THURSDAY/SUNDAY 27TH/30TH JANUARY 2011.
As the rains have stopped it has now gone a lot colder, we are down to just 14 degs! The rest of Spain meanwhile is getting colder and lots of rain and snow, the heaviest in living memory. On Thursday morning Anna and Mano called in to catch up with the news and gossip, the main news is that we have a problem with the Smart car; during the rains I’ve been going out to turn it over in between showers and on Thursday morning it would not select reverse gear, it has an automatic and tip tronic gear box, I was able to get into the tip tronic system and also then select automatic bur no reverse! This is just when we are going to get the car changed to Spanish number plates, road taxed, insurance and ITV ( MOT ) as well as all the necessary documents. So on Friday morning we had to go down on the bus to Sabinillas for the weekend shopping, we then got a taxi back up to the village as we just missed the bus, they run on the hour and every half hour but not all the time ! For supper on Friday evening we had Baked Baby Sole and Salmon fillet in Meuniere butter with New Potatoes and Garden Peas, we have fresh Parsley all the time from our local “ Ronnie Barkers ”down the street which cost nothing, also each day we place a sprig on our “ San Pancracio ” lucky saints statue for wealth and happiness !
Saturday was a cold and crisp clear day so Brenda got all the washing on the go and then went mad on all her chores; she defrosted and cleaned the two fridges and deep freeze, fixed a leak on the washing machine, and finally she ended up on the floor fixing the drain pipe of the dishwasher which was blocked! I was in the office and did not know that it was all going on !! In the evening we had Minute steak with all the trimmings and chips for dinner before sitting down to watch the football and then a film.
We had a lie in on Sunday morning, then as got up we called Colwyn Bay to wish Thea happy birthday as their Skype Video is not working at the moment.Tim had just come back from walking the dog,Jasper and it was a thick frost and minus 6 degs ! Anna called in for a cup of tea as she was out walking Derick and then we had Brunch as we were going out to Fabio’s 5th birthday party at six, when we got there the place was bouncing with all the children going mad in the play area,Lilli was there still there as Brian had gone off to work, Mano and Anna along with Carlos and Anna Mari made us very welcome. We ended up back at ours after the cake cutting,which you can see in the pictures below,with Liili for a glass of wine and looked at some of our old photographs including or wedding album and my 40th birthday party !
Monday 31st January 2011.
Brenda has just come back from the hairdressers in Sabinillas after a quick cut and blow, she went down on the bus and Anna then picked her up after they had been for a Bacon buttie and tea; I saw Brenda on to the bus and then walked around to the surgery to make an appointment to get Brenda’s ankle and medication checked on Wednesday morning; it is back to clear blue skies and sun all week but it is very crisp so you need to wrap up well. I have also made an appointment to get the car checked on a dianogastic computer down at the English garage on the Manilva industrial estate on Thursday morning, we will have to push it out of its parking spot behind the house and then we can drive down ! Tonight we are having Flattened Chicken Breast pan fried in foaming Lime butter with Green vegetables and Baked potato.
Thought for the Day;
The trouble with being poor is that it takes up all of your time.
.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
MANILVA START TO THE WEEK.
MONDAY/TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY 24TH/25TH/26TH JANUARY 2011
Yesterday afternoon the rain started and it has not stopped until early this morning; it certainly rains in Spain, very heavy and non stop but it is the first in the last three months so we can’t complain! The rest of Spain is getting a lot worse, floods in Lanzarote, snow in Mallorca and severe low temperatures during the day all over mainland Spain. On Monday we took it easy and stayed inside, Mano and Anna called in after returning from Algeciras as Anna had been to renew her driving license and on the way back they popped across to Gibraltar so they brought Brenda a litre bottle of Bombay Sapphire Gin for looking after Derrick. In the evening we had cold Roast Pork with all the trimmings for supper before we settled down to watch TV.
Last Friday we picked up some lovely Barnsley Lamb Chops from the English butchers so we had them for dinner last night; I quickly pan fried them and then placed them on the top of the Boulangere Potatoes to finish in the oven, Brenda’s vegetables came along,Carrot and Baby Turnip mash, Leek and Mushroom bake, Cabbage and Green Beans. The wine was a very fine “ Navarra Reserva 2005 ” which is made with a selection of Tempranilio,Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes ; the pictures below shows our dinner as it came out of the oven !
Today, Wednesday it is dry and a little warmer so Cheta appeared and has been playing with Brenda as she sat with her ankle up as I made a Chicken Curry for dinner tonight; We have just come off the Skype Video after speaking to Jack and Lyn in a very warm and sunny Melbourne ( 34 degs ) on “ Australia Day ” They had just got back after going to a lively party with an BBQ and Jazz band playing with some of their family. We started talking about some places in Australia,Bendingo where Jack used to live outside Melbourne, the Murray river on the border of Victoria and Moolooaba on the Gold coast above Brisbane where Lyn’s daughter, Annette is on holiday at the moment – I just have to turn around and find them on the large wall map on the office wall behind the PC station ! Happy “ Australia Day ” to all the family. This morning we also had an e-mail from Jane to confirm the dates when she is coming over for a quick visit; she and David, her fiancé who we are looking forward to meeting for the first time,he is a master Chef so I will have to be on my toes ! They arrive on the 12th May for four days a week after Tim and Thea have left after there stay from the 29th April for a week ! Get your bookings in as soon as possible !! We have just had a phone call from Carlos asking us to Fabio’s fifth birthday party on Sunday evening around in the family’s large party garage which they rent out for other parties also.
Thought for the Day;
It’s the nature of greatness not to be exact.
..
Yesterday afternoon the rain started and it has not stopped until early this morning; it certainly rains in Spain, very heavy and non stop but it is the first in the last three months so we can’t complain! The rest of Spain is getting a lot worse, floods in Lanzarote, snow in Mallorca and severe low temperatures during the day all over mainland Spain. On Monday we took it easy and stayed inside, Mano and Anna called in after returning from Algeciras as Anna had been to renew her driving license and on the way back they popped across to Gibraltar so they brought Brenda a litre bottle of Bombay Sapphire Gin for looking after Derrick. In the evening we had cold Roast Pork with all the trimmings for supper before we settled down to watch TV.
Last Friday we picked up some lovely Barnsley Lamb Chops from the English butchers so we had them for dinner last night; I quickly pan fried them and then placed them on the top of the Boulangere Potatoes to finish in the oven, Brenda’s vegetables came along,Carrot and Baby Turnip mash, Leek and Mushroom bake, Cabbage and Green Beans. The wine was a very fine “ Navarra Reserva 2005 ” which is made with a selection of Tempranilio,Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes ; the pictures below shows our dinner as it came out of the oven !
Today, Wednesday it is dry and a little warmer so Cheta appeared and has been playing with Brenda as she sat with her ankle up as I made a Chicken Curry for dinner tonight; We have just come off the Skype Video after speaking to Jack and Lyn in a very warm and sunny Melbourne ( 34 degs ) on “ Australia Day ” They had just got back after going to a lively party with an BBQ and Jazz band playing with some of their family. We started talking about some places in Australia,Bendingo where Jack used to live outside Melbourne, the Murray river on the border of Victoria and Moolooaba on the Gold coast above Brisbane where Lyn’s daughter, Annette is on holiday at the moment – I just have to turn around and find them on the large wall map on the office wall behind the PC station ! Happy “ Australia Day ” to all the family. This morning we also had an e-mail from Jane to confirm the dates when she is coming over for a quick visit; she and David, her fiancé who we are looking forward to meeting for the first time,he is a master Chef so I will have to be on my toes ! They arrive on the 12th May for four days a week after Tim and Thea have left after there stay from the 29th April for a week ! Get your bookings in as soon as possible !! We have just had a phone call from Carlos asking us to Fabio’s fifth birthday party on Sunday evening around in the family’s large party garage which they rent out for other parties also.
Thought for the Day;
It’s the nature of greatness not to be exact.
..
Monday, January 24, 2011
MANILVA THIS WEEKEND.
FRIDAY/SATURDAY/SUNDAY 21ST/22ND/23RD JANUARY 2011.
Friday morning was shopping morning as usual with us calling into the three supermarkets and the English butchers; the weather forecast for the weekend is not good with wind, rain and getting a lot colder, the rest of Spain is getting it worse with snow and extreme cold with temperatures dropping to below freezing even during the day, it is the coldest spell in living memory so we are still very lucky as we are only down to 14 degs but we are at the moment in the middle of rain storms! In the evening we had Haddock in crispy batter with Mushy Peas and thick cut chips for dinner which reminded us of “ Enoch’s ”in Llandudno ! Just as we finished Lilli and Aulikki called in to take us out for a drink, Bar Rojas was closed so we ended up in Bar Nacho which got very loud and noisy as the card game started ! Brian came along later after he had finished, he is off to Liverpool on Saturday morning on a surprise visit to his sister’s Claire 30th birthday party but Lilli is taking her mum to the airport on Sunday and is on her own till Wednesday.
We stayed in on Saturday as the weather changed,Cheta came and played around the house in the morning and in the evening we had Steak and Frits for supper before we watched the football and a film.
Sunday was back to normal as we had a roast, in the morning we got things ready, Roast Chicken, Chestnut stuffing with crispy Smoked Bacon and thick gravy, Leek and Mushroom bake,Cabbage,Cauilflower in Cheese sauce, Whole Baby Carrots and Garden Peas along with Herb Roasted Potatoes, we then had Sausage butties for a snack lunch .Mano and Anna joined us along with Lilli in the evening as we caught up with all the local news and gossip from Mano.
Thought for the Day;
No one really listens to any one else, and if you try it for a while you’ll see why.
.
Friday morning was shopping morning as usual with us calling into the three supermarkets and the English butchers; the weather forecast for the weekend is not good with wind, rain and getting a lot colder, the rest of Spain is getting it worse with snow and extreme cold with temperatures dropping to below freezing even during the day, it is the coldest spell in living memory so we are still very lucky as we are only down to 14 degs but we are at the moment in the middle of rain storms! In the evening we had Haddock in crispy batter with Mushy Peas and thick cut chips for dinner which reminded us of “ Enoch’s ”in Llandudno ! Just as we finished Lilli and Aulikki called in to take us out for a drink, Bar Rojas was closed so we ended up in Bar Nacho which got very loud and noisy as the card game started ! Brian came along later after he had finished, he is off to Liverpool on Saturday morning on a surprise visit to his sister’s Claire 30th birthday party but Lilli is taking her mum to the airport on Sunday and is on her own till Wednesday.
We stayed in on Saturday as the weather changed,Cheta came and played around the house in the morning and in the evening we had Steak and Frits for supper before we watched the football and a film.
Sunday was back to normal as we had a roast, in the morning we got things ready, Roast Chicken, Chestnut stuffing with crispy Smoked Bacon and thick gravy, Leek and Mushroom bake,Cabbage,Cauilflower in Cheese sauce, Whole Baby Carrots and Garden Peas along with Herb Roasted Potatoes, we then had Sausage butties for a snack lunch .Mano and Anna joined us along with Lilli in the evening as we caught up with all the local news and gossip from Mano.
Thought for the Day;
No one really listens to any one else, and if you try it for a while you’ll see why.
.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
MANILVA.
TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY 18TH/19TH 20TH JANUARY 2011.
On Tuesday Brenda had started her new regime on getting her ankle better; the only problem was the bag of frozen peas she was using burst and she ended up on the floor chasing them around ! The weather this week has gone a little cooler,15 degs but we can’t complain as Lilli’s mum has just flown in from Finland and it was minus 28 degs when she left !! On Tuesday evening we had Burgers for supper, I had picked them up from our butchers in the village in the morning when I took Cheta for a walk; they only cost one euro each and we had three different types, we had proper Burger Baps,crispy onions and Lettuce, sliced local Tomatoes and Tomato relish along with frozen frits – a new wing of McDonalds has opened in sunny Manilva ! The picture below shows that we now have two fire engines at the fire station which is now fully operational.
Yesterday we stayed in and got the dinner ready, Roast Loin of Pork with glazed Apple slices, Chestnut stuffing and finger licking gravy along with Cauliflower and Broccoli Mornay,Whole Green Beans, glazed Carrots and Cabbage with Alcegas, I also made a large dish, as a treat, of Boulangere Potatoes together with Duck Fat roasted Potatoes ! Sadly Mano and Anna could not join us but Brian,Lilli and Lilli.s mum Aulikki did. We had some Tapas to start with Kir Royal made with Cava and Brian had produced a Magnum of Marques De Caceres,Crianza 2007 to go with the meal, it was exceptionally good and as they say the bigger the better ! You can see in the picture below us toasting our guests,Aulilkki speaks very good English which she learnt five years ago when she went on a six month course in Finland including a month staying with a family in Chester ! As Brian has just said on Facebook,it was a combination of great food, a decent wine and good company !!
Today we are taking it easy and having a day at home, tonight we are having cold Pork for supper. We have just come off Skype,I was on Facebook and Penny, from Bridgnorth, came on line and said that she was just about to try and connect her Skype online for the first time so I was talking her through it on the main PC and at the same time on the second PC we connected to her on the Skype video, we got connected and everything worked except she could not get her sound going but she could hear us ! We have arranged to try again later this evening after she gets in from work,
PS; We finally got to see and talk to Penny on Friday lunchtime after more tries,a friend of her's called in and helped her get everything connected - so we are looking foward to many more chats !
Thought for the Day;
Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to to live as one wishes to live.
.
On Tuesday Brenda had started her new regime on getting her ankle better; the only problem was the bag of frozen peas she was using burst and she ended up on the floor chasing them around ! The weather this week has gone a little cooler,15 degs but we can’t complain as Lilli’s mum has just flown in from Finland and it was minus 28 degs when she left !! On Tuesday evening we had Burgers for supper, I had picked them up from our butchers in the village in the morning when I took Cheta for a walk; they only cost one euro each and we had three different types, we had proper Burger Baps,crispy onions and Lettuce, sliced local Tomatoes and Tomato relish along with frozen frits – a new wing of McDonalds has opened in sunny Manilva ! The picture below shows that we now have two fire engines at the fire station which is now fully operational.
Yesterday we stayed in and got the dinner ready, Roast Loin of Pork with glazed Apple slices, Chestnut stuffing and finger licking gravy along with Cauliflower and Broccoli Mornay,Whole Green Beans, glazed Carrots and Cabbage with Alcegas, I also made a large dish, as a treat, of Boulangere Potatoes together with Duck Fat roasted Potatoes ! Sadly Mano and Anna could not join us but Brian,Lilli and Lilli.s mum Aulikki did. We had some Tapas to start with Kir Royal made with Cava and Brian had produced a Magnum of Marques De Caceres,Crianza 2007 to go with the meal, it was exceptionally good and as they say the bigger the better ! You can see in the picture below us toasting our guests,Aulilkki speaks very good English which she learnt five years ago when she went on a six month course in Finland including a month staying with a family in Chester ! As Brian has just said on Facebook,it was a combination of great food, a decent wine and good company !!
Today we are taking it easy and having a day at home, tonight we are having cold Pork for supper. We have just come off Skype,I was on Facebook and Penny, from Bridgnorth, came on line and said that she was just about to try and connect her Skype online for the first time so I was talking her through it on the main PC and at the same time on the second PC we connected to her on the Skype video, we got connected and everything worked except she could not get her sound going but she could hear us ! We have arranged to try again later this evening after she gets in from work,
PS; We finally got to see and talk to Penny on Friday lunchtime after more tries,a friend of her's called in and helped her get everything connected - so we are looking foward to many more chats !
Thought for the Day;
Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to to live as one wishes to live.
.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
MANILVA THIS WEEKEND.
SATURDAY/SUNDAY/MONDAY 15TH/16TH/17TH JANUARY 2011.
After a little lie in on Saturday morning we walked around to the football stadium to watch one of the matches; the pictures are below and also show that the good weather is still with us. In the evening we had steak and chips and then settled down to watch a film on TV.
We are still not back into roasting on Sunday at the moment so we planned to have a light brunch at lunchtime; as it was so nice we went for a walk and ended up eventually back at Bar Rojas, Brian was inside having a Tapas snack as Lilli had gone to the airport in Malaga to pick her mother up who was flying in from Helsinki for a week, it was busy as the weather was hot and sunny and all the outside tables were full so we sat and enjoyed the day, as it went on we decided to have a light lunch and move the brunch back to the evening! Brenda had a bowl of homemade Chicken and Vermicelli soup while a had a Pork Estafado with Frits. After speaking to Mano and Anna to catch up with the news they joined us for a late brunch supper which I upgraded to the full Monty! As we were just about to sit down we had a surprise visitor,Gissy who had returned from Christmas back in Germany called in with her friend Julie, she is also German and has lived in Spain for many years and lives just down the road, they had been driving around the village trying to find us after being out all day walking in the hills behind Sotogrande; so we caught up with all her news as we sat down to our supper, they had already eaten and we then finished off the evening on the local wine,Mano left for work and so what started out as just a quiet day ended up with it all happening !
This morning I was up early and shot round to the surgery to make an appointment for Brenda to see our Doctor as her ankle is not improving as quick as we expected; he has put her on a new stronger blood circulation course and she has to rest and keep her ankle up more as well as putting an ice pack on for ten minutes, take it off and let her ankle go back to normal, then do the whole process again, three times a day! Watch this space for a patient report ! We have also now that we are back in the land of the living started to plan what to do with the Smart car, sell or make it Spanish which Mano is going to help us with; I’ve also got a problem with my printer ink on Dell printer which is causing a little inconvenience so Andy is going to have a look and finally we have a couple of small jobs around the house which we need to do as we have our first visitor’s coming at the end of April, Tim and Thea are coming for a week after he retires at Easter, over the weekend they posted on Facebook some great pictures of their long weekend down in London for his 65th birthday with all the family together, they are all growing up and Ben is definitively the leader in the height stakes as he now taller than Tim ! We are really looking forward to seeing them and welcoming then to sunny Manilva,Tim was one of our first guests but Thea has not been to the house. Tonight we are having Flattened Chicken Breast pan fried in foaming butter for supper.
Thought for the Day;
Charm is the quality in others that makes us more satisfied with ourselves.
.
After a little lie in on Saturday morning we walked around to the football stadium to watch one of the matches; the pictures are below and also show that the good weather is still with us. In the evening we had steak and chips and then settled down to watch a film on TV.
We are still not back into roasting on Sunday at the moment so we planned to have a light brunch at lunchtime; as it was so nice we went for a walk and ended up eventually back at Bar Rojas, Brian was inside having a Tapas snack as Lilli had gone to the airport in Malaga to pick her mother up who was flying in from Helsinki for a week, it was busy as the weather was hot and sunny and all the outside tables were full so we sat and enjoyed the day, as it went on we decided to have a light lunch and move the brunch back to the evening! Brenda had a bowl of homemade Chicken and Vermicelli soup while a had a Pork Estafado with Frits. After speaking to Mano and Anna to catch up with the news they joined us for a late brunch supper which I upgraded to the full Monty! As we were just about to sit down we had a surprise visitor,Gissy who had returned from Christmas back in Germany called in with her friend Julie, she is also German and has lived in Spain for many years and lives just down the road, they had been driving around the village trying to find us after being out all day walking in the hills behind Sotogrande; so we caught up with all her news as we sat down to our supper, they had already eaten and we then finished off the evening on the local wine,Mano left for work and so what started out as just a quiet day ended up with it all happening !
This morning I was up early and shot round to the surgery to make an appointment for Brenda to see our Doctor as her ankle is not improving as quick as we expected; he has put her on a new stronger blood circulation course and she has to rest and keep her ankle up more as well as putting an ice pack on for ten minutes, take it off and let her ankle go back to normal, then do the whole process again, three times a day! Watch this space for a patient report ! We have also now that we are back in the land of the living started to plan what to do with the Smart car, sell or make it Spanish which Mano is going to help us with; I’ve also got a problem with my printer ink on Dell printer which is causing a little inconvenience so Andy is going to have a look and finally we have a couple of small jobs around the house which we need to do as we have our first visitor’s coming at the end of April, Tim and Thea are coming for a week after he retires at Easter, over the weekend they posted on Facebook some great pictures of their long weekend down in London for his 65th birthday with all the family together, they are all growing up and Ben is definitively the leader in the height stakes as he now taller than Tim ! We are really looking forward to seeing them and welcoming then to sunny Manilva,Tim was one of our first guests but Thea has not been to the house. Tonight we are having Flattened Chicken Breast pan fried in foaming butter for supper.
Thought for the Day;
Charm is the quality in others that makes us more satisfied with ourselves.
.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
MANILVA SATURDAY FOOTBALL.
SATURDAY 15TH JANUARY 2011.
Just a quick look at the football down in the stadium on Saturday morning; there was three matches on during the day in different catagories,this was the Cadete game between Union Manilva C.F. and C.D. Alhaurino which ended nil-nil but was a very good game. On Friday evening there were also three matches in other catagories - six different teams in all on either the seven a side or full eleven a side pitch's
.
Just a quick look at the football down in the stadium on Saturday morning; there was three matches on during the day in different catagories,this was the Cadete game between Union Manilva C.F. and C.D. Alhaurino which ended nil-nil but was a very good game. On Friday evening there were also three matches in other catagories - six different teams in all on either the seven a side or full eleven a side pitch's
.
Friday, January 14, 2011
SUNNY MANILVA THIS WEEK.
MONDAY/TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY/FRIDAY 10TH/14TH JANUARY 2011.
This week the weather over here in sunny Manilva has been spectacular; every day we have had the sun out all day with clear blue skies, no breeze and the temperature rising above 20 degs every day ! We have been out walking with Cheta as Brenda’s ankle is a lot better and we are starting to get our strength back although Brenda has still got a nasty dry cough, today we also stopped at the chemists in the high street and had our blood pressure tested by Miguel the chemist; both fine so we live to fight another day ! The pictures below show Manilva over the last couple of days at its finest. We have the same weather over the weekend and into next week so tomorrow we are going down to the watch some football at the stadium.
On Monday and Tuesday we took things easy and just pottered about the house; we got up early on Wednesday morning as I had a couple of messages to do around the village and so on the way back I picked up some steak to make a Beef stew; twelve different vegetables went into it along with diced potatoes and all sorts of secret ingredients ! Scouse !! The smell was soon wafting up the street and Liili spotted on Facebook what I was making so they ended up joining us later, she was working a twelve hour day over in Fuengirola and Brian was on a day off; he went out at lunchtime to meet Andy and Carlos and ended up having a seven hour “ Meeting “ down in Morena’s bar! Needless to say a late dinner became an early supper as Andy also joined us, he had just comeback from Christmas and New Year over in England with his family. With the Scouse we had some Cabbage and Baby Beetroot along with some local wine to help things along.
We have also been able to sit outside Bar Rojas at lunchtime and take in the lunchtime tranquility of Manilva; under the Sonbrajo which has now come even more into it’s own as the smoking ban came into law on January 2nd so it is ideal for all the smokers, at the moment Brenda is into her second week of not smoking ( Due to the cough ! ) Today we have been down to Sabinillas to do the shopping and pick up the papers; we have also left a message on Facebook for Jeff and Annette over in Kuala Lumpur as their home back in Australia is in Brisbane ! We hope everything is OK as Annette was going over at the end of the month to visit her family – we are thinking about you both, all our love.
PS; We have just come off the Skype video ( Sun - Morning ) and have spoken to Jeff and Annette in Kuala Lumpur,their house in Brisbane is ok and thier son Paul also,Annette is a Brisbane girl and all her family are also ok ! They have just spent the weekend in Borneo and Jeff is off to Tokio,Japan on business next week - what a life !
Thought for the Day;
Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.
.
This week the weather over here in sunny Manilva has been spectacular; every day we have had the sun out all day with clear blue skies, no breeze and the temperature rising above 20 degs every day ! We have been out walking with Cheta as Brenda’s ankle is a lot better and we are starting to get our strength back although Brenda has still got a nasty dry cough, today we also stopped at the chemists in the high street and had our blood pressure tested by Miguel the chemist; both fine so we live to fight another day ! The pictures below show Manilva over the last couple of days at its finest. We have the same weather over the weekend and into next week so tomorrow we are going down to the watch some football at the stadium.
On Monday and Tuesday we took things easy and just pottered about the house; we got up early on Wednesday morning as I had a couple of messages to do around the village and so on the way back I picked up some steak to make a Beef stew; twelve different vegetables went into it along with diced potatoes and all sorts of secret ingredients ! Scouse !! The smell was soon wafting up the street and Liili spotted on Facebook what I was making so they ended up joining us later, she was working a twelve hour day over in Fuengirola and Brian was on a day off; he went out at lunchtime to meet Andy and Carlos and ended up having a seven hour “ Meeting “ down in Morena’s bar! Needless to say a late dinner became an early supper as Andy also joined us, he had just comeback from Christmas and New Year over in England with his family. With the Scouse we had some Cabbage and Baby Beetroot along with some local wine to help things along.
We have also been able to sit outside Bar Rojas at lunchtime and take in the lunchtime tranquility of Manilva; under the Sonbrajo which has now come even more into it’s own as the smoking ban came into law on January 2nd so it is ideal for all the smokers, at the moment Brenda is into her second week of not smoking ( Due to the cough ! ) Today we have been down to Sabinillas to do the shopping and pick up the papers; we have also left a message on Facebook for Jeff and Annette over in Kuala Lumpur as their home back in Australia is in Brisbane ! We hope everything is OK as Annette was going over at the end of the month to visit her family – we are thinking about you both, all our love.
PS; We have just come off the Skype video ( Sun - Morning ) and have spoken to Jeff and Annette in Kuala Lumpur,their house in Brisbane is ok and thier son Paul also,Annette is a Brisbane girl and all her family are also ok ! They have just spent the weekend in Borneo and Jeff is off to Tokio,Japan on business next week - what a life !
Thought for the Day;
Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.
.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
MANILVA THIS WEEKEND.
FRIDAY/SATURDAY.SUNDAY 7TH/8TH /9TH JANUARY 2011.
Last night Brian and Lilli joined us for dinner as Lilli was off for the day and Brian finished at 7-00pm; we had a great Braised Steak and Onions with Mash with also some of Brenda’s Cabbage with Alsegas and Baby Brussels Sprouts together with a fine Rioja, it was a lovely evening with great company.
On Friday morning Brenda was not feeling too well after a bad nights sleep, she has been coughing so much her ribs are hurting; I’am still not right and have no energy as well as all the other symptoms, we are taking things easy and today Brenda is starting her blood circulation tablets to get her ankle better along with the ointment. I went to do the shopping down in Sabinillas and got caught in a rain storm on the way back and was like a drowned rat when I got back to the house, which did not help the overall health problems! In the evening for supper we had Pan Fried Fillets of Salmon in a Lemon Butter sauce with Spinach leaves, Garden Peas and New Potatoes. We then settled down to watch a film on the TV.
The weather forecast over the weekend is getting better and next week it is sun,sun,sun and up to 20degs ! On Saturday morning Anna called in very briefly to pick Derrick up, as soon as she found out that we were both ill she would not come in and rushed off !! Meanwhile Mano has not been well all week also with the same thing and had been at home so we don’t know how she is going to get around that ! On Saturday night we had Steak and chips with all the trimmings for dinner and then watched the football from Barcelona, they won !
After a good lie in we had a late breakfast of Bacon, Mushrooms and Eggs as we were not having a Sunday roast for a change; in the afternoon I watched the Liverpool v Manchester Utd match on the PC via a satellite link which is very good with full English commentary and a full screen picture – sadly Liverpool lost to a very disputable penalty ! King Kenny is back and we hope he will sort them out !! Later we had Pork Cutlets and Baked Potatoes for supper; Brenda’s ankle is responding to the treatment and her legs are looking a lot better, not that they didn’t anyway ! We are going to take things easy this week and are planning to get out for some fresh air and a walk around the village with Cheta,she has been calling in, everyday while we have not been well and could not understand why we were not taking her out ! Last night we spoke to our very dear friend in Madrid Rafael and his wife Jill; in their Christmas card they told us that they were going to become grandparents for the first time, their second son Alvaro wife was expecting any moment and their oldest son Rafaelilo wife is expecting twins in the summer! It turned out that Alvaro;s wife produced a beautiful baby girl on the 28th December, mother and daughter are both fine, and it also meant that they will receive the baby bonus from the government ( 2000 euros ) which has been stopped for 2011 !! They have three sons,the youngest Victor has just finished university and is starting a very good job with Banco Santander over in London at the end of the month. Jill is of course is very delighted as she always wanted a daughter !! Great news to start the New Year with.
Thought for the Day;
I am no more humble than my tales require.
.
Last night Brian and Lilli joined us for dinner as Lilli was off for the day and Brian finished at 7-00pm; we had a great Braised Steak and Onions with Mash with also some of Brenda’s Cabbage with Alsegas and Baby Brussels Sprouts together with a fine Rioja, it was a lovely evening with great company.
On Friday morning Brenda was not feeling too well after a bad nights sleep, she has been coughing so much her ribs are hurting; I’am still not right and have no energy as well as all the other symptoms, we are taking things easy and today Brenda is starting her blood circulation tablets to get her ankle better along with the ointment. I went to do the shopping down in Sabinillas and got caught in a rain storm on the way back and was like a drowned rat when I got back to the house, which did not help the overall health problems! In the evening for supper we had Pan Fried Fillets of Salmon in a Lemon Butter sauce with Spinach leaves, Garden Peas and New Potatoes. We then settled down to watch a film on the TV.
The weather forecast over the weekend is getting better and next week it is sun,sun,sun and up to 20degs ! On Saturday morning Anna called in very briefly to pick Derrick up, as soon as she found out that we were both ill she would not come in and rushed off !! Meanwhile Mano has not been well all week also with the same thing and had been at home so we don’t know how she is going to get around that ! On Saturday night we had Steak and chips with all the trimmings for dinner and then watched the football from Barcelona, they won !
After a good lie in we had a late breakfast of Bacon, Mushrooms and Eggs as we were not having a Sunday roast for a change; in the afternoon I watched the Liverpool v Manchester Utd match on the PC via a satellite link which is very good with full English commentary and a full screen picture – sadly Liverpool lost to a very disputable penalty ! King Kenny is back and we hope he will sort them out !! Later we had Pork Cutlets and Baked Potatoes for supper; Brenda’s ankle is responding to the treatment and her legs are looking a lot better, not that they didn’t anyway ! We are going to take things easy this week and are planning to get out for some fresh air and a walk around the village with Cheta,she has been calling in, everyday while we have not been well and could not understand why we were not taking her out ! Last night we spoke to our very dear friend in Madrid Rafael and his wife Jill; in their Christmas card they told us that they were going to become grandparents for the first time, their second son Alvaro wife was expecting any moment and their oldest son Rafaelilo wife is expecting twins in the summer! It turned out that Alvaro;s wife produced a beautiful baby girl on the 28th December, mother and daughter are both fine, and it also meant that they will receive the baby bonus from the government ( 2000 euros ) which has been stopped for 2011 !! They have three sons,the youngest Victor has just finished university and is starting a very good job with Banco Santander over in London at the end of the month. Jill is of course is very delighted as she always wanted a daughter !! Great news to start the New Year with.
Thought for the Day;
I am no more humble than my tales require.
.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
MANILVA THREE KINGS.
SUNDAY/MONDAY/TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY 2ND/3RD/4TH/5TH January 2011.
We took things easy on Sunday as we were both feeling under the weather; Brenda is struggling with her ankle and I have got a bit of everything that you can have ! We had a late Brunch,8-oopm, as Mano was going to join us before he went into work but at the last moment he called off as he was not well with a bug also. Bacon, Eggs, Chorizo, Mushrooms, Sausage, Tomatoes, Sauté Potatoes and Baked Beans helped us on the hopefully road to recovery !
I got up early on Monday morning after a bad night and walked slowly around to the surgery to get an appointment as they opened at 8-ooam;The receptionist fitted me at 9-ooam with my doctor so I went across the road for a tea and tostado and who should walk in but my doctor for his coffee and tostado before he started, he took one look at me and saw me straight away ! He gave me a good going over and said that it was not flu ( We had the Flu jabs before Xmas ) but I had caught a very severe virus and gave me a prescription for tablets and a strong liquid Paracetamol. Also lots of bed rest and taking it easy were prescribed ! Meanwhile back at the house Brenda is trying to keep her foot up and keep off her feet most of the time until Friday when she has to start her course of Blood Circulation tablets and ointment on her ankle. Talk about two old crocks ! Mano was also still under the weather and was off his food but had carried on working; for supper we had Egg and Chips with cold Ham – comfort food.
Tuesday was a non day as I was in bed and Brenda was on the couch with her leg up in between looking after Derrick. Mano has been calling in every day to see if we needed any shopping and to keep up to date with one another’s illness !
On Wednesday I felt a little better but Brenda’s ankle is still giving concern, it is a Bank Holiday here in Spain, “ Three Kings ” which is the biggest festival for the Spanish families and children especially – it is their Xmas and takes place over two days, the weather is crisp and sunny during the day, Brenda has been on the roof terrace in the afternoon most days for an hour or so taking in the fresh air and sun 19/20degs! The pictures below show the Three Kings procession through the village which kicks off at around 8-30pm,Calle Mar is packed with all the children and families, the Xmas Band leads the floats as they pass along the street throwing over two thousand kilos of sweets which the children collect in upturned umbrellas and plastic bags ! They play loud music from sound systems that they push along and also this year the Festival Charanga Band played their Chi Chi Pom music. We had wrapped up in warm clothes as it goes cool in the evening, we met Carlos at Bar Rojas and sat outside under the Sonbrajo to watch the parade, Ana Mari and Fabio came along and Brian and Lilli joined us ,Brian has got the bug also so he went on large Brandy's and we had some drinks purely for medicinal purposes ! Honest !! They parade through the village and return back along Calle Mar about an hour later followed by the council workmen in their street cleaning machines and road sweepers; you would not know anything had happened.
Tonight Brian and Lilli are joining us for dinner, we are having Braised Steak and Onions with Cabbage and Sprouts, the steak is cooked in a rich sauce with Carrots, Celery ,Leeks, Baby Turnips and Button Mushrooms and of course Brenda’s famous Mash !
Thought for the Day;
Every one is a genius at least once a year – The real geniuses simply have their bright ideas closer together.
.
We took things easy on Sunday as we were both feeling under the weather; Brenda is struggling with her ankle and I have got a bit of everything that you can have ! We had a late Brunch,8-oopm, as Mano was going to join us before he went into work but at the last moment he called off as he was not well with a bug also. Bacon, Eggs, Chorizo, Mushrooms, Sausage, Tomatoes, Sauté Potatoes and Baked Beans helped us on the hopefully road to recovery !
I got up early on Monday morning after a bad night and walked slowly around to the surgery to get an appointment as they opened at 8-ooam;The receptionist fitted me at 9-ooam with my doctor so I went across the road for a tea and tostado and who should walk in but my doctor for his coffee and tostado before he started, he took one look at me and saw me straight away ! He gave me a good going over and said that it was not flu ( We had the Flu jabs before Xmas ) but I had caught a very severe virus and gave me a prescription for tablets and a strong liquid Paracetamol. Also lots of bed rest and taking it easy were prescribed ! Meanwhile back at the house Brenda is trying to keep her foot up and keep off her feet most of the time until Friday when she has to start her course of Blood Circulation tablets and ointment on her ankle. Talk about two old crocks ! Mano was also still under the weather and was off his food but had carried on working; for supper we had Egg and Chips with cold Ham – comfort food.
Tuesday was a non day as I was in bed and Brenda was on the couch with her leg up in between looking after Derrick. Mano has been calling in every day to see if we needed any shopping and to keep up to date with one another’s illness !
On Wednesday I felt a little better but Brenda’s ankle is still giving concern, it is a Bank Holiday here in Spain, “ Three Kings ” which is the biggest festival for the Spanish families and children especially – it is their Xmas and takes place over two days, the weather is crisp and sunny during the day, Brenda has been on the roof terrace in the afternoon most days for an hour or so taking in the fresh air and sun 19/20degs! The pictures below show the Three Kings procession through the village which kicks off at around 8-30pm,Calle Mar is packed with all the children and families, the Xmas Band leads the floats as they pass along the street throwing over two thousand kilos of sweets which the children collect in upturned umbrellas and plastic bags ! They play loud music from sound systems that they push along and also this year the Festival Charanga Band played their Chi Chi Pom music. We had wrapped up in warm clothes as it goes cool in the evening, we met Carlos at Bar Rojas and sat outside under the Sonbrajo to watch the parade, Ana Mari and Fabio came along and Brian and Lilli joined us ,Brian has got the bug also so he went on large Brandy's and we had some drinks purely for medicinal purposes ! Honest !! They parade through the village and return back along Calle Mar about an hour later followed by the council workmen in their street cleaning machines and road sweepers; you would not know anything had happened.
Tonight Brian and Lilli are joining us for dinner, we are having Braised Steak and Onions with Cabbage and Sprouts, the steak is cooked in a rich sauce with Carrots, Celery ,Leeks, Baby Turnips and Button Mushrooms and of course Brenda’s famous Mash !
Thought for the Day;
Every one is a genius at least once a year – The real geniuses simply have their bright ideas closer together.
.
Sunday, January 02, 2011
MANILVA 31ST DECEMBER NOCHEVIAJE 2010/2011.
THURSDAY/FRIDAY/SATURDAY 30TH/31ST 1ST DECEMBER/JANUARY 2010/2011.
On Thursday we had a day in the house taking things easy; Brenda has been keeping her ankle up as much as possible and I was in bed for two days slightly under the weather as I had caught a bug; the weather is getting nicer each day as the sun is out and the forecast over the weekend and into next week is good. We did not loose our appetites so in the evening we had pan fried flattened Breast of Chicken with Baked potatoes for supper!
We had a good lie in on Friday morning and just pottered about and got ready slowly for the evening out; Mano and Anna called in to see how we were and make the arrangements to look after Derrick and Mano !! We had booked a table at “ La Casona Restaurante and Lounge ” for their New Years Eve dinner,Lilli joined us as you can see in the picture below, sadly Brian was working so we caught up with him later.Mano and Carlos were also working and Anna was getting packed for her short trip to Tenerife on New Years Day to see their daughter Sally Ann and the grandchildren.
We got a taxi to the restaurant with Lilli,which when we arrived was very busy with both English and Spanish business; on arrival they served a welcoming Spanish Punch, the meal started with a Shellfish Bisque served from a Tureen with Homemade warm Rolls, then to follow a Mixed starter of Fresh Smoked Salmon, Beef Carpaccio with Parmesan shavings, Turkey Breast, Duck Foie Grass, Quince Jelly and a Escarola salad with Pomegranates. The wines with the meal were included in the price; A white Vina Costeira ( Albarino ) and a Red Muntra Roble ( Riber del Duero ) which were both excellent. Lilli for her main course choose the John Dory fillet in a Lemon and Dill Sauce whilst Brenda and I had Fillet steak Madallions with a rich Pepper and Port sauce served separate, they came rare as ordered and everything was excellent including the crisp vegetables and oven baked roast potatoes. For the sweet it was Crepe Suzzette with Vanilla ice cream,which we passed on as we had to get back to Manilva in time for midnight, they did bring us our Flute of Cava to finish off our first ever meal out on New Years Eve !!
We walked around to Lilli’s apartment and as the clock struck twelve we joined Brian as we ate our grapes and toasted in the 2011 with a fine Pink Cava as we watched the fireworks from their balcony; they then came around to our house for some nibbles and another bottle of Pink Cava as I let in the New Year with my packet of matches, tea bags, sugar and bread that Brenda had got ready earlier.
On New Years Day morning Mano and Anna called in on their way to the airport to drop the dog off so we caught up with them and later Mano joined us for Steak and Chips for supper to round off a “ Helluva ”New Years Eve celebration down here in sunny Manilva.
PS; As I am typing this today,2nd January we want to wish our very dear and old friend Tim a very happy birthday as he has reached pensionable age, he has gone down to London for a special family celebration with all his children and granddaughter and we are looking forward to seeing him and Thea at the end of April when they are coming to sunny Manilva.
Thought for the Day;
Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear but forgetting where you heard it.
.
On Thursday we had a day in the house taking things easy; Brenda has been keeping her ankle up as much as possible and I was in bed for two days slightly under the weather as I had caught a bug; the weather is getting nicer each day as the sun is out and the forecast over the weekend and into next week is good. We did not loose our appetites so in the evening we had pan fried flattened Breast of Chicken with Baked potatoes for supper!
We had a good lie in on Friday morning and just pottered about and got ready slowly for the evening out; Mano and Anna called in to see how we were and make the arrangements to look after Derrick and Mano !! We had booked a table at “ La Casona Restaurante and Lounge ” for their New Years Eve dinner,Lilli joined us as you can see in the picture below, sadly Brian was working so we caught up with him later.Mano and Carlos were also working and Anna was getting packed for her short trip to Tenerife on New Years Day to see their daughter Sally Ann and the grandchildren.
We got a taxi to the restaurant with Lilli,which when we arrived was very busy with both English and Spanish business; on arrival they served a welcoming Spanish Punch, the meal started with a Shellfish Bisque served from a Tureen with Homemade warm Rolls, then to follow a Mixed starter of Fresh Smoked Salmon, Beef Carpaccio with Parmesan shavings, Turkey Breast, Duck Foie Grass, Quince Jelly and a Escarola salad with Pomegranates. The wines with the meal were included in the price; A white Vina Costeira ( Albarino ) and a Red Muntra Roble ( Riber del Duero ) which were both excellent. Lilli for her main course choose the John Dory fillet in a Lemon and Dill Sauce whilst Brenda and I had Fillet steak Madallions with a rich Pepper and Port sauce served separate, they came rare as ordered and everything was excellent including the crisp vegetables and oven baked roast potatoes. For the sweet it was Crepe Suzzette with Vanilla ice cream,which we passed on as we had to get back to Manilva in time for midnight, they did bring us our Flute of Cava to finish off our first ever meal out on New Years Eve !!
We walked around to Lilli’s apartment and as the clock struck twelve we joined Brian as we ate our grapes and toasted in the 2011 with a fine Pink Cava as we watched the fireworks from their balcony; they then came around to our house for some nibbles and another bottle of Pink Cava as I let in the New Year with my packet of matches, tea bags, sugar and bread that Brenda had got ready earlier.
On New Years Day morning Mano and Anna called in on their way to the airport to drop the dog off so we caught up with them and later Mano joined us for Steak and Chips for supper to round off a “ Helluva ”New Years Eve celebration down here in sunny Manilva.
PS; As I am typing this today,2nd January we want to wish our very dear and old friend Tim a very happy birthday as he has reached pensionable age, he has gone down to London for a special family celebration with all his children and granddaughter and we are looking forward to seeing him and Thea at the end of April when they are coming to sunny Manilva.
Thought for the Day;
Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear but forgetting where you heard it.
.
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