two more photo's of rodin... two more of the thinker... of course!


today... we just got home and found mom had shut pippa in the cave when she left this morning! my poor baby, at least its not too hot or too cold... but six hours on the cold floor and no water... i know i know shes 'just' a dog, and most spanish dogs are out in the cold all day and all night!

we went to the bajondillo paseo today, popping into plaza major as with barry, but no lunch there, we called tony, as last time, but this time he was at work, and i got him to check out that web cam link over there on the right side of my page... under links...

and yes he could see mom and i!!! i know very very sad!

then we had lunch, i had ensalada pulpo, (squid salad), and mom had tuna, the two cokes were 2.50€ each, out of the tap and it came to nearly 20€, oh these coastal prices.... and there were only a few touristas about to catch!

mom and i then went to the marina at benalmadina, saw a couple of friends from alhaurín, the lady at first not recognising me, i think she thought i wanted to sell something! had a chat then when we turned to go he jokingly called out... i dont want to buy a holiday!!! when they passed us later he came over to say sorry! at the same time i did the same thing making so many people look over! it was only afterwards i thought i should have said... look i am not giving you my autograph!... that would have been fun!

now... thats the first week with new people in shop and it has gone really well, i suppose we were all feeling a bit strange, but its been fine.

Desire is not what you see,
but what you imagine...
Eleven minutes

TTFN
Marian

Rodin Malaga, España

Rodin

apart from 'the thinker' i am sorry i didnt write down the names of the others ;-p

hope you can find them on the site above!

Rodin

oh cant up load images at the moment, so will just tell you about the day!

work ok, still feeling bit strange settling in with new folk... i suppose too for them especially as my friend is still there too when she owned the shop, not sure if she will be in tomorrow...

then mom and i went to malaga on the bus to see the rodin sculptures in the old town, calle lario, bus ride ok, better than yesterday when we went to fuengirola, think i am getting bus sickness! well travel sickness!

we walked to the town centre stopping for coffee in the larios centre first on our way, then over the river into the historical centre of malaga...

we found the sculptures easily enough and i took lots of photos, i will up load them when i can, i took all the angles of 'the thinker' so will show them one each day!

we then went to collect a rental car from the airport, i only booked it last night on the internet and waited to receive the info for today, it only came this morning before i left work, so a good thing i wasnt arriving by plane! no print out no car!

we got the airport bus and stopped right by the car rental office opposite the san miguel factory, good thing the bus stopped there otherwise it would have been a long walk from the stop in the terminal! the info said to collect the car from down stairs after getting your baggage, ok if your actually landing i suppose! so i phoned ahead and they told me to go to the office... we did!!

mom found it a bit difficult getting up the slope from the road, alright the bus stopping but no path and no easy route for getting up onto the other road, anyway i pulled her up and there was the office...

they wouldnt take moms visa as it was a debit card also, that would have been interesting had we just landed and not had another card to use, and a polite sorry we dont take debit visa would also have been nice, not the rude way he refused the card, this wasnt mentioned on their internet site either! and the promised full tank of fuel was also not there after paying over 45€ for it! i suppose i should have gone back in the office, but the mood i was in by then seemed a little pointless, if we hadnt been at the airport i would have just walked anyway, but there we were stuck otherwise!

so we have a ford ka!

oh before i go get coffee.... dunnes yesterday shredded wheat 4€ 35!!! getting cheaper!

Love is a complicated path,
and that path can lead us up to heaven
or hurl us down into hell.
By the river piedra
i sat down and wept

TTFN
Marian

la trocha market was back on today folks... shame not many turned up? i spoke to the market man friday who didnt know till later if it was going to be on, so maybe it was just a little late in getting the info out!

there was no signs to say it was even open when we arrived and there were only a few stalls, and a few people looking, we were quite early so hopefully more turned up after we left.

ok today i have a little item, its called the price comparison section...

and today on the shelf we have shredded wheat, a british breakfast cereal.

super sol supermarket sell a 12 pack for approx 4€ 22cents
dunnes supermarket section 18 pack for approx 4€50 cents, still not bad considering 6 extra in their pack!
and today i saw an 18 pack for 6€20... are they having a laugh or what? i was having histerics, we actually popped in to look for dog food, which i also decided against buying in there for that price!

i guess i should remind those of us from the uk it costs 1.57 for an 18 pack of shredded wheat in tesco, which equals 2€ 25, so thats an extra 2 euros in the spanish shops, but an extra 4 euros!!! now i know it has to be shipped and taxes paid, but these people are not buying it from the supermarkets, it comes from a warehouse at a cheaper price and to charge 6.20 for it for drives me crazy!

ok thats good i feel better now, now what shall i pick on next week, coffee maybe, its only just 4€ in mercadona for a big jar of nescafe so i will have to search out the high prices around the area...

He who loves has conquered the world
and has no fear of losing anything.
True love is an act of total surrender.
By the river piedra i sat down and wept.

TTFN
Marian

poor little chap eh, took this photo when barry was over and this praying mantis was minus a leg!


and this was barry taking a photo of me, of course doing the same!

town seems different since i have returned home, quieter, a little cooler, and just different, cant put my finger on it somehow...

into work tomorrow, which will be different, the place the same, the stock the same, but new people coming in and my buddy leaving...

everything in the shop will continue on as usual, so the customers shouldnt have need to worry... me on the other hand?...

and i have a sore throat and ear ache so thats fun, maybe i brought this back from england, so many people had colds, and i heard on the tv this how you have 4 times as much chance of catching a cold on a plane than elsewhere!

did i tell you one of tonys friends 'did' my nails for me? they lasted me through carrying the baggage, no small feat, but last night lost one openig the refrigerator... on the radio, in the uk... question asked what is frigophobia? answer is afraid of the cold, makes sence spanish cold is frio! and just came across this absolutely useless item!

True love does not consist
of trying to correct others,
but of feeling joy
that things are better than we expected.
Unpublished (2005 diary)

TTFN
Marian

Oh Happy Halloween

i am back from blighty... very tired, mom and i got up about 3am this morning, left the house just before 4am and by 5am were sat in the departures lounge of luton airport, seems i am too tired to type and making more typos than typing at the moment!


few photos here taken in hemel hempstead, on my way to friends house....

and yes, this is a milk float, didnt know they still had them over there... tony who was with me thought i was totally crazy for taking this photo!

we were waiting for steph at a mcdonalds near the m25...

tomorrow i will catch up with my trip and tell you everything i did...

for now its, good to be home, missed my honey, and pippa too of course, but as usual, hated leaving tonys and friends... it hurts so bad that 'leaving' feeling... and being so tired not helping, so hasta pronto mis amigos...


When you love, things make even more sense...
The Alchemist

TTFN
Marian

hey i'm back from blighty...

tuesday evening we went to a pub quiz in chiswell green, not too far from st albans, was a good evening, us and three others, friends of tonys... we scored 35, the winners were 45 and second 40, so we didnt do too bad i guess!

yesterday... went to berkhamsted to see moms new place, its great, much bigger than her last home, and the area is quiet, she has some garden, its absolutely great, she feels much more at home here than before...

we then went to aylesbury, coffee in costas, of course, had a chat with a customer from the mercedes dealership i used to work for, popped in to see lisa at work, and looked around lots of shops!

then i ran into the above dealership to see another mate, surprised her a bit, she thought i was arriving next week! then.... off to the retail park, mom had a short list of things she needed which we got most of, then to tesco for lunch!, few groceries... made lasagna for tony... dropped mom off at her place and then me back home to tonys.

today... drive to bedford, about 45 minutes more or less, wasnt sure exactly which way to go and google mapped it, used the close up hibred version, that way when i went there today it all looked familiar!!

mate and i had a good afternoon, i met her at another mercedes-benz dealership... and she drove us to pub for lunch and then to her new house the other side of bedford, a lovely new house, its only 18 months old and in a nice quiet spot.

then we came back into bedford and stopped in the town for coffee and bit of a walk about the shops before she took me back to my car and then i was off again, it took an hour and quarter to back with all the extra traffic at that time...

tony has gone out now for the evening... i have had dinner and now i am going to sit back and relax...

well i cant find a quote or a short poem i really like today, feel lost without my books back home to quote from, so again as yesterday it shall be...
adios amigos from me!

TTFN
Marian

St Albans

here i am in england... can you tell the difference!?!

i can especially as tonys keyboard keys are not in the same place as ours in spain!

flight was ok, on time leaving, although we thought it was going early, arrived on time, but it was like travelling in a doctors surgery, just about everyone had a streaming cold, and i mean streaming... why cant people blow instead of sniff... and sniffing every ten seconds... was driving me crazy, wanted to hit the family sitting behind me with a box of kleenex!!!

hire car is nice, a little black corsa, i look a real girl racer in it, ok... maybe not girl eh... and was kinda nice driving to st albans so late/early, 3 in the morning and some ground mist rising over the fields occasionally over the roads, not many cars, a fox who ran infront and then watched me from the other side of the road on a grassy bank as i pasted him by... then there he was the ever faithfull milkman on his delivery so early... was just like the old days LOL...

it was freezing when i arrived at luton airport, and i mean freezing, i was shivering and you could see my breath... fingers numb in seconds, i got pins and needles in them when i got to tonys and they started coming back to life!

this morning there was a beautiful white frosting all over everything! the sky in blue and the sun has shone all day, not a cloud in the sky... would be nice if it stayed that way.. oh just remembered i meant to buy an ice scraper for the car tomorrow morning!

ok off to relax now, spent morning walking around the city with janette, in and out of lots of shops, had my costa coffee... and then a second cup of coffee made with cinnamon in an moroccan restuarant we went into last time...

TTFN
Marian

here are a few photos from the feria at fuengirola last saturday, above is a cage like contraption, five seperate cages, people locked in from outside, and up it went....


this is it up at the top, it just went round and round one way, stopped and went round and round the other with the people hanging on inside for dear life!!


this the view looked down an aisle and up at the hanging decorations...

well... my honey is back from gales as of friday and barry is back to nottingham... really didnt think i would cry at the airport... and he went straight through after we lined up with him to check in, then he had hugged me and turned to walk away and my eyes were leaking.... oh heck!

and from then it would be only 36 hours before i will be back at malaga airport for my flight to luton, collecting my car around 3am, nice eh, short drive to st albans where i will have woken up tony to let me in!!!

yesterday we three went down to fuengirola, left home about 1030, stopped off in mijas for lunch on way home and was nearly five when we got home, pippa has been so naughty these last few days, she hates it when we're out and leave her at home, if only one of us is in and goes out she is fine!

thursday barry and i went to plaza major, an area full of restaurants really, there are a few shops, but if shopping is your thing this is not the place to go!

we had lunch in a mariachi restaurant, which was really good, had a little wander around and found the cinema there, they have regular movies and imax, absolutely fantastic, check out the site there...

we then went to the bajondillo area of torremolinos, i had to check out this web cam that is on my link there on the right... and yes there it was, although the chances of anyone actually having been there to see me would have been pretty far fetched!

so next time i am going there i will mention it!

i hope barry had a good time, we didnt really do much, just spent time together which is the important thing, i always feel i have to go here there and everywhere and keep everyone entertained, i know when mom is here we can do all the shopping stuff... and go see something in malaga which will be there for a short while...

rodin sculptures... amazing eh... mom will like to see these i know, i dont think barry would have especially impressed! i used to have 'the thinker' in a photo frame when i was a teenager... (ok, i know bizarre).

ok, too many links for one day, so, amigos, hasta luego, i will be in touch from england...

When we love,
it is not necessary to understand
what is happening outside,
because everything begins to happen inside us instead.
The Alchemist

TTFN
Marian

La Trocha Rastro

five minutes blog today folks... apart from the computer on a go slow with the many windows and activity going on on here with barry at the moment... lets see... world of warcraft... a few chat windows on msn.... team speak, thats something to do with the WWW above...

so today after work baz and i went to la trocha and the rastro, lots of stalls on the lower level as you enter the shopping centre on the car park level, then lots up stairs, not everyone turned out as promised with their stalls, a shame considering the amount of people who had turned up to buy buy buy, or at least check it out, all the restuarants were full to bursting, the shops all had people in, this is an amazing thing for la trocha, its always quiet... always!

saw lots of people from the shop, was really good...

then we went down to miramar parque, i was on a mission for a eufesa coffee pot...

ok thats me done and dusted for today...

adios amigos...
TTFN
Marian

Malaga airport

well things did not go as smoothly as intended yesterday! franco and i arrived at airport at about ten to twelve, parked in the new and very much improved P1, we parked there before, but it wasnt quite finished, well now, it seems more finished but you have to go against the arrows to get about which is a bit confusing, not for those who generally go against them i suppose... you must know who you are!!!

anyway, i digress as usual, we got to the line up for the cardiff flight back to gales, (wales), it was half hour before the desk was due to open but i think everyone who was getting on the flight was already there!

after franco had checked in we went to have a coffee, we always go to the restaurant down past the gallery we have here at malaga airport, we then took a tour of the all new terminal one section, this was the only part when i first started coming here twenty years ago, and it was a far far different thing from what is here now! apart from all the check ins, the bars, there is also a nice outside area, for that last minute sun for those poor souls leaving our beautiful country!

so we checked out where barry would be coming in, it said on the flight info on the net he would be landing at T1, as he has before coming from nottingham, and usually i had always walked out side and along the crowded walkways to the main door of arrivals.

then... back to T2 and saw franco through to the other side and he was gone...

then... i walked back to T1 and sat and waited, barry had landed and i had only to wait for him to walk through from baggage.... then i got his text saying he was bored of waiting and was going home!!! yes you guessed he landed at T2!

what will it be like when we have T3 opened too! no different from heathrow and gatwick i suppose eh!

earlier yesterday franco and i went to la trocha and barry wanted eats so we went there on our way back too!

when we got home pippa got a bit confused, i suppose being so low to the ground with us walking in with a case as we had left, she thought it was franco then realised her mistake and started barking! but not for long and now she is sitting outside his bedroom door wining for him to get up... she may have a long wait...

No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.
The devil and miss prym

TTFN
Marian

sorry this picture is so strange, we were walking up to the restaurant at the top of some very high steps... and i held the camera facing upwards so you could see what was above us as we walked these steps!


this is one of the many cave bars....



and this last one, for today, was taken after we had eaten at the restaurant under the toldo on the left there...

narrow street there for so many cars and the many motor bikes that came down it, so lots to watch and take in sat there, so many tourists too, just like us!

although i must check first, but i am sure i saw a local from here in alhaurín el grande, a guy we see every single day in the town, mooching around with the 'ol guys, but strangely i havent seen him all week! so maybe it was him and he is holiday'ing up there in setenil de las bodagas!

(barry is here tomorrow - yipeeeeee)

A warrior knows that the ends
do not justify the means.
Manual of the warrior of light

TTFN
Marian

More photos

i took so many photos of setenil, the one above is the main street! the one you have to come down to park... and the one thats used for the market, which was why when tony and i came on market day, there was no where to park! running through the town is the river there on the right, and there are bridges joining the two main streets together, bit like venice... but not!


this shot is the house from yesterday... how close is that up stairs window from the rock! no view of course, or even much light, i thought the mountain behind our house was close, at about 10 foot, but is soooooo much closer!


apparently.... you can ask to go into the house!! well thats what it said on one of the internet sites we read... and although franco was trying to peer into every single house, no one asked us in!

The search for happiness is purely personal
and not a model we can give to others.
The Pilgrimage

TTFN
Marian

Setenil de las Bodegas

what an amazing street... have you ever seen such a thing? that window in the house on the left opens right into the mountain!


there was a small amount of water running through this river bed... the water was running away from us, and i suppose because of where we live and where the sea is in relation to us, it seemed to be running up hill.... very strange!


ok now... a whole week gone... where to i ask??

well working backwards... today i worked till 2pm, then we ladies lunched! we tried a different restaurant today, a chinese all the way up the other end of town, the la peñita end, so long walk home for me! we had menu del dia which was 5.50€ i think, no more, which is very good. and lots of it too, a little too much for lunch, so thats it for me today food wise.

especially as i had a migrane yesterday.... lots of contributions to that i think, our car had broken down on saturday evening so i had to sort that out, went into work, then had to walk all the way back to the car which was abandoned on the outskirts of town, infact anyone coming into alhaurín on the fuengirola road would have passed our car over the weekend!

so i got to it, phoned the grua and he phoned me a couple of times as he couldnt find me! not helped by my lack of spanish especially over the phone where i can hardly speak english when my car breaks down, not sure why, always been the same, registration number and any details seem to excape me completely!

so, car on back of truck and towed.... lets see about 300 metres to the garage, yes believe me if i could have pushed it up the road a way and turned a right and a left i would have, but its all up hill!

anyway, car fixed not any great problem, apparently we shouldnt have steam cleaned the engine a few weeks back, a wire had come off, anyway its back on the road, pippa and i went to collect it this afternoon.

but, after the car business i came home and my head was pounding and all the other symptoms so off to bed, where i stayed till i got up this morning... great!

sunday we were out all day, friends wanted to see setenil, above, so they drove and we were in the back, i got a draft on my neck and lots of walking, but i got some really good photos, i will add to them tomorrow.

A threat need not provoke a response if it is not taken up. The Pilgrimage

TTFN
Marian

Doughnuts

what news do i have today? the market in la trocha is coming back end of the month, but first starting in a couple of weeks it will also be held on a wednesday actually in the mall up stairs! which is great, its to show the retail shop owners that the presence of the market traders do not effect the shops!

and if it turns out well, the wednesday market will continue along with the sunday one down stairs in the car park! muy excelente!

still no sellos in the post office, francobolli in italian...checked out the translation for that... wait till franco comes home - does he know his name is part of the word for stamp! but now in italy is there a short form for francobolli? is it bolli? now boli in spain is short for boligrafo - pen, as in biro pen!

ok now that your all very confused....

today it looks like it might rain, the forcast says showers for today and tomorrow so we shall see, its still quite warm though, high 20´s so with the cloud cover its humid again.

i came across a spanish learning course on another site yesterday and as i write i keep thinking in spanish, is this good i wonder or a sign of a migrane where my head gets all mixed up!

my mom keeps coming up with reasons for not having her trip out here at the end of the month, first her house move, now the high dental bill, but i wonder if she just does not want to travel, although i will be with her on her outward bound journey maybe she is worrying about going home alone, i am not keen on flying alone now, so maybe at nearly 80 i can understand her feelings.

well today i just seem to be rambling so time to relax now with another program on antiques and a nice milky coffee... what would go down really nice with it would be a tesco's jam doughnut! all that lovely strawbury jam inside and sticky sugar.... yummy, good thing i am not in england just now or i would be on my way down to the supermarket for a whole bag of them fresh and still warm from their bakery!

was that someones tummy i hear rumbling....?

Follow your own dreams
and take your own risks!
The Valkyries

TTFN
Marian

i came on here to write about my weekend, but first visited a friends blog, i came across this Baghdad Burning...I´ll meet you 'round the bend my friend, where hearts can heal and souls can mend if you read no more than thursday september 06, 2007, thats ok, but read it please...

and now my weekend seems a little 'nothing' really, how oblivious we are to the world around us, caught up in own small worlds except when we choose to look out side of ourselves.

for a moment.


The road to Santiago
is the road of ordinary people.
The Pilgrimage

TTFN
Marian

a few photos i took last night, above the roman columns in front of the ayuntamiento (town hall), to the right and...

here the view to the left... where this greenary bit is, i am sure used to be a way down into the tunnels, but i dont seem to know anyone else who knows this but me... so maybe i have made this up! my furtive imagination and all that!



this i actually took the evening before from our roof terrace... so beautiful isnt it... now its getting a little cooler at night the skys are becoming clearer and the heat mists rising, we can see further again....

today we had a little rain, just a few spits and spots... after work friends and i went down to fuengirola, parked at the port and had a bite of light lunch in luiz´s bar along the paseo maritimo, then we popped into the big dunnes store at the miramar area on our way back up to alhaurín...

did i mention recently we still have no stamps in the local post office? i didnt? well we dont!

also i didnt win the lottery last week! what i hear you exclaim why not, well out of the six previous weeks we won four times! not much obviously, i may have mentioned that earlier... or would i!! just a little would be nice señor lotteria angel... por favor...

i have heard my magic tablets coming from the states are on theyre way to me now... i think... no i know, i would much rather they work than all the money in the world...

God judges a tree
by its fruits and not by its roots
Manual of the warrior of light

TTFN
Marian

Tivoli World

this view above was of the tower near the bp garage on the outskirts of alhaurín el grande this morning, it was about 10am and the clouds were low of the sierra de mijas... spooky isnt it!

we were on our way down to tivoli world in torremolinos, it was the start of the sunday rastro back there, the rides were quiet and we were amongst the first in when it opened at 11am... not as many stalls there as usual, but then it may take a few weeks before people know its back...


this photo i took from the restaurant we were having breakfast it... 9.70 € for two bocadillos! scandalous! would be half that price in our town! or even at the local garden centre... we´re not tourists you know! ¡vivimos aqui! humph!

while we were sitting here the rides started up very slowly, but still seemed like a ghostly funfair... couldnt see anyone working them, just moving slowly by themselves....



then... on our way home we stopped on in mijas pueblo, and here above is part of a small army of ants... see that large leaf the chap at the top is carrying upwards! amazing isnt it!



and of course true to form i have taken a photo of the cats there are always on the roof tiles of the library.. look! tres gatos negro... three black cats!

thursday night friday morning we had a terrific storm, about 4 or 5 hours of thunder lightening and rain, the storm must have covered a large area as the thunder was on top of us and also could be heard some miles away.... not many of us slept much that night.

then friday going into work i used my para aqua... brolly... for the first time, but still its warm, so i joined the league of locals with summer clothes and umbrella held high! the rain was intermitent, but the thunder and lightening continued, for about an hour before i left the house, there were flashes of white every five or ten minutes i thought it was me! then so many of the customers said about it in the shop i knew it was just a weird storm thing going on!

between 10 and 11 a big storm came back into town, but here in alhuarín we had only rain, well at least in the town, but not so far away in coín and down to the coast they had hail stones the size of golf balls, ruining cars and breaking trees and property.

a man died in jaen, (up and to the left from granada) he was outside gardening, the hail storm hit and so suddenly he had no time to get cover and was killed! also two people left their car, maybe thinking it safer, but although the damaged car was found... they are still missing...

Each moment spent searching
is also a moment spend finding.
The Alchemist

TTFN
Marian

More Puppys

more puppys in the shop... arent they so cute! `daddy´wanted to remain anonymous!

i had a shock in the shop today... no really... a shock from a piece of equipment... hurt like crazy and i went deaf for a while, really weird feeling and took a while for my heart beat to settle again, its normally so slow so when it beats fast makes my head swim...

after getting over the migrane i had for nearly two days over monday evening through tuesday, i now feel a bit dyslexic... actually had to ask franco the right word just now, couldnt get it right to write it down never mind spell it, so i think this better be short but sweet today as i am correcting more mistakes (than usual) than i am typing what i want to say! humph!

yesterday afternoon i took a book up on the terrace to catch some sun, just realised i am going to england in a little over a month and dont even have a sun tan!! cant be having that! the amount of people that comment on my lack of a tan when i am there... i know i know... pretty sad isnt it, but i got a little sun and it was nice now sitting up there, where we cannot go in july and august because its too hot, it was about 33 or so yesterday and very nice too, but today its been really humid again, and a few drops of rain early this morning that came to nothing... i expect its holding on for barry arrival here!

To attain his dream,
the warrior of light needs a strong will
and an enormous capacity for acceptance.
Manual of the Warrior of Light

TTFN
Marian

here is a picture of my friends grand daughter krystal on the seat of their land lords cart, it looks like a picture taken a hundred years ago apart from the car and red dress of the lady walking away doesnt it?

its a sight we see a lot of here in alhaurín or even the dry river bed on the way up to here from fuengirola, and yes you can still hear donkeys braying along with the hens clucking, and then there are the men going off to work early with a bag and a pick! although the latter are usually on either a very noisy moped or an even noisier worlds smallest tractor!

just done moms shopping for her... like my mercadona delivery she has her tesco back there in merry ol´england, thats what i used to do when i lived there, but it does seem strange still seeing whats on the shelves back there, for instance moms washing up liquid with lime and ginger! i asked her was she going to wash up with it or use if for a marinade!

it also shows everything she has ever bought in the shop, because she uses her tesco points card, so i can see if she had too many naughty foods... bless her, she doesnt have big brother watching her every move she has her daughter looking into her food shopping from another continent!

still warm here today, bit cloudy but been 33c/91.4f... and i know we shall soon be moaning about the cold i guess...

Each person is different and each one will reach God
by his or her own path.
`Certainty, choice and doubt´

TTFN
Marian

well that seeeems to be the rain for now... i think! although its supposed to rain all of october, but we shall see, hope not barry is out here then! i know he prefers the weather cool but not sure torrential rain is quite the right thing for a holiday in spain for him!

the evenings are getting a little cooler now, we havent had the ceiling fan on upstairs to help us sleep for last couple of nights, although still on down stairs and it has been over 30 today here in alhaurín, the clouds were low over the town this morning coming from over the sierra de mijas, we were off to the coast and had to clean the car first as the tree we had parked under had leaked what looked like glue or latex all over it, thought it was the birds at first but nope its the sap from the trees horrible stuff that wouldnt even wash off, we will have to get some cleaner on it.

we went down to miramar on the edge of fuengirola, then to the `aki´ the do it yourself store at miramar parque for some wood, building on the terrace... then to a shoe shop for franco! then to el corte ingles... and a final stop off at the garden centre on the outskirts of alhaurín! phew was a real day out and about!

took pippa down the vets this morning she needs her front paws nails clipped, they are far too long and i dont want to risk doing them myself and going to far. we were too early so i think i will go again in the morning for her.

looks like the date of october 21st is still on for the return on the trocha market in coín on that sunday, no other venue in the mean time.

had our mercadona delivery yesterday, i will take a photo of him one day... ok! just feels a bit weird asking him to pose for me!

We are all masters of our own destinies.
Brida

TTFN
Marian

The rain in spain falls at last in Alhaurín el grande

photos tony took when he was here in may last year, always a fantastic sight to be seen here in alhaurín of the may parade at night... we were standing on the wall of these steps and got caught...

we had no where to go and no means of escape and so stayed put and had these bands men playing right here where we were!

**********************************

rained last night for a little while and this morning a little more, although on my way into town and back i didnt need my brolly, so we have at last had a little rain, it cleared the air a little but in work it felt just as warm.

i mistakenly wore a shirt today, not even short sleeved just capped sleeve, but was too hot, for some reason i saw rain and thought coooooooooool! bit of a throw back from living in england where rain means cool most of the time, and shade isnt just out of the sun but out of the heat too!

so now we may not need to water the plants today but they are filthy dirty all sploshed with reddy brown dirt, cars the same and of course all the paint work everywhere!

franco negotiated lots of bad drivers this morning going down the fuengirola road from here, we all know that when it rains after a long hot spell the roads are oily and greasy and far from safe, but as usual the people coming out of alhaurín drove just the same normal mad crazy way, over taking at every turn and bend and so passing my franco taking his time as he does, he came across them soon in pile ups all the way down the road! crashed into eachother and into the deep gullys by the side of the road, not helping was a truck that just couldnt get up the road on a certain famous bend, load to heavy road to steep with a bad camber and he couldnt make it, so overtaking cars coming up the road were overtaking on a blind right hand bend and... of course... meeting with the cars coming down at high speed!

police were there already and thanked franco for helping some of the drivers out of their cars, so serious injurys... today!

(still no stamps in the post office)

A task is only complete when the objective has been achieved.
The Alchemist

TTFN
Marian

Rain? Nope it was just kidding!

above photo... ronda

well we still have no stamps in alhaurín... do you believe this, how can a post office have no stamps, i guess by now no where in town has them as we are seeing people we dont normally see in the shop hunting them down!


above photo restaurant in ronda!

today we were ladies that lunch back in the vinateca again in c/gerald brennan, had gambas pil pil, salmon main course and chocolate desert, very nice, it can be a bit slow in there sometimes and by the time we finish eating its usually about 430! so more an early dinner than a late lunch, i think!?! we were about about 20 or so today and always sit in a long table at the bottom of the restaurant, i think they like to keep us hidden out of the way! we dont make any trouble... honest!

mi amiga is back in the shop now, thank goodness, although she was away this morning restocking our card supply which was looking a bit sad, well we are all full up now, just a bit of stationary etc to do now to get our shelves back on track.

oh... we had a bit of rain last night! well a few drops, thought it was going to pour down but even a towel out the back didnt get damp! there was some thunder and lightening coming over from the direction of marbella... today has been a bit cloudy but up until this evening wasnt too bad, now it looks like we could get some real rain... its forcast so we shall see...

Courage is the great virtue
of those who seek the spiritual path.
The Valkyries

TTFN
Marian

The BBC in Alhaurín el Grande

here we were at the alhaurín auction room this evening, here on the left is the guy from the tv, do you recognise him? those of you from the UK?

here he is towards the end of the auction doing his bit at the auctioneers platform.... trying to up the bids and do a good job!


there were lots of people there, we were intending to go anyway, but when we saw they were going to be filming we couldnt miss it! i think lots of other people thought the same thing!

did seem strange with all the cameras, although you soon forgot about them till you looked right at one and thought.... oh we´re being watched!

there were a few people who kept their heads down and shades on, you know, the ones out here in hiding.... just kidding....

afterwards franco and i ate out at the Rialto, an italian restaurant, no really! its really good there, the food is always excellant, the service very good and friendly, its up c/gerald brennan, sort of opposite super sol.

mi amiga is back at work tomorrow, cant wait to hear all her news of canada, and of course, just to have her back...

The most important experiences we can have are
those that take us to the very limit.
That is the only way we learn,
because it requires all our courage.

TTFN
Marian

turns out the young lady from yesterday with the baby was only 14, a child herself really in terms of giving birth and motherhood... etc

and also yesterday two men died in alhaurín not of natural causes, one poor man on a building site was under the path of the big cement block that usually balances a crane, when it came hurtling down to earth, and another man in a motor bike accident...

now on a lighter note... i also meant to tell you something unbelievable... our post office has run out of stamps!!! yes a bit like a bank out of money, a post office with NO stamps... how can this be? we sell stamps in the shop, buy in the correo and sell on to people not wishing to spend a morning down there etc, just a small thing to make life easier, but we were refused the full amount early on in the week that seemed strange, but then on asking again... no we have none!

post can be franked and sent with no problem of course from there only... and with sundays papers coming two days late, what more could be wished for...

mi amiga is on her way back from canada now, her and her sons journey via england and then home to spain, she will back into work on friday! me when i journey from the states back here takes me about 2 or 3 days to recover from jet lag, although permantly living 9 hours ahead of myself (where i was born i mean!) as i do now could explain a lot of things indeed!

A warrior of light
shares his world with the people he loves.

TTFN
Marian

el bebé a bordo

view from the bp garage at the moreno roundabout at the top of alhaurín el grande, see the roads begining to appear where the diggers have begun their destructive work...

and this little chap i took the photo of at the garden centre on the road down to fuengirola, there are quite a few of these and lots of ducks in a beautiful pond with a waterfall...

this a view of olvera taken from the church at the top of the town, i thought alhaurín was steep, its got nothing on this hillside town, i dont think there exists a street thats flat anywhere is the old section at least!

i wonder if i have already put these photos on my blog, i must get some new ones, every day i think to take photos but always feel a bit of a tourist when i get my camera out!

in the shop today... the paper man brought sundays papers...

and in town... a girl had a baby, yes literally... poor young girl had a baby and they were still attached when the ambulance came!

the words above bebé a bordo... i used to have in our car in england, you know something i brought back from my holidays here when i had to go back... i was going to write bebe abordo, but thought i better check that out first, glad i did, instead of saying "baby aboard" which i wanted i would have said... "it drinks i undertake"... how close the words how different the meaning.

and today i had felt i was doing so well with mi español, one couple in the shop hearing me speak to the previous spanish customer thought i was spanish!

Emotions are wild horses...

TTFN
Marian

i am exhausted... wish this weather would break, just a little rain would be good, at night would be good too, just to cool things down a little. still no rain inland here at all, was bit cloudy down on the coast over the weekend, and seems storms are forcast for the weekend about here, so we will see.

coming home from work on saturday was a very strange first experience, the sky was blue, clouds were grey on the horizon, but all the way home so for about ten minutes i guess, it felt
like i was walking along near a car wash! felt like over spray... very strange!

although we, i, shouldnt complain, the poor people in greece, all the dead and the loss of homes and land, one couple were found in their home in an embrace, unable to save themselves, and another woman and her children died in their car trying to flee the flames, but had they stayed in their home, the fire didnt touch any in the town at all!


this week is quite quiet in town, lots of shops closed, still bar rosa is shut for holidays, so the very hub of the town is not there, its where we all meet up and everyone is wandering around feeling lost and not sure where to go meet their friends, and of course on wednesday the bar to our left is shut and so with the empty bar seems a very quiet place with just our shop there, well and the realestate offices and the lotteria of course!

three of our customers are on their way back to england in the next couple of weeks... wish them well and we will miss them...

poor pippa has been suffering the last couple of weeks, no way can i walk her in the morning and then spend the next six hours on my feet, so she is lucky if she gets a walk around in the evening, poor little thing, i suppose having three levels in our house gives her a good run, but she will be glad when its back to normal in a couple of weeks.

i have skipped a couple of my tablets the last couple of days, the farmacia is shut on my way in and shut on my way home... and now i am suffering, these are ones to keep my tummy safe from the strong anti inflamatories, it meant today i havent really eaten much.... yet... so i had better get some dinner on and try and eat, eating is ok, its the aches and pains that follow 12 hours later i cant do
...

ok amigos adios for now...

All the world needs
are examples of people
capable of living out their dreams
and fighting for their ideas...

TTFN
Marian

Floods

sorry about the photo above not too good and `borrowed' from the sur in english, thank you sirs! when franco came home early from work due to the months rain in 20 minutes this is what he was in! amazing isnt it, its says here.... "more than 40 litres per square metre pouring down in the space of an hour.... very unusual for august" well this could be because franco´s sister is out this weekend, and more often than not it rains when she is here! oh maria!!



and this little darling above came into the shop the other day, i have heard of chicken in a basket, but never puppy in a basket! how sweet...

been a long busy week, just heard my friend hasnt received any of my emails while she is away in canada, and is wondering if everything is ok!

of course of course.... por supuesto amiga...

Only one thing makes a dream impossible,
the fear of failure...

TTFN
Marian

i would say where has this week gone since i last blogged, a whole week? but i have been helping my friend out while she is away, so not been home till about 3 pm every day, including saturday, and so tired, yesterday i came home, got a bad head to add to the bad neck bad back and aching hips took them all to bed and got up at mid night? slightly at a loss as to where the evening had gone, had a yoghurt and went back to bed again.

its been so hot at night, hotter than normal i am sure for this time of the year, and these last few days so humid, franco came home early from work today as he was rained off, and he thought we would be flooded out up here too, but no rain in alhaurín today, it was torential down on the coast at calahonda and la cala de mijas, impassable in places and lots of accidents on the greasy roads.

this last week with franco on hols, he has been getting dinner ready for me thank goodness, i have been useless after getting home!

sunday we went to la trocha, but the shops are now closed there too on sundays, so no market and no shops, even the restaurants were not open yet!

we went to the garden centre for coffee instead, where i saw so many people i knew it was like a week day!

barry, oldest son, has booked his flight, yipee, he is over when franco is away in october, infact i can take franco to departures, see him off and walk round to arrivals where barry will be arriving! as long as both flights are on time i suppose!

ok folks sorry i am all done in now, my fingers ache so i am off to rest, seems the mornings are coming round much faster these days, and we have not even walked pippa yet today...

Love cannot exist in peace,
It will always come accompaned by agonies,
ecstasies, intense joys and profound sadnesses...

TTFN
Marian

Girls day out!

well here we are, down in fuengirola... aint she cute there above, hair so short we didnt think the clip would hold, but hold it did!



and what a sight we are no? looked like a hen night group gone terrible wrong and still out in broad daylight!

oh well we were having fun and harming no one, stone cold sober and making people smile...

the band is playing now, so we´re off out...

and by the way please remind me next year no star gazing, i have been suffering now for three days with a bad head and my neck is unmovable!

Warriors of light always keep a certain gleam in their eyes.

TTFN
Marian

Fuengirola

yesterday friends and i went down to fuengirola by bus to be noisey! well we were, we wanted to check out where friend is moving to this week, leaving us inlanders becoming a beach babe! we arrived in good time and had a coffee, then back to get a cab to take us there, seemed to take ages and didnt have a clue where we were going to end up, i will have to have a look on google map after this so i can check it out again.

she is moving to los boliches end of town, and seems very near to the benalmadina area, hopefully i will be able to find a good way of getting there by car, i think i have an idea how, just need to see it on the map.

the apartment is very nice, fairly new, and very very different from her very old house she is moving from, she wanted to be nearer the sea, and all the things that make living on the coast so different from living in land.

after we had the checked the place out we made our way back into fuengirola, some walk, but she wont have to do it if she doesnt want to, the area where she is moving to, and los boliches itself of course, is a good community with all the things you need... a small town all in its self.

we stopped in a bar along the beach and sat at a table in the shade right on the beach, we shared sardines fresh off the beach, above photo showing them being cooked next to the restaurant, the heat waves reaching up and making those people look all wobbly!!!

we had salad and bread and some cool drinks, the table to our right was getting fuller and fuller as a huge spanish family came off the beach, and the waitress´s triend to clear our table before we had even finished eating! that i didnt like, up inland, you can take as long as you want, only one group at a table and they dont rush you to fill it up again! and having our plates taken before we had all finished was only annoying and made us stay longer... we had more drinks!

then we carried on our merry way, into the town centre, we were in holiday spirit, dispite the above, and we ended up wearing flower leis, just like the hawaiian ones! and a clip on flower in our hair... ok ok i hear ya´ll laughing now, well you should have seen us!

you could if i posted the photos! i´ll check first and will do... maybe !

when we ready to get the bus home i talked to franco said adios to the others, i walked along to the miramar and met him in there... what a lot of walking, cant believe i did it, but i do today, big time, never mind had a great day...


lil purdy cat above is a friends kitten... aint he sweet, basking in the sun...

today, we went up to the garden centre with pippa, bought a climbing plant, to hopefully make its way up the rock face behind the house!

oh i almost forgot, stayed up late last night to look out for the shooting stars... san lorenzo again... see last years entry for him...

franco was watching tv, he fell asleep, but then so did i! up on the terrace laying down on the floor! just on some chair cushions... but the only way i could look up easily skywards! my neck was hurting from leaning back, so maybe thats also why it hurts so much now....

more luck tonight i hope, staying awake and seeing them too! few more nights i think we have a good chance of seeing the amazing things.

Do not try to explain feelings.
Live everything intensely
and treasure what you feel as a gift from God.

TTFN
Marian

the lakes are not this full at the moment! although they are higher than normal for this time of the year, due i guess to all the rain we had in april!

now what i have been meaning to tell you for a week now, the road up from the coast, down to fuengirola is going to be worked on! totally, not just the usual suspects, those recurring pot holes! its is going to be widened where it can be, to make those dangerous curves safer i hope, the works are going to start shortly.... (?) and will take 18 months mas or menos!

so when its done its going to be fantastico si!

still hot in these parts, 35 in the shade on the terrace today... stopped at bar rosa and had pil pil today with garlic bread, very nice thank you amigas! just what i needed just when i needed it!

yesterday i drove down to get franco from work and i think i havent driven the car since maria was out here back in june! seems strange not driving for so long, never thought the day would come where i wasnt driving every day... bit like the days i couldnt see myself not going clubbing... and i mean dancing by clubbing folks! but those days are long gone... and different ones are here now... ones i didnt expect and so much better!

The warrior of light
plunges unhesitatingly into the river of passions
ever flowing through his life...

(and as usual paulo coelho´words are spot on!)

TTFN
Marian

as you can see we survived the lakes! the first trip out was a bit scary, well for me, i was all brave and excited all week, then got out there in the middle of the second lake and the wind was blowing, the waves... yes there were waves, and a strong undercurrent, we were paddling like crazy against the wind and waves whichever way we went! so the first time i got a bit freaked out... but we got back off the boat, and walked ashore, i went back in on foot to test out my life-jacket! lol... i was walking out slowing putting one foot tentativly out infront as i know the land drops away very suddenly at the lakes... when thats exactly what happened and i was screaming and flapping about like a crazy thing! then remembered i did have a life-jacket on of course! steadied myself, because it was still only chest deep really i had just panicked... i relaxed and leaned back into the water and it held me ok... till i came across some spiky twig things and started scrabling about all over again! hope no one got all then of video!

anyway after that i didnt want to stop... so we did four tours of the lake the final one going into another lake and seeing what was up there! it was a great day, the sun was hidden most of the day by some fluffy clouds and although we had both put sun screen on franco got badly burned, especially his ankles and chins. on our way back we stopped in cartama for coffee and tapas, and then passed and drove back to an ice cream parlor for a huge dish of beautiful cool ice cream!!!

i expected to be in agony sunday, but saturday evening, still no sky tv, we went out with pippa walking, did a big trip up to calle blas enfante, and continued all the way way and down into the centre of town and bar rosa roundabout, we stopped for coffee at bar chaplin and then home!

my arm muscles ached, but good ache, my shoulders were a bit tender, but not too bad and my hips i suppose were fine because i was sitting straight out, not sure, but not more than happy about that.



now photos here... top one is the fountain i have mentioned before, its at the top, well what was the top of riviera del sol, its now at the approach of the tunnel that takes you under the toll road to the huge area of apartments now on the other side of that road too!

the photo cannot really show the exact size of the thing, maybe four or five cars in length... its amazing though the water comes up out of her mouth!

and the photo above is the view of los olivos taken from the road coming down from the toll road into calahonda.

yesterday as we couldnt get the grandprix on our tv, we went down to the beach apartment and we getting ready to watch it there when the box froze! we left it a while and took pippa for a walk along the beach to a bar, had coffee and water, for pip, came back but no good, so back home again!

we turned the aerial so we could get our spanish freeview box to work and watched tv on that for the remainder of the day, even got the chelsea-manchester united match on that! and loads of american sit coms and movies all evening! in english!!!

It is not explanations that carry us forward,
but our will to go on...

TTFN
Marian

El Chorro and the lakes

well tomorrow we´re going up to the lakes on our little boat, blow up boat thing this is! i have all our stuff ready, cool things in the freezer cooling... towels, water shoes, sun screen of course, most importantly my life jacket, i just said to franco should i wear it all the time, he said no i dont think you will need it in the car! ha ha funny man!

we´re going to leave early enough not to be out when its real hot i guess... and i suppose fingers crossed then for the day! neither of us can swim, we´re not taking pippa, who is the only one who can, or at least we guess she could doggy paddle if she had to eh!

and i´ll tell all soon! probably on sunday when we have gone port out and starboard home...

TTFN
Marian