MANILVA THIS WEEK.

SUNDAY/THURSDAY 25^th/29^th SEPTEMBER 2011.

We had a lie in on Sunday morning after a great day on Saturday; the weather forecast for the week ahead is good, warm and sunny with a light breeze. We popped a Chicken in the oven to roast and Brenda got all the usual vegetables ready for supper, the rest of the Chicken was for a light supper on Monday and sandwiches on Tuesday lunchtime! The rest of the day we had a nice leisurely time taking it easy, reading a little and on the roof terrace in the early evening before our dinner and then watched a film on the TV.

On Monday Brenda finished off getting ready for the girls arrival on Tuesday morning; the car rental people rang and said that they would drop off the car later in the afternoon, for free, so we went out for a drive round and ended up in Sotogrande Marina as you can see on the pictures below. Before we went out I made the filling for a Beef and Mushroom Pie for Tuesday evening’s dinner to welcome Norah and Jenny.

We shot over to Gibraltar to pick up the girls on Tuesday morning and on the way back called into the ‘ Roman Oasis ’ for a glass of chilled Champagne and Smoked Salmon canapés to start their holiday in the right fashion ! The pictures below shows them as then came across the border and in the ‘Roman Oasis’ we then came back to the house and had Chicken/Mayo sandwiches before a little siesta. In the evening I finished the Beef and Mushroom Pie with short pastry top and Brenda made some of her famous mashed potato and Cabbage with Alselgas before Brenda and the girls settled down to have a good chinwag!

Wednesday morning after a light tea, toast and fresh Orange juice breakfast we set off to Estepona; they had a good look around the shops and went for a walk along the front and dipped their toes in the sea as I sat and read an English paper. We had a light salad snack lunch; well I had Albondigas with a fried egg and frits, in a café next to the square and then had a nice drive home in the warm sunshine. In the evening we had Pork Cutlets pan fried in Lemon butter with Lyonnaise Potatoes and Baby Carrots and Green Beans before we settled down to watch a film.

The sisters were up bright and breezy on Thursday morning and after breakfast caught the bus down to Sabinillas and came back later in the morning to change and freshen up before we went out for lunch; it gave us a chance to catch up with things around the house and get ourselves ready at the same time. We then went up to ‘ Venta Garcia ’for my birthday treat lunch ! We had the best table in the restaurant over looking the valley back down to the coast, we soon had a nice bottle of Sparkling Pinot Noir Cava opened as we ordered from the three course ‘ Del Dia ’menu, Brenda had a Smoked Salmon salad and Norah had a Cream of vegetable soup followed by Confit of Duck and grilled Sole, Jenny and I ordered the Roast Lamb from the A la Carte menu which was out of this world, it was a whole Leg of Baby Lamb for each of us that had been cooked to order and fell off the bone and came with fresh baby Vegetables and Boulangere Potatoes and lots of Mint Sauce ! Everything was up to their usual standard and they looked after us very well as the restaurant was very busy, for dessert the girls had sorbets and I had the Sticky Toffee Pudding of the Del Dian menu ! I round of complementary drinks then came from the management for my birthday to finish off another memorable meal at the Venta – the pictures below show the sisters before and after the meal.

Thought for the Day;

If you can spend a perfectly useless aftertnoon,in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned to live.

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CASARES THIS LUNCHTIME..

CASARES THIS AFTERNOON.

MANILVA THIS EVENING.

MANILVA THIS EVENING.

GIBRALTAR THIS MORNING.

MANILVA THIS LUNCHTIME.

SOTOGRANDE THIS EVENING.

SOTOGRANDE THIS EVENING.

SOTOGRANDE THIS EVENING.

SOTOGRANDE THIS EVENING.

SOTOGRANDE THIS EVENING.

SOTOGRANDE THIS EVENING.

MANILVA THIS WEEKEND.

WEDNESDAY/SATURDAY 21^st/24^th SEPTEMBER 2011.

On Wednesday morning it was Brenda’s turn to go to the surgery to top up her prescriptions and chase up her appointment at the hospital for some tests that are outstanding on her legs! Later I went back to the nurse for a foot check that was OK. When I got back I made a large pan of Chicken Curry for supper and to freeze for another day; in the afternoon I watched on the PC the World Championship Cycling from Denmark, sadly Bradly Wiggins could only manage the Silver medal in the Time Trial as the German Tony Martin beat him to the gold and the World Champions jersey!

Thursday was one of Brenda’s cleaning days ready for the sisters arriving next Tuesday, the weather forecast is looking OK with sunny days and cooler at night with a little breeze to make things pleasant. As we went for our morning walk with Cheta we called into the butchers, he was just making some Burgers so we had some of the Pork ones, he also makes Chicken and Beef at the same time; in the evening for supper we had our own Super Whopper Manilva Burgers, proper Baps, shreaded Lettuce and local Tomato sliced, Cheese slice topped Burgers and a fried Egg for me with Frits and Heinz Tomato Ketchup!

Friday morning was shopping day down at the supermarkets in Sabinillas; on the way back we called into our local market in the village and picked up the fresh vegetables and flowers. Just as we had finished unloading our replacement TV arrived, we have had five days of no TV so we had to retire to the office and watch on the PC the BBCI Player and caught the new episode of ‘Spooks’ and live on the ITV4 connection some films; Andy had lent us a large TV at the start of the week but I could not get it to install. So on Friday lunchtime I called the local TV engineer in the village and he came around in the early evening and tuned in the system; we now have over sixty Spanish channels, for the first time, with an excellent picture, including three sports channels, six film channels, four news channels, the six main TV stations including local ones and if you want the eight Tarot Card reading Horoscope channels! I can’t keep my hands off the remote control!! Mano and Anna called in the evening so we caught up with all the local gossip; later for supper we had Pan Fried Lemon Sole, in foaming Lemon butter with local New Potatoes and Garden Peas, we had not seen them before in the fish market and they were very tasty and reminded us of home.

SATURDAY 24th SEPTEMBER 2011. MY BIRTHDAY!

I was up bright and early so as I could watch the England v Romania match from New Zealand, England won 67-3 and played better rugby. For breakfast Brenda made Poached Eggs on toast to set us up for the day. The cards are arriving a lot quicker from the UK now so it is always nice to open them as it is now a dying fashion to send them. Meanwhile on the new Facebook page I had a lot of messages from all over the world; later I also had some phone calls as well, so thanks to all the family and dear friends for the very kind thoughts and comments. Brenda gave me a Red E-Type for my birthday unfortunately only on the card! and later produced a bottle of my favourite Bacardi Gold!! We are going to celebrate the birthday in style next week on Thursday after Norah and Jenny have arrived, we have booked a table for lunch at ‘Venta Garcia ’so today we just kept the drinks flowing as the day went on; the new on-line web connection for sport is very good so later after watching the rugby I caught the English football, Manchester City beat Everton 2-0, sorry Brian and congratulations to Carlos! Liverpool won against the Wolves 2-0 and Manchester Utd. drew with Stoke. Later on our new large screen TV we watched the Spanish football as both Barcelona and Real Madrid won and got their title challenge back on course; at the moment Real Betis, the second team of Sevilla are top and our local team Malaga are third! For supper we had Steak and chips with Mushrooms along with sliced Green Beans, cut with our new slicer, which we can’t get enough of !

Thought for the Day;

Live as if you are to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were able to live forever.

NB; Latest news from Denmark,the World Road Cycling Championship has just been won by England's MARK CAVENDISH in a very close sprint finish !! His victory is the first British world road race success since Tom Simpson won in 1965. The British eight man team led him to the finish and controlled the race from the front; Steve Cummings,Chris Froome,Jeremy Hunt,Bradley Wiggins David Millar,Ian Stannard and Geraint Thomas all deserve a medal !! His now wearing the ' Rainbow ' jersey !!

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MANILVA THIS LUNCHTIME.

MANILVA THIS LUNCHTIME.

MANILVA THIS LUNCHTIME.

MANILVA'S HISTORY - 2000 YEAR OLD ROMAN KILN DISCOVERED.

WEDNESDAY 21^st SEPTEMBER 2011.

The pictures above and below shows the 2000 year old Roman Pottery Kiln that has been discovered as the diggers have been leveling off the large area next to the Wine Centre; it is not to be a car park as I originally thought but a ‘Plaza ’and after speaking to the archaeologyist in charge of the site, Miguel Vila Obitas, from Malaga University he has informed us that they, the council, are going to bulldoze it to the ground!! They are mad-it is the history of the village and is right next door to the wine museum that is showing the vines going back to those times! They could very easily tidy the area around the kiln and make it attractive as a feature on the plaza, with details on a plaque and floodlit at night, at no great cost!! Tomorrow morning it is usually the council meeting at ten o’clock so I’ am going along to see the Mayor, Antonia and our local councilor,Mario,who happens to be in charge of the department that is doing the work to tell them what we think !! Watch this space – I’ve already got support from other residents in the village.

NB; The council meeting was cancelled as the Mayor was away in Madrid on business but her secretary confirmed that it is going to be a plaza/square and that the department of archaeology of Malaga University has had an application to stop the knocking down of the Kiln refused !

PS; We have just been speaking to the Malaga University people and they are now saying that there is a small chance that it could be saved !

PPS; Today,Monday they have started to clear around the mound as we suggested and fingers crossed it looks more like they are going to keep it !

PPPS; As we passed today,Wednesday, they are finishing off clearing around the mound and the University people look a lot happier and are saying that it is definitely staying !!

MANILVA THIS LUNCHTIME.

MANILVA THIS EVENING.

MANILVA THIS EVENING.

MANILVA THIS EVENING.

MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND AND THE START OF THE WEEK.

SATURDAY/SUNDAY/MONDAY/TUESDAY 17^th/18^th/19^th /2Oth/ SEPTEMBER 2011.

On Saturday morning after our usual Poached Eggs on toast I watched the Rugby Union World Cup match, live, from New Zealand; Ireland beat Australia 15-6 in the biggest surprise of the tournament so far. Later in the afternoon I watched the ‘Saturday Morning Kitchen’ video on the BBCIPlayer, I’am now able to watch ITV 12/3/4/ live but can only get the BBC 1/2/3/4 on video until I can get the new telephone system, which is more powerful on-line. In the evening we had Steak and chips and then went to watch the TV film- we have a problem, our TV which is very old has gone bust, it looks like the tube has gone as the colour is funny and we now have no picture !

I was up early on Sunday morning to watch the England match against Georgia; they beat Georgia 41-10 but did not play well. We went for a walk with Cheta around the village and ended up down by the football stadium but sadly there was no football taking place. In the afternoon I watched the last stage of the Tour of Britain which ended in London on Whitehall ,in the rain, Cavendish won the sprint, his second stage victory in the Tour and Lars Boon won the event overall. Next Sunday Cavendish will start as favourite in the road race at the World Championships in Denmark; the event begins today with the women’s Time Trial. Ana called in the afternoon and joined us on the roof terrace for an hour or so as Mano was with Carlos watching the Manchester City match, so Brenda had a good gossip as I was putting on the Lamb cutlets to have with the Boulangere potatoes which I had just put in the oven. At the moment I have not been able to find another on-line web-page to watch the football matches over in England since Myp2p was taken off line so I have to catch up with them on Spanish TV! If we had one!! We are getting our TV time in front of the PC in the office and have watched the new episode of ‘Spooks ’as well as some other programmes.

Monday morning I shot around the surgery and got an appointment within half an hour to get my prescriptions renewed so our Doctor has also set up some tests to check me out and on Wednesday Brenda is doing the same thing just to make sure the pensioner’s are ticking over all right! When I got back to the house we washed the Smart car as the Sahara dust is still about; we then went for a walk with Cheta and came across some new work taking place next to the new Wine Centre, it looks like the council have got some money from the regional government and so they have started to level off the car park but they have come across a problem, they have unearthed some old ruin’s of a brick kiln and the University of Malaga are excavating it at the moment! Pictures to follow when I can arrange with them to take them!

Today is an at home day after we came back from our walk; Brenda is finishing off getting ready for her two sisters coming this time next week, I have arranged the rental car so as we can pick them up from Gibraltar and we have planned the menu’s and where we are going to take them ! Watch this space. Fingers crossed as I think that I have found a sports channel to watch the live football and other sports on so I ‘am going to give it a go after finishing the blog. Tonight we are having Pork cutlets with more Boulangere potatoes as I made a large dish on Sunday.

Thought for the Day;

Order is the shape upon which reality depends.

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LLANDUDNO TODAY.

More great news,this time from North Wales; our very good friend,Julie has just given birth to a gorgeous baby daughter,Grace Katherine Fallon-Smith ! Mother and daughter both looking smashing ! Well done and best wishes to you and Mike,Cloe and Adam. It has made our day here in sunny Manilva. One " Helluva " surprise as she was a little early arriving !

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NEWSFLASH ANOTHER ONE ARRIVES.

MANILVA THIS WEEK.

MONDAY/FRIDAY 12^th/16^th SEPTEMBER 2011.

This week we are taking things easy, again, the weather forecast is good, hot and sunny for the week and over the weekend into next week, it is our favorite time of the year as it is a little cooler with a little breeze occasionally and cooler at night, it is also a lot quieter as all the tourists have gone! Brenda is starting to get things ready for Norah and Jenny who are arriving on Tuesday 27^th September for just a week this time; we are able to go out on the roof terrace in the early evening as the sun moves around for our drinks and nibbles as we read our books,I’am into a very thick ‘ Tom Clancy ’and Brenda is reading all sorts. In the evening on Monday for supper we had Pork Cutlets before we settled down to watch TV.

On Tuesday morning we went for a walk with Cheta for the first time in a while; the pictures below show the new mural which has just been replaced as the first one fell down when they were digging the road up to put new drains in ! They have finished it off this time with the grapes and vines around the top and it now is looking very impressive. For dinner we had flattened breast of Chicken, pan fried and in the morning I had made some Breton Potatoes, boiled and diced then fried with diced Red and Green Peppers and Onions.

Wednesday morning was another glorious day as we pottered about the house, I watched some live Rugby for New Zealand for the first time on ITV1 which I’ am now able to get so I will watch the England match this weekend. We have also made contact with Deb over in Australia via Facebook and have the details of their route on their trek to the Simpson Desert and hopefully they are going to send us some pictures to blog.Last week we picked up, for a change, some Gammon Steaks from the English butchers and so we had them grilled with a fried egg on top with diced fried Potatoes and Garden Peas – and HP sauce !

JAZZ SAN JAVIER 2011.

Late at night I have been watching the live concerts on TVE2 from San Javier which is situated on the Mediterranean coast above Cartagena in Murcia; it is on the ‘Mar Menor’ ( Little Sea ) which is the biggest Salt lake in Europe; it started with ‘Ramsey Lewis ’and his Electric Orchestra and the following night I could not place the English Blues singer until the lead guitarist played a opening riff; ‘ House of the Rising Sun ’ – ‘ Eric Burden and the Animals ’not the actual ones but all very good musicians and an excellent Hammond Organ player. The following night it was somebody I have not come across before ‘ Lucky Peterson ’who started the set on the Hammond Organ and ended up on a the guitar playing wild Blues as the female singer with one ‘ Helluva ’voice belted out the songs. Last night it was the turn on ‘ Pink Turtle ’a French swing group which perform very well known songs ie; Beatles and Michael Jackson but with a different beat and rhythm, they really got the crowd going.

Mano and Anna called in on Thursday morning just as I was starting to make a Pork Stew for dinner; the Pork was diced and dipped in seasoned flour and sealed, I then made a Tomato and Herb sauce with Rosemary, Tarragon and Provencal herbs containing Onions,Carrots,Swede,Celery,Leek,Red and green Peppers and Apple, all finally diced, Mano suggested that I add diced Potato to make it like an ‘ Estofado ’and I later finished it off with ‘ Alubias’ – marinated White Beans ! Brenda used our new Bean slicer which Jane had brought to cut the whole Green Beans very fine, which I tossed in hot Butter and Garlic to accompany the stew with lots of crusty Bread.Mano and Anna joined us later for supper- which got full marks all round !

Today, Friday, we have just come back from our shopping run and catching up with all the messages, bank etc.Tonight we have some small Dab Soles for supper with Gambas.

Thought for the Day;

A single conversation across the table with a wise man is worth a month’s study of books.

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MANILVA TODAY.

MANILVA TODAY.

MANILVA TODAY.

MANILVA THIS WEEKEND.

FRIDAY/SATURDAY/SUNDAY 9^th/10^th/11^th/ SEPTEMBER 2011.

We popped down to Sabinillas for the shopping on Friday morning; called into the bank and posted some cards at the English bookshop and as we came back to the house Anna called in, the weather is hot and sunny and the forecast for over the weekend and into next week is more of the same. Bar Rojas is closed for a week so we are taking things easy and just relaxing, taking in the sun and reading; I’ve been trying some new things on the PC and have installed a new programme to watch some sport, I’am now able to watch live ITVone so I should be able to catch some of the Rugby World cup, live as well as watching the video’s on the BBC IPlayer.We are also catching up with Saturday Morning Kitchen and the start of the new series of Strictly Come Dancing. In the evening for supper we had tail end of Salmon fillets pan fried in Lemon butter and garnished with some peeled cooked Gambas and assorted Green vegetables and New Potatoes.

On Saturday morning we made contact with Jack and Lyn over in Melbourne on the Skype video and caught up with all their news, Lyn is a lot better after her eye operations and Jack is back in form, they have arranged in March next year to go and see Jeff and Annette over in Kuala Lumpur and they are house sitting in the next few weeks her daughters farm while Deb and her husband, along we two other couples set off on a trek to the heart of Australia; they are traveling in large Four x Fours with extra fuel tanks, solar panels, Kangaroo headlights and metal tracks as they head up to the Simpson Desert ! We also spoke to Tim over in Colwyn Bay and caught up with all his news, he and Thea are going to Cyprus for two weeks as they celebrate their Silver wedding anniversary towards the end of the month; meanwhile Ben, their son, is this weekend in the Yorkshire Dales on his final Duke of Edinburgh Gold award trek, we wish him all the best and are very proud, in this day and age, of his achievements to get to this stage. For dinner we had Steak a la Plancha with sauté Mushrooms and chips before we watched a film on TV.

We had a little lie in on Sunday morning and then got a Sunday Roast on the go for the first time in nearly five months; Loin of Pork with Glazed Apple slices,Cauilflower and Broccoli Mornay,Cabbage with Alcelgas,Fresh Garden Peas with sliced Carrots along with New Potatoes and Duck Fat roasted together with a finger licking pan Gravy. Mano and Anna were able to join us as Mano has managed to get a week off work so we then caught up with all their news and the village gossip. The only slight technical problem was that the evening turned out to be a lot hotter than forecast and we ended up I the street trying to catch a bit of cool air! The picture below shows us just starting to eat our dinner.

Thought for the Day;

The first and great Commandment; Don’t let them scare you.

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MANILVA THIS SUNDAY.

VUELVA d ESPANA - UPDATE.

SATURDAY 10^th/ SEPTEMBER 2011.

Just a quick update on the ‘ Vuela a Espana; I have been following it on the PC via ITV4 or the web-page on Eurosport late at night. At the start of the week Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins were second and third after Juan Cobo of Spain climbed to victory on the final climb last Sunday up the fearsome Alto de Angliru, the 12.5m ascent with gradients up to 23.5% is the steepest stage on any of the grand tours and the riders end up at a walking pace, even the TV motorbikes struggle! Two stages later and Froome won after a thrilling hill climb beating Cobo by one second, the first Englishman to win a mountain stage in a grand tour since Robert Miller in 1984 ! Yesterday the stage entered the Basque region for the first time in over 30 years when it finished in Bilbao,the Spanish rider, and one time favourite to win the Vuela, Igor Anton, riding for the Basque team ‘ Euskatel ’ won and Bilbao went mad !Today’s stage is to the capital of the Basque region,Vitoria before the final stage on Sunday to Madrid, so it looks like the Red Jersey will stay on the back of Cobo. Yes he won !!

PS; England have just beaten Argentina in their first match of the World Cup in New Zealand at Dunedin; 13-9! Wilkinson missed five penalty kicks but the Argies also missed six ! England had to come from behind to scrape a nervy win.

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MALAGA AIRPORT TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

MOTORWAY OUTSIDE SAN PERO.

MANILVA START OF THE WEEK.

MONDAY/TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY 5^th/6^th/7^th/8^th/ SEPTEMBER 2011.

We were up bright and early on Monday morning to drop David and Jane off at the border to catch their flight back home from Gibraltar; it was delayed so they jumped into a taxi and took in the sights of Gibraltar as they had not been there before. We are missing you and are already looking forward to your next visit! When we got back we got ourselves sorted for the visit of the Marshall gang in the evening; Brian, Lilli, Pena, Harry and Andy joined us for supper, a Tapas Buffet to start, followed by Chicken Curry and Rice and desserts as we caught up with all their news from Pori.They are moving from Pena’s house into an apartment in the centre of Pori when they get back. Rock and Roll music along with Creadance Clearwater Revival helped the night go with bang! The pictures are below.

On Tuesday afternoon I picked the folks up from Andy’s and shot across to the airport in Malaga for the five hour flight to Helsinki; the picture of them at the airport is above. On the way back the hire car conked out in the San Pedro toll booth, they pushed me to the side of the motorway and I called the breakdown people – the problem was me ! I had stopped and put petrol in the tank, not diesel !! They came very quickly and dropped me at a service station above Estepona where a large white limousine was waiting to bring me back to Manilva!

All part of the service and no charge from the hire people in Marbella as I’ am a regular customer. The pictures above show the hire car with the Red Triangle out and I had the Yellow jacket on – it’s the law when you breakdown !

Wednesday and Thursday we have taken things easy at home.

Thought for the Day;

When you make a mistake, admit it, if you don’t, you will only make matters worse.

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GIBRALTAR MONDAY MORNING.

MANILVA MONDAY EVENING.

MANILVA MONDAY EVENING.

MANILVA MONDAY EVENING.

MANILVA VENDIMIA 2011.

SUNDAY 4^th/ SEPTEMBER 2011.

We all had a good lie on Sunday morning after our adventures on Saturday; for breakfast we had a full on Brunch to set us up for the day ahead, Eggs, Smoked crispy Bacon,Chorizo,Mushrooms,Tomatoes, Small Lamb Cutlets, Homemade Pork and Cumberland Sausages, Baked Beans and Sauté Potatoes with lots of toast, tea and coffee ! The village fills up very quickly and the band on the main stage outside the Town Hall at the top of our street starts at 2-00pm.On the other stage at the top of Calle Mar a different band plays when the other one is not, we secured a table in the shade opposite Bar Rojas which was our base for the day and started on two bottles of Barbadillo and a Rioja for David, I was on the ‘ Cuba Libre ’which I had in my large glass from home as all the drinks, by law, are served in plastic cups ! The atmosphere soon builds up as the crowds dance and sing along with the music, ‘ Volare ’ ( To Fly ) which is also known as ‘ Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu ’ ( In the Blue Painted Blue ) is our favourite which we sing very loud !! As the band plays they throw the Vendimia 2011 hats to the throngs as well as Manilva Fans, both of which are most prized! During the afternoon Lumy’s large Paella is served along with their own sliced ham and cheese, more wine and Bacardi kept appearing as the day went on! At about 5-00pm the parade of ‘ Andalusian ’ horses takes place along Calle Mar through the crowds, they are also known as the Pure Spanish Horse or PRE ( Pura Raza Espanola ) and it is a breed of horse developed on the Iberian Peninsula. This year there was over fifty in the parade as they go up and down Calle Mar dancing, prancing and high kicking as well as kneeling in front of the masses! The pictures below give you just a small snap-shot of the day, so far.

VENDIMIA 2011 GRAPE CRUSHING;

As the excitement builds up I slipped home to change into my traditional outfit; my ‘ Fajina Rojo ’ was spot on as Brenda tied and pinned around my waist; all the locals, the Mayor, Antonia and the councilors as well as friends said how good it looked ! The grapes are emptied onto the top of the press at 7-00pm and the two local ‘ Senor’s ’who have been chosen start the crushing and are then joined by the ‘ Star ’of the show to a very loud cheer and lots of clapping – the first English Pensioner Grape Crusher in the history of Manilva !! The pictures below speak for themselves.

Later we retired to our house for a Chicken curry supper as the music stops at 11-00pm by law on a Sunday, happily tomorrow is a local Bank Holiday so it gives you a chance to get back into the land of the living !

Thought for the Day;

Truth has no special time of It’s own, It’s hour is now – always.

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MANILVA SUNDAY AFTERNOON VENDIMIA 2011.

MANILVA SUNDAY AFTERNOON VENDIMIA 2011.

MANILVA SUNDAY AFTERNOON VENDIMIA 2011.

MANILVA SUNDAY AFTERNOON VENDIMIA 2011.

MANILVA SUNDAY AFTERNOON VENDIMIA 2011.

MANILVA SUNDAY AFTERNOON VENDIMIA 2011.

MANILVA SUNDAY AFTERNOON VENDIMIA 2011.

MANILVA SUNDAY EVENING.VENDIMIA 2011

MANILVA SUNDAY EVENING.VENDIMIA 2011

MANILVA SUNDAY EVENING.VENDIMIA 2011

MANILVA SUNDAY EVENING.VENDIMIA 2011

MANILVA SUNDAY EVENING.VENDIMIA 2011

MANILVA SUNDAY EVENING.VENDIMIA 2011

ESTEPONA AND PUERTO BANUS

SATURDAY 3^rd/ SEPTEMBER 2011.

After a lie in on Saturday morning we had a nice easy breakfast of sliced Melon, Necterines, local York Ham and Chorizo, Toast, Tea and Coffee with local Oranges freshly squeezed to start; David and Jane chose to go back to Estepona as they fell in love with it last time when we showed them around the old part of the town; on the way we called into the fishing port next to the marina which has the largest fishing fleet along the coast. With time on our hands we then shot along to Puerto Banus as they had not seen it; we took in the sights, boats, cars and restaurants on the front line as we sat and had our first bottle of FaustinoVII Rosado of the day! We then made our way back to Estepona for lunch; fish or meat was the decision to be made – we all chose meat – so we headed off to the oldest and original “ La Casa del Abuela Argentino ” More Cordiniu Cava Rose arrived as we ordered, Brenda had the ‘ Small ’Entrecote-Rare, which was in fact a huge cut of 20oz,which she then demolished ! Jane and I had the house special – ‘ Grandmother’s Plank Steak ’ Med Rare which comes on a special oval platter and David had the Argentino Gaucho Platter – Rare. They all come with the house sausage on the side along with a large tin-foil wrapped baked potato, frits for me, and a Garlic and Herb butter sauce !! We all cleared our plates and then made room for the freshly made Crêpe’s for dessert. The pictures below give you a short idea of the coast but not the ‘ Taste ’ of the finest Argentinean Steaks !

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PUERTO BANUS SATURDAY LUNCHTIME.

PUERTO BANUS SATURDAY LUNCHTIME.

PUERTO BANUS SATURDAY LUNCHTIME.

PUERTO BANUS SATURDAY LUNCHTIME.

ESTEPONA SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

ESTEPONA SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

MANILVA SATURDAY EVENING.VENDIMA

SATURDAY 3^rd/ SEPTEMBER 2011.

After a little siesta we had a bottle of Faustino Rosado before we made our way up to Bar Rojas for the ‘ Vendima ’ parade; we met Brian,Lilli and Carlos and I ran our Red carpet out along Calle Mar to take the pictures below ! After the church blessing and mass the Tableau of the Virgin makes it way up to the village led by the Town Band with Fernando in charge. The council with the Mayor, Antonia, follows the procession through the large crowds along with the ‘ Feria ’Queens carrying their offerings of the grapes for the crushing on Sunday; by now it is starting to get very busy as the two bands on the stages in front of the old and new Town Halls kick off until 4-ooam in the morning ! The pictures below show the procession in Calle Mar.We then danced the night away and crashed into our beds after a “ Helluva “ day down here on the Costa del Sol.

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MANILVA SATURDAY EVENING.VENDIMA