A VERY HOT & SUNNY MANILVA/ ESTEPONA WITH A LITTLE BREEZE ON SUNDAY.

SUNDAY 20^th/AUGUST 2017.

No lie in this morning as were up and out, first thing, to go across to the market on the Estepona Marina, we managed to park on the marina car park and walked along to the start of the market, which was just setting up, we popped into a local waterfront bar for some fresh Orange juice and I ended up having the ‘ Full English’ breakfast, on the next table was our friend Rose (Scruffys’ Mum!) with a friend, then just as we were leaving an old friend from the ‘ Llandudno Set’ back in the 80/90s who lives outside Estepona and who we had not seen in many years, ‘ Sheena Hedges’ came along with a friend, her husband George was not feeling too well, back at home, we had a nice chat & catch up, it’s a small World!

Brenda had a good look around the market, we then went and bought the two new wall pots, on the way Brenda spotted a very nice ‘ Red Chiffon Kaftan Top’ and then on the next stall a pair of ‘Hoop Ear Rings’ It was then time to head back along the coast road past a sparkling Mediterranean to sunny Manilva.

As we set off this morning it was a little overcast & cloudy but with a stiff ‘ Levente’ breeze blowing up from the coast, as usual over in Estepona it’s a lot warmer, by lunchtime it was very hot & sunny, as we arrived back in the village the sky had cleared and the sun was out, the breeze was still blowing, making it very pleasant,29/30 degs by this afternoon, overnight 22/23 degs, next week is looking like more of the same, watch this space.

See below the local ‘ Moscatel Grapes ‘ already on sale by the side of the road up to the village.

We have just come off the ‘ Skype’ video after speaking to Jack & Lyn over in Melbourne, they are both looking and sounding a lot better, they are planning a little trip in the caravan in September, as their weather picks up, we have started to make arrangements with them for a ‘ Skype’ video hook up with them and possibly Debs, when Sandra & Bill are here, along with Norah & Jenny, in the first week of October, watch this space.

This evening for our supper we are having a ‘Roast Chicken’ from the local ‘Rotisserie’ with a nice Mixed Salad, sliced Beetroot and Hard Boiled Egg ( Campo) with a Baked Potato, next week it’s going to be one day at the time.

On the way back from collecting the 'Roast Chicken ' we called into a very busy 'Bar Castillo' for a cool drink and a Tapas.

Over in Colwyn Bay the newly refurbished promenade has opened, between Old Colwyn & Rhos on Sea, see below a picture of the new railings and one of the ‘ Factoids’ that the Council has installed along the pavements, watch this space for a full picture of the new waterfront when I find one!

PS; Tim & Thea will be starting to finalize their arrangements to return to Spain and across to Mojacar, they are booked on the Portsmouth/ Santander ferry in the first week in September, watch this space.

Thoughts for the Day;  See above.

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SUNNY AND BREEZY MANILVA ON THURSDAY

THURSDAY 10^th/ OCTOBER 2103.

Well this morning it was the delivery man sliding down the good on pallets to the local shop that woke us up! It’s another fine day down here in sunny Manilva  and the forecast for the next week is more of the same, its very pleasant as the little breeze makes the temperature’s hover at around 24/25degs!

After breakfast we went round to the opticians in Calle Mar and selected some glasses for Brenda, the lenses are for everything,reading,driving,walking and watching TV so they are anti-glare and umbramatic, they will be ready on Monday – very good service and attention!

As we were passing the Town Hall at the top of our street the Mayor, Antonia was coming out and asked me what I thought about the Mosaic Mural behind the Grape Press, I thanked her and said that I would be in Manilva for posterity!  She introduced me to the lady with her who it turns out is the lady who designs and makes the Mosaic Murals – so I thanked her as well !

When we came back to the house I have just made another batch of my famous ‘Tomato and Red Pepper Salsa’ which we use all the time, it keeps very well in the fridge and the deep freeze, a very simple recipe – Chopped Plumb Tomatoes and Onions, lots of crushed Garlic and diced Red Peppers, Tomato Frito and Tomato Ketchup, my secret ingredients and a slug of White Wine and a good Vegetable stock, boil and season then blend ! Anna has just called in and has taken a small tub which she is going to toss her pasta in for Mano’s supper this evening!

At the start of the week we had a surprise E-mail from some old customers from the ‘Hotel Seventy Degrees’ days. They had seen my comments on a Face book page that I follow about pictures from old Abergele in North Wales; Terry and Alma were very good and loyal customer’s who used to sit on the same table (10) in the restaurant every Monday lunchtime – Terry loved his fine wine and I used to get wines in for him to try and appreciate – they are now living in the ‘Mayenne’ region of the ‘Pays de la Loire’They are 45mins from St.Malo on the border of Brittany and Normandy!

We once did a function for them for their wedding anniversary and the comedian Bernard Manning was booked as a surprise for their guests, he arrived in his trade-mark Blue Silver Cadillac and sat in my chair in my office waiting to be paid( In cash) before he went on! As it turns out Terry who was from Stockport outside Manchester played football for ‘Stockport County’ with Anna’s uncle – it’s a small world as they say!! Great times and many happy memories, Terry is reading the blog and he is going to send another E-mail with all the details of where they live and what they have been up to in France for the last six years !! We can’t wait !!

Tonight for supper we are having the ‘Sexton Mixed Grill’ with wait for it; Steak,Gammon,Lamb Cutlets, English Pork Sausags,Smoked Bacon,Mushrooms,Tomato and fried Egg along with dry-sautéed sliced Baked Potatoes ! That should set us up for the weekend ahead! See the picture above!

Thought for the Day; See above.

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MANILVA TODAY 12/12/12

MONDAY 10^th/ TUESDAY 11^th/ DECEMBER 2012.

Today, Monday was a at home day as the rest of the week we are out and about down here on the Costa Del Sol, the hottest spot in Europe at the moment! Brenda is into one of her cleaning modes, this week it is the curtains; we are reading in the afternoon and also we catch a film as at the moment it is not siesta time! The post arrived late on Monday afternoon and in it was a Xmas card from our old and very loyal Assistant Manager at the Hotel Seventy Degrees Kelvin; in it he had written a short note about the changes in his working life in the last year-we just had to ring him over in Ruthin for a catch up as the news was unbelievable;Basicly he has totally changed his life style, he no longer owns and runs his own business but now works for ‘ Wetherspoon’s ’ as the General Manager of their new Hotel in the centre of Ruthin! We have since exchanged E-Mails and now have all the details – only to say that we wish him all the very best for the New Year in his career and are already looking forward to seeing him and his wife Gaye down here in sunny Manilva in 2013!!

PS; Mano and Anna sent their regards.

For dinner we had Pork Cutlet with the rest of the Boulangere Potatoes before we settled down to watch a film; in the late afternoon we had caught “One Eyed Jacks” from 1961 starring Marlon Brando in the only film that he directed in his career, Karl Malden, Ben Johnson, Slim Pickins, Katy Jurado and Pina Pellicer made up the rest of the cast in this classic Western. The late film was a very good true story courtroom drama called “Heavens Fall” from 2007 with Timothy Hutton as the crusading lawyer and David Statham as the Judge, it is the story about the ‘ Scottsboro Boys ’back in the 1930s in Alabama, at the end it tells you what happened to all the characters at the end, don’t miss it !

On Tuesday we pottered about the house and in the afternoon went across to the Bus station in Marbella to pick Gillian up; on the way we called into San Pedro to pick up some more Xmas cards and a box of the executive crackers to go along with the standard box, depending on if you are on the ‘ A ’or ‘ B ’list! In the afternoon we caught up with excellent BBC2 TV series ‘Inside Claridges ’ and then for supper we had flattened Fillets of Breast of Chicken pan-fried in foaming Butter with square chips and our Homemade Tomato sauce on the side. I then channel hopped around the Spanish TV.

Thought for the Day;

Television; A medium – so called because it is neither rare nor well done.

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