MILD AND DRY IN SUNNY MANILVA AT THE START OF THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND;

FRIDAY 3^rd/ JANUARY 2014.

This morning as I walked Brenda down to the bus with Charlie it was a little overcast and trying to rain. This was not forecast on the national news but on the local Andalusia news it was! We are just missing the tail of the Atlantic gale that is hitting the UK, again and the next one heading their way is also not getting to us down on the ‘Coats Del Sol’! In fact the temperature today is up to 20degs and even nicer for the ‘Three Kings’ weekend and into next week.

Brenda is doing the main shop today and is coming back in a taxi as the car is in the garage, no news yet but Mano is calling in on his way home from work to see if there’s any update; and the good news is that the car is ready, it was a small electronic/piston problem that’s he’s fixed ASAP and only charged us the ‘Pensioners’ rate! Mano called and took me down to our bank in Sabinillas – the car is fine and I’ve put it away in the underground car park.

 Brenda’s going to ‘Super Sol’ for our English essentials then ‘Mercadona’ for our regular shop before picking the papers up; when she gets back we will walk down to the local market with both of the dogs to pick up some fresh flowers and on the way back we call into the butchers for our ‘Saturday Night – Steak a la Plancha’

This afternoon Brenda was looking at the 'Carrefour' catalogue that had just come in the letterbox; she spotted in the sale a camera with two/thirds off so we shot across to Estepona and managed to get the last one! It's a " Canon Power Shot A2500" with 16 megapiixeles, Andy is calling around in the morning as you have to download the 'User and Software Guides'!

This evening we are having for our ‘Friday Fish Night’ – ‘ Goujons of Hake in Cruz Campo Batter’ with Tartar sauce, Mushy Peas and crisp twice-cooked diced chips; no roast on Sunday as we are having on Monday for the ‘Three Kings’ celebration a Crown of Roast Turkey with all the trimmings! Mano and Anna are planning to join us as its Mano’s night off.

Over the next few weeks I’ am collaborating with a artist from North Wales, Bedwyr Williams who is working on a project which is rather interesting; he has represented Wales at the ‘Venice Biennale’ and he works on computers with video presentations! He approached us at the beginning of December and since then we have been in contact talking about his project, he is doing a video piece including a computer generated model of the ‘Hotel 70 Degrees’ He has sent me to reviews of his previous works, which look rather interesting, so we are arranging to make contact on the Skype video and I’ am sending him a colour copy that I printed off of the Hotel Brochure, the only one now in existence?!

His plan is to recreate a small part of the hotel’s structure in an art gallery and have the video running inside; the focus of the film would be the Penmaenhead rock including the railway tunnel, the viaduct up to the hotel and so on, it’s completely fictional, his interest is architectural with a surreal theme! He grew up in Old Colwyn and now lives in Caernarfon, his parents still live in Betws yn Rhos and he teaches down in London. He has won awards for Visual Art, has been reviewed in the Guardian and the Saatchi Gallery!

So watch this space for a news update, he plans to credit us in some way and make some prints of the computer model for us to keep! We are going to help by talking about the place, the building/stricture, the decor, memories/stories about the celebrities, the staff etc; his animator is working on the project at the same time.

Tonight after supper we will find a film to watch as it’s the film night on all the channels.

Thought for the Day; See above.

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