A VERY WARM & SUNNY MANILVA ON MONDAY AT THE START OF THE WEEK;

MONDAY 16^th/ AUGUST 2015.

Back to normal this morning as the workmen arrived on site after the bank holiday weekend, we turned over and had a little lie in to start the week off; after our regular breakfast we had our weekly ‘planning’ meeting, it’s a quiet week with no social arrangements, so far, ‘Reina’ is with us as normal on Tuesday & Thursday, we are shopping early on Friday morning – the rest of week is ‘free’ so we are going to relax and basically do nothing!

PS; Daniela has just booked 'Reina' in with us for a week from the 28th December to the 4th January as she and Lee are going on their' Honeymoon' to New York!! Enjoy !!

The sun was out early and the sky is blue, there is just a little breeze making it very pleasant, its getting warmer later -35 degs- overnight 23 degs – the humidity is also creeping back up! The week ahead and over the weekend is getting even hotter, another ‘Helluva’ week here in sunny Manilva down on the ‘Costa Del Sol’

We went for a short walk down to the post office, first, and then called into the ‘Mayor’s vegetable shop for the local Plum Tomatoes to make my famous ‘Tomato Salsa’ – we then called into the local bank in Calle Mar before going down to the butchers to stock up; we are having Baked ‘Pork Chops’ this evening, I also bought some ‘Chicken Burgers & Chicken Wings’ for another day, at the same time I ordered a Boned ‘Shoulder of Lamb’ for the weekend, which he marinates for you in his own recipe!

When we got back to the house I shot up to the office to check out the WWW – one of our main Pensions arrived into our Spanish Bank AC this morning, it was down on last months quite a bit as the ‘Euro’ has dropped a little against last month! Next Monday we have our two yearly Pensions that arrive in our English Bank AC which we then transfer when the Euro is high! Watch this space.

Yesterday on ‘Facebook’ the old pictures of Liverpool it featured the famous “St George’s Hall” on Lime Street; it brought back many happy memories from my childhood growing up, at Grammar School in the city, later going to the Catering College at the top of Bold Street and then working in the city center during the mid 60s at the ‘Stork Hotel’ in Queens Square by the side of it. See below;

Once a year in August each year they uncover the famous “Minton Tile Floor” in the main hall, it is spectacular and when it was first seen in 1850 it was the largest ‘pavement’ of the famous tiles in the World, it is 140 feet long & 72 feet wide and contains over 30,000 tiles made at the pottery in Stoke on Trent. See the picture below.

On one of our first dates when I was ‘courting’ Brenda I took her to see it as then back in the early 70s as it was only on show every ten years back then! “ St George’s Hall” is Grade 1 listed and is one of the finest neo classical building in the World; one fact that not many people don’t know is that it was the first building in the World to be ‘Air Conditioned’ – the unique heating & ventilation system is in the basement - they do now!!

At my time at the ‘Stork Hotel’ I was the youngest Manager ever; I had a large flat opposite the hotel in a old building which was also had more staff accommodation, it overlooked ‘St Johns Gardens’ behind the hall; when the local ‘Assizes’ & later the ‘Crown Court’ was taking place in the ornate court chambers in the hall all the visiting defense & prosecuting QCs stayed at the hotel as well as the circuit Judges!

I used to go across in the afternoon to watch the trials taking place including some famous Liverpool murder cases, by then the death penalty was abolished so the Judge did not put the ‘Black Cap’ on to sentence them! They were first taken down to the cells in the cavernous basement before being transferred to ‘Walton Jail’

There is also a small but exquisite & lavishly decorated circular ‘Concert Hall’ with a Grand Organ, it has round stained glass windows and regularly played host to “Charles Dickens” who had many of his early readings there!!

PS; Speaking of Liverpool, early this morning the " Royal Princess" berthed at the 'Pier Head' with 3,600 passengers; see the pictures below of the ' New Ferry ' !!

Enough culture for now, with the ‘Baked Pork Chops’ this evening we are having a ‘Bouquetiere’ of fresh Vegetables along with some diced boiled Potatoes tossed with cooked diced Red Peppers, Tomato Frito & ‘Pimento Dulce’ ( sweet Paprika powder) – a mild version of ‘Patatas Bravas’! See below;

After supper we will catch up with all the news, sport and weather update before settling down to watch something on the TV after channel hopping.

Thoughts for the Day; See above.

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