Coca Cola “loses its fizz”, Olivia in London with Suzy, a visit to the BBC, 1st October bitter sweet memories, the voice of young Spaniards in London, in Dublin’s fair city and other stories of the week.

Suzy enjoying an Irish coffee this weekend in "Dublin's Fair City"

Good morning everyone

It’s another sunny Sunday and here I am writing to you again to tell you about my week.

  

On Monday morning whilst I was eating my fasting diet breakfast (porridge made with water!) I was interested to read about this year’s top brands published by Interbrands. Apple is now the number one brand in the world displacing Coca Cola for the first time. The Times very aptly put it as “Coke loses its fizz as iPhone and Google named most valuable brands”. I have always followed the rankings closely since I worked with Nokia and remember them being the number 6^thbrand in the world.  Last year they were still in the top 20 but this year they have plummeted to number 57.  Technology is obviously the fastest growing sector as seven of the top ten brands come from this sector.  Apart from technology the main sectors represented by brands are food, cars, fashion, beauty products and banks.  I was also interested to see there were only two Spanish brands in the ranking but was not surprised to find they were Zara and the Banco Santander.

Apple displaced Coca Cola as the world's number one brand

So yeah Apple is number one.  Coincidentally I had a conference call with some communications and marketing people from their HQ in Cupertino that afternoon.  In my mind whilst talking to these people from this “super company”, I was reminded of how Motorola and Nokia used to behave in similar conference calls when I used to work with them.  I didn’t want to tell them that keeping in the number one spot is never forever. 

Oli had a far more interesting afternoon than I did last Monday afternoon.  She was to meet up with the presenter from the BBC, a household name in the UK, she interviewed during her coverage of the train accident in Santiago this summer.  He had offered to show her around the new Broadcasting House.  I wish I could have been with her.  For a TV journalist like Olivia, visiting the BBC must be the equivalent to a Muslim visiting the Mecca.  And here she is sitting at the news desk so familiar to us all.  I think it is not impossible that one day she may really sit there and tell the news but for the moment it remains her dream.

Oli at the BBC newsdesk in London last Tuesday

After the visit the presenter offered to take Oli on his motorbike to the Oxo Building where she was to meet up with Suzy who was supervising her first event there.  Oli didn’t take up his offer. If I had been in her shoes, I can tell you that I certainly would have.

And here is a photo of Suzy on her first day at The Oxo Building – her official title is “head manager of Create in Oxo” (Create being the company she has started working for). 

Suzy read to go at Oxo this week as taken by Olivia

This week she has supervised quite a few events and so far so good.  I think she is loving the new challenge. The girls spent as much time as possible together but of course Oli’s visit coincided with her first proper week with Create.  I have followed their reunion in London vicariously and would have loved to be with them.

With plenty of time on her hands, the next day Olivia, continuing her journalistic tourism, also visited RTVE in London.  She went to see the Spanish correspondent who covers news from England for Spanish TV.  In the photo below she is flanked by the correspondent and the cameraman from the typical backdrop they use when reporting on news there.

Olivia during her visit to the TVE correspondent's office in London on Wednesday

That was on Tuesday 1^st October.  For me 1^stOctober is a bitter sweet anniversary.  It marks the day my amazing mother, Elena Lloyd née Lieven, died.  My Father and I don’t have to say very much to each other that day; just a look suffices to acknowledge the death of his amazing wife and my wonderful Mother.  On the bright side 1^st October is also the anniversary of my joining Yoigo.  This year is my 7^thanniversary with that incredible company.  Here is a photo of me the day I joined 1^st October 2006 which seems like yesterday, except that since then so many things have happened and that unknown operator is now the fourth mobile operator in Spain and has just under 4 million customers and continues to do well.  Long may it last.

Me on 1st October 2006, my first day at work with Yoigo.  This week was my 7th anniversary at Yoigo

1^STOctober will go down in the world’s history as the day of the beginning of the American Government’s shutdown, something which is affecting the world in many ways.  I am not particularly interested in American politics, but even I know it is because the Republicans and Democrats couldn't agree on a spending plan (printing more money I think) for the fiscal year that started Tuesday and that part of it has to do with the Republicans not backing Obama’s health care plan.  

But the news that interested me more that day was to do with young Spaniard’s plights in London.  Obviously that would interest me as I am British but live in Spain and my daughter Susana is one of the many young Spaniards who has had to emigrate there because of the economic crisis in Spain. That day The Daily Telegraph published an article about Benjamin Serra Bosch, a young Spaniard with two degrees who can only find work as a waiter in London, one of whose tasks is to clean loos.  The newspaper described him as the “voice of a lost generation”. 

The young Spaniard whose complaints on social media made his story go viral.

This week too I read that another young Spaniard, a girl who works, funnily enough, for Apple in London, managed something pretty unique for these times.  Etorne Samanes complained to the same newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, about their choice of image in a recent article they wrote about the proposal in Spain to change the clocks to be on par with GMT, something more natural for this country. The headline is pretty insulting as you can read here and the original image even more so. It shows a semi naked fat man resting on his belly.  The young Spanish girl actually got them to change it to a photo of an Andalusian horse carriage driver also sleeping in the summer heat.  I would have loved to read the full letter Etorne wrote, but could only see snippets from the story ABC, a Spanish newspaper, published about her feat.  She told them she was fed up of the newspaper’s racism directed towards Spain and invited the journalist who had written it to visit a Spanish office to see if people really did turn up in pyjamas and sleep three hours in the afternoon!  She also told him that he forgot to add that after lunch Spaniards go back to work and carry on until far later than their British equivalents.

The photo the young Spanish girl got the Daily Telegraph to change in the insulting article about Spanish inefficiency published in The Daily Telegraph

Wednesday was quiet for me, but not for Olivia. It was her last day in London, part of which she spent with Suzy before going to the airport to catch her plane to Valencia.  She was going to spend time with Miguel her TVE cameraman boyfriend before coming home this weekend.  

Thursday was my busiest day work wise.  It saw me in the office for two consecutive meetings. They were both about social media and I was to meet the Community Manager of Samsung and then the Community Manager of HTC.  I don’t go into the office very often but I love to catch up with some of my favourite colleagues – they know who they are.

Thursday 3^rdOctober was the day this week of the terrible tragedy in the island of Lampedusa. You will all know where it is, as it is a famous landing point for African immigrants trying to get to Italy.  It is also one of the worst sea routes for them and on Thursday a boat with some 500 immigrants had an accident whilst lost near the shore.  There were only 150 or so survivors in an accident the ever popular Pope Francis called “vergonha” (shameful) and he is right.

Body bags with some of the dead immigrants in Lampedusa

That night the news was full of the story but there was another incident which shook the world too.  A woman driving a car with her baby tried to crash through the security gates of the White House on Capitol Hill.  Shooting took place and panic overtook the area with the White House being closed and the world looked on worried another huge American shooting was to take place possibly by terrorists.  It turned out the woman who, I since read was fascinated with Obama, was unarmed but was shot dead by the Federal Police.  That seems to me to be very unfair but then I do not know the ins and outs of the whole incident.

On Friday I had an early morning meeting with my friend Julio.  He wanted me to help him with a ghastly translation of the most technical document I have ever read in my life.  It was a study he had written in Spanish on the profitability or rather lack of profitability in the long run from telecom operator merges.  However it was an excuse to see him and catch up with his life and also to go out and buy a birthday present for Fátima, our home help, who was 44 yesterday Saturday.  . 

Just as I was coming home Olivia rang me to say she was returning from Valencia that evening instead of on Sunday night, as she had to attend an important meeting called by the programme she works for, La Mañana de la 1, the next day.  I was delighted to know we would be having the pleasure of her company this weekend as I sadly miss our girls and the house seems very empty without them.

That morning Suzy sent me a song to remind me she was going away with the friends from her flat in London to Dublin for the weekend.  Of course it was “Molly Malone” also known as “In Dublin’s Fair City”.  It is a very famous Irish song I used to sing to the girls in my repertoire to get them to fall asleep when they were children and it is a song we all love.  I only ever sang the first verse of the song because that was the only one I knew.  To remind you, the lyrics of that first verse are: “In Dublin's fair city, Where the girls are so pretty, I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone, As she wheeled her wheel-barrow, Through streets broad and narrow, Crying, "Cocklesand mussels, alive, alive, oh! Alive, alive, oh, Alive, alive, oh,Crying Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh".

It is also the unofficial anthem of Dublin where I personally have never been.  Suzy beat me to it.  She and her friends found a cheap flight at 40 pounds each, I can only imagine, with Ryan Air.  The photo illustrating this week’s blog is of Suzy enjoying an Irish coffee in Dublin.  The one below is of her London Spanish Italian family enjoying their time together in Ireland.

Suzy with her London Spanish - Italian family in Dublin this weekend

In the evening over dinner together at La Txitxarrería in Pozuelo, Eladio and I talked about both girls and how happy we are that they have the jobs they have.  It’s funny, however old your children are, you are always worried about something.  Well right now I have nothing to worry about and will take their next steps in my stride.

I enjoyed breakfast with Olivia and Miguel her boyfriend on Saturday morning as we munched Fátima’s breakfast delicacies – much nicer than watery porridge!  The news that made Olivia and I most pleased was that Rafa Nadal, Spain’s top sportsman, was to become number one again on the ATP (Tennis) world rankings.  The popular 27 year old tennis player had been number one twice before but lost the standing 25 months ago to Djokovic due to injury.  He returned to tennis last February and has won 65 matches out of 68 since then.  Today he plays Djokovic in the Chinese Final but will still be number one on Monday whether he loses or wins. Well done Rafa.

Whilst Oli was at her programme meeting, we had the pleasure of the company of Juan and his girlfriend Cristina for lunch.  Juan, who is our nephew, the youngest son of Dolores and José Antonio and Eladio’s godson, had come to bring me copies of TV series and films he knew I was interested in seeing.  Thanks to Juan I will now know what the world is talking about regarding the latest in TV series as shortly I will be watching both Breaking Bad and Homeland.  I look forward to that. Thanks Juan.

Normally they would have been joined by José Antonio and Dolores but luck has it that this week they are away on holiday.  They have gone to Italy to stay with friends who have a house overlooking Lake Como.  This is a photo of Dolores by the lake; forever photogenic.  Hopefully they will come and have lunch with us next weekend and we will hear all about their trip.

Dolores by Lake Como this week

But Saturday was all about Fátima, or rather it was Fátima’s birthday.  I encouraged her to go home and take Saturday and Sunday off rather than Sunday and Monday which are her usual rest days.  I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t and it only transpired later that day when we questioned her more closely, that apparently Moroccans, according to her, just don’t celebrate birthdays.  We thought that was very odd but that as she now lives in Spain she should experience a birthday the way we do at home.  Thus of course she had a birthday breakfast, a card signed by us all, a present and of course a cake with candles.  Here she is at the birthday cake moment looking a little shy but rather pleased.

It was Fatima's birthday yesterday

And today is Sunday and I have come to the end of the story of this week.  Today has been quiet but nice because Oli and Miguel joined us both for breakfast and for lunch.  The most interesting piece of news this morning for me, at least, was about a 16 year old American boy, Josh Ruggles, who came to Spain to play the top Spanish Basketball players in a three point shot competition.  No one could believe he beat all of them, some of them ex NBA stars.  But not only that, he even set a world record by marking 135 three-point shots in five minutes.  Watch this space because this, not as tall as normal, future basket ball player (5’11”) will one day become a household name in this American sport.

Josh Ruggles the 16 year old American boy who beat Spain's top basketball players in a three point shot competition yesterday and who also set the world record by marking 135 three-point shots in 5 minutes

Sunday lunch today was a superb Moroccan affair prepared by Fátima before she went.  And now I am sitting at my desk alone whilst the men take a nap – yes the siesta the English newspapers so belittle – and Oli and Miguel have gone to Fnac (the bookshop) to get guide books for their three week holiday in November.  They have finally decided on Bali and the Gilli islands in Indonesia which sounds a great idea to me.

Who knows what next week will bring, but whatever that may be, I wish you all a great one,

Cheers till next week

Masha

Olivia in Galicia reporting on the murder of Asunta, Suzy started her new job, Yoigo launches 4G in Valencia and Málaga, the two sisters reunited in London, a family barbecue and a very wet walk and other stories.

The family barbecue on Saturday

Hi again my friends

Well this week I haven’t been anywhere and have had a quiet week at home getting up to speed with my work.  I have had time for lots of things, including reading and watching films which you will find out about in this week’s chronicle.

I left off last Tuesday, so let me start from there.  That day we heard from our neighbour that she had finally sold her house.  It had been on sale for a few years now and was difficult to sell, because it is unfinished but also because of the crisis. We were amazed to hear that the new neighbours, whom we haven’t yet met, have some affinity with us.  They are a couple in their forties with two young children.  The Father is Spanish and the Mother is Russian and they met in England.  To top the affinity, they apparently own and run a production company.  I really look forward to meeting them and also to having people live next door as our neighbour never lived there.

If you read my post last week, you will remember that Olivia had been sent suddenly to Galicia that day, to the capital Santiago, to cover the terrible case of the murdered 12 year old adopted Chinese girl Asunta.

Asunta, the 12 year old Chinese girl found killed last week

She was on the television various times on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday covering the development of the case which has become national news.  Since the body of the girl was found last Sunday both parents have been charged with possible homicide.  So many rumours have been spread but there is no real apparent motive and no incriminating clue that links either of them to the murder of their adopted daughter; a brilliant young teenager who excelled at school and was turning into a beautiful young girl.  The case has gripped the country and I was proud to see my daughter covering such a high profile case live on TV.  I was equally puzzled as to how any parent could possibly kill their child when Eladio shocked meby  telling me he had read that some 300 children had been killed at the hands of their parents in the last few years.  I can only imagine that you have to be mad to kill your own child. 

Olivia and the team in Galicia she worked with reporting on the case

Suzy meanwhile was getting ready to start her new job with Create Food and Party Design based in Wimbledon.  However she had started a nasty cold and had to go the doctor for the first time since she arrived in England.  I must tell you about the visit as it indicative of times in England.  As Suzy lives in the East End it was not surprising that the doctor she went to see was Muslim.  She was amazed that he listened to her chest without telling her to remove her jumper and that he did so through the garment; obviously not wanting to see her naked chest! What kind of doctor is that I ask myself?   She then went on to tell him she had some strange bruises on her legs that she wanted to show him.  Well, believe it or not, he refused to look at them. I have since told her to go and find a “white doctor”.  On the bright side she told us the medicine was free at the chemist and she is now a lot better.

The next day Wednesday was her first day with Food Create and Party Design.  She went in twice this week and will be starting properly next Monday.  Her role eventually will be to supervise the catering at events at the art deco and famous Oxo Building which is much nearer where she lives.  I was happy to hear that all her colleagues are English so finally she will only be living in a “Spanish bubble” in London.

Meanwhile at home I had time in the evenings to start watching Broadchurch, the DVD TV series I bought some time ago and which my friend Amanda recommended me.  It is a great “who dunnit” set in Dorset and has you riveted as to who could possibly have killed the young boy found dead on the beach in the first episode.  In true Agatha Christie fashion, just everyone seems suspect.  I am embarrassed to say I saw the whole of it in just two days.  

I then went on to watch a TV film I had bought in the same Amazon purchase spate a while ago; Our Girl.  This is a very different story and is about an 18 year old teenager, Molly Dawes, from a problem family who ends up joining The British Army and gets sent to Afghanistan.  I can highly recommend it.

Poster of the film I watched this week: Our Girl

If those were my films of the week, I must also tell you about my reading.  Last weekend I read somewhere that the Duchess of Cornwall, yes the famous Camilla Parker Bowles, had been caught reading the Cazelet Chronicles. Interested to see what her taste is like, I googled them to find they are written by Elizabeth Jane Howard and knew I would like them.  They are now out of print but I managed to buy second hand copies on Amazon and this week three of the four arrived: The Light Years, Marking Time, Confusion and Casting Off.  On Friday afternoon I started on The Light Years and so far am enjoying it thoroughly.  The Cazalet Chronicles is a family saga set just before and after the Second World War in England and is the “chronicle” of a well off middle class family, their servants and friends.  I read somewhere that it is a good “comfort read” and I thoroughly agree.

The Cazalet Chronicles which will be keeping me entertained for a while now

I also had time for shopping this week, and not only food shopping.  With the excuse of going to the post office to pick up some of the Amazon books which for some mysterious reason had not been hand delivered, I made my way to Zara.  Here I found two wonderful garments which I may well be wearing soon as the weather has finally turned autumnal this weekend.

I was particularly happy to find out that tartan is once again in fashion – when has it ever gone out of fashion? and grabbed this blazer as soon as I saw it.

The red tartan blazer I got from Zara this week

I also loved the look of this red and black squared top with zips down the side – seem to be in fashion too.  Luckily it looked good on me, not like a pair of dark green tartan trousers which just didn’t fit – I know, I have put on a bit of weight after the summer but promise you my “fast diet” should deal with the problem shortly.

The red and black top I also purchased at Zara this week

On the work side, I am excited to tell you Yoigo launched 4G in Valencia and Málaga this week, after completing the launch in Madrid.  We sent out a press release on Thursday which got quite a lot of coverage.  I look forward to telling the press next month that we have also launched in Barcelona and other provinces.

Our 4G advertising on the trams in Valencia this week where we launched the new technology

On Friday Olivia was back from Galicia, happy with her week of reporting on such a high profile case.  She was pretty exhausted too and didn’t even go out that night, preferring to stay at home to unpack and pack again for her journey the next day to London.

Meanwhile, Eladio and I, true to tradition, went out to dinner to Ginos for a gorge of pasta which I love.  We always go out to dinner on a Friday night in Madrid but of course haven’t done so for weeks because of our constant travelling.  

Yesterday, Saturday, was the highlight of the week in many ways.  First I got up early to have breakfast with Olivia and help her in last minute preparations for her trip to London to see Suzy.  I was so excited that our two daughters would be reunited there and rather regretted not having bought a ticket too.  Eladio took Olivia to the airport and I saw her off outside the house.  Here is the photo of them leaving in the car.

Oli leaving on Saturday morning for the airport.

Later at lunch, after some messaging where my help was needed in reuniting them at Victoria Station, I was delighted to receive a photo of the moment they were finally together in London.

My two beautiful daughters reunited in London yesterday

I knew they would be happy that day, but probably arguing the next day, as is typical of them and of most siblings.  I look forward to seeing more photos of them together and hope they have a good time and don’t quarrel too much.

In the morning after Olivia left I was busy, as was Fátima, our home help, and Eladio when he returned, getting things ready for the family barbecue.  José Antonio, Dolores, their daughter Sara and son Juan and his girlfriend Cristina were coming for lunch.  Rain was forecast and in the middle of the morning it started to pour, so we decided to lay the table by the pool which has a covered terrace.  Luckily when we sat down to eat the rain had stopped and the sun came out.  The photo illustrating this week’s post is of the family round the table.  My father looks great doesn’t he? as my friend Brenda commented on FB and who hasn’t seen him for years and years.

The weather got colder so we spent the afternoon inside, reading and talking with music on in our lovely lounge and having a light “afternoon tea” on my lovely Emma Bridgewater pottery.  Later Juan and Cristina had to go but Sara stayed to join us on our walk.  It was threatening rain again so we kitted everyone out with old rain coats, some of them promotional and pretty old.

In this photo you can see my walk companions kitted out in rain ware at the beginning of the walk. Notice the different colours; a bit like the Spanish red and yellow flag.  We must have looked a picture but thankfully we were the only people out on the walk yesterday.  The others, wisely, had not ventured out and would not be drenched like us.

Kitted out for what turned out to be an extremely wet walk!

As we advanced on our walk with the dogs and just as we were at the half way mark, it began to pour heavily and we had to shelter in the trees which wasn’t much help as the wind was so strong.  We just had to grin and bear it, getting wetter and wetter and make our way home.  Thankfully it wasn’t cold and was rather a fun episode to record in this week’s blog.  When we got home, we had the luxury of removing our wet clothes, drying off and putting on warm clothes. Later they stayed for dinner which we enjoyed in the dining room.  It was one of those nice impromptu family dinners where we spoke for ages afterwards. The main topic of conversation was Montrondo, or rather how and when we are going to do the makeover of the old house and all that that entails.  José Antonio, Dolores and Sara who built a new house from scratch there not so long ago have plenty of experiences to share with us. 

They left late at night but we hope to see them again next weekend.  All in all it was a great day. 

And today is Sunday, the last day to record on my blog. Well there is not much to say about today.  We are alone at home with my Father as it is Fátima’s day off and will probably be having the leftovers of yesterday’s barbecue for lunch.  My plan for the day is to carry on reading The Light Years and to go for another walk this afternoon.  However we must be careful not to get caught in heavy rain again.

And on that note, my friends, I will leave you until next week, wishing you all the very best,

Cheers/Masha

To Stockholm and back, off to Montrondo, Eladio’s birthday and other stories.

In Stockholm last week

Hi everyone,

I’m a bit late with my blog post this week but if you read last week’s entry you will forgive me because you will know I have been travelling yet again.  

Today is Tuesday and finally I am at home and here to stay for a while.  So let me tell you about last week.  I left off on Monday 16^thSeptember when I wrote my blog on the plane on my way to Stockholm.

I arrived in the early evening and went straight to my hotel, the Stureplan, right next door to the company HQ.  I was disappointed with my room as it had a tiny window in the roof which could not be opened.  I knew I couldn’t sleep there as I would have felt totally claustrophobic, so after some haranguing with the desk staff, I was finally given a junior suite, for a small extra charge.  It turned out to be lovely with its own balcony, the only negative point being that it was miles from the lift; but that’s always my luck.  It was too late to go out as it was already dark and uninviting because of the rain.  I decided thus to publish my blog, order room service and have an early night on quite a comfortable bed.  Unfortunately this time I hadn’t brought my feather pillow which wouldn’t fit in my cabin luggage and I had relied on the Swedish hotel having one which it didn’t. Thus I got three nights of fitful sleep and came back with a sore neck. On the plus side, I ordered my favourite Swedish food for dinner – an open prawn sandwich which is called “Räksmörgås” as I learned from my Swedish friend Gunilla and Mexican but Swedish bred friend Ilyana when I posted the picture below on Facebook.

Room service in Stockholm - my favourite Swedish food open prawn sandwich (“Räksmörgås")

Afterwards I watched the end of Mr. Selfridge on my PC.  I am now waiting anxiously for series 2 of the latter, series 4 of Downton Abbey and series 2 of The Paradise.  I have pre ordered the last two but I don’t think they will be available until November or December. My next series will be Broadchurch which was recommended to me by Amanda and owing to my faulting memory I had forgotten I had already bought it in a spate of Amazon purchases of British TV films and series.

Looking forward to watching Broadchurch

I was up early for our communications team meeting starting at 08.30 and was disappointed with the breakfast as there was nothing sweet on hand – if you know me I’m not one for savoury breakfasts.

 

Our meetings were to be held on the 7^th floor of the TeliaSonera HQ which is surrounded by an open air terrace with great views of the square in front with all the lovely spires on top of the buildings.

Stureplan in Stockholm

The day was good.  We had a day of training in “leadership communication skills” imparted by a wonderful Brit called Dominic who turned out to be from Bristol.  He was a professional trainer who comes from the communications world but what I liked about him most was his witty way of addressing us.  I learned all sorts of new tricks and tools, one I particularly liked is called “the elevator speech” – i.e. getting across your message in less than 45 seconds.  The company he represents is Synopsis Communications Consultingand their mission is apparently to turn strategy into action; not a bad thing.

In the evening our team leader Anna, invited us all to dinner.  When I say all, I mean my colleagues from the communications team she heads up and who are from the Nordic and Baltic countries.  The meal was just up the road at a great steak house called Vassa Eggen.  The food was out of this world but I paid for it later as I tossed and turned all night on a very full stomach.

Wednesday’s meetings were more hands on and about topics we are all in the throes of.  As usual we had an early lunch and this time we went offsite, but round the corner again and to the Scandic Anglais restaurant.  The meeting was over earlier than planned and I realised afterwards that if I had known I would have caught a flight home that afternoon.  So there I was with time on my hands on Wednesday afternoon in Stockholm.  For once it wasn’t raining and the sun had come out, although the temperature was only 14ºc.  So guess what I did?  Yeah you guessed right, I went shopping and had a whale of a time.  I wanted to go to Jackpot the Danish designer I liked but the boutique in Bibliotekasgatan had closed down.  A Swedish colleague warned me but said there was an outlet at Ahlens, a well known department store.  But first I thought I’d go to the Galerian shopping centre nearby to visit Lindex, Kappahl and Vero Moda.  I never got to the latter two because I saw and bought so many things at Lindex.  Lindex is a sort of Scandinavian Zara but as the pretty Hungarian Italian Swedish born shop assistant who charged me for the clothes said, is not as “snooty”.  I had never thought of Zara as snooty but maybe some people do.  I walked out of Lindex with a huge bag of emerald green jeans, various coloured jumpers and cardigans and a white blouse.  The lovely shop assistant thanked me for adding colour to her day.  I thought that was a nice compliment.  I took a photo of my bag outside the shop and immediately sent it to Olivia via whatsapp to tell her I had bought lovely clothes for her and me as it was my intention to share the clothes with her.

Shopping at Lindex

Since I came home I have found out that Lindex has an online store and you can order clothes from Spain and that the transport cost is just 7 euros.  That makes me happy as I love their clothes; the Scandinavian style and up till now I could only shop there on my trips to Sweden.

Conscious of the small capacity of my suitcase and the difficulty of packing my new clothes I skipped on Kappahl and Vero Moda and made my way to Ahlens to see what Jackpot had to offer.  Well they didn’t have anything that appealed to me. But I did spy a nice boutique called In Wear and here I invested in a fashionable bright red lightweight down jacket which everyone in Stockholm seemed to be wearing in different colours.  Of course I won’t be wearing it for a while as we are still experiencing summer weather here.

One of my acquisitions in my shopping spree in Stockholm

Ah I nearly forgot to tell you that the whole purpose of my shopping expedition was to buy a birthday present for Eladio.  And I did.  I bought him a yellow Gant shirt to add to his collection of this lovely Swedish menswear.

That evening I had another early night in and watched the only film I had on my pc, The King’s speech and which I adored in English as the first time round I saw it in Spanish.  Unsurprisingly I had the same prawn sandwich for my dinner that night.

On Thursday I was going home and had no idea what an ordeal the journey back would be.  There were no direct flights that day so the company had booked me a flight via London, arriving and leaving from Terminal 5.  I can tell you now that I will never do that again as it is chaos at T5.  The worst thing about returning via London is that you have to go through security again – and the queues are endless, as well as passport control.  Thus I had no time whatsoever for shopping at the airport, the only reason I agreed to travel back through London.  So there you have it, I left the hotel at 09.30 and didn’t get home till about 9 in the evening, 12 hours of travelling for a 3.50h direct flight time.

It was good to be home; but again it wasn’t for long.  Yeah we were going to hit the road again the next day, this time to Montrondo to spend the weekend with Eladio’s 5 brothers and sisters and their wives/partners and their Mother.  Luckily I had the morning to get organized and more importantly to go out and get cakes for Eladio’s birthday to be celebrated in Montrondo and at home the following Monday.  I also had to buy a present from my Father.  I had no idea what to get him so decided on something safe; more Gant clothing.  I got a lovely bottle green and white checked shirt and bottle green cardigan to go with it.

We left after lunch loaded down with food to share with the family; namely Fátima’s Moroccan chicken tagine and her wonderful rice, as well as lots of other food for dinner that night and our breakfasts.  We got there at around 19h and were greeted by the other first arrivals; José Antonio and Dolores.  Dolores and I immediately agreed on a brisk walk to Murias and back with Nuba their mongrel.  We wanted to go the old way across the fields and on the old path but hadn’t bargained for a group of horses or is it a herd? That would have been fine if they hadn’t been so interested in us and started trotting and then galloping towards us.  We weren’t sure whether it was threatening or not.  I love horses but am wary of their size and as I had no sugar or salt to offer them we opted for crossing the fence in the field where they couldn’t reach us.

The horses in Montrondo who chased after us

In the picture above they look very peaceful but later they worried us when they started coming after us.  I do think it was Nuba who put the cat among the pigeons here.  Thus on our way back we came along the path and away from the fields.

Just as we were walking back, Adela, the elder of Eladio’s two sisters, were arriving by car with her husband Primo and my Mother-in-law Ernestina who is in her early 90’s but looks a lot younger.

The next day Adela, Dolores and I went on an early morning walk to Murias and back again, as Adela and I would do on Sunday morning too.

Adela and I in Murias on our early morning walk.  I especially like the old fashioned blue shutters so typical in the area

Later that morning the rest of Eladio’s brothers and sisters arrived; Alejandro and his Paraguayan wife Carolina, Pili and her husband Andrés and Isidro and his wife Yoli.  It was to be a relaxing weekend with just the older generation and the finest weather we have ever experienced at that time of year in Montrondo.

Soon we were enjoying lunch around the big kitchen tables and celebrating Eladio’s birthday with his family.  I loved the sweet garland they had made for him.

Eladio celebrating his birthday in Montrondo.  Just look at the lovely candy garland his family made for him

Afterwards most of the family went off for a siesta.  The men would need it to produce the energy necessary to stack literally tons of logs from a field that belongs to them outside the village which would be brought by a tractor in various journeys to the old house to again be stacked neatly for the winter.  The photo below is of the wood arriving.

The first tractor load of wood to arrive

Meanwhile we women looked on, enjoying the afternoon sunshine and also listening to the radio.  You are probably wondering why we would be listening to the radio.  Well it was to follow a match: Pili and Andres’ son Mario’s was making his debut in the León Handball first team playing in León on Saturday against the Huesca team.  In the end they drew.

One of the main reasons for gathering together this weekend in Montrondo, apart from the business of transporting and stacking the wood logs for the winter,  was to make plans to reform the old house which we have inherited. But before we reform ours, Pili and Andrés will be rebuilding the old house next to it and which is now a ruin.  It was where Eladio was born so has a lot of sentimental value.  On Sunday morning their builders came to look around and finalise the initial steps that will be taken to start.  They had good references from Eladio’s brother Alejandro, so he took them around the old house we will be reforming too, to get a quote from them.  Both young builders gave us the right “vibes” and right now Eladio and I and, of course, Pili and Andrés are really excited about our projects.

The houses to be soon reformed in Montrondo

We left Montrondo on Sunday in the late afternoon and were home by about 10pm.  We were greeted by Fátima, our living in home help and my Father.  Of course we were greeted by our enthusiastic dogs too.  Poor Norah didn’t get a look in as Elsa overshadows her when it comes to greeting us on our arrival home.  We only saw Olivia to say goodnight as she was out with her old school friends; Paula, Sonia, Elena and co.  

Yesterday, Monday, was Eladio’s official birthday and it was celebrated in style as we like to do so at home.  It started off with a birthday breakfast with “porras” and “churros” (Spanish fritters) dipped in thick chocolate.

Oli and her Father Eladio yesterday at his birthday breakfast

We gave him his presents and card and read with interest what we had written. We also laughed at what Olivia had written – she apologized for being stubborn and tiresome when she was a child!  She couldn’t be with us for lunch when we lit the candles on his cake (chocolate of course and from the marvelous patisserie “Mallorca”).

Eladio was 69 yesterday and looking great.

But she joined us for dinner that night when we went out to La Vaca Argentina to celebrate.  The three of us had a great meal but were keenly aware that Suzy was missing.  All in all I think Eladio had a great 69^thbirthday.  I can hardly believe that next year he will be 70.  He looks so good for his age and I’m sure you all agree; it’s not just flattery on my part.

And today is Tuesday, the last day to be recorded in this week’s blogpost.  Today I am fasting (yes I stick to the “fast diet” but only when I am at home), but lots of things are cooking and happening too.  To start with Oli is off to London to see Suzy this Saturday (until next Wednesday) and amazingly she has managed to get the BBC presenter she met in Galicia to show her round the BBC while she is there.  Also her day is now completely topsy turvy.  She went to work but rang me shortly afterwards.  She was coming home as the editors of the programme are sending her to Galicia again today.  She will be covering the terrible case of a 12 year old girl who is adopted and of Chinese origin and who was found dead yesterday.  The story is national news.  I am happy for Olivia though that she will be out in the field again and doing what she likes best, investigative journalism.  

The other thing that got “cooked” today, was another journey to London.  Whilst on our walk to Murias, Adela and I agreed to go together with my other sisters-in-law.  In the end the rest of them decided not to come but Adela is keen to go and for various reasons.  She has never flown before, nor visited London but is very happy for me to be her guide.  Of course I want to go with her too, but I have a vested interest as it means visiting Suzy again.  So I went and booked our flights for the December bank holiday and we will fly out on Thursday 5^th in the evening and return on Sunday 8^th.  It’s going to be fun. Watch this space.  

And now my friends I have reached the end of the story of my life since I last wrote. You can see the full selection of the photos  of our weekend in Montrondo here.

Meanwhile everyone, I wish you all the best, until next time,

Masha