Going to put a rush on this Blog today, see who can win, the electric company or me! We have rain, again, been some everyday for last few days... Cant even remember when it started... That's a sign of the mood I am in!

But before I forget, you must zoom into above photo and check out the *cheeky* chap who is lingering near the castle, and to the right! Actually, know I have told you exactly where is he you won't be able to miss him!

This is the Alhaurín el Grande Nativity, of course, a wonderful piece of workmanship, a bit different this years from the past years.... Which is good, when I took a friend who had never seen it[gasp!] [shock!] [horror!] So was good for me to see something different myself, but just as excellent!

I think maybe a shot video would have been good, maybe tomorrow, if we can get the kayak out and paddle up stream to get to it!

This morning our electric did go out with one heluva bang, but couldn't find anything that had set it off, or rather taken it over its limit, so just put it back on, and it stayed on, gave Franco a shock, not literally, but it happened when he was up stairs and it was the up stairs network that went bang before throwing the whole lot off!

When did I last Blog? Heck a whole week ago! I'm sorry, I am not doing good, all I can think about is my Mom and how she was this time last year, and her Christmas card in absence is.... is... well just tearing at me...

And all the moves I seem to find on TV are sad, its just the simple part of a movie that did it for me yesterday, the movie itself, Noel, was fine, although the bit where Robin Williams said "tell you Mom its ok to let go now" got me going, but right at the end the daughters sat on her Mom's bed in hospital, the Mom took hold of her daughters hand and just held on.... And maybe I should be letting the movie go too because remembering it now, isn't doing me any good either.



This morning Pippa and I got out of the house, turned right, turned right again, then the heavens opened and we turned back around and got back home pronto! We were both soaked through in just a matter of minutes!

We went to Ikea the other day, got some nice smelly Christmassy candles, we haven't replaced the tree lights, so that look cheery, not!

What have we been doing all this week then? Yesterday, work, was very very quiet, but started well... The poor lady opening the rejas first thing, couldn't raise it up and a guy from Mercadona helped, only he didn't really, she hadn't taken out the keys! So up it went with the keys in situ and no way to open the store or reach the keys, this is when us other two arrived and we used a ladder from over the road, I volunteered to go up the ladder, on a slope, in the wet!!!??? And once up there realised the only way to release the keys was to pull the rejas back down, so I suggested we used the top of the ladder to pull it down, this was hilarious in itself! But we got the keys out and opened up the store!

Then a customer came and and told us a store down the road was chucking some things out! And she had told them about us, so I went down to let them know we would be collecting it tomorrow when there were more staff and to thank them.... Only they gave me a bag and said there was one more to come, I carried that back up, went back down and found the last bag was a huge black bin bag full of their unwanted stock! I couldn't carry it and got one of the guys there to carry it for me... Which caused a bit of an argument, they, being Chinese and not speaking a lot of Spanish, and me not speaking much Chinese! It did cause a few problems!!! And once over the Mercadona roundabout I told him thank you, and I'll take it from here, and he just gave me the huge heavy bag to carry... So that was fun!

One of girl got soaked through running an errand for the shop also, so we sent her back out for coffee's... well once your wet, how much more wet can you get??

We had coffee and mince pies and gently steamed....

Monday Franco and I went down to Fuengirola, popped in to see some friends, oh and went to La Trocho, twice, on Sunday we went to the market there and up stairs, as it was open, I saw a lovely coat which Franco said he would get me for Christmas, they didn't have my size and the man said he would bring in a couple of different sizes on the following morning, so we went there, at 10am... his stall wasn't open, nor did it the hour or so we waited about.... and on our return he was open, but didn't have the coats, said they didn't have any other sizes, but took my number in case... oh well C'est la vie...

And as mentioned we went to Ikea on Saturday, busy busy busy there... and later to Miramar in Las Lagunas, also very busy.... I think we went to El Corté Ingles on Monday? or Saturday, oh also we went into Coín on Monday... had some bills to pay for friends, five in all, couldn't pay them in Alhaurín, only town in the whole of Andalucia that you cannot pays the bills from Coín in!!!! When it list the banks, the BBVA which has the bar code reader payment machine in its doorways... even that wouldn't except it!!!

So off we went, four of the bills were just over 20€, but you couldn't put any more than 35€ in notes into the machine... the other bill had a limit of 50€, so we went to the cash desk first, thinking 50's would be ok, but then found otherwise, luckily a bank guy was doing something there already and took the money and changed it into notes we could use!!! We were causing a line up behind us, tough! One woman said, how long are you going to be? Franco turned round and said not long and she said, "I am double parked out there!" Franco said, well there's a car park just under here which is cheap and less chance of getting a ticket!!! Who double parks there car in Spain to go into a bank? Well ok, maybe lots do, but she was English, and we all know it can take half hour just to do one little thing in a bank, you can never expect to walk in go to the desk, and go out again!

The desk in this bank by the way, didn't have any customers at the desk, but there are many many signs saying bill payment at machine only, and it means it, even though we had all the money to pay the bills when we got change the woman wouldn't have offered to take them and the payment there!

Was good to have a coffee afterwards... and a pastry, [for me], and so much change, five bills and tonnes of change from the machine!!!!

Oh yes, also Monday, I had an 8:30 appointment at the doctors, almost forgot, although I still have the bruise to show for it! I have never had a bruise like this from a blood test, and so painful, she tied a piece of rubber round my arm so tight it was agony it was a wonder she got any blood out at all!

Then I had an EKG[ECG] That won't show up anything at all, I was laid out there in the freezing cold with what looked like a set of jump leads on my ankles, wrists and chest, for one minute, and not an irregular heart beat or palpitation moment, in that minute!

Well its still raining... outside and in my heart...

I feel for all my friends who have lost their Mom's this year... five, five other girls all without their Mom's this Christmas, just in my little circle, and thousands of others I know...

So before I bring you all down with me I think a mug of lovely hot chocolate will give me some good happy chemicals, for ten minutes!

TTFN
Marian