A VERY PLEASANT SUNNY MANILVA AND ESTEPONA ON WEDNESDAY.

WEDNESDAY 2^nd/ OCTOBER 2019.  “ CANADA WEEK DAY FOUR “ 

We all had a well deserved lie in this morning after a very exciting start to the weeks celebrations, down in the villa on Manilva Beach, all the folks are back, up and running, they have all been swimming in the ‘Mediterranean’ as well as in the two sea-water pools by the villa, there has been a report, unconfirmed, of some ‘ Skinny-Dipping’!!

We had for our breakfast my now famous ‘ Toasted Crispy Smoked Bacon Butties’ – open on brown for Brenda, with mugs of tea to set us up for another day down here on the ‘Costa Del Sol’

The sun has slowly broken through and as there is a stiffer, cooling, welcome breeze, the sky is now clear & blue, by lunchtime reaching 27 degs+ - overnight hovering on the 18/19 degs mark, staying like this for the rest of week, going a little warmer as the breeze drops, perfect for the time of the year, watch this space.

As I have been typing/posting all the updated 'Blogs' I have been listening, as usual,  to ' Castle Radio FM 89.2 & Online on the WWW' I got the ' Music Quiz' five second burst/track, it was 'Adele' with ' Skyfall ' -  so I'm in the weekly draw on Friday morning, at the same time there was another ' Quiz Question' which I also got right - 'Herman's Hermits' so I have won a brand new 'CD'! 

We are taking things today, recharging the batteries, as the ‘Clan’ ( all 8) have gone off across to Estepona to take in the sights and sounds of the old town etc, Sandra & Bill are now ‘old-hands’ going around the various spots that we have shown them in the past!

This evening we are meeting Sandra & Bill  down at one of our regular restaurants “ La Choza “ for supper, where I have just booked a table! Watch this space.

Thoughts for the Day; See above.

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A WARM & SUNNY MANILVA ON WEDNESDAY.

WEDNESDAY 28^th/ AUGUST 2019.

We managed a nice lie in this morning, our first with no dogs with us in ‘Doggy World Heaven’  for a long time!  After freshening up we had our usual light breakfast of ‘Weetabix’ with sliced Banana, in cold milk, for me, Brown toast and fresh fruit for Brenda, with our mugs of ‘ PG’ Tips hot/strong tea, little ‘ Chispa’ called in to see before breakfast. ’Scruffy is back with us tomorrow evening for a sleep-over.

This morning the sun broke through earlier this morning, there is a light breeze and the sky has cleared with just a few clouds hanging around, by lunchtime it’s due to reach 27 degs+ - overnight still in the low 20s, tomorrow with could have a little of the ‘ wet-stuff’ – just before it all kicks off for the ‘ Vendemia Wine Festival ‘ weekend! It will be hovering at around 27/28 degs+ up to the start of next week, then we could be in for a little bit of unsettled weather, as the breeze stiffens, down to 25 degs+ with the chance of more ‘Rain’ at times, watch this space.

Today is a rather special birthday, Liverpool is 812 years old!  King John, back in 1207, on today’s date,  gave the ‘Letters Patent’ that granted the ‘ Charter’ for “ Lurpul “ – see below the original document!

And this morning!

This evening for our supper we are having the rest of the ‘ Gammon Steaks’ as the two were very large, so we cut each one in half, I will grill it as usual with seared sliced Pineapple Rings and garnished with seared Button Mushrooms, this time with Baked Potatoes and a little Mixed Salad, tomorrow evening as the staff have been given the night off, we are going out on the town ( village) as usual, for a light ‘ Tapas’ supper and some nice cool drinks, along to Bar Castillo’ after ‘ Scruffy’ has been dropped off, he knows it well as Adrian & Rose are also regular customers and will join us!

Last night after supper we watched the final episode of the excellent “ Keeping Faith “ with Eve Myles in the title role, in a powerful and nail-biting ending, as she sorted her complicated family and work life out. It turned out the wife of the farmer that was shot, who Faith defended, did kill him, after her young son gave the game away, Faith’s husband, along with his interfering mother, was chucked out of the house after Faith found out that he was having an affair with the lady gangster as well as being mixed up in ‘People Smuggling ‘ Drugs, Blackmail  etc, including hiding a dead body in the sands of South Wales” – the Irish Lady gangster killed her husband’s brother and then escaped on a light aircraft into the sunset, meanwhile Faith put on hold her love affair with Steve, as he said ‘ I’ll be there for you when you’re ready’!

Tomorrow I will update the details of the second episode of the very gripping and this week’s brutal “ Peaky Blinders’ as the ‘ Billy Boys’ from Glasgow strike!

See below the actual 'Billy Boys' !  Their favourite weapon was the 'Razor Blade' in their caps, the same as the 'Peaky Blinders' - later both 'Gangs' used the ' Thompson Machine Gun ' !! 

Thoughts for the Day;  See above.

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A STILL WARM & SUNNY MANILVA ON THURSDAY.

THURSDAY 22^nd/ AUGUST 2019.

We had a little lie in this morning after another very hot, sleepless night, after a quick freshen up we took ‘ Chico’ &  ‘Pucci ‘for their first walk of the day, they have both slept all night, ‘Chico’ under our bed and ‘Pucci’ downstairs on the settees, ‘Chico’ was then picked up by his Dad, Lee, as we sat on a bench in ‘ Calle Mar’ – we are already missing him, ‘Pucci’ is due to be collected tomorrow morning, then in the afternoon ‘ Sunny’ is back with us in ‘Doggy World Heaven ‘ for the weekend, of course little ‘ Miss Bella’ is with us on Monday/Tuesday as usual, then next Thursday ‘ Scruffy’ is here for a sleep-over!

Back at the house I treated myself to a  ‘Toasted Crispy Smoked Bacon Butties’ – smothered in ‘ HP’ Brown sauce - just Brown toast for Brenda, with mugs of strong ‘PG’ Tips Tea, to start the day in the right direction, we have a lazy day at home, taking things very easy, as the ‘staff’ have been given the day off! Brenda, as usual, is pottering and I’m up in the office/studio on the ‘WWW’ before I type/post today’s Blog.

This morning there is a stiff breeze blowing up from the Mediterranean ( Levante) – so the clouds have cleared and the sun was out early, by lunchtime it’s due to reach 27 degs+ - tomorrow and over the weekend we are in for more of the same, keeping the ‘ Feria de Sabinillas just right, no too hot! On Monday, on one of the forecasts, it’s showing moderate to heavy rain for the first four days of next week, as a new front is blowning in, still hovering in the high 20s, overnight also still warm, on all the other forecasts it’s showing dry & sunny, with patchy clouds, along with a light breeze, by next Thursday back up to 28 degs+ - just in time for the start of the ‘ Vendemia Wine Festival ‘ weekend starting on Friday, watch this space.

This evening as the ‘ staff’ have the night off, we are hitting the town ( village ) again, we will go along to ‘ Bar Castillo’ to sit outside in the shade and take in the cooler evening air, with nice cool drinks and later a light ‘ Tapas’ supper, watching as the ‘World’ passes us by!

Last night after supper we watched the second episode of “ Deep Water “ as the tangled lives of the three married women, all from different backgrounds/lifestyles, from poor to rich, now, living in Windermere, got even more complicated, with a missing schoolgirl daughter, a skint physiotherapist- being paid by a rich man, for her ‘company’ and the ‘Kennel Lady’ having illicit bathroom sex, with the husband of the sister of one of the women, watch this space.

                                                                                " Kennel, Rich & Skint Ladies "!

 

Thoughts for the Day; See above.

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A VERY WARM & SUNNY MANILVA ON TUESDAY.

TUESDAY 9^th/ JULY 2019.

Brenda was first up this morning to see little ‘ Miss Bella’ back with us for the day, she’s being collected later this evening, this afternoon ‘ Scruffy’ is with us for a few hours, I then shot down to the main ‘Medical Centre’ in Sabinillas and managed to get an appointment with our Doctor, Natalia, for later this afternoon, for a review/check up, when I returned we had our usual fresh fruit, toast & tea. Watch this space.

Overnight the breeze has dropped, the sun was out early and the sky is clear and bright blue, by lunchtime it’s due to reach 29 degs+ - with the light breeze keeping it pleasant in the shade, the rest of the week is staying the same, hovering in the high 20s, as the breeze drops, by Sunday back up to 33 degs+ - overnight only dropping to 21/22 degs, next week is forecast to be a ‘ Hot-One’ – watch this space.

See below some pictures of the ‘Roman Baths’ of ‘ Hedionda’  in the valley below the village, the sulphur spring comes from the limestone outcrop above the valley, the cool ‘ murky’ waters are health giving and the alluvial mud can be used as face packs and poulitices, back in 60/63 BC – no less a person than ‘Julius Caesar’ is said to have cured himself of a skin infection by bathing here!

On the sports from later today; the Tennis from Wimbledon is starting to get exciting as it reaches the ‘ Quarter Final ‘ stages, over at the ‘ Tour de France’ today’s ‘Stage 4’ starts in the city of Reims, the ‘capital’ of the ‘ Champagne’ region, and ends in Nancy ( 214 kms)

A little memory from Liverpool, the ‘ Chinatown ‘ area, in the south of the City, is the ethnic enclave home of the oldest Chinese community in Europe, the ‘ Paifang’ on Nelson Street is the largest, multi-span arch of its kind outside China, it was a gift from the twin-city of Shanghai!  Even the street road signs are bilingual!

See below;

For our supper this evening we are having a ‘ Soft’ ‘Mixed Grill ‘ – Grilled English Pork Sausages, seared Button Mushrooms & Tomatoes, Crispy Smoked Bacon, ‘Heinz’ Baked Beans, ‘ Campo’ Fried Eggs & sautéed Potatoes. Tomorrow we will find something in the fridge, then on Thursday the ‘ Staff’ have been given the night off, they are going along to ‘ Bar Castillo’ for a light ‘ Tapas’ supper and then going down to the ‘ Casa de Torres ‘ Cultural Centre, as there is a ‘Tango/Bossa Nova Concert’ later in the evening.

We are still taking things very easy, relaxing, keeping cool, drinking lots of cold water, taking short ‘ Siestas’ etc, last night we caught the first episode of a new series “ Dark Money “  about the story of a very large non-disclosure payment, to a family who’s young son was abused by a movie producer, over in the USA, while being chaperoned by a Company staff member, excellent acting by Jill Halfpenny ( mother) Babou Ceesay ( father) & Max Fincham ( abused son)  - the second episode is the evening.

Thoughts for the Day;  See above.

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A VERY WARM & SUNNY MANILVA ON THURSDAY.

THURSDAY 20^th/ JUNE 2019.

I was up early, again, this morning, and after a quick freshen up I shot off across to the ‘ Estepona’ Hospital’ for my final treatment on my hand in the ‘Physiotherapy Department’ with Encarni, the Head Physio, next Monday lunchtime, back at the Hospital, as I have an appointment with the ‘Physiotherapy Consultant’ for a review/check up,  I found a spot to park at the top of the hill and walked back down to ‘ Tikitapi ‘ for my usual tostado & tea, before crossing to the Hospital, watch this space.

In ‘ Doggy World Heaven’ little ‘Miss Bella’ is re-joining us next week, on Monday & Tuesday, for a long day, we are really looking forward to welcoming her back with us, she’s a little’ star’! ‘Chispa’ called in yesterday afternoon and they got on very well!

We have another glorious day down here on the ‘ Costa Del Sol ‘ – in the evening, last night, and over night the breeze, a ‘Poinente’ blowing down from the mountains behind the village, got up, this morning it’s  died down  and it’s now very warm & sunny, over in Estepona, as usual much hotter, with just a few patchy clouds, by lunchtime it’s due to reach 27 degs+ - then tomorrow and over the weekend it’s going to be very warm & sunny, hovering in the high 20s, next week is now looking like a ‘ Hot One’ – up in the low 30s from Tuesday onwards, overnight back down to 19 degs+  Watch this space.

No ‘ Cruise Liners’ in Liverpool yesterday so you can see below one I missed, back in 1910, it’s the “ RSM Maurentania “ – berthed at the old Landing Stage,  at the time the ‘World’s’ largest ship, originally on the Liverpool to New York service, holding the ‘ Blue Riband ‘ for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic from 1907 to 1929!

For our supper this evening we are having ‘ Omelettes of Choice ‘  - ‘ Cheese ( grated Mature Cheddar& Parmesan) for Brenda and for me ‘ Paysanne’ ( sautéed/diced Bacon, Shallots, Potatoes etc) with Baked Potatoes, on Friday it’s going to be a ‘ Fish Supper’ and then on Saturday we are out for Brenda’s birthday supper, at our favourite “ Restaurante Maques “ overlooking the ‘ Puerto de la Duquesa Marina’  On Sunday we are now going to have our ‘ Steak Night’!

We are taking things very easy today after all the excitement at the start of this week, relaxing, keeping as cool as possible, having positive thoughts, basically doing nothing, because we can!

Thoughts for the Day;  See above.

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