A VERY BEAUTIFUL & WARM SUNNY MANILVA ON SUNDAY.

SUNDAY 5^th/ APRIL 2020.  “ STATE OF ALARM DAY 22 “ 

After freshening up we had our regular toast and tea before getting into the 4^th week of ‘LOCKDOWN’ down here on the ‘ Costa Del Sol’ in sunny Manilva.

Yesterday stayed dry & sunny with a light breeze, overnight the breeze has dropped and this morning it’s started bright & sunny with a clear blue sky, so by lunchtime it’s due to reach 18/19 degs+ - overnight down to 13 degs+ - next week is now looking more settled, with sunshine all week, until next Sunday ( Easter) – as the wind picks up again and the ‘ Wet-Stuff’ is forecast to return, the overall temperatures will be hovering in the mid/high ‘ teens’ with patchy clouds at times, with the breeze stiffing as the week goes on, watch this space.

“ CORONAVIRUS UPDATE COVID 19 PANDEMIC “ 

After breakfast we spoke to Leah on the ‘ Facebook ‘ video chat and had a nice catch-up with all her news, she & Deemy, her son, are both fine and we ‘ spoke’ to little ‘ Miss Bella’ who was having her toast with her mum! ‘Leah’ is going out shopping on Tuesday lunchtime so she is going to do ours as well, at the same time, ‘ Thanks’

I then masked/gloved up and shot along to our local Bank in a deserted ‘Calle Mar’ for some cash from the machine, when I returned I then dropped the rubbish off down at the bins at the very bottom of our street ( my regular chore!)

See below a very old picture of ‘ Calle San Vicente ‘!

We now have the Army, actually the ‘Spanish Foreign Legion’ - based in Ronda,  in the village assisting the ‘ Policia Local’ with their street patrols etc, I can’t show any pictures of them as it’s illegal in Spain to take pictures of any of the Police/Armed forces!


NB; It's actually just been reported in the local newspaper - online in the 'La Voz  Del Resident' - that there are now five soldiers based in the village, as you can see below, down on the roundabout in Sabinillas and here in the village, at the top of our street outside ' Bar Rojas '! 

And now in Estepona also!

It’s now official that we are in ‘ LOCKDOWN’ until at least the 26^th April after the ‘Prime Minister ‘ Pedro Sanchez  announced the extended ‘State of Alarm’ - live on TV.

See below;

For our supper this evening we are having ‘ Pan-Seared Medallions of Pork Fillet ‘ – cooked on a very hot griddle-plate and garnished with seared Button Mushrooms, accompanied with a rich & creamy ‘ Green Peppercorn’ salsa, served with Glazed Baby Carrot Batons, Whole Baby ‘ French’ Green Beans, Cauliflower Florets in a three-Cheese sauce and for a change, the modern ‘ Swedish- Style’ classic ‘ Hassleback’  Potatoes, I have selected the right size of potato, which I will wash & dry and then slice (thin) - not-all-the-way through, balanced on a large spoon, they are Baked/Roasted in a very hot oven, sadly not in ‘ Goose Fat’ as usual as I have run out of it! I will use a Vegetable Oil instead!  

See below;

And mine!!

And Brenda's vegetables!!

Meanwhile over in ‘ Casa Everett ‘ in Ontario, Canada, Sandra & Bill had for their supper last night “ Duck Confit’ as you can see below. 

                                                       “ STAY SAFE AND SOUND INSIDE AT ALL TIMES “

Thoughts for the Day;  See above.

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THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY FROM A OVERCAST SUNNY MANILVA;

A STILL, AT THE MOMENT, DRY AND OVERCAST SUNNY MANILVA ON SATURDAY.

SATURDAY 4^th/ APRIL 2020.     “ STATE OF ALARM DAY 21 “

This morning it was the sound of the street cleaning team going along ‘Calle Mar’ – washing down, then sanitizing and lastly humidifying the whole area, that woke us up, the local ‘ Cleansing Department’ which has set up the special ‘ Coronavirus Team ‘ is led by one of our close neighbours, Antonio, the husband of our friend Araceli.

See below, he’s in the Yellow jacket!  

After freshening up it was time for a nice breakfast ‘ treat’ – my favourite and the old classic  “ Eggs Benedict “ – using, of course Brenda’s famous ‘ Campo Poached Eggs’ – served on ‘Spanish’ Smoked Ham, thick white sliced local Bread and coated with the classic ‘ Hollandaise’ sauce! Not forgetting the mug of hot/steaming/strong ‘ PG’ Tips Tea!

See below;

At the moment it’s still dry, with a stiff breeze, not as forecast a ‘ gale-force’ wind, there are dark clouds and it’s overcast but with the sun attempting to break through, no doubt a little rain later, only reaching 16 degs+ - overnight down to 12 degs+ - the ‘ Costa Del Sol’ is still on ‘ Yellow’ alert for now! Tomorrow on ‘ Palm Sunday’ it’s going to be sunny, with patchy clouds and a lighter breeze, going a little warmer, next week is now looking a more settled, hovering in the mid/high ‘ teens’ – with some of the ‘ Wet-Stuff’ at times, mainly staying dry, with the wind picking up again by next Wednesday, so by the ‘ Easter’ weekend, we could have some moderate rain showers, going a little cooler, especially overnight, on what would have been the ‘ Semana Santa’ week of the main religious celebrations, watch this space.

“ CORONAVIRUS UPDATE – COVID 19 PANDEMIC “

Yesterday lunchtime we had a nice surprise in the post, which our local postmistress from the local sub-post office, dropped off, an ‘Easter Card’ from Jenny, which she managed to post before the restrictions over in the UK, also a very nice ‘Post Card ‘ from Sandra & Bill, when they had a long weekend away down in Florida!  “ Thanks “

All the time we are receiving messages on ‘Facebook & ‘E-Mails’ from family, friends, old customers and their children, as well as ex-staff, asking after our health etc, which is very warming at these difficult times in ‘Lockdown’ as we start the 4th week!  “ Thanks to all “

The ‘ Spanish’ Government, as we expected, are preparing to extend the ‘ State of Alarm’ – again, from the 13^th April up to the 26^th April for now! Watch this space.

NB; Now confirmed ! 

Tomorrow evening the ‘ Queen’ – over in the ‘ UK’ - will be addressing the nation in a rare broadcast on TV – to boost morale!

For our supper this evening we are having ‘ Grilled Steak – a ‘ Spanish’ cut of Beef, with fat, cooked on a very hot griddle-plate ‘Med-Rare’ – then left to rest and then cut into ‘fingers’ French style, with the sweet fat left on, garnished with seared Button Mushrooms & shallow-fried ‘Tempura Beer Battered’ Onion rings! Served with Baby Whole ‘ French’ Green Beans and of course triple-cooked ‘ Frits’

Thoughts for the Day;  See above.

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THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY FROM A VERY SUNNY MANILVA;

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A GLORIOUS SUNNY MANILVA ON FRIDAY AT THE START OF THE WEEKEND.

FRIDAY 3^rd/ APRIL 2020.    “ STATE OF ALARM DAY 20 “

It must be Friday as this morning we were woken up by the goods delivery men sliding down all the goods on the pallets down the street past our house to the local shop at the bottom! They dropped off ‘ Ten Ton of Tinted Toilet Tissue’!!

After freshening up we had our regular light breakfast of fresh fruit ( Banana) toast & tea, Brenda then popped along to the local Chemists in ‘Calle Mar’ (masked/gloved up) for some of our prescriptions, on the way back she called into our local shop for some fresh fruit/vegetables etc.

Yesterday evening as it was dry & sunny I shot down to the ‘Suma’ supermarket (masked/gloved up) down in front of the ‘Fire/Police’ stations, and stocked us with lots of our essential goods as well as some ‘treats’ that I found, it was very quiet, in fact I was the only person shopping and its’ very well stocked, we might have to use it all the time as the ‘Policia Local’ are being very strict and insisting that you only shop at your ‘nearest’ supermarket, to your house, fining those that are caught, as per the ‘ LOCKDOWN’ rules?!  So ‘Leah’s trip down to ‘ Mercadona/Super Sol’ next week could be in jeopardy??!!  Watch this space.    

We have a beautiful day here in sunny Manilva this morning, the sun broke through first thing and the sky is bright blue & cloudless, there is a very slight breeze so by lunchtime it’s going to reach 19 degs+ - overnight down to 11 degs+ - sadly tomorrow it’s going colder and wet, as the breeze picks up, nearly to gale force?! On Sunday it’s due to clear with just patchy rain possible, next week is now looking a lot more settled, with light breezes all week, lots of sunshine, leading up to the ‘ Easter Weekend’- hovering in the mid/high ‘ teens’ – at 18/19 degs- sadly with no ‘ Semana Santa’ celebrations this year! Watch this space.

“ CORONAVIRUS UPDATE – COVID 19 PANDEMIC “

Yesterday evening we had a ‘ Skype’ video call from our very dear friends, Tim & Thea up in magical Mojacar, they have moved into their new place, just before the ‘Lockdown’ started, they are both very well, so we had a nice catch-up with all their news. They are keeping in touch with Jo, over in Dubai and Ben in Manchester all the time.

 “ STAY SAFE & SOUND “

Talking of keeping in touch, Tim & Thea are now using the ‘Zoom’ app all the time, which has now become very popular at these very difficult times, which gives you the options to have multi-screen link ups, from all over the World, we first saw it in use when the Prime Minister over in the UK used it for a ‘Cabinet’ meeting, the other day our Mayor, Mario, had his now weekly ‘Council’ meeting using it! Watch this space!

PS; People are now having ‘ Coffee’s’ together -‘ Meals’ at the same time and of course ‘ Drinks’! Watch this space, Canada & Australia !!

One special mention today is for the ‘ Mayors’ son, Mario Jnr, who is 20 today, he’s at home with his mother and brother, but is studying up in Granada to be a ‘Chemist’ – he always said that that was what he wanted to be when we were teaching him ‘English’ conversation’s for his exams! ( which he passed!)

See below;

This evening for our supper we are having ‘ Goujons of Hake Fillet ‘ – shallow-fried in Vegetable Oil, in a ‘ Cruzcampo Tempura Beer Batter’ – accompanied with a Homemade ‘ Tartar’ sauce ( Brenda) and lots of Lemon Wedges, served with our next to last tin of ‘ Mushy Peas’ and of course triple-cooked ‘ Chips’

“ STAY SAFE & SOUND INSIDE AT ALL TIMES “

Thoughts for the Day;  See above.

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