THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY FROM A VERY SUNNY MANILVA;

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A VERY WARM & SUNNY MANILVA ON THURSDAY. " DIA DE CORPUS CHRISTI "

THURSDAY 31^st MAY 2018.

We had a nice lie in this morning, as the village and our street was very quiet, the ‘ Contractors’ workmen are clearing away all the mess, doing the last touches to the flag stones etc, we are now waiting to see how it is finished, outside the Town Hall they have just put up four new flag poles on the front of the building, all the Bars ( 6) have their Tables, Chairs & Umbrellas out ( White!)

See below ‘ Bar Rojas and the Town Hall ‘ this morning.

After freshening up we had our normal light breakfast of toast & tea as we sorted out the shopping list for tomorrow morning, when I’m out on my travels down to Sabinillas.  ‘ Chispa’ came calling early, she will be very happy next week when ‘Paddy’ arrives on Monday lunchtime for  (two months!) holiday. ‘Reina’ is also back with us on Monday for three days! ‘ Doggy World Heaven’ is back to normal! 

  

I have just been along the local Bank in ‘Calle Mar’ for some cash, the sun was out first thing this morning and the sky is clear and bright blue, as you can see above, it was already warm, there is just a very slight breeze, so by lunchtime it will hotter and reach 26/27 degs+ - the rest of the week and over the weekend it will be hovering in the mid 20s, next week is now looking dry, settled, warm & sunny, getting hotter as the week goes on, reaching nearly 30 degs at times, it’s looking very good for next Thursday when our dear friends Jason & Donna are here with us in sunny Manilva for the day/ night! Watch this space.

Yesterday afternoon I popped across to the local Hospital in Estepona for my appointment with the ‘ Trauma Consultant ‘ She was very thorough and gave me a good check over and re-viewed all my records/medications etc, she then checked my ‘Dodgy’ left-hand and confirmed that it’s ‘ Arthritis ‘ caused by ‘ Tendinitis’ – she then started me on a course of ‘ Cortisone ‘ injections (2) in the palm of my hand, I’ve to go back in six weeks time for more injections and then will be re-viewed for more if necessary, watch this space.

This evening for our supper we are having ‘ Omelettes of Choice ‘ – Brenda is having Cheese ( grated Cheddar & Parmesan) and I’m having “ Omelette Parmentier “ – diced  Crispy Smoked Bacon & cooked Potato – with a little selection of fresh vegetables and some hand-cut, twice-cooked ‘ Stringfellows’ in the ‘Basket’! Both Omelettes have the ingredients folded in, not added before cooking, before the Omelette is tuned out/over onto a warm plate and shaped.

This evening we will be channel hopping to find something to watch, next week there are some new series starting/returning, as at the moment, all the main channels are very un-interesting, with at times only documentaries on animals, nature, flowers etc!

Thoughts for the Day; See above.

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THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY FROM A VERY SUNNY MANILVA;

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A VERY WARM & SUNNY MANILVA ON WEDNESDAY.

WEDNESDAY 30^th/ MAY 2018.

I was up first this morning to see little princess ‘ Reina’ back with us for the day, she went into her duvet for the rest of the morning, next week she is back with us for 3 days from Monday, yesterday she met ‘ Paddy’ when he called in with some of his stuff, they got on very well, he’s arriving on Monday lunchtime, for his extended 2 month holiday. Today he’s at the local groomers having his ‘ summer’ cut, so he will be looking a little different when he arrives!

See him below, at home, before he went for his ‘ trim & cut’!

I then shot down to ‘ Mercadona’ in Sabinillas to top up some goods for our supper this evening, when Lee is joining us. When I returned we had ‘ Toasted Crispy Smoked Bacon Butties’ – smothered in ‘ HP’ Brown sauce, open on Brown, as usual, for Brenda, with mugs of hot tea.

I then prepared my famous ‘ Beef, Mushroom, Onion & Vegetable Casserole ‘ – using sliced ‘Irish’ Beef for a change!  – the Beef is dusted in seasoned flour and browned off, I sliced & sautéed the Onions and layered them with the Beef in a large casserole dish,  I then made the sauce with diced Onions, Garlic, Leeks, Celery, Carrots & Turnips, all ‘sweated-off’ in a glug of Brenda’s Red Wine, with a good dash of ‘Lee & Perrins’ & Tabasco and a large spoon of ‘Tomato Frito’- before adding the rich Beef & Vegetables stock, leaving it to simmer, I then adjusted the taste and consistency before coating the ‘Beef & Onions’ in the casserole dish, ready to go in the oven this evening.

The ‘ Vegetable Chef’ meanwhile was preparing ‘ Broccoli & Cauliflower Florets’ in a three- Cheese sauce, Whole French Green Beans, GLlazed Carrot Batons & Garden Peas, as well as her famous ‘ Mashed Potato’ – this evening I’m also preparing, as a garnish “ Hasselback Potatoes’ –  a selected Potato in it’s washed skin ,sliced, resting on a large spoon, so as the cut dosn’t go through all the way! – then seasoned and ‘ roasted ‘ in the hot oven with ‘Goose Fat & Oil – until cooked, crisp & brown! We are having some light ‘ Tapas’ to start and ‘Apple Tort’ for the dessert.


At lunchtime we went up to ' Bar Rojas' for a nice cool drink & Tapas, as we were sat under the new umbrellas, Mario, the Mayor, our neighbour, came out of the 'Town Hall' - he confirmed that there will be seating, waste bins and trees(?) - as well as awnings, along the new ' Calle Mar ' - this morning the ' Contractors' workmen have finished laying all the flag stones and have started to seal the central walkway with weather-proof paint, it only remains to enquire what colour the street lights will be, Golden/Yellow, which we prefer or White which we don't like ! -  as there are a lot more lamp posts than before!


See the picture below;

This afternoon I’m going across to the local Hospital in Estepona as I have an appointment with a ‘ Trauma Consultant ‘ for a re-view/diagnosis on my ‘Dodgy’ left-hand. On my way back I’m calling into the ‘Hypermarket- Carrefour ‘ to pick up a nice bottle of Pink Champagne, for when Jason & Donna are with us next Thursday, watch this space.

The sun was already out, above the ‘ Mediterranean’ this morning as I shot down through the vine fields to Sabinillas, the sky was clear and there was just a light breeze, by lunchtime it going to be 24/25 degs+ . over the next few day and into the weekend it’s going hotter, with sunshine everyday, reaching 28 degs+ - overnight up to 18/19 degs! Meanwhile over in Australia they are in the middle of an ‘ icy-blast’ – we have just arranged to speak to Jack, Lyn & Debs, who is visiting the folks, on the ‘ Skype’ video in the next half-hour. Watch this space.

We had a nice long catch up with all Jack & Lyn’s news over in Melbourne, as their ‘ Winter’ starts to hit them! They are both very well and full of the joys, as usual!

PS: Just a quick reminder to all our family & friends all over the World, that when you are out & about, to try and send us a ‘Post Card’ from wherever you have been visiting! We will sent you one back from Sunny Manilva down here on the ‘ Costa Del Sol ‘ – promise!!

Thoughts for the Day;   See above.

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THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY FROM SUNNY MANILVA;

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A WARM & SUNNY MANILVA ON TUESDAY.

TUESDAY 29^th/ MAY 2018.

I was up first this morning to see little princess ‘ Reina’ back with us for the day, she shot upstairs, as usual, and joined Brenda on the bed for a little lie in before going into her duvet for the rest of the morning, we then freshened up and had a quick toast & tea before going down to Sabinillas to the main ‘ Medical Centre’ for Brenda’s appointment with our Doctor, Natalia, I shot along to ‘McGuiness’ Irish Bar ‘ for a ‘ Bacon & Egg Bap ‘ with a mug of strong tea!

Brenda then called to say that she was not there, there was a relief Doctor, so she has re-arranged her appointment for next Monday morning, watch this space.

This morning the sun has broken through, earlier than yesterday, and the sky is clearing as there is a light breeze, keeping it a little cooler in the shade, by lunchtime it will be hovering on the 21/22 degs+ mark,  over the next few days it’s staying the same, getting warmer at times, the weekend is also looking dry, settled and warmer, in the mid 20s, next week on most of the forecasts it’s now showing sunny & bright weather for all the week, in the high 20s+! I use three forecasts as well as the main ‘ TVE 1’ to make the weather Blog as accurate as possible!

See below the famous “ Laburnum Arch “ in full bloom, at ‘ Bodnant Gardens ‘ in the Conwy valley, North Wales.

Next week on Thursday is when our very old friends Jason & Donna, from the ‘Wirral Peninsula’ are flying in, we have booked then into the ‘Master Suite’ at ‘ Bar Ocana’ in Calle Mar, for the night, we are going to welcome them to sunny Manilva with a nice glass of ‘ Rose Champagne’ at ‘ Casa Sexton’ – then pop along to the ‘Sotogrande Marina’ for a light ‘ Tapas’ lunch at the famous ‘ K ‘ Bar – in the evening we have booked a window table at our favourite ‘ Celebration’ restaurant ‘ Restaurante Macues’ down in the ‘Puerto de la Duquesa Marina’ On Friday morning they are moving along the coast back to ‘La Cala’ for a friends 50^th birthday celebrations.

We are looking forward to a good catch up with all their news, the last time we saw them was when they were married nearly 28 years ago! They have two daughters now living & working in Auckland, New Zealand, where Donna was born. We were great friends with his parents Bill & Stella, and have known Jason, his brother Richard & sister Rachel, for nearly 50 years, back in the old days at the famous ‘ Bridge Inn’ in Port Sunlight, on the Wirral, where of course I met and then married ‘Lady’ Brenda !! 

See below;

For our supper this evening we are having ‘ Grilled Gammon Steaks ‘ from the ‘English Butchers’ in Puerto de la Duquesa, topped with seared Pineapple Rings & ‘ Campo’ Fried Eggs, with Broccoli Florets & Garden Peas and of course some twice-cooked ‘ Frits ‘

On Wednesday evening Lee is now joining us for supper, as Daniela is away on business over in the ‘UK’- when it’s going to be ‘Braised Steak in a Mushroom & Onion Salsa’ with Brenda’s famous ‘ Mashed Potato’ and a selection of fresh local ‘Vegetables’ that she bought from the local ‘Market Garden’ shop at the start of ‘Calle Mar’ this morning, on our back from the Medical Centre.

The ‘ Contractors’ workmen are finishing laying the small central flag stones, down to the main junction, this morning, then all we need is all the ‘ finishing touches ‘ to be completed ‘ ASAP’  - when the new ‘ Calle Mar’ will then look spectacular! Watch this space.


See below the proposed development back in 2016, with trees & palms, seats and waste bins etc !?

This afternoon ‘Paddy’ is now calling in with some of his ‘ stuff’ as he’s due to join us in ‘ Doggy World Heaven ‘ next Monday for his two-month extended holiday, ‘Reina’ is here and will no doubt welcome him as will ‘ Chispa’ when she come crashing in to see her friends! Watch this space.

This evening after supper we will be channel hopping to find something to watch.

Thoughts for the Day;  See above.

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" THREE FESTIVALS TALL SHIPS REGATTA " OVER IN LIVERPOOL THIS WEEKEND.

                                                                                                    And ' HMS Somerset '

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