Sunday, May 30, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
MANILVA AND THE ROMAN BATHS.
MONDAY/TUESDAY 24TH/25TH MAY 2010.
Monday was a good news day; during last week we received some paperwork from the Inland Revenue to do with Pension Annuity’s that we have paid back in England into our Ac.in Colwyn Bay; we then made contact with the banking support and after various checks we arranged for them to send us all the necessary documents; they arrived on Monday morning, which is very fast, so we made contact again and asked them to make a transfer to our Spanish AC.We were then very surprised when the transfer arrived in our account on Tuesday morning as it usually takes 4/5 days at least ! I then called the Inland Revenue and sorted out the currant situation with them; as I was in this frame of mind I then contacted the International Pension’s Claims Department as I am now in the four months to commence date for my pension starting, they are sending all the paperwork to finalize the process!!
On Tuesday we met Mano and Anna up in Bar Rojas at lunchtime; Mano is on holiday for a week, so we then decided to go out for a Menu Del Dia up in Casares; on the way Mano took us down to the Roman Baths in the Hedionda valley below the village, we have not been to them as the track to get there is not good for the Smart car; “ Los Banos Romano ” date back to the 1st.century BC. when Julius Caesar regularly took the waters and cured himself of a skin complaint, during his period as Governor of Southern Spain in the middle of that century. The waters have high sulphur content and the source is a number of springs which originate in the huge limestone ridge of the Sierra Ultera which runs behind the village. The baths original Roman construction can be plainly be seen, but a modern dome has been installed as well as a basking area where you can take in the sun in between plunges! On the way along the track you pass the very old small church of “ Ermito San Adolpho ” which is used by the village for religious ceremonies at this time of the year similar to the El Rocio.
We then headed up to Casares,named after Julius Caesar, to the Venta Curro which overlooks the white village; it is always very good and when we have guests staying with us we take them there; as soon as you sit down they place a large salad on the table with local hard bread, the menu is three courses so we had Gazpacho, Macaroni in a wonderful Tomato sauce and Potaje Gallego which is a thick soup with white Kidney Beans, Cabbage and Pork to start, Brenda had pan fried Dorada,Sea Bream, Anna had pan fried Chicken Breast, Mano had a wonderful Goat Stew and I had a Entrecote steak, all served with fresh Patatas Fritas !! For a sweet there are various choices and you finish off with strong Carajillo’s. On the table we had to drink the best thing at this time of the year,Tinto de Verano made with the red house wine,Casara lemonade and lots of ice! It is a family run bar and fills up with local workers during the week. One not to be missed so I am sorry that there are no pictures to show of the Baths and the Venta as it was a spur of the moment decision to go ! The picture shows Brenda with her new best friend, she comes calling every day, this started after we came home and the rains stopped, her owner at the bottom of our street, lets her out as it goes quiet and she is just gorgeous, she always has a different coloured bow in her hair every day,just like somebody typing this now! We don’t know her name yet; she has also made friends with Anna’s very small terrier Derek!
.
Monday was a good news day; during last week we received some paperwork from the Inland Revenue to do with Pension Annuity’s that we have paid back in England into our Ac.in Colwyn Bay; we then made contact with the banking support and after various checks we arranged for them to send us all the necessary documents; they arrived on Monday morning, which is very fast, so we made contact again and asked them to make a transfer to our Spanish AC.We were then very surprised when the transfer arrived in our account on Tuesday morning as it usually takes 4/5 days at least ! I then called the Inland Revenue and sorted out the currant situation with them; as I was in this frame of mind I then contacted the International Pension’s Claims Department as I am now in the four months to commence date for my pension starting, they are sending all the paperwork to finalize the process!!
On Tuesday we met Mano and Anna up in Bar Rojas at lunchtime; Mano is on holiday for a week, so we then decided to go out for a Menu Del Dia up in Casares; on the way Mano took us down to the Roman Baths in the Hedionda valley below the village, we have not been to them as the track to get there is not good for the Smart car; “ Los Banos Romano ” date back to the 1st.century BC. when Julius Caesar regularly took the waters and cured himself of a skin complaint, during his period as Governor of Southern Spain in the middle of that century. The waters have high sulphur content and the source is a number of springs which originate in the huge limestone ridge of the Sierra Ultera which runs behind the village. The baths original Roman construction can be plainly be seen, but a modern dome has been installed as well as a basking area where you can take in the sun in between plunges! On the way along the track you pass the very old small church of “ Ermito San Adolpho ” which is used by the village for religious ceremonies at this time of the year similar to the El Rocio.
We then headed up to Casares,named after Julius Caesar, to the Venta Curro which overlooks the white village; it is always very good and when we have guests staying with us we take them there; as soon as you sit down they place a large salad on the table with local hard bread, the menu is three courses so we had Gazpacho, Macaroni in a wonderful Tomato sauce and Potaje Gallego which is a thick soup with white Kidney Beans, Cabbage and Pork to start, Brenda had pan fried Dorada,Sea Bream, Anna had pan fried Chicken Breast, Mano had a wonderful Goat Stew and I had a Entrecote steak, all served with fresh Patatas Fritas !! For a sweet there are various choices and you finish off with strong Carajillo’s. On the table we had to drink the best thing at this time of the year,Tinto de Verano made with the red house wine,Casara lemonade and lots of ice! It is a family run bar and fills up with local workers during the week. One not to be missed so I am sorry that there are no pictures to show of the Baths and the Venta as it was a spur of the moment decision to go ! The picture shows Brenda with her new best friend, she comes calling every day, this started after we came home and the rains stopped, her owner at the bottom of our street, lets her out as it goes quiet and she is just gorgeous, she always has a different coloured bow in her hair every day,just like somebody typing this now! We don’t know her name yet; she has also made friends with Anna’s very small terrier Derek!
.
Monday, May 24, 2010
EL ROCIO FESTIVAL.
MONDAY 24TH MAY 2010.
For most of the year the small hamlet of El Rocio is as deserted a place as you could wish to find, its wide sandy streets are lined with impressively large houses, but they are usually uninhabited – except at the time of the pilgrimage. The hamlet is situated in North East Spain, just below the border with Portugal, outside Huelva; it has a population of around 700 people but for the weekend of the “ Romeria Del Rocio ” it comes alive when over a million people throng the streets, the largest Catholic festival in the world !
The traditional pilgrimage can be traced back to the 15th century when the statue of the Virgin Mary, “ La Virgen El Rocio ” was discovered; it is kept in the enormous white church, the Sanctuario de Nuestra Senora de El Rocio – simply referred to as the “ Ermita ” Those impressively large houses in the village that I mentioned are in fact bases for the 95 brotherhoods,hermandades,who are the senior members of each romeria; the pilgrims “ Rocieros ” arrive with horses, wagons and elaborate flower-bedecked carriages and most of the female pilgrims are dressed in bright flamenco-style dresses, the men have short riding type jackets – traje corto – and wide brimmed boleros.
During the day the processions are chanting,clapping,beating drums,tambourines,and playing flutes and guitars; the whole thing is carried out to the accompaniment of fire crackers and shouts of “ Viva la Reina de la Marisima ” Long live the Queen of the marshland ! All this takes place with traditional singing and dancing, going on for hours, with the smell of fried peppers, prawns and sherry in the air; they also unofficially baptize the first time Rocerieros.
The climax of the whole festival comes in the early hours of Monday morning when the statue of the virgin is carried out of the church and paraded around the village; its frantic passing through the hands of the brotherhoods at times gets out of control as the crowds attempt to touch it and pass very small children above their heads at the same time; the whole experience is a strangely Spanish combination of religious fanaticism and serious partying !!
Needless to say we watched it all on the TV.
.
For most of the year the small hamlet of El Rocio is as deserted a place as you could wish to find, its wide sandy streets are lined with impressively large houses, but they are usually uninhabited – except at the time of the pilgrimage. The hamlet is situated in North East Spain, just below the border with Portugal, outside Huelva; it has a population of around 700 people but for the weekend of the “ Romeria Del Rocio ” it comes alive when over a million people throng the streets, the largest Catholic festival in the world !
The traditional pilgrimage can be traced back to the 15th century when the statue of the Virgin Mary, “ La Virgen El Rocio ” was discovered; it is kept in the enormous white church, the Sanctuario de Nuestra Senora de El Rocio – simply referred to as the “ Ermita ” Those impressively large houses in the village that I mentioned are in fact bases for the 95 brotherhoods,hermandades,who are the senior members of each romeria; the pilgrims “ Rocieros ” arrive with horses, wagons and elaborate flower-bedecked carriages and most of the female pilgrims are dressed in bright flamenco-style dresses, the men have short riding type jackets – traje corto – and wide brimmed boleros.
During the day the processions are chanting,clapping,beating drums,tambourines,and playing flutes and guitars; the whole thing is carried out to the accompaniment of fire crackers and shouts of “ Viva la Reina de la Marisima ” Long live the Queen of the marshland ! All this takes place with traditional singing and dancing, going on for hours, with the smell of fried peppers, prawns and sherry in the air; they also unofficially baptize the first time Rocerieros.
The climax of the whole festival comes in the early hours of Monday morning when the statue of the virgin is carried out of the church and paraded around the village; its frantic passing through the hands of the brotherhoods at times gets out of control as the crowds attempt to touch it and pass very small children above their heads at the same time; the whole experience is a strangely Spanish combination of religious fanaticism and serious partying !!
Needless to say we watched it all on the TV.
.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
MANILVA THIS WEEK.
Monday/Sunday 17th/23rd May 2010.
The weather this week is getting better every day; by the Sunday it is going to be 30degs. and in other parts of Andalucia it will reach 35degs! It is still the best time of the year as down here on the coast we still have a little breeze which makes it very pleasant.
On Monday morning we went off to our local post office and with Mano’s help posted the screen package back to Vancouver; there was all sorts of stipulations about how it was to be sent and boxed and the paper work had to be enclosed, we ended up down at the main post office in Sabinillas and it went off at lunchtime. I then e-mailed all the details including the tracking information as instructed and much to our surprise we received an e-mail later in the evening to say that the correct screen had been posted to us by UPS! Anna arrived home on the correct flight from Liverpool late on Monday evening but Carlos and Ann Mari had to wait till Wednesday.
We had a day catching up with all the chores and in the afternoon on Tuesday I made a Beef Stew for a change which we really enjoyed as we ate it for dinner with Cabbage and fresh Beetroot. Anna had a lazy day at her house and unpacked as Mano was painting and repairing all the walls after the rains so she came around on Wednesday morning and joined us for a Crab and Avocado salad as we listened to all her news about the wedding in Llandudno and what she and Anna Mari got up to. They went to Chester on the Friday and had lunch in the Grosvenor Brasserie, a fine bottle of Chablis and Caesar salad and in the evening they went to see The Sound of Music at the Llandudno Theatre, the wedding was at the Lodge in Tal y Bont in the Conway valley and a great time was had by all.
After our daily walk around the village on Thursday we then went out on the roof terrace and read as the sun moves around, the breeze keeps it just nice and we have our cocktail hour before we come down to the chill out room on the first floor, I play loud Blues music off the PC as we relax, on the terrace we have a small radio and listen to Spanish pop stations, downstairs in the lounge we have the Hi Fi on which we play the CDs as well as a I Pod in a docking station which has a large collection of all sorts of music and in the kitchen we have a small Hi Fi on which we play our Spanish learning CDs!! We like our music!!!
First thing on Friday we shot across to Estepona and on the way back did the weekend shopping; at lunchtime UPS delivered the screen from Vancouver, they had phoned on Thursday lunchtime to say that they would drop the parcel of between twelve and two. We also received into our bank AC the refund for the cost of returning the screen at the same time ! Andy then came round later and fitted the new correct one on which I am typing this now ! Mano and Anna called in as he had finished working on the house with a present, it is small statue of “ San Pancracio ” it is for good luck and fortune and has to be given to you a by a friend, so we had a little session along with Andy. I was given the night off cooking duties so we went up to Bar Rojas for supper and sat outside in the late evening and had an excellent Frito Pescardo,Huevos Frito and Patatas Fritas to finish of a great day.
As we went for our morning walk on Saturday morning the gang was sat outside Bar Rojas,Mano,Anna,Carlos,
Andy and Brian and as we were there the local in the picture below came past with his “ Harris Eagle ” It is a magnificent bird and he was taking it for its lunch hunting in the hills behind the village ! We then all ended up down in Sabinillas in an English bar for the full English breakfast so we then walked it off along the front, which is very pleasant at this time of the year, in the pictures below you can also see Tim and Brenda’s favourite beach bar “ Rilex ” which they will no doubt be hitting later in the year when Tim is coming over for a holiday again ! In the evening after supper of Steak and Frits we watched the European Cup Final,Inter Milan won their third trophy this year; their manager Jose Mourinho is going to be the next manager of Real Madrid !
Today we are getting ready our Sunday Roast, Leg Of Lamb,Mano dropped off a large Spanish one and they are joining us later for dinner; Cabbage with Acelgas, Cauliflower in Cheese sauce, Baby Carrots and Peas,Ratatuile with
Boulangere potatoes and a savory dish of Baked Saffron New Potatoes cooked with assorted peppers.Proper Herb gravy and a fine Rioja will help it all go down !
PS; Just as I was ladling the gravy into the sauce boat ( My Mum's favourite ) it all ended up on the floor,the walls,my trousers and best shirt, sandles and I burnt my big toe ! But there was more in the pan so another great meal was saved !!
Thought for the Day;
We’ll be friends until we are old and senile,then we’ll be new friends !!
.
The weather this week is getting better every day; by the Sunday it is going to be 30degs. and in other parts of Andalucia it will reach 35degs! It is still the best time of the year as down here on the coast we still have a little breeze which makes it very pleasant.
On Monday morning we went off to our local post office and with Mano’s help posted the screen package back to Vancouver; there was all sorts of stipulations about how it was to be sent and boxed and the paper work had to be enclosed, we ended up down at the main post office in Sabinillas and it went off at lunchtime. I then e-mailed all the details including the tracking information as instructed and much to our surprise we received an e-mail later in the evening to say that the correct screen had been posted to us by UPS! Anna arrived home on the correct flight from Liverpool late on Monday evening but Carlos and Ann Mari had to wait till Wednesday.
We had a day catching up with all the chores and in the afternoon on Tuesday I made a Beef Stew for a change which we really enjoyed as we ate it for dinner with Cabbage and fresh Beetroot. Anna had a lazy day at her house and unpacked as Mano was painting and repairing all the walls after the rains so she came around on Wednesday morning and joined us for a Crab and Avocado salad as we listened to all her news about the wedding in Llandudno and what she and Anna Mari got up to. They went to Chester on the Friday and had lunch in the Grosvenor Brasserie, a fine bottle of Chablis and Caesar salad and in the evening they went to see The Sound of Music at the Llandudno Theatre, the wedding was at the Lodge in Tal y Bont in the Conway valley and a great time was had by all.
After our daily walk around the village on Thursday we then went out on the roof terrace and read as the sun moves around, the breeze keeps it just nice and we have our cocktail hour before we come down to the chill out room on the first floor, I play loud Blues music off the PC as we relax, on the terrace we have a small radio and listen to Spanish pop stations, downstairs in the lounge we have the Hi Fi on which we play the CDs as well as a I Pod in a docking station which has a large collection of all sorts of music and in the kitchen we have a small Hi Fi on which we play our Spanish learning CDs!! We like our music!!!
First thing on Friday we shot across to Estepona and on the way back did the weekend shopping; at lunchtime UPS delivered the screen from Vancouver, they had phoned on Thursday lunchtime to say that they would drop the parcel of between twelve and two. We also received into our bank AC the refund for the cost of returning the screen at the same time ! Andy then came round later and fitted the new correct one on which I am typing this now ! Mano and Anna called in as he had finished working on the house with a present, it is small statue of “ San Pancracio ” it is for good luck and fortune and has to be given to you a by a friend, so we had a little session along with Andy. I was given the night off cooking duties so we went up to Bar Rojas for supper and sat outside in the late evening and had an excellent Frito Pescardo,Huevos Frito and Patatas Fritas to finish of a great day.
As we went for our morning walk on Saturday morning the gang was sat outside Bar Rojas,Mano,Anna,Carlos,
Andy and Brian and as we were there the local in the picture below came past with his “ Harris Eagle ” It is a magnificent bird and he was taking it for its lunch hunting in the hills behind the village ! We then all ended up down in Sabinillas in an English bar for the full English breakfast so we then walked it off along the front, which is very pleasant at this time of the year, in the pictures below you can also see Tim and Brenda’s favourite beach bar “ Rilex ” which they will no doubt be hitting later in the year when Tim is coming over for a holiday again ! In the evening after supper of Steak and Frits we watched the European Cup Final,Inter Milan won their third trophy this year; their manager Jose Mourinho is going to be the next manager of Real Madrid !
Today we are getting ready our Sunday Roast, Leg Of Lamb,Mano dropped off a large Spanish one and they are joining us later for dinner; Cabbage with Acelgas, Cauliflower in Cheese sauce, Baby Carrots and Peas,Ratatuile with
Boulangere potatoes and a savory dish of Baked Saffron New Potatoes cooked with assorted peppers.Proper Herb gravy and a fine Rioja will help it all go down !
PS; Just as I was ladling the gravy into the sauce boat ( My Mum's favourite ) it all ended up on the floor,the walls,my trousers and best shirt, sandles and I burnt my big toe ! But there was more in the pan so another great meal was saved !!
Thought for the Day;
We’ll be friends until we are old and senile,then we’ll be new friends !!
.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
MANILVA NEWS SPORTS NEWS AND SCREEN UPDATE.
MONDAY/SUNDAY 10TH/16THMAY 2010.
On Monday and Tuesday we took it easy and spent some time catching up with some jobs around the house;the weather is getting better every day and we are going for our walk around the village at lunchtime when it is very tranquil.
I made a Chicken curry for dinner on Wednesday evening and Mano and Anna came round and joined us as Anna was flying off to England on Thursday morning with Carlos and Anna Mari to go to the wedding in North Wales on Saturday;SallyAnn was also flying in on the same day.They flew to Liverpool amd SallyAnn was landing at Manchester.
Thursday was a relaxing at home day with Brenda on the roof terrace reading as I caught up with the e-mails.
We went out on Friday morning and did the shopping for the weekend; in the evening Mano came round for supper before he went into work, we had Pan Fried Salmon fillets on a bed of Spinach with Asparagus and Saffron New potatoes along with Broccoli florets.
Saturday was another glorious day so we walked down to the football stadium and watched the seven a side football with the local teams as usual playing with lots of commitment;on the way back we bumped into Mano in Bar Rojas were he had just won the jackpot on the fruit machine, he had also been in the next door Bar and had won the jackpot there as well ! He does this all the time in the various bars around the village,he plays the machine after sombody else has had no luck and spent all their money ! Needless to say we stopped and had a few celebratey drinks on him! In the evening we had Steak and frits for dinner and Mano called in on his way to work and picked up his lunch box ! ie;A toasted steak sandwich with all the trimming to keep him going during the night !! He also dropped off a litre bottle of Bacardi for the drinks cabinet.
We had planned to have Roast Leg of Lamb for dinner,which Mano had dropped off on Saturday evening,but the day and the weather took over; we had a walk and stopped at Bar Rojas,it was such a lovely day we sat outside and had a Tapas lunch and watched the Monaco Grand Prix on the large screen; at this time of the year the reception on the local TVs is not too good,Webber won but the drive of the day was by Fernando Alonso,he started at the back off the grid in 24th position but ended up 6th despite Micheal Schumacher on the last lap making a illegal move on the final corner ! Later in the afternoon we watched the tennis,Rafael Nadel beat Roger Federer in the Madrid Open and the Queen presentented the trophy. Meanwhile over in Barbados England won the cricket World Twenty20 final against the arch enemy Australia ! Sorry to all the family over there !!
In the early evening we had a snack before we went out to watch the football at Mano's on his large screen, the same problem hit us again,bad reception, so we ended up just before the sun set by going for a drink at the Casares Golf Club,Mano and his friend Juan had played a round in the morning and had a very good lunch of Goujons of Rosado,the place is in a spectacular position in the next valley but one from Manilva and the club house and restaurant are furnished in a comtemporary style,the menu is excellent and good value and we will go there in the not too distant future. We watched the end of the football in the club TV lounge;Barcelona won the La Liga League title for the second successive year when they beat Vallodolid 4 - nil. Messi scored two and this brought his goals in the league to 34 ! Barcelona lost only one game in 38 league matches and beat Real Madrid at home and away ! The other big match was at Malaga who were playing Real Madrid,the score was 1 -1 and the goalkeeper for Malaga played a blinder,it ment that Barcelona won the title by three points but at the same time Malaga were not relagated as they had got the draw and some other scores went their way ! When we got back into the village the Barcelona side of Manilva was going mad along with the Malaga supporter's and the car horns were going all night !
Now the bad news,Carlos and Anna Mari's flight was cancelled from Liverpool,Sally Ann's back to Tenerife suffered the same fate and it looks like Anna's flight on Monday from Liverpool is going the same way, all due to the Ash cloud problem ! Watch this space.
PS; It is looking like Anna's flight might get away but still no news on the others.
PPS; Anna has arrived home this evening,Carlos and Anna Mari can't get a flight untill Wednesday and it turns out that Sally Ann didn't even make it to England as her flight was cancelled at the very last minute as she arrived at the airport in Tenerife !
NEWSFLASH;
The Ash cloud that never was ; Airport chaos for 50,ooo was caused by an inaccurate Met Office forecast - they took fresh soundings and sent up a plane to check,they found there was no such Ash,their assessment was flawed !!!
The news on the screen is ongoing; I have sent e -mails and have been on the Skype phone to Vancouver over the last week and this week have received the forms and details to post the wrong screen back,it is all very complicated and it took us a few days to get everything right,this morning we went down to the main post office in Sabilillas and with Mano's help to make sure that we posted it back in the way that was detailed it has gone off to Vancouver;now we have to wait to see if this time we get the right one and that they reimburse the postage ! Watch this space.
PS; I 've just had an e - mail from Vancouver after I sent them the confimation and tracking details of the package and it looks like they are responding,they have sent me details to track the package sent by them for the replacement screen ! Today !!
.
On Monday and Tuesday we took it easy and spent some time catching up with some jobs around the house;the weather is getting better every day and we are going for our walk around the village at lunchtime when it is very tranquil.
I made a Chicken curry for dinner on Wednesday evening and Mano and Anna came round and joined us as Anna was flying off to England on Thursday morning with Carlos and Anna Mari to go to the wedding in North Wales on Saturday;SallyAnn was also flying in on the same day.They flew to Liverpool amd SallyAnn was landing at Manchester.
Thursday was a relaxing at home day with Brenda on the roof terrace reading as I caught up with the e-mails.
We went out on Friday morning and did the shopping for the weekend; in the evening Mano came round for supper before he went into work, we had Pan Fried Salmon fillets on a bed of Spinach with Asparagus and Saffron New potatoes along with Broccoli florets.
Saturday was another glorious day so we walked down to the football stadium and watched the seven a side football with the local teams as usual playing with lots of commitment;on the way back we bumped into Mano in Bar Rojas were he had just won the jackpot on the fruit machine, he had also been in the next door Bar and had won the jackpot there as well ! He does this all the time in the various bars around the village,he plays the machine after sombody else has had no luck and spent all their money ! Needless to say we stopped and had a few celebratey drinks on him! In the evening we had Steak and frits for dinner and Mano called in on his way to work and picked up his lunch box ! ie;A toasted steak sandwich with all the trimming to keep him going during the night !! He also dropped off a litre bottle of Bacardi for the drinks cabinet.
We had planned to have Roast Leg of Lamb for dinner,which Mano had dropped off on Saturday evening,but the day and the weather took over; we had a walk and stopped at Bar Rojas,it was such a lovely day we sat outside and had a Tapas lunch and watched the Monaco Grand Prix on the large screen; at this time of the year the reception on the local TVs is not too good,Webber won but the drive of the day was by Fernando Alonso,he started at the back off the grid in 24th position but ended up 6th despite Micheal Schumacher on the last lap making a illegal move on the final corner ! Later in the afternoon we watched the tennis,Rafael Nadel beat Roger Federer in the Madrid Open and the Queen presentented the trophy. Meanwhile over in Barbados England won the cricket World Twenty20 final against the arch enemy Australia ! Sorry to all the family over there !!
In the early evening we had a snack before we went out to watch the football at Mano's on his large screen, the same problem hit us again,bad reception, so we ended up just before the sun set by going for a drink at the Casares Golf Club,Mano and his friend Juan had played a round in the morning and had a very good lunch of Goujons of Rosado,the place is in a spectacular position in the next valley but one from Manilva and the club house and restaurant are furnished in a comtemporary style,the menu is excellent and good value and we will go there in the not too distant future. We watched the end of the football in the club TV lounge;Barcelona won the La Liga League title for the second successive year when they beat Vallodolid 4 - nil. Messi scored two and this brought his goals in the league to 34 ! Barcelona lost only one game in 38 league matches and beat Real Madrid at home and away ! The other big match was at Malaga who were playing Real Madrid,the score was 1 -1 and the goalkeeper for Malaga played a blinder,it ment that Barcelona won the title by three points but at the same time Malaga were not relagated as they had got the draw and some other scores went their way ! When we got back into the village the Barcelona side of Manilva was going mad along with the Malaga supporter's and the car horns were going all night !
Now the bad news,Carlos and Anna Mari's flight was cancelled from Liverpool,Sally Ann's back to Tenerife suffered the same fate and it looks like Anna's flight on Monday from Liverpool is going the same way, all due to the Ash cloud problem ! Watch this space.
PS; It is looking like Anna's flight might get away but still no news on the others.
PPS; Anna has arrived home this evening,Carlos and Anna Mari can't get a flight untill Wednesday and it turns out that Sally Ann didn't even make it to England as her flight was cancelled at the very last minute as she arrived at the airport in Tenerife !
NEWSFLASH;
The Ash cloud that never was ; Airport chaos for 50,ooo was caused by an inaccurate Met Office forecast - they took fresh soundings and sent up a plane to check,they found there was no such Ash,their assessment was flawed !!!
The news on the screen is ongoing; I have sent e -mails and have been on the Skype phone to Vancouver over the last week and this week have received the forms and details to post the wrong screen back,it is all very complicated and it took us a few days to get everything right,this morning we went down to the main post office in Sabilillas and with Mano's help to make sure that we posted it back in the way that was detailed it has gone off to Vancouver;now we have to wait to see if this time we get the right one and that they reimburse the postage ! Watch this space.
PS; I 've just had an e - mail from Vancouver after I sent them the confimation and tracking details of the package and it looks like they are responding,they have sent me details to track the package sent by them for the replacement screen ! Today !!
.
Monday, May 10, 2010
MANILVA WEEKEND.
MONDAY 10TH MAY 2010.
First thing on Friday morning we went across to our bank in Estepona as we had to collect and sign a document; we then stopped in Sabinillas and did the weekend shopping,we use three supermarkets as we buy different things,the bulk buys are from Lidl,the main goods from Mercadona and some English stuff from Supersol ! At the same time we pick up all the English local papers so as we check that what we have been watching in Spanish is correct;they also give you the local news down on the coast. The weather over the weekend has been warm and sunny with a little breeze and it is very pleasant at this time of the year.
On Saturday morning we went for a walk around the village and ended up down at the football stadium watching the seven a side foootball with the local teams; then we stopped at the sports hall and watched the 8/10 year old's basketball,they play on a smaller court and with a lower basket but they are very commited and play their hearts out,they mark one another all the time and some of the shots are unbelievable including the three point ones ! They all have the full kits and their first names on the back of their shirts,the parents give them a typically loud Spanish surport and it is very enjoyable to watch. We called into Bar Rojas for a lunchtime drink and sat out side with a good friend of Mano and Anna's that we have just met on our return from Tarifa;
Brian and his wife Liili ,who is Finnish, were with a friend over from England,Pauline so we soon found common ground to talk about,Liverpool ! Brian is from the same neck of the woods and his wife even has a Liverpool accent,Pauline works at Alder Hay Childrens Hospital, They live in the village in an apartment just across the back of our house so we expect to see a lot more of them in the future
.
After a lie in we had a leisurely day as we prepared Sunday dinner in the afternoon we watched the Spanish Grand Prix from Barcelona which is never very exciting as there is only one place to pass on the track Webber won and the only excitement was when Hamilton crashed out on the last lap with a burts tyre when he was in second position ! We then watched the English football on Spanish TVE2,it showed the Chelsea match and the Manchester United match at the same time and the coverage was very good, Chelsea beat Wigan 8 - nil and won the league championship. Meanwhile the football in Spain is building up to a very exciting climax next weekend,Barcelona are one point ahead of Real Madrid and just like the matches over in England it all goes down to the last day !Mano and Anna baught a Loin of Pork and we sat down to a very nice meal with excellent company finished off by going up to Bar Rojas. This week Anna is going over to North Wales to a wedding reception,Carlos and his wife Anna Mari are also going as he is the bestman and Sally Ann is flying in from Tenerife but Mano is staying here due to work commitments so we will be feeding him over the weekend!
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First thing on Friday morning we went across to our bank in Estepona as we had to collect and sign a document; we then stopped in Sabinillas and did the weekend shopping,we use three supermarkets as we buy different things,the bulk buys are from Lidl,the main goods from Mercadona and some English stuff from Supersol ! At the same time we pick up all the English local papers so as we check that what we have been watching in Spanish is correct;they also give you the local news down on the coast. The weather over the weekend has been warm and sunny with a little breeze and it is very pleasant at this time of the year.
On Saturday morning we went for a walk around the village and ended up down at the football stadium watching the seven a side foootball with the local teams; then we stopped at the sports hall and watched the 8/10 year old's basketball,they play on a smaller court and with a lower basket but they are very commited and play their hearts out,they mark one another all the time and some of the shots are unbelievable including the three point ones ! They all have the full kits and their first names on the back of their shirts,the parents give them a typically loud Spanish surport and it is very enjoyable to watch. We called into Bar Rojas for a lunchtime drink and sat out side with a good friend of Mano and Anna's that we have just met on our return from Tarifa;
Brian and his wife Liili ,who is Finnish, were with a friend over from England,Pauline so we soon found common ground to talk about,Liverpool ! Brian is from the same neck of the woods and his wife even has a Liverpool accent,Pauline works at Alder Hay Childrens Hospital, They live in the village in an apartment just across the back of our house so we expect to see a lot more of them in the future
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After a lie in we had a leisurely day as we prepared Sunday dinner in the afternoon we watched the Spanish Grand Prix from Barcelona which is never very exciting as there is only one place to pass on the track Webber won and the only excitement was when Hamilton crashed out on the last lap with a burts tyre when he was in second position ! We then watched the English football on Spanish TVE2,it showed the Chelsea match and the Manchester United match at the same time and the coverage was very good, Chelsea beat Wigan 8 - nil and won the league championship. Meanwhile the football in Spain is building up to a very exciting climax next weekend,Barcelona are one point ahead of Real Madrid and just like the matches over in England it all goes down to the last day !Mano and Anna baught a Loin of Pork and we sat down to a very nice meal with excellent company finished off by going up to Bar Rojas. This week Anna is going over to North Wales to a wedding reception,Carlos and his wife Anna Mari are also going as he is the bestman and Sally Ann is flying in from Tenerife but Mano is staying here due to work commitments so we will be feeding him over the weekend!
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Thursday, May 06, 2010
SCREEN MADNESS.
THURSDAY 6TH MAY 2010.
The German proficiency that I spoke about last Friday when I orderd a new screen for our large Dell PC carried on up to a point; on Wedesday morning the Fedex package arrived,it had come from Vancouver in Canada ! Very impressive,except it was the wrong screen !!!
After checking all the e-mail order confirmation's and details were correct, once again, it was definitively not the right one. I then got back onto the system as shown when there was a problem; this is were things went from bad to worse,I reported all the facts along with all the order numbers,tracking information and all the details of the screen that I had orderd and also the details of the one that had been sent by mistake along with all the document details and numbers.The person at the other end must be new to the job as I am getting back e-mails asking me to confirm the details that have allready been sent and the last one from him even asked me to take a picture of the wrong screen !!
Watch this space,as I've said before as I think that this saga is going to go on for a while yet !
.
The German proficiency that I spoke about last Friday when I orderd a new screen for our large Dell PC carried on up to a point; on Wedesday morning the Fedex package arrived,it had come from Vancouver in Canada ! Very impressive,except it was the wrong screen !!!
After checking all the e-mail order confirmation's and details were correct, once again, it was definitively not the right one. I then got back onto the system as shown when there was a problem; this is were things went from bad to worse,I reported all the facts along with all the order numbers,tracking information and all the details of the screen that I had orderd and also the details of the one that had been sent by mistake along with all the document details and numbers.The person at the other end must be new to the job as I am getting back e-mails asking me to confirm the details that have allready been sent and the last one from him even asked me to take a picture of the wrong screen !!
Watch this space,as I've said before as I think that this saga is going to go on for a while yet !
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MANILVA TODAY.
THURSDAY 6TH.MAY 2010.
As we went for our lunchtime stroll around the village on another beautiful day in Manilva at the end of Calle Mar the new water feature was running for the first time;this is the dangerous corner which over the past couple of months the council have redesigned and made the area by this end of the village much nicer,the sound of the running water makes it very tranquil and is now a good spot to sit and look out across the mountains.
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As we went for our lunchtime stroll around the village on another beautiful day in Manilva at the end of Calle Mar the new water feature was running for the first time;this is the dangerous corner which over the past couple of months the council have redesigned and made the area by this end of the village much nicer,the sound of the running water makes it very tranquil and is now a good spot to sit and look out across the mountains.
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Tuesday, May 04, 2010
MANILVA TODAY.
TUESDAY 4TH.MAY 2010.
The picture can't lie,the Manilva bus at the stop at the start of Calle Mar by our house; it's a mythical bus no longer !!
The picture can't lie,the Manilva bus at the stop at the start of Calle Mar by our house; it's a mythical bus no longer !!
Monday, May 03, 2010
MANILVA TODAY.
MONDAY 3RD.MAY 2010.
On Saturday morning we went for a walk around the village,the weather at this time of the year is just right; the sun is out all day and the skies are blue,the temperature is nearly 30degs.but there is a little breeze so it is very comfortable to be out in,we sat outside Bar Rojas for our lunchtime drink and took in the sites and sounds of the village.In the afternoon I made a Beef stew which had in it 13 different vegetables including some fresh broad beans from our neighbour's campo and of course potatoes ! Later I went up to the office and started to use the small PC after all the work that Andy had put into it,it is better than ever and will keep us online untill the large PC is fixed.The new Word 7 is a lot more complex and will take me some time to find out how to use it.When the new screen arrives Andy will fit it and then he is going to update the whole system and install Windows 7 at the same time and it costs nothing !
After dinner we settled down to watch the TV; on TVE 1 the film turned out to be one to remember; " Las Trece Rosas " the 13 rose's is the true story of 13 women at the end of the Spanish Civil war. It takes place in Madrid in August 1939 as Franco and the facist nationalist forces are entering the city, the women from different backgounds are rounded up by the secret police and are presumed to be Repubilicans,they are all brutally interrogated and put in prison under terrible conditions,they band together and rebel against the conditions.Later they are taken to a military court and sentenced to death for a crime that they had not commited as a retaliation for a political crime that they were not involved in. On August 5th 1939 they are all shot by firing squad along with 48 men who had sufferd the same persecution.The film was very compelling and we watched it and were very moved although we could only just follow it in Spanish. After it had finished the next programme was the director,writer and a actress being interviewd in the studio,it showed pictures of the letters that they wrote from prison,family pictures,photographs of the prison staff and at the end it went to the cemetary where there is a large memorial,all the family relatives still alive gatherd there with red roses and sang with clenched fists the Repubilican anthem !
This Sunday we were going to go to Mano and Anna's for our sunday roast but due to conditions beyond their control they ended up here and we roasted their Chicken ! Another memorable day ended up in Bar Rojas.
I managed to post the test message from the new Word 7 but had no luck when I tried to type and post the blog; it will take some time for me to get up to speed so meanwhile I have posted this online to the blog !
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On Saturday morning we went for a walk around the village,the weather at this time of the year is just right; the sun is out all day and the skies are blue,the temperature is nearly 30degs.but there is a little breeze so it is very comfortable to be out in,we sat outside Bar Rojas for our lunchtime drink and took in the sites and sounds of the village.In the afternoon I made a Beef stew which had in it 13 different vegetables including some fresh broad beans from our neighbour's campo and of course potatoes ! Later I went up to the office and started to use the small PC after all the work that Andy had put into it,it is better than ever and will keep us online untill the large PC is fixed.The new Word 7 is a lot more complex and will take me some time to find out how to use it.When the new screen arrives Andy will fit it and then he is going to update the whole system and install Windows 7 at the same time and it costs nothing !
After dinner we settled down to watch the TV; on TVE 1 the film turned out to be one to remember; " Las Trece Rosas " the 13 rose's is the true story of 13 women at the end of the Spanish Civil war. It takes place in Madrid in August 1939 as Franco and the facist nationalist forces are entering the city, the women from different backgounds are rounded up by the secret police and are presumed to be Repubilicans,they are all brutally interrogated and put in prison under terrible conditions,they band together and rebel against the conditions.Later they are taken to a military court and sentenced to death for a crime that they had not commited as a retaliation for a political crime that they were not involved in. On August 5th 1939 they are all shot by firing squad along with 48 men who had sufferd the same persecution.The film was very compelling and we watched it and were very moved although we could only just follow it in Spanish. After it had finished the next programme was the director,writer and a actress being interviewd in the studio,it showed pictures of the letters that they wrote from prison,family pictures,photographs of the prison staff and at the end it went to the cemetary where there is a large memorial,all the family relatives still alive gatherd there with red roses and sang with clenched fists the Repubilican anthem !
This Sunday we were going to go to Mano and Anna's for our sunday roast but due to conditions beyond their control they ended up here and we roasted their Chicken ! Another memorable day ended up in Bar Rojas.
I managed to post the test message from the new Word 7 but had no luck when I tried to type and post the blog; it will take some time for me to get up to speed so meanwhile I have posted this online to the blog !
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MANILVA TODAY.
MONDAY 3RD.MAY 2010.
At the start of last week we had a couple of days at home catching up with all the chores;Brenda is still in her cleaning and washing mode of everything and has just finished on the outside of the windows,no stepladders needed as she goes out on the balconies !! Meanwhile I caught up on the blog and sent some e-mails and updated our Facebook page as well as our Twitter contents.
On Wednesday we went out once again to try and catch the bus,this time at 11-ooam; success,it arrived and we went down to Sabinillas to pick up some essentials from the supermarket and then raced back across the road and caught the same bus back up the hill ! We then called into the cultural department in the old town hall in the main street of the village and a very helpfull lady called a person in the main town hall and they sent across by e-mail the new timetable which she printed out for us,success !
Thursday was a day to remember;as I went to turn on our large PC the screen did not come on,I tried many times and then realised that " Houston we have a problem " !! I called Andy our friend who is very computer literate and he came round and collected it,later he rang to say that the screen was finished and we needed a new one,everything else was ok.
On Friday morning we went to our bank in Estepona and on the way back picked up the weekend shopping; Andy came round in the early afternoon and 7 hours later was still here! He had loaded on to his memory stick all the Favorites and so he set about checking and cleaning up this PC and at the same time he installed and updated all the anti virus programmes before he then installed them,next he down loaded a system to be able to install some new programmes that were needed including Microsoft Office Word 7 for free ! Next he found the German web site that sells screens and soon found the one that we needed as I had kept all the Dell specifications when I ordered it,we then placed the order and with the usual German proficiency the order confirmation and the the Fedex tracking details arrived later in the evening by e-mail! Next he then updated all the other essential sites that I use including the Skype video and my new Life cam as well as resetting the memory for more power.
Andy you are a star and thank you for your time and attention !
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At the start of last week we had a couple of days at home catching up with all the chores;Brenda is still in her cleaning and washing mode of everything and has just finished on the outside of the windows,no stepladders needed as she goes out on the balconies !! Meanwhile I caught up on the blog and sent some e-mails and updated our Facebook page as well as our Twitter contents.
On Wednesday we went out once again to try and catch the bus,this time at 11-ooam; success,it arrived and we went down to Sabinillas to pick up some essentials from the supermarket and then raced back across the road and caught the same bus back up the hill ! We then called into the cultural department in the old town hall in the main street of the village and a very helpfull lady called a person in the main town hall and they sent across by e-mail the new timetable which she printed out for us,success !
Thursday was a day to remember;as I went to turn on our large PC the screen did not come on,I tried many times and then realised that " Houston we have a problem " !! I called Andy our friend who is very computer literate and he came round and collected it,later he rang to say that the screen was finished and we needed a new one,everything else was ok.
On Friday morning we went to our bank in Estepona and on the way back picked up the weekend shopping; Andy came round in the early afternoon and 7 hours later was still here! He had loaded on to his memory stick all the Favorites and so he set about checking and cleaning up this PC and at the same time he installed and updated all the anti virus programmes before he then installed them,next he down loaded a system to be able to install some new programmes that were needed including Microsoft Office Word 7 for free ! Next he found the German web site that sells screens and soon found the one that we needed as I had kept all the Dell specifications when I ordered it,we then placed the order and with the usual German proficiency the order confirmation and the the Fedex tracking details arrived later in the evening by e-mail! Next he then updated all the other essential sites that I use including the Skype video and my new Life cam as well as resetting the memory for more power.
Andy you are a star and thank you for your time and attention !
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Thursday, April 29, 2010
MANILVA NEWSFLASH.
THURSDAY 29 th APRIL 2010.
Our main PC which we use all the time has gone in for repair as the screen is not working,this happened yesterday afternoon and means that amongst other things the blog page will be some what restricted for a short while,it also effects e-mails and Skype video as this PC has only the basics and it will take me a little while to get up to speed on it!
Watch this space for a update!!
Our main PC which we use all the time has gone in for repair as the screen is not working,this happened yesterday afternoon and means that amongst other things the blog page will be some what restricted for a short while,it also effects e-mails and Skype video as this PC has only the basics and it will take me a little while to get up to speed on it!
Watch this space for a update!!
Monday, April 26, 2010
MANILVA WEEKEND.
MONDAY 26TH. APRIL 2010.
On Wednesday morning Brenda had an appointment at the surgery for a general check up so we decided to catch the village bus, which starts from outside, and go down to Sabinillas; the only problem was we missed the twelve o’clock one by a minute! They are on the hour every hour at this time of the year and they go down and along the coast and then return on the half hour. We then met Mano and Anna and caught up with their news as we sat outside Bar Rojas for some tapas.
Thursday was the last day for rain so in between showers we set off over to see Gissy in Estepona and at the same time get our hair done; we had a light lunch with her and caught up with all her and our news, on the way back we did all our weekend shopping.
The weather has now changed for the better and it looks like we will get a full week of sunshine as the temperature’s reach 27degs. So on Friday morning we walked around to the small fish market at the top of the main street and bought some fresh Cod steaks which we had for supper; I baked them in a rich Tomato sauce and we had Saffron new potatoes and garden peas, We then carried on down to the small Friday market, by the sports hall and picked up our fresh vegetables and also from the flower stall some plants for outside and inside the house. We dropped every thing back at the house and then went to catch the local bus at the bus stop just a few yards from our house at twelve o’clock again; this time we were early and so we waited and waited and waited! No bus arrived, we checked the time tables, asked the locals and a policeman and still no bus, it was now over forty minutes late; at the junction, where the bus stop is, all the cars entering the village pass but we had no luck in spotting anybody we knew, just when we were about to give up Mano and Anna came along in their car and they then gave us a lift down to Sabinillas where we picked up the papers and then went for a drink as we needed one after our trials and tribulations of trying to catch a bus !! We then came back up to Bar Rojas and sat outside in the very warm sun and had another drink and some fresh Patatas Fritas ! The bus saga will continue next week when we regain our energy, this all started because we parked the Smart car in our spot behind our house and decided to use the bus for a change
We got up bright and early on Saturday and after breakfast of Brenda’s poached eggs to start the day we caught up with the chores; Brenda is still on a cleaning and washing plan so I went into the kitchen and started on things for the weekend; first I made a Ratatouille with all the fresh vegetables from the market,Aubergines,Courgetts,Red,Yellow and Green Peppers, Leeks,Mushrooms,Green Beans,Onions,Tomatoes and lots of Garlic, all cooked in a rich Tomato sauce ! I then for a change made a Chicken Curry for dinner as we bought more powders and pastes from the big hypermarket over in Estepona on Thursday; We also made some individual trifles as a surprise treat for Anna, her favourite, Brenda made the strawberry jelly and custard and I started on the sponge which I soaked with a generous amount of Madeira wine, Local Strawberries, Pineapple and Peach slices on top of the sponge which was coated with Strawberry jam was then topped off with whipped double cream, a joint effort !!
On Saturday night after our Hot and tasty Chicken Curry we settled down to watch the TV; on TVE2 we watched a live music show; the artist who was new to us was Luz Casal,she is a fabulous singer and has a real together band with stings, horn section, two excellent guitarists, drums and a very clever piano/organist and backing singers, she is now in her fifties and came to fame back in the 80s.in Spain; Her music, on Wikipedia is described as soft adult rock ! She was very good and we really enjoyed the show and will buy a CD when we are next out.
After a lie in on Sunday morning we prepared Sunday dinner, Mano and Anna joined us so I roasted the other Leg of Lamb that they bought, studded it with Garlic cloves and Rosemary and we had all our usual vegetables and potatoes along with the Ratatouille; we then attacked the trifles and even Mano enjoyed them, he had a glass of Maderia wine at the start of the meal ! We then retired to Bar Rojas for a nightcap to end a perfect weekend in a very sunny Manilva.The pictures below show you the weekend at it happened and Brenda is in our chill out room on the first floor, chilling out !!
PS; Happy birthday to young Jack over in Melbourne, we tried on Skype video but missed you !
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On Wednesday morning Brenda had an appointment at the surgery for a general check up so we decided to catch the village bus, which starts from outside, and go down to Sabinillas; the only problem was we missed the twelve o’clock one by a minute! They are on the hour every hour at this time of the year and they go down and along the coast and then return on the half hour. We then met Mano and Anna and caught up with their news as we sat outside Bar Rojas for some tapas.
Thursday was the last day for rain so in between showers we set off over to see Gissy in Estepona and at the same time get our hair done; we had a light lunch with her and caught up with all her and our news, on the way back we did all our weekend shopping.
The weather has now changed for the better and it looks like we will get a full week of sunshine as the temperature’s reach 27degs. So on Friday morning we walked around to the small fish market at the top of the main street and bought some fresh Cod steaks which we had for supper; I baked them in a rich Tomato sauce and we had Saffron new potatoes and garden peas, We then carried on down to the small Friday market, by the sports hall and picked up our fresh vegetables and also from the flower stall some plants for outside and inside the house. We dropped every thing back at the house and then went to catch the local bus at the bus stop just a few yards from our house at twelve o’clock again; this time we were early and so we waited and waited and waited! No bus arrived, we checked the time tables, asked the locals and a policeman and still no bus, it was now over forty minutes late; at the junction, where the bus stop is, all the cars entering the village pass but we had no luck in spotting anybody we knew, just when we were about to give up Mano and Anna came along in their car and they then gave us a lift down to Sabinillas where we picked up the papers and then went for a drink as we needed one after our trials and tribulations of trying to catch a bus !! We then came back up to Bar Rojas and sat outside in the very warm sun and had another drink and some fresh Patatas Fritas ! The bus saga will continue next week when we regain our energy, this all started because we parked the Smart car in our spot behind our house and decided to use the bus for a change
We got up bright and early on Saturday and after breakfast of Brenda’s poached eggs to start the day we caught up with the chores; Brenda is still on a cleaning and washing plan so I went into the kitchen and started on things for the weekend; first I made a Ratatouille with all the fresh vegetables from the market,Aubergines,Courgetts,Red,Yellow and Green Peppers, Leeks,Mushrooms,Green Beans,Onions,Tomatoes and lots of Garlic, all cooked in a rich Tomato sauce ! I then for a change made a Chicken Curry for dinner as we bought more powders and pastes from the big hypermarket over in Estepona on Thursday; We also made some individual trifles as a surprise treat for Anna, her favourite, Brenda made the strawberry jelly and custard and I started on the sponge which I soaked with a generous amount of Madeira wine, Local Strawberries, Pineapple and Peach slices on top of the sponge which was coated with Strawberry jam was then topped off with whipped double cream, a joint effort !!
On Saturday night after our Hot and tasty Chicken Curry we settled down to watch the TV; on TVE2 we watched a live music show; the artist who was new to us was Luz Casal,she is a fabulous singer and has a real together band with stings, horn section, two excellent guitarists, drums and a very clever piano/organist and backing singers, she is now in her fifties and came to fame back in the 80s.in Spain; Her music, on Wikipedia is described as soft adult rock ! She was very good and we really enjoyed the show and will buy a CD when we are next out.
After a lie in on Sunday morning we prepared Sunday dinner, Mano and Anna joined us so I roasted the other Leg of Lamb that they bought, studded it with Garlic cloves and Rosemary and we had all our usual vegetables and potatoes along with the Ratatouille; we then attacked the trifles and even Mano enjoyed them, he had a glass of Maderia wine at the start of the meal ! We then retired to Bar Rojas for a nightcap to end a perfect weekend in a very sunny Manilva.The pictures below show you the weekend at it happened and Brenda is in our chill out room on the first floor, chilling out !!
PS; Happy birthday to young Jack over in Melbourne, we tried on Skype video but missed you !
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Tuesday, April 20, 2010
MANILVA TODAY.
TUESDAY 20TH. APRIL 2010.
After the excitement of the monsoon we went out for the weekend shopping on Friday morning down to Sabinillas in-between more light showers; we picked up in the fish market a couple of Soles which I baked in the oven, we had them for supper with minted new potatoes and garden peas. We then settled down to watch some of our regular Spanish TV programmes; on a Friday there is a young children’s show for new talent and the presenter is very good with them, he was sat in a wheel chair and we thought that he had broken a leg or something, in fact he had a stroke earlier in the year but is carrying on with the show!
On Saturday we pottered about the house and in the afternoon we watched the live match which was Manchester City v Manchester United – jammy Utd. scored in the third minute of extra time! In the evening we had our usual steak and frits for dinner with all the trimmings.
This Sunday Mano and Anna once again joined us for our Sunday roast, this time it was Chicken with Lemon stuffing and Brenda’s usual selection of vegetables along with crispy roast potatoes cooked in Duck fat. Later we went up to Bar Rojas for some Carajillo’s to round off the night; the only problem was that Brenda kept me up half the night talking!
We went for a long walk on Monday as the weather had picked up and the sun was out, in fact by the time we bumped into Mano and Anna with a couple of other friends down in Morena’s bar it was 23 degs, in the shade ! Morena made fresh Patatas Fritas with some Tapas as we sat outside and once again watched the world go by.
This morning we have been out in the village to do some shopping in the small general shops for our fresh vegetables and at the same time I took the chance to take some more pictures around the village; the urbanization is below the village and over looks the mountains in the other picture below, the church and the fountain are at their best on a clear blue sky day, the sports hall, football pitch and paddle tennis courts were quiet as were the children’s play area and the only pensioner on the exercise machines was Brenda ! I don’t fit the category just yet !!
After the excitement of the monsoon we went out for the weekend shopping on Friday morning down to Sabinillas in-between more light showers; we picked up in the fish market a couple of Soles which I baked in the oven, we had them for supper with minted new potatoes and garden peas. We then settled down to watch some of our regular Spanish TV programmes; on a Friday there is a young children’s show for new talent and the presenter is very good with them, he was sat in a wheel chair and we thought that he had broken a leg or something, in fact he had a stroke earlier in the year but is carrying on with the show!
On Saturday we pottered about the house and in the afternoon we watched the live match which was Manchester City v Manchester United – jammy Utd. scored in the third minute of extra time! In the evening we had our usual steak and frits for dinner with all the trimmings.
This Sunday Mano and Anna once again joined us for our Sunday roast, this time it was Chicken with Lemon stuffing and Brenda’s usual selection of vegetables along with crispy roast potatoes cooked in Duck fat. Later we went up to Bar Rojas for some Carajillo’s to round off the night; the only problem was that Brenda kept me up half the night talking!
We went for a long walk on Monday as the weather had picked up and the sun was out, in fact by the time we bumped into Mano and Anna with a couple of other friends down in Morena’s bar it was 23 degs, in the shade ! Morena made fresh Patatas Fritas with some Tapas as we sat outside and once again watched the world go by.
This morning we have been out in the village to do some shopping in the small general shops for our fresh vegetables and at the same time I took the chance to take some more pictures around the village; the urbanization is below the village and over looks the mountains in the other picture below, the church and the fountain are at their best on a clear blue sky day, the sports hall, football pitch and paddle tennis courts were quiet as were the children’s play area and the only pensioner on the exercise machines was Brenda ! I don’t fit the category just yet !!
Friday, April 16, 2010
MANILVA WEATHER FLASH.
FRIDAY 16TH. APRIL 2010.
This morning we have been out and about in Estepona and Sabinillas after the storms of the last two days; on Wednesday evening, as forecast, the rain started at about 11-00pm and did not stop until 11-ooam on Thursday. When I say rain in fact it was a Monsoon, it was the most severe and heavy rain that anybody has ever seen here in Manilva, the locals can’t remember any thing like it in their lifetime! We have not had any problems at our house and in the street but in other parts of the village and down in Sabinillas it has been horrific; at Mano and Anna’s house and complex, on the side of the hill above the vine fields, their problem this time was a mud slide that blocked the drains when a retaining bank gave way! They were out all yesterday shoveling away the mud and Mano went and got a friend who has a JCB to help dig out a car and clean away the debris. Some of the house’s still ended up with mud inside and at the same time the electricity was cut off! It then starts to wash away all the earth banks by the side of the road and soon goes down the hill into Sabinillas which then became flooded again like the time a few weeks ago when we got caught on the Smart car; only this time it was much worse and people had to be rescued from their cars, the river in the valley overflowed and washed away the road. All the main drains stopped working and in Puerto Duquesa all the businesses were flooded, the same also happened in Estepona and further along the coast.
So last night on Spanish TV the main news on all the eight terrestrial channels was good old little Manilva !! The emergency services were called out to help rescue people from their cars and homes and pump out the water; one of the main problems here is the underground car parks, which all the buildings have, they are the first to be hit and it causes the most damage to the cars.
So all in all it brought a little excitement into our life down here in sunny Manilva !
This morning we have been out and about in Estepona and Sabinillas after the storms of the last two days; on Wednesday evening, as forecast, the rain started at about 11-00pm and did not stop until 11-ooam on Thursday. When I say rain in fact it was a Monsoon, it was the most severe and heavy rain that anybody has ever seen here in Manilva, the locals can’t remember any thing like it in their lifetime! We have not had any problems at our house and in the street but in other parts of the village and down in Sabinillas it has been horrific; at Mano and Anna’s house and complex, on the side of the hill above the vine fields, their problem this time was a mud slide that blocked the drains when a retaining bank gave way! They were out all yesterday shoveling away the mud and Mano went and got a friend who has a JCB to help dig out a car and clean away the debris. Some of the house’s still ended up with mud inside and at the same time the electricity was cut off! It then starts to wash away all the earth banks by the side of the road and soon goes down the hill into Sabinillas which then became flooded again like the time a few weeks ago when we got caught on the Smart car; only this time it was much worse and people had to be rescued from their cars, the river in the valley overflowed and washed away the road. All the main drains stopped working and in Puerto Duquesa all the businesses were flooded, the same also happened in Estepona and further along the coast.
So last night on Spanish TV the main news on all the eight terrestrial channels was good old little Manilva !! The emergency services were called out to help rescue people from their cars and homes and pump out the water; one of the main problems here is the underground car parks, which all the buildings have, they are the first to be hit and it causes the most damage to the cars.
So all in all it brought a little excitement into our life down here in sunny Manilva !
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
MANILVA TODAY FRIEND'S RE UNITED.
TUESDAY 13TH. APRIL 2010.
Today as you can see in the pictures below it is rather cloudy and overcast but it is still warm,20degs. First thing this morning we walked around to the surgery as Brenda had an appointment to get her Anti-Tetanus booster jab, on the way back we bumped into Lume, the wife of the owner of Bar Rojas, they have been closed for the last three days as Manola’s father had died down in Estepona.Brenda then went on an extreme cleaning spree, mopping all the Marble floors, cleaning all the tiles in both kitchens, washing and polishing all the cupboards and then taking down and washing the net curtains in the lounge, I was tired out just watching her but I did hold the small ladder when she was putting the curtains back up !
We then went for a walk down through the village as we needed some English tea bags; on the way I took the pictures below to remind you about the village. Whilst we were out we bumped into lots of people,Andy,who lost his wife a few weeks ago was coming out of the post office, the owner of the bar that Mano use’s a lot shouted to me as he had kept some Semana Santa posters for me, the Mayor was just leaving the new council chambers on the left of the police station so we talked about the fast progress on the new Wine Center, next we passed Carlos’s house and the door was open, he and his wife Anna Mari were painting so we stopped to say hello, a friend of his, Brian was there also and as we talked it came up about our Spanish mobile going Russian; the other day we tried to get it fixed down in the office in Estepona,with no luck, so we had to buy a new one, it only cost three euros as they gave us twelve euros credit on the old one ! Anyway he went on the Internet and immediately managed to fix it, so now for the time being I have two Spanish mobiles ! On the way back Mano was in the Bar for a meeting so we caught up with him, we found the tea bags in the smallest shop,Toto;s who gets them in for Anna and finally as we got back to the house Anna called in for a cup of tea, which luckily we had !!
It just goe’s to show you what a small world it is in Manilva !!
Today as you can see in the pictures below it is rather cloudy and overcast but it is still warm,20degs. First thing this morning we walked around to the surgery as Brenda had an appointment to get her Anti-Tetanus booster jab, on the way back we bumped into Lume, the wife of the owner of Bar Rojas, they have been closed for the last three days as Manola’s father had died down in Estepona.Brenda then went on an extreme cleaning spree, mopping all the Marble floors, cleaning all the tiles in both kitchens, washing and polishing all the cupboards and then taking down and washing the net curtains in the lounge, I was tired out just watching her but I did hold the small ladder when she was putting the curtains back up !
We then went for a walk down through the village as we needed some English tea bags; on the way I took the pictures below to remind you about the village. Whilst we were out we bumped into lots of people,Andy,who lost his wife a few weeks ago was coming out of the post office, the owner of the bar that Mano use’s a lot shouted to me as he had kept some Semana Santa posters for me, the Mayor was just leaving the new council chambers on the left of the police station so we talked about the fast progress on the new Wine Center, next we passed Carlos’s house and the door was open, he and his wife Anna Mari were painting so we stopped to say hello, a friend of his, Brian was there also and as we talked it came up about our Spanish mobile going Russian; the other day we tried to get it fixed down in the office in Estepona,with no luck, so we had to buy a new one, it only cost three euros as they gave us twelve euros credit on the old one ! Anyway he went on the Internet and immediately managed to fix it, so now for the time being I have two Spanish mobiles ! On the way back Mano was in the Bar for a meeting so we caught up with him, we found the tea bags in the smallest shop,Toto;s who gets them in for Anna and finally as we got back to the house Anna called in for a cup of tea, which luckily we had !!
It just goe’s to show you what a small world it is in Manilva !!
Monday, April 12, 2010
ONE HELLUVA WEEKEND IN MANILVA.
MONDAY 12TH APRIL 2010.
On Friday morning we went down to the supermarket for the weekend shopping and at the same time picked up the two Legs of Lamb from the English butchers; the weather at the moment is OK but with a little wind it can get a bit crisp in the evening, the village is back to it’s normal tranquil self as we settle back into life in Manilva. In the evening we had for supper Baked Soles which we picked up at the fish market in the village earlier in the week with some local new potatoes and garden peas.
As we got up on Saturday morning we decided to go for a walk around the village to see what had been going on; the work on the new Wine Center is coming along, at the moment the electricians are finishing off; a couple of new little shops have opened, small general stores which open all hours, the work on the church which seems to go on for ever, but you can’t see any difference and at the top of the main street they have knocked down some old buildings and widened the corner, which was very dangerous, and at the same time they are putting in a small water feature. We ended up down at the sports hall and watched the under 12s girls basketball, they are very committed and play on the full size court, sorry to say that Manilva got beat! We then strolled across to the football ground and watched the seven a side football, two matches take place at the same time, across the main pitch, they are local teams from the bars and business’s in the area and the football is very exciting as it is played from end to end, Afterwards we then walked down to Mano and Ann’s house at the other end of the village, past the house’s that collapsed after the storms, we caught up with all the village gossip and made arrangements for our Sunday lunch; Anna calls in all the time to our house so we exchange books and so on.
When we got back we could not watch the Grand National, as we don’t have English TV, so I followed it on BBC news on the laptop, it was a great result, I had been telling Anna that it would be very special if Tony McCoy did win, he has been the champion jockey for the past 14 years and has ridden in the race 15 times, so it was very emotional when he finally won on Don’t Push It! The trainer Jonjo O’Neill,my hero when he was riding, took part in the race seven times and never finished and the owner J.P. McManus who’s horse’s in the past had won everything, like Tony McCoy, won for the first time, a treble !!
Later in the evening after dinner, steak and chips with all the trimmings, we then watched the live football which was the biggest match of the year in Spain,Real Madrid v Barcelona, it does not start until 10-00pm local time and the stadium holds 80,000 thousand people, at the start of the match they were joint top of the league, the coverage is on all the channels and the atmosphere is electric in Madrid; Barcelona won 2 nil and Messi scored,it means they they go three points clear at the top,
After a lie in on Sunday morning we prepared the Sunday lunch, in fact dinner, as Mano and Anna, who had bought the Lamb, joined us at 7-00pm,as arranged, we have put one Leg of Lamb away for another time, The Lamb was studded with Garlic cloves and Rosemary, Brenda as usual had prepared Cauliflower and Broccoli Mornay,Braised Leeks with Mushrooms, Cabbage and Spanish Spring greens and Baby Carrots with Garden Pears, meanwhile I made Boulangere Potatoes and Herb Roasted New Potatoes and a rich finger coating Rosemary pan gravy ! Mano brought a fine Rioja ,which was enjoyed by all and we all had a relaxing sit down afterwards as we put the world to rights, great company, great friends and a great time was had by all, another treble !!
On Friday morning we went down to the supermarket for the weekend shopping and at the same time picked up the two Legs of Lamb from the English butchers; the weather at the moment is OK but with a little wind it can get a bit crisp in the evening, the village is back to it’s normal tranquil self as we settle back into life in Manilva. In the evening we had for supper Baked Soles which we picked up at the fish market in the village earlier in the week with some local new potatoes and garden peas.
As we got up on Saturday morning we decided to go for a walk around the village to see what had been going on; the work on the new Wine Center is coming along, at the moment the electricians are finishing off; a couple of new little shops have opened, small general stores which open all hours, the work on the church which seems to go on for ever, but you can’t see any difference and at the top of the main street they have knocked down some old buildings and widened the corner, which was very dangerous, and at the same time they are putting in a small water feature. We ended up down at the sports hall and watched the under 12s girls basketball, they are very committed and play on the full size court, sorry to say that Manilva got beat! We then strolled across to the football ground and watched the seven a side football, two matches take place at the same time, across the main pitch, they are local teams from the bars and business’s in the area and the football is very exciting as it is played from end to end, Afterwards we then walked down to Mano and Ann’s house at the other end of the village, past the house’s that collapsed after the storms, we caught up with all the village gossip and made arrangements for our Sunday lunch; Anna calls in all the time to our house so we exchange books and so on.
When we got back we could not watch the Grand National, as we don’t have English TV, so I followed it on BBC news on the laptop, it was a great result, I had been telling Anna that it would be very special if Tony McCoy did win, he has been the champion jockey for the past 14 years and has ridden in the race 15 times, so it was very emotional when he finally won on Don’t Push It! The trainer Jonjo O’Neill,my hero when he was riding, took part in the race seven times and never finished and the owner J.P. McManus who’s horse’s in the past had won everything, like Tony McCoy, won for the first time, a treble !!
Later in the evening after dinner, steak and chips with all the trimmings, we then watched the live football which was the biggest match of the year in Spain,Real Madrid v Barcelona, it does not start until 10-00pm local time and the stadium holds 80,000 thousand people, at the start of the match they were joint top of the league, the coverage is on all the channels and the atmosphere is electric in Madrid; Barcelona won 2 nil and Messi scored,it means they they go three points clear at the top,
After a lie in on Sunday morning we prepared the Sunday lunch, in fact dinner, as Mano and Anna, who had bought the Lamb, joined us at 7-00pm,as arranged, we have put one Leg of Lamb away for another time, The Lamb was studded with Garlic cloves and Rosemary, Brenda as usual had prepared Cauliflower and Broccoli Mornay,Braised Leeks with Mushrooms, Cabbage and Spanish Spring greens and Baby Carrots with Garden Pears, meanwhile I made Boulangere Potatoes and Herb Roasted New Potatoes and a rich finger coating Rosemary pan gravy ! Mano brought a fine Rioja ,which was enjoyed by all and we all had a relaxing sit down afterwards as we put the world to rights, great company, great friends and a great time was had by all, another treble !!
Thursday, April 08, 2010
DAILY LIFE IN MANILVA.
THURSDAY 8TH APRIL 2010.
I have just finished making a Chicken curry for dinner tonight, it’s on the stove simmering away so I have come upstairs to the office to catch up,on Tuesday we had an at home day and sorted and packed everything away, the weather was rather overcast and cloudy so it was a good day to settle back into our home. In the evening we had Pork escalopes in a lemon butter sauce and Layonaise potatoes for supper before settling down to read, over the last couple of day I have been reading James Patterson, which I’m into, as we had no TV; the Spanish system at the start of the year was upgraded, digital/analogue and we needed a small conversion box to get thing working again.
On Wednesday morning Mano and Anna called in so Mano helped me install the box and now we have our picture clearer than ever and some more channels; Mano then came up in the office and we tried to install the page for our electricity company, we have come back to a rather large estimated bill and so we want to go online and put our readings in every month,Mano had had the same problem and also our neighbours as well, it happens at this time of the year but we could not get the page to accept our details, so it’s going to be plan B,try again later ! We then went up to Bar Rojas for a lunchtime drink as it was a beautiful day, the hottest so far, so we sat outside and took in the tranquility of the village and watch the world go by, as we sit in Calle Mar which is one way, we see all the cars go past and also the locals going about their daily business, the Mayor calls in for a coffee, the Chief of Police stops and says hello, locals stop and chat and gossip! Later we had a plate of Patatas Fritas with Mayonaises before we went back to our house and went up on the roof terrace for our early evening cocktail as we took in the evening sunshine;
This morning at lunchtime we walked around to the clinic as Brenda had an appointment, it turned out to be the last one as it has cleared up and does not need dressing any more just a little antiseptic wash each day, which is good news. Brenda is up on the terrace and I am just going to join her for our first drink of the day, the house smells like a Curry house, as you walk through the village at different times of the day you can smell what’s on the stove and tell what they are cooking, our next door neighbour this week has passed through our back kitchen windows from her back yard lots of fresh fruit and vegetables from their garden outside the village, spring greens, Broad Beans in the pod, Brenda’s favorite and this morning very large Lemons ! I don’t know what they think about the smells from our house.
I have just finished making a Chicken curry for dinner tonight, it’s on the stove simmering away so I have come upstairs to the office to catch up,on Tuesday we had an at home day and sorted and packed everything away, the weather was rather overcast and cloudy so it was a good day to settle back into our home. In the evening we had Pork escalopes in a lemon butter sauce and Layonaise potatoes for supper before settling down to read, over the last couple of day I have been reading James Patterson, which I’m into, as we had no TV; the Spanish system at the start of the year was upgraded, digital/analogue and we needed a small conversion box to get thing working again.
On Wednesday morning Mano and Anna called in so Mano helped me install the box and now we have our picture clearer than ever and some more channels; Mano then came up in the office and we tried to install the page for our electricity company, we have come back to a rather large estimated bill and so we want to go online and put our readings in every month,Mano had had the same problem and also our neighbours as well, it happens at this time of the year but we could not get the page to accept our details, so it’s going to be plan B,try again later ! We then went up to Bar Rojas for a lunchtime drink as it was a beautiful day, the hottest so far, so we sat outside and took in the tranquility of the village and watch the world go by, as we sit in Calle Mar which is one way, we see all the cars go past and also the locals going about their daily business, the Mayor calls in for a coffee, the Chief of Police stops and says hello, locals stop and chat and gossip! Later we had a plate of Patatas Fritas with Mayonaises before we went back to our house and went up on the roof terrace for our early evening cocktail as we took in the evening sunshine;
This morning at lunchtime we walked around to the clinic as Brenda had an appointment, it turned out to be the last one as it has cleared up and does not need dressing any more just a little antiseptic wash each day, which is good news. Brenda is up on the terrace and I am just going to join her for our first drink of the day, the house smells like a Curry house, as you walk through the village at different times of the day you can smell what’s on the stove and tell what they are cooking, our next door neighbour this week has passed through our back kitchen windows from her back yard lots of fresh fruit and vegetables from their garden outside the village, spring greens, Broad Beans in the pod, Brenda’s favorite and this morning very large Lemons ! I don’t know what they think about the smells from our house.
Monday, April 05, 2010
MANILVA SEMANA SANTA.
MONDAY 5th. APRIL 2010.
We arrived home on Saturday afternoon at about 4-00pm as we stopped at the supermarket to pick up some essentials; the weather was gorgeous, it was the best day by far with blue skies and the temperature was 25degs. We unpacked the Smart car outside our front door and started to air the house as we pulled up all the shutters and opened all the windows; as we were just getting clear Mano and Anna called in to welcome us back to Manilva,a few drinks later and we were feeling no pain ! They went off as Mano had to get to bed as he is working as the night manager at the Manilva Green Aparthotel so after a little more sorting out we went up our street to Bar Rojas for some supper; they welcomed us with open arms as did all our neighbours next to us in our street. We sat outside and took in the peace and tranquility of the village as we watched the world go by, for supper Brenda had a Frito Pescado cooked in a very light batter and I had Eggs Frito and Patatas Fritas,the eggs were still in the Chicken in the morning and the potatoes were still in the ground ! They always serve on the side of the plate roasted Garlic cloves which Brenda ate with glee; we had moved inside as the match on the TV was Barcelona v Atl-Madrid,it got very noisy as Barcelona murdered Madrid ! We went to bed and slept the sleep of the content!
As we woke on Sunday morning the sun was out and the blue skies did not have a cloud in the sky; our first job was to get Brenda’s wound seen to so we walked around to the surgery and we struck lucky; there was a duty Doctor and a Paramedic and they checked out Brenda and redressed her wound, which is looking a lot better, we then made the arrangements to see the nurse during the week and have the Anti-Tetanus booster jab. The village was already busy as all the locals .dressed in their finest made their way down to the church; we had a coffee in the main street and then went to the church which was full to capacity and also all the crowds had gathered outside to see the procession. It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies and the temperature rose to 25degs.again,the air was filled with incense from alter boys as the came out onto the steps and the crowds all applauded as the Tableau of the Virgen del Rosario was brought out to start the procession; in the pictures below you cam see the main street and the town hall earlier in the morning, then the Tableau leaving the church, the Mayor is saying hello to us and in the next picture the town council and the Padre are leading the walk behind the village Brass Band which leads the procession in a slow march, meanwhile we made our way back to Bar Rojas were they were finishing the Paella,Lume the owners wife is on the left, we got a prime seat outside and Anna came and joined us as the Tableau reached the town hall on its first pass, and the next picture shows the band leader after they turned around at the bottom of the village leading them back along Calle Mar towards the top of our street, in the final picture Juan our friend is in the sunglasses next to last on the left as he carries the tableau along with about 40 other lodge members. The afternoon then gets going as all the bars fill up with all the families and as we sat outside lots of the locals came up to us and welcomed us back as we sat enjoying the Paella,we then walked down to the house and Brenda went up on the roof terrace and I had a little siesta !
In the evening I made some savory mince for a Cottage pie for today, which Brenda has just finished with her famous mash and for supper we had flattened Breast of Chicken cooked in a foaming Curry butter sauce with baked potatoes.
Today we have been catching up with all the chore around the house ( Brenda ) and I have been in the office sorting out the e-mails and Face book messages, then bringing the blog up to date, as you can see ! the only problem being that we have been having power cuts all day and I was very lucky to manage to save the work as I went along; this morning we had a Skype SMS message from Kuala Lumpur,from Jeff and Annette to say that they are coming to see us at the end of June for a very quick visit ( Two Days ) so we called them back on the Skype video and had a long chat with Annette, Jeff was away on business in Hong Kong and South Korea,she brought us up to date with all their news including that their daughter Kate, who is 21 this year, is in Canada and they are visiting her at the same time when they come over to England. Tomorrow we have a little running around to do for light bulbs and things including getting my Spanish mobile back into English as it at the moment in Russian !!
We arrived home on Saturday afternoon at about 4-00pm as we stopped at the supermarket to pick up some essentials; the weather was gorgeous, it was the best day by far with blue skies and the temperature was 25degs. We unpacked the Smart car outside our front door and started to air the house as we pulled up all the shutters and opened all the windows; as we were just getting clear Mano and Anna called in to welcome us back to Manilva,a few drinks later and we were feeling no pain ! They went off as Mano had to get to bed as he is working as the night manager at the Manilva Green Aparthotel so after a little more sorting out we went up our street to Bar Rojas for some supper; they welcomed us with open arms as did all our neighbours next to us in our street. We sat outside and took in the peace and tranquility of the village as we watched the world go by, for supper Brenda had a Frito Pescado cooked in a very light batter and I had Eggs Frito and Patatas Fritas,the eggs were still in the Chicken in the morning and the potatoes were still in the ground ! They always serve on the side of the plate roasted Garlic cloves which Brenda ate with glee; we had moved inside as the match on the TV was Barcelona v Atl-Madrid,it got very noisy as Barcelona murdered Madrid ! We went to bed and slept the sleep of the content!
As we woke on Sunday morning the sun was out and the blue skies did not have a cloud in the sky; our first job was to get Brenda’s wound seen to so we walked around to the surgery and we struck lucky; there was a duty Doctor and a Paramedic and they checked out Brenda and redressed her wound, which is looking a lot better, we then made the arrangements to see the nurse during the week and have the Anti-Tetanus booster jab. The village was already busy as all the locals .dressed in their finest made their way down to the church; we had a coffee in the main street and then went to the church which was full to capacity and also all the crowds had gathered outside to see the procession. It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies and the temperature rose to 25degs.again,the air was filled with incense from alter boys as the came out onto the steps and the crowds all applauded as the Tableau of the Virgen del Rosario was brought out to start the procession; in the pictures below you cam see the main street and the town hall earlier in the morning, then the Tableau leaving the church, the Mayor is saying hello to us and in the next picture the town council and the Padre are leading the walk behind the village Brass Band which leads the procession in a slow march, meanwhile we made our way back to Bar Rojas were they were finishing the Paella,Lume the owners wife is on the left, we got a prime seat outside and Anna came and joined us as the Tableau reached the town hall on its first pass, and the next picture shows the band leader after they turned around at the bottom of the village leading them back along Calle Mar towards the top of our street, in the final picture Juan our friend is in the sunglasses next to last on the left as he carries the tableau along with about 40 other lodge members. The afternoon then gets going as all the bars fill up with all the families and as we sat outside lots of the locals came up to us and welcomed us back as we sat enjoying the Paella,we then walked down to the house and Brenda went up on the roof terrace and I had a little siesta !
In the evening I made some savory mince for a Cottage pie for today, which Brenda has just finished with her famous mash and for supper we had flattened Breast of Chicken cooked in a foaming Curry butter sauce with baked potatoes.
Today we have been catching up with all the chore around the house ( Brenda ) and I have been in the office sorting out the e-mails and Face book messages, then bringing the blog up to date, as you can see ! the only problem being that we have been having power cuts all day and I was very lucky to manage to save the work as I went along; this morning we had a Skype SMS message from Kuala Lumpur,from Jeff and Annette to say that they are coming to see us at the end of June for a very quick visit ( Two Days ) so we called them back on the Skype video and had a long chat with Annette, Jeff was away on business in Hong Kong and South Korea,she brought us up to date with all their news including that their daughter Kate, who is 21 this year, is in Canada and they are visiting her at the same time when they come over to England. Tomorrow we have a little running around to do for light bulbs and things including getting my Spanish mobile back into English as it at the moment in Russian !!
Saturday, April 03, 2010
Friday, April 02, 2010
NEWS UPDATE; THE SAGA CONTINUES.
FRIDAY 2nd APRIL 2010.
Well we are still here in Sunny Tarifa and it is looking like the saga is going to go on for a while longer; this morning we went to the clinic in Tarifa and one of the doctors that has been looking after Brenda took us straight in to check the wound, yesterday we signed out from the clinic as we thought that we would be back in Manilva !
Chris phoned at about noon and said that he had broken down again, this time in Bordeaux,he had got the car repaired and was heading for North West Spain and then across through Madrid to the Costa del Sol; This time it was terminal with his car and he was having to leave it at the garage, he is taking a flight from Bordeaux to either Malaga,which would be the best as Mano has said that he will go and pick him at the airport, or back to London and then catch the next available flight to Gibraltar!!
Needless to say we have cancelled Easter at home in Manilva,this morning I rang the English butchers and he has re-hung our two Legs of Lamb for another time ! We are very low on food and drink as the shops have been shut for the last two days and we did not expect to be still here; for today the ration is one Egg each !
Meanwhile Joan who is not very well at the best of times doesn’t know whether she is on this earth or fuller’s !! I must say that it has got us shaking a bit as we are very concerned as we are struggling to keep on top of things; the three main bills of Water, Electricity and the Phones are all due in the next week or so and there is still no sign of any money transfers coming through.
As I have said many times before – WATCH THIS SPACE !!
Thought for Today;
We are P- - - - d O - - !
.
Well we are still here in Sunny Tarifa and it is looking like the saga is going to go on for a while longer; this morning we went to the clinic in Tarifa and one of the doctors that has been looking after Brenda took us straight in to check the wound, yesterday we signed out from the clinic as we thought that we would be back in Manilva !
Chris phoned at about noon and said that he had broken down again, this time in Bordeaux,he had got the car repaired and was heading for North West Spain and then across through Madrid to the Costa del Sol; This time it was terminal with his car and he was having to leave it at the garage, he is taking a flight from Bordeaux to either Malaga,which would be the best as Mano has said that he will go and pick him at the airport, or back to London and then catch the next available flight to Gibraltar!!
Needless to say we have cancelled Easter at home in Manilva,this morning I rang the English butchers and he has re-hung our two Legs of Lamb for another time ! We are very low on food and drink as the shops have been shut for the last two days and we did not expect to be still here; for today the ration is one Egg each !
Meanwhile Joan who is not very well at the best of times doesn’t know whether she is on this earth or fuller’s !! I must say that it has got us shaking a bit as we are very concerned as we are struggling to keep on top of things; the three main bills of Water, Electricity and the Phones are all due in the next week or so and there is still no sign of any money transfers coming through.
As I have said many times before – WATCH THIS SPACE !!
Thought for Today;
We are P- - - - d O - - !
.
Thursday, April 01, 2010
NEWSFLASH ( APRIL FOOL'S DAY ) 1ST APRIL 2010.
THURSDAY 1ST APRIL 2010.
Yes it’s April Fools Day and yes we have been caught!! This morning after coming back from the clinic and signing off we packed the Smart car and were ready to leave when Chris arrived later in the day.
The phone went just before noon and it was Chris ringing to say that he had broken down in Northern France and was waiting to hear what the problem was and how long it would take to repair!
Later in the afternoon he rang back to say that they were bringing a new manifold from another town and he hoped to be back on the road by the late afternoon; he is 15/16 hours of non-stop driving away from us here in Tarifa !
We have unpacked the Smart car and Brenda is at the moment remaking the bed for tonight; we have not got a lot of food in the villa and the shops are closed today for the Semana Santa weekend ! It’s going to be Egg and chips for dinner tonight !
So we hope to see him some time tomorrow morning !!!
PS; No joy I"am afraid, the car is still not fixed and the garage has closed until Friday morning so we are going to cancel our Easter Sunday lunch !
Thought for Today;
If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
.
Yes it’s April Fools Day and yes we have been caught!! This morning after coming back from the clinic and signing off we packed the Smart car and were ready to leave when Chris arrived later in the day.
The phone went just before noon and it was Chris ringing to say that he had broken down in Northern France and was waiting to hear what the problem was and how long it would take to repair!
Later in the afternoon he rang back to say that they were bringing a new manifold from another town and he hoped to be back on the road by the late afternoon; he is 15/16 hours of non-stop driving away from us here in Tarifa !
We have unpacked the Smart car and Brenda is at the moment remaking the bed for tonight; we have not got a lot of food in the villa and the shops are closed today for the Semana Santa weekend ! It’s going to be Egg and chips for dinner tonight !
So we hope to see him some time tomorrow morning !!!
PS; No joy I"am afraid, the car is still not fixed and the garage has closed until Friday morning so we are going to cancel our Easter Sunday lunch !
Thought for Today;
If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
.
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