I didn't dare look back to see when I last blogged amigos... Over two weeks ago, *red faced* and sorry, apologies mi amigos.... I don't know where I have been, physically yes, emotionally no...

So....... lets pull up a comfy wing backed chair, each [big room!], in front of the huge log fire, with a mug of creamy hot chocolate, and don't forget the marsh mallows on that for me! And I will begin...

... begin with the fact that I have had to make random notes in no particular order, just when I remembered things I have to tell you....

So, are we comfy? Then I will begin! See how I hesitate, what's the matter with me, I am amongst friends, ok, notes, and the photo above to get me going... Our little Nativity, that I have had since the mid nineties... I got it out of its boxes and put it in place Wednesday, my first real day home, as on my return I had a migraine [what's new], I took out all the people from their cosy homes in amongst the paper trimmings, and one was missing, and another chipped?

I really had to struggle to remember what could have happened, and after a couple of hours, I think when I put them away, in one heck of a hurry before going over to see Mom, and before the 12th night, I must have dropped one of the Kings surfs, and one of the other surfs base chipped... I am not really sure that's what happened, I can imagine I was in a hurry, but I truly have no recognition of putting them away.... You'll notice to the right of the stable, a little white speck of something, with a red top? That's a small snowman candle that has hung out there over the last few years.... He isn't a 'normal' Nativity symbol?

I noticed last evening when the candled flickered, that Mary, Jesus and the Angel's shadows moved on the back wall of the stable, it was a surreal moment until the candle calmed....

As I say Tuesday, lost to me altogether... It had been a nightmare trip home, friend dropped me off at Luton airport on Monday, about 11:30, maybe a bit early, thinking my flight was 2pm, not actually 2:40! So already an hour ahead of myself! Checked in quickly, only .02 over the 20kilo, and straight through the control check upstairs, being allowed into the express check in line! Muy bien!

Then it all went pear shaped[!], apparently our plane, coming in from Gibraltar couldn't land due to fog, so was sent to Birmingham, and another plane had to be found which could land and take off in fog, so it wasn't until 8pm we eventually took off for Spain.

There were many flights cancelled, or delayed, and I couldn't risk leaving my seat in search of food or drink, due to the many people sitting on the floors or just standing waiting for a chance of a seat, luckily I did have water and sweets! So I just sat, relaxed[sort of], and waited!

I cant remember having taken off in such dense fog, once on the run way approach, you could barely see the light from the terminal buildings any more, and when we had arrived, in day light, the top of the control tower was not even to be seen, only the leg!

The seating was changed to 'any seat' so bad luck for anyone who had paid extra for their extra leg room seat etc! But turned out I had a whole row to myself! As did all of us who just went up to the back!

The flight had been ok until the last half hour when we hit cloud over Spain, and the turbulence was awful! Not just up and down, but side to side! A bit of a white knuckle ride thrown in for good measure!

Franco was there to meet me and my rather foamy case, the foam turned out to be my mousse! The whole can had emptied out on route, leaving a few things moussed up and a bit damp! Apologies to other peoples cases ;-)

Once out into the night, now about midnight! The humidity was high, and home, the house felt humid too! It was about half past by then, and about 1am when we turned in...

I woke up with the migraine, and tried getting up about 5pm to get up, having breakfast, but it made me bad again, and didn't try again until Wednesday morning.... spent the day, emptying moussy case and housey stuff....

She looked ok... from a distance, and with the sun in your eyes.... Not me! Well maybe me, but I mean our car! Although up close, the peeling bumper, the poor paint condition, the scrapes and bumps and black ties!... apart from the lean to the left, she seemed to shassay up the road! Or it could have been a swagger! She didn't know she was on the way to be scrapped! Our poor baby car! She did us good for five years though for sure.. yesterday, Franco and I had been to the coast, got some bits and pieces, and home about 3pm! We were planning on staying in but had to go back down to the coast again, with our car, we got a call from a mate who could do the deed... So I drove the rental and Franco drove old Betsy[!] and down we went again!

The suspension finally gave up the ghost a week ago, and Franco had had to rent a car, we couldn't leave our car in the car park much longer, we had found a number in a paper of someone who would give us €100 and take the car, deal with the paper work and sell it on!!!! I one couldn't imagine anyone wanting to buy it, poor thing isn't road worthy any more and I would want some else risking life and limb driving it now! The last few days Franco had had some near misses with it! And also I couldn't have rested, I'm not sure if we would have received yearly tax bills, parking fines or speeding tickets, if not worse!

So hopefully this has been the right route and its bye bye baby, baby bye bye.... to our little Opal Corsa!

I got to walk Pippa yesterday morning, "at last" says Pip! And there was still a noisy cricket chirping away to remind me of summer, but not this morning, this morning there was a wayward wind, it didn't know which way to blow! Rain was for cast, and it has rained, not much, just a light sprinkling, I hadn't even noticed it rain, but just went up onto the terrace and its a bit damp!

This morning in town it was ok, little bit of sun even, but then as I was coming I could tell the rain was on its way... It was just cloud from over the Sierra de Mijas... but it felt heavy....!

We have one of those salt things, orangey and you put a tea light inside, do you know what I mean? Well when I moved the Nativity into place I found it was wet, not inside, but its outside and underneath, like it was melting... Very strange, but its made of salty stuff, I wondered if it was the humidity? I have been keeping a candle burning inside and it seems to be doing the trick!

I have had a couple of funny experiences to over the last couple of days... The first on Wednesday, I was using the little kitchen foldaway foot stall thingy, to give me a little more height to put the suitcase[minus mousse], back up on top of the wardrobe, when it slipped and hit the base of the wardrobe, and broke! Sending me flying! But I caught the case! With my face! And I was left having to just 'oike it up there! Pippa moved... she moved into the other bedroom when it broke!

Then today, I was changing the light bulb on the ceiling light on the landing... Franco had put the only spare bulb we had in there last week, a 25 watt! It was like poor candle light! So I am standing on the chair, and the the light fitting starts to move about a bit... horrible, its like at the market when the clothes are just floating on their rails... Same effect on me, vertigo, or something like! It makes my head swimmy! Anyway, no falling, and all done, we have light, bright light!


I have put up our tree, Franco says it looks a bit sparse... I'll have to get out the rest of the baubles! Not really in the Christmas spirit... And I must do our Christmas cards, cannot find the labels I had written out before I left for England, to take with me... Will probably find them, one day!

I brought a few things from an extra case that we couldn't bring back with us in March, an odd selection of things, wish they were things to do with the family now, the books with family names in etc, and any memorabilia, but I couldn't get to them in Tonys house...

I did bring back a camera of Mom's, I thought there were only 3 or 4 photos left to take and then I would get it processed, but as I turned the next picture, its a 'throw away' type, I have found, Mom had only taken 3 or 4 photos! I wonder what of though? so I will get the film used up as quickly as I can, to see....

In Nottingham, with Barry, they had the giant walk-in snow globe! Not sure if it was the one Mom and I went in at Milton Keynes, but there it was...

While I was in England and visiting family next door to Mom's it was a sad sad visit, I couldn't look at Mom's place, not the front room window, or the back door, it just tore my heart out all over again... When I left and walked away I felt like I had visited my Aunt and not Mom! And in the shops and on the streets where we would go, at every turn I thought I saw her... in one of her hats... just out of the corner of my eye... I have now been to lots of places we would go on my visits over, did it help? No not one iota, and I really thought it would, I was wrong. And just feel bereft all over again.

ok amigos, my notes are used up, and so am I, lots more to tell about my visit, happy things, but for now.... everybody out!

TTFN
Marian