Olivia reporting from Andalucia and so to Ibiza, Master Chef España, back again, a lazy sunny weekend at home with the family, history made for British tennis and other stories.

The Yoigo family at this year's summer party in Ibiza

Good morning everyone

It’s Sunday again and the time to write my weekly post.  I wonder how your week has been.  Mine has been a blast, as this week was the annual Yoigo Summer Party which thankfully is now over after weeks of preparation.  So let me tell you all about it.

Last Sunday, Olivia went off to Córdoba to report on the high profile court case with José Bretón who is accused of killing his two small children, Ruth aged two and José aged six, in revenge for his wife filing for divorce. They apparently disappeared when he was with them in a park but later ashes with bones at his country house were analyzed and finally found to be of small children. Olivia would be reporting on this case and others in Andalucia all of last week. 

Meanwhile we had the abuela with us, Eladio’s 92 year old Mother, Ernestina who has spent most of the week knitting woolen socks in sharp contrast to the highest temperatures of the year so far.  She has also enjoyed wetting her feet by the pool in the afternoons and here is a great picture of her with Eladio in the pool which I took last Sunday.

Eladio and his Mother enjoying the pool last Sunday

Later that night Eladio and I went for our usual walk with the dogs.  I checked the temperature and it was 30ºc at 10pm in the evening and still light.  This photo proves both facts.

On our walk the Sunday before last - just look at the temperature and the light for that time of night.  Oh I love summer.

It was on Sunday evening too that Spain played Brazil in the final of the Confederations Cup and I am sorry to report we were beaten 3-0; a score La Roja (the Spanish national football team) are not used to and which humbled us all that night.

On Monday we all sat by the television to watch Olivia report on the court case in Córdoba which she did twice that morning.  You can watch the second report here if you go to 11.05h.

Oli reporting on the José Bretón case in Córdoba last Monday

It was on Monday that I was surprised by some corporate news.  The Siemens part of Nokia Siemens Networks was to be acquired by Nokia making it an all Finnish network manufacturer once again.  I was pleased for the company which I had once worked for and pleased for my colleagues who I know will be much happier to be an all Finnish rather than a German Finnish company. The two cultures are near in some ways but also very far in corporate style, the former being very hierarchical and the latter quite the opposite.  I enjoyed working for a Finnish company as I now do working for a partly Swedish owned corporation.  Their sense of fair play and no “bullshit” are what I like best. You can read about some of the reasons behind the decision here one of them being “"Nokia is trying to get stability in the networks division so they can repair the handset division," according to Strategic Analytics.  Whatever the reason, I am pleased with the news.

Monday and Tuesday for me were the busiest days of the week.  I was working on last minute preparations for the Yoigo annual Summer Party.  The destination had been a whispered secret for a while and if you have read about my “secret” trips in recent posts, I can now tell you they were to Ibiza.  Yes I was organising a two day party there for 210 people, no mean feat if you think about the hotel and travel logistics and factor in that people in Spain are not good at confirming or rather forget to do so and play havoc with your organisation.  It is not easy either to decide which people to put into which hotel and we had three, or on what flight; the crack of dawn regular flight for 30 odd people or the mid morning charter flight we had booked for the rest of the group.  Whatever you decide, some people are going to complain.  Add to that people turning up late for the early flight or missing it and the guaranteed chaos of the hotel check-ins for so many people and you get a sort of nightmare that I always want to avoid.  Thank goodness the girls from my events agency, especially Gloria, never lose their cool and can deal with any situation with a smile.  Thanks Gloria, Cristina, Bea, Miguel, Nuria and Julia, you are great.  Thus I decided to go a day earlier, ahead of the rush as I needed to keep my cool after some very frustrating days working on the last minute logistics.

But first I had to go the office on Tuesday morning for an unscheduled management team meeting.  I got there early so was able to watch Olivia reporting from Jerez on another trial, the killing of a young girl called Miriam Tamayo. She had to interview the parents which she told me later was very traumatic.

Olivia reporting on the case of the killing of Miriam Tamayo last Tuesday in Jerez. 

I was stuck for lunch alone as my flight wasn’t leaving until the early afternoon.  But that wasn’t for long as some of my “Yoigo boys”, as I call them, had me join them for lunch that day.  So off I went in the warm sunshine with Javier, Juan and my dearest Dragutín to the nearby Hotel Eurostars for a “menu of the day” meal.  Of course they were delighted to have lunch with me as they knew they would be able to get all sorts of information about the arrangements for the summer party from me.  However I wasn’t good company as I kept getting calls about people wanting to change flights and similar problems.

Soon I was at the airport to catch the 4pm flight to Ibiza.  It arrived punctually and I took a taxi to the hotel where I was staying, El Corso, right by the yachting port and with great views of the town of Ibiza.

Ibiza town, the view from my room at the Hotel Corso

I spent most of the rest of the afternoon working, again on last minute details for the big event.  I had a dinner date with the team from my events agency QuintaEsencia at 9.30 pm in town and decided to walk there in the evening sunshine.  It took me 45 minutes and I even had time left over.  So what did I do?  Yes you guessed, I went to Zara as it was the beginning of the summer sale.  I had in mind to buy a dress for the following night’s gala dinner because the one I had brought wasn’t really suitable for such hot weather. And there and then I spied a beautiful cream embroidered dress which I had eyed before.  The largest size available was size “M” and I was delighted it fitted me.  This is the beautiful dress.

My new dress from Zara

Dinner at La Brasa was once again a bit of a disaster. We were there to taste the menu for the lunch on the last day of the summer party. The previous tasting was not good and we had changed the menu completely as we were to do again that night. The place itself is lovely, a sort of garden terrace and is very popular in Ibiza.  However, I am not impressed with the quality of the food or the service.  On the day, the food turned out to be ok but the service was very slow, just as we had feared.

La Brasa restaurant in Ibiza

I would have walked back to the hotel after dinner but that night I did not want to miss the last episode of Master Chef.  It was to be the last one and there were just three finalists left out of the original 15.  They were Fabian, Eva and Juan Manuel.  Olivia who works for TVE had the heads up on the outcome and had already told us that Juan Manuel would win and that Eva and Fabian would come second and third.  Even so I wanted to watch it and I arrived in my room just towards the end.  I was pleased for Juan Manuel who was proclaimed Master Chef Spain 2013 by Spain’s most famous chef, Ferran Adria.  His words to Juan Manuel struck a chord and I totally agreed when he said: “first look for happiness then look for success as it is happiness that most often leads to success”.  Juan Manuel is a 25 year old out of work waiter from Almeria who can hardly believe his luck. He is now famous, he will publish a book with his recipes, has won 100.000 euros and will be enrolled on the Cordon Bleu course in Madrid to further his learning and love of cooking.  I have enjoyed the programme enormously and look forward to the next edition.

Juan Manuel, Spain's first Master Chef

It was on Tuesday too that Suzy and her friend Chati had moved into a new flat in Whitechapel, the area they live in London.  To judge by the photo of their new room, it is bigger and slightly better than their previous accommodation where they had bunk beds.  Suzy would have joined me in Ibiza but that day she had an interview for another job, this time as an events assistant, so it wasn’t to be.  This year would be the first year that neither of my daughters would be with me at the Yoigo Summer Party.

Suzy and Chati's new accommodation in London

And finally on Wednesday the Yoigo Summer Party for employees and partners began and it was to go on until Thursday evening.  They weren’t to arrive until mid morning so I was able to watch Olivia from the comfort of my hotel room live on TVE at around 10 in the morning.  Miguel, her boyfriend from Valencia, had joined her in Córdoba and sent me some photos of her reporting live.  I am so happy he could join her as he gives her so much stability and self confidence.

Olivia reporting last Wednesday on the court case in Córdoba

The first item on the Summer Party agenda was lunch at the Pura Vida beach club followed by activities on the Niu Blau beach.  I was there to greet our guests and spend the day with them.  For the meals I always tried to join my colleagues, Belén, Tony, Antonio and Pedro.  I spent the afternoon on the beach with them afterwards too. I think a great time was had by all as the food was excellent, the beach was more or less for ourselves and you could do water activities or just relax if you chose to.  Towards the end of the day we gathered for the great photo of us all together which illustrates this week’s post.

The next item on the agenda was the gala dinner at the Destino Pacha hotel where the employees minus the management team were staying. This is a brand new luxurious hotel which is totally awesome.  The dinner was awesome too.  Afterwards the “flower party fiesta” began.  As we all walked down to the discotheque our pictures were taken with an original photo call.  This one is of me with my team from Ketchum, our PR agency, Carlos and Isabel.

With Carlos and Isabel at the Yoigo Summer Party last week

The party began with the showing of a video starring the employees from the Financial Department.  They had put on a pseudo Eurovision Song Contest and they bowled us over with their talent.  We then had to vote for the best song.  Most of us voted for José María and his team dressed up in flamenco gear and singing Telia Telita Telia (a play words from the famous song Pena Penita Pena). They all had us in stitches but theirs was just the best. The party continued but I slipped away at about 2 in the morning, exhausted from the day’s activities and the stress of worrying about all the little details.  I heard later that some people partied until breakfast time.

Two ex colleagues slipped away with me too, Isidro from Nokia who now heads up Sony Mobile Spain and Oscar from Motorola who now heads up LG Spain.  Our conversation in the taxi back to the Hotel Corso centred on life at Nokia Spain which brings back sweet but also very bitter memories.

I woke up late for me, at about 9.30, the next day.  I was too tired to face all our external guests at breakfast so ordered mine in my room – something I love to do.  I was then able to catch Olivia on the television again. I think she was in Huelva, this time reporting on the case of the missing baby.

Oli reporting on the missing baby case in Huelva last Thursday

That morning I was completely free until lunchtime, so I decided to walk to the nearby Talamanca beach and have a bit of time on my own there.  Later I checked out of the hotel and walked into Ibiza town where I found lots of my colleagues exploring the local shops.  In the street and via my mobile phone I watched Oli again on the TV, this time reporting on the temperature in Córdoba – 41ºc, the highest that day in the whole of Spain.  You can see it too if you go to 13.12 in this link.

Oli, the weather girl, reporting on the highest temperature in Spain in Córdoba last Thursday

Just before lunch I went in search of a cash point. My luck was out that morning as although the money came out, the machine swallowed my card.  Luckily they opened it for me an hour later and I was thankful to have my card back.

Meanwhile my colleagues had started the long lunch at La Brasa in Ibiza town.  I didn’t miss anything as the service was very slow.  At the end of the meal, a video summary of this year’s Yoigo summer party was shown and which you can also see here.  We always say in our family “all good things come to an end” and that was true of this year’s summer party once we had finished the lunch at La Brasa.  

From there we made our way to the airport, where, as usual, I bought the local delicacy, the typical “ensaimada” pastry which we would enjoy at breakfast the next day.  I was very tired at the airport and slept most of the way home.  It was only when I was in the taxi going to retrieve my car that I realised I had left my British passport in the magazine compartment of my seat 7C.  We immediately rang the airline, Vueling but so far I have had no success. Vueling is famous for good customer care but I am afraid that is not my experience. We were referred to lost property at Madrid airport but I kept insisting that the passport would not be given in until the magazine was changed the following month.  I got nowhere with their Twitter or Facebook pages so this morning I resorted to ringing their press department who now seem to be dealing with the problem properly.  I do hope I get my passport back soon.

It was lovely to be home again but oh so warm, much more so than in Ibiza. Thankfully it was Friday and I was able to wind down a bit. Olivia was on the TV again that morning, this time reporting on the fate of 120 unpaid Bulgarian strawberry pickers in Huelva which you can see here if you go to 11.30.  

Oli reporting on the unpaid Bulgarian strawberry pickers in Huelva last Thursday

Later she was sent to Seville where she reported on the extreme heat in the Andalusian capital.  You can see that too here if you go to 13.10.

Olivia (in the middle) reporting on the high temperature in Seville on Friday.  On the right her colleague in Valencia and on the left her colleague in Orense, Galicia, where it was even hotter than Seville.

On Friday we took the abuela to have lunch at José Antonio and Dolores’ house in Madrid.  It was the first time she had left our house, so I think the outing did her good.  Later when she went to bed she admitted she was exhausted.  I can only imagine being 92 and suffering that heat.  I would be exhausted too.

In the afternoon I went to do the weekly food shopping with Fátima.  You may remember Fátima is Oufa’s older sister and is replacing her as our home help as Oufa is getting married in August and will be going to live in Paris.  Fátima started last Monday with us.  Her Spanish is very limited but is improving.  She is 41 I think and a lovely person but scarred from being a battered wife.  This is her first job and to judge by this first week, we couldn’t have anyone better.  But I know that she needs help in many ways – to improve her self esteem and to begin to enjoy life.  Just being with her makes me realize once again just how fortunate I am for having been born in the west into a middle class family.  Fátima is one of 10 brothers and sisters and she now has to bring up her two small children alone, although she has the help of her sister Ashouak here in Madrid.  As we enjoyed an ice cream together during our shopping outing, she told me about her terrible marriage and I tried to help her look on the bright side and to forget the past and enjoy the present.  I think she is learning a bit from me.  I asked her whether she wanted to use our swimming pool and she admitted she had never been in one before.  So I promised she would try ours out as soon as there were no men on the horizon.  That was yesterday.  I gave her a bathing costume and entered the pool with her whilst she trembled, half from fear and half from pleasure.  This morning she left for her two days off and she was wearing a red top inherited from me.  On her head though she was wearing a black scarf so I offered her a red one instead, to match the top. She willingly accepted and asked me to take a picture of her.  And here she is laughing and smiling.  It is my intention that she laughs and smiles more as I help her to enjoy life and at the same time modernize this darling woman who needs love and attention to blossom and enjoy life once again.

Fátima, our home help, looking much happier after a week with us

But back to Friday.  That evening Eladio and I went out to dinner true to tradition.  This time we went to Sibara where I always order the gazpacho and their style fish and chips.  As it was summer, the tables were laid in the garden and the place was full.  We enjoyed our time together that evening as we always do on our Friday night dinners out together.

The Sibara restaurant where we had dinner last Friday night

Saturday was another hot day.  As usual my Father, Eladio and the abuela had their breakfast outside and read the papers.  I took a photo of them for the records.  It’s nice isn’t it?

Eladio with his Mother and my Father after breakfast on Saturday morning

We spent most of the day by the pool.  That evening our friends Mari Carmen and Roberto who are now divorced but still on good terms, came to dinner.  The meal just had to be a cold one so I made vichysoisse followed by salmon and lobster salad.  I’m afraid we spent the whole time chatting that I completely forgot to take a photograph.

Sunday was the highlight of the week.  In fact I started writing this post yesterday but had to put off finishing it if I was to spend any time with Olivia who was returning at 11.30 and later with José Antonio and Dolores who came for lunch and to spend the afternoon and evening with us.  It turned out to be a very lazy family day; something I was much in need of if I was to recover quickly from last week’s exertions. 

Lunch was a Moroccan dish prepared by Fátima who by the way is a very good cook.  Here is a photo of us sweltering around the table outside the kitchen.

The family lunch on Sunday

In the afternoon, whilst Oli was getting a quick rest and packing her case before leaving for Córdoba again, the men slept a siesta and Dolores and I read our books, surrounded by our three dogs.  I particularly like this photo of José Antonio asleep with Nuba his delightful mongrel lying with him on the sun bed.

José Antonio and Nuba having a siesta in the shade yesterday

Earlier that morning Miguel, Oli’s boyfriend, was taking part in a swimming race from Santa Pola to the island of Tabarca – some 6km I think.  They had stayed in Santa Pola at our flat that weekend because he was taking part in the swim.  Oli very proudly told me he came 15^thout of over a 1000 participants.  I asked him for a photo and this is what I got. He is on the right and certainly the best looking guy in the photo.

Miguel (on the right), Olivia's boyfriend and his companions who raced in the swimming competition from Santa Pola to Tabarca yesterday

Whilst we were resting in the garden by the pool on Sunday afternoon, Andrew Murray from Scotland was playing in the final at Wimbledon against the number one player, Novak Djokovic.  He was fighting to become the first British player to win Wimbledon in 77 years since Fred Perry.  I was certain he would not win as were most people.  I kept checking my phone and was happy to see him win the first set.  I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw that he had also won the second set.  Then I and all the British fans could begin to believe in fairy tales.  He went on to beat Djokovic in three straight sets and make British tennis history in doing so.  The crowd was ecstatic as were British tennis fans everywhere in the world, including myself.  There are no words to describe what it means for a British player to win Wimbledon, England’s prime sporting event and the biggest feat for any tennis player.  So, well done Andy, well done British tennis. You made us all happy now and even if no British player wins Wimbledon again for another 77 years we will still remember your victory.

Andy Murray who made British tennis history yesterday when he won Wimbledon

Later we went for our walk as usual which the dogs enjoyed immensely. I took this photo of my walking companions to record in this post.  We love José Antonio and Dolores spending their weekends with us and I look forward to many more.

Dolores, José Antonio and Eladio on our walk yesterday evening

When we came back Eladio had a swim in the pool as I was preparing our dinner. Meanwhile Olivia had arrived in Córdoba from where she will be reporting on the outcome of the José Bretón murder case.  It was even warmer there so she also went for a swim on the rooftop pool of her hotel. This is the photo she sent me.  It was taken by her producer friend and colleague Bea, who certainly knows how to take good pictures.

Oli diving into her hotel swimming pool last night when she arrived in Córdoba

And that was the last story of my very long and activity packed week.  A nice one to round off this post I think.

I wish you all a good week ahead.  That’s it for now folks

Masha

104º Fahrenheit, Football, Oli live from Galicia, a press conference, this year’s Yoigo Summer Party and 10 years since the girls left St. Michael’s school.

On the octupus with Isabel at this year's Yoigo Summer Party on Thursday

Hi again

Hope you are all well.  Today is 1^st July and we are well into summer.  Wow has it been hot this week and you can’t imagine how much.  The thermometer often reached 40ºc, an unbelievable 104º Fahrenheit.  When I lived in England, it never ever reached such a figure.  I remember thinking it was very warm when it got to 70ºF and could never imagine living in a country dominated by so much sunshine.  Nor could I ever imagine having peach trees in my garden.  All we ever got at home in Bradford were apple trees.  So I often go and look to see how the peaches are coming along.  We also have a wonderful greengage tree which this year promises a huge harvest.  Also I am thinking of making jam when they are ripe which will be a first for me.

Peaches growing in our garden

Most nights, when there hasn’t been a Euro Cup match, Eladio and I could only think of venturing out for our walk with the dogs from 21.30h onwards and even then it was too warm for a comfortable walk.  The best moment of the day was often when we would come home and take a swim to cool off.  Here is a photo of our lovely porch and swimming pool where we spend most evenings.  The afternoons have been too hot, until yesterday and today, to even think of a swim in the middle of the heat.

The porch and swimming pool where we spend most evenings these days

The week has been dominated by football.  On Sunday England lost to Italy in a terrible penalty shoot out.  But it was also dominated by other sports. On Sunday too, Spain’s Fernando Alonso won at the Valencia GP, after starting out in 11^th place which puts him in the lead of the F1 championship. 

Fernando Alonso, emotional on the podium, at the Valencia GP

Alonso, although a bi champion, is nowhere near as popular as tennis star Rafa Nadal here in Spain.  So we were all very upset to see him leave Wimbledon in only the second round.  And now all hopes are pinned on La Roja, Spain’s football team.  Spain is immersed in a financial crisis and any sporting wins serve to cheer the nation up and boost morale enormously.  Thus it was great to see Spain beat Portugal on Wednesday in the semi finals.   What was not great was that it also came to a nerve racking penalty shoot out.  When we lost the first penalty, I decided to go to bed as I just couldn’t watch until the end, in dread of losing.  So up I went, put on the air conditioning, shut the door and switched the TV on to any channel that wasn’t showing the football.  I then lay down, secretly hoping Eladio would come up and tell me that Spain had actually won, but, of course, was prepared for the worst. He did come up, took one look at me which I interpreted as negative until he burst into a smile which was when I knew we had won.  I then jumped out of bed and hugged him, switched my phone back on and tweeted the good news.  La Roja had got through to the final and if things go well, could well be the first national team ever to win 3 big championships in a row: The 2008 Euro Cup, the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and who knows if the 2012 Euro Cup tonight against Italy.  My Father predicts another win for Spain and again with a penalty shoot out.  I sincerely hope he is right but do not wish it to be with penalties.

Casillas and Fabregas celebrating Spain's win vs Portugal on Wednesday

Olivia would have been watching the match from Santiago de Compostela in Galicia where she was reporting for La Mañana de la 1 (TVE) most mornings last week.  It was to be her last week with the programme until it resumes in September, or that is what we hope. 

My beautiful TV reporter daughter Olivia

Monday saw her in a small village called Villarino de Conso in Orense.  Here she reported on a nursery school that was to be closed down until more children joined.  Thus the town hall came up with an initiative to offer free housing to anyone with children wanting to come and live in the village.  The story was quite big in Spain that day as free housing doesn’t come on the market very often.  You can see the video here at minute12h.16.

Oli reporting from a village in Orense, Galicia, on Monday

Tuesday saw her in Narón, in La Coruña covering the terrible story of a 28 year old young woman, Iria García Bouza,  killed, supposedly, by her ex partner.  Another terrible story of wife battering and one of the subjects Olivia can never be comfortable with.  You can see the video here at minute 12h.16.

Olivia, very seriously reporting on a case of wife battering in La Coruña on Tuesday

On Thursday she reported from the border of Portugal from the Spanish town Tui and its Portuguese neighbour, Valença do Minho.  The story was on how the two towns had watched the Euro Cup semi final between Spain and Portugal together.  It was a lovely story of two border towns united by football.  Olivia interviewed a mixed married couple where the Spanish husband had cheered on La Roja and his Portuguese wife who thought Cristiano Ronaldo’s team should have won because they “played better”.  The report ended with the two mayors toasting the winners, the Spanish mayor drinking Portuguese port wine and the Portuguese mayor drinking Spanish wine.  It was a lovely piece of television reporting, perhaps the best Olivia has done so far.  You can see the full story here in this video which even TVE tweeted on its official Twitter account.

Olivia on the border of Portugal on Thursday.

Wednesday was the day of the match and also the day we had our press conference to announce a wonderful agreement with Spotify, the Swedish music company which is revolutionizing the way we listen to music.  I had chosen The Hard Rock Café in the centre of Madrid, a very fitting place for the occasion.  It was full house with some 32 journalists and we got much coverage, all of it positive, although these days coverage is much more online than offline, a sign of the times I suppose.  You can see the photos of the event here.

The crowded Yoigo Spotify press conference on Wednesday

Thursday was my big day, the day of the Yoigo Summer Party.  I have been organizing them now every year for 5 years.  It is unbelievable to think that in October I will have been with Yoigo 6 years. All I can is that it is the best company I have ever worked for and long may that be so.  The party was to be held in Hoyo de Manzanares in the main square (Plaza Mayor) and we were to host a typical Spanish fiesta with all the trimmings and more.  It started in great heat at 19.30 and went on until past 2 in the morning.  There were some 250 guests made up of our 104 employees and partners and suppliers. We were joined by the villagers that only helped to create possibly the best atmosphere we have ever created.  The party started off with a welcome act from the marketing and sales team where they simulated a part from a famous Spanish film: “Bienvenido Mr. Marshall”.  They came on singing and dancing, dressed in rural attire to the astonishment of the guests.  The “priest” and “mayor” arrived on donkeys to the delight of everyone. 

We had a great first act at the Yoigo Summer Party this year

We had chosen a very special “pregonero” or master of ceremonies for the occasion, in the timeless comedian, Fernando Esteso of the 70’s and 80’s who played a great part in the “fiesta”.

Me with larger than life Fernando Esteso at the Yoigo Summer Party on Thursday evening

We had a village band from León, care of my brother in law Alejandro and all the usual attractions you would see in a typical Spanish fiesta.  The funny thing is that most of the guests seemed to think that we had actually come to the fiesta put on by the village and didn’t realize that it was Yoigo who had organized everything!   

With Susana and Alejandro at the Yoigo Summer Party

There were bumper cars, an octopus, a shooting range, a bingo, a mechanical bull, a tombola, not to mention candy floss, hot dogs, churros, etc.  Dinner was served on colourful tables by the local restaurant, El Vagon de Beni and drinks were served the night through. True to tradition a television (well actually two) was raffled, care of Fernando Esteso who had us in stitches, along with a fabulous ham and various mobile phones. 

A great time was had by all at the Yoigo Summer Party on Thursday

Taken up by the spirit of the party, I dared to go on the octopus (the picture illustrating this week’s blog) and thoroughly regretted it later.  Likewise the bumper cars where I hurt my knee and all the contents of my bag spilled into the car.  I came to the conclusion that I am far too old now for such activities and swore never to go on either again.  However the rest of the guests, most of them who were far younger, seemed to have a grand time.  You can see some of my photos here.  But much better is this first selection of photos taken by the official photographer on Flickr.

At about 1.30, whilst the party was still in full swing, I decided it was time to turn in, exhausted, mostly from preparations.  Suzy, who had been working there with me, drove me home and for a change, slept at home that night.  I had a splitting headache, despite having only drunk water throughout the evening.  The next morning I felt dreadful as I did for the most of the day.  Like always I got a better night’s sleep the following night and now feel totally recovered.

It was great to have Suzy for breakfast on Friday.  In fact she was with us at lunch too.  But it wasn’t until the late afternoon, when Olivia returned from Galicia, that the family was complete.

Yesterday was a quiet day.  Of note I have lost the stubborn three kilos thanks to the Dukan diet and was able to start what is known as the consolidation phase yesterday.  So, glory of glories, I was able to taste bread and fruit for the first time in a month.  Also I was able to go out to dinner with Eladio for the first time in ages.  We chose to go to La Vaca Argentina where I would have a big choice of protein and vegetables.  I went to bed on a reasonable stomach, not having had any carbohydrates, alcohol or dessert.  Eladio commented it was probably the first time I had not had a “pudding”.  I wonder if I will be able to resist next time.  

Whilst we were out to dinner, the girls had gone to a party to celebrate the 10^thyear since they had left St. Michael’s school.  Ever since they mentioned it was happening, I have been thinking just how much has happened since then and how can it already be 10 years since they left St. Michael’s?  I remember being in the same situation myself, after leaving St. Joseph’s College and of course Nottingham University.  First it is one year since you have left, then ten, then twenty, then thirty, then forty and then suddenly you are middle aged and then one day you are old.  And now it is happening to my daughters. Wow!  Here is a picture of the group of them celebrating yesterday at the party.  It’s nice also to think how well they have done since leaving school.  I couldn’t be a prouder Mother of Susana and Olivia.

The girls at the St. Michael's party yesterday night

And now I have reached Sunday, the last day of the week and the end of this week’s blog post.  There is not much to tell about today.  The only thing on most people’s minds is the match tonight; the final between Spain and Italy to be held in Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine at 20.45.  Keep your fingers crossed for Spain.  Mine are firmly crossed.

And that’s it for this week my friends.  All the best until next week.

Cheers Masha

Fireworks, Valencia and the Yoigo Mid Summer Party, a celebration, more on the World Cup 2010, good news from Wimbledon, Hennie Kuiper at the Tour of France and sandals from Menorca.

The Yoigo family at the Mid Summer Party this week in Valencia cheering on Spain in the World Cup

Hi everyone

I have just noticed I have more than 40 thousand readers. I love writing my blog but it’s the number of readers that often inspires me to continue. I am amazed to see where they all come from. Blogger has just launched something called real time blogger stats which give you an insight on the traffic to your blog. My top 5 countries in order of readers are India, Spain, Germany, US and UK. I often wonder why people who don’t know me find my blog interesting and I don’t have the answer. Hopefully this week’s post meets with their approval.

It starts where I left off, last weekend. On Sunday, we had a barbecue and in the evening, after another World Cup match (when humble Ghana beat the USA) we went out to dinner with Anne, my Finnish friend, to nearby Boadilla.

The only team from Africa to make it through to the Last 16, Ghana who beat the USA.

Oli joined us and we finally decided on Las Tres Nueces where we could eat outside and Anne could enjoy local tapas. As we were leaving we were able to witness and enjoy an amazing firework display put on by the town hall to celebrate San Juan, Spain’s Mid Summer fiesta. Anne commented how in Finland fireworks are going out of fashion because they pollute the atmosphere and also because they are very costly something people don’t appreciate during the crisis. Apparently the modern alternative is laser. Anne who now works for a town hall herself (Salo in Finland) obviously knows what she is talking about and estimated that Boadilla had spent more than 100.000 euros on the display. She is possibly right but I have always enjoyed fireworks, probably from the celebration of Guy Fawkes in England every 5th November when I was a child in England, and wouldn’t like to see them disappear.

A firework display, just like the one we saw in Boadilla to celebrate San Juan

On Monday I was to say goodbye to Anne as I was rushing off to Valencia with Suzy to make sure everything was in order for this year’s Yoigo Summer Party which was to take place there on the Tuesday and Wednesday for some 200 people. I left Anne in good hands and knew my two men would take care of her till she left on Wednesday morning. Later I got a message to thank me for our hospitality and the chance to rest at Sanatorium Villa Freijo Lloyd, which is what she calls our humble abode. It was a pleasure darling.

We got to Valencia in the early evening, on time for a quick meeting with the hotel manager and Bea from our events agency. I then joined Suzy for half an hour on the beach which is all the time I managed to get there in the end which is a pity as the Hotel Sidi Saler sits right on the unspoiled Saler Beach.

The unspoilt Saler Beach where our hotel was at the Yoigo Mid Summer Party in Valencia this week.

Dinner was a slightly disappointing affair at La Rosa restaurant on the Malvarrosa beach in Valencia. Afterwards we walked on the promenade and had a look at the outdoor market which sold the usual rubbish you find in similar places all over the world. The anecdote of the night was when some boys mistook Susana for a gypsy which is probably because of her intense tan as well as the bun in her even more intensely red hair.  We were walking by the beach and along came 2 boys on bicycles and one shouted: "look, what a pretty gypsy girl" pointing at Susana which we found very amusing.

Suzy with her red hair in a bun and her tan was mistaken for a gypsy in Valencia this week!

The next day the Yoigo Mid Summer Party 2010 was to begin and we were expecting some 200 guests made up of employees and suppliers. On arrival they were greeted by a local band playing the famous song, Valencia Valencia. It was such a hoot. This was the programme:

The Yoigo Mid Summer Party programme.  Notice we had more than 20 sponsors who funded the event.

One of the highlights was a regatta of 22 sailing boats in the Pobla de Farnals port, some 12km from the city. For many people it was their first regatta and from the feedback I got and the happy faces I saw, this activity was well chosen.

The regatta at the Yoigo Mid Summer party this week.  There were 22 sailing boats.  It was very professional.

In the evening watching the Spain Portugal Last 16 match was a must for everyone, even though it meant having dinner past 10.30 p.m. We kitted everyone out in the Spanish red and yellow colours and even organised a bet at one euro per person. We were joined by local distributors from Valencia. Thus some 300 people dressed in red and yellow watched the match live outside on two big plasma screens.

It wasn’t till the second half that La Roja, as the Spanish team is often called, scored and it was a happy bunch of people who went into dinner after having witnessed Spain beat Portugal and go through to the Quarter Finals. Dinner which was an outdoor barbecue or rather the party afterwards was another highlight. As we were in Valencia I came up with the idea of doing a themed party based on the Moors and Christians festivals that take place in that area of Spain. To tell the truth there were more Moorish activities than Christian, such as: fire spectacle, henna dyeing, tarot card reading, Moroccan pipe smoking, an Arab style market, belly dancers etc.

Suzy and Lucía working at the Moors and Christians dinner during the Yoigo Mid Summer party this week. 

The next day there was a choice of staying in the hotel to recover from hangovers or enjoy the pool and beach or go to the famous Oceanografic in Valencia which is actually the biggest aquarium in Spain. I chose to stay behind, have a leisurely breakfast and read my emails. We were all to meet at a small wharf of the Albufera lake to take the traditional boats on a ride round the lake before landing at the Nou Raco restaurant which was to be the last activity of the 2 day Summer Party. You can easily guess what we ate here. Yes of course it was rice which is grown in the Albufera district and it was superb.

The traditional boats we went on in the Albufera lake on the last day of the Yoigo Mid Summer party in Valencia.

By the time we got home I was exhausted and as tradition has it, pretty hoarse too. I had worked on this project for months now. It was great and then it was over and the adrenaline leaves your body and you feel exhausted.  You can see the video of the whole event here as well as some of the photos.  The full collection is here on Flickr

I was exhausted but had to be up early the next day to attend a conference on telecommunications spectrum at Unidad Editorial, the group that comprises El Mundo, amongst other publications. There I was to see familiar faces from my Motorola and Nokia years. Luckily I was able to get away early and I spent the afternoon catching up on my work at a leisurely pace.

The Unidad Editorial publication house building where the spectrum conference took place on Thursday.

Friday was a great day in many ways. The girls and I did some quick girly shopping at Centro Oeste mostly at Zara, Friday’s Project and Cortefiel. The news there is that I actually bought a summer dress, a garment I haven’t worn for years and you know what? I love it. From there we drove to La Vaca Argentina restaurant to join Eladio and my Father for a celebration lunch. We were celebrating Suzy’s graduation, of course, but also my promotion at work.

The afternoon was spent by the pool and watching football and tennis. Holland was playing Brazil in the quarter finals and very surprisingly beat the favourites. They will now go through to play Uruguay in the semi finals. As I am writing, this Saturday evening, Germany already beat Argentina 4-0 in their quarter final. Now Spain has to beat Paraguay but if it does it will meet Germany in the semi final which is rather a daunting idea. We have to remember though that Spain is the reigning European champion and actually beat Germany in that final. So who knows?

Meanwhile Wimbledon, the most important tennis championship in the world which takes place at the All England lawn tennis club, was well into its second week. Federer the reigning champion was knocked out and yesterday Spain’s best loved tennis player, Rafael Nadal was to play the Scot Andy Murray. Even though the former is not at his peak he beat Murray in 3 straight sets. On Sunday he will play to win his second trophy at the All England Club. His opponent will be no knock over, to quote my Father. He will be playing Tomas Berdych from the Czech Republic who beat Roger Federer earlier. On Sunday we look forward to yet another victory in Spanish sport.

This weekend has been dominated by sport. Today was also the start of the Tour de France. I used to be a great fan of cycling thanks to my involvement in the sport when I worked for Motorola. The Tour started today in Rotterdam in Holland and I could not help thinking what that must have meant for my good friend Hennie Kuiper, a Dutch cycling legend who used to be the Motorola Cycling Team coach. Hennie is a wonderful modest gentleman, in the true sense of the word and a sports legend in Holland.  He has an Olympic gold medal in cycling and came second in the Tour de France twice. He also won the Alpe D’Huez stage twice and was the world professional road race champion in 1975. I would have loved to be there today enjoying the start with Hennie.

Hennie Kuiper, the Dutch cycling legend who was the Motorola Cycling Team coach.  It was a privilege to be his friend.

But no I could not be there. Instead I went somewhere nearer with Eladio this morning, to the Majadahonda market to change some shorts I had bought him there last week with Anne. I also took the opportunity to buy myself a pair of Abarca sandals handmade in Menorca like the ones I had bought him last week. I must say they are extremely comfortable. Made in the Balearic Islands, which is where the Spanish Royal family spend their vacation, they have, in a way, made these sandals popular in the peninsula. In the summer you often see the King and Prince Felipe in this type of footwear.

Abarca sandals handmade in Menorca as worn by the King of Spain.  I bought some for Eladio and myself in white at the Majadahonda market.

And that my friends, is more or less it for this week. I must rush to cheer on Spain in the vital quarter final match against Paraguay now. When I write again next week the World Cup 2010 will be over and who will be the champion? It could be any of the following: Spain, Uruguay, Paraguay, Holland or Germany.

Cheers till next week

Masha

PS Just after I published this blog post yesterday, Spain beat Paraguay in the Quarter Finals. David Villa scored his 5th goal of the tournament and thanks to this Spain will play its first semi final ever in the world cup and meet a very strong Germany on Wednesday.  May the best team win.