MONDAY/TUESDAY 30th/31st JANUARY 2012.
After a lie in and breakfast we went for a long walk around the village with Cheta; in the morning when we take the cover off Charlie’s cage for the next hour he doesn’t stop talking and making all the sounds that he has got to know, he is now barking like the dog, making all sorts of whistles and clicking noises, saying words like ‘Charlie is a good boy, Come on Charlie and his favourite Que Calor? ’ We are trying to get him to say Brenda and think that we are nearly there! Some of the words you can’t make out until you get used to them, last night we had to turn over to another film as the one that we were watching had a lot of swear words in it! At other times he goes quiet as he is watching the TV and when he is eating he has to concentrates as he balances on one leg and uses the other claw to hold what he is eating. We have just cleaned his cage and freshened up his feed and water. In the early evening we went around to Fabio’s 6th birthday party, it takes place in a very large garage under the grandparent’s home and is used by lots of families in the village for their parties; it gets rather loud and noisy as the kids are able to run wild and play on the slides etc.Carlos and Anna Mari looked after us very well,Gin and Bacardi did not stop flowing and Anna Mari’s mother ,Antonia, is the best cook in the village and her Tortilla,Carne Merchada and Russian salad are to die for. A great night was had by all and we even came home with a children’s party box full of sweets! The film that we had to turn off was called ‘ This is England ’from 2006,it was about a troubled 12 year old boy on his school holidays who is befriended by a bunch of Skinheads back in 1983 – based on the true experience of the director.
PS; Over in Old Colwyn it is Thea’s birthday, we called and just missed her but she did get the card – “ Happy Birthday ” Thea – have a “ Helluva ” day,love Malcolm and Brenda xx
This morning we took Cheta to the vets for her monthly shampoo and then shot down to Sabinillas to make an appointment to get Brenda a shampoo and cut also ! We called into the bank and did some other messages and picked up birthday cards from the English bookshop, when we got back to the village Cheta was ready. The weather is still blue skies and sunshine and the forecast through the weekend is more of the same but a little colder, there is a major cold front over the rest of Europe, Brian in Pori is down to minus 14/24 ! We can’t complain as we are not going below 15 degs, plus down here on the Coata Del Sol.!! At lunchtime Mano called in and arranged with our new phone/internet provider ‘ Jazztel ’to have a ‘BlackBerry ’phone with them, it costs nothing for the phone, to buy it would be 300 euros, you get free landline and mobile calls in Spain, free international calls and SMS for a certain number of hours per month and 24 hour internet, all for a very cheap monthly rental contract – our first Smartphone ! Standby for the test calls etc. !!
In the morning w are going over to Estepona to pick up some essential toiletries and at the same time I am going to my barbers to get an inch cut off, it is below my shoulders ! While we are in Estepona we are going to call into the Hypermarket to sign for our card to be updated so as we can take advantage of their 0ver 65 promotion, we will also check out the new camera’s just in case as they have the best offers. On the way back Brenda is going to her regular hairdresser in Sabinillas for her wash and cut. So we will all be looking smart by tomorrow night, no pictures at the moment but we are keeping our fingers crossed.
Lastly as you can see below it is the 150th anniversary of ‘ Bacardi ’ I have been drinking it for fifty of those years sine I was introduced to Bacardi and Coke in Bala,North Wales at the tender age of sixteen !
PS; Charlie has just said ' Where's Brenda ' !!
Thought for the Day;
As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point in the wrong direction.
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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.
SATURDAY/SUNDAY 28th/29th JANUARY 2012.
It was a little overcast to start on Saturday morning but picked up later; the rain that we were supposed to have came during the night and did not last for long. We went for a walk with dog after breakfast and then had an at home day to catch up with things around the house; Brenda managed to get some washing out to dry and I caught up with the WWW. We did find out what the main TV Channel ‘ La Sexta’ was doing in the village on Friday at lunchtime, the local opposition party had asked at the council meeting the day before about the miss-use of a council credit card for the purchase of petrol; two council employees, so far unnamed, have been suspended for the alleged allegation ! They interviewed the councilors from from the PP and PSOE parties as well as the Mayor and also some locals in Calle Mar. More to come ! I watched the match from Anfield,Liverpool played a lot better and won convincingly over Manchester Utd. 2-1 In the evening we had Steak and Chips for dinner and then watched the TV – all the football from the FA Cup 4th round was shown as well as the Spanish ‘ La Liga ’matches, Real Madrid won 3-1 but Barcelona could only manage a draw so our now 7 points behind Madrid – ‘ The Chosen One ’ had a smirk on his face at the interviews later !
On Sunday morning after our tea and toast it was so nice that we decided to go for a drive; Cheta loves going in a car, she stands on Brenda’s lap and puts her front legs on the dashboard and her little head goes from side to side taking in the views ! We ended up down in Puerto de la Duquesa and then walked around the marina and then along towards Castillo de la Duquesa; it was a glorious day as we took in the sights as you will see hopefully when I get to publish the pictures ,if the camera is fixed – fingers crossed ! We then came back up to the village and sat outside Bar Rojas in the warm sunshine for a Tapas lunch; Mano and Anna came along a little later and joined us for a drink and chat, as we took in the atmosphere sat under the Sonbajo there was a small sudden gust of wind, it brought down a shower of rain water from the new cover and it drenched Anna from head to foot ! It was very funny, even Anna saw the funny side later ! Lumy took her up to their apartment and she reappeared a little later after the hairdryer had dried her out !! In the evening we had Lamb Cutlets roasted on Boulangere potatoes that I hade made in the morning before we went out. We have also been asked to Fabio’s birthday party on Monday evening, he is six this year.
Thought for the Day;
Luck helps most when you don’t rely upon it too much.
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It was a little overcast to start on Saturday morning but picked up later; the rain that we were supposed to have came during the night and did not last for long. We went for a walk with dog after breakfast and then had an at home day to catch up with things around the house; Brenda managed to get some washing out to dry and I caught up with the WWW. We did find out what the main TV Channel ‘ La Sexta’ was doing in the village on Friday at lunchtime, the local opposition party had asked at the council meeting the day before about the miss-use of a council credit card for the purchase of petrol; two council employees, so far unnamed, have been suspended for the alleged allegation ! They interviewed the councilors from from the PP and PSOE parties as well as the Mayor and also some locals in Calle Mar. More to come ! I watched the match from Anfield,Liverpool played a lot better and won convincingly over Manchester Utd. 2-1 In the evening we had Steak and Chips for dinner and then watched the TV – all the football from the FA Cup 4th round was shown as well as the Spanish ‘ La Liga ’matches, Real Madrid won 3-1 but Barcelona could only manage a draw so our now 7 points behind Madrid – ‘ The Chosen One ’ had a smirk on his face at the interviews later !
On Sunday morning after our tea and toast it was so nice that we decided to go for a drive; Cheta loves going in a car, she stands on Brenda’s lap and puts her front legs on the dashboard and her little head goes from side to side taking in the views ! We ended up down in Puerto de la Duquesa and then walked around the marina and then along towards Castillo de la Duquesa; it was a glorious day as we took in the sights as you will see hopefully when I get to publish the pictures ,if the camera is fixed – fingers crossed ! We then came back up to the village and sat outside Bar Rojas in the warm sunshine for a Tapas lunch; Mano and Anna came along a little later and joined us for a drink and chat, as we took in the atmosphere sat under the Sonbajo there was a small sudden gust of wind, it brought down a shower of rain water from the new cover and it drenched Anna from head to foot ! It was very funny, even Anna saw the funny side later ! Lumy took her up to their apartment and she reappeared a little later after the hairdryer had dried her out !! In the evening we had Lamb Cutlets roasted on Boulangere potatoes that I hade made in the morning before we went out. We have also been asked to Fabio’s birthday party on Monday evening, he is six this year.
Thought for the Day;
Luck helps most when you don’t rely upon it too much.
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Sunday, January 29, 2012
MANILVA TODAY.NEWSFLASH.
Just a quick update; I have just dropped our precious camera as we were down in Puerto de la Duquesa this lunchtime so no pictures at the moment,watch this space as Nikita,our IT expert is trying to fix it !
Saturday, January 28, 2012
MANILVA/ CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA.
FRIDAY 27th JANUARY 2012.
The forecast for the weekend was not so good but as we got up on Friday morning the sun was out and it stayed out for the rest of the day; firstly we had a little emergency to attend to, Brenda had cracked another tooth so we got up early and shot around to our local Dentist in the next street, he saw her immediately and all was well and fixed within the hour – great service and not expensive! We then went for a walk with Cheta down to the local market for some fresh flowers and on the way back took the picture of the new ‘ Manilva ’sign above the water feature at the top of the village as you can see below. Charlie has settled in very well and is talking all the time, he has started to imitate the dogs bark and I’ am trying to get him to say ‘Brenda ’! He loves fresh fruit so Brenda is giving him Orange, Apple, and Banana diced small and also he loves raw Carrot, the Sunflower seeds and Monkey nuts go down well all the time and Brenda is now feeding him peeled Grapes – he adores them!! We then got ourselves smartened up as we were out for lunch; yesterdays visit to the castle was so as we could get some tickets to the council presentation today down in Castillo de la Duquesa at the Bar Lo De Carmona. It was to show and introduce the Winter-Spring activities.
CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA;
As we set off in the car we passed the bus stop were we wait for lifts or the bus and our friend Gillian was standing there with her friend Luz and so we offered them a lift down, it turned out that they were going to the same function ! We stopped on the way to pick up the papers and then dropped down into Castillo de la Duquesa past the new Mural; they had a very good turnout, over two hundred people from the Manilva area which covers a large part of the coast and many large urbanization’s as you can see in the picture above. The Manilva Foreign Residents Delegation led by Councillor Diego Urieta have arranged a series of activities during the next six months; the Mayor Antonia Munoz welcomed all the guests and then Diego introduced the programme which was then translated into English by Beli; the ticket also gave us a free drink and a Tapas ! So in conjunction with the Cultural Department and the Festival Department there is a lot going on as usual. Some of the things that have been arranged are; Wine Tastings at the new Wine Centre, A Mediterranean Cooking Course, Dinners and Shows, a visit to Jerez for a sherry tasting and a six day visit to Madrid. Lectures about income tax etc,Artist’s Exhibitions, Charity Events, a Zoo Visit and finally a trip to Seville to see the Opera ‘ Madam Butterfly ’The pictures below give you a little idea of the day with the main participants ! A great time was had by all and thanks to the Mayor, Diego, Beli and all the councilors and members of the department for making us so welcome.
Thought for the Day;
It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.
PS; While I have been typing this Liverpool have just beaten Manchester Utd. 2-1 in the 4th round of the FA Cup !!
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The forecast for the weekend was not so good but as we got up on Friday morning the sun was out and it stayed out for the rest of the day; firstly we had a little emergency to attend to, Brenda had cracked another tooth so we got up early and shot around to our local Dentist in the next street, he saw her immediately and all was well and fixed within the hour – great service and not expensive! We then went for a walk with Cheta down to the local market for some fresh flowers and on the way back took the picture of the new ‘ Manilva ’sign above the water feature at the top of the village as you can see below. Charlie has settled in very well and is talking all the time, he has started to imitate the dogs bark and I’ am trying to get him to say ‘Brenda ’! He loves fresh fruit so Brenda is giving him Orange, Apple, and Banana diced small and also he loves raw Carrot, the Sunflower seeds and Monkey nuts go down well all the time and Brenda is now feeding him peeled Grapes – he adores them!! We then got ourselves smartened up as we were out for lunch; yesterdays visit to the castle was so as we could get some tickets to the council presentation today down in Castillo de la Duquesa at the Bar Lo De Carmona. It was to show and introduce the Winter-Spring activities.
CASTILLO DE LA DUQUESA;
As we set off in the car we passed the bus stop were we wait for lifts or the bus and our friend Gillian was standing there with her friend Luz and so we offered them a lift down, it turned out that they were going to the same function ! We stopped on the way to pick up the papers and then dropped down into Castillo de la Duquesa past the new Mural; they had a very good turnout, over two hundred people from the Manilva area which covers a large part of the coast and many large urbanization’s as you can see in the picture above. The Manilva Foreign Residents Delegation led by Councillor Diego Urieta have arranged a series of activities during the next six months; the Mayor Antonia Munoz welcomed all the guests and then Diego introduced the programme which was then translated into English by Beli; the ticket also gave us a free drink and a Tapas ! So in conjunction with the Cultural Department and the Festival Department there is a lot going on as usual. Some of the things that have been arranged are; Wine Tastings at the new Wine Centre, A Mediterranean Cooking Course, Dinners and Shows, a visit to Jerez for a sherry tasting and a six day visit to Madrid. Lectures about income tax etc,Artist’s Exhibitions, Charity Events, a Zoo Visit and finally a trip to Seville to see the Opera ‘ Madam Butterfly ’The pictures below give you a little idea of the day with the main participants ! A great time was had by all and thanks to the Mayor, Diego, Beli and all the councilors and members of the department for making us so welcome.
Thought for the Day;
It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.
PS; While I have been typing this Liverpool have just beaten Manchester Utd. 2-1 in the 4th round of the FA Cup !!
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Friday, January 27, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
MANILVA THIS WEEK.
MONDAY/THURSDAY 23rd/ 26th JANUARY 2012.
The forecast for the week is good but at the weekend there is bit of the wet stuff on the way, the first in the last four months; after our tea and toast, Brenda has Manilva Honey and I have Diet Strawberry Jam on mine, we went for a walk around the village with Cheta who has now fully recovered and is back to her normal boisterous self on Monday morning. Anna called in to catch up with all the news and gossip and later we spoke to Tim over in Old Colwyn to find out how he was after the run; he and his friends have raised over £ 2000 pounds for a hospice in North Wales but he has now hung up his running shoes, if fact he is going to loose them! So no marathons in London or New York!! Tim’s eldest daughter, Stacey, came up from London with her partner and their daughter Ollie for the race.
In the evening we had cold Chicken for dinner and then watched “ Die Hard 11 with Bruce Willis – he won as usual !
After our usual walk on Tuesday morning, we go different ways around and through the village, we called into the butchers and picked up some diced Beef for a pie but neither butchers had any Kidneys so it is going to be a Beef and Mushroom Pie. Brenda then had a cleaning and washing day so I retired to the office and watched on the BBCIPlayer ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen and Something for the Weekend ’For dinner we had Pork Cutlets with our favourite Lyonnaise Potatoes and then watched some Spanish topical news on the TV.
Wednesday was another beautiful day as we walked around to the surgery; Brenda has now got two appointments at the Costa del Sol Hospital over in Marbella in February to get the results of her scans on her legs and check on her ointments and I updated our doctor on my checkup on the Prostrate and arranged for the tests and X-Rays in six months time, at the same time the nurse dressed a nasty cut on my leg which I got a few weeks ago on the car door – so we are both fine and will live to fight another day ! When we went for our walk later is was hot as we sat down on the Mirador on our ‘ Derby and Joan ’ seat. I had made the Beef and Mushroom Pie filling before we went to the surgery and finished cooking it when we came back to the house, I put the Puff Pastry top on just before it goes in the oven and brush it with egg wash,twice,before it goes in the oven – the baking smell of the pastry is divine ! We sat down to it with Cabbage and Carrots and Chips, even if I do say so – it was scrummy ! I had tweaked the recipe and added more herbs so it tasted divine !!
After dinner it was time for football; over in England Liverpool v Manchester City was the main match in the second leg of the ‘ Carling Cup Semi Final ’The score was 2-2 on the night but Liverpool won 3-2 on aggregate, Belamany hit a cracking goal for Liverpool and Jo Hart the City goalkeeper kept them in the game with some spectacular saves, Liverpool will play Cardiff in the final at Wembley.Here in Spain it was another ‘ Classico ’ between Barcelona and Real Madrid in the second leg of the quarter finals of the ‘ Cope del Rey ’Barcelona scored two quick goals at the start of the second half but Real Madrid came back late and scored two in reply !As usual the match was full of incidents but it meant that Barcelona won 4-3 on aggregate to go through to the next round. I ended up at Bar Rojas leading the ‘ Barca ’supporters and giving Manolo the Red Card !
The late film on the classic channel was ‘ Where Eagles Dare ’ from 1968 with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood in the main parts – still good after all the years.
Today, Thursday, we were up early as we were taking Andy and Maria to the airport in Gibraltar; they dropped Charlie off in his cage on his stand and he has soon settled in, he is whistling and starting to talk already as you can see in the picture below; as we have Andy’s car for a week we called into Castillo de la Duquesa to pick up tickets for a council bash tomorrow lunchtime ( Free drink and a Tapas ) and so took some pictures of the castle and the village of the same name. The council has been doing some finishing work on the plaza and around the village with the colorful mosaics and the Roman Museum and the Fencing Exhibition is also looking good in the pictures below. The Fortress dates back to 8th century BC and the Roman site next to it go back to the 1st/5th centuries AD. The castle was built in 1767 under the reign of Charles 111 of Spain. The court yard of the castle is now used for amongst other thing wedding receptions, in fact Mano and Anna’s daughter Sally was the first bride to get married there a few years ago when Mano had the idea that it would make a rather special setting ! We stopped at the port of Duquesa and called into the English butchers were we found some Kidneys for the next time and also Calves Liver for another day. When we got back to the village we found television crews from the main TV channels in Calle Mar, they had been interviewing locals and had been in the Town Hall – we don’t know what it is about so watch this space – that’s what happens when we go out !
PS; Charlie is a bit of a character,he likes Monkey Nuts and Fruit ( Diced Apple ) Sunflower Seeds and Diced Carrots - so he is a fruit and nutcase !!
Thought for the Day;
Happiness is a gentle steering of the soul.
..
.
The forecast for the week is good but at the weekend there is bit of the wet stuff on the way, the first in the last four months; after our tea and toast, Brenda has Manilva Honey and I have Diet Strawberry Jam on mine, we went for a walk around the village with Cheta who has now fully recovered and is back to her normal boisterous self on Monday morning. Anna called in to catch up with all the news and gossip and later we spoke to Tim over in Old Colwyn to find out how he was after the run; he and his friends have raised over £ 2000 pounds for a hospice in North Wales but he has now hung up his running shoes, if fact he is going to loose them! So no marathons in London or New York!! Tim’s eldest daughter, Stacey, came up from London with her partner and their daughter Ollie for the race.
In the evening we had cold Chicken for dinner and then watched “ Die Hard 11 with Bruce Willis – he won as usual !
After our usual walk on Tuesday morning, we go different ways around and through the village, we called into the butchers and picked up some diced Beef for a pie but neither butchers had any Kidneys so it is going to be a Beef and Mushroom Pie. Brenda then had a cleaning and washing day so I retired to the office and watched on the BBCIPlayer ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen and Something for the Weekend ’For dinner we had Pork Cutlets with our favourite Lyonnaise Potatoes and then watched some Spanish topical news on the TV.
Wednesday was another beautiful day as we walked around to the surgery; Brenda has now got two appointments at the Costa del Sol Hospital over in Marbella in February to get the results of her scans on her legs and check on her ointments and I updated our doctor on my checkup on the Prostrate and arranged for the tests and X-Rays in six months time, at the same time the nurse dressed a nasty cut on my leg which I got a few weeks ago on the car door – so we are both fine and will live to fight another day ! When we went for our walk later is was hot as we sat down on the Mirador on our ‘ Derby and Joan ’ seat. I had made the Beef and Mushroom Pie filling before we went to the surgery and finished cooking it when we came back to the house, I put the Puff Pastry top on just before it goes in the oven and brush it with egg wash,twice,before it goes in the oven – the baking smell of the pastry is divine ! We sat down to it with Cabbage and Carrots and Chips, even if I do say so – it was scrummy ! I had tweaked the recipe and added more herbs so it tasted divine !!
After dinner it was time for football; over in England Liverpool v Manchester City was the main match in the second leg of the ‘ Carling Cup Semi Final ’The score was 2-2 on the night but Liverpool won 3-2 on aggregate, Belamany hit a cracking goal for Liverpool and Jo Hart the City goalkeeper kept them in the game with some spectacular saves, Liverpool will play Cardiff in the final at Wembley.Here in Spain it was another ‘ Classico ’ between Barcelona and Real Madrid in the second leg of the quarter finals of the ‘ Cope del Rey ’Barcelona scored two quick goals at the start of the second half but Real Madrid came back late and scored two in reply !As usual the match was full of incidents but it meant that Barcelona won 4-3 on aggregate to go through to the next round. I ended up at Bar Rojas leading the ‘ Barca ’supporters and giving Manolo the Red Card !
The late film on the classic channel was ‘ Where Eagles Dare ’ from 1968 with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood in the main parts – still good after all the years.
Today, Thursday, we were up early as we were taking Andy and Maria to the airport in Gibraltar; they dropped Charlie off in his cage on his stand and he has soon settled in, he is whistling and starting to talk already as you can see in the picture below; as we have Andy’s car for a week we called into Castillo de la Duquesa to pick up tickets for a council bash tomorrow lunchtime ( Free drink and a Tapas ) and so took some pictures of the castle and the village of the same name. The council has been doing some finishing work on the plaza and around the village with the colorful mosaics and the Roman Museum and the Fencing Exhibition is also looking good in the pictures below. The Fortress dates back to 8th century BC and the Roman site next to it go back to the 1st/5th centuries AD. The castle was built in 1767 under the reign of Charles 111 of Spain. The court yard of the castle is now used for amongst other thing wedding receptions, in fact Mano and Anna’s daughter Sally was the first bride to get married there a few years ago when Mano had the idea that it would make a rather special setting ! We stopped at the port of Duquesa and called into the English butchers were we found some Kidneys for the next time and also Calves Liver for another day. When we got back to the village we found television crews from the main TV channels in Calle Mar, they had been interviewing locals and had been in the Town Hall – we don’t know what it is about so watch this space – that’s what happens when we go out !
PS; Charlie is a bit of a character,he likes Monkey Nuts and Fruit ( Diced Apple ) Sunflower Seeds and Diced Carrots - so he is a fruit and nutcase !!
Thought for the Day;
Happiness is a gentle steering of the soul.
..
.
MANILVA THIS WEEK.PICTURE BLOG.
THURSDAY 26th JANUARY 2012.
The pictures above have been taken over the last few days in sunny Manilva and I will talk about them in the Blog to follow;
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The pictures above have been taken over the last few days in sunny Manilva and I will talk about them in the Blog to follow;
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Monday, January 23, 2012
MANILVA THIS WEEKEND.
FRIDAY /SATURDAY/SUNDAY 20th/21st/22nd JANUARY 2012.
The forecast for the weekend and into next week is sun and that is exactly what we have had; as the day goes on and by late morning it is hot as we are out walking the dog. On Friday morning we went down to Sabinillas to do the shopping, Carlos’s wife Ana Mari gave us a lift down so we went to both supermarkets, the bank and the English Bookshop, when we got back we then walked down to the local market for some fresh flowers and also called into the surgery to arrange an appointment for both of us for a check up and update on our hospital visits next week.Mano and Anna called in over lunchtime for a gossip and so we arranged for them to come for Sunday roast dinner as Andy was also joining us after he had completed some work on the PCs over the weekend. He has been clearing up the memory and history on both PCs and sorting out some ongoing problems as well as showing me some short cuts and updating pages; all this has made them both a lot faster after the change to our new more powerful Jazztel system on Thursday. Andy also introduced us to ‘ Hub Pages ’ an online topical blog site which you can write and post articles on and eventually earn some money by the advertising that you show in relation to your blog – so I’ am now a fully signed up ‘ Hubber ’!! Over in North Wales Tim was running in the ‘ Two Piers ’charity race, he finished in 1 hour and 13 minutes and he and his five other ‘ Muskateers ’have made over £ 2,000 ! The picture above shows them in Tim’s front garden before they set off,from the left Wes,Stacey,Tims elder daughter,Tim,Tony Baby,Cameron and finally Patrick.
I forgot to mention the football during the week here in Spain; it was the first leg of the Copa de Rey quarter final between Real Madrid and Barcelona, Barcelona won 2-1 after going a goal down early on in the match and the second leg is next week up at the Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona which is the largest football stadium in Europe – 96,366.I watched the game at home but was running up and down the street to Bar Rojas with my whistle and yellow and red cards as I had a bet with Manolo,2-0 for ‘ Barca ’ A large Bacardi and Coke !
The late film was “ Patriot Games ” 1992 with Harrison Ford and Sean Bean as the ‘ Baddie ’ based on the Tom Clancy book.
On Saturday morning after breakfast we went for a good walk with Cheta; she is getting back to her old self day by day and we ended up back at Bar Rojas where we had a light Tapas lunch sat outside in the warm sunshine, two sorts of ‘ Albondigas ’ and Lumy’s ‘ Carne de Tomate ’! The pictures above show the football down at the ground and also an update on the work on the new retaining wall. When we came back we made a Trifle for Sunday dinner; I used Manzanilla Sherry from Sanlucar de Barrameda where Mano was born, the sponge was ‘ Pandoro Verona ’ which come from an old 1894 recipe, Strawberry Jam,Peaches,Pineapple and Strawberries and Brenda made the Strawberry jelly and custard ! We topped it off with the whipped cream on Sunday evening and shavings of Mars Bar ! Sadly I didn’t’ take a picture as it went very quickly !!
In the afternoon Andy came around after a sleep as he had worked on Friday night at the Manilva Green Aparthotel, as night manager, to do some more work on the PCs and stayed for supper before he went into work again – it was Steak and Chips with all the trimmings. We then watched another classic film from 1990, “ The Griffters ”with John Cusak,Anjelica Huston and Annette Bening in the main parts, one to watch with two surprise s at the end !!
Yesterday,Sunday,was another glorious day in Sunny Manilva; in the morning we got the Roast Chicken on the go with Sage and Onion Stuffing and Pan Gravy, Brenda’s vegetables were, Cauliflower and Broccoli Florets in Cheese sauce, Glazed Carrotts,Cabbage with Alselgas, Sliced Green Beans and Garden Peas and Baby New Potatoes and I did the Roast Potatoes. After lunch I watched the match between Tottenham and Manchester City – City won 3-2 after a last minute of injury time penalty ! Here in Spain both Barcelona and Real Madrid won 4-1 including a Messi hat-trick !
Mano and Anna came around in the evening and joined us along with Andy for a “ Helluva ” Sunday dinner, Andy has been able to spend the time here on the PCs in between work as his new lady Maria is away in Seville with her family for the week. After dinner we all sat down and relaxed to let the food go down and on a Spanish Documentary Channel I programme had just started; it turned out to be a classic BBC show about Ewan McGregor’s and Charley Boorman’s motorcycle journey around the world from London to New York over 22,345 miles “ Long Way Round ”from 2004. It was the complete show not in episodes and was on for a “ Helluva ” time ! Eventually Mano and Anna went home, Brenda went to bed, Andy went to sleep and then went home and I stayed up to the end ! The best bits where in Outer Mongolia and Russia; in Mongolia they had to eat a soup,/broth made from Lambs, Goats and any other testicles that the herdsmen could find !! In Russia, in Siberia, they hit the notorious and very dangerous ‘ Road of Bones ’which was made by the political prisoners in the Gulags back in the1930s when Stalin was in power, as they died or were shot their bodies were buried into the road ! The picture above shows then at work.
Thought for the Day;
And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that counts, it’s the life in your years.
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The forecast for the weekend and into next week is sun and that is exactly what we have had; as the day goes on and by late morning it is hot as we are out walking the dog. On Friday morning we went down to Sabinillas to do the shopping, Carlos’s wife Ana Mari gave us a lift down so we went to both supermarkets, the bank and the English Bookshop, when we got back we then walked down to the local market for some fresh flowers and also called into the surgery to arrange an appointment for both of us for a check up and update on our hospital visits next week.Mano and Anna called in over lunchtime for a gossip and so we arranged for them to come for Sunday roast dinner as Andy was also joining us after he had completed some work on the PCs over the weekend. He has been clearing up the memory and history on both PCs and sorting out some ongoing problems as well as showing me some short cuts and updating pages; all this has made them both a lot faster after the change to our new more powerful Jazztel system on Thursday. Andy also introduced us to ‘ Hub Pages ’ an online topical blog site which you can write and post articles on and eventually earn some money by the advertising that you show in relation to your blog – so I’ am now a fully signed up ‘ Hubber ’!! Over in North Wales Tim was running in the ‘ Two Piers ’charity race, he finished in 1 hour and 13 minutes and he and his five other ‘ Muskateers ’have made over £ 2,000 ! The picture above shows them in Tim’s front garden before they set off,from the left Wes,Stacey,Tims elder daughter,Tim,Tony Baby,Cameron and finally Patrick.
I forgot to mention the football during the week here in Spain; it was the first leg of the Copa de Rey quarter final between Real Madrid and Barcelona, Barcelona won 2-1 after going a goal down early on in the match and the second leg is next week up at the Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona which is the largest football stadium in Europe – 96,366.I watched the game at home but was running up and down the street to Bar Rojas with my whistle and yellow and red cards as I had a bet with Manolo,2-0 for ‘ Barca ’ A large Bacardi and Coke !
The late film was “ Patriot Games ” 1992 with Harrison Ford and Sean Bean as the ‘ Baddie ’ based on the Tom Clancy book.
On Saturday morning after breakfast we went for a good walk with Cheta; she is getting back to her old self day by day and we ended up back at Bar Rojas where we had a light Tapas lunch sat outside in the warm sunshine, two sorts of ‘ Albondigas ’ and Lumy’s ‘ Carne de Tomate ’! The pictures above show the football down at the ground and also an update on the work on the new retaining wall. When we came back we made a Trifle for Sunday dinner; I used Manzanilla Sherry from Sanlucar de Barrameda where Mano was born, the sponge was ‘ Pandoro Verona ’ which come from an old 1894 recipe, Strawberry Jam,Peaches,Pineapple and Strawberries and Brenda made the Strawberry jelly and custard ! We topped it off with the whipped cream on Sunday evening and shavings of Mars Bar ! Sadly I didn’t’ take a picture as it went very quickly !!
In the afternoon Andy came around after a sleep as he had worked on Friday night at the Manilva Green Aparthotel, as night manager, to do some more work on the PCs and stayed for supper before he went into work again – it was Steak and Chips with all the trimmings. We then watched another classic film from 1990, “ The Griffters ”with John Cusak,Anjelica Huston and Annette Bening in the main parts, one to watch with two surprise s at the end !!
Yesterday,Sunday,was another glorious day in Sunny Manilva; in the morning we got the Roast Chicken on the go with Sage and Onion Stuffing and Pan Gravy, Brenda’s vegetables were, Cauliflower and Broccoli Florets in Cheese sauce, Glazed Carrotts,Cabbage with Alselgas, Sliced Green Beans and Garden Peas and Baby New Potatoes and I did the Roast Potatoes. After lunch I watched the match between Tottenham and Manchester City – City won 3-2 after a last minute of injury time penalty ! Here in Spain both Barcelona and Real Madrid won 4-1 including a Messi hat-trick !
Mano and Anna came around in the evening and joined us along with Andy for a “ Helluva ” Sunday dinner, Andy has been able to spend the time here on the PCs in between work as his new lady Maria is away in Seville with her family for the week. After dinner we all sat down and relaxed to let the food go down and on a Spanish Documentary Channel I programme had just started; it turned out to be a classic BBC show about Ewan McGregor’s and Charley Boorman’s motorcycle journey around the world from London to New York over 22,345 miles “ Long Way Round ”from 2004. It was the complete show not in episodes and was on for a “ Helluva ” time ! Eventually Mano and Anna went home, Brenda went to bed, Andy went to sleep and then went home and I stayed up to the end ! The best bits where in Outer Mongolia and Russia; in Mongolia they had to eat a soup,/broth made from Lambs, Goats and any other testicles that the herdsmen could find !! In Russia, in Siberia, they hit the notorious and very dangerous ‘ Road of Bones ’which was made by the political prisoners in the Gulags back in the1930s when Stalin was in power, as they died or were shot their bodies were buried into the road ! The picture above shows then at work.
Thought for the Day;
And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that counts, it’s the life in your years.
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Thursday, January 19, 2012
MANILVA THIS WEEK.
MONDAY/TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY 16th/17th/18th/19th JANUARY 2012.
The forecast for the week and over the weekend is blue skies and sun; Monday started just like this, it is still a little sharp but in the sun it is warm and when there is no breeze it is hot! We went for a walk with Cheta and then when we came back it was a Brenda catch up day with the washing the top priority, I retired to the office and caught up with WWW. I read the newspapers on line, the ‘Mail ’is the best and the quickest at updating the news as it happens, then I check out a Spanish newspaper ‘ El Pais ’- ‘ The Country ’which has a very good English translation and means that I can confirm what we have seen on the news the day before ! I then go to the BBC News and catch up with what is happening in the world, the sports page is excellent and also the current market movements with the Euro! I also have ITN,Channel 4,Sky and CNN to check out the video’s of the day as well as the excellent ‘ Al Jazeera ’station which broadcasts in English from the gulf and does very good in depth reports on the middle and far east. I also have on-line the Liverpool Echo and Daily Post and the North Wales Weekly News as well as a very good blog-page based in Llandudno! Then I watch at different times of the day on the BBCIPlayer the programmes that we follow; ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen ’ ‘ Something for the Weekend ’’ Sicily Unpacked ’ and ‘ New Tricks ’ and other shows as I spot them, Brenda meanwhile catches things as she is passing through the office or when I call her !At the moment I’ am learning with the help of our friend Andy how to download films and lots of other stuff to the Hard Drive and then transfer it to the Memory stick which we then can watch on the new TV downstairs, at our pleasure ! Watch this space.
On Tuesday after our trip to the vets with Cheta we took her for a walk in the afternoon for a change and I took the pictures below of the ‘ Plaza Pozo Del Rey ’ – the ‘ Kings Well ’square before the development starts in the next few weeks; basically then are going to make it bigger and better ! The work on the new Social Services Office is starting to show results and will be open soon, they are also at the moment working again on the new square next to the Wine Centre building the retaining walls, they must have found some money in the ‘ Coffers ’ Each time we are out more of the new Tourist Information Signs are appearing, the latest is just around the corner in the next street from ours and gives you the story of the ‘ Torres House ’ When we came back Brenda took Cheta home to help give her the tablets, she is a clever little madam and does everything possible not to take them and it took three of them to get them down ! In the evening we had Pork Cutlets with Lyonnaise Potatoes the for dinner and then watched on TVE1 regular programme about Spanish people living and working abroad; it is in a different county and city each week and this weeks was from Liverpool ! Lots of memories came back as they showed the new Cavern, the Pier Head, Saint Georges Hall, the oldest pub in the city-the ‘ Poste House ’ and the grandest pub in the country the ‘ Philharmonic Dining Rooms ’ which was built in 1898 is known as ‘ The Phil ’It is a Grade 2 listed building and they even showed the famous gents urinals which feature the stalls which are constructed of a particular attractive Roseate Marble; it is said that to be a true ‘Scouse Lady ’you have to go into them to take in the sights and smells ! Brenda did the last time we were there !! The pictures are above of the Phil but sadly not the urinals ! Later the programme went to Anfield,sorry Brian no Goodison ! and then Sefton Park and the ‘ Palm House ’before it ended up in ‘ Port Sunlight ’ at the ‘ Bridge Inn ’ ‘ Christ Church ’ and the ‘ Lady Lever Art Gallery ’ More pictures above with lots of memories, mostly happy with some sad !
We were up bright and early on Wednesday morning and after tea and toast and a freshen up, our new giant super shower is brilliant, we set off to the Hospital on the far side of Marbella; Andy very kindly picked us up and drove over along the coast road on a warm sunny day. The appointment with the consultant to check and update my Prostate went very well, he said that everything looks fine for a man of my age ! I have to go back in six months for a further check up with more blood and urine tests and an x-ray of the Kidney just to be sure. When we got home Brian called us on the Skype video and we caught up with all the news and gossip here and in Pori over Christmas. In the evening Andy joined us for supper, we had pulled out the Turkey Curry and we topped it up with some fresh Pineapple and Mushrooms and had it with Basmati Rice and Chips. Next week Andy is going over to England for a week with the new lady in his life Maria to see his mom in Derby but first they have to go down to Brighton to a funeral of a good friend so we are taking them to the new airport in Gibraltar in his car and picking them up when they return to Malaga airport the following week, we are also looking after his other ‘ Bird ’ – Charlie – the African Grey Parrot ! Watch this space for the pictures !!
Today is yet another glorious day in sunny Manilva; Brenda has just taken Cheta to the vets for a check as she is not eating or drinking very much and it is proving very differcult to give her the tablets, we will go for a walk with her later and hopefully she will start to get better although she is still her normal lively self but is not quite back to normal yet. The vet has just said to let her eat and drink as she will soon get her appetite back and if she has no sickness and to stop the tablets but she is still not very well.
Over in Old Colwyn our very dear friend Tim has been training since Xmas as he is running in a charity 10kms. road race between the two piers from Llandudno to Colwyn Bay tomorrow; it is flat all the way as they run along the promenade and front to Colwyn Bay with only one problem in the way – the Little Orme ! Come on Tim we know that you can do it, next it will be the London Marathon before you know it and then New York !! This afternoon Andy came around to do some work on the PCs; just as he started the internet went off,it was our new provider taking over the system so he was on hand to change the boxes and register the system on line, all working great and a lot more faster !Tonight we are having Flattened Chicken Breast pan fried in foaming Lemon Butter with Baby New Potatoes so Andy stayed and joined us for dinner,again !! and after we will watch the Spanish soap that we follow.
PS; While I have been posting the pictures we had a nice surprise Skype Video call from Jeff and Annette over in Kuala Lumpur from their new condo; they have the latest TV with Skype and so they had us on full screen in the lounge and gave us the tour of the apartment including the view of the " Petronas Towers" They have just come back from Christmas with their daughter Kate over in Edmonton Canada !
Thought for the Day;
It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. For Tim !
..
.
The forecast for the week and over the weekend is blue skies and sun; Monday started just like this, it is still a little sharp but in the sun it is warm and when there is no breeze it is hot! We went for a walk with Cheta and then when we came back it was a Brenda catch up day with the washing the top priority, I retired to the office and caught up with WWW. I read the newspapers on line, the ‘Mail ’is the best and the quickest at updating the news as it happens, then I check out a Spanish newspaper ‘ El Pais ’- ‘ The Country ’which has a very good English translation and means that I can confirm what we have seen on the news the day before ! I then go to the BBC News and catch up with what is happening in the world, the sports page is excellent and also the current market movements with the Euro! I also have ITN,Channel 4,Sky and CNN to check out the video’s of the day as well as the excellent ‘ Al Jazeera ’station which broadcasts in English from the gulf and does very good in depth reports on the middle and far east. I also have on-line the Liverpool Echo and Daily Post and the North Wales Weekly News as well as a very good blog-page based in Llandudno! Then I watch at different times of the day on the BBCIPlayer the programmes that we follow; ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen ’ ‘ Something for the Weekend ’’ Sicily Unpacked ’ and ‘ New Tricks ’ and other shows as I spot them, Brenda meanwhile catches things as she is passing through the office or when I call her !At the moment I’ am learning with the help of our friend Andy how to download films and lots of other stuff to the Hard Drive and then transfer it to the Memory stick which we then can watch on the new TV downstairs, at our pleasure ! Watch this space.
On Tuesday after our trip to the vets with Cheta we took her for a walk in the afternoon for a change and I took the pictures below of the ‘ Plaza Pozo Del Rey ’ – the ‘ Kings Well ’square before the development starts in the next few weeks; basically then are going to make it bigger and better ! The work on the new Social Services Office is starting to show results and will be open soon, they are also at the moment working again on the new square next to the Wine Centre building the retaining walls, they must have found some money in the ‘ Coffers ’ Each time we are out more of the new Tourist Information Signs are appearing, the latest is just around the corner in the next street from ours and gives you the story of the ‘ Torres House ’ When we came back Brenda took Cheta home to help give her the tablets, she is a clever little madam and does everything possible not to take them and it took three of them to get them down ! In the evening we had Pork Cutlets with Lyonnaise Potatoes the for dinner and then watched on TVE1 regular programme about Spanish people living and working abroad; it is in a different county and city each week and this weeks was from Liverpool ! Lots of memories came back as they showed the new Cavern, the Pier Head, Saint Georges Hall, the oldest pub in the city-the ‘ Poste House ’ and the grandest pub in the country the ‘ Philharmonic Dining Rooms ’ which was built in 1898 is known as ‘ The Phil ’It is a Grade 2 listed building and they even showed the famous gents urinals which feature the stalls which are constructed of a particular attractive Roseate Marble; it is said that to be a true ‘Scouse Lady ’you have to go into them to take in the sights and smells ! Brenda did the last time we were there !! The pictures are above of the Phil but sadly not the urinals ! Later the programme went to Anfield,sorry Brian no Goodison ! and then Sefton Park and the ‘ Palm House ’before it ended up in ‘ Port Sunlight ’ at the ‘ Bridge Inn ’ ‘ Christ Church ’ and the ‘ Lady Lever Art Gallery ’ More pictures above with lots of memories, mostly happy with some sad !
We were up bright and early on Wednesday morning and after tea and toast and a freshen up, our new giant super shower is brilliant, we set off to the Hospital on the far side of Marbella; Andy very kindly picked us up and drove over along the coast road on a warm sunny day. The appointment with the consultant to check and update my Prostate went very well, he said that everything looks fine for a man of my age ! I have to go back in six months for a further check up with more blood and urine tests and an x-ray of the Kidney just to be sure. When we got home Brian called us on the Skype video and we caught up with all the news and gossip here and in Pori over Christmas. In the evening Andy joined us for supper, we had pulled out the Turkey Curry and we topped it up with some fresh Pineapple and Mushrooms and had it with Basmati Rice and Chips. Next week Andy is going over to England for a week with the new lady in his life Maria to see his mom in Derby but first they have to go down to Brighton to a funeral of a good friend so we are taking them to the new airport in Gibraltar in his car and picking them up when they return to Malaga airport the following week, we are also looking after his other ‘ Bird ’ – Charlie – the African Grey Parrot ! Watch this space for the pictures !!
Today is yet another glorious day in sunny Manilva; Brenda has just taken Cheta to the vets for a check as she is not eating or drinking very much and it is proving very differcult to give her the tablets, we will go for a walk with her later and hopefully she will start to get better although she is still her normal lively self but is not quite back to normal yet. The vet has just said to let her eat and drink as she will soon get her appetite back and if she has no sickness and to stop the tablets but she is still not very well.
Over in Old Colwyn our very dear friend Tim has been training since Xmas as he is running in a charity 10kms. road race between the two piers from Llandudno to Colwyn Bay tomorrow; it is flat all the way as they run along the promenade and front to Colwyn Bay with only one problem in the way – the Little Orme ! Come on Tim we know that you can do it, next it will be the London Marathon before you know it and then New York !! This afternoon Andy came around to do some work on the PCs; just as he started the internet went off,it was our new provider taking over the system so he was on hand to change the boxes and register the system on line, all working great and a lot more faster !Tonight we are having Flattened Chicken Breast pan fried in foaming Lemon Butter with Baby New Potatoes so Andy stayed and joined us for dinner,again !! and after we will watch the Spanish soap that we follow.
PS; While I have been posting the pictures we had a nice surprise Skype Video call from Jeff and Annette over in Kuala Lumpur from their new condo; they have the latest TV with Skype and so they had us on full screen in the lounge and gave us the tour of the apartment including the view of the " Petronas Towers" They have just come back from Christmas with their daughter Kate over in Edmonton Canada !
Thought for the Day;
It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. For Tim !
..
.
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