SUNNY AND A EVEN HOTTER MANILVA AT THE START OF THE WEEKEND.

FRIDAY 19^th JULY 2013.

We have just come back from the shopping down in Sabinillas,I called into the bank, Brenda went into the vegetable shop and we then did our Spanish shopping in ‘Mercadona’ and English shopping in ‘Super Sol’- picked up the newspapers and posted a card to North Wales and got a 60^th birthday for somebody local?! Finally we found a small paint pot for Brenda’s painting adventure later.

After un-packing Brenda went down to the local market for some fresh flowers and I went around to our butchers for our Saturday night steak; this evening we are having some fresh local ‘Fillets of Sea Bass’ dusted in seasoned flour and pan-fried in foaming Lemon Butter with a Provencal sauce on the side and Sauté Potatoes.

Last night Brenda spoke to Lyn and Jack over in Runcorn where they are staying with Norah; they fly back to Melbourne this evening at 9-00pm and arrive home at 7-30am on Sunday, we wish them a safe and peaceful journey, we will call them next week on Skype after they have had a chance to recuperate from the flight back!

This afternoon I will be watching the ‘Tour de France’ stage 19 which a mountainous stage from ‘Bourg-D’Oigans to ‘Le Grand-Bornard which a village in the ‘Haut Savoyard’ region nestling by the foot of ‘Mont Blanc’ – it looks like the toughest stage so far and after yesterdays excitement of Froome suffering the ‘Hunger Knock’ and both he and Porte being docked the standard 20-second penalty for taking on food in the last 20kms! The Team sky car had broken down earlier!! Today Froome must keep Nario Quintana,the Colombian  rider in his first tour, at arm’s length across FIVE brutal climbs including the ‘Col de la Madeleine’ He has emerged as a future tour contender after his racing over the mountain stages as he has made time on Froome!

Today's stage was the second victory in this years tour for the rider from Portugal Rui Costa, Chris Froome moved closer to victory after finishing with his nearest rivals,the only excitement came on the last climb when the heavens opened making the fast descent very dangerous - but he held on with the help once again of his team mate Richie Porte.

Last night late on I caught another session from the ‘Bluescazorla Festival’ 2013 – this time it was a act new to me, a Blues guitarist called ‘Otis Grand’ He is known as the ‘Gentle Giant’ and lives and works in England, he was born in the Lebanon and come from the USA – he is the ‘UK Blues Guitarist of the Year’ and he ‘ROCKS’!! One of the songs he did a version of was ‘Pretend’ which I first heard when the original version was sung by Nat King Cole on vinyl! Later Gerry and the Pacemakers covered it and all my old school friends in their band ‘The Dennisons’ back in the 60s ‘Liverpool sound’ used to open their set with it!!

Thought for the Day’ See above.

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