fashion!! The nurse is watching me with her beady eye at all times also !! Last night we had a call from my oldest school friend, Alan to say that his mother, Ann had passed away over the weekend,” Aunty Ann” who was 101 in January had a very good and happy life and will be sadly missed by all her family; our thoughts go to Alan and Glenys and their children Mark,Miranda and Michael at this sad time. She was my moms best friend and they got up to all sorts of mischief over the years when they came to see us at our various hotels,especially in Colwyn Bay at the 70 degs! Tim our best friend remembers them with great affection and was sad to hear the news and Mano also as he used to look after them sat on the best table in the restaurant,Table 7,in the corner of the window!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
MANILVA.
Thursday/Friday /Saturday 23rd/25th April.
Thursday 23rd.
The weather at the moment is warm and sunny with clear blue skies; Brenda is continuing to clean the house from top to bottom and the washing machine has not been off for days. We have been taking things easy after the last couple of month’s excitement and settling back into life in the village. Our neighbors as they see us all enquire about where we have been and my Spanish answer is getting better every day! We are even back into our drinks on the roof terrace in the early evening as the sun moves round !Later in the evening we rang Australia on the Skype phone to wish Jack happy birthday,they are starting to get excited ,as we are as they had just received their tickets!
Friday 24th.
I was up early and rang the surgery and managed to get in on a cancellation so we shot round to see our doctor for the first time since we registered in the system; he is very nice and speaks a little English so he soon got into my problem, I now have several appointments over the next couple of weeks starting on Monday with X-Rays at the local hospital in Estepona then all the other ones are at the surgery; three Blood Pressure tests,Blood samples and various other samples! Together with check ups and health checks for Diabetes, Prostrate,Kidneys and Liver! After all the results are in he is then going to diagnose the problem- watch this space and keep your fingers crossed! As we came out of the surgery the local Friday market is just outside so Brenda bought some new plants for the front of the house;all the plants on the four balcony’s have died while we have been away but the plants on the ground floor are ok as our next door neighbor has been watering them for us! We then shot across to Estepona to our bank to thank Raul, who now looks after us, for all his help over the last couple of weeks when we have been offline, on the way back we caught up with the shopping in three different supermarkets as we shop around, Brenda has it down to a fine art and we now use Lidal,Mercadona and Super Sol as well as the local shops in the village,Mano joined us for supper as Anna had gone back to North Wales earlier in the day as they have a possible let on the house in Rhyl; we had pan fried Salmon Fillets in a Citrus butter sauce on a bed of Spinach with Fresh Peas, Asparagus and local new Potatoes and then walked up to our local bar and sat outside at 11-oopm drinking Carajillo’s and watching the world go by!
Saturday 25th.
This morning the sun is still out but there is a stiff breeze as we went for a walk around the village; we had arranged to meet Mano, who was babysitting Fabio, down at the football ground as it was the semi finals of the seven a side local football tournament; both matches ended up at one all so it goes to a penalty shoot out straight away,the local Police team won and they will play tomorrow a team from a shop in Sabinillas in the final! Manilva TV filmed the matches and their excellent sports reporter David puts together a very good sports programme later in the week. Tonight we are having Minute Steak and Frits for dinner and the watching some TV, over the weekend it is the Grand Prix from Bahrain and the Motor Cycle GP from Japan.
PS; The local Police team won in the Grand Final later in the day,the score was 4-1 and was well deserved!
Thursday 23rd.
The weather at the moment is warm and sunny with clear blue skies; Brenda is continuing to clean the house from top to bottom and the washing machine has not been off for days. We have been taking things easy after the last couple of month’s excitement and settling back into life in the village. Our neighbors as they see us all enquire about where we have been and my Spanish answer is getting better every day! We are even back into our drinks on the roof terrace in the early evening as the sun moves round !Later in the evening we rang Australia on the Skype phone to wish Jack happy birthday,they are starting to get excited ,as we are as they had just received their tickets!
Friday 24th.
I was up early and rang the surgery and managed to get in on a cancellation so we shot round to see our doctor for the first time since we registered in the system; he is very nice and speaks a little English so he soon got into my problem, I now have several appointments over the next couple of weeks starting on Monday with X-Rays at the local hospital in Estepona then all the other ones are at the surgery; three Blood Pressure tests,Blood samples and various other samples! Together with check ups and health checks for Diabetes, Prostrate,Kidneys and Liver! After all the results are in he is then going to diagnose the problem- watch this space and keep your fingers crossed! As we came out of the surgery the local Friday market is just outside so Brenda bought some new plants for the front of the house;all the plants on the four balcony’s have died while we have been away but the plants on the ground floor are ok as our next door neighbor has been watering them for us! We then shot across to Estepona to our bank to thank Raul, who now looks after us, for all his help over the last couple of weeks when we have been offline, on the way back we caught up with the shopping in three different supermarkets as we shop around, Brenda has it down to a fine art and we now use Lidal,Mercadona and Super Sol as well as the local shops in the village,Mano joined us for supper as Anna had gone back to North Wales earlier in the day as they have a possible let on the house in Rhyl; we had pan fried Salmon Fillets in a Citrus butter sauce on a bed of Spinach with Fresh Peas, Asparagus and local new Potatoes and then walked up to our local bar and sat outside at 11-oopm drinking Carajillo’s and watching the world go by!
Saturday 25th.
This morning the sun is still out but there is a stiff breeze as we went for a walk around the village; we had arranged to meet Mano, who was babysitting Fabio, down at the football ground as it was the semi finals of the seven a side local football tournament; both matches ended up at one all so it goes to a penalty shoot out straight away,the local Police team won and they will play tomorrow a team from a shop in Sabinillas in the final! Manilva TV filmed the matches and their excellent sports reporter David puts together a very good sports programme later in the week. Tonight we are having Minute Steak and Frits for dinner and the watching some TV, over the weekend it is the Grand Prix from Bahrain and the Motor Cycle GP from Japan.
PS; The local Police team won in the Grand Final later in the day,the score was 4-1 and was well deserved!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
MANILVA TODAY.
Wednesday 22nd April.
This morning we walked around to the doctors to make an appointment for a check up for me and straight away in the main street we bumped into the Mayor,she greeted us warmly and asked us where we had been and how we were and introduced us to her guests;we then found the fountain was on so we took a few pictures as you can see below.On the way back from the surgery the views across the valley were spectacular,we then called into our local Bar and the owners made us very welcome as we sat outside in the noon day sun in the first picture!
This morning we walked around to the doctors to make an appointment for a check up for me and straight away in the main street we bumped into the Mayor,she greeted us warmly and asked us where we had been and how we were and introduced us to her guests;we then found the fountain was on so we took a few pictures as you can see below.On the way back from the surgery the views across the valley were spectacular,we then called into our local Bar and the owners made us very welcome as we sat outside in the noon day sun in the first picture!
CASA ABUELA.
Saturday/Tuesday 18th/21st April.
Saturday 18th.
After Tony very kindly ran Brenda down to the chemists I spent the rest of the day in bed and Brenda found a short cut around to the villa and went round several times to check on all the animals,Clive and Carolyn have put a fence around their very large garden so they can now be left out into the garden to run and play and the builders do not work on Saturday and Sunday.The dogs settled into a routine and the cats come and go as they please,the fish in the pond along with the frogs are no problem; the rest of the day I took it easy and Brenda nursed me in her usual fashion!
Sunday 19th
In the morning I was feeling a bit better so we got ready and went around to villa and spent the day there with the dogs and other animals;the mother wild cat had to be tempted into the boiler house as her babies are in a box,out of the way, Brenda did a great job in getting them together! We went down to Guadalmina and found a English restaurant where we had an excellent Roast Sunday lunch;Brenda had Lamb and Pork and I had Beef with on both plates,Mashed Potatoes,Yorkshire Pudding,Apple Sauce and Stuffing and on the side Cauliflower Mornay,Cabbage,Peas,Mashed Carrots and Swede and Roast Potatoes,all with a large Gravy Boat!In the afternoon the front door bell went and when I opened it there was two very fit looking men standing there,obviously out running! It turned out that they were both long serving Para’s and had seen my sticker in the Smart car window! We had a long talk about the good old times ,it turned out that they were not born when I was in the Parachute Regiment! They now lived just around the corner and had left the regiment after the normal 22yrs.Well done MalcolmYoung and Ian Clarke!!
Monday 20th April.
As we got up Brenda was eating her toast when she felt a tooth in the top of her mouth crack! We shot across to Estepona to our dentists and they looked after her within ten minutes! She had to go back in the evening at 7-00pm to finish the work and is now back to normal. We spent the rest of the day at the villa with at one time seven workmen on site, they are working very well and lock up when the finish for the day. They are working on the re-wiring and putting the new doors in the old part of the villa at the moment. In the evening Miguel,the gardener, mother called in with some fresh eggs which we had for supper!
Tuesday 21st.
First thing in the morning we packed and then moved out of the apartment around to the villa as we had to pick up Clive and Carolyn from the airport at 4-00pm.Everything was fine at the villa,all the animals were happy and the builders had a very large lorry outside clearing away all the rubbish.Carolyn has booked us for another date in May and Chris has been on the phone to see if we can help in the next two weeks back in Tarifa! Watch this space !
Saturday 18th.
After Tony very kindly ran Brenda down to the chemists I spent the rest of the day in bed and Brenda found a short cut around to the villa and went round several times to check on all the animals,Clive and Carolyn have put a fence around their very large garden so they can now be left out into the garden to run and play and the builders do not work on Saturday and Sunday.The dogs settled into a routine and the cats come and go as they please,the fish in the pond along with the frogs are no problem; the rest of the day I took it easy and Brenda nursed me in her usual fashion!
Sunday 19th
In the morning I was feeling a bit better so we got ready and went around to villa and spent the day there with the dogs and other animals;the mother wild cat had to be tempted into the boiler house as her babies are in a box,out of the way, Brenda did a great job in getting them together! We went down to Guadalmina and found a English restaurant where we had an excellent Roast Sunday lunch;Brenda had Lamb and Pork and I had Beef with on both plates,Mashed Potatoes,Yorkshire Pudding,Apple Sauce and Stuffing and on the side Cauliflower Mornay,Cabbage,Peas,Mashed Carrots and Swede and Roast Potatoes,all with a large Gravy Boat!In the afternoon the front door bell went and when I opened it there was two very fit looking men standing there,obviously out running! It turned out that they were both long serving Para’s and had seen my sticker in the Smart car window! We had a long talk about the good old times ,it turned out that they were not born when I was in the Parachute Regiment! They now lived just around the corner and had left the regiment after the normal 22yrs.Well done MalcolmYoung and Ian Clarke!!
Monday 20th April.
As we got up Brenda was eating her toast when she felt a tooth in the top of her mouth crack! We shot across to Estepona to our dentists and they looked after her within ten minutes! She had to go back in the evening at 7-00pm to finish the work and is now back to normal. We spent the rest of the day at the villa with at one time seven workmen on site, they are working very well and lock up when the finish for the day. They are working on the re-wiring and putting the new doors in the old part of the villa at the moment. In the evening Miguel,the gardener, mother called in with some fresh eggs which we had for supper!
Tuesday 21st.
First thing in the morning we packed and then moved out of the apartment around to the villa as we had to pick up Clive and Carolyn from the airport at 4-00pm.Everything was fine at the villa,all the animals were happy and the builders had a very large lorry outside clearing away all the rubbish.Carolyn has booked us for another date in May and Chris has been on the phone to see if we can help in the next two weeks back in Tarifa! Watch this space !
CASA ABUELA.
Friday 17th April.
On Friday morning we went across to Guadalmina to take Carolyn to the airport in Malaga and used the Range Rover, the builders have moved in to their villa and have started on the work to re-wirer-plumb the whole building and then rebuild various parts and put in new windows everywhere as well as new roofs on different parts. On the way back we called into the supermarket to pick some essentials and as we left the car park around a back road which has cars parked on both sides I saw a Blacked Out Range Rover coming towards me at great speed so I pulled over as far as I could; it shot past and took off the wing mirror! It did not stop and shot off into the distance,not a good start! We stopped at Casa Palazana which is just around the corner from Clive and Carolyn’s villa,this is were they are staying for the next three months in an apartment on the ground floor and the owners Tony and Yvonne made us very welcome into their beautiful villa ,as you can see in the pictures below.We then went around to the villa to check out the dogs,Bruno and Abbie as well as the two house cats and one of the wild cats that has just had babies! We also made contact with the builders as we are watching what they are doing; Carolyn left us a list about the current work to be done. At the same time I tried to log on to catch up with the blog only to find that it was not working due to technical difficulties !.In the evening we went across to El Rosario just past Marbella to the Cantina Beach biergarten-grill where Vidal was playing to surprise them! The pictures below show Vidal in full flow and Gissy looking great! This is were the evening went a bit wrong, I started to get pain around my Kidney’s just after arriving similar to my Colic attack last June and the first one in France in 2000 when I ended up in hospital with Renal Colic!! We went back to the apartment and as the night went on it got worse,Brenda,at 4-00am had to ring Yvonne as we did not know the address of the villa as she was going to ring Helicopteros Sanitarios which we joined last year after the last attack in June; they are the main medical help on the Costa Del Sol,and they attend to you very quickly with two medics and an English speaking doctor, the Spanish system is very similar but the language problem can be difficult at a stressful time.They stabilize you and if necessary they transport you to the hospital by Helicopter;They put me on a drip and after 30 mins,I was feeling no pain! The doctor then gave Brenda prescriptions for a course of tablets which she picked up later in the morning.
On Friday morning we went across to Guadalmina to take Carolyn to the airport in Malaga and used the Range Rover, the builders have moved in to their villa and have started on the work to re-wirer-plumb the whole building and then rebuild various parts and put in new windows everywhere as well as new roofs on different parts. On the way back we called into the supermarket to pick some essentials and as we left the car park around a back road which has cars parked on both sides I saw a Blacked Out Range Rover coming towards me at great speed so I pulled over as far as I could; it shot past and took off the wing mirror! It did not stop and shot off into the distance,not a good start! We stopped at Casa Palazana which is just around the corner from Clive and Carolyn’s villa,this is were they are staying for the next three months in an apartment on the ground floor and the owners Tony and Yvonne made us very welcome into their beautiful villa ,as you can see in the pictures below.We then went around to the villa to check out the dogs,Bruno and Abbie as well as the two house cats and one of the wild cats that has just had babies! We also made contact with the builders as we are watching what they are doing; Carolyn left us a list about the current work to be done. At the same time I tried to log on to catch up with the blog only to find that it was not working due to technical difficulties !.In the evening we went across to El Rosario just past Marbella to the Cantina Beach biergarten-grill where Vidal was playing to surprise them! The pictures below show Vidal in full flow and Gissy looking great! This is were the evening went a bit wrong, I started to get pain around my Kidney’s just after arriving similar to my Colic attack last June and the first one in France in 2000 when I ended up in hospital with Renal Colic!! We went back to the apartment and as the night went on it got worse,Brenda,at 4-00am had to ring Yvonne as we did not know the address of the villa as she was going to ring Helicopteros Sanitarios which we joined last year after the last attack in June; they are the main medical help on the Costa Del Sol,and they attend to you very quickly with two medics and an English speaking doctor, the Spanish system is very similar but the language problem can be difficult at a stressful time.They stabilize you and if necessary they transport you to the hospital by Helicopter;They put me on a drip and after 30 mins,I was feeling no pain! The doctor then gave Brenda prescriptions for a course of tablets which she picked up later in the morning.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
MANILVA.
Monday/Thursday 13th/16th April.
Monday 13th.
After the night before we had a little lie in and then got to work on settling back into life in Manilva,Brenda set the washing machine off on its now sixth wash! and I caught up with all the news on the blog after the power cut.In the evening Mano and Anna joined us for dinner as we caught up with more gossip from around the village and we had a lovely Roast Rib of Beef with lots of vegetable and Roast Potatoes all washed down with a fine Rioja.
Tuesday 14th.
In the morning we shot across to Estepona to the bank then called in and arranged our advert in the paper before we called into see Carolyn and Clive to arrange to look after their villa with the two dogs and two cats as well as the fish later in the week,we are staying in an apartment a few minutes away as the builders have now moved in to update the villa.
The weather at the moment is changeable with sun,wind and clouds which is good drying weather but not good for taking pictures,as you can see below;the local town councillors are watching a new cleaning machine washing the crossing at the top of our street,later we went for a walk around the village and took the pictures of the new plaza and fountains by the church. For supper we had Pork Cutlets and Chips and then watched the local Manilva TV station to catch up with the local news.
Wednesday 15th.
In the morning I shot down to the Hypermarket to top up with some essentials and ended up buying some fresh fish at the same time so we decided to make a fish pie for dinner and asked the whole Guerrero family to join us; Mano,Anna,Carlos,Ana Mari and Fabio ! The pie was made with Salmon,Cod,Halibut,Swordfish,Monkfish, Crab and Smoked Salmon together with Diced Carrots,Onions,Celery,Leeks and Mushrooms cooked in White Wine and coated with a Fish Béchamel and topped with Brenda’s famous mashed potatoes and served with Garden Peas,Broccoli and Cauliflower.Later we had a game of hide and seek with Fabio who ended up hiding in our Washing Basket!
Thursday 16th.
Today we went across to see Vidal and Gissy on the other side of Estepona in the beach side apartment that they have moved in to and Gissy cut and styled Brenda’s hair and mine out on the balcony overlooking the sea as you just about make out in the cloudy haze! Tonight we are packing as we have to be across in Guadalmina Alta early in the morning to take Carolyn to the airport.
Monday 13th.
After the night before we had a little lie in and then got to work on settling back into life in Manilva,Brenda set the washing machine off on its now sixth wash! and I caught up with all the news on the blog after the power cut.In the evening Mano and Anna joined us for dinner as we caught up with more gossip from around the village and we had a lovely Roast Rib of Beef with lots of vegetable and Roast Potatoes all washed down with a fine Rioja.
Tuesday 14th.
In the morning we shot across to Estepona to the bank then called in and arranged our advert in the paper before we called into see Carolyn and Clive to arrange to look after their villa with the two dogs and two cats as well as the fish later in the week,we are staying in an apartment a few minutes away as the builders have now moved in to update the villa.
The weather at the moment is changeable with sun,wind and clouds which is good drying weather but not good for taking pictures,as you can see below;the local town councillors are watching a new cleaning machine washing the crossing at the top of our street,later we went for a walk around the village and took the pictures of the new plaza and fountains by the church. For supper we had Pork Cutlets and Chips and then watched the local Manilva TV station to catch up with the local news.
Wednesday 15th.
In the morning I shot down to the Hypermarket to top up with some essentials and ended up buying some fresh fish at the same time so we decided to make a fish pie for dinner and asked the whole Guerrero family to join us; Mano,Anna,Carlos,Ana Mari and Fabio ! The pie was made with Salmon,Cod,Halibut,Swordfish,Monkfish, Crab and Smoked Salmon together with Diced Carrots,Onions,Celery,Leeks and Mushrooms cooked in White Wine and coated with a Fish Béchamel and topped with Brenda’s famous mashed potatoes and served with Garden Peas,Broccoli and Cauliflower.Later we had a game of hide and seek with Fabio who ended up hiding in our Washing Basket!
Thursday 16th.
Today we went across to see Vidal and Gissy on the other side of Estepona in the beach side apartment that they have moved in to and Gissy cut and styled Brenda’s hair and mine out on the balcony overlooking the sea as you just about make out in the cloudy haze! Tonight we are packing as we have to be across in Guadalmina Alta early in the morning to take Carolyn to the airport.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
MANILVA NEWS UPDATE.
Tuesday 14th April.
The pictures below taken this afternoon after the clouds came over, this morning when we passed in the car it was blue skies and sun, shows the new plaza outside the Church of Santa Ana, the second level has the Spring Water Drinking Fountain and then the new Grand Fountain,which is flood lit at night and is finished with Marble Steps and Pillars and it was on this morning,honest! When we left Manilva eight weeks ago they were just starting on the work and it was finished in time for the Semana Santa weekend.Next time the sun is out and the fountain is on I will take another picture!
PS; Chris has just phoned from Casa Olimpia to say that the electricity came back on at 6-00pm last night!
The pictures below taken this afternoon after the clouds came over, this morning when we passed in the car it was blue skies and sun, shows the new plaza outside the Church of Santa Ana, the second level has the Spring Water Drinking Fountain and then the new Grand Fountain,which is flood lit at night and is finished with Marble Steps and Pillars and it was on this morning,honest! When we left Manilva eight weeks ago they were just starting on the work and it was finished in time for the Semana Santa weekend.Next time the sun is out and the fountain is on I will take another picture!
PS; Chris has just phoned from Casa Olimpia to say that the electricity came back on at 6-00pm last night!
Monday, April 13, 2009
CASA OLIMPIA.
Monday/Sunday 6th/12th April.
As we got up on Monday morning the electricity went off at 10-00am,it did not bother us as power cuts are the norm so I carried on and went across to Estepona to the bank and on the way back I called into the English butchers and the small general store in Puerto Duquesa.As I arrived back at the villa I noticed in the lane outside that there was a notice stuck across the electricity meter box, it was the cut off notice with all the details so we rung Chris/Kerry in England and got them on the case; the amount outstanding was ten times the usual bill ! At the moment in Spain the electricity company, since Christmas has gone to monthly estimated bills from the normal two monthly bills and the system all over the country has broken down. It soon appeared that we had a problem as until you pay the bill you can’t query it and the float we had for emergencies did not cover it, Chris then tried to pay the bill from England on his credit card but the Spanish/English translation system on the electricity company hotline has also broken down! Over the next two days we all tried to settle the account; I was back and forth down to Tarifa, exchanging currency and finding how and where to pay the account and over in England Chris was trying also to send the money to us by various means but because of the amount under the new rules at the moment it was just proving impossible! Mano tried to help us with the system but even that broke down, meanwhile we had a major problem at the villa with no lights, no heating,no hot water and no cooking facilities and a further complication was that Chris and Kerry were due to fly back to Lisbon on Wednesday! We sorted out candles and torches on Monday and managed to have a cold meal and a sandwich during the day,but on Tuesday morning we started Plan B,we found an old Thermos flask and I went up to the Hotel on the main road, which is a few hundred yards away and filled up the flask and a kettle with hot water and also brought back some toasted rolls for breakfast,we then went up to the hotel for lunch so as we could have a hot meal and keep Joan warm and content! As it happens this was our routine for the next five days as it came apparent that the power would not be back on until the following week! Chris and Kerry who had flown to Lisbon had to in the end fly back to England on Thursday, when they should have been home and arrange a very complicated payment with different banks in London to get the bill paid; but by then it was the start of the Semana Santa weekend and everything shuts down here from Friday to Monday!We also lost all our food in the fridge and freezer and had to chuck it all out by the end of the week. We managed in the villa with the candles and the help of a full moon in the evening as well as using the Thermos flask,which we topped up at lunchtime to keep Joan going on her hot drinks and filling a hot water bottle at night;the hotel also charged our mobile phones during lunch.Chris then booked a flight home on Sunday to Gibraltar,Day 49 at Casa Olimpia! The pictures below show us at the Hotel Meson de Sancho in the three roomed restaurant which has all around the walls a large display of hundreds of bottles of Whisky! They looked after us very well over the last six days and a big thank you to all the staff and management! On Saturday and again on Sunday we had to light the fire as it got rather cold and we were concerned about keeping Joan warm, Chris arrived back late on a delayed flight on Sunday evening and after saying our goodbyes to Boo and Mille, who we are already missing we then left Joan back in Chris’s hands, we have become very close to and fond of Joan over the last seven weeks! When we got back to our house in Manilva Mano and Anna called in with a chilled bottle of Moet and we also had one with us so we soon were very happy and glad to be back in the village and caught up with all the news and gossip and watched the Semana Santa processions on the local TV station which we sadly missed this year.Today we are sorting out our things,doing the household chores and washing and paying the bills as we are going over to Guadalmina Alta on Wednesday/Friday,for a week to look after the dogs and cats,but no grandmother! as Clive and Carolyn contacted during last week,no rest for the wicked!! Tonight Mano and Anna are coming for dinner; Roast Rib of Beef with all the trimmings, which we are looking forward to.
As we got up on Monday morning the electricity went off at 10-00am,it did not bother us as power cuts are the norm so I carried on and went across to Estepona to the bank and on the way back I called into the English butchers and the small general store in Puerto Duquesa.As I arrived back at the villa I noticed in the lane outside that there was a notice stuck across the electricity meter box, it was the cut off notice with all the details so we rung Chris/Kerry in England and got them on the case; the amount outstanding was ten times the usual bill ! At the moment in Spain the electricity company, since Christmas has gone to monthly estimated bills from the normal two monthly bills and the system all over the country has broken down. It soon appeared that we had a problem as until you pay the bill you can’t query it and the float we had for emergencies did not cover it, Chris then tried to pay the bill from England on his credit card but the Spanish/English translation system on the electricity company hotline has also broken down! Over the next two days we all tried to settle the account; I was back and forth down to Tarifa, exchanging currency and finding how and where to pay the account and over in England Chris was trying also to send the money to us by various means but because of the amount under the new rules at the moment it was just proving impossible! Mano tried to help us with the system but even that broke down, meanwhile we had a major problem at the villa with no lights, no heating,no hot water and no cooking facilities and a further complication was that Chris and Kerry were due to fly back to Lisbon on Wednesday! We sorted out candles and torches on Monday and managed to have a cold meal and a sandwich during the day,but on Tuesday morning we started Plan B,we found an old Thermos flask and I went up to the Hotel on the main road, which is a few hundred yards away and filled up the flask and a kettle with hot water and also brought back some toasted rolls for breakfast,we then went up to the hotel for lunch so as we could have a hot meal and keep Joan warm and content! As it happens this was our routine for the next five days as it came apparent that the power would not be back on until the following week! Chris and Kerry who had flown to Lisbon had to in the end fly back to England on Thursday, when they should have been home and arrange a very complicated payment with different banks in London to get the bill paid; but by then it was the start of the Semana Santa weekend and everything shuts down here from Friday to Monday!We also lost all our food in the fridge and freezer and had to chuck it all out by the end of the week. We managed in the villa with the candles and the help of a full moon in the evening as well as using the Thermos flask,which we topped up at lunchtime to keep Joan going on her hot drinks and filling a hot water bottle at night;the hotel also charged our mobile phones during lunch.Chris then booked a flight home on Sunday to Gibraltar,Day 49 at Casa Olimpia! The pictures below show us at the Hotel Meson de Sancho in the three roomed restaurant which has all around the walls a large display of hundreds of bottles of Whisky! They looked after us very well over the last six days and a big thank you to all the staff and management! On Saturday and again on Sunday we had to light the fire as it got rather cold and we were concerned about keeping Joan warm, Chris arrived back late on a delayed flight on Sunday evening and after saying our goodbyes to Boo and Mille, who we are already missing we then left Joan back in Chris’s hands, we have become very close to and fond of Joan over the last seven weeks! When we got back to our house in Manilva Mano and Anna called in with a chilled bottle of Moet and we also had one with us so we soon were very happy and glad to be back in the village and caught up with all the news and gossip and watched the Semana Santa processions on the local TV station which we sadly missed this year.Today we are sorting out our things,doing the household chores and washing and paying the bills as we are going over to Guadalmina Alta on Wednesday/Friday,for a week to look after the dogs and cats,but no grandmother! as Clive and Carolyn contacted during last week,no rest for the wicked!! Tonight Mano and Anna are coming for dinner; Roast Rib of Beef with all the trimmings, which we are looking forward to.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
CASA OLIMPIA NEWS UPDATE.
Monday 6th April.
This morning at 10-ooam the electricity was cut at the villa due to a technical oversite-the bill has not be paid!! It has remained off for the week! Watch out for the blog update on Monday 13th April,
This morning at 10-ooam the electricity was cut at the villa due to a technical oversite-the bill has not be paid!! It has remained off for the week! Watch out for the blog update on Monday 13th April,
Sunday, April 05, 2009
CASA OLIMPIA.
Friday/Saturday/Sunday/ 3rd/4th 5th April.
Friday 3rd.
In the morning Juan called in to check that everything was working and that the connections to the boiler had sealed over night; they were all OK and once again a big thanks to Mano and Juan for helping us so quickly on Thursday! At lunchtime we went down to Tarifa to the Hypermarket to stock up for the weekend as we had still not heard from Chris as to when they would be coming home.In the evening we had our usual Friday meal of Pan Fried Salmon with New potatoes and Peas before we settled down to watch TV.
Saturday 4th.
The sun was out and with no breeze it soon became hot enough to get Joan to come down for Lunch and sit in the afternoon sunshine, we had a lovely Prawn Salad a la Brenda and sat on the balcony with the view across to Africa on the best day so far during our stay at the villa; it’s now been forty days and forty nights here at Casa Olimpia,a bit like Moses in the wilderness!! One of the advantages of being here is the large screen TV and being able to watch all the English sport which we usually don’t see,Rugby,Football, Boat Race and the Grand National from Aintree for instance and of course the Grand Prix’s.We see a lot of sport back home but it is all in Spanish, which we don’t mind but is has been nice to see some other stuff for a change! In the evening we had Steak and Frits for supper and just as we finished the phone went, it was Chris to say that they are flying back to Lisbon on Wednesday and then driving back down to the villa on Thursday! So the end of the saga is nearly over and we will be back in Manilva in time for the “ Semana Santa” procession's.
Sunday 5th.
Today has been another beautiful day and as the evenings draw out it gets a little warmer each day; we have all the windows and doors open all day and the dogs come and go as they please. We had Roast Chicken for our Sunday Lunch and then relaxed with our drinks on the balcony as we listened to some CDs,Chris and Kerry have a large selection of CDs and DVDs and we listen to music over all over the villa, in the kitchen as well as the Juke Box, which we play first thing in the morning when we come down, there is an B/O music system with Hi Fi speakers, in the main lounge by the balcony there is a B/O Radio/CD player, which is excellent and of course in the TV lounge we have the floor to ceiling Quad Hi Fi system along with the large screen TV. In our bedroom there is a Multi Band radio which we have tuned to the local Radio Station broadcasting from Tanger! So we have music on all the time from morning to late at night,Joan also has her TV on all the time and watches all the English channels so when we are in her flat we catch up with all the soaps,one “ Helluva”wedding day on Eastenders!!
Friday 3rd.
In the morning Juan called in to check that everything was working and that the connections to the boiler had sealed over night; they were all OK and once again a big thanks to Mano and Juan for helping us so quickly on Thursday! At lunchtime we went down to Tarifa to the Hypermarket to stock up for the weekend as we had still not heard from Chris as to when they would be coming home.In the evening we had our usual Friday meal of Pan Fried Salmon with New potatoes and Peas before we settled down to watch TV.
Saturday 4th.
The sun was out and with no breeze it soon became hot enough to get Joan to come down for Lunch and sit in the afternoon sunshine, we had a lovely Prawn Salad a la Brenda and sat on the balcony with the view across to Africa on the best day so far during our stay at the villa; it’s now been forty days and forty nights here at Casa Olimpia,a bit like Moses in the wilderness!! One of the advantages of being here is the large screen TV and being able to watch all the English sport which we usually don’t see,Rugby,Football, Boat Race and the Grand National from Aintree for instance and of course the Grand Prix’s.We see a lot of sport back home but it is all in Spanish, which we don’t mind but is has been nice to see some other stuff for a change! In the evening we had Steak and Frits for supper and just as we finished the phone went, it was Chris to say that they are flying back to Lisbon on Wednesday and then driving back down to the villa on Thursday! So the end of the saga is nearly over and we will be back in Manilva in time for the “ Semana Santa” procession's.
Sunday 5th.
Today has been another beautiful day and as the evenings draw out it gets a little warmer each day; we have all the windows and doors open all day and the dogs come and go as they please. We had Roast Chicken for our Sunday Lunch and then relaxed with our drinks on the balcony as we listened to some CDs,Chris and Kerry have a large selection of CDs and DVDs and we listen to music over all over the villa, in the kitchen as well as the Juke Box, which we play first thing in the morning when we come down, there is an B/O music system with Hi Fi speakers, in the main lounge by the balcony there is a B/O Radio/CD player, which is excellent and of course in the TV lounge we have the floor to ceiling Quad Hi Fi system along with the large screen TV. In our bedroom there is a Multi Band radio which we have tuned to the local Radio Station broadcasting from Tanger! So we have music on all the time from morning to late at night,Joan also has her TV on all the time and watches all the English channels so when we are in her flat we catch up with all the soaps,one “ Helluva”wedding day on Eastenders!!
Thursday, April 02, 2009
CASA OLIMPIA.
Wednesday/Thursday 1st/2nd April 2009.
Wednesday 1st.
As we came down the sun was out but still with a little breeze;still no call from England so we settled back into our routine.On Monday and Tuesday after all the excitement of the wedding of the year in Australia and especially seeing and speaking to Jack and Lyn,I went across to Estepona to the bank and called into the English butchers on the way back and picked up Calves Liver and Fresh Chicken Breasts for dinner on Monday and Tuesday;during the afternoon we noticed a small drip from the hot water boiler in the kitchen and had to put a mop bucket under it as it is in the larder next to and above the fridge freezer.In the evening it got steadily worse and we had to keep an eye on it during the night!
Thursday 2nd.
We got up early to let the dogs out and found that the drip was getting faster so I rang Mano in Manilva and asked for his help! Meanwhile Chris phoned to say that he was feeling a lot better and that they are making the bookings to get back to Lisbon and then drive back down here, so I brought him up to date with the boiler news. When Mano arrived Anna came with him and it was nice to see them and catch up with all the news. As we thought, it needed a new boiler,Mano and I were checking around the villa for stop taps when we heard an explosion from the kitchen! The boiler had blown up and scared the living day lights out of Brenda,who ended up putting the large plastic waste bin under the flood;After a quick call to Chris to find out where the water intake valves were,they are outside the front of the villa on a wall in a side lane! We came back to fine Brenda like a drowned rat and her and Anna mopping up at a frantic pace!We decided to go down to Tarifa to find a plumber and a builders merchants for a new boiler,at the same time I had to find a bank that would exchange Pounds for Euros as the emergency fund was in Pound Stirling! After exchanging the money we tried two plumbers with no luck and could not find a Plumbing Centre anywhere.Plan B- Mano went back across to Estepona and picked up Juan,his building partner who is also a plumber and called into the merchants and picked up an identical boiler,which they then brought to the villa and fitted with no problem!! All done and dusted over a few hours,what service and a big thank you to Mano and Juan!
Wednesday 1st.
As we came down the sun was out but still with a little breeze;still no call from England so we settled back into our routine.On Monday and Tuesday after all the excitement of the wedding of the year in Australia and especially seeing and speaking to Jack and Lyn,I went across to Estepona to the bank and called into the English butchers on the way back and picked up Calves Liver and Fresh Chicken Breasts for dinner on Monday and Tuesday;during the afternoon we noticed a small drip from the hot water boiler in the kitchen and had to put a mop bucket under it as it is in the larder next to and above the fridge freezer.In the evening it got steadily worse and we had to keep an eye on it during the night!
Thursday 2nd.
We got up early to let the dogs out and found that the drip was getting faster so I rang Mano in Manilva and asked for his help! Meanwhile Chris phoned to say that he was feeling a lot better and that they are making the bookings to get back to Lisbon and then drive back down here, so I brought him up to date with the boiler news. When Mano arrived Anna came with him and it was nice to see them and catch up with all the news. As we thought, it needed a new boiler,Mano and I were checking around the villa for stop taps when we heard an explosion from the kitchen! The boiler had blown up and scared the living day lights out of Brenda,who ended up putting the large plastic waste bin under the flood;After a quick call to Chris to find out where the water intake valves were,they are outside the front of the villa on a wall in a side lane! We came back to fine Brenda like a drowned rat and her and Anna mopping up at a frantic pace!We decided to go down to Tarifa to find a plumber and a builders merchants for a new boiler,at the same time I had to find a bank that would exchange Pounds for Euros as the emergency fund was in Pound Stirling! After exchanging the money we tried two plumbers with no luck and could not find a Plumbing Centre anywhere.Plan B- Mano went back across to Estepona and picked up Juan,his building partner who is also a plumber and called into the merchants and picked up an identical boiler,which they then brought to the villa and fitted with no problem!! All done and dusted over a few hours,what service and a big thank you to Mano and Juan!
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