MANILVA YESTERDAY.

MONDAY/THURSDAY 14TH./17TH. JUNE 2010.

This Monday morning was a bit different to normal ; Brenda had to appear in court before a judge ! to set the record straight she was innocent and had done nothing wrong – honest ! Two weeks ago she received a formal letter at the post office which we had to collect and sign for, when we read it we soon realized that it was something important and so we rushed off to find Mano.It was a summons to appear before the judge in chambers to be interviewed about a pending case; Mano phoned the office and we went down the following morning to the court in Estepona to find out what it was all about, it turned out to be an investigation started over in Algeciras about the accident when Brenda was bitten by Boo and she went to hospital there. In Spain the system falls into place that has to be checked out by a vet and reports sent to the local authorities in case of further problems and any compensation claims as well as a prosecution.
So we went to court with Mano ,who had been appointed as our official interpreter and Brenda made her statement; she confirmed that it was an accident and that no claims where going to be made for compensation and that nothing was to happen to Boo- the case was closed and finished ! End of the excitement. On Monday evening Mano and Anna came round and joined us for a celebration supper of Bacon,Eggs,Sausages,Mushroom
Tomatoe,Chorizo,Baked Beans and Sauté Potatoes ! A Sexton Fry Up !!

On Tuesday we had a day at home and caught up with all the chores and picked up from our local shop the bits and pieces that we needed, I went to the chemists to pick up my tablets, I keep taking them ! and then called into our local butchers and bought some fresh Pork Cutlets for dinner. Brenda was going to go out with Anna to the shopping mall over in Algeciras but it fell through so we ended up on the roof terrace reading and having our early evening cocktails as the sun moved round, the weather has now settled and the breeze in the last few days has dropped; Just as we came down to start dinner Anna called in with a bottle of fine Rioja as Mano,who was off work for a couple of days, had gone out for a quick game of golf with his friend Juan. It ended up with them staying for dinner when Mano came back, Pan Fried Pork Cutlets in foaming Lemon Butter, lots of green vegetables and our new dish of diced cooked potatoes sautéed with assorted Peppers, Onions and Garlic in a rich Tomato sauce. Over the last few days the football coverage on Spanish TV is not as comprehensive as ours so I have been following it on the PC and keeping the wall chart up to date ! The live cycling coverage this week is the Tour of Switzerland, Lance Armstrong is in the field and also Mark Cavendish, from England as they prepare for the Tour de France in July.

Wednesday was the big day for Spain in the World Cup when they played, as it so happens, Switzerland in their first match; Spain who are the European Champions and have team full of star players where expected to go on and win the World Cup; we met Mano and Anna at lunchtime up in Bar Rojas as we had planned to go and watch the match down in their house on the large screen TV and then stay for some dinner; I had my hair platted in Red and Yellow bows, my whistle round my neck and a large Spanish flag on a pole, Brenda and Anna where not very impressed or interested as we set off ! The next few hours where not good as Spain, who played the best football so far in the World Cup where beaten by the resilient Swiss team 1 -0 and ended up not looking like World Cup winners!! Mano then prepared his famous Tortilla, Spanish Omelette,Baby Broad Beans cooked slowly with diced cured Bacon, Onions and his secret ingredient Grappa ! Savoury large Sausages and some Patatas Fritas and freshly baked Bread as we sat out on their terrace overlooking the views on a balmy evening as you can see in the pictures below.

Two birthdays to mention; Zoë over in Manchester and Jeff in Kuala Lumpur – Happy Birthday and all the best !! We have just come off the Skype video to Annette as they are due to leave on Friday morning to fly to London,that is if Jeff gets back from Australia in time from a business trip !

Thought for the Day;

We will be known forever by the tracks that we leave !

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