A ' CRISP' WARM & SUNNY MANILVA ON MONDAY AT THE START OF THE WEEK.

MONDAY 30^th/ APRIL 2018.

We had a nice lie in this morning after a ‘Helluva’ weekend, after freshening up we treated ourselves to ‘ Toasted Crispy Smoked Bacon Butties’ – smothered in ‘ HP ‘ Brown sauce – open on brown for Brenda, with mugs of strong tea, to start the week is the right direction!

It was then time to sort out the  weeks menu’s, tonight we are having Cold Smoked Ham – topped with  ‘Campo’ Fried Egg with Garden Peas & twice-cooked ‘ Chips’ On Tuesday its ‘Escalope of Chicken Breast ‘ – then on Wednesday, when Kevin & Caroline are joining us for supper we have a three-course ‘ Banquet’ planned, Thursday is going to be ‘Homemade Burgers’ – Friday is ‘ Fish n’ Chip’ night and on Saturday it’s ‘ Steak Night’ – Sunday is still TBC! Watch this space.

This evening we are going down to the local surgery as we have our appointments with the ‘ Chiropodist’ – then on Wednesday it’s supper with the folks, on Friday morning I will be out on my travels, down to Sabinillas for the weekly shopping. On Sunday we have arranged to call Sandra & Bill over in Everett, Ontario, Canada, on the ‘ Skype’ video, for a catch-up and to wish Bill ‘ Happy Birthday’ ( on Friday!)  We have no medical appointments this week, so far!

In ‘ Doggy World Heaven ‘ ‘Charlie’ is back with us tomorrow for another weeks holiday, then on Thursday ‘Chico’ returns for an extended weeks holiday, we are waiting to hear when little princess ‘ Reina’ is with us, no doubt ‘ Chispa’ will be calling in to see all her friends, Watch this space.

This morning the sun has broken through earlier and the sky has cleared and is now bright blue, there is a slight breeze blowing, keeping it a little cooler than normal for this time of the year, reaching by lunchtime,18 degs+ yesterday as we were out & about it turned warm & sunny as we reached Estepona and stayed that way for the rest of the day, this week is now looking dry, cloudy at times and then getting warmer and sunny, as the week goes on , by the weekend we will be back to 21/22 degs+ - next week is now forecast to be dry, warm & sunny, more like is should be for May, hovering on the 22/23 degs mark+ -if not warmer! Watch this space.

Yesterday we picked up Kevin & Caroline from their apartment complex down in Sabinillas, and set off on our travels, along the coast road, past a sparkling ‘ Mediterranean to Estepona, where we stopped at ‘La Terantella’ Bar & Restaurante, on the front, for a very nice glass of their chilled ‘Cava Rose’ garnished with Strawberries, to start the day in the right fashion.

See the pictures below;

We then made our way to ‘ Kokomo’ for our  ‘Sunday Roast Lunch’ - as we arrived we had a nice glass of their chilled ‘ Cava Rose ‘ . we the ordered from the menu, to start we all had the ‘ House’ Prawn Cocktail topped with fresh Crab, then we all had their excellent ‘ Roast Sirloin of Beef’ – on the ‘ Rare’ side, with Yorkshire Pudding, Goose-Fat Roast Potatoes and the rich house Gravy/Jus Roti, with a selection of ‘ Crisp’ Vegetables and New Potatoes, for our dessert Brenda had their excellent and large ‘ Cheese Board’ Caroline had the ‘ Eaton Mess Cheese Cake’ and Kevin & I had the Apple Crumble with Custard and Ice Cream!

See the pictures below;

I ordered a bottle of a excellent value ‘White Verdejo Rueda’- from the ‘ Castilla y Leon’ Region of Northern Spain, to go with our starters, it has strong fruit & intense aromas, to go with the ‘Roast Beef’ I choose the ‘ Red Ribera del Duero ‘ from the same region, fruity & smoky, it matures in the glass and is the ‘ In’ wine to have with ‘Roast’ meats!

On the way back we called into the ‘H10 Estepona Palace ‘ for a nice cook drink, sat on the terrace overlooking Gibraltar and the mountains of Africa, I favourite ‘stopping-off’ place of all of us, we introduced the folks to it on their last visit, we then carried on down the coast and showed Kevin & Caroline around the village and then up the mountain of ‘ La Paloma’ – before going to back to their apartment for a final drink, a ‘ Helluva’ day, out & about on the ‘ Costa Del Sol’ – as the sun came out and breeze dropped a little.

PS; The pictures will follow later as I have a technical problem with the camera/ computer lead, watch this space!

Thoughts for the Day;  See above.

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A VERY, COLD, OVERCAST AND WET DAY IN SUNNY MANILVA ON MONDAY AT THE START OF THE WEEK.

MONDAY 8^th/ JANUARY 2018.

Just a little lie in this morning as we had to get things on the go, for the week ahead, after a quick freshen up we had our normal breakfast of ‘ Weetabix’ toast & tea, we then wrapped up and braved the elements, it’s cold & damp this morning, with a slight breeze, we shot down to the ‘Medical Centre’ in Sabinillas and have started the process to make appointments with our Doctor, Natalia, later in the week, we are waiting for the transfer forms to be processed, watch this space.

SUNDAY 7^th/ JANUARY 2018.

Yesterday we smartened ourselves up and shot across to Puerto Banus to meet Joyce ( Baby) and go along to ‘ Kokomo’ for their excellent  ‘ Sunday Roast Lunch’ – we had a good long catch up with all her news and brought her up to date with all ours, as usual the lunch was spot on, we all had the ‘Prawn & Crab Cocktail’ to start, Joyce had the seared Salmon resting on Asparagus Spears with the classic ‘ Hollandaise’ sauce and we both had the ‘ Roast Sirloin of Beef ‘ ( Med-Rare) with Yorkshire Pudding resting on Goose Fat Roast potatoes, a sauceboat of rich ‘Jus-Roti’ on the side, accompanied with a fine selection of fresh vegetables, ‘ Al dente ‘ Carrots, Broccoli, Mange Tout , Peas etc,  & Baby New Potatoes.

For dessert the girls had the Cheese Board & I had the ‘ Toffee Cheesecake’ with Toffee Ice Cream and Salted Caramel sauce, glasses of the House Cava Rosado to start, the ‘Chilean’ Sauvignon Blanc and then the Australian’ Rosemont’ Shiraz to follow, all helped the meal along, the restaurant was busy, as usual, and the lady  ‘House’ singer  was in fine voice!

A very enjoyable lunch with excellent company, Joyce is returning home to Chester on Friday and is back towards the end of February.

Overnight, as forecasted, the rain arrived in true style, as I have said before, when it rains in Spain, it ‘ RAINS ‘! This morning it’s grey, cold & overcast and ‘ Damp’ -  it’s only going to reach 11 degs by lunchtime, down to 5/6 degs overnight, the coldest we have had to endure down here on the ‘ Costa Del Sol’ since we arrived down here all those years ago! Tomorrow is staying the same and then the rest of the week and over the weekend is picking up a little and keeping dry, at the moment, watch this space.

See below the storm clouds over the ‘Mediterranean’ this morning, down in Sabinillas and a very wet 'Puerto de la Duquesa'

In ‘ Doggy World Heaven ‘ this week we have ‘ Chico’ joining us tomorrow morning for 7/8 days, then on Wednesday little princess ‘ Reina ‘ is back for her normal three days.

This evening for our supper we are having ‘ Grilled Gammon Steaks’ topped with seared Pineapple Rings and ‘ Campo’ Fried Eggs, with Garden Peas and twice-cooked ‘ Chips’ – ‘HP Brown sauce on the side! On Tuesday we are going to have ‘ Escalope’s’ of Chicken Breast and then on Wednesday it’s going to be ‘Braised Slices of Entrecote of Beef’ in a rich ‘ Red Wine, Onion & Shallot Mushroom salsa, Thursday is ‘ left-over’s night, Friday will be a ‘ Fish’ supper and then on Saturday it’s ‘ Steak Night’ – Sundays ‘ Roast’ is TBC, watch this space.

On Saturday evening after supper we watched the next two episodes, back to back, of the excellent French Crime Drama series ( Sub-titles!) “ Spiral “- very gripping, with three story lines coming together, last night we caught the next episode of the new series “ McMafia “ - with a classic twist at the end! Watch this space.

Thoughts for the Day ;  See above.

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A VERY HOT & SUNNY MANILVA ON SUNDAY.

SUNDAY 23^rd/ JULY 2017.

Another little lie in was called for this morning after a ‘ Helluva’ night out yesterday evening, more later. After freshening up we had our breakfast of ‘ Weetabix’ fresh fruit, toast & tea to start the day in the right direction. We are taking things very easy today, building up our strength for the week ahead!

We are in for a ‘ hot one’ today, the sun was out early and the sky is bright blue, there is no breeze so by lunchtime it will reach 32/33 degs+ Next week is also going to be very hot & sunny, hovering in the mid 30s, watch this space.

The Council workmen started to erect the awning & lights along ‘Calle Mar’ yesterday morning and carried on until the late afternoon, they have reached the top of our street and so will finish the job on Monday.

See below the awning starting to take shape.

We went up to ‘ Bar Rojas ‘ before it all started happening so we had a nice table right in front of the Town Hall with the stage and catwalk in front of us, the show started at around 9-30 pm with all the families sat around the stage, clapping and shouting as the all the model’s paraded, it started with summer fashions and then went onto the ‘Flamenco’ costumes, it’s all recorded by ‘Manilva TV’ and introduced by one of their presenters.

See above all the pictures from last night show;

We then moved on to  ‘ Bar Castillo’ for our light ‘ Tapas’ supper, we just managed to grab a table before all the families came along, with all the children, for their supper as well, by then it was 11-00 pm on a warm/balmy evening, the village and all the bars were full.

Juan recommended we have the ‘Empanada’ that Paqui has just made, her version is made with ‘Ham, Cheeses and a Onion Confit’- the classic ‘Galician’ dish it with Tuna, she bakes it a large tray with the layers of the ‘Semi- Puff Pastry’ – it’s delicious, she also had just made a ‘ Solomillo of Pork’ in a creamy pepper sauce, again delicious and finally Brenda had a small slice of ‘Grilled Salmon’ on Fresh ‘Tapas Bread’ as we sat taking in the sights, sounds & aromas of sunny Manilva, Carlos with his son, Fabio, came along and joined us, he was out walking the dog, we had a good catch up.

See below the ‘ Empanada & Pork ‘

Ar lunchtime we ended up back at ' Bar Castillo ' for a cool drink and some more Tapas, Mano came along and joined us, then Anna, Carlos, Tom & Aisha also joined us for a drink, Mano is arranging a friend to come and do some work for us, we need the bathroom tiles re-grouted ASAP! Watch this space.

This evening we are having for our supper a large  ‘Entrecote Steak’ grilled on a very hot griddle plate ‘ Med-Rare’ then left to rest before slicing it into fingers ‘ French’ style, with ‘Bearnaise’ sauce on the side, garnished with seared Asparagus Spears & Button Mushrooms, finely sliced Green Beans and twice-cooked ‘ Stringfellow’ Frits!

We will be watching the final Stage 21of the ‘Tour De France ‘ early this evening as it enters Paris from Montgeron over a easy 100 kms with 10/12 circuits around the ‘Champs-Elysees’- yesterday Chris Froome beat all his rivals in the Time Trial and is now the overall winner in the ‘Yellow ‘ jersey for the third consecutive time and the fourth in his career, by tradition the leader is not attacked on the final processional stage.


See the map and route below;

After supper we will catch the next episode of ‘Poldark’

Thoughts for the Day; See above.

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A WARM AND VERY PLEASANT SUNNY MANILVA ON SATURDAY;

SATURDAY 17^th / SEPTEMBER 2016.

We managed a little lie in this morning, we had a lady calling in to see us with her dog, Jane with ‘Pax’ from Sotogrande, Jan ( Charlie) has recommended her to us, she is going home to Canada for 4 weeks, she has had a bad experience with kennels, ‘ Pax’ is a ‘ Waterdog’ and is a little older then ‘ Charlie’ is also deaf! He’s a lovely dog and will be no problem to look after, he’s joining us here in ‘ Doggy World Heaven’ for four weeks in October/November, Jane and her husband are going home to Nova Scotia, Canada to see family & friends.

Next week ‘ Reina’ is with us for just three days from Wednesday as Daniela & Lee have gone away for a long weekend for Lee’s birthday, ‘Scruffy’ is back with us on Monday as Adrian & Rose have an appointment at the hospital. Brenda has her appointment with our Doctor on Tuesday morning for her six month check up and all the results of the tests etc, she then is down in Sabinllas on Thursday at her hairdressers for a quick shampoo, cut & style!

Next Saturday it’s my birthday so we are going out for supper to our favourite ‘ Restaurante Macues’ in Puerto Duquesa, then the following Sunday we are going out with Daniela & Lee to ‘ Kokomo’ to celebrate both our birthdays!!

We have a lovely day here in sunny Manilva, the sun is out, the sky is blue and there is a little breeze making it very pleasant, next week is looking fine and settled, for the time of the year, the nights are cooler making it more comfortable to sleep, the holiday ‘ Masses' ’ have gone and everywhere is back to normal, the village is very quiet and peaceful, its’ our favourite time of the year! See below ' Good Morning Liverpool' with St,Johns Tower in the background! 

For our supper this evening we are having ‘ Grilled Fillet Steaks’ cooked on a very hot griddle plate ‘ Med-Rare’ – then left to rest – garnished with sautéed Button Mushrooms & ‘ French Fried ‘ Onion rings ( Milk & Flour ) – on the side seared Asparagus Spears, whole fine Green Beans and of course some twice-cooked ‘ Frits’ Dijon Mustard to taste! See below:

Tomorrow night it’s going to be ‘ Baked English Pork Chops’ with glazed Apple slices, local Cabbage & my famous ‘ Lyonnaise Potatoes’

Over in the UK in the  ‘ Premiere League ’ today Manchester City welcome Bournemouth & Everton are at home to Middlesbrough, last night Liverpool went down on the train to play Chelsea and won 1-2, they played ‘ Total’ football for the first time under the new manager Klopp; see below. 

Here in ‘ La Liga’ Real Madrid welcome on Sunday Espanyol and today Barcelona travel to newly promoted ‘Leganes’ for the first time in their 88 year history, their stadium to the south of Madrid only holds 8.138 fans!! It’s the ‘ Singapore Grand Prix’ this weekend, Lewis Hamilton had engine problems yesterday in practising, watch this space.

Last night after supper we watched ‘ Would I Lie to You ‘ then ‘ Joanna Lumley’s Japan’ followed by ‘ Mock the Week’ and finally a old episode on ‘ New Tricks’ – channel hopping at its finest!!

Thoughts for the Day; See above.

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A VERY CRISP & SUNNY MANILVA ON FRIDAY AT THE START OF THE 'BANK HOLIDAY ' WEEKEND.

FRIDAY 26^th / FEBRUARY 2016.

After ‘Reina’ arrived for the last time this week we had our normal breakfast then after getting Brenda settled I shot out on my travels down to Sabinillas for the weekly shopping, I called into the bank for some cash and then stopped at the ‘English Bookshop’ for the local newspapers, next it was a small shop in Mercadona before calling into the ‘Wholesale’ Fruit & Vegetables Market, finally I called into ‘Super Sol’ for some English essentials.

At the moment the threatened rain has not hit us, its very crisp & sunny with a little breeze but still a fine day, the short drive back up through the vine fields was very pleasant, they are burning off last years branches as the prune right back the old ground vines, its still forecast for wet, cold and windy over the weekend, then on the ‘Bank Holiday Monday’ its going to be fine and sunny.

Its soup at lunchtime then for this evenings supper we are having ‘Grilled Fillets of Hake’ dusted in flour and finished with ‘Lemon Butter’- Broccoli Florets and some very nice Baby New Potatoes that I bought earlier, tomorrow its going to be ‘Entrecote Steak’ cut ‘French Style’ with fine Green Beans and ‘Frits’ – on Sunday we are having ‘Scouse’ as its ‘ Global Scouse Day’!!

We are of course having a very easy and relaxing weekend with no singing or dancing as the rest of the village goes mad on Sunday for the “ Dia de Andalucia “ Tomorrow we will watch various sports and then ‘Channel Hop’ for a good film, the same on Sunday but no doubt we will listen to all the singing, dancing and drinking along ‘Calle Mar’ - the two stages, that the Council workmen have just finished, will have bands after the formal ceremony at lunchtime, they have even washed down the street?! If it does rain we suppose that they will transfer down to the ‘Pabellon’


See below the famous " The Flying Scotsman " as it leaves London on its way to York yesterday on its inaugural journey after a multi million pound refit, the 'A3 Pacific 4-6-2' was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and back in 1934 it broke the 100 mph barrier for the first time!

                                                                    " Full Steam Ahead "

Thoughts for the Day; See above.

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