MANILVA, CALLE SAN VICENTE 1

MANILVA, CALLE SAN VICENTE 1

MANILVA, CALLE SAN VICENTE 1

MANILVA, CALLE SAN VICENTE 1

Sunday 13th April.

We had invited Vidal and Gissy for Sunday lunch as a” thank you” for all their help when we moved in over two months ago but at the last minute they got asked to do a surprise birthday party on the beach front in Estepona so we had to take a rain check on the Roast Leg of Lamb ! Over the weekend we have e-mailed our friend Jane in Chester and we are waiting to hear if she will be our first guest.

Monday 14th April.

As we got up today it was cloudy and rain was forecast so we decided to stay in and catch up with all the little jobs around the house; we fitted a new toilet seat, oiled the squeaky door’s and cupboards, super-glued the shower rails in the bathroom and put up new curtains in the our bedroom! Jane e-mailed to say that she had booked a flight from Liverpool to Malaga two weeks today so she will be our first guest.I then settled into the office and started to set up the large Dell PC which I have not been able to use since we set off, I installed the new printer and produced my first picture on photo gloss paper,it was the picture of Brenda’s sister Lyn in New Zealand and it is now in a picture frame ! For dinner we put on a curry and then watched the local Spanish TV stations which when the Sur English paper comes out on Friday we check to see if what we thought was happening, was!

Tuesday 15th April.

Today was also rainy so I spent some time on the new PC and I am now typing this on “ Word “ for the first time after some false starts as I had not used word before so it took me a little time to work it all out.I have also put together my idea’s for my Radio/TV programme and at the same time I’ve installed some of the local Radio and TV stations on the PC.I also was able to translate the copy into Spanish on the excellent Google page and then print off my first drafts! If you are now reading this and looking at the pictures of the guest bedroom it means that I have also managed to publish it on the blog page as well !

Wednesday 16th April.

We called in to see Mano today at the Aparthotel as we had not seen him for couple of weeks and catch up with all the news. The full license has been granted by the Mayor,we spotted the owner on the local TV station signing the papers.Anna has come back from North Wales after a week with a bad cold and is still in bed! Carlos’s wife Anna has started work in the café bar and supermarket so Mano is now able to get out and about a bit. Over the weekend and during the week Fabio has not been very well and when we saw him in the village he did not look his usual happy self but when we met them down in Sabinillas for a coffee he looked a lot better.In the evening we watched the “ Kings Cup “ it was the final between Valencia and Getafe,its like our FA cup –Getafe lost again !

Thursday 17th April.

Today as the weather picked up we went out to the hypermarket for our weekly shop and also called into the furniture shop and chose some pictures to go in our bedroom and the dressing room as well as some small rugs to go by the beds.We then went across to the English butcher’s for some Lamb Chops and we had them for supper with Boulangere potatoes after we finished getting the guest room ready.

Friday 18th April.

As we passed on our way to the garage to check on the Winnebago,no news yet, we called into to see Vidal and Gissy.Vidal was busy dressmaking! It’s one of his many talents and at the moment he is making a new waistcoat and was very busy on his sewing machine finishing it off for the gig later in the evening! For supper we had pan –fried Chicken Breasts which were the offer of the week at the hypermarket.

Saturday 19th April.

Today we are having a quiet day, Brenda is ironing and also stitching some curtain which we bought in the hypermarket along with new shower curtains,we also found in the local market on Wednesday a small curtain for the bathroom window. Next week we are going to the Garden centre to get some plants to put on the front of the house on the balconies and also on the roof terrace. Tonight we are having Steak and Frits for dinner,We buy from the local butchers as well and during the week we had some excellent Entrecote. We now cook with the local olive oil all the time and are now getting to know how to use it and at what temperatures to use! Tomorrow Anna is coming for dinner,still no Mano as he is working ! and we are having Roast Leg of Pork with all the trimmings for the first time.

MANILVA CALLE SAN VICENTE 1

The pictures below show's the second floor guest room ready for our first guest in a weeks time !

MANILVA CALLE SAN VICENTE 1

MANILVA ,CALLE SAN VICENTE 1

MANILVA ,CALLE SAN VICENTE 1

MANILVA ,CALLE SAN VICENTE 1

MANILVA ,CALLE SAN VICENTE 1

Monday 7th April.
Today was the first day for some more sales training at the Marriott resort just before Marbella of the new sales managers; we were asked back at the end of last week.We go over in the afternoon and it takes about three hours,they pay us in vouchers to dine out and also for the Spa in the resort.The list of restaurants that we can go too has been updated since last time and has some of the best on the coast! During the show round the heavens opened and we were caught in a rain storm,when it rains in Spain ,it rains! This week has been an umbrella carrying one as the forecast has been rain but with sunny periods,the difference is that the rain is warm!
Tuesday 8th April.
First thing in the morning we went out for the shopping and then called in to see Vidal and Gissy after we had been to the garage to check on the Winnebago,the owner had a very good possible sales enquiry over the weekend.For dinner I made a Steak and Kidney Pie with Brenda's now famous Mashed potatoes the only difference being that I used Red Wine not Guinness!
Wednesday 9th April.
In the afternoon we went over for another session at the Marriott and then had a quiet night in and watched the football on TV,it was the Liverpool match-we won!
Thursday10th April.
The weather was warm and sunny as we went to our last training day at the Marriott and collected all our vouchers,they are going to use us again in the future! In the evening we had a phone call from our dear friend Tim who was in Madrid,he had been in Toledo during the week and had moved onto Madrid as he was on a visit to do with his work as an international schools co-ordinator,he was in a bar in the centre of Madrid watching with the locals the Getafe match,he was in good company as the King was at the match also ! I was also watching it on Spanish TV at the same time-it was a “Helluva” match- but they lost!!
Friday 11th April.
We had a lie in before we went out to the supermarket to shop for the weekend,we use the local one when we need to and also we are using the local Spanish butcher more as he gets to know our needs.We have not seen a lot of Mano in the last few weeks but as he has got his daughter in law working for him now we hope to catch up with him next week as Anna is over in North Wales this week.We have also had a few e-mails from friends which always makes our day,it's so nice to hear from them! In the evening Vidal dropped off Gissy to do our hair.Brenda's is very short and mine had two inches cut off! For supper we had a roast chicken which we had picked up from the supermarket,they where on offer-two for five euros!! I roasted it with lemon and made some fresh frits.
Saturday 12th April.
During the week on our travels we also picked up some pictures for the house,a very nice chair for my office and also a large dressing mirror for the dressing room which Vidal picked up for us as we could not fit it into the Smart car,only one problem,when we opened the box the mirror was broken !! So we had to go back over to Marbella and they changed it right away.This morning we had a phone call about our housesitting advert from an agent acting for a Dutch Millionaire who wanted us to live in full time and also chauffeur for him at his new villa outside Marbella,she offered a very good contract and salary! But we said no as we do not want to work full-time now!! As our adverts come out on Friday we also get a lot of calls about the Winnebago,in fact I have just come off a 30mins.phone call from a very interested English chap living in Estepona-watch this space. The picture above shows my office in which I am typing this now and were I am going to start to write the book!!

MANILVA ,CALLE SAN VICENTE 1

The weather this week has just been gorgeous,warm sun,blue skies and in the early evening beautiful sunsets so we are spending a lot of time on the roof terrace reading and listening to the local FM Radio stations with our G/Ts and Cuba Libre not far from our hands! Later in the week we had a day out to catch up with the shopping and at the same time we found that some of our local furniture shops had some offers on so we found some nice things to go on the first floor landing “Chill Out “ area as you can see in the pictures below,at the same time we found a mirror to go in the top double bedroom which is starting to come together and also a PC station/table and wicker mat for my “ Office “ in part of the dressing room-more picturea to follow. On Friday morning we had a e-mail asking us if we could do some more sales training at the Marriot resort next week,so we are going over for three days in the afternoon and we are payed with vouchers to dine out and for spa treatments.We have also renewed the adverts for the sale of the Winnebago and for our housesitting adding our house number,which we are getting 2/3 calls a day from.Also this week Brenda has been driving the Smart Car around the local large car park next to the market site which is empty in the week for some practise before she hits the roads in a few weeks ! Once my office is ready I am going to start to write a book about life in hotels which has been in my head for years! At the same time I am putting together a proposal for a spot on the local TV stations for a weekly programme in “English “ as I have spotted that there is opening!! It will feature news.local problems.help for local English residents,sport updates,weekly food items and guests as well as the local Spanish news in English!! Watch this space. A star is born !
RESTAURANTE LA MENORAH EN FINCA CORTESIN
On Friday evening we had booked a table at this new restaurant which is run by the same family from the La Menorah restaurant outside Estepona.The owner told us that they had a guest chef coming from Segovia in the region of Castllana outside Madrid and that the menu was going to show all the regional specialities;We started with Venison Carpaccio with herb olive oil that melted in the mouth,the Marinated Game meat with blanched vegetables was served wthe a savoury dressing,the meat was white and gamey ,it was very spectacular.To follow we had a beautiful rich Black Pudding tossed wth scrambled eggs and Pine Nuts-wow!! Next was Wild Mushrooms from Segovia sauteed with Iberian Ham, The main course was Roasted Baby Suckling Pig “ Collado Hermoso Style” accompanied with a boulangere type potatoes and a crisp lettuce and spring onion salad,it is roasted in a very hot oven just with water until the skin is very crisp and the meat falls apart,the juice is to die for!!For the desert it was a small selection of iced sweetmeats,All this was served with for the first few courses a unbelievable white wine from the north of Barcelona-”Carramimbre D.O.Rueda “ We had drunk the bottle before all the starter courses had finished so the owner gave us another bottle! The red wine was “Solaguen Reserva 2001 D.O. Rioja from the same region-it was also very special with a fullbodied “nose” to remember forever! As we left the owner's son presented us with another bottle of the white wine to take home,One “Helluva” night,The pictures below give you a little taste of the atmosphere.

MANILVA ,CALLE SAN VICENTE 1

MANILVA ,CALLE SAN VICENTE 1

RESTAURANTE LA MENORAH

RESTAURANTE LA MENORAH

RESTAURANTE LA MENORAH

MANILVA ,CALLE SAN VICENTE 1

The last week after our few days at the Aparthotel has been spent at home catching up with the chores,doing the washing,stocking up with food and drink!and checking out our e-mails which we always look forward to.We did not have to work at the Cafe and Supermarket as Mano made alternative arrangements so we have enjoyed our time doing nothing,reading books and sitting on the roof terrace in the warm sun! At the start of the week Brenda went to the doctors to have some treatment on a sore shoulder,it was the same doctor that looked after me when we had the fall from the scooter so he also is able to give you a ultra sound and injection as well as the prescription and she is now feeling a lot better. We called into some of our old haunts in the marina and also went across to the sales garage were the Winnebago is,we then started it up and we moved it to a front position and at the same time passed on the sales leads from our advert.We then called into see Vidal and Gissy to catch up with all the news,they have had some friends from Germany staying with them for a couple of weeks.We have also had some phone calls on our new house phone which again is always a nice surprise,thank's Tim,Penny and Joyce! We also called our friend in Madrid, Rafael as the internal calls in Spain are free!! On Sunday Anna joined us for dinner as we Roasted a Corn-fed Chicken with all the trimmings including Brenda's six vegetables, we sent Anna home with a plated meal for Mano as he was working at the Cafe Bar and Supermarket! Over the Easter week we received some Easter cards from Brenda's two sisters in England but not from her sister in Australia,we had also not had a reply to our e-mail and when we tried to phone on Skype there was no answer! The mystery was solved by the picture below showing Lyn on holiday in New Zealand which arrived by e-mail at the end of the week,She has had a fabulous time including landing on a glacier by helicopter! New Zealand looks spectacular!!

NEW ZEALAND

MANILVA GREEN APARTHOTEL

Our five days at the Manilva Green Aparthotel are coming to a end tonight but we are going to look after the Cafe Bar and Supermarket one day next week so as to give Mano a day off- he has been working for over three weeks,14hrs a day so he is looking forward to it !! We have not been run off our feet but we have had some moments! As the kitchen is very small and not very well equiped we have to improvise as we go along, we are now the Chicken Nugget and Burger King and Queen of Manilva!! All the meat is from the local butcher in the village so the nuggets and burgers are fresh and the Sirloin steak are rather special-we served them to the owner,Rafael and his family for lunch on our first day! The pictures below shows the view from the kitchen on Easter Sunday and also the terrace,the Internet cafe is now looking better with the pictures for sale on the walls,one has already been sold! and the large screen TV is attracting attention as can be seen in the picture.

MANILVA GREEN APARTHOTEL

MANILVA GREEN APARTHOTEL

MANILVA GREEN APARTHOTEL

MANILVA on GOOD FRIDAY

On Good Friday we were working at The Aparthotel so we did not get back to our house till late in the evening so we shot down to the church at midnight and caught the start of the silent procession of the mourners.The pictures below shows the “Costaleros “ just about to lift the “ Pasos” onto their shoulders in the Iglesia Santa Ana Church.They then set off around the village in silence with all the people following,We came back thru the back streets to our house but as we turned the corner we found that “ Bodegon Andaluz” was still open so we stopped for a night-cap!As we came out we saw at the top of our street that the procession was just passing so we took the other pictures below showing the religious brotherhood in all their penitential robes and conicl hats called “Capirotes “ as the “Nazarenos” carrying processional candles stopped to listen to a “Saepas” a lament being sung to the Virgin Mary.The final picture shows the village and the local priest following the “Pasos” back down to the church.

MANILVA on GOOD FRIDAY

MANILVA on GOOD FRIDAY

MANILVA on GOOD FRIDAY

MANILVA on GOOD FRIDAY

MANILVA on GOOD FRIDAY

MANILVA on GOOD FRIDAY

MANILVA GREEN APARTHOTEL

The pictures below show us on our first day at “ Work” at the Manilva Green Aparthotel where Mano and Anna are now working as Food and Beverage manager and Executive Assistant respectively ! We are helping them out over Semana Santa for five days so today we set up the Chringuito by the pool and also set up the kitchen next to the terrace overlooking the coast.The menu is an extensive snack menu with Spanish and English dishes,all freshly cooked by the Executive Chef de Cuisine ans his assistant-- US !! The internet cafe,bar and supermarket have been set up by Mano and Anna over the last couple of weeks and are open all day whilst the food is on at lunchtime and in the evening.Their son Carlos is working on Reception and Sally their daughter is staying in a apartment with her children Jordan and Dylan and their best friends Juan and Amelia are their most regular cutomers ! This evening we served our first customers but we did not serve any of the Dish of the day-Curried Pork and Rice so the staff supper was!!

MANILVA GREEN APARTHOTEL

MANILVA GREEN APARTHOTEL

MANILVA GREEN APARTHOTEL

MANILVA GREEN APARTHOTEL

MANILVA GREEN APARTHOTEL

MANILVA GREEN APARTHOTEL

MANILVA PALM SUNDAY

Para todos nuestros amigos en Manilva nos gustaría decir "Gracias" para nosotros la bienvenida el Domingo de Ramos

MANILVA PALM SUNDAY

As we got up on Sunday it was a very bright and blue sky sunny day which was good for the Palm Sunday procession in the village,We had deceided to have a full English before we went down to the church at the bottom of the village,So we had ,local eggs,Ham,mushrooms,tomato.saute potatoes and Heinz Baked Beans! The picture's below give's you a little idea of the atmosphere as the procession leaves the church carried by the “ Brotherhood “ We had just gone down to take some photographs but soon got into the atmosphere as the whole village joins in and walks the route around the streets of Manilva led by the village brass band,then the village dignities and the children in white robes,the music is very moving and with the the incense from the church server's hanging in the air it is easy to get taken along with the crowd-as we did! All this is also on the camcorder as it takes over three hours to get back to the church as they stop every 100 yrds'or so to rest as they carry the very heavy “Borriquita “ Our friend Juan in the picture is also a village elder and a very good friend of Mano's as well.As we walked the locals that we know were coming up to us and greeting us,including the owner of our house and her family as we then went into a couple of the tapas bars for refreshment! There are three more processions in the evening during this week,culminating in the silent procession of the Mourners on Good Friday.We have now also got into a routine of Sunday lunch so we had a Roast Beef dinner with all the trimmings which Anna joined us for,Mano as he finished work at 10-pm had a “Plate-meal” as Sally was not arriving from Tenerife until 3-oam in the morning! We then walked up to the top of our street and made a call into a couple of the local bars for a nightcap-including a game of pool at the “Antique” bar where we bought a very nice wine rack with a local's discount! which we collected this morning and drove back to the house with the boot open! We have just had a phone call from Vidal who has found us a possible buyer for the Winnebago-cross your fingers and watch this space as we are also busy this week working for five days up to Sunday at the Aparthotel with Mano and Anna and getting paid well!!

MANILVA PALM SUNDAY

MANILVA PALM SUNDAY

MANILVA PALM SUNDAY

MANILVA PALM SUNDAY

MANILVA PALM SUNDAY

MANILVA PALM SUNDAY

MANILVA NEWSLETTER

We have been in the house for four weeks now and are starting to settle into a routine now that we have finished un-packing.We have also started to furnish the guest rooms,new nets last week and a new cane and wicker bedhead in the double room which was dropped off the same evening after we saw it in the shop in Sabrinillas! The other day we went out for a walk in the village and found our way thru the narrow streets and ended up in the local bar below Carlo's apartment for a lunchtime drink-no driving ! The process for the paper work has been updated so next week we have to go to the Civil Police and sign in for our “NIE” so we can then go to the town hall and obtain the necessary forms to become resident here and then we are able to obtain all the benefits etc.Our Spanish bank account is open and running and we set up standing orders for the services;From this weekend it is the start of “ Semana Santa “ which is a very special time in Spain,the first procession in the village is tomorrow and goes on throughout the week with the the final one on Friday which is done in strict silence This all happens in the streets around us and past the town hall to the church at the bottom of the village. The Costa del Sol is full for the whole week with holiday people and family's meeting up for the festivities,Sally ,Mano and Anna's daughter is coming over for the week with her two chidren and is staying at the Aparthotel,Mano who is now the Food and Beverage manager showed us the Spa,the Restaurant and Cafe Bar which are due to open later in the year-very impressive and the Restaurant has terrific views from the balcony,Over next week end we have been called in to help at the bar and poolside “Chirigito” as our housesitting job has cancelled due to a change in plans by the owner that we worked for a couple of weeks ago.At the same time we are receiving calls about the Winnebago from our adverts in the paper all the time,which we pass on to the garage,The other evening we even made time to sit on the roof terrace over looking the roofs of the village with our Gin and Tonic and Bacardi and Coke as the sun went down over the coast !!Also over the last two weeks we have been cooking all our old favourites,including Stews,Curry,Lamb and Pork chops and Steaks,last night it was fish night when we had Fillets of Halibut,all cooked in the best Olive Oil,The now famous “Omelette” of choice is also back on the menu as well! During the last week we have also been busy sending E-mails to all our family and friends updating them with all the news if they have not had a chance to view the blog-page.Watch out for all the pictures of the procession's during the Easter week.Vidal and Gissy are very dear friends from the site are starting to work now that it is getting busy in the bars so last weekend I went down and picked up Gissy from the marina and she did Brenda's hair at our house as well as cutting mine and also putting face masks on us!That evening I went to bed with a blond for the first time!! ( Brenda )

MANILVA NEWSLETTER

The pictures below show our new house in Manilva on a sunny day at the end of February,the villa on the golf course was rather nice with it's views down to the 13th fairway and the Beach House restaurant which we went to twice is also in a very spectacular setting on the beach past Marbella. When we last reported to you we where housesitting at the villa with a fish,hampster and a Jack Russel,we picked up the owner and his son from the airport at Malaga on Sunday evening in his top of the range-Range Rover and he has booked us again for Easter week when he is going to Portugal.Whilst we were there we went out for dinner on the Friday evening to The Beach House and used one of the vouchers from the Marriot sales day training so we went for a drink before to the Don Carlos piano bar which is set above the pools and overlooking the sea.The meal of sauteed Kidneys with Colcanna potatoes and fried Tampura Prawns,followed by Rib-Eye steak with Bearnaise sauce was washed down with a half bottle of Chablis and a half bottle of a excellent Rioja as we watched the sun set over Gibraltar.We also stayed in a couple of nights and caught up with all the British soaps and watched some films,On the Sunday before we picked them up from the airport we had planned to go to a restaurant at Cabopino but as we set off we changed our minds and called into The Beach House as it was Mothers Day,they were full but fitted us in later at 4-30,When we got back the place was bouncing and we ended up on a nice table overlooking the view,Once again we used another voucher and ended up having the finest Sunday lunch we have ever had!The Roast Rib of Beef was rare and served on a fresh yorkshire pudding with creamed leeks,honey roasted parsnips,fine green beans,glazed baby carrotts and broccoli all served with fresh crisp roast potatoes and proper gravy,accompanied with freshly grated Horseradish!! When we asked for more roast potatoes and gravy they arrived hot and steaming!!It was so special because of the setting,the weather, the standard of the food and it was our first time out for Mothers Day lunch in nearly 40 years !!! This week we have been settling into the house and have finished the unpacking and we now making it into our home,Over the weekend Mano rang us to say that he and Anna were starting work running the bar and supermarket at the Manilva Green Aparthotel on Monday so we called into to see them on Monday morning and christened the bar! Their son Carlos is working on reception so the Guerrero “Family” are taking over!Watch this space!!From now on we are going to put weekly newsletters on the blog-page to keep you up with what's happening to us in sunny Manilva.Yesterday we called into the garage and checked out the Winnebago,we have had many phone calls from our advert and passed on the best contacts to Charles the German owner.The Winnebago looks very smart and clean inside and our thanks to Vidal and Gissy and Charles has put it in his advert in the car sales paper which came out today,it looks spectacular !Again watch this space; we have also put our two unused bike's in the paper together with all the gear!!At the same time we have had quite a few enquiries from our housesitting advert including one for horse's-we said neh!!I have listed below once again our new address and phone numbers for info;On the blog page we have also had a couple of new posted comments,one from Penny our dear friend in Bridgnorth who we will e-mail in the next few days and one from”Oscar” in Conwy who we don't know but who has a very interesting blog-page;please give our kind regards to Barry Edwards our first wine merchant some 38 years ago in Bedgelert!
CALLE SAN VICENTE 1
29261 MANILVA.
MALAGA
SPAIN.
952890548- HOUSE.
628529975-SPANISH MOBILE
07717746107-BRENDA MOBILE

ELVIRIA

SANTA CLARA

SANTA CLARA

SANTA CLARA

MANILVA

MANILVA

MANILVA

MANILVA

MANILVA

MANILVA

MANILVA

MANILVA

MANILVA

MANILVA

MANILVA

MANILVA

MANILVA NEWSLETTER

SETTLING IN-SPANISH STYLE
The house is fully furnished in the Spanish style and also has a very modern heating/air conditioning system,Over the next few days we moved in.it took over twenty trips in the Smart car and with the help of Mano and Anna at the house and Vidal and Gissy back on the site we have settled in and stamped our personality on our new homeOn the first night,Mano,Anna,Carlos ,Anna and Fabio came round and we cracked open our first bottle of champagne At the weekend Vidal and Gissy.came over with the last load so we opened another bottle of champagne,then Mano and Anna called in and we ended up back at theirs for eggs,chips and peppers at 1-00 clock in the morning.On the street where we live just ten yards down is a very nice tapas bar “Bodega Andaluz”-our local! And also opposite it is a small supermarket and just around the corner,a bread shop,chemists,doctors
two butchers,a fruit and vegetableshop,a fish market and over twenty tapas bars to choose from!!After the weekend we then went back to the site and started cleaning the Winnebago,Gissy joined Brenda and Vidal plumbed in the new tap,fixed all the things on the Winnebago that needed fixing and painted all the iron parts underneath,then went on the roof and opened the storage box's to finish the move,We then washed down the Winnebago in between the showers and did all the chores to finish off getting it ready.Vidal had also called into the German car show rooms next to the site,the owner knows Vidal and he agreed to put the Winnebago on the forecourt and we have done a deal with him to sell it,it is also in the papers for five weeks,we have also got a Spanish man interested in it,he had seen the for- sale sign on it and called us.The Winnebago looks very lonely as we passed it the other day but it is creating a lot of interest and it is safe and secure on the forecourt and it is floodlight at night-in the end if it does not sell here then we can arrange for Dudleys to pick it up and take it back to Oxford,but we are very confidant that we will get a sale as our German friend will also take a car in part exchange as part of our deal!Last Saturday as we where unpacking at the house the phone went,we now have a Telefonica land line and wireless internet which was installed within 24 hous with Mano's help!The call was from a very nice English man who had seen our advert in the” Sur “ for housesitting which has been in the paper for a few weeks,we shot across to see him on the far side of Marbella and we are now in his villa for five days looking after his sons fish,hampster and a puppy Jack Russell called Jack!We also dropped him off at Malaga airport in his Range Rover sports and are picking him and his son up on Sunday eveningThe villa is on a private estate on the Santa Clara golf course overlooking the 13th tee!It is our first paid job and we think that we will now pick up more work from him in the future.So our new life begins,next week we are signing the papers at the town hall to become resident as we have now received from England the necessary documents in our new letterbox, which we put up yesterday.Watch out for the pictures in the next few days!Below is our new address and telephone ;
CALLE SAN VINCENTE 1
29261 MANILVA
MALAGA
SPAIN
952890548

MANILVA NEWSLETTER

“ THE START OF A NEW ERA “
First of all,sorry to all our reader's / bloggers !! We have been off line for the last few weeks due to a radical change in our life style.As we left you at the end of January we were house sitting for Mano and Anna at their house in Manilva,looking after the two dogs and two cats.We went to Fabio's birthday party at Carlos apartment after attending the preview of our sales training for Marriott's new sales managers at the resort.Over the weekend we looked at more apartments/houses and made various contacts with Spanish and English agents.At the start of February we attended for three afternoons as prospective customers for the sales staff and we received for our efforts 160 e vouchers for dining out,160 e vouchers for spa treatments and a stay in one of the Marriott resort apartments !! At the end of the week Mano and Anna came home after nearly three weeks away in North Wales and Manchester, the date 8th February we will remember for ever!As they got back we went out into Manilva on a tapas trail-starting at Bodega Augustin,” The Office” as it is known locally! We then progressed through the village and ended up at Carlos's before we made our way back to the office and then onto Mano's.The weather over the last couple of weeks has changed to some cold rainy days with late afternoon sunshine,so we sat inside the bar- I noticed on the wall by the bar a poster had been put up showing a house to rent in Manilva,I rang the number and then Mano took over as the owner,a Spanish lady was in Tenerife on holiday and handed us over to her son,in Sabrinillas who is a local politician and lawyer,who arranged for us to go and view the house at 6-30pm that evening.We walked up through the village to the town hall and turned left down the street to the house where the sister of the owner,who also lives next door,showed us around.The three story property is in the heart of Manilva surrounded by all the oldest houses and is typically Spanish.You walk off the narrow street into the main lounge/dining area,with the modern kitchen and larder behind,It has marbled floors and stairs,shutters on all the windows and spread over the next two floors are three double bedrooms,a dressing room opening into the large bathroom and onto the top floor which has a drying room and a rooftop terrace over looking Manilva! We fell in love with it immediately and met the lawyer at 7-30pm and shook hands on a deal,which Mano had negotiated for us with a discount !!The contract was to be signed on Tuesday lunchtime,the 12th of February.In the meantime we had already put the Winnebago up for sale in the local paper and also put for sale signs on it at the site-more about this later!Over the weekend we went over to the site to see Vidal and Gissy and catch up with all our news-they have been real friends and stars! Vidal had found on the site sombody who wanted the Smart car trailer,Keith and Brenda who we already knew,so we did a deal and that paid for the deposit and rent for the first month!On the Saturday morning we went down to Estepona and opened a Spanish bank account and made all the arrangements for some transfer of funds.On Tuesday the 12th February at 1-00pm we signed the contract at the lawyers office and with Mano 's help checked it out,the lawyers wife,also a lawyer,speaks very good English,her name is Marjoleine and she was also nine months pregnant at the time,three days later she gave birth to a baby girl! We moved in the same night !!

MANILVA NEWSLETTER

Watch out in the next few days for one "Helluva" update on what's been happening to us !!