Saturday, February 14, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
MANILVA,CALLE SAN VICENTE 1
Friday 13th February!
I have posted below a picture of the office on the first floor in full " Working " mode this afternoon as I updated the blog and also made some Skype calls on the smaller PC on the left;the second picture is for reference when we are out and about and is a basic Andalucia Map taken from todays Sur in English newspaper.All the pictures will enlarge when you click on them!!
I have posted below a picture of the office on the first floor in full " Working " mode this afternoon as I updated the blog and also made some Skype calls on the smaller PC on the left;the second picture is for reference when we are out and about and is a basic Andalucia Map taken from todays Sur in English newspaper.All the pictures will enlarge when you click on them!!
MANILVA.
Thursday 12th.February.
I got up early and shot across to the bank in Estepona to sort out a little technical problem about a standing order,Brenda had a lie in is she has not been sleeping too well as she has caught a bad cold off me after our wet trip to Guadalmina last week! When I got back we went for our morning walk and called into the butchers to pick up some Pork Cutlets for dinner,he had just made some Chicken Burgers so we bought two to try and walked down to the very small shop at the start of the village,Toto’s for the local bread like a Burger Bun but softer and white.On the way back we stopped at Bar Rojas for a glass of Faustino Rosado as it was a beautiful day with no wind,blue skies and hot sun as we sat and watched the world go by!We then had our Chicken Burgers on our roof terrace,it was so hot and sunny that we had to put the sun umbrella up;we spent the rest of the afternoon listening to the quiet of the village! as you can see in the pictures below. As we spoke to Mano later to ask after Anna who is over in North Wales for a few days we invited him to join us for dinner later;Pork Cutlets in a Lemon Butter sauce,Lyonnaise Potatoes,Green Beans,Broccoli,Mushrooms and Baked Spanish Green Peppers filled with Savoury Rice,all washed down with very cold Cruzcampo!We then went out for a nightcap to a couple of Bars were Brenda and Mano had “ Carajillo’s ” small strong black coffee topped with 501 Brandy and I made sure that the Bacardi and Coke’s were all right !! Just another day in our quiet and sleepy village with the locals making us very welcome;check out the web page for Manilva at;www.turismomanilva.com
I got up early and shot across to the bank in Estepona to sort out a little technical problem about a standing order,Brenda had a lie in is she has not been sleeping too well as she has caught a bad cold off me after our wet trip to Guadalmina last week! When I got back we went for our morning walk and called into the butchers to pick up some Pork Cutlets for dinner,he had just made some Chicken Burgers so we bought two to try and walked down to the very small shop at the start of the village,Toto’s for the local bread like a Burger Bun but softer and white.On the way back we stopped at Bar Rojas for a glass of Faustino Rosado as it was a beautiful day with no wind,blue skies and hot sun as we sat and watched the world go by!We then had our Chicken Burgers on our roof terrace,it was so hot and sunny that we had to put the sun umbrella up;we spent the rest of the afternoon listening to the quiet of the village! as you can see in the pictures below. As we spoke to Mano later to ask after Anna who is over in North Wales for a few days we invited him to join us for dinner later;Pork Cutlets in a Lemon Butter sauce,Lyonnaise Potatoes,Green Beans,Broccoli,Mushrooms and Baked Spanish Green Peppers filled with Savoury Rice,all washed down with very cold Cruzcampo!We then went out for a nightcap to a couple of Bars were Brenda and Mano had “ Carajillo’s ” small strong black coffee topped with 501 Brandy and I made sure that the Bacardi and Coke’s were all right !! Just another day in our quiet and sleepy village with the locals making us very welcome;check out the web page for Manilva at;www.turismomanilva.com
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
TARIFA.
Wednesday 11th February.
This morning we were up early as we had to go across to see some people about a house sitting job; we set off down the coast road towards Gibraltar and then past and around Algeciras and up the hilly mountain road by the coast and past all the wind farms towards Tarifa.Today was the best day by far ,this year,the temperature reached 22 degs.in the afternoon.We found the villa which is in a spectacular spot on the side of a hill with views to die for;its above the Straites of Gibraltar at their closet spot to Africa,8 miles as the crow flies!! You can see the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and the snow on the top of the Atlas mountains behind the coast,it’s the only place in the world were you can see one Continent from another,so I’am reliabley informed ! Kerry and Chris Derham have lived in the villa for a few years and still have business connections in the UK.They had made contact with us after seeing our advert and we arranged to go and see them this week,Kerry welcomed us and showed us around the large three story villa set in a large hillside garden with a swimming pool with a fine view down to the coast as you can see in the first few pictures.The area is called El Cuarton and is about ten klms. from Tarifa further down the coast. We met the two dogs,and three cats and had a long chat about our past life and adventures,finding that we had a lot of thing in common especially Chris’s love of music ,of all sorts as he has music systems all over the villa,a Juke Box in the Kitchen and the ground floor under the main villa is set up with a mixing table,lights and speakers as well as a bar,his own mini disco! Chris was away in England but I’ve spoken to him on the phone, his mother,Joan, who is a young 91 also lives in a flat in the villa and we are hoping to go and look after the villa next week when they have arranged the dates,watch this spot! Kerry as we were talking recommended a Beach Bar down the coast just past Tarifa at TorreDeLaPena as a good place to go for a spot of lunch;the other pictures below will give you a taste of the views and its position on the sea front overlooking the African coast,Brenda had the Lentil Stew and I had Pan fried slivers of Liver with Frits!As you can see Gissy has done another fine job on Brenda’s hair! On the way back we called into the very large Hypermarket outside Algeciras to pick up a new DVD.player with the latest Digital channels all included for 36 euros!! The next good news update should be on babies as Yola,in Switzerland and Michelle in Preston Carol two daughters, are expecting their second babies any day now,Watch this space!!
This morning we were up early as we had to go across to see some people about a house sitting job; we set off down the coast road towards Gibraltar and then past and around Algeciras and up the hilly mountain road by the coast and past all the wind farms towards Tarifa.Today was the best day by far ,this year,the temperature reached 22 degs.in the afternoon.We found the villa which is in a spectacular spot on the side of a hill with views to die for;its above the Straites of Gibraltar at their closet spot to Africa,8 miles as the crow flies!! You can see the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and the snow on the top of the Atlas mountains behind the coast,it’s the only place in the world were you can see one Continent from another,so I’am reliabley informed ! Kerry and Chris Derham have lived in the villa for a few years and still have business connections in the UK.They had made contact with us after seeing our advert and we arranged to go and see them this week,Kerry welcomed us and showed us around the large three story villa set in a large hillside garden with a swimming pool with a fine view down to the coast as you can see in the first few pictures.The area is called El Cuarton and is about ten klms. from Tarifa further down the coast. We met the two dogs,and three cats and had a long chat about our past life and adventures,finding that we had a lot of thing in common especially Chris’s love of music ,of all sorts as he has music systems all over the villa,a Juke Box in the Kitchen and the ground floor under the main villa is set up with a mixing table,lights and speakers as well as a bar,his own mini disco! Chris was away in England but I’ve spoken to him on the phone, his mother,Joan, who is a young 91 also lives in a flat in the villa and we are hoping to go and look after the villa next week when they have arranged the dates,watch this spot! Kerry as we were talking recommended a Beach Bar down the coast just past Tarifa at TorreDeLaPena as a good place to go for a spot of lunch;the other pictures below will give you a taste of the views and its position on the sea front overlooking the African coast,Brenda had the Lentil Stew and I had Pan fried slivers of Liver with Frits!As you can see Gissy has done another fine job on Brenda’s hair! On the way back we called into the very large Hypermarket outside Algeciras to pick up a new DVD.player with the latest Digital channels all included for 36 euros!! The next good news update should be on babies as Yola,in Switzerland and Michelle in Preston Carol two daughters, are expecting their second babies any day now,Watch this space!!
MANILVA.
Monday 9th February.
The ten day forecast is good with it going warmer every day and the sun will be out until the middle of next week! We went over at lunchtime to see Vidal and Gissy at their apartment on the other side of Estepona as Gissy was going to give Brenda the works,colour,style and cut and a quick trim for me;next week they are moving down onto the coast by the beach into a larger apartment with more facilities closer to hand.Gissy had made some of her famous Chicken and Vegetable Broth which we had as we sat on the terrace overlooking the mountains and sea having our hair cut in the afternoon sunshine.In the evening we called Tim and Thea in Colwyn Bay as they had been to a close family members funeral during the day and we wanted to say that we had been thinking about them.Over the weekend we had a long chat with Thea on the Skype phone and Tim has just called us to bring us upto date with all their news,that’s what true friends are all about!Lots of love to Tim,Thea.Jo.Ben and Jasper the dog!
Tuesday 10th February.
As the sun was out first thing in the morning we went for a long walk around the village and bumped into Mano and Anna who were babysitting Fabio so we had a nice hour with them,Anna is over in North Wales from Wednesday for five days on business so she is kindly looking for an Australian Wall Map for the office wall in our house so we can keep track of all Brenda’s family and have it ready when Lyn and Jack come to stay with us in May as they are coming over to the UK for six weeks.It was so warm we had to take our coats off for the first time this year and when we got back to the house I made a Chicken Curry for supper.
The ten day forecast is good with it going warmer every day and the sun will be out until the middle of next week! We went over at lunchtime to see Vidal and Gissy at their apartment on the other side of Estepona as Gissy was going to give Brenda the works,colour,style and cut and a quick trim for me;next week they are moving down onto the coast by the beach into a larger apartment with more facilities closer to hand.Gissy had made some of her famous Chicken and Vegetable Broth which we had as we sat on the terrace overlooking the mountains and sea having our hair cut in the afternoon sunshine.In the evening we called Tim and Thea in Colwyn Bay as they had been to a close family members funeral during the day and we wanted to say that we had been thinking about them.Over the weekend we had a long chat with Thea on the Skype phone and Tim has just called us to bring us upto date with all their news,that’s what true friends are all about!Lots of love to Tim,Thea.Jo.Ben and Jasper the dog!
Tuesday 10th February.
As the sun was out first thing in the morning we went for a long walk around the village and bumped into Mano and Anna who were babysitting Fabio so we had a nice hour with them,Anna is over in North Wales from Wednesday for five days on business so she is kindly looking for an Australian Wall Map for the office wall in our house so we can keep track of all Brenda’s family and have it ready when Lyn and Jack come to stay with us in May as they are coming over to the UK for six weeks.It was so warm we had to take our coats off for the first time this year and when we got back to the house I made a Chicken Curry for supper.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
NEWS UPDATE FROM AUSTRALIA.
Sunday 8th February.
We have just received a message on Facebook from Brenda's neice in Oz that she is OK and her son,Travis,who was trapped in a town nearby,helping, is now safe and sound!
We have just received a message on Facebook from Brenda's neice in Oz that she is OK and her son,Travis,who was trapped in a town nearby,helping, is now safe and sound!
MANILVA SPORTS AND NEWS REPORT.
Sunday 8th February.
As our trip to the football match in Estepona was cancelled we walked down to the sports hall and watched the Basketball match between Manilva /Malaga 14/16 year olds in which Manilva played very well but were just beaten in the last few minutes when Malaga scored two three point shots;it was all filmed by RTM as you can see in the pictures below which also show Manilva on the attack and scoring! On the way home we bumped into Mano and Carlos and ended up back at Carlos’s house with Anna and Fabio; we then on the way home called into Bar Rojas for a drink and a tapas;the owners wife brought us a special sweet made from two day old Goats milk sprinkled with Cinnamon,delicious! Tonight we are having Brunch for supper !!
As our trip to the football match in Estepona was cancelled we walked down to the sports hall and watched the Basketball match between Manilva /Malaga 14/16 year olds in which Manilva played very well but were just beaten in the last few minutes when Malaga scored two three point shots;it was all filmed by RTM as you can see in the pictures below which also show Manilva on the attack and scoring! On the way home we bumped into Mano and Carlos and ended up back at Carlos’s house with Anna and Fabio; we then on the way home called into Bar Rojas for a drink and a tapas;the owners wife brought us a special sweet made from two day old Goats milk sprinkled with Cinnamon,delicious! Tonight we are having Brunch for supper !!
Saturday, February 07, 2009
MANILVA SPORTS REPORT.
Saturday 7th February.
Today’s report comes to you from the Las Vinas football ground,home to Manilva FC; it is the day for the Senior Seven A Side league matches played across the full pitch with two matches taking place at the same time on the field! The teams are made up from local business’s,bars,garage’s and shops in the area who sponsor them.In the first three pictures you can see the Orange team attacking and scoring against the Red and White team who only managed to field five players and so the Orange team scored seven goals in as many minutes before the match was stopped when one of the Red and White team was injured,and as they only had four players on the pitch the referee called a halt to the match,a win for the Orange team! In the next two pictures it was a lot more competitive match with the team in all Red scoring first before the Whites replied in the first half.In future I will name the teams as I learn the team colour’s!! Watch out for tomorrow’s report,hopfully,as I could be going to the local derby match between Manilva and Estepona which is being played at the Estepona Stadium,as the guest of the Chief of Police if Mano can arrange it as he is going with his grandson Fabio.
PS; The trip to the derby match has just been postponed as the Chief of Police is too busy chasing baddies!!
Today’s report comes to you from the Las Vinas football ground,home to Manilva FC; it is the day for the Senior Seven A Side league matches played across the full pitch with two matches taking place at the same time on the field! The teams are made up from local business’s,bars,garage’s and shops in the area who sponsor them.In the first three pictures you can see the Orange team attacking and scoring against the Red and White team who only managed to field five players and so the Orange team scored seven goals in as many minutes before the match was stopped when one of the Red and White team was injured,and as they only had four players on the pitch the referee called a halt to the match,a win for the Orange team! In the next two pictures it was a lot more competitive match with the team in all Red scoring first before the Whites replied in the first half.In future I will name the teams as I learn the team colour’s!! Watch out for tomorrow’s report,hopfully,as I could be going to the local derby match between Manilva and Estepona which is being played at the Estepona Stadium,as the guest of the Chief of Police if Mano can arrange it as he is going with his grandson Fabio.
PS; The trip to the derby match has just been postponed as the Chief of Police is too busy chasing baddies!!
MANILVA, LETTER FROM OZ.
Saturday 7th February.
In the morning as I came into the office to catch up with any e-mails and bring the blog up to date there was long newsy e-mail from Lyn,Brenda’s sister,in Australia and as we were reading it the Skype phone on the other PC went off,it was Lyn calling from Jacks house so they were able to have a long chat,for nothing! It’s all happening out in Oz, Lyn has cut her leg rather badly when she was out walking the dog,she tripped on a tree branch and as it is so dry it snapped and caught her so she needed eleven stiches in her leg;at the same time Lyn has had to have a nasty little operation so she has been in the wars and one of her daughters has been calling in to change the dressings.The weather in Oz at the moment is hot,it’s the hottest summer in 150 years,45 degs,in the shade and so there are also lots of bushfires;Jack.Lyns fiancé,had to get the hose’s out to save his property and three helicopter’s dropping water on the bush fire at the same time,his neighbour was not so lucky.Debbie,one of Lyn’s daughters lives in the bush on a small holding with horses and lots of animals and she is at this very moment having to evacuate them to safety as she is also threatened with bush fires as well! She has just posted some pictures on her Facebook page showing the bush fires and the embers over her property this afternoon. On the other hand in another part of Oz,Jeff.Lyn’s son,has had 36 inches of rain in 24 hours near to where he lives with his wife and family.We are looking forward to Jack and Lyn coming over to England in May for six weeks as they are coming to stay with us at the same time so we will be able to show them the Costa del Sol at its best and Brenda will catch up with all the family news with her dear sister. I am planning to get a large wall map of Australia for the office and put marker pins in to show where all the family live because there are so many of them scattered around the country! It is also Brenda’s elder sister,Norah’s birthday today so we called her on Skype,just after Lyn to wish her a happy birthday.
In the morning as I came into the office to catch up with any e-mails and bring the blog up to date there was long newsy e-mail from Lyn,Brenda’s sister,in Australia and as we were reading it the Skype phone on the other PC went off,it was Lyn calling from Jacks house so they were able to have a long chat,for nothing! It’s all happening out in Oz, Lyn has cut her leg rather badly when she was out walking the dog,she tripped on a tree branch and as it is so dry it snapped and caught her so she needed eleven stiches in her leg;at the same time Lyn has had to have a nasty little operation so she has been in the wars and one of her daughters has been calling in to change the dressings.The weather in Oz at the moment is hot,it’s the hottest summer in 150 years,45 degs,in the shade and so there are also lots of bushfires;Jack.Lyns fiancé,had to get the hose’s out to save his property and three helicopter’s dropping water on the bush fire at the same time,his neighbour was not so lucky.Debbie,one of Lyn’s daughters lives in the bush on a small holding with horses and lots of animals and she is at this very moment having to evacuate them to safety as she is also threatened with bush fires as well! She has just posted some pictures on her Facebook page showing the bush fires and the embers over her property this afternoon. On the other hand in another part of Oz,Jeff.Lyn’s son,has had 36 inches of rain in 24 hours near to where he lives with his wife and family.We are looking forward to Jack and Lyn coming over to England in May for six weeks as they are coming to stay with us at the same time so we will be able to show them the Costa del Sol at its best and Brenda will catch up with all the family news with her dear sister. I am planning to get a large wall map of Australia for the office and put marker pins in to show where all the family live because there are so many of them scattered around the country! It is also Brenda’s elder sister,Norah’s birthday today so we called her on Skype,just after Lyn to wish her a happy birthday.
MANILVA.
Thursday 5th February.
First thing in the morning as it was raining we decided to walk the dogs one at a time so as only one of us would get wet, so I took Abigail for her walk and came back soaking wet! When it was Brenda’s turn the sun came out,typical!! We then went across to Malaga Airport to pick up Clive and Carolyn just after lunch,we could not park in our usual place as it was full so we had to go down by the Taxi park on an island and put the hazard lights on for a short while,which turned out to be nearly an hour as the plane had to abort its first landing and only just made it at the second attempt due to the high winds and rain! Clive said that it was rather “ Gripping ” When we got back to the villa the heavens had opened, again, and so the folks could see for themselves how the rain effected the villa for the first time as they have not been in the house when it rains heavy before!The next time we house sit for them they will be in a rented house as they are moving out for three months as the builders move in to refurbish the villa. We came back over to the house in the late afternoon and the first thing we did was to put the heater on as we settled back into village life.
Friday 6th February.
In the morning we shot out to stock up for the weekend at the local supermarkets as we had called into the English butchers on the way home,It was a beautiful crisp day as we came back into the village Mano and Anna called in to catch up with all the news,theirs and ours! In the evening Mano and Anna suggested that they could bring round the Steak and Ale Pie that Anna was just about to make at home so Brenda made some of her now “ Historic ” Mashed Potato together with Cabbage and Mashed Carrots and Turnip all washed down with beer.A lovely night was had by all as we listened to some music and watched the 200th edition of the childrens progamme on Canal Sur,the local Andalucia station.We have decided to have to make Fridays when we can “ Pie Night ” so watch out for Anna’s Fish Pie and Chicken,Ham and Mushroom and my Steak and Kidney!! Next week Anna is over in North Wales for a few days as she is trying to rent out the house in Rhyl on a long term let.
First thing in the morning as it was raining we decided to walk the dogs one at a time so as only one of us would get wet, so I took Abigail for her walk and came back soaking wet! When it was Brenda’s turn the sun came out,typical!! We then went across to Malaga Airport to pick up Clive and Carolyn just after lunch,we could not park in our usual place as it was full so we had to go down by the Taxi park on an island and put the hazard lights on for a short while,which turned out to be nearly an hour as the plane had to abort its first landing and only just made it at the second attempt due to the high winds and rain! Clive said that it was rather “ Gripping ” When we got back to the villa the heavens had opened, again, and so the folks could see for themselves how the rain effected the villa for the first time as they have not been in the house when it rains heavy before!The next time we house sit for them they will be in a rented house as they are moving out for three months as the builders move in to refurbish the villa. We came back over to the house in the late afternoon and the first thing we did was to put the heater on as we settled back into village life.
Friday 6th February.
In the morning we shot out to stock up for the weekend at the local supermarkets as we had called into the English butchers on the way home,It was a beautiful crisp day as we came back into the village Mano and Anna called in to catch up with all the news,theirs and ours! In the evening Mano and Anna suggested that they could bring round the Steak and Ale Pie that Anna was just about to make at home so Brenda made some of her now “ Historic ” Mashed Potato together with Cabbage and Mashed Carrots and Turnip all washed down with beer.A lovely night was had by all as we listened to some music and watched the 200th edition of the childrens progamme on Canal Sur,the local Andalucia station.We have decided to have to make Fridays when we can “ Pie Night ” so watch out for Anna’s Fish Pie and Chicken,Ham and Mushroom and my Steak and Kidney!! Next week Anna is over in North Wales for a few days as she is trying to rent out the house in Rhyl on a long term let.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
LE CASA DEL ABUELO.
Tuesday 3rd February.
In between the showers in the morning we shot out with the dogs who are now back living in the garage as it has dried out.The cats are staying in more,you can’t blame them,and the fish are out from hiding,they must like the rain! I then chased the gas people as the tank is getting low,the heating went later in the morning so I called Miguel,who is a lot better,and we checked and reset the boiler and we have now got the house warm again.In the afternoon we went down to the beach again with the two dogs,we were the only people on the beach and it was lovely crisp day with the views down to Gibraltar.Every so often the fuses are still blowing but after a few attempts they do reset;
Wednesday 4th February.
First thing in the morning the gas tanker arrived so we are now back to normal service and as we went out with the dogs Miguel arrived to catch up with the garden jobs and clean the pool! He has also checked and cleaned all the drain outlets after the storms as more bad weather is forecast and as I am typing this gale force winds and rain have just hit us again.Carolyn phoned to say that they will be back tomorrow, they have been caught up in the snow around London and Clive made it from Italy;we are picking them up from Malaga airport in the afternoon and will be home tomorrow evening.
In between the showers in the morning we shot out with the dogs who are now back living in the garage as it has dried out.The cats are staying in more,you can’t blame them,and the fish are out from hiding,they must like the rain! I then chased the gas people as the tank is getting low,the heating went later in the morning so I called Miguel,who is a lot better,and we checked and reset the boiler and we have now got the house warm again.In the afternoon we went down to the beach again with the two dogs,we were the only people on the beach and it was lovely crisp day with the views down to Gibraltar.Every so often the fuses are still blowing but after a few attempts they do reset;
Wednesday 4th February.
First thing in the morning the gas tanker arrived so we are now back to normal service and as we went out with the dogs Miguel arrived to catch up with the garden jobs and clean the pool! He has also checked and cleaned all the drain outlets after the storms as more bad weather is forecast and as I am typing this gale force winds and rain have just hit us again.Carolyn phoned to say that they will be back tomorrow, they have been caught up in the snow around London and Clive made it from Italy;we are picking them up from Malaga airport in the afternoon and will be home tomorrow evening.
Monday, February 02, 2009
GUADALMINA ALTA UPDATE.
Monday 2nd February.
After the night before we got up early to sort out the house; I went outside and rechecked all the drains and the boiler house to make sure that it was ok,the house was warm and also the water for a shower later.When Merly,the cleaner, arrived she helped us to clean up as I had checked all the fuses and we were now back to full power and light! We then discovered that the downstairs flat under the patio had also flooded so with Merly and the old gardener,Barthelemo, who had arrived on the scene we cleaned up the flood.Then we attacked the garage which had been flooded again during the night;Barthelemo has cleared a trench along the front of the doors hopefully to take anymore rain away and Francesca,Miguel the gardeners mother,appeared and also helped us to brush away the water,we found out from them that Miguel is not well with Kidney stones.This is the family that originally owned the old Casa Abuelo so they know their way around! During all this time the two dogs have been running round in circles in the large grounds having a great time chasing cats and empty plastic bottles!We are now waiting for the gas tanker to arrive to top up the gas tank in the garden which Carolyn had organized before she went away.More rain is also forecast but no snow!
PS; The fish have just come out in the pond from under the fountain so I was able to feed them.
After the night before we got up early to sort out the house; I went outside and rechecked all the drains and the boiler house to make sure that it was ok,the house was warm and also the water for a shower later.When Merly,the cleaner, arrived she helped us to clean up as I had checked all the fuses and we were now back to full power and light! We then discovered that the downstairs flat under the patio had also flooded so with Merly and the old gardener,Barthelemo, who had arrived on the scene we cleaned up the flood.Then we attacked the garage which had been flooded again during the night;Barthelemo has cleared a trench along the front of the doors hopefully to take anymore rain away and Francesca,Miguel the gardeners mother,appeared and also helped us to brush away the water,we found out from them that Miguel is not well with Kidney stones.This is the family that originally owned the old Casa Abuelo so they know their way around! During all this time the two dogs have been running round in circles in the large grounds having a great time chasing cats and empty plastic bottles!We are now waiting for the gas tanker to arrive to top up the gas tank in the garden which Carolyn had organized before she went away.More rain is also forecast but no snow!
PS; The fish have just come out in the pond from under the fountain so I was able to feed them.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
GUADALMINA ALTA NEWSFLASH.
Sunday 1st.February
Well at the moment we have no electricity,another severe storm has just gone across us and we are in darkness and its starting to go cold! Brenda saw the sparks from the bottom kitchen window coming from the area around the boiler house which is under the part of the building that is most affected with the rain overflow from the roof! The fuses will not reset and when I try it causes more sparks in the same area;it was a most spectacular storm with fork lightening and large hailstones! Watch this space for the next Newsflash !! We will survive!!!
PS; The garage has also gone under water again from the overflow from the road,we have moved the dogs into the old lounge for the night next to our bedroom.
PPS; I've managed to get the heating going but we are leaving the electricity till the morning.
Well at the moment we have no electricity,another severe storm has just gone across us and we are in darkness and its starting to go cold! Brenda saw the sparks from the bottom kitchen window coming from the area around the boiler house which is under the part of the building that is most affected with the rain overflow from the roof! The fuses will not reset and when I try it causes more sparks in the same area;it was a most spectacular storm with fork lightening and large hailstones! Watch this space for the next Newsflash !! We will survive!!!
PS; The garage has also gone under water again from the overflow from the road,we have moved the dogs into the old lounge for the night next to our bedroom.
PPS; I've managed to get the heating going but we are leaving the electricity till the morning.
GUADALMINA ALTA.
Sunday 1st February 2009
As we got up this morning the weather was atrocious with the wind and heavy rain which had started yesterday evening showing no signs of stopping;we had checked all the drains in the afternoon when we returned from the beach with the dogs and I had blocked the door were we had the flood last year! Eventually we took the dogs out for their morning walk after we had put on our winter wet proofs for the first time,to no evail,when we got back to the house we were drowned!!An hour later the sun was out and it was steaming like in the jungle!! The forecast was a lot worse and was proved so later in the afternoon.We had our usual Sunday Brunch and settled down to watch the Liverpool-Chelsea match when the heavens opened with the loudest thunder and lightning we have ever heard and monsoon rain,the satellite went off and as we checked around all the usual spots we had no problems.Brenda went to check the garage only to discover that a flood from the road outside was coming in under the doors and the drain in the floor could not take it and so very quickly we were flooded with a foot of water!Eventually we brushed out the garage after rescuing all the dogs baskets and bowls and moved things from the floor onto shelves and box’s.The TV came back on after a couple of hours and I then discovered that Torres had scored a double for a great Liverpool win!! Just another day in Guadalmina Alta.
As we got up this morning the weather was atrocious with the wind and heavy rain which had started yesterday evening showing no signs of stopping;we had checked all the drains in the afternoon when we returned from the beach with the dogs and I had blocked the door were we had the flood last year! Eventually we took the dogs out for their morning walk after we had put on our winter wet proofs for the first time,to no evail,when we got back to the house we were drowned!!An hour later the sun was out and it was steaming like in the jungle!! The forecast was a lot worse and was proved so later in the afternoon.We had our usual Sunday Brunch and settled down to watch the Liverpool-Chelsea match when the heavens opened with the loudest thunder and lightning we have ever heard and monsoon rain,the satellite went off and as we checked around all the usual spots we had no problems.Brenda went to check the garage only to discover that a flood from the road outside was coming in under the doors and the drain in the floor could not take it and so very quickly we were flooded with a foot of water!Eventually we brushed out the garage after rescuing all the dogs baskets and bowls and moved things from the floor onto shelves and box’s.The TV came back on after a couple of hours and I then discovered that Torres had scored a double for a great Liverpool win!! Just another day in Guadalmina Alta.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
GUADALMINA ALTA.
Saturday 31st.January.
After dropping Clive and Carolyn at the airport in Malaga at lunchtime when we got back to the house we took the dogs for a run on the beach at Cancelada just along the coast.Bruno is a old hand but the new Boxer Puppy,Abigale,still has to be lifted in and out of the Landcruiser! The picture below shows them when we returned to Casa Abuelo.
After dropping Clive and Carolyn at the airport in Malaga at lunchtime when we got back to the house we took the dogs for a run on the beach at Cancelada just along the coast.Bruno is a old hand but the new Boxer Puppy,Abigale,still has to be lifted in and out of the Landcruiser! The picture below shows them when we returned to Casa Abuelo.
MANILVA,FABIO'S 3RD BIRTHDAY PARTY.
Friday 30th January.
We joined the family for the party of the year,so far! Carlos and Ana were excellent hosts with the drinks flowing and the buffet was filled with lots of very tasty Tapas and hand carved Ham .thanks to Mano.It gets very noisy as all the children arrive with their parents and the beer starts to flow for the adults!As the night went on and the Bacardi and Gin took a bashing we were all in fine voice when it was the time to cut the cake as you can see in the pictures below;later one of Fabio's uncles produced a 18 year old vintage Black Rum so the Cubre Libres realy had a tasty kick! On the way home Mano and Anna joined us for a night cap in Bar Rojas to end a " Helluva " day in sunny Manilva.
We joined the family for the party of the year,so far! Carlos and Ana were excellent hosts with the drinks flowing and the buffet was filled with lots of very tasty Tapas and hand carved Ham .thanks to Mano.It gets very noisy as all the children arrive with their parents and the beer starts to flow for the adults!As the night went on and the Bacardi and Gin took a bashing we were all in fine voice when it was the time to cut the cake as you can see in the pictures below;later one of Fabio's uncles produced a 18 year old vintage Black Rum so the Cubre Libres realy had a tasty kick! On the way home Mano and Anna joined us for a night cap in Bar Rojas to end a " Helluva " day in sunny Manilva.
Friday, January 30, 2009
MANILVA.
Thursday/Friday 29th/30th January.
Thursday 29th.
It was another great day in Manilva as we went for our longest walk yet,we walked around the village and up and down all the side streets in the oldest part by the Primary School.We had a call from Eddy and Gigi in Ostend as we got up and we are going to contact them on Skype later;Whilst we were out Carolyn phoned to see if we were free this weekend as they have to go to Italy and London suddenly on business,we are, so we are waiting for the phone call to arrange times to go to Guadalmina Alta for a few days and look after the house and the cats and dogs!In the afternoon I made Beef Stew for dinner which we had with Cabbage and Beetroot. Later on our blog page I found a nice comment from Chris/Admin,who we don’t know, about Manilva and how much they miss it so I have put some pictures on taken on Friday as we walked down to the market by the sports hall.
Friday 30th.January.
We picked up some fresh vegetables from the local market in the village after we had been down to Sabinillas to collect all the free papers that come out on Friday.I have been posting the latest pictures onto the photo graphic competition page of the Sur on which last year I came second, and I am also trying to get a weather picture shown on the main news and weather programme on TVE on the 9.oclock news spot,they have all been about the snow,wind and rain and so I am hoping that my sunny pictures from Manilva will get on!We rang Thea,Tims wife,in Colwyn Bay at work to wish her a very happy birthday as we are out tonight at Fabios party,its his third birthday and the whole village will be there in the large garage under the Grandparents house,its used for lots of parties during the year and has been adapted for the purpose.Watch out for a picture of the birthday boy over the weekend. Carolyn has just phoned and we are going to house sit for a week untill next Friday and we are dropping them at the airport on Saturday lunchtime,so the blog will be coming from Guadalmina and we will report on their new dog,Abigale,a Boxer pup! along with all the other animals.
Thursday 29th.
It was another great day in Manilva as we went for our longest walk yet,we walked around the village and up and down all the side streets in the oldest part by the Primary School.We had a call from Eddy and Gigi in Ostend as we got up and we are going to contact them on Skype later;Whilst we were out Carolyn phoned to see if we were free this weekend as they have to go to Italy and London suddenly on business,we are, so we are waiting for the phone call to arrange times to go to Guadalmina Alta for a few days and look after the house and the cats and dogs!In the afternoon I made Beef Stew for dinner which we had with Cabbage and Beetroot. Later on our blog page I found a nice comment from Chris/Admin,who we don’t know, about Manilva and how much they miss it so I have put some pictures on taken on Friday as we walked down to the market by the sports hall.
Friday 30th.January.
We picked up some fresh vegetables from the local market in the village after we had been down to Sabinillas to collect all the free papers that come out on Friday.I have been posting the latest pictures onto the photo graphic competition page of the Sur on which last year I came second, and I am also trying to get a weather picture shown on the main news and weather programme on TVE on the 9.oclock news spot,they have all been about the snow,wind and rain and so I am hoping that my sunny pictures from Manilva will get on!We rang Thea,Tims wife,in Colwyn Bay at work to wish her a very happy birthday as we are out tonight at Fabios party,its his third birthday and the whole village will be there in the large garage under the Grandparents house,its used for lots of parties during the year and has been adapted for the purpose.Watch out for a picture of the birthday boy over the weekend. Carolyn has just phoned and we are going to house sit for a week untill next Friday and we are dropping them at the airport on Saturday lunchtime,so the blog will be coming from Guadalmina and we will report on their new dog,Abigale,a Boxer pup! along with all the other animals.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
SOTOGRANDE.
Wednesday 28th January.
This morning was the finest day so far this year,18 degs.blue skies,warm sun and crisp on the Costa del Sol! We walked down to Mano and Anna’s and ended up going with them for a drive along the coast road to Torre Guadiaro and into Sotogrande Marina where we sat outside over looking the marina for a coffee and beer.This time of the year on the Costa del Sol is one of the reasons why we are here on the coast above Gibraltar with the views of the mountains inland and across the straits to Africa.Mano and I are planning to go fishing and also for a little Golf practice on the Dequesa golf course in the next few weeks as it is quiet and there are no visitors at this time of the year.The pictures below will give you a little taste of life down here and what the rich get up to with their toys!
This morning was the finest day so far this year,18 degs.blue skies,warm sun and crisp on the Costa del Sol! We walked down to Mano and Anna’s and ended up going with them for a drive along the coast road to Torre Guadiaro and into Sotogrande Marina where we sat outside over looking the marina for a coffee and beer.This time of the year on the Costa del Sol is one of the reasons why we are here on the coast above Gibraltar with the views of the mountains inland and across the straits to Africa.Mano and I are planning to go fishing and also for a little Golf practice on the Dequesa golf course in the next few weeks as it is quiet and there are no visitors at this time of the year.The pictures below will give you a little taste of life down here and what the rich get up to with their toys!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
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" AUNTY " ANN 1908/2009
Tuesday 27th January.
Today is a very special day for the Willis family in Ross On Wye; Alan’s mother Ann is 101 !She has been my “ Aunty Ann ”since I was just five and we went to live in the same street,five doors down from them.Alan and I grew up together and have remained friends since.His parents and mine were great friends and in later life Ann and my Mom,Eileen, were close friends and went everywhere together.A couple of years ago we saw Ann when we stayed with the family in Ross on Wye and last year when we rung Alan to pass on our love and best wishes to Ann we had a great surprise when he put her on the phone and we were able to speak to her on her hundredth birthday!They are taking her out to lunch today and when we phoned last night we caught up with all the family news;Mark their eldest son is getting married later in the year,Miranda is still living and working in Madrid and their youngest son,Michael started work in his first job yesterday in Dublin!So Alan and Glenys have a busy year ahead,we wish them all,Health,Wealth and Happiness for the future.
Today is a very special day for the Willis family in Ross On Wye; Alan’s mother Ann is 101 !She has been my “ Aunty Ann ”since I was just five and we went to live in the same street,five doors down from them.Alan and I grew up together and have remained friends since.His parents and mine were great friends and in later life Ann and my Mom,Eileen, were close friends and went everywhere together.A couple of years ago we saw Ann when we stayed with the family in Ross on Wye and last year when we rung Alan to pass on our love and best wishes to Ann we had a great surprise when he put her on the phone and we were able to speak to her on her hundredth birthday!They are taking her out to lunch today and when we phoned last night we caught up with all the family news;Mark their eldest son is getting married later in the year,Miranda is still living and working in Madrid and their youngest son,Michael started work in his first job yesterday in Dublin!So Alan and Glenys have a busy year ahead,we wish them all,Health,Wealth and Happiness for the future.
Monday, January 26, 2009
MANILVA.DONACION DE SANGRE.
Monday 26th.January.
The blood transfusion bus arrived outside the town hall and I was the first up the steps to donate;the problem is that they can’t use blood if you lived in England between 1980/1996. at the moment,so they thanked me very much and asked me to try again in the future when the rules will hopefully be changed.
The blood transfusion bus arrived outside the town hall and I was the first up the steps to donate;the problem is that they can’t use blood if you lived in England between 1980/1996. at the moment,so they thanked me very much and asked me to try again in the future when the rules will hopefully be changed.
MANILVA.
Sunday 25th January.
Mano rang us in the morning to see if we wanted to go down to the Sunday market which takes place on the Feria Ground;its car boot as well as fruit and vegetables,clothes,CDs,Pottery,local goods Etc.They picked us up and we shot down in between the showers,Anna bought very unusual material and Mano spotted a second hand electric Plancha Grill for us! We then came back up to the village and stopped at Bar Rojas for a drink.they were closed for a family party,later,but looked after us as we are regulars! Carlos joined us before he went into work as we walked down to the house for a late Brunch;the full works,two sorts of Smoked Bacon, local Chorizo, Farm House Sausage,local Tomatoes and Mushrooms,Heinz Baked Beans,Fresh Eggs and of course Sauté Potatoes all washed down with Beer! Later in the evening after the folks had gone we watched the Chinese New Year celebrations on the local and national news;It’s the “ Year of the Earth Ox ”2009 and our sign is very good with the saying “ Never forget the hard times when you’re lucky” which just about sums us up!!
Monday 26th January.
This morning there is a cold but bracing wind blowing up from the sea but the sun is out and there is no rain forecast for the next few days, excellent drying weather, so Brenda tells me! We set off for our morning constitutional around the village and on our way called into the Las Vinas Sports Hall to find out about using the facilities, its free for old age pensioners,so Brenda is OK! and its five euros per week for me.We then stopped at the surgery to find out about giving blood,if they want ours! as I had seen on the local TV that they were due in Manilva,it turns out that the mobile unit is coming today at five o’clock and it will be parked outside the Town Hall at the top of our street! So watch this space for the Blood report.At the moment Brenda is typing an e-mail to our dear friends in Belgium,Eddy and Gigi,who sent us a newsy Christmas card,they were the very first people that we met on our travels when we parked next to them on the site in Le Touquet !
Mano rang us in the morning to see if we wanted to go down to the Sunday market which takes place on the Feria Ground;its car boot as well as fruit and vegetables,clothes,CDs,Pottery,local goods Etc.They picked us up and we shot down in between the showers,Anna bought very unusual material and Mano spotted a second hand electric Plancha Grill for us! We then came back up to the village and stopped at Bar Rojas for a drink.they were closed for a family party,later,but looked after us as we are regulars! Carlos joined us before he went into work as we walked down to the house for a late Brunch;the full works,two sorts of Smoked Bacon, local Chorizo, Farm House Sausage,local Tomatoes and Mushrooms,Heinz Baked Beans,Fresh Eggs and of course Sauté Potatoes all washed down with Beer! Later in the evening after the folks had gone we watched the Chinese New Year celebrations on the local and national news;It’s the “ Year of the Earth Ox ”2009 and our sign is very good with the saying “ Never forget the hard times when you’re lucky” which just about sums us up!!
Monday 26th January.
This morning there is a cold but bracing wind blowing up from the sea but the sun is out and there is no rain forecast for the next few days, excellent drying weather, so Brenda tells me! We set off for our morning constitutional around the village and on our way called into the Las Vinas Sports Hall to find out about using the facilities, its free for old age pensioners,so Brenda is OK! and its five euros per week for me.We then stopped at the surgery to find out about giving blood,if they want ours! as I had seen on the local TV that they were due in Manilva,it turns out that the mobile unit is coming today at five o’clock and it will be parked outside the Town Hall at the top of our street! So watch this space for the Blood report.At the moment Brenda is typing an e-mail to our dear friends in Belgium,Eddy and Gigi,who sent us a newsy Christmas card,they were the very first people that we met on our travels when we parked next to them on the site in Le Touquet !
Saturday, January 24, 2009
MANILVA.
Thursday/Saturday 22nd/24th January.
Thursday 22nd.
We spent today at home as the weather forecast was not good;Brenda has been cleaning the house from top to bottom including all the tiles in the bathroom and both kitchens,I held the small ladder when required! Meanwhile in the office I spent some time updating the Skype site,it is now up to date with info.and a new picture when you receive a call Skype to Skype,Vidal has just put it onto his PC.so we will be able to speak to them at no cost and we are also going to get the web-cam on-line so we can see them as well. In the evening we had Lamb Stew with Cabbage for dinner and then watched a film on the TV.
Friday 23rd.
In between the showers we shot down to Sabinillas for the weekend shopping as the forecast is for storms over the weekend;it is not as cold as it has been,one day it went down to just 10 Degs.! but it is now back up to 17/18 Degs,during the day even when it is raining!For supper we had an Omellete using up the last of the eggs which we have been living on since Sunday! How many ways can you cook an egg? Later we watched a regular programme on TV. which is on every Friday and has young children on it performing from the age of four,upwards.
Saturday 24th. Sports Day.
Over night the storm passed us with high winds and rain bur we were very lucky as Northern Spain took the worst of it with winds reaching 170KM/H in parts along the Atlantic coast and up to San Sebastian,it reminded us of the time,at the start of our travels in the Winnebago,when we were caught in a Hurricane and were nearly killed just above San Sebastian.Sadly on the coast by Barcelona a Sports Hall collapsed and four children have been killed and there have been many more fatalities across Spain and into France. We went for our walk late in the morning and called into the Football Stadium to watch the Senior Seven A Side tournament as you can see in the pictures below,Manilva are in the Orange shirts and attacking the goal in front of us but we did not stay to watch the match as the wind was so strong that you could not sit in the stands for long! We went across to Las Vinas,the sports hall,and watched a very exciting Junior Basketball match between Manilva and Malaga,sadly Manilva lost but it turned out that Malaga are the unbeaten league and cup champions! Manilva played very well near the end of the match and nearly snatched it! The atmosphere in the hall was electric and Manilva RTV was filming the match to be shown later. The pictures below show Manilva,in blue,scoring late on.Tonight we are having T-Bone steak and frits for dinner,we picked them up from the English butchers as they were on offer! Tomorrow Mano and Anna are coming round to join us for a late Brunch.
Thursday 22nd.
We spent today at home as the weather forecast was not good;Brenda has been cleaning the house from top to bottom including all the tiles in the bathroom and both kitchens,I held the small ladder when required! Meanwhile in the office I spent some time updating the Skype site,it is now up to date with info.and a new picture when you receive a call Skype to Skype,Vidal has just put it onto his PC.so we will be able to speak to them at no cost and we are also going to get the web-cam on-line so we can see them as well. In the evening we had Lamb Stew with Cabbage for dinner and then watched a film on the TV.
Friday 23rd.
In between the showers we shot down to Sabinillas for the weekend shopping as the forecast is for storms over the weekend;it is not as cold as it has been,one day it went down to just 10 Degs.! but it is now back up to 17/18 Degs,during the day even when it is raining!For supper we had an Omellete using up the last of the eggs which we have been living on since Sunday! How many ways can you cook an egg? Later we watched a regular programme on TV. which is on every Friday and has young children on it performing from the age of four,upwards.
Saturday 24th. Sports Day.
Over night the storm passed us with high winds and rain bur we were very lucky as Northern Spain took the worst of it with winds reaching 170KM/H in parts along the Atlantic coast and up to San Sebastian,it reminded us of the time,at the start of our travels in the Winnebago,when we were caught in a Hurricane and were nearly killed just above San Sebastian.Sadly on the coast by Barcelona a Sports Hall collapsed and four children have been killed and there have been many more fatalities across Spain and into France. We went for our walk late in the morning and called into the Football Stadium to watch the Senior Seven A Side tournament as you can see in the pictures below,Manilva are in the Orange shirts and attacking the goal in front of us but we did not stay to watch the match as the wind was so strong that you could not sit in the stands for long! We went across to Las Vinas,the sports hall,and watched a very exciting Junior Basketball match between Manilva and Malaga,sadly Manilva lost but it turned out that Malaga are the unbeaten league and cup champions! Manilva played very well near the end of the match and nearly snatched it! The atmosphere in the hall was electric and Manilva RTV was filming the match to be shown later. The pictures below show Manilva,in blue,scoring late on.Tonight we are having T-Bone steak and frits for dinner,we picked them up from the English butchers as they were on offer! Tomorrow Mano and Anna are coming round to join us for a late Brunch.
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