Saturday, January 24, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
MANILVA.
Sunday/Wednesday 18th/21st. January.
Sunday 18th.
In the morning after a late start we went for a walk around the village and ended up at the sports stadium,Las Vinas, were we bumped into Mano and Anna with their grandson Fabio who was playing in the childrens play park next to the football stadium.We dropped him for his lunch at his Spanish grandparents house and went for a drink in Bar Rojas and when we picked him up later we went down to Mano and Anna’s house for a spot of lunch,Anna’s Steak and Ale Pie with crusty pastry went down a treat as did the accompanying Frits with fried Eggs! We had met one of our friendly locals in the village earlier,Antonio,who was passing the bar with a bucket of freshly laid eggs which he had just collected,so eggs are on the menu for a next couple of days! Fabio had his afternoon nap and later after work Carlos called in to collect him.
Monday 19th.
The forecast for the week is cold but sunny so we stayed in and caught up with some reading which lately we have not had time for.Brenda put the washing out to dry on the roof terrace,last week when the owner happened to call in the clothes were on the stand in the lounge drying,she has now told us that she has a spin dryer which will fit in next to washing machine so we are arranging to pick it up this week.Tim phoned from Colwyn Bay and brought up to date with all his news,mainly about the kids,Jo is auditioning for drama courses at university’s around the country and Ben is going to take his GSE exams a year early! Well done Ben and fingers crossed.
Tuesday 20th. Barack Obama Inauguration. 2009.
Our morning walk was brisk to say the least as the wind was blowing and out of the sun it was cold,In the late afternoon we settled down to watch the inauguration on the TV,in Spanish.We could hear the speech’s over the Spanish announcers translation and later we caught up with it again on the BBC news video on line on the PC.It was very moving and the Spanish TVE 2 coverage was excellent,we thought that the two Pastors got it just right,the first one when he said the Lords Prayer,which was a surprise and the second one was a typical Bible basher! When they got out of “ The Beast” on Pennsylvania Avenue and walked towards the White House it just took our breathes away.Later on after I had seen all the coverage from Sky News,ITN,MSN news and the morning editions of the newspapers ,online,I gave a live report on Citytalk at 1-00am on the Pete Price show and talked about the historic day and the local reaction down here in southern Spain.
Wednesday 21st.
We called into the bank in Estepona on our way to see Vidal and Gissy who also had been watching the CNN coverage on TV on Tuesday and they said how moving the whole day was for them also.On the way back at lunchtime the views along the coast road were terrific,you could see the Atlas mountains in Africa and Gibraltar was shimmering in the sun with the Mediterranean a deep green colour. Later this afternoon we are going down to the solicitors office in Sabinillas to sign the contract on the house for another eleven months,it’s a Spanish law that contracts are just for that period only.
Sunday 18th.
In the morning after a late start we went for a walk around the village and ended up at the sports stadium,Las Vinas, were we bumped into Mano and Anna with their grandson Fabio who was playing in the childrens play park next to the football stadium.We dropped him for his lunch at his Spanish grandparents house and went for a drink in Bar Rojas and when we picked him up later we went down to Mano and Anna’s house for a spot of lunch,Anna’s Steak and Ale Pie with crusty pastry went down a treat as did the accompanying Frits with fried Eggs! We had met one of our friendly locals in the village earlier,Antonio,who was passing the bar with a bucket of freshly laid eggs which he had just collected,so eggs are on the menu for a next couple of days! Fabio had his afternoon nap and later after work Carlos called in to collect him.
Monday 19th.
The forecast for the week is cold but sunny so we stayed in and caught up with some reading which lately we have not had time for.Brenda put the washing out to dry on the roof terrace,last week when the owner happened to call in the clothes were on the stand in the lounge drying,she has now told us that she has a spin dryer which will fit in next to washing machine so we are arranging to pick it up this week.Tim phoned from Colwyn Bay and brought up to date with all his news,mainly about the kids,Jo is auditioning for drama courses at university’s around the country and Ben is going to take his GSE exams a year early! Well done Ben and fingers crossed.
Tuesday 20th. Barack Obama Inauguration. 2009.
Our morning walk was brisk to say the least as the wind was blowing and out of the sun it was cold,In the late afternoon we settled down to watch the inauguration on the TV,in Spanish.We could hear the speech’s over the Spanish announcers translation and later we caught up with it again on the BBC news video on line on the PC.It was very moving and the Spanish TVE 2 coverage was excellent,we thought that the two Pastors got it just right,the first one when he said the Lords Prayer,which was a surprise and the second one was a typical Bible basher! When they got out of “ The Beast” on Pennsylvania Avenue and walked towards the White House it just took our breathes away.Later on after I had seen all the coverage from Sky News,ITN,MSN news and the morning editions of the newspapers ,online,I gave a live report on Citytalk at 1-00am on the Pete Price show and talked about the historic day and the local reaction down here in southern Spain.
Wednesday 21st.
We called into the bank in Estepona on our way to see Vidal and Gissy who also had been watching the CNN coverage on TV on Tuesday and they said how moving the whole day was for them also.On the way back at lunchtime the views along the coast road were terrific,you could see the Atlas mountains in Africa and Gibraltar was shimmering in the sun with the Mediterranean a deep green colour. Later this afternoon we are going down to the solicitors office in Sabinillas to sign the contract on the house for another eleven months,it’s a Spanish law that contracts are just for that period only.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
MANILVA AND MIJAS PUEBLO.
Friday/Saturday 16th/17th January.
Friday 16th
In the morning we popped down to the supermarket in Sabinillas and when we came back Mano and Anna called in with Fabio as they were babysitting for the day as both Carlos and Ana Mari were working at the Aparthotel.Fabio is a very happy little boy and he will not leave Mano for one second when they are with him;his English is getting better by the day and his Spanish understanding and thinking comes out all the time,at the end of the month he is three and the party is planned at the Abuela’s casa in the next street were the Spanish Grandparents live, they also baby-sit and feed him all the time as this is the traditional Spanish way with familes.After supper we watched one of the regular programme’s that we watch and are now able to follow a bit better! Just a quick Happy Birthday to our dear friend Penny in Bridgnorth and thanks once again for the calender!
Saturday 17th
As we set off to Mijas the weather forecast was warm and sunny for the day and the drive along the coast road after Marbella towards Fuengirola at this time of the year is spectacular to say the least,we then went up the bendy road to Mijas Pueblo and found the villa on the way to Coin on the back road out of Mijas higher up the mountain.Judi and Brian welcomed us to Casa Leon with their four dogs and a cat!As you can see in the pictures the villa overlooks the mountains to the right and down to the coast and Africa on a clear day.The other pictures show the back of old Mijas and the famous old and very small bullring in the centre of the village,as usual Brenda is looking better then ever in the very warm lunchtime sunshine! We are going to look after the villa and the animals in February for a long weekend and are going to go and spend a day with them at the start of the month to see their routine, the animals not Judi and Brians!! As is the way when we got back to the house we found a card in the postbox from Clive and Carolyn in Guadalmina and after speaking to them on the phone they are going to arrange some dates for us to go back and look after Casa Abuela and Bruno and the 7/8 cats together with a new member of the family,a Boxer Puppy,in the next couple of months,This is a good start to the New Year !
Friday 16th
In the morning we popped down to the supermarket in Sabinillas and when we came back Mano and Anna called in with Fabio as they were babysitting for the day as both Carlos and Ana Mari were working at the Aparthotel.Fabio is a very happy little boy and he will not leave Mano for one second when they are with him;his English is getting better by the day and his Spanish understanding and thinking comes out all the time,at the end of the month he is three and the party is planned at the Abuela’s casa in the next street were the Spanish Grandparents live, they also baby-sit and feed him all the time as this is the traditional Spanish way with familes.After supper we watched one of the regular programme’s that we watch and are now able to follow a bit better! Just a quick Happy Birthday to our dear friend Penny in Bridgnorth and thanks once again for the calender!
Saturday 17th
As we set off to Mijas the weather forecast was warm and sunny for the day and the drive along the coast road after Marbella towards Fuengirola at this time of the year is spectacular to say the least,we then went up the bendy road to Mijas Pueblo and found the villa on the way to Coin on the back road out of Mijas higher up the mountain.Judi and Brian welcomed us to Casa Leon with their four dogs and a cat!As you can see in the pictures the villa overlooks the mountains to the right and down to the coast and Africa on a clear day.The other pictures show the back of old Mijas and the famous old and very small bullring in the centre of the village,as usual Brenda is looking better then ever in the very warm lunchtime sunshine! We are going to look after the villa and the animals in February for a long weekend and are going to go and spend a day with them at the start of the month to see their routine, the animals not Judi and Brians!! As is the way when we got back to the house we found a card in the postbox from Clive and Carolyn in Guadalmina and after speaking to them on the phone they are going to arrange some dates for us to go back and look after Casa Abuela and Bruno and the 7/8 cats together with a new member of the family,a Boxer Puppy,in the next couple of months,This is a good start to the New Year !
Thursday, January 15, 2009
MANILVA.
Tuesday/Thursday 13th/15th January.
Tuesday 13th.
Everyday now we go for a walk as it is now warm in the sun although it goes cold when you are out of the sun but we are very lucky as the rest of Spain is experiencing Artic conditions with in some places they have snow for the first time in fifty years! We did our shopping in the village and now we top up at the supermarket only when we have to.Daily shopping is good as we buy fresh in small quantities on impulse buying,what we want when we want and we are supporting the local economy at the same time! In the evening after supper we practiced our Spanish pronunciation as we watched the news,no problemente!
Wednesday 14th.
We walked down to the end of the village to see Mano and Anna and catch up with the news and gossip, we also exchange newspapers and books at the same time.They have got over their colds and flu,Gripe in Spanish!
When we got back I spent some time in the office catching up with the e-mails and the blog page;the two projects that I am working on,the TV programme on the local station and the book on my/our life are ongoing,I am planning to spend a set amount of time each day on the book as my typing improves and I learn how to use the Hard drive on the PC and each week I prepare a new update of the proposed format for the TV as I follow the news on the TV and PC as well as reading the newspapers on line.I am also learning new skills on the two laptops,the present challenges are to get the Web Cam working and print some business cards! Mano showed me the Manilva Life web page,which is a little out of date,but I am proposing to start posting pictures from the Digi Cam and Camcorder as when I did the same in the Sur in English newspaper I came second in the competition at the first attempt!
Thursday 15th.
Today we called into to see Vidal and Gissy on the other side of Estepona as they are now also over the Gripe and Gissy had a business proposal to make to us about making some money as the gig work at this time of the year is very quiet; we are giving the idea some thought but we have had three phone calls after putting the ad back in the paper,in fact one of the calls was as we were at Gissy’s and we are going over to Mijas on Saturday morning to meet the people and hopefully arrange to look after the animals and the villa sometime next week as they have to go to England at short notice. Watch this space!
Tuesday 13th.
Everyday now we go for a walk as it is now warm in the sun although it goes cold when you are out of the sun but we are very lucky as the rest of Spain is experiencing Artic conditions with in some places they have snow for the first time in fifty years! We did our shopping in the village and now we top up at the supermarket only when we have to.Daily shopping is good as we buy fresh in small quantities on impulse buying,what we want when we want and we are supporting the local economy at the same time! In the evening after supper we practiced our Spanish pronunciation as we watched the news,no problemente!
Wednesday 14th.
We walked down to the end of the village to see Mano and Anna and catch up with the news and gossip, we also exchange newspapers and books at the same time.They have got over their colds and flu,Gripe in Spanish!
When we got back I spent some time in the office catching up with the e-mails and the blog page;the two projects that I am working on,the TV programme on the local station and the book on my/our life are ongoing,I am planning to spend a set amount of time each day on the book as my typing improves and I learn how to use the Hard drive on the PC and each week I prepare a new update of the proposed format for the TV as I follow the news on the TV and PC as well as reading the newspapers on line.I am also learning new skills on the two laptops,the present challenges are to get the Web Cam working and print some business cards! Mano showed me the Manilva Life web page,which is a little out of date,but I am proposing to start posting pictures from the Digi Cam and Camcorder as when I did the same in the Sur in English newspaper I came second in the competition at the first attempt!
Thursday 15th.
Today we called into to see Vidal and Gissy on the other side of Estepona as they are now also over the Gripe and Gissy had a business proposal to make to us about making some money as the gig work at this time of the year is very quiet; we are giving the idea some thought but we have had three phone calls after putting the ad back in the paper,in fact one of the calls was as we were at Gissy’s and we are going over to Mijas on Saturday morning to meet the people and hopefully arrange to look after the animals and the villa sometime next week as they have to go to England at short notice. Watch this space!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
MANILVA.
Monday 12th.January.
The sun was out as we went across to Estepona to call and place our add in the newspaper with the agent for house-sitting,on the way back we called into the card shop in the marina and as I waited outside it was hot in the noon day sun as the temperature reached 18 degs.When we arrived home the postman had had dropped off the mail which included a calendar from Penny in Bridgnorth;we had asked her if it was possible to get us one as when we stayed with her, Veronica her friend, gave us one which we have used all last year,the calendar has fabulous pictures of Bridgnorth which are taken by Veronica’s. partner and it is the only English thing that we have in the house to remind us of England! The first picture on this years calendar shows Low Town on New Years Eve with the crowds outside the Fosters Arms and in front of the Falcon Hotel which we discovered nearly forty years ago when we were introduced to Low Town before we went up to High town and visited all the bars in the main street by the old Town Hall! It brings back to many happy memories and a big thank you to Penny for sending us the last one on sale in the local church!
The sun was out as we went across to Estepona to call and place our add in the newspaper with the agent for house-sitting,on the way back we called into the card shop in the marina and as I waited outside it was hot in the noon day sun as the temperature reached 18 degs.When we arrived home the postman had had dropped off the mail which included a calendar from Penny in Bridgnorth;we had asked her if it was possible to get us one as when we stayed with her, Veronica her friend, gave us one which we have used all last year,the calendar has fabulous pictures of Bridgnorth which are taken by Veronica’s. partner and it is the only English thing that we have in the house to remind us of England! The first picture on this years calendar shows Low Town on New Years Eve with the crowds outside the Fosters Arms and in front of the Falcon Hotel which we discovered nearly forty years ago when we were introduced to Low Town before we went up to High town and visited all the bars in the main street by the old Town Hall! It brings back to many happy memories and a big thank you to Penny for sending us the last one on sale in the local church!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
MANILVA FOOTBALL REPORT.
Sunday 12th January.
CAMPEONATO DE ESPANA CADETE DE FUTBOL 2009.
At lunchtime today we watched the Regional Final between yesterday’s winners,Castilla y Leon and Madrid. The Madrid team were a lot stronger and bigger than Leon and had control of most of the game,they scored just before the end of the first half when the Leon goalkeeper came off his line and missed the ball,leaving the forward to tap in!In the second half despite the substitute’s it did not work like yesterday although both goalkeepers had to make fine saves late in the match.
CAMPEONATO DE ESPANA CADETE DE FUTBOL 2009.
At lunchtime today we watched the Regional Final between yesterday’s winners,Castilla y Leon and Madrid. The Madrid team were a lot stronger and bigger than Leon and had control of most of the game,they scored just before the end of the first half when the Leon goalkeeper came off his line and missed the ball,leaving the forward to tap in!In the second half despite the substitute’s it did not work like yesterday although both goalkeepers had to make fine saves late in the match.
MANILVA.
Friday/Sunday 9th/11th January.
Friday 9th.
After our day out with Joyce we stayed local on Friday morning and picked up what we needed for the weekend in the local supermarket and butchers.As I caught up with the blog we received an e-mail from France;every year at this time the Batard family send us “ Bien Cordialment” Josiane and Joseph are the people that looked after us on their site in the village of Maisdon Sur Serve outside Nantes when we broke down on our way to Spain at the start of our travels. They are wine makers and their vineyard is in the centre of the Muscadet region where they make and produce various Muscadet Serve Et Maine Sur Lie under their label “ Domaine Des Croix”When we stopped at their vineyard it was just after the grapes had been picked and we had the chance to taste the first pressings at the time!Our very best wishes go to the Batard familyfor 2009.In the evening for dinner we had Braised Steak and Onions with Mash and Cabbage,comfort food par excellence!
Saturday 10th.
As you will see below on Saturday we found ourselves at the football stadium in the warm sunshine watching the Cadet Football Tournament, as we had a long walk around the village to stretch the legs!When we got back to the house we had more live football on the TV to watch much to Brenda’s dismay !! For supper we had some lovely double Lamb Chops roasted on Boulangere Potatoes before we settled down to watch a late film,in Spanish, as it helps us with our learning the language more quickly.
Sunday 11th.
We walked down to the stadium at lunchtime and caught another match which you will have read about and seen the from the pictures above.On our way back we called into Bar Rojas for are usual Sunday glass of Rosado and we had a plate of the house “ Albondigas” with Frits to warm us up after watching the match.Tonight we are having a quiet night at home after another great week here in Manilva on the Costa Del Sol!
Friday 9th.
After our day out with Joyce we stayed local on Friday morning and picked up what we needed for the weekend in the local supermarket and butchers.As I caught up with the blog we received an e-mail from France;every year at this time the Batard family send us “ Bien Cordialment” Josiane and Joseph are the people that looked after us on their site in the village of Maisdon Sur Serve outside Nantes when we broke down on our way to Spain at the start of our travels. They are wine makers and their vineyard is in the centre of the Muscadet region where they make and produce various Muscadet Serve Et Maine Sur Lie under their label “ Domaine Des Croix”When we stopped at their vineyard it was just after the grapes had been picked and we had the chance to taste the first pressings at the time!Our very best wishes go to the Batard familyfor 2009.In the evening for dinner we had Braised Steak and Onions with Mash and Cabbage,comfort food par excellence!
Saturday 10th.
As you will see below on Saturday we found ourselves at the football stadium in the warm sunshine watching the Cadet Football Tournament, as we had a long walk around the village to stretch the legs!When we got back to the house we had more live football on the TV to watch much to Brenda’s dismay !! For supper we had some lovely double Lamb Chops roasted on Boulangere Potatoes before we settled down to watch a late film,in Spanish, as it helps us with our learning the language more quickly.
Sunday 11th.
We walked down to the stadium at lunchtime and caught another match which you will have read about and seen the from the pictures above.On our way back we called into Bar Rojas for are usual Sunday glass of Rosado and we had a plate of the house “ Albondigas” with Frits to warm us up after watching the match.Tonight we are having a quiet night at home after another great week here in Manilva on the Costa Del Sol!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
MANILVA FOOTBALL REPORT.
Saturday 10th.January.
CAMPEONATO DE ESPANA CADETE DE FUTBOL 2009.
This is my first Sports Blog from Sunny Manilva and is a report on the match that took place today between Castilla y Leon and Castilla La Mancha in the National Cadet 14-16 years Spanish Championship which is taking place in the Manilva Football ground and also down at the Estepona stadium over the weekend.The weather for the weekend is spectacular as you can see from the pictures,in the rest of Spain it is deep snow everwhere even in Madrid which is the highest capital city in Europe but does not usually have snow! The first picture shows the celebrities at the match,Mano with his grandson Fabio on his shoulders, Vicente Del Bosquet the new Manager of Spains National team and on the right Fermando Hierro who played for Real Madrid as a full back and was also the Captain of Spain before Raul and later played for Bolton.The kick off in the warm Manilva sunshine was watched by a good crowd and Leon soon took the lead at the far end,with more goals to follow and La Mancha scoring just before half time when the score was 3-1 to Leon.The Leon subs warmed up at half time and from the corner taken at our end in the picture below one of the subs scored the goal as you can see by the celebratons taking place! The Manager/Trainer in the picture gave the Leon team its pep talk at half time and the final result showed this-5-1 to Castilla y Leon over Castill La Mancha! We also spoke to the Mayor who is very happy with having the Regional Championship here in sunny Manilva and at the same time we exchanged New Years greetings with her.
CAMPEONATO DE ESPANA CADETE DE FUTBOL 2009.
This is my first Sports Blog from Sunny Manilva and is a report on the match that took place today between Castilla y Leon and Castilla La Mancha in the National Cadet 14-16 years Spanish Championship which is taking place in the Manilva Football ground and also down at the Estepona stadium over the weekend.The weather for the weekend is spectacular as you can see from the pictures,in the rest of Spain it is deep snow everwhere even in Madrid which is the highest capital city in Europe but does not usually have snow! The first picture shows the celebrities at the match,Mano with his grandson Fabio on his shoulders, Vicente Del Bosquet the new Manager of Spains National team and on the right Fermando Hierro who played for Real Madrid as a full back and was also the Captain of Spain before Raul and later played for Bolton.The kick off in the warm Manilva sunshine was watched by a good crowd and Leon soon took the lead at the far end,with more goals to follow and La Mancha scoring just before half time when the score was 3-1 to Leon.The Leon subs warmed up at half time and from the corner taken at our end in the picture below one of the subs scored the goal as you can see by the celebratons taking place! The Manager/Trainer in the picture gave the Leon team its pep talk at half time and the final result showed this-5-1 to Castilla y Leon over Castill La Mancha! We also spoke to the Mayor who is very happy with having the Regional Championship here in sunny Manilva and at the same time we exchanged New Years greetings with her.
Friday, January 09, 2009
MANILVA.
Tuesday/Thursday 6th/8th January.
Tuesday 6th.
Today was another at home day as we caught up with the chores after the celebrations at the start of the week.I now leave the PCs on when we are in the house so that we can hear the Skype alarm when a call comes in,just like a normal telephone,this means that we can answerer the Skype to Skype call which are free! It worked today as we received a live cam-call from Zoe in Manchester,she has just returned from a few months in St.Lucia on the boat that Graham,her husband is Captain of.This was also our first cam-call we have had and it was very clear and I recognized Zoe’s hall behind her as we caught up with all the news;The one thing that I’ve not been able to get to work at the moment is the Web-cam,so watch out in the future as I master the technology! In the evening we had Turkey for supper which I think will appear on the menu for the next few days!
Wednesday 7th.
In the morning we went across to Estepona to the bank and on the way back we picked up the shopping, as we arrived at the house we bumped into three people in the street who asked us for directions;they ended up in the house and joined us for a lunchtime drink! So hello and nice to meet you,Dave,John and Emily.In the afternoon we had a phone call from our old and dear friend Joyce who has been over for Christmas staying at her house in Alhaurin el Grande above Marbella so we arranged to meet for a day out on Thursday.Later Anna called in as she was out for a walk,she is still not right and when we spoke to her later she was back in bed taking the tablets! Guess what we had for supper? Cold Turkey and Chips!!
Thursday 8th.
The weather for the last few days has been warm and sunny so Joyce came across to us at lunchtime;we started with Kir Royal as we caught up with all the news as we not seen her since earlier last year when Jane was staying with us and we met her in Marbella for a lively lunch! We went down to Sabinillas to a small Tapas bar that Anna had recommended to us and we had the Menu del Dia,three course’s with a bottle of wine and coffee all for eight euros each! Later we went for a walk along the sea wall in the tiny fishing port of El Castillo which is just past Duquesa Marina and then we had a coffee and brandy on the front in Sabinillas as we sat out side in the late afternoon sunshine,In the evening we put the world to right back at the house and as we walked Joyce back up the street we called into Bar Rojas for a nightcap with the locals,whilst we were there somebody brought in freshly caught Baby Whitebait which are fried in hot oil after being dipped in flour,they are illegal but delicious! The pictures below show us having a great day out with Joyce on the Costa del Sol.
Tuesday 6th.
Today was another at home day as we caught up with the chores after the celebrations at the start of the week.I now leave the PCs on when we are in the house so that we can hear the Skype alarm when a call comes in,just like a normal telephone,this means that we can answerer the Skype to Skype call which are free! It worked today as we received a live cam-call from Zoe in Manchester,she has just returned from a few months in St.Lucia on the boat that Graham,her husband is Captain of.This was also our first cam-call we have had and it was very clear and I recognized Zoe’s hall behind her as we caught up with all the news;The one thing that I’ve not been able to get to work at the moment is the Web-cam,so watch out in the future as I master the technology! In the evening we had Turkey for supper which I think will appear on the menu for the next few days!
Wednesday 7th.
In the morning we went across to Estepona to the bank and on the way back we picked up the shopping, as we arrived at the house we bumped into three people in the street who asked us for directions;they ended up in the house and joined us for a lunchtime drink! So hello and nice to meet you,Dave,John and Emily.In the afternoon we had a phone call from our old and dear friend Joyce who has been over for Christmas staying at her house in Alhaurin el Grande above Marbella so we arranged to meet for a day out on Thursday.Later Anna called in as she was out for a walk,she is still not right and when we spoke to her later she was back in bed taking the tablets! Guess what we had for supper? Cold Turkey and Chips!!
Thursday 8th.
The weather for the last few days has been warm and sunny so Joyce came across to us at lunchtime;we started with Kir Royal as we caught up with all the news as we not seen her since earlier last year when Jane was staying with us and we met her in Marbella for a lively lunch! We went down to Sabinillas to a small Tapas bar that Anna had recommended to us and we had the Menu del Dia,three course’s with a bottle of wine and coffee all for eight euros each! Later we went for a walk along the sea wall in the tiny fishing port of El Castillo which is just past Duquesa Marina and then we had a coffee and brandy on the front in Sabinillas as we sat out side in the late afternoon sunshine,In the evening we put the world to right back at the house and as we walked Joyce back up the street we called into Bar Rojas for a nightcap with the locals,whilst we were there somebody brought in freshly caught Baby Whitebait which are fried in hot oil after being dipped in flour,they are illegal but delicious! The pictures below show us having a great day out with Joyce on the Costa del Sol.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
MANILVA,NEWSFLASH.
Tuesday 6th.January.
Well it’s a good news day,for the moment at least! We have just had a visit from the owner and her family with her Husband,her Son the Lawyer,his Wife also a Lawyer and translater,her Sister,who is our next door neighbour and another neighbour to tell us that they have excepted our offer and we will sign the contracts by the end of the week for another eleven months! They all came in the house and wished us a happy “ Reyes” day at the same time!
Well it’s a good news day,for the moment at least! We have just had a visit from the owner and her family with her Husband,her Son the Lawyer,his Wife also a Lawyer and translater,her Sister,who is our next door neighbour and another neighbour to tell us that they have excepted our offer and we will sign the contracts by the end of the week for another eleven months! They all came in the house and wished us a happy “ Reyes” day at the same time!
MANILVA,THE REYES PARADE.
Monday 5th.January.
We were up bright and early as we had to get ready for our party in the evening;First I had to refill the Spanish Turkey and then with Brenda’s help stich and skewer it back together! Job done it went in the oven for four hours as we moved the furniture,set the tables and prepared the starters and vegetables.By lunchtime we were ready and sat down to relax for an hour or two when the phone started ringing,Fistly Mano and Anna called off because they both had the flu,then Vidal and Gisssy had gone worse as they had not been well with the same bug for a few days and finally Carlos rang to say that Ana Mari had to work! So we went from ten to five in a few minutes!The curse of the Turkey had struck again!! In the evening Andy and his wife Anna,who has not been very well for quite a while and is still on treatment,joined us for dinner,with Carlos who had to go into work later to take over from Ana Mari ! Before we sat down to dinner we walked up our street to watch the “Reyes” Parade at 8-00pm.This is the big Spanish holiday of the year and celebrates the arrival of the Three Kings with street parades all over the country.Our little one in the village was very good as you can see in the pictures below with the whole village out as it made it’s way along the main street,as the floats pass they throw sweets( Caramelos) out to the crowds who collect them in plastic bags and up- turned umbrellas! The Mayor was in the lead car,the Chief of Police was sounding his alarm on the Police car and the Band and singers were giving it their all! We then sat down to the Turkey,the sequel,part three!We had a lovely night and caught up with all the village gossip as the beer and wine flowed.
We were up bright and early as we had to get ready for our party in the evening;First I had to refill the Spanish Turkey and then with Brenda’s help stich and skewer it back together! Job done it went in the oven for four hours as we moved the furniture,set the tables and prepared the starters and vegetables.By lunchtime we were ready and sat down to relax for an hour or two when the phone started ringing,Fistly Mano and Anna called off because they both had the flu,then Vidal and Gisssy had gone worse as they had not been well with the same bug for a few days and finally Carlos rang to say that Ana Mari had to work! So we went from ten to five in a few minutes!The curse of the Turkey had struck again!! In the evening Andy and his wife Anna,who has not been very well for quite a while and is still on treatment,joined us for dinner,with Carlos who had to go into work later to take over from Ana Mari ! Before we sat down to dinner we walked up our street to watch the “Reyes” Parade at 8-00pm.This is the big Spanish holiday of the year and celebrates the arrival of the Three Kings with street parades all over the country.Our little one in the village was very good as you can see in the pictures below with the whole village out as it made it’s way along the main street,as the floats pass they throw sweets( Caramelos) out to the crowds who collect them in plastic bags and up- turned umbrellas! The Mayor was in the lead car,the Chief of Police was sounding his alarm on the Police car and the Band and singers were giving it their all! We then sat down to the Turkey,the sequel,part three!We had a lovely night and caught up with all the village gossip as the beer and wine flowed.
MANILVA.
Saturday 3rd.January.
Today was a quiet day at home to catch up and relax after the New Year celebrations; the weather is fine with sun and blue skies during the day and cool in the evening,the temperature is now back up to 16/18 degs. which is still cold for this time of the year here!In the evening we had Steak and Frits for supper,we picked up the Steak from the butcher in the village,Sirloin and it was delicious.
Sunday 4th.January.
After our usual Sunday lie in we went for a walk down to Post Office.it only opens during the week for an hour every morning but the post is still reaching England in three days although it takes a little longer to reach us!We then stopped in Bar Rochas for Tapas and a drink,they look after us very well,the owner now stocks a very nice Rosado for Brenda and plenty of Bacardi for me!As I was on the PC later in the day we found out that Ben, Carol’s son, has become engaged to Andrea on New Years Day so we got on the Skype phone to wish them all the best for the future. Over the weekend we decided to have a party on Monday for the Three Kings Day so we asked everybody round and Vidal and Gissy also as a surprise to make the table up to ten;we pulled the Spanish Turkey out of the deep freeze and I plan to re-stuff it with the filling and then stitch it !
Today was a quiet day at home to catch up and relax after the New Year celebrations; the weather is fine with sun and blue skies during the day and cool in the evening,the temperature is now back up to 16/18 degs. which is still cold for this time of the year here!In the evening we had Steak and Frits for supper,we picked up the Steak from the butcher in the village,Sirloin and it was delicious.
Sunday 4th.January.
After our usual Sunday lie in we went for a walk down to Post Office.it only opens during the week for an hour every morning but the post is still reaching England in three days although it takes a little longer to reach us!We then stopped in Bar Rochas for Tapas and a drink,they look after us very well,the owner now stocks a very nice Rosado for Brenda and plenty of Bacardi for me!As I was on the PC later in the day we found out that Ben, Carol’s son, has become engaged to Andrea on New Years Day so we got on the Skype phone to wish them all the best for the future. Over the weekend we decided to have a party on Monday for the Three Kings Day so we asked everybody round and Vidal and Gissy also as a surprise to make the table up to ten;we pulled the Spanish Turkey out of the deep freeze and I plan to re-stuff it with the filling and then stitch it !
Friday, January 02, 2009
MANILVA 2009.
Wednesday 31st December 2008.
As we went out to the local shops it was warm and sunny,we called into the butchers and thanked him for the two Spanish Christmas Turkeys which turned out to be very good;we also collected a new calendar from the Opticians in the Main Street for the office wall.For lunch we had good old Egg and chips to line the stomach ready for the nights celebrations! We walked down to Carlos’s house later in the evening to join Mano and Anna,Ana Mari with Fabio and Carlos when he got in from work later for supper.When Carlos arrived we sat down to Sirloin Steak and Frits with Fried Peppers and Mushrooms accompanied with a pepper sauce then as midnight approached we opened a bottle of very nice pink Cava, which we dropped all the wedding rings into the glasses,a Spanish tradition and at the same time we had little cups filled with twelve Grapes which you eat on the chimes at midnight,the secret is to use tinned grapes as they are easier to eat! The beer flowed, the wine kept coming and my Bacardi and Coke were just right as the night went on,Fabio was a non stop whirl of energy as we watched the Spanish equivalent of Jools Holland and then had a rather loud game of Trivial Pursuits and at the same time we introduced Fabio to Party Poppers! On the way home we found out that the only two clubs in the village,which was dead when we walked down earlier, had opened;One of them is in what looks like a deserted house just by the roundabout and the other is opposite the Police Headquarters underneath a block of flats! The village streets where full of cars,hundreds of them parked in every possible space,but not a sole in site!They were all in the clubs,except for us! As we arrived home I let in the New Year and yes I did have in my pocket a little parcel of Suger,Tea and Coal for good luck.
Thursday 1st January 2009.
After a nice lie in we had a late breakfast of Brenda’s famous Poached Eggs on Toast with a glass of Pink Cava to welcome in the New Year in the right way! We then hit the Skype phone and rang all the family and friends we could think of to wish them all the best for 2009.In the afternoon Gissy rang to say that she would come and cut our hair and so I picked her up from Duquesa Marina as Vidal had a New Years Day gig at one of his regular spots.We caught up with all their Christmas news as we had not seen them since the start of December,we do miss seeing them as they live on the other side of Estepona now.In the evening after I had dropped Gissy back down to the marina we settled down to watch some TV and found that they were showing the Coldplay concert when they played live in front of the BBC headquarters in London,we had seen it before but it was still very good to watch again even though we don’t like them much! For Supper we had the stew from the day before which we are living on for now!
Friday 2nd January.
The weather over this weekend is not very good and the forecast for the start of next week when it is the Big Christmas celebrations for the Spanish people,it is a Bank Holiday on Monday and Tuesday for the “ Three Kings” and this is when they go mad and celebrate and give presents,much more than at Christmas. At lunchtime today we went down to Sabinillas as we had an appointment at the solicitors office to re sign the contract on the house,In Spain it is 11 months at a time so we have to renegotiate every year at this time,keep all your fingers crossed as we have few problems at the moment with the Pound now being down to one Euros!
Tonight we are having a quiet night in and watching TV,not forgetting to mention Tim our dear friend in Colwyn Bay who’s birthday it is today,he is having a Helluva party at a friends house tonight and we will be having a drink to toast him,later!
As we went out to the local shops it was warm and sunny,we called into the butchers and thanked him for the two Spanish Christmas Turkeys which turned out to be very good;we also collected a new calendar from the Opticians in the Main Street for the office wall.For lunch we had good old Egg and chips to line the stomach ready for the nights celebrations! We walked down to Carlos’s house later in the evening to join Mano and Anna,Ana Mari with Fabio and Carlos when he got in from work later for supper.When Carlos arrived we sat down to Sirloin Steak and Frits with Fried Peppers and Mushrooms accompanied with a pepper sauce then as midnight approached we opened a bottle of very nice pink Cava, which we dropped all the wedding rings into the glasses,a Spanish tradition and at the same time we had little cups filled with twelve Grapes which you eat on the chimes at midnight,the secret is to use tinned grapes as they are easier to eat! The beer flowed, the wine kept coming and my Bacardi and Coke were just right as the night went on,Fabio was a non stop whirl of energy as we watched the Spanish equivalent of Jools Holland and then had a rather loud game of Trivial Pursuits and at the same time we introduced Fabio to Party Poppers! On the way home we found out that the only two clubs in the village,which was dead when we walked down earlier, had opened;One of them is in what looks like a deserted house just by the roundabout and the other is opposite the Police Headquarters underneath a block of flats! The village streets where full of cars,hundreds of them parked in every possible space,but not a sole in site!They were all in the clubs,except for us! As we arrived home I let in the New Year and yes I did have in my pocket a little parcel of Suger,Tea and Coal for good luck.
Thursday 1st January 2009.
After a nice lie in we had a late breakfast of Brenda’s famous Poached Eggs on Toast with a glass of Pink Cava to welcome in the New Year in the right way! We then hit the Skype phone and rang all the family and friends we could think of to wish them all the best for 2009.In the afternoon Gissy rang to say that she would come and cut our hair and so I picked her up from Duquesa Marina as Vidal had a New Years Day gig at one of his regular spots.We caught up with all their Christmas news as we had not seen them since the start of December,we do miss seeing them as they live on the other side of Estepona now.In the evening after I had dropped Gissy back down to the marina we settled down to watch some TV and found that they were showing the Coldplay concert when they played live in front of the BBC headquarters in London,we had seen it before but it was still very good to watch again even though we don’t like them much! For Supper we had the stew from the day before which we are living on for now!
Friday 2nd January.
The weather over this weekend is not very good and the forecast for the start of next week when it is the Big Christmas celebrations for the Spanish people,it is a Bank Holiday on Monday and Tuesday for the “ Three Kings” and this is when they go mad and celebrate and give presents,much more than at Christmas. At lunchtime today we went down to Sabinillas as we had an appointment at the solicitors office to re sign the contract on the house,In Spain it is 11 months at a time so we have to renegotiate every year at this time,keep all your fingers crossed as we have few problems at the moment with the Pound now being down to one Euros!
Tonight we are having a quiet night in and watching TV,not forgetting to mention Tim our dear friend in Colwyn Bay who’s birthday it is today,he is having a Helluva party at a friends house tonight and we will be having a drink to toast him,later!
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
MANILVA.
Saturday/Tuesday 27th/30th December.
Saturday 27th.
During the day we got our selves sorted for the invasion of the Guerrero clan for dinner! We had some tapas to start with along with Pink Cava and then Roast Rib of Beef on the bone along with Cabbage,Mashed Carrots and Turnips,glazed Green Beans and garden Peas together with a stack of Roast Potatoes in Duck Fat,all washed down with Sangre de Toro,Torres.We just about got ten of us around two tables,we put a heater in the chill out room uptairs for the smokers,that’s everybody and the front door was open to create more space and as they passed in the street our neighbors called in! Sally and her kids are leaving for Tenerife first thing in the morning so I got her to write a message in our guest book before she left.
Sunday 28th.
After a late start and thank god for the dishwasher! we managed to sort the house and get it back to normal,In the afternoon I watched for the first time on the PC,Carlos rang to say that it was live on RTVE,ES, the main Spanish TV station Web Page,the Liverpool match which was just amazing,5-1 !! and now I have another way of watching the football when it is not on the TV! On checking the e-mails and messages on Facebook I caught up with some replies and will do some more over the next couple of days,thanks to in no particular order; Joyce,Debbie,Celia,Glenys,Penny and Jenny! amongst many others. In the evening,we had another Turkey experience,we have now had Turkey sandwiches, Cold Turkey,Turkey and Pinapple Curry! The same is going to happen with the Beef,as I am typing this the Beef sandwich is ready and I’m making a pan of stew later!
Monday 29th.
It was a little better today so we went for a walk at lunchtime and ended up at Mano and Anna’s to catch up with the news,Sally had arrived back in Tenerife safely, and we are making arrangements for next year already; Mano then made a lovely warm Spanish Turkey Baguette for a snack,you can’t get enough,Honest! In the evening we settled down and watched the TV including a documentary,filmed from a helicopter,which shows you all around Spain,it”s on TV2 and we watch it often,One day we are going to tour the country in the Smart car as it is very spectacular;each area is different and the architecture is out of this world.
Tuesday 30th.
Today we popped down to Sabinillas for some shopping and a newspaper,it is actually nice to read the paper in the hand rather than on the web for a change.Brenda is hanging the washing out,it”s not very good drying weather at the moment and next she is doing the ironing so I’m keeping out of the way in the office as it is her least favourite thing and she gets just a little unhappy with life as she does it!! Mano has just let us know that we are going to let in the New Year at Carlos’s new house so we are going to make the arrangements later about food and more importantly the drink!
Saturday 27th.
During the day we got our selves sorted for the invasion of the Guerrero clan for dinner! We had some tapas to start with along with Pink Cava and then Roast Rib of Beef on the bone along with Cabbage,Mashed Carrots and Turnips,glazed Green Beans and garden Peas together with a stack of Roast Potatoes in Duck Fat,all washed down with Sangre de Toro,Torres.We just about got ten of us around two tables,we put a heater in the chill out room uptairs for the smokers,that’s everybody and the front door was open to create more space and as they passed in the street our neighbors called in! Sally and her kids are leaving for Tenerife first thing in the morning so I got her to write a message in our guest book before she left.
Sunday 28th.
After a late start and thank god for the dishwasher! we managed to sort the house and get it back to normal,In the afternoon I watched for the first time on the PC,Carlos rang to say that it was live on RTVE,ES, the main Spanish TV station Web Page,the Liverpool match which was just amazing,5-1 !! and now I have another way of watching the football when it is not on the TV! On checking the e-mails and messages on Facebook I caught up with some replies and will do some more over the next couple of days,thanks to in no particular order; Joyce,Debbie,Celia,Glenys,Penny and Jenny! amongst many others. In the evening,we had another Turkey experience,we have now had Turkey sandwiches, Cold Turkey,Turkey and Pinapple Curry! The same is going to happen with the Beef,as I am typing this the Beef sandwich is ready and I’m making a pan of stew later!
Monday 29th.
It was a little better today so we went for a walk at lunchtime and ended up at Mano and Anna’s to catch up with the news,Sally had arrived back in Tenerife safely, and we are making arrangements for next year already; Mano then made a lovely warm Spanish Turkey Baguette for a snack,you can’t get enough,Honest! In the evening we settled down and watched the TV including a documentary,filmed from a helicopter,which shows you all around Spain,it”s on TV2 and we watch it often,One day we are going to tour the country in the Smart car as it is very spectacular;each area is different and the architecture is out of this world.
Tuesday 30th.
Today we popped down to Sabinillas for some shopping and a newspaper,it is actually nice to read the paper in the hand rather than on the web for a change.Brenda is hanging the washing out,it”s not very good drying weather at the moment and next she is doing the ironing so I’m keeping out of the way in the office as it is her least favourite thing and she gets just a little unhappy with life as she does it!! Mano has just let us know that we are going to let in the New Year at Carlos’s new house so we are going to make the arrangements later about food and more importantly the drink!
Friday, December 26, 2008
MANILVA.
Friday 26th December 2008.
After a little lie in we got ourselves ready and walked down to Mano’s in the warm lunchtime sun to collect the Smart Car and catch up with all the gang.We ended up on the front down in Sabinillas at the Bar Med to watch the Manchester City match but when we got there the system had broken down so we had to watch the Sky Sports report,City won and Liverpool! In one of the pictures below you can see the sign outside Carlos’s house,Main Road rules!The picture just below shows the beach and view from Bar Med this afternoon! Tonight we are having a quiet night in,we are having cold Turkey and Chips for supper! Tomorrow the Guerrero family are coming to us for a Roast Beef dinner as Sally Ann and the kids are flying back to Tenerife on Sunday morning.
After a little lie in we got ourselves ready and walked down to Mano’s in the warm lunchtime sun to collect the Smart Car and catch up with all the gang.We ended up on the front down in Sabinillas at the Bar Med to watch the Manchester City match but when we got there the system had broken down so we had to watch the Sky Sports report,City won and Liverpool! In one of the pictures below you can see the sign outside Carlos’s house,Main Road rules!The picture just below shows the beach and view from Bar Med this afternoon! Tonight we are having a quiet night in,we are having cold Turkey and Chips for supper! Tomorrow the Guerrero family are coming to us for a Roast Beef dinner as Sally Ann and the kids are flying back to Tenerife on Sunday morning.
MANILVA.
Tuesday/Thursday 23rd/25th December.
Tuesday 23rd.
We had to stay in on Tuesday as we were expecting the Carrier to deliver our goods from England;earlier in the month when we phoned Ben,Carols son,to see how he was after a nasty operation on his back after Carols funeral we found out that they had already sold the house and needed us to move the eight box’s of glass and china that Carol had let us store in her loft.So at very short notice we arranged for a carrier to pick up the goods and bring then to our house in Manilva,which he did very effentially,Brenda had packed everything in Bubble Rap and we had only one small breakage! At the same time they also brought our two collapsible bikes which I don’t now if we will use them due to the steep roads around here,honest!We then went through all the cases and sorted them out and then packed then away on the two top floor’s. We found out later in the week that the Brass Band and Carol concert had been on in the church and we had missed it! We had not spotted it in the Local Paper.so we watched it on the local TV station later on one night and we were very sorry that we had missed it.
Wednesday 24th.
On Wednesday morning we called into Mano and Anna’s for a Pancake Breakfast,one of Salle Ann’s many specialties and as we were talking she told us that she did not like the stuffing in the two Spanish Turkeys that Mano had dropped off at our house yesterday; So when I got back I started to take out the filling of the one I was going to Roast(Due to oven space) after unstitching the bird and found out that I had a disaster on my hands! The bird collapsed and was flat as a pancake as the filling was the whole of the meat,taken from inside and then mixed with all sorts of fat and Garlic Cloves which formed the Turkey,Spanish style! We then panicked and rung the English butcher in Duquesa,we had just picked up the Beef for our Roast over the weekend,they had one Turkey left and where just about to close so I shot down to pick it up.The picture below shows the English Turkey and in the Xmas Day photographs you can see the second Spanish Turkey that I did not un-pick! In the afternoon we caught up withVidal and Gissy to wish them a happy Christmas and to arrange to see them over the holiday.Carlos and Ana Mari had asked us around to their new house for a Buffet supper with all the family in the evening,Ana also made some excellent Frits.On the way back home in the early hours of Christmas day we took the picture of the “ Feliznavidad” sign across the main street as we walked home.
Thursday 25th December 2008
We were up bright and early as Father Christmas had to be ready to go down to the Guerreo house to hand out the presents and bring some Xmas cheer to one and all! As you can see in the pictures he entered into things with great gusto and put a smile on the faces of all the children and the ladies! We then settled down to get ready for the Christmas dinner later in the afternoon,the drink soon started to flow as the folks got changed and the kids played with the toys,the remote control Trucks where soon in the hands of the older children,Mano, Carlos and the Head Chef! We started with the Pink Champagne and Smoked Salmon and Prawns as the time for the Banquet to start got nearer; We had Roasted the two Turkeys and they carved beautifully, the Spanish one was particularly good and very different,we made fresh Chestnut stuffing,Bread sauce,Chipolatas wrapped in Bacon,Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce,Broccoli in Lemon Butter,Carrots glazed in Ginger,Roast Parsnips in Maple Syrup,Sprouts tossed with diced Smoked Bacon and the Famous Roast Potatoes in Duck Fat,I also made two different Gravies to go with the two Birds!! The wine flowed as it always does in the Guerrero house and the Bacardi and Coke came along at a regular pace,Later in the evening it was the time for the family entertainment to start,Carlos and Mano sang and danced to the Bob the Builder Cardboard Box hit,Sally Ann sang a song from a show,Dlyan Brake danced,Jordan sang and danced to a show tune,Fabio joined in with everything until the Morris Dancers hit the floor,Anna and I brought the house down and the audience was spell bound,as you can see in the picture below! As we walked home we stopped at Bar Rojas as the owner asked us in and I finished with a White Firewater and Coke to round off one “ Helluva Christmas Day” in Manilva.
Tuesday 23rd.
We had to stay in on Tuesday as we were expecting the Carrier to deliver our goods from England;earlier in the month when we phoned Ben,Carols son,to see how he was after a nasty operation on his back after Carols funeral we found out that they had already sold the house and needed us to move the eight box’s of glass and china that Carol had let us store in her loft.So at very short notice we arranged for a carrier to pick up the goods and bring then to our house in Manilva,which he did very effentially,Brenda had packed everything in Bubble Rap and we had only one small breakage! At the same time they also brought our two collapsible bikes which I don’t now if we will use them due to the steep roads around here,honest!We then went through all the cases and sorted them out and then packed then away on the two top floor’s. We found out later in the week that the Brass Band and Carol concert had been on in the church and we had missed it! We had not spotted it in the Local Paper.so we watched it on the local TV station later on one night and we were very sorry that we had missed it.
Wednesday 24th.
On Wednesday morning we called into Mano and Anna’s for a Pancake Breakfast,one of Salle Ann’s many specialties and as we were talking she told us that she did not like the stuffing in the two Spanish Turkeys that Mano had dropped off at our house yesterday; So when I got back I started to take out the filling of the one I was going to Roast(Due to oven space) after unstitching the bird and found out that I had a disaster on my hands! The bird collapsed and was flat as a pancake as the filling was the whole of the meat,taken from inside and then mixed with all sorts of fat and Garlic Cloves which formed the Turkey,Spanish style! We then panicked and rung the English butcher in Duquesa,we had just picked up the Beef for our Roast over the weekend,they had one Turkey left and where just about to close so I shot down to pick it up.The picture below shows the English Turkey and in the Xmas Day photographs you can see the second Spanish Turkey that I did not un-pick! In the afternoon we caught up withVidal and Gissy to wish them a happy Christmas and to arrange to see them over the holiday.Carlos and Ana Mari had asked us around to their new house for a Buffet supper with all the family in the evening,Ana also made some excellent Frits.On the way back home in the early hours of Christmas day we took the picture of the “ Feliznavidad” sign across the main street as we walked home.
Thursday 25th December 2008
We were up bright and early as Father Christmas had to be ready to go down to the Guerreo house to hand out the presents and bring some Xmas cheer to one and all! As you can see in the pictures he entered into things with great gusto and put a smile on the faces of all the children and the ladies! We then settled down to get ready for the Christmas dinner later in the afternoon,the drink soon started to flow as the folks got changed and the kids played with the toys,the remote control Trucks where soon in the hands of the older children,Mano, Carlos and the Head Chef! We started with the Pink Champagne and Smoked Salmon and Prawns as the time for the Banquet to start got nearer; We had Roasted the two Turkeys and they carved beautifully, the Spanish one was particularly good and very different,we made fresh Chestnut stuffing,Bread sauce,Chipolatas wrapped in Bacon,Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce,Broccoli in Lemon Butter,Carrots glazed in Ginger,Roast Parsnips in Maple Syrup,Sprouts tossed with diced Smoked Bacon and the Famous Roast Potatoes in Duck Fat,I also made two different Gravies to go with the two Birds!! The wine flowed as it always does in the Guerrero house and the Bacardi and Coke came along at a regular pace,Later in the evening it was the time for the family entertainment to start,Carlos and Mano sang and danced to the Bob the Builder Cardboard Box hit,Sally Ann sang a song from a show,Dlyan Brake danced,Jordan sang and danced to a show tune,Fabio joined in with everything until the Morris Dancers hit the floor,Anna and I brought the house down and the audience was spell bound,as you can see in the picture below! As we walked home we stopped at Bar Rojas as the owner asked us in and I finished with a White Firewater and Coke to round off one “ Helluva Christmas Day” in Manilva.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
MANILVA.
Wednesday 24th.December.
This is the first Turkey out of the oven from the central kitchens in Calle San Vicente! Tomorrow we are roasting a Spanish Bird at the Guerrero Family house!
This is the first Turkey out of the oven from the central kitchens in Calle San Vicente! Tomorrow we are roasting a Spanish Bird at the Guerrero Family house!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
MANILVA.
Saturday 20th/Monday 22nd. December.
Saturday was a hot and sunny day as we had a day at home,Brenda was out on the roof terrace in the afternoon as I caught up with the blog page in the office.Later I made a Chicken Curry as the local butcher had some large Breast’s! when we called in for the weekend goods. In the evening as we watched the TV and caught up with all the football highlights,at the same time we followed the final of Strictly Come Dancing on the PC,like with the football we follow the News blog which is updated every two minutes,live, and with pictures-Lisa was robbed!On Sunday we went for a walk at lunchtime and bumped into Andy and Anna,so we called into Bar Rojas for a drink.As we came along the main street the police were blocking off the roads and that’s when we found out about the Xmas Band Parade in the pictures below.As usual we had our Brunch late as we ended up having some Tapas in the bar.First thing on Monday morning we called into Mano and Anna’s to catch up with Sally Ann and the kids who arrived from Tenerife on Saturday and started to make the arrangements for Xmas Lunch.After shopping and calling into the Bank in Estepona when we returned home we found that a lot of Xmas cards had arrived,thanks! One of the cards was from a friend that we met,a long time ago now,in Le Touquet at the start of our travels so thanks to Gordan who is still following us on the blog page and has acquired a Smart car and trailer behind his Motorhome! We then watched the Lottery draw on TV, ‘ El Gordo” is the largest in Europe and is held every year at the same time,one ticket costs 20 euros but the prize money is unbelievable.Mano is the local agent so we have always bought our ticket from him,they are sold in blocks in different areas so the same number is won by whole families,bars,shops etc.It means that the whole village can become millionaire’s over night! And no we did not win,again!!
Saturday was a hot and sunny day as we had a day at home,Brenda was out on the roof terrace in the afternoon as I caught up with the blog page in the office.Later I made a Chicken Curry as the local butcher had some large Breast’s! when we called in for the weekend goods. In the evening as we watched the TV and caught up with all the football highlights,at the same time we followed the final of Strictly Come Dancing on the PC,like with the football we follow the News blog which is updated every two minutes,live, and with pictures-Lisa was robbed!On Sunday we went for a walk at lunchtime and bumped into Andy and Anna,so we called into Bar Rojas for a drink.As we came along the main street the police were blocking off the roads and that’s when we found out about the Xmas Band Parade in the pictures below.As usual we had our Brunch late as we ended up having some Tapas in the bar.First thing on Monday morning we called into Mano and Anna’s to catch up with Sally Ann and the kids who arrived from Tenerife on Saturday and started to make the arrangements for Xmas Lunch.After shopping and calling into the Bank in Estepona when we returned home we found that a lot of Xmas cards had arrived,thanks! One of the cards was from a friend that we met,a long time ago now,in Le Touquet at the start of our travels so thanks to Gordan who is still following us on the blog page and has acquired a Smart car and trailer behind his Motorhome! We then watched the Lottery draw on TV, ‘ El Gordo” is the largest in Europe and is held every year at the same time,one ticket costs 20 euros but the prize money is unbelievable.Mano is the local agent so we have always bought our ticket from him,they are sold in blocks in different areas so the same number is won by whole families,bars,shops etc.It means that the whole village can become millionaire’s over night! And no we did not win,again!!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
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