MANILVA THIS WEEK.

MONDAY/TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY 29^th/30^th/31^st/ AUGUST 2011.

On Monday we had an at home day getting ready for the weekend; the weather forecast is good for this week and hot and sunny over the ‘ Vendimia ’weekend ! In the evening we had Steak a la Plancha with salad and baked potato for supper.

First thing on Tuesday morning the car hire man,Roberto,from Marbella rang to ask if it was OK to bring the car a day early, for free ! So he delivered later in the morning, a Peugeot 308 as you can see in the picture below; this meant that I could take Brenda down to the hairdresser’s at lunchtime instead of her going on the bus to Sabinillas. We had a sandwich in the square, which is now very nice after the council smartened it up, before her appointment. I picked her up later and went to Estepona for some shopping as they re-opened at 5-30pm. I called into the old fashioned Barbers shop, he looks after you very well and I had two inches off ! We then had a drink in the center of the town, Brenda had been and picked her make-up at her regular shop and at the same time my birthday present ‘ Bleu de Chanel ’which she has given me now as the old after shave has finished. We then went looking for a ‘ Fajina Rojo ’for my Vendimia wine crushing outfit – a red cummerbund- No luck !! We are parking the car in the underground car park by the police/fire station and as we walked up past the new Wine Centre it was open, they have opened the Museum and I will do a picture blog later, it’s looking good. We stopped at Bar Rojas as we got back to the village for an evening drink before going back to the house for supper; Pork Cutlets, pan fried with Lemon butter with vegetables and mint-crushed Potatoes.

We were up bright and early on Wednesday morning as we had decided to go to the Estepona market; Ana joined us, she likes shopping,it was not too hot and there is shade under the stalls; I soon found a suitable Fajina but by then Brenda and her personal shopper, Ana, had found and hit the cloths stalls ! Brenda came back with four new tops, a pair of flat sandals and a pair of White trousers- all for 32 euros !! At a vegetable stall we got some Jumbo Asparagus and white baby new potatoes for over the weekend. We then headed into the center of Estepona and called at our bank to top up the cash and had coffee and doughnuts on the front, the sea at this time of the year is Emerald Green. On the way back we called into the supermarket in Sabinillas to get our weekend shopping in, I spotted the Argentinean Red Prawns and so picked the largest ones out. After unloading at the house I made contact with Brian in Finland, on the Skype Video, and made the arrangements to pick them up,today,from the bus station in Marbella in the early evening- Lilli’s dad and his best friend are also coming so Brenda won’t be able to come in the car to greet them !Meanwhile in the village the council have finished the Wine Press and are putting up the decorations. On Thursday morning I’ am making a large pan of Chicken Curry for over the weekend to keep us going as well as lots of other goodies and nibbles. Later in the afternoon we went down to our neighbour,Ana Mari’s, campo down in the valley below the village which is in the center of the wine groves for coffee and cake and their own med/sweet wine – we came back with a large box of freshly picked grapes ! Isobel had made an appointment, at 5-00pm, at the vets in Calle Mar and asked Brenda if she would take her for a shampoo and trim; the pictures below show them both after they had had their hair done ! In the evening for supper we had Braised Steak with new potatoes and vegetables- it was last weeks, from the freezer.

PS; Bradley Wiggins has just taken over the Red jersey in the Vuelta a Espana and leads from his team mate Chris Froome- two Englishmen at the front in the Tour of Spain !!

Thought for the Day;

Knowledge tells us that a Tomato is a fruit; wisdom prevents us from putting it into a fruit salad.

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