Saturday, March 31, 2012
MANILVA START OF THE WEEKEND AND SEMANA SANATA.
THURSDAY/FRIDAY 29th/30th MARCH 2012.
Well it was a little overcast on Thursday morning but it brightened up later; when we came back from our walk Mano and Anna called in to catch up the village gossip, Mano had been painting around at Carlos’s house at the start of the week. The forecast is more of the same over the weekend, well it is the start of the “ Semana Santa ” week of parades and celebrations and is does not have a good record of fine weather in the past. Over the last few days I have been reading a hardback book that Anna gave to Brenda to read; it had no jacket cover so there was no information about the author and her other book’s. It is a very easy read and a very good murder mystery called “ Monument to Murder " So after finishing it I went onto Google and Wikipedia to do some research; the author’s name is ‘ Margaret Truman ’ – it turns out that she was the only daughter of ‘ Harry.S. Truman ’ the President of the USA back in the fifties ! All her books started with the word ‘ Murder ’except this one that was published after her death in 2008. See the Picture above.In the evening for dinner we had for a change a frozen Chicken pie that we bought in Marks and Spencer’s over in the shopping precinct in Marbella.It was baked from frozen with egg wash over the Puff Pastry as instructed and was rather nice;we had it with peas and crisp square chips ! Meanwhile the Europa League football Quarter final first leg matches was taking place; the match of the night was at Schalke4 ( Germany ) v Athletico Bilbao – Bilbao won 2-4 after the ex Real Madrid and Spain captain Raul who now plays for the German team scored two brilliant goals to make it 2-2 at half time ! The two other Spanish teams still in the competition, Valencia and Athetico Madrid are still in with a chance also. The big game tonight ( Saturday ) here in Spain in ‘ La Liga ’ is Barcelona v Bilbao which is also the ‘ Cupa del Rey ’ ( Kings Cup same as our FA Cup final ) later in April ! The late film was another epic classic, “ Ben Hur ”made in 1959 ! With the most famous sequences in cinema history – the nine minute chariot race !! Charlton Heston wins every time !!! See the pictures above of Charlton Heston smoldering with Haya Hareeet.
Friday was our shopping morning down in Sabinillas; we had an eventful little morning when everything didn’t seem to go right, problems with my new Debit card, petrol cap would not come off, couldn’t find the right Easter cards, did not have the picture frame that we wanted etc. All was resolved eventually ! On the way back we stopped at the Ford Garage in the village and arranged to get all the small problems on the car fixed next week. it had brightened up as we got back to the house and so we ended up at Bar Rojas with Mano and Anna for a lunchtime reviver ! In the evening we walked around to the church for the opening proceedings of the ‘ Semana Santa ’week; outside we rubbed shoulders with all the civic dignitaries and after the High Mass had finished we sat down to listen to the Band Concert to introduce the music that would be played at the various processions over the next eight days ; Fernando read the presentation as the new young conductor lead the band. Also the whole event is taking place this year in memory of ‘ Jose Castillo ’the Master of one of the Brotherhoods who died at the end of last year, he was very well liked and all the tributes were very moving. The Music also was very moving, the band played exceptionally well with some very fine solo performances from the lead trombone and trumpet players and the whole proceedings ended when Fernando lead them to a great crescendo, the sound in the church is just unbelievable ! The pictures are below but no sound - sorry !! A very special evening which we finished off with a late supper up in Bar Rojas ( The Chef’s night off ) Lumy looked after us; Brenda had her favoutite Deep Fried John Dory with Tomato salad and I had Flattened Chicken Fillets a la Plancha topped with a fried egg and Lumy’s famous ‘ Patatas Fritas ’ Just another great night in Manilva.
Thought for the Day;
The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.
..
.
Well it was a little overcast on Thursday morning but it brightened up later; when we came back from our walk Mano and Anna called in to catch up the village gossip, Mano had been painting around at Carlos’s house at the start of the week. The forecast is more of the same over the weekend, well it is the start of the “ Semana Santa ” week of parades and celebrations and is does not have a good record of fine weather in the past. Over the last few days I have been reading a hardback book that Anna gave to Brenda to read; it had no jacket cover so there was no information about the author and her other book’s. It is a very easy read and a very good murder mystery called “ Monument to Murder " So after finishing it I went onto Google and Wikipedia to do some research; the author’s name is ‘ Margaret Truman ’ – it turns out that she was the only daughter of ‘ Harry.S. Truman ’ the President of the USA back in the fifties ! All her books started with the word ‘ Murder ’except this one that was published after her death in 2008. See the Picture above.In the evening for dinner we had for a change a frozen Chicken pie that we bought in Marks and Spencer’s over in the shopping precinct in Marbella.It was baked from frozen with egg wash over the Puff Pastry as instructed and was rather nice;we had it with peas and crisp square chips ! Meanwhile the Europa League football Quarter final first leg matches was taking place; the match of the night was at Schalke4 ( Germany ) v Athletico Bilbao – Bilbao won 2-4 after the ex Real Madrid and Spain captain Raul who now plays for the German team scored two brilliant goals to make it 2-2 at half time ! The two other Spanish teams still in the competition, Valencia and Athetico Madrid are still in with a chance also. The big game tonight ( Saturday ) here in Spain in ‘ La Liga ’ is Barcelona v Bilbao which is also the ‘ Cupa del Rey ’ ( Kings Cup same as our FA Cup final ) later in April ! The late film was another epic classic, “ Ben Hur ”made in 1959 ! With the most famous sequences in cinema history – the nine minute chariot race !! Charlton Heston wins every time !!! See the pictures above of Charlton Heston smoldering with Haya Hareeet.
Friday was our shopping morning down in Sabinillas; we had an eventful little morning when everything didn’t seem to go right, problems with my new Debit card, petrol cap would not come off, couldn’t find the right Easter cards, did not have the picture frame that we wanted etc. All was resolved eventually ! On the way back we stopped at the Ford Garage in the village and arranged to get all the small problems on the car fixed next week. it had brightened up as we got back to the house and so we ended up at Bar Rojas with Mano and Anna for a lunchtime reviver ! In the evening we walked around to the church for the opening proceedings of the ‘ Semana Santa ’week; outside we rubbed shoulders with all the civic dignitaries and after the High Mass had finished we sat down to listen to the Band Concert to introduce the music that would be played at the various processions over the next eight days ; Fernando read the presentation as the new young conductor lead the band. Also the whole event is taking place this year in memory of ‘ Jose Castillo ’the Master of one of the Brotherhoods who died at the end of last year, he was very well liked and all the tributes were very moving. The Music also was very moving, the band played exceptionally well with some very fine solo performances from the lead trombone and trumpet players and the whole proceedings ended when Fernando lead them to a great crescendo, the sound in the church is just unbelievable ! The pictures are below but no sound - sorry !! A very special evening which we finished off with a late supper up in Bar Rojas ( The Chef’s night off ) Lumy looked after us; Brenda had her favoutite Deep Fried John Dory with Tomato salad and I had Flattened Chicken Fillets a la Plancha topped with a fried egg and Lumy’s famous ‘ Patatas Fritas ’ Just another great night in Manilva.
Thought for the Day;
The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.
..
.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
MANILVA START OR THE WEEK.
MONDAY26th/TUESDAY27th/WEDNESDAY 28th MARCH 2012.
Well the weather forecast for the week is better after today; it is getting back to sunshine and clear skies but with a little breeze. Monday was still cloudy and overcast with the threat of rain – which did not arrive! We had an at home day and caught up with all the chores around the house; in the evening after dinner of Mustard Smeared Minute Steak with Chips we settled down and caught a film ; “ The Punisher “ from 2004 was taken from a ‘ Marvel Comics ’character played by Thomas Jane ’ ? With ‘ John Travolta ’as the ruthless baddie in an all action packed movie.
On Tuesday morning after our walk with Cheta I settled down in the office and caught up with the WWW. The picture of Livi in London was posted on Facebook; she is one of Lyn’s Great Grandchildren and she is over in England with her mum’s parents on a trip that we think they won in a competition – TBC – when we next talk to Lyn and Jack ! It was a good washing and drying day for Brenda but not for sitting out on the roof terrace, in the evening after supper of Flattened Breast of Turkey with Basmati Rice and Mushroom cream sauce it was time for football ; on Spanish TV we watched the Champions League Quarter Final first leg between Real Madrid and Apoel Nicosia – Real struggled until the last twenty minutes but won 0-3 and over in Portugal Chelsea had a good win over Benfica 0-1 but the best games where over in England in the FA Cup Quarter-final replays ; Spurs beat Bolton 3-1 and play Chelsea and Everton beat Sunderland 0-2 and will play Liverpool ! in the semi-finals to be played at Wembley. The late film was the classic – “ Seven ” from 1995 is the horror thriller with neo-noir elements about the seven deadly sins, Gluttony, Greed,Sloth,Lust,Pride,Envy and Wrath starring Morgan Freeman,Brad Pitt,Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey – Watch it at your peril !!
Today I shot down to the bank in Sabinillas and then on our walk with Cheta called into the surgery as Brenda had an appointment with our Doctor to update her prescriptions. Tonight we are having ‘ Albondigas ’in a rich Tomato sauce ( from the deep freeze ) and topped up from the butchers with his homemade ones with Baby New Potatoes. It is then more football – watch this space.
PS; Barcelona drew at AC Milan 0-0 and Bayern Munich beat Marseille 0-2 in their first leg matches in the Champions League.
Thought for the Day;
Our lives are like the course of the sun. At the darkest moment there is the promise of daylight.
..
.
Well the weather forecast for the week is better after today; it is getting back to sunshine and clear skies but with a little breeze. Monday was still cloudy and overcast with the threat of rain – which did not arrive! We had an at home day and caught up with all the chores around the house; in the evening after dinner of Mustard Smeared Minute Steak with Chips we settled down and caught a film ; “ The Punisher “ from 2004 was taken from a ‘ Marvel Comics ’character played by Thomas Jane ’ ? With ‘ John Travolta ’as the ruthless baddie in an all action packed movie.
On Tuesday morning after our walk with Cheta I settled down in the office and caught up with the WWW. The picture of Livi in London was posted on Facebook; she is one of Lyn’s Great Grandchildren and she is over in England with her mum’s parents on a trip that we think they won in a competition – TBC – when we next talk to Lyn and Jack ! It was a good washing and drying day for Brenda but not for sitting out on the roof terrace, in the evening after supper of Flattened Breast of Turkey with Basmati Rice and Mushroom cream sauce it was time for football ; on Spanish TV we watched the Champions League Quarter Final first leg between Real Madrid and Apoel Nicosia – Real struggled until the last twenty minutes but won 0-3 and over in Portugal Chelsea had a good win over Benfica 0-1 but the best games where over in England in the FA Cup Quarter-final replays ; Spurs beat Bolton 3-1 and play Chelsea and Everton beat Sunderland 0-2 and will play Liverpool ! in the semi-finals to be played at Wembley. The late film was the classic – “ Seven ” from 1995 is the horror thriller with neo-noir elements about the seven deadly sins, Gluttony, Greed,Sloth,Lust,Pride,Envy and Wrath starring Morgan Freeman,Brad Pitt,Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey – Watch it at your peril !!
Today I shot down to the bank in Sabinillas and then on our walk with Cheta called into the surgery as Brenda had an appointment with our Doctor to update her prescriptions. Tonight we are having ‘ Albondigas ’in a rich Tomato sauce ( from the deep freeze ) and topped up from the butchers with his homemade ones with Baby New Potatoes. It is then more football – watch this space.
PS; Barcelona drew at AC Milan 0-0 and Bayern Munich beat Marseille 0-2 in their first leg matches in the Champions League.
Thought for the Day;
Our lives are like the course of the sun. At the darkest moment there is the promise of daylight.
..
.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.
THURSDAY/SUNDAY 22nd/ 25th/ MARCH 2012.
The forecast over the weekend is a little cloudy and cooler; when it goes nice over in England we always get the tail end of the bad weather down here on the Costa de Sol. On Thursday we had one of our at home days; over last weekend our neighbors husband was taken into hospital, once again, he had a bad stroke over six years ago and has never recovered and sadly this time he died on Wednesday evening so we are going to our first Spanish funeral on Friday evening. We spent the day pottering about after a quick walk the dog in the morning and in the evening for supper we had the Liver and Sausage Casserole with Cabbage and square Chips before we settled down to watch a film; “ Fracture ” from 2007 was a courtroom drama with lots of twists starring Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling – very good.
We did the shopping on Friday morning and picked up the papers and when we came back we went for a walk with Cheta and picked up some flowers from the local market, In the afternoon we got the black clothes out and walked around to Santa Ana Church for the funeral service; before we left we had learned all the right words and phrase’s to say to the family – after the ceremony his coffin was carried around to the walled cemetery next to the church were it was placed in the family vault. One of the family explained to us about the proceedings and also introduced us to all the extended family. Funerals here take place very quickly, at the most within two days and are in fact very informal. For dinner we had Hake Fillets again as I had made earlier another pot of Tomato sauce which we have found to be very versatile and also we enjoy the local Tomatoes in particular. The late films were golden oldies –“ Spartacus ” with Kirk Douglas and “ Moses ”with Charlton Heston !
On Saturday morning it was as forecast cloudy and cool ( only 18 degs. ) and also we had a little shower so Cheta just stayed in the house and ran amuck ! I watched the Grand Prix qualifying from Malaysia on Spanish TV and later on the PC in the office the English Football , Liverpool played terrible and lost to Wigan, the bottom team, at home 1-2 – the press and public are starting to call for Dalglish’s head already ! Meanwhile Everton had a great win away at Swansea 0-2 ! In the evening both Barcelona and Real Madrid won so there is no change at the top of ‘ La Liga ’ In the evening after our steak and chip dinner we caught a very good film that we had not seen before – “ The Ghost Writer ” It was only made in 2010 by Roman Polanski and starred in the title role Ewan McGregor with Piers Brosnan playing the part of a character based on Tony Blair and Kim Cattrall playing the blond PR lady ! It is a political thriller based on a Robert Harris novel were fact and fiction are mixed – one to catch.
First thing on Sunday morning I called Jane over in Chester to get the low down on her news that she had just posted on Facebook about some new projects that she and David are taking on; they have taken over a long standing family bakery business and shop ( 1825 ) in Northwich where they live and also they have been approached to open a fabulous new café celebrating Cheshire produce at the new J & S motorcycle heaven at the old Harrington’s caravan site at Delamere just up the road from Oulton Park Circuit ! David and Paul meanwhile have two new sites in mind to expand the “ Lord Binning ” empire in Cheshire – watch this space !!
We then got the roast on the go – Chicken with Brenda’s fine selection of vegetables ; Cabbage with local Alselgas from our neighbors Campo, Carrot and Turnip Batons,Cauiflower Mornay and Leeks in a Cheese sauce, Garden Peas and Baby New Potatoes and of course crisp Roast Potatoes along with Sage and Onion Stuffing and finger licking gravy ! Mano and Anna had called in earlier with Fabio and so they joined us later for dinner. In the afternoon we watched the Grand Prix which was delayed by a tropical rain storm – Alonso won after Button made a not typical mistake and McLaren’s slow pit stops for Hamilton also cost both of them the race. After Mano and Anna had gone home we watched another excellent film starring Vin Diesel in which he actually acted for a change; called “ Find me Guilty ” 2006 it was the true story of the longest ever Mafia trial in New York history, he plays the part of ‘ Jackie DiNorsci ’a Mafia mobster back in the 1980s who defends himself and the other gangsters in the dock – the courtroom drama got great reviews and especially for Vin Diesel’s acting – catch it when you can !
Thought for the Day;
He who smiles rather than rages is always stronger.
..
.
The forecast over the weekend is a little cloudy and cooler; when it goes nice over in England we always get the tail end of the bad weather down here on the Costa de Sol. On Thursday we had one of our at home days; over last weekend our neighbors husband was taken into hospital, once again, he had a bad stroke over six years ago and has never recovered and sadly this time he died on Wednesday evening so we are going to our first Spanish funeral on Friday evening. We spent the day pottering about after a quick walk the dog in the morning and in the evening for supper we had the Liver and Sausage Casserole with Cabbage and square Chips before we settled down to watch a film; “ Fracture ” from 2007 was a courtroom drama with lots of twists starring Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling – very good.
We did the shopping on Friday morning and picked up the papers and when we came back we went for a walk with Cheta and picked up some flowers from the local market, In the afternoon we got the black clothes out and walked around to Santa Ana Church for the funeral service; before we left we had learned all the right words and phrase’s to say to the family – after the ceremony his coffin was carried around to the walled cemetery next to the church were it was placed in the family vault. One of the family explained to us about the proceedings and also introduced us to all the extended family. Funerals here take place very quickly, at the most within two days and are in fact very informal. For dinner we had Hake Fillets again as I had made earlier another pot of Tomato sauce which we have found to be very versatile and also we enjoy the local Tomatoes in particular. The late films were golden oldies –“ Spartacus ” with Kirk Douglas and “ Moses ”with Charlton Heston !
On Saturday morning it was as forecast cloudy and cool ( only 18 degs. ) and also we had a little shower so Cheta just stayed in the house and ran amuck ! I watched the Grand Prix qualifying from Malaysia on Spanish TV and later on the PC in the office the English Football , Liverpool played terrible and lost to Wigan, the bottom team, at home 1-2 – the press and public are starting to call for Dalglish’s head already ! Meanwhile Everton had a great win away at Swansea 0-2 ! In the evening both Barcelona and Real Madrid won so there is no change at the top of ‘ La Liga ’ In the evening after our steak and chip dinner we caught a very good film that we had not seen before – “ The Ghost Writer ” It was only made in 2010 by Roman Polanski and starred in the title role Ewan McGregor with Piers Brosnan playing the part of a character based on Tony Blair and Kim Cattrall playing the blond PR lady ! It is a political thriller based on a Robert Harris novel were fact and fiction are mixed – one to catch.
First thing on Sunday morning I called Jane over in Chester to get the low down on her news that she had just posted on Facebook about some new projects that she and David are taking on; they have taken over a long standing family bakery business and shop ( 1825 ) in Northwich where they live and also they have been approached to open a fabulous new café celebrating Cheshire produce at the new J & S motorcycle heaven at the old Harrington’s caravan site at Delamere just up the road from Oulton Park Circuit ! David and Paul meanwhile have two new sites in mind to expand the “ Lord Binning ” empire in Cheshire – watch this space !!
We then got the roast on the go – Chicken with Brenda’s fine selection of vegetables ; Cabbage with local Alselgas from our neighbors Campo, Carrot and Turnip Batons,Cauiflower Mornay and Leeks in a Cheese sauce, Garden Peas and Baby New Potatoes and of course crisp Roast Potatoes along with Sage and Onion Stuffing and finger licking gravy ! Mano and Anna had called in earlier with Fabio and so they joined us later for dinner. In the afternoon we watched the Grand Prix which was delayed by a tropical rain storm – Alonso won after Button made a not typical mistake and McLaren’s slow pit stops for Hamilton also cost both of them the race. After Mano and Anna had gone home we watched another excellent film starring Vin Diesel in which he actually acted for a change; called “ Find me Guilty ” 2006 it was the true story of the longest ever Mafia trial in New York history, he plays the part of ‘ Jackie DiNorsci ’a Mafia mobster back in the 1980s who defends himself and the other gangsters in the dock – the courtroom drama got great reviews and especially for Vin Diesel’s acting – catch it when you can !
Thought for the Day;
He who smiles rather than rages is always stronger.
..
.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
MANILVA START OR THE WEEK.
MONDAY/TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY 19th/20th/21st MARCH 2012.
The weather is still fine with sun and clear skies and no breeze down here on the Costa Del Sol; the rest of Spain is not as good, in fact at the start of this week there have already been severe rain storms in Northern Spain and just up the coast from us and also inland a bit they have had four inches of snow in Almeria and Jaen ! On Monday we took things easy and caught up with the jobs around the house; after our walk Brenda was up on the roof after lunch and I went in the office to catch up with all the news and watch some TV on the BBCIPlayer – ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen ’and the last ever ‘ Something for the Weekend ’ At different times of the day we also listen to the ‘ Chris Moyle’s Breakfast Show ’ and one of my favourite radio programmes – which has been hosted by Nicholas Parsons since it started 47 years ago ‘ Just a Minute ’ with currently Paul Merton as the main panelist. Each of the four guests on the panel are given a topic to speak on for one minute without ‘ Hesitation, Repetition or Deviation ’ It is very funny and at the same time very clever as Nicholas Parson’s adjudicates the show, this week it was recorded in Mumbai and had two Indian comics on the panel who were hilarious as they attempted to take on Paul Merton – the master ! In the evening for supper we had ‘ Minute Steak ’for supper !!
Tuesday morning after breakfast of Tea and Toast with local Honey we went for a walk with Cheta and Anna who had called in earlier; I’ am also at the moment reading again and catching up with books that Brenda has read ! For dinner we had Pan Fried flattened Chicken Breast with Boulangere Potatoes before watching the TV, Barcelona in the late match beat Granada 5-3 ( Not many teams score three goals at Barcelona ) with Messi scoring another hat trick including two lobs and at the same time he became the leading goal scorer in ‘ La Liga ’and he is know the leading goal scorer in history for Barcelona !
Today is one of our at home days; tonight we are having Sliced Turkey Breast cooked in foaming Lime Butter ( I know it is nearly the same as last night ) but we are clearing out the deep freeze ! I have made a Mushroom Cream sauce and Basmati Rice with diced Pimento’s for a change. Later the big game over in England is Manchester City v Chelsea – watch this space. Tomorrow night I am going to make a Liver and Sausage Casserole with the Liver from the deep freeze along with some Homemade Leek and Onion Sausages from the English butchers and last weeks Braised Onion sauce !! Yummy !!!
PS; Manchester City beat Chelsea in the last 15mins 2-1which means that Utd.are still only one point ahead but down at QPR.Liverpool lost in the last 15mins. 3-2 ! meanwhile Everton were robbed and lost 1-0 to Spurs - it was not off side - sorry Big Bri ! Over here Real Madrid drew again 1-1 against Villarreal and so they are now only six points ahead of Barca.
Thought for the Day;
Many years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than the ones you did do.
..
.
The weather is still fine with sun and clear skies and no breeze down here on the Costa Del Sol; the rest of Spain is not as good, in fact at the start of this week there have already been severe rain storms in Northern Spain and just up the coast from us and also inland a bit they have had four inches of snow in Almeria and Jaen ! On Monday we took things easy and caught up with the jobs around the house; after our walk Brenda was up on the roof after lunch and I went in the office to catch up with all the news and watch some TV on the BBCIPlayer – ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen ’and the last ever ‘ Something for the Weekend ’ At different times of the day we also listen to the ‘ Chris Moyle’s Breakfast Show ’ and one of my favourite radio programmes – which has been hosted by Nicholas Parsons since it started 47 years ago ‘ Just a Minute ’ with currently Paul Merton as the main panelist. Each of the four guests on the panel are given a topic to speak on for one minute without ‘ Hesitation, Repetition or Deviation ’ It is very funny and at the same time very clever as Nicholas Parson’s adjudicates the show, this week it was recorded in Mumbai and had two Indian comics on the panel who were hilarious as they attempted to take on Paul Merton – the master ! In the evening for supper we had ‘ Minute Steak ’for supper !!
Tuesday morning after breakfast of Tea and Toast with local Honey we went for a walk with Cheta and Anna who had called in earlier; I’ am also at the moment reading again and catching up with books that Brenda has read ! For dinner we had Pan Fried flattened Chicken Breast with Boulangere Potatoes before watching the TV, Barcelona in the late match beat Granada 5-3 ( Not many teams score three goals at Barcelona ) with Messi scoring another hat trick including two lobs and at the same time he became the leading goal scorer in ‘ La Liga ’and he is know the leading goal scorer in history for Barcelona !
Today is one of our at home days; tonight we are having Sliced Turkey Breast cooked in foaming Lime Butter ( I know it is nearly the same as last night ) but we are clearing out the deep freeze ! I have made a Mushroom Cream sauce and Basmati Rice with diced Pimento’s for a change. Later the big game over in England is Manchester City v Chelsea – watch this space. Tomorrow night I am going to make a Liver and Sausage Casserole with the Liver from the deep freeze along with some Homemade Leek and Onion Sausages from the English butchers and last weeks Braised Onion sauce !! Yummy !!!
PS; Manchester City beat Chelsea in the last 15mins 2-1which means that Utd.are still only one point ahead but down at QPR.Liverpool lost in the last 15mins. 3-2 ! meanwhile Everton were robbed and lost 1-0 to Spurs - it was not off side - sorry Big Bri ! Over here Real Madrid drew again 1-1 against Villarreal and so they are now only six points ahead of Barca.
Thought for the Day;
Many years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than the ones you did do.
..
.
THE QUEEN'S DIAMOND JUBILEE - LONDON.
TUESDAY 20TH MARCH 2012.
The Monarch celebrated her Diamond Jubilee yesterday with an historic address to both houses of Parliament.In a glided display of very British pomp and pageantry.The ceremony was held in the ancient Westminster Hall which has been the bedrock of British History since it was constructed over 1,000 years ago.It is the oldest building at Parliament, the Hall was built in 1097 under the reign of William ll the son of William the Conqueror.
Thought for the Day;
" God Save the Queen "
..
..
The Monarch celebrated her Diamond Jubilee yesterday with an historic address to both houses of Parliament.In a glided display of very British pomp and pageantry.The ceremony was held in the ancient Westminster Hall which has been the bedrock of British History since it was constructed over 1,000 years ago.It is the oldest building at Parliament, the Hall was built in 1097 under the reign of William ll the son of William the Conqueror.
Thought for the Day;
" God Save the Queen "
..
..
Monday, March 19, 2012
THE SPANISH CONSTITUTION 1812-2012.
MONDAY 19th MARCH 2012.
Today in Cadiz the King and Queen attended celebrations to mark 200 years since the Spanish Constitution was enacted by the Parliament of Spain dramatically in Cadiz on the 19th March 1812. Popularly known as “ La Pepa ” It is today here in Spain also ‘ San Jose ’ Day ie. ‘ Fathers Day ’ It is given a great historical importance because it is the first constitution promulgated in Spain in addition to being one of the most liberal of the time. The pictures above show the actual book that is on show in Cadiz at the moment and also the Monument built in 1912 in Cadiz to commemorate the centenary of the Constitution.
Thought for the Day;
“ Viva Espana ”
..
.
Today in Cadiz the King and Queen attended celebrations to mark 200 years since the Spanish Constitution was enacted by the Parliament of Spain dramatically in Cadiz on the 19th March 1812. Popularly known as “ La Pepa ” It is today here in Spain also ‘ San Jose ’ Day ie. ‘ Fathers Day ’ It is given a great historical importance because it is the first constitution promulgated in Spain in addition to being one of the most liberal of the time. The pictures above show the actual book that is on show in Cadiz at the moment and also the Monument built in 1912 in Cadiz to commemorate the centenary of the Constitution.
Thought for the Day;
“ Viva Espana ”
..
.
MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.
THURSDAY/FRIDAY/SATURDAY/SUNDAY 15th/18th MARCH 2012.
Well the weather forecast for the next few days and into next week is good, more of the same with sun and clear skies; the last five months – October/February – have been the driest and sunniest in the last thirty years, we have only have had two days of rain and this weekend it reached 24 degs in Sunny Manilva ! But it is ‘Semana Santa’ week coming up at the end of the month when the record in the past for the Easter religious processions is not good so we are not there yet !! We met Anna outside Bar Rojas on Thursday morning and sat and had a coffee in the warm sun, later Brenda was up in her favourite spot ,the roof terrace, reading her latest book as I was updating the blog.In the evening it was the second leg matches in the ‘ UEFA Europa League – Manchester Utd. went out to Athletico Bilbao,who played brilliantly and Manchester City went out also to Sporting Lisbon but at least put up a fight.
On Friday morning we went down to Sabinillas in the car, they will be missing us at the bus stop, to do the shopping and pick up the papers; later we went for our walk with Cheta and once again bumped into Mano and Anna, this time by Bar Rojas so we took in the sunshine and caught up with all the news. In the afternoon I watched the racing from Cheltenham, it was the ‘ Gold Cup ’with Kato Star going for a third win – sadly she was pulled up after spraining a muscle at the water jump, ‘ Synchronised ’ ridden by A.P McCoy won, his second win in the Gold Cup, the trainer was Jonjo O’Neil, his first win in the Gold Cup and the owner was J.P. McManus the legendary Irish gambler with his first win ! In the evening for dinner we had Pan Fried Fillet of Hake, the fishmonger suggested filleting the fish rather than cutting it into steaks as per normal, and I floured it and finished it in foaming Lemon Butter which we had with Garden Peas and Square Chips, earlier in the day Brenda suggested that it would be nice with a Tomato sauce on the side so I set to and made a rich Tomato sauce with local Tomatoes,Onions,Garlic and Sweet Pimento powder and of course the secret ingredients ( Sugar,Vinagar and Tabasco ) but with one difference, this time I used a Blender for the first time which suddenly Brenda had remembered we had hidden away ! It was a Wedding Present with a ‘ Rosemary Conley ’ juicer/blender that we have never had the chance to use ! You split the works in two and attach the blender, it worked perfectly and I then adjusted the consistency with ‘ Harina Fino de Maiz ’which we found the other day to replace our Cornflower – and yes it is all right to use Cornflower and Arrowroot – James Martin on ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen ’this weekend was cooking with it !! It was a delicious supper and we have used the Tomato sauce since with Pasta and Courgettes !
We walked down to the sports complex on Saturday morning after our breakfast and I took the pictures below of the Seven-a-Side Football and the Basketball. At lunchtime it was the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup, Everton could only manage a 1-1 draw with Sunderland so it’s replay next week. Then it was the big one “ The Six Nations Rugby ”Scotland got the wooden spoon after loosing to Italy and all the other teams; next it was Wales v France at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff with Wales going for the ‘ Grand Slam ’their third in seven years ! It was a “ Helluva ”game and Wales played really well and beat the French 16-9 and won the Grand Slam ( all five teams beaten ) and at the same time avenged their defeat in the World Cup by the French ! Brenda came down in her Bikini from the roof terrace to watch the celebrations. In Cardiff there was over 250,000 people crammed into the city which then went mad ! Later England beat Ireland at Twickenham when they overwhelmed the Irish pack and won 30-9.For dinner we had Steak and Chips with all the trimmings and then settled down to watch a little TV.
Yesterday, Sunday was a glorious day as we went for our walk; it was hot and not a breeze in sight as we sat outside Bar Rojas,Mano and Anna joined us for a drink and later we had the Paella for lunch. Before our walk I had entered a competition in the ‘ Sur in English ’Each week there is a picture of a iconic building somewhere in the world which you have to give the name of and which city it is in ! This week the picture with the clue – was of an iconic shipping company headquarters in one of the great ports of the UK. It was of course Liverpool and the Pier Head but they were wrong with the clue as the building shown was the ‘ Mersey Docks and Harbour Board Building’ know locally as the ‘ Dock Office ’ not the ‘ Cunard Building’ which is next to it !! So I have sent a long e-mail and the pictures above showing “ The Three Graces ” with the ‘Royal Liver Building ’ with the two mythical Liver Birds on the clock towers where my father worked for the ‘ Royal Liver Friendly Society’ for many years ! I also sent pictures of the old trams called the ‘ Green Goddesses ’ which we used to go onto town on and also the famous ‘ Overhead Railway ’ which was the first electrically operated overhead railway in the world which we caught from Seaforth.Another binding memory was seeing for the first time in the docks what was at the time the worlds largest floating crane ‘ Mammoth ’ Great childhood memories of Liverpool back in the 1950s !
In the afternoon I watched Liverpool beat Stoke in the FA Cup 2-1 and set up a possible semi final place against Everton at ‘ Anfield South ’ ( Wembley ) if they can beat Sunderland in the replay ! Big Bri watch out !! Torres scored two goals for Chelsea as they beat Leicester 5-2 in the over match whilst Manchester Utd.in the Premier League beat Wolves 0-5 ! In the evening for supper we had Lamb Cutlets Roasted on Boulangere Potatoes with all the usual vegetables served with Fresh Mint sauce. Here in Spain Barcelona won with a Messi wonder goal but Real Madrid could only draw at home with good old Malaga 1-1. We then watched the late film “ Misson Impossible 111 with Tom Cruise being Tom Cruise !
Thought for the Day;
One is never old to unlearn bad habits.
..
.
Well the weather forecast for the next few days and into next week is good, more of the same with sun and clear skies; the last five months – October/February – have been the driest and sunniest in the last thirty years, we have only have had two days of rain and this weekend it reached 24 degs in Sunny Manilva ! But it is ‘Semana Santa’ week coming up at the end of the month when the record in the past for the Easter religious processions is not good so we are not there yet !! We met Anna outside Bar Rojas on Thursday morning and sat and had a coffee in the warm sun, later Brenda was up in her favourite spot ,the roof terrace, reading her latest book as I was updating the blog.In the evening it was the second leg matches in the ‘ UEFA Europa League – Manchester Utd. went out to Athletico Bilbao,who played brilliantly and Manchester City went out also to Sporting Lisbon but at least put up a fight.
On Friday morning we went down to Sabinillas in the car, they will be missing us at the bus stop, to do the shopping and pick up the papers; later we went for our walk with Cheta and once again bumped into Mano and Anna, this time by Bar Rojas so we took in the sunshine and caught up with all the news. In the afternoon I watched the racing from Cheltenham, it was the ‘ Gold Cup ’with Kato Star going for a third win – sadly she was pulled up after spraining a muscle at the water jump, ‘ Synchronised ’ ridden by A.P McCoy won, his second win in the Gold Cup, the trainer was Jonjo O’Neil, his first win in the Gold Cup and the owner was J.P. McManus the legendary Irish gambler with his first win ! In the evening for dinner we had Pan Fried Fillet of Hake, the fishmonger suggested filleting the fish rather than cutting it into steaks as per normal, and I floured it and finished it in foaming Lemon Butter which we had with Garden Peas and Square Chips, earlier in the day Brenda suggested that it would be nice with a Tomato sauce on the side so I set to and made a rich Tomato sauce with local Tomatoes,Onions,Garlic and Sweet Pimento powder and of course the secret ingredients ( Sugar,Vinagar and Tabasco ) but with one difference, this time I used a Blender for the first time which suddenly Brenda had remembered we had hidden away ! It was a Wedding Present with a ‘ Rosemary Conley ’ juicer/blender that we have never had the chance to use ! You split the works in two and attach the blender, it worked perfectly and I then adjusted the consistency with ‘ Harina Fino de Maiz ’which we found the other day to replace our Cornflower – and yes it is all right to use Cornflower and Arrowroot – James Martin on ‘ Saturday Morning Kitchen ’this weekend was cooking with it !! It was a delicious supper and we have used the Tomato sauce since with Pasta and Courgettes !
We walked down to the sports complex on Saturday morning after our breakfast and I took the pictures below of the Seven-a-Side Football and the Basketball. At lunchtime it was the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup, Everton could only manage a 1-1 draw with Sunderland so it’s replay next week. Then it was the big one “ The Six Nations Rugby ”Scotland got the wooden spoon after loosing to Italy and all the other teams; next it was Wales v France at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff with Wales going for the ‘ Grand Slam ’their third in seven years ! It was a “ Helluva ”game and Wales played really well and beat the French 16-9 and won the Grand Slam ( all five teams beaten ) and at the same time avenged their defeat in the World Cup by the French ! Brenda came down in her Bikini from the roof terrace to watch the celebrations. In Cardiff there was over 250,000 people crammed into the city which then went mad ! Later England beat Ireland at Twickenham when they overwhelmed the Irish pack and won 30-9.For dinner we had Steak and Chips with all the trimmings and then settled down to watch a little TV.
Yesterday, Sunday was a glorious day as we went for our walk; it was hot and not a breeze in sight as we sat outside Bar Rojas,Mano and Anna joined us for a drink and later we had the Paella for lunch. Before our walk I had entered a competition in the ‘ Sur in English ’Each week there is a picture of a iconic building somewhere in the world which you have to give the name of and which city it is in ! This week the picture with the clue – was of an iconic shipping company headquarters in one of the great ports of the UK. It was of course Liverpool and the Pier Head but they were wrong with the clue as the building shown was the ‘ Mersey Docks and Harbour Board Building’ know locally as the ‘ Dock Office ’ not the ‘ Cunard Building’ which is next to it !! So I have sent a long e-mail and the pictures above showing “ The Three Graces ” with the ‘Royal Liver Building ’ with the two mythical Liver Birds on the clock towers where my father worked for the ‘ Royal Liver Friendly Society’ for many years ! I also sent pictures of the old trams called the ‘ Green Goddesses ’ which we used to go onto town on and also the famous ‘ Overhead Railway ’ which was the first electrically operated overhead railway in the world which we caught from Seaforth.Another binding memory was seeing for the first time in the docks what was at the time the worlds largest floating crane ‘ Mammoth ’ Great childhood memories of Liverpool back in the 1950s !
In the afternoon I watched Liverpool beat Stoke in the FA Cup 2-1 and set up a possible semi final place against Everton at ‘ Anfield South ’ ( Wembley ) if they can beat Sunderland in the replay ! Big Bri watch out !! Torres scored two goals for Chelsea as they beat Leicester 5-2 in the over match whilst Manchester Utd.in the Premier League beat Wolves 0-5 ! In the evening for supper we had Lamb Cutlets Roasted on Boulangere Potatoes with all the usual vegetables served with Fresh Mint sauce. Here in Spain Barcelona won with a Messi wonder goal but Real Madrid could only draw at home with good old Malaga 1-1. We then watched the late film “ Misson Impossible 111 with Tom Cruise being Tom Cruise !
Thought for the Day;
One is never old to unlearn bad habits.
..
.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
MANILVA THIS WEEK.
MONDAY/TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY 13th/14th/15th MARCH 2012.
The forecast for this week is clear skies and warm sun; on Monday we had an at home day to catch up with the chores around the house and I disappeared into the office to loose myself on the WWW. The pictures from Melbourne came in early and just show how good Jack looks after his operation. Brenda ended up on the roof terrace taking in the sun and reading and I tried to set up a connection to watch the racing from Cheltenham over the next few days – with no luck – so I will have to follow it on the BBC Sports channel text and chat; at the same time I did have some luck as I was able to sign up and then log-on to Channel 4’s Iplayer 40D at last and I’ am now able to follow ‘Shameless’! In the evening we had Cold Pork for supper and then caught up with the news and weather; the main weather reports are on twice a day on TVE1 and are very comprehensive.
On Tuesday morning we took Cheta for her cut and trim as her coat at this time of the year starts to go, she as usual ends up looking like ‘ ET ’ as you can see in the pictures below ! Later I was in the office following the racing when the new phone went and showed the message that had appeared on ‘ Oscars ’blog; it has brought back all the memories of the Hotel Seventy Degrees back in the late 70s and early 80s. At the time it was the best and led all the others in food, style and service and of course the loyal customers and staff all helped to make it something special to be be proud of. In the evening after dinner of Pork Cutlets with our favourite Lyonnaise Potatoes we settled down and watched TV after I caught the Derby Match Liverpool v Everton – on the PC, Liverpool won 3-0 with a Gerrard hat trick – sorry Big Bri !
In the morning on Wednesday I got the Braised Steak on the go; I sauté lots of sliced Onions and then pan fry the floured steaks to brown them off, I make the sauce with diced Onions, Carrots, Garlic, Celery, Leeks, Turnips, Mushrooms and Green Beans all sautéed in Red Wine and Tomato Sauce and then a Beef and Vegetable Stock to finish – I then put all the ingredients together in a large braising dish ready to go in the oven for a couple of hours in the evening! After our walk with the dog Brenda went up on the roof terrace and I followed the racing from Cheltenham; it was very exciting and at the same time it is very frustrating as I’ am watching the text come up on the screen – I have also now found that I can listen to a commentary on Radio 5 Live at the same time ! but sadly still no pictures. After dinner we watched the football from Madrid on our local regional channel; Real beat CSKA Moscow 4-1 – aggregate 5-2 to go into the Quarter Finals of the UEFA Champions League but the match of the night was in England when Chelsea came back against Napoli after loosing badly in the first leg 3-1 and beat them 4-1 after extra time to go through to the next round as well. The late film was a political thriller a ‘Goodin’ called “ The Interpreter ”with Nicole Kidman in the title role and Sean Penn also starring in the last film directed by Sydney Pollack in 2005.
Thought for the Day;
A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.
..
.
The forecast for this week is clear skies and warm sun; on Monday we had an at home day to catch up with the chores around the house and I disappeared into the office to loose myself on the WWW. The pictures from Melbourne came in early and just show how good Jack looks after his operation. Brenda ended up on the roof terrace taking in the sun and reading and I tried to set up a connection to watch the racing from Cheltenham over the next few days – with no luck – so I will have to follow it on the BBC Sports channel text and chat; at the same time I did have some luck as I was able to sign up and then log-on to Channel 4’s Iplayer 40D at last and I’ am now able to follow ‘Shameless’! In the evening we had Cold Pork for supper and then caught up with the news and weather; the main weather reports are on twice a day on TVE1 and are very comprehensive.
On Tuesday morning we took Cheta for her cut and trim as her coat at this time of the year starts to go, she as usual ends up looking like ‘ ET ’ as you can see in the pictures below ! Later I was in the office following the racing when the new phone went and showed the message that had appeared on ‘ Oscars ’blog; it has brought back all the memories of the Hotel Seventy Degrees back in the late 70s and early 80s. At the time it was the best and led all the others in food, style and service and of course the loyal customers and staff all helped to make it something special to be be proud of. In the evening after dinner of Pork Cutlets with our favourite Lyonnaise Potatoes we settled down and watched TV after I caught the Derby Match Liverpool v Everton – on the PC, Liverpool won 3-0 with a Gerrard hat trick – sorry Big Bri !
In the morning on Wednesday I got the Braised Steak on the go; I sauté lots of sliced Onions and then pan fry the floured steaks to brown them off, I make the sauce with diced Onions, Carrots, Garlic, Celery, Leeks, Turnips, Mushrooms and Green Beans all sautéed in Red Wine and Tomato Sauce and then a Beef and Vegetable Stock to finish – I then put all the ingredients together in a large braising dish ready to go in the oven for a couple of hours in the evening! After our walk with the dog Brenda went up on the roof terrace and I followed the racing from Cheltenham; it was very exciting and at the same time it is very frustrating as I’ am watching the text come up on the screen – I have also now found that I can listen to a commentary on Radio 5 Live at the same time ! but sadly still no pictures. After dinner we watched the football from Madrid on our local regional channel; Real beat CSKA Moscow 4-1 – aggregate 5-2 to go into the Quarter Finals of the UEFA Champions League but the match of the night was in England when Chelsea came back against Napoli after loosing badly in the first leg 3-1 and beat them 4-1 after extra time to go through to the next round as well. The late film was a political thriller a ‘Goodin’ called “ The Interpreter ”with Nicole Kidman in the title role and Sean Penn also starring in the last film directed by Sydney Pollack in 2005.
Thought for the Day;
A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.
..
.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
MANILVA THIS AFTERNOON.
The link below to ' Oscars Blog ' a friend in Llandudno,shows the Blog comment that he posted in July 2010 and then the further comments that followed; this afternoon as I was watching and listening to the Cheltenham Festival my new Blackberry went and it showed for the first time after going fully online on Sunday that I had a message in our Googlemail. It is a very nice comment from ' Anonymous ' about his/her childhood memories about dining at the Hotel Seventy Degrees back in the early eighties which had just posted on the original blog. Very happy memories about the Hotel and Horizon Suite Restaurant and all the old loyal customers and of course the staff.We are both very moved and at the same time proud of the good old days.Just click on to see and read !!
..
..
Monday, March 12, 2012
MANILVA OVER THE WEEKEND.
FRIDAY/SATURDAY/SUNDAY 9th/10th/11th MARCH 2012.
This weekend the forecast yet again is clear skies, sun and a little breeze; first thing on Friday morning Mano picked us up and we shot across to our bank in Estepona as we needed to collect some cash and also they are now offering very competitive car insurance. David our bank manager was very helpful and also Mano who is an agent for the bank; The bank is now called ‘ Targa Bank ’after a merger and are now offering lots more services. We had one slight hiccup as I had left the Smart car insurance forms in the file when I sold it! We needed it as this was the first time we have had a Spanish Car Insurance and to claim the no-claims bonus we needed proof ! After a bit of a chase round we finally got in touch with our old insurance agents in Colwyn Bay and arranged for the necessary documents to be e-mailed to the bank ! So it was then back to Manilva to meet and collect the keys and documents from the owner who we met in Bodega Augustine ( The Office ) We then set off in the new car down to Sabinillas to do the shopping as you can see in the pictures below. We are parking the car in the underground council car park over the weekend and will reclaim our spot in the small square behind our house next week ! In the evening we treated ourselves to a night out up at Bar Rojas for supper and to give the Chef and his assistant a night off ! Brenda had ‘ Gallo Frito ’with Tomato salad and I had ‘ Huevos Frito with Patatas Fritas ’which is served with fried Garlic Cloves which Brenda loves ! The late classic film was “ Casablanca “ from 1942 – they don’t make films like this now !
On Saturday morning we went out in the car over to Marbella to the car Hypermarket to buy two yellow fluorescent jackets and a breakdown triangle that you are required by law to have along with spare bulbs etc.As we reached the exit the van behind us flashed his lights, I had just felt a small bump, when I looked in the wing mirror I saw that the rear off-side tyre had gone and the sparks were flying ! We limped in the car repair bay which very luckily was not far !! The tires had passed the ITV( MOT ) three months ago but we did realize that we would need to check them before the next one in November – but not so soon ! The law in Spain about tires is that they should match one another front and back – so you have to have two new tires ! We ended up doing a deal and getting a very good rate for four as we thought that we might as well do it now than later !! This also meant that we had a couple of hours to window shop in ‘ La Canadia ’ which is the largest shopping mall on the coast, so we did a little shopping in the food Hypermarket and also called into the new Marks and Spencer’s. On the way back to pick up the car, they are very efficient and tell you when it will be ready, then call and text you at the same time, we stopped for a coffee in a ‘Chringito ’outside the front entrance which is were I took the picture above of the Paella! The car on the way back was a dream with a smoother ride, positive steering and braking- all the result of the new tires! Mano and Anna called in with Fabio after lunch to catch up with the news. Later in the afternoon I watched the Rugby Six Nations from the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff – Wales beat Italy 24-3 and opened up in the second half. Over in England Liverpool lost to Sunderland 1-0 and played terrible. In the evening we had Sirloin Steaks for dinner which we bought earlier at the food Hypermarket with all the trimmings and then settled down to watch the late film – “ The Sum of Fears “ from 2002 with Morgan Freeman and Ben Affleck as a young ‘ Jack Ryan ’ it is a political/action thriller.
Sunday morning after a little lie in we got the roast on the go – Loin of Pork, Brenda prepared all her vegetables and Potatoes and we then had for a change a good old fashioned Prawn Cocktail made with Brenda’s famous Marie Rose sauce! We had bought the Gambas over in Marbella and they were tasty and juicy and large! In the afternoon our friends Peter, Barbara and their children Jake, Megan and Leah called in to help me finalize the installing of the new phone settings as they had last years model of the same phone – so now thanks to Peter I’ am fully operational with Skype Video,Facebook,Googlemail,Sextons Blog,Contacts,Internet and Wi Fi !! Later I watched the Rugby from Paris – England beat the French 22-24 and scored three great tries ! The French missed a penalty kick in the last few second to win the game !! The football over in England was rather exciting as Manchester Utd. beat West Brom 2-0 and Manchester City lost at Swansea 1-0 so Utd, are one point ahead in the Premier League and Brian’s Everton had a good win over Spurs 1-0.Real Madrid and Barcelona both won away so there is no change at the top in ‘ La Liga ’ Another good result was in the Paris – Nice cycle race over the last week when Bradley Wiggins won, only the second Englishman to win the race- the last was Tom Simpson 45 years ago – his hero, my Dads’ hero and mine ! In the evening Mano and Anna joined us the for the Sunday roast and we then watched with them ‘ The Million Euro Drop ’ and with their help we got more answers right and even guessed the questions !! The still give the money in Pesetas so as to make it look more !! Also above is the picture from Mano and Anna’s house, as promised a few weeks ago of the poet ‘ Lorca ’ We then caught a late film, one that we had not seen before, it starred Jodie Foster as a mother who wakes up on a transatlantic flight to find that her young daughter has gone missing – “ Flightplan ” with Sean Bean as the pilot- don’t miss it – it is very gripping !
PS; The pictures below came in this morning from Melbourne and show how well Jack is looking,the two great grandchildren are Michael and Kelly's ,Deb's son who we last saw when he was about five over in North Wales when Deb came over on a visit from Australia and stayed with Brenda's mum and dad !
..
Thought for the Day;
Ability without control is worthless.
..
.
This weekend the forecast yet again is clear skies, sun and a little breeze; first thing on Friday morning Mano picked us up and we shot across to our bank in Estepona as we needed to collect some cash and also they are now offering very competitive car insurance. David our bank manager was very helpful and also Mano who is an agent for the bank; The bank is now called ‘ Targa Bank ’after a merger and are now offering lots more services. We had one slight hiccup as I had left the Smart car insurance forms in the file when I sold it! We needed it as this was the first time we have had a Spanish Car Insurance and to claim the no-claims bonus we needed proof ! After a bit of a chase round we finally got in touch with our old insurance agents in Colwyn Bay and arranged for the necessary documents to be e-mailed to the bank ! So it was then back to Manilva to meet and collect the keys and documents from the owner who we met in Bodega Augustine ( The Office ) We then set off in the new car down to Sabinillas to do the shopping as you can see in the pictures below. We are parking the car in the underground council car park over the weekend and will reclaim our spot in the small square behind our house next week ! In the evening we treated ourselves to a night out up at Bar Rojas for supper and to give the Chef and his assistant a night off ! Brenda had ‘ Gallo Frito ’with Tomato salad and I had ‘ Huevos Frito with Patatas Fritas ’which is served with fried Garlic Cloves which Brenda loves ! The late classic film was “ Casablanca “ from 1942 – they don’t make films like this now !
On Saturday morning we went out in the car over to Marbella to the car Hypermarket to buy two yellow fluorescent jackets and a breakdown triangle that you are required by law to have along with spare bulbs etc.As we reached the exit the van behind us flashed his lights, I had just felt a small bump, when I looked in the wing mirror I saw that the rear off-side tyre had gone and the sparks were flying ! We limped in the car repair bay which very luckily was not far !! The tires had passed the ITV( MOT ) three months ago but we did realize that we would need to check them before the next one in November – but not so soon ! The law in Spain about tires is that they should match one another front and back – so you have to have two new tires ! We ended up doing a deal and getting a very good rate for four as we thought that we might as well do it now than later !! This also meant that we had a couple of hours to window shop in ‘ La Canadia ’ which is the largest shopping mall on the coast, so we did a little shopping in the food Hypermarket and also called into the new Marks and Spencer’s. On the way back to pick up the car, they are very efficient and tell you when it will be ready, then call and text you at the same time, we stopped for a coffee in a ‘Chringito ’outside the front entrance which is were I took the picture above of the Paella! The car on the way back was a dream with a smoother ride, positive steering and braking- all the result of the new tires! Mano and Anna called in with Fabio after lunch to catch up with the news. Later in the afternoon I watched the Rugby Six Nations from the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff – Wales beat Italy 24-3 and opened up in the second half. Over in England Liverpool lost to Sunderland 1-0 and played terrible. In the evening we had Sirloin Steaks for dinner which we bought earlier at the food Hypermarket with all the trimmings and then settled down to watch the late film – “ The Sum of Fears “ from 2002 with Morgan Freeman and Ben Affleck as a young ‘ Jack Ryan ’ it is a political/action thriller.
Sunday morning after a little lie in we got the roast on the go – Loin of Pork, Brenda prepared all her vegetables and Potatoes and we then had for a change a good old fashioned Prawn Cocktail made with Brenda’s famous Marie Rose sauce! We had bought the Gambas over in Marbella and they were tasty and juicy and large! In the afternoon our friends Peter, Barbara and their children Jake, Megan and Leah called in to help me finalize the installing of the new phone settings as they had last years model of the same phone – so now thanks to Peter I’ am fully operational with Skype Video,Facebook,Googlemail,Sextons Blog,Contacts,Internet and Wi Fi !! Later I watched the Rugby from Paris – England beat the French 22-24 and scored three great tries ! The French missed a penalty kick in the last few second to win the game !! The football over in England was rather exciting as Manchester Utd. beat West Brom 2-0 and Manchester City lost at Swansea 1-0 so Utd, are one point ahead in the Premier League and Brian’s Everton had a good win over Spurs 1-0.Real Madrid and Barcelona both won away so there is no change at the top in ‘ La Liga ’ Another good result was in the Paris – Nice cycle race over the last week when Bradley Wiggins won, only the second Englishman to win the race- the last was Tom Simpson 45 years ago – his hero, my Dads’ hero and mine ! In the evening Mano and Anna joined us the for the Sunday roast and we then watched with them ‘ The Million Euro Drop ’ and with their help we got more answers right and even guessed the questions !! The still give the money in Pesetas so as to make it look more !! Also above is the picture from Mano and Anna’s house, as promised a few weeks ago of the poet ‘ Lorca ’ We then caught a late film, one that we had not seen before, it starred Jodie Foster as a mother who wakes up on a transatlantic flight to find that her young daughter has gone missing – “ Flightplan ” with Sean Bean as the pilot- don’t miss it – it is very gripping !
PS; The pictures below came in this morning from Melbourne and show how well Jack is looking,the two great grandchildren are Michael and Kelly's ,Deb's son who we last saw when he was about five over in North Wales when Deb came over on a visit from Australia and stayed with Brenda's mum and dad !
..
Thought for the Day;
Ability without control is worthless.
..
.
Friday, March 09, 2012
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