Today is an important day for a very good friend of mine, she woke up to the news that her brother had passed..

I, in work, far from home, woke up to the news Pippa had passed..

Certain days have a pin dropped, sticking them forever in our hearts and minds at that very moment, and those moments stay where they are forever, and we have no choice but to move forward from there..

We we can't stay where we've dropped our pin, we have to keep on and the days turn into weeks, to months and into years.

And that pin that was dropped was four years ago and it seems an impossible amount of time has already has passed, and when we reach those dates sometimes we feel that it was but yesterday.

M.

My birthday cake for today from dear friends...

I got it home in one piece, mostly unmelted, very soon though in the kitchen it started to! Badly! So I quickly sliced it up, and half of it is in the freezer in small slivers! 

I didn't freeze the fruit.. later this evening I shall consume my first slice! 

We met up this morning in a pastelería, wonderful cake store; sat outside under their veranda and drank coffee and food was eaten.. conversation flowed, as always...

Cards and a present.. I am a very lucky girl... Not sure how I got to be 65? 

That's not even a real number is it? 

Surely not! I'm still me, still the same girl, looking out through my same eyes in awe and wonder most of the time.. still wondering what my mission is? Or did I complete it already?

Out again later for dinner, different dress! No driving though, so I shall partake of a small beverage!

There's a loose thread in the world... This was on something I was watching yesterday.. I like it, a loose thread in the world... 

My kind of thought process..

Thank you all for being in my life, sharing good and bad and nothing-much-days, for listening to me while I chatter away to you all... 

If I am next to you you can zone out... I guess if you're reading me? Not so easy! Ha!

M.

Two quotes today, just because I can!

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.

Alan Watts - 1915-1973 - Writer

And...

Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.

Guy Finley - Writer-Philosopher-Spiritual Teacher

 

I read very varied and diverse things! Surprise surprise! I save way too much much on my phone then have to read it all in blocks when I have time; I delete and forget! Well, maybe some sticks in those places in our brains where useless information goes to be suddenly spoken of when least needed! 

This! The earth's core which was turned in X amount of velocity in one direction, has changed speed and actually reversed it's direction now!! 

It does of course rotate independently of our planet! Or I think we might have noticed, dramatically one day as our gravity would surely have changed! Never mind the rest of other possibilities!! I better put link here now! 

The core is roughly 5,180 kilometres away from us.. I needed to get in head what distance that would be like from me, hence the map above!

Now! I need to get up and have my brekky!

Bit heavy for a Sunday morning! 

And later this evening Spain v England footy!

M.

Follow your bliss and don't be afraid and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.

Joseph Campbell - 1904-1987 - Writer-Professor

 

I made jelly, again!

Chatting to a friend just now ...

I said the common phrase for us lucky to live, I said 'another day in paradise.'

Of course it doesn't always feel like that, and most commonly said sarcastically! 

But where is paradise? It really isn't a place is it? It's how we feel, wherever we feel our bliss, our happiness, all our very different paradises! 

Why sometime we find to hard to believe someone isn't happy when we see their beautiful home, their full wallets or bright shiny cars..

Yet, if they're not happy, it's nothing to them, and things don't make people happy in their hearts not true happiness.. 

Or does it? Not for me any way, although maybe I've just never had that so don't have a clue what I'm talking about! 

Outsides J's off to work, another good day ahead, tiring and full of awkward customers! 

Some that is, but all the nice ones too!

M.

Saturday morning having early morning coffee in town before heading to the coast.. and had a Stephen King moment! Expected Pennywise the clown to be nearby! 

Still, I made it down to Calahonda and the beach with J. we got good beach beds in the back line.. there was a strong breeze blowing and sand in the air... looked like a desert storm!

Unbeknownst to us we were joined by a customers family, so that was nice..

We left the beds about four and walked along to Andy's Bar and found some high chairs near the stage and settled in for a good couple of hours with Zac Black and Bruno, absolutely wonderful, took a bit for me to to get up and dance, but eventually I did! 

Was an absolutely beautiful day.. over-did the sun, under-did the suntan lotion, probably not enough fluids either, but a really lovely day.. I got home about eight or half past... Needed to strip my Aloe Vera plant before I went to bed!

Every now and then I think on a pen pal I used to have, his name was Eugene Kumar, from Singapore, we wrote for about fifteen years...

As well as the many letters over the years, he also sent cards and gifts for me and the boys...

We make so many friends along our path of life, many, if we are lucky, we get to keep, forever.. 

Some pass through and then, they're gone.. they come in like the old saying goes for a reason or a season .. something like that.... To help us through our lives or us to help them through theirs...

I'm still friends with school friends, some go back to when I was only four! 

And some, like Eugene, gone, completely...

Today now, Monday, met up with a friend not seen for sixteen years! The third this year, of friends not seen for far too long. So good to see her, I used to work for her here in town, time goes too fast, always reminded of this, every day now it seems... 

And this! Figs! WoW, did not know all of this! Especially the wasp bit! 

Figs are pollinated by fig wasps, they're really a flower, grown in on itself really, and the wasp enters to pollinate, and dies inside! It is absorbed by the fig!

Still my favourite fruit! Flower??? Yes!

Only now I feel like I also enjoy eating wasps!!

M.

Where have I been? 

Had Sunday lunch out at a restaurante in nearby Coín..

Been in town and had many coffees! Spent some quality time with good friends ..

Worked Saturday, but always good on a Saturday, different set of customers, and lots of tourists already heading in.. for good and bad.. 

I've finished the licorice tablets I was taking for my stomach, it feels so so now... Which is better than the agony I was in for so long ...

So I will take it easy, try not to eat too many fatty or sugary foods, just try to be careful any way, it's all I can for now, until I go back for a check-up.

It is better, but my better isn't someone else's, like my sleep, my better sleep is waking up about twenty times and falling back to sleep each time..

And I know, at least I'm sure... That isn't what is normally classed as better sleep!

Same with my stomach I suppose, but it's better than it was which if it's as good as it gets? It is better.

I had, still, two parts of my old sofa to get to the bins.. neighbor suggested I dismantle one piece more, which I did, and then I used the other bit for a headboard! 

Today at last I took the rubbish and two gas cans from near my front door and got two new cans and dumped the trash!

Looks very empty now! 

There is one more piece to go, it is so big and so in the way, but I have already stopped seeing it!

Can't find another use for it either, yet!

Went to Estepona Sunday morning, nice ride out and back.. before lunch.

M. 

Some people are fools

Some people are made fools of

Photographs taken at Plaza Alta at the end of my street..

I have been having a bit of a spooky witchy odd time recently, last week I came home to find the world's largest cockroach, well probably not largest ever but quite a big one!

And had a little bit of fight to get him out of the house but I managed okay, squirting him outside in the street with suntan lotion, and then at last some roach spray when I managed to get into the house with him trying to get back in with me, or her of course!

In work I was telling J. about it and we turned around and there was a cockroach! bizarre!

Then also the other night I turned off the TV and I was just scrolling through Instagram before going to bed, I yawned as I was scrolling through and the very next picture that came up on Instagram was a tattoo of someone yawning!! Yawning fine, tattoo of someone yawning!! Whoa! Weird!! 

I was having coffee with a friend in town, and I went into the lottery shop with him, I said I'll help you carry your winnings out and he won! only 4 Euro 66 but he did win!

Above photograph taken at the other end of my street..

Yesterday out on the bike we talked about where we would stop for a coffee on the way back and I said let's go to France! We continued our journey, and a car overtook us, unusually, it overtook us and then two or three minutes later it turned off and it was a French car French number plate.

Reason I'd said that was of course because I just wanted to keep going, as always...

These weird things have been happening so much recently, I don't dare say some stuff in case it happens! 

I had a wonderful beach morning Saturday, drove down to work, had unintentionally brought home something needed! I had mentioned the previous day that I must be careful not to take it home! 

I then walked along to Cabopino from work, sat on the beach for a couple of hours, was lovely... Nice breeze and I read and relaxed .. a good morning..

Waiting on my passport now .. 

M.

Always so many coincidences in life.. at work today taking about two things and twice they appeared! 

Watching Desde la Mañana now, dubbed in English, apologies! 

It is June 18th today, and they mentioned the summer solstice and she looked on the calender, marking June 21st, and she said well today the 18th, we have three days! 

Very very strange coincidence!! 

My third Blog post today! Don't expect this very often! 

The first two posted outside Jo's home, and then my other colleague messaged to say I was in the wrong place! So funny! I was in the wrong place!! Trust me eh! I was listening to that depressing song and going wrong! 

Coming home the traffic was bad so I took the Rivera route, then found the road closed! Took me an extra fifteen minutes to get back to where I wanted to be, and no traffic! 

The photograph, me my shadow this morning on the way to my car..

M.

You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be.

Marianne Williamson - Author

It's not very easy to change the way we think is it? If we could do that, a new way to be would come very easily also.. 

Last night on my drive home the main road going up to Alhaurín,  a huge truck had come off on a bend, it was on its side just like about a year ago actually, so we were able to come past it mainly because he was almost off the mountainside! This morning the truck had gone but still the signs and the broken concrete which was only renewed last year. 

Yesterday morning waiting for J. to come out of his house I decided it was time to switch my CD, I took out the disco hits of the 80s and put on David Blunt, I love his music but sometimes it brings me down and this morning a track came on just as I was leaving the village, and I pressed replay all the way down to the coast! 

So now my sports not raised, but dashed into the rocks and broken and torn..

Forgot to publish yesterdays post, so this is a double whammy today! 

M.

"I've noticed before that if you go too long without anyone seeing you, really seeing you, it's easy to start wondering if you're really there."

Maggie Mitchell

Busy few days off, Friday getting my new passport, running around like a headless chicken for two hours, but all complete now!

Saturday helped friends who has a water filter leak in the night, although leak isn't enough of an explanation! Small flood would better describe it! Mopping for a couple of hours, but luckily it's summer and with doors and windows open the warmth helped dry the doors and everything we put outside...

Yesterday was a bit more restful, so a headache I had instead.. back to the old fix though, a can of coke with some sugar!! 

Out in the evening with friends celebrating Father's Day.. and learnt that one was born near my younger son's, and another born where my boys and I used to live! 

The world becomes smaller the older we get! 

I am now writing in the car awaiting my colleague and I'm cooking in here already! 

M.

I wouldn't usually have such a big poem, or words from someone else, but three times this has come into my Facebook feed..

So even if it is just an algorithm and its task is only set to repeat, maybe in a tiny way its task is to make me listen... 

“Each second, I am one second closer to leaving this planet.

And so, I will

look at everything always

with wonder,

as though I am 

seeing it for either

the first or the last time.

And I will choose to live in such a way,

that if this were my last second, I could die in peace

for I am proud of who I am

and let my final second show

how I have grown

and who I have become.” 

Words by Tahlia Hunter 

Well this dream has to be posted and now before I forget...

So I was having a dream where I was with a group of friends,.and we were already hiding or running from somebody, the business that we work for suddenly shut down for some reason we were having to hide... and then I was on my own on top of a hill or mound that was smoking slightly, and lots of rocks.

Two skeletons were coming towards me, one smaller one on my right and a really large skeleton on my left my only means of protection was a golf club, but without the club bit on! so it was just a long metal stick really! I don't know what I thought I could do with it? poke them with it!? 

When the big one got to me.. I was terrified but then he suddenly communicated to me without words that he was there to help me, and to direct me and so he pointed a long skeletal arm in the direction for me to look at, and told me mentally that's where I had to go! so off I went and when I got there it was like a hospital type place, and there were two other people in there, and one of them pointed out to me that I'd lost some toes on my right foot and some fingers on my right hand and then my alarm went off! 

Meanings: loss, vulnerability, regrets, mistakes, lack of perseverance to move ahead, are just a few with regards to skeletons and loss of toes..

WoW! That was some dream to wake up to!! 

Photographs taken a couple of weeks ago up at Ardales, still the water level is incredibly low, plants are now being watered publicly, so things must be a little better, but the evidence here is to the contrary... 

M.

A smile is happiness you'll find right under your nose.

Tom Wilson - Actor-Comedian

I have to vent about a customer yesterday, we have some really lovely customers, so lovely they bring us coffees and cakes and really care about us ..

Some others, not so much; then there are the ones with a real sting in their tail.. 

Yesterday, woman walks up to the till, she speaks to me in such awful Spanish I can't understand her and said 'if you like we can speak English'.. as she was British.. 

That was my first strike X

She said she wanted to make two separate purchases, and pay with card... 

I said no problem, I put the first item through the till and she used her credit card; it said denied!

My second strike X 

She said okay I'll pay for both items together, it came to 5:15 and she said I'll pay €5 cash and 15 cents on my card!! 

I refused the 5 euro note because it had been torn and badly stuck together it would not have been accepted by our cash machine..

My third strike X

And then a man with the woman gave me a 10 Euro note which I rung into the till and gave her the changes.

She said I wanted to pay 15 cents on my card! Its not that difficult! 

I was speechless! And that takes a lot!!

Now! What else have I been doing! 

Mmm La Trocha mal a few times, down town of course! Seeing friends, coffees and food out...

Chinese in Alhaurín Sunday lunch, and Chinese down at Benalmádena on Monday lunchtime.. 

Drop of rain today which hardly had a chance to fall without drying up, rained the other morning too... But hardly!

I've a new old sofa, so very comfortable now down here in my also new old living room.. 

Just need a needle and creamy coloured thread to do a little repair and job done! 

I'm tired! But happy.. I do wish I could pick up my house and move it down to the beach though! 

Every day is great in the store, regardless of above occurrence! 

Keeps my mind busy, problem solving every day and so many people, and best my work colleagues! 

M.

In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer - 1906-1945 - German Protestant Theologian

 

What's been happening!! 

Friday late afternoon in Cabopino, had a coffee and watched the world go by.. 

Bag purchased from lookie lookie guy, I can count on one hand the items I have bought from them over the decades .. luckily! 

Stayed over, and Saturday was work, but in the evening I walked down to Playa Luna Beach, it was almost closed so continued onto the definitely closed Bar Dunas, sent a photograph to friend I was staying with and she called to say her and her fella were down in Cabopino.. I was almost there, to join them for a drink before dinner.. 

So I did just that! Walked through the port and out the other side to reach them.. had a vaso de vino tinto and walked back ..

It was deserted along the boardwalk.. which was both nice and slightly creepy at the same time! 

Sunday was stock taking and the end of another week .. Soon be halfway through the year... again!

M.

If you start now you will start seeing the result one day earlier than if you wait until tomorrow.

Unknown

Sat here in departures.. 

I wrote two paragraphs of this on Facebook, but way too much information! For having a meltdown!

I got in a strop at baggage drop off first .. when a whole bunch of people thought they'd skip a line we'd all been waiting in for an hour (okay ten minutes!), still!! And yes, very embarrassing I said my thoughts out loud! 

Best bit was skipping through Fast Track! Oh yes!! The very best, although I did have to point out two empty bays for security to the family in front of me who were just standing and staring.. and then once those plastic trays are through I couldn't even get to mine as everyone emptying out theirs on the line...

I pointed out the bays for that very purpose!

I am so bad! 

This is what comes of flying twenty or more times a year for six years!

Patience? Who? No not me!

And that's better.. vented.. 

For your reading pleasure! 

Bet you're all glad you're not sat next to me, or my 'phone a friend.'

M.

Last day in England, another gloriously warm day, been so lucky! 

Didn't get to see the Borealis, but that's okay, I'm a meteor girl... 

More about the stars for me.. 

Some more photographs from Whipsnade Zoo on Friday, a pair of flamingos that became even closer just after this! 

Not an X-rated Blog so, keeping it clean! 

Then the lions.. two females laying down and him, tearing up a piece of meat, appeared to be legs and hoofs of another creature.. but didn't want to look to closely or think too deeply about that! 

Above mom and baby, white Rhinos .. 

And above gorgeous parrots... There were four red and yellows, and I think four amazing blue color Parrots.. stunning!

These followed the eagles, kookaburras three of them.. and a couple of others.. I have forgotten what which! 

Yesterday we went to Stevenage, and M&S at a retail park and then home... Lots of walking and scooting, by babe, not me, this time!

And today we've been to the bakery and home, sat out in the garden enjoying the beautiful day..s

Just reread, always errors.. spell check is a wonderous thing! 

Apparently called spelling because words were for actual spells! Probably more for story's or telling stories!

We should be careful what we say, our words are very powerful and most times we don't consider their strength.. 

M.

Colors are brighter when the mind is open.

Adriana Alarcon - Author

Whipsnade Zoo

Visited Whipsnade Zoo today, after nursery.. Was a wonderful visit as always, it was 2011 the last time I was there... 

And oddly May 11 2008 came up in my memories this morning! 

From a quick look I thought I'd caught the steam from the engine above as it existed the funnel, but it isn't! It's a break in the trees! Optical illusion eh!

Caught this ferret having a nose out of this pipe! So cute!

I didn't seem to take any good photographs today, took lots of goats, and giraffes!

All extremely tired..

Wanted to talk about last evening, like I'm going to forget it..

I'm not but just in case! 

Went to eat at a lovely pub about ten minutes from here, very nice pub, french cuisine, ate there last time I was here, back in October last year..

We were chatting to the owner and waitress..

Oh! Nearly forgot, we walked in discussing what drinks we wanted and lo and behold on the bar.. our two drinks! 

But they were for someone else, but still strange, not maybe two drinks one would normal put together even!

So we, chatting to owner and waitress, we moved seats and it was almost like being with friends more than a restaurant!

She came out and said something about the strong garlic smell and that they were cooking frogs legs! 

I hadn't had them in over twenty years! And my friend, never, so we shared a plate of them! Very very nice... 

Then second course chicken and third I knew what I wanted.. an amazing nougat with glace fruits in a beautiful custard..

My friends dessert was Crepe Suzette, and we enjoyed the performance and theatre of them being prepared at our table..

All evening we talked and laughed with them, and when we came around to pay, the people whose drinks we had shared the same tastes as were sat there now, having come in from outside..

And one of them told me I had an amazing energy around me, have I said that right? Not some spooky thing, he meant, said I had a good energy! 

I guess they had been listening, to my rather loud voice lols.. and the over all conversations going on the whole evening..

It was a nice compliment, made me feel better.. you know.. Sometimes we need a boost, and I'm taking that! 

We forget how we are.. and I always used to be that bubbly live wire ... Lost my spark...

And I've not been feeling that for a while now..

Not meaning to sound weird about this.. 

Do you know know what I mean? 

M.

The power of imagination makes us infinite.

John Muir - 1838-1914 - Author

The bakers near my son's... Always a craving for jam doughnuts and iced buns! 

Trouble is for me at the moment, these items should be far and few between for me! 

Took the above photograph the other weekend down on the coast.. 

My son's Lego, now back in the UK... It's an original from 60's or 70's but the box is still in Spain.. I carried it over in my hold case.. it was mostly all that was in the hold case! 

And going back light, although I have for the first time booked Fast Track, Stansted airport security sends me loopy, and I can't just put myself through that again... It is beyond disorganised chaos! 

M.

Sometimes the universe throws you a rope

Bill Hodges

May the 4th (be with you)

Should have been lots of photographs..

But! I was trapped in the car park, well, not me just my car.. the rockets had started at 22:00 Sunday evening, repeated again Monday and Tuesday evenings, same time...

Then yesterday full force dozens of them repeatedly, the band, the people, always a huge procession for Día de la Cruz, also yesterday of course, Romería, May 1st, workers day.

It was still going on when I went to sleep last night well gone eleven, and began again this morning at 8:00 I was rescuing my car and moving her to the big car park...

They'll be no parking for me after work tomorrow that's for sure! Or for anyone, car park has to emptied and won't open again until festivities end at 04:00 

Great, just in time for my taxi to collect me! 

And I am also thinking not much sleep for me tomorrow night, even though I need to be asleep as soon as I can, maybe 8pm, is it the fireworks tomorrow! I don't think so, I think that's for the feria at the end of the month! 

I can feel an Airbnb visit approaching next year!??

It's not just us humans who suffer throughout this rocket fire, it's worse for the animals, Pippa used to run and hide in the bathroom from the first giveaway whoosh those things make before the bang... She would shake, be sick... It was awful..

I know the parade's are tradicional, and it's good, so many countries have lost their own traditions, but the rockets? They are to call people to action, to wake people up! But we have alarms now, phones, alarm clocks... 

Still, it's not my country, not my place to complain about centuries old traditions and a huge reason why I love this country.

Well, turned out the fireworks were on last night, still feels like tonight!

It's 5:49, I'm at the departure gate, and had not much sleep at all! 

I managed to park okay, in the big carpark, ten minutes away... Lug my bags down and shower and get to bed about 8pm, had a cup of mint tea for my sore stomach..very very bad! 

I can't eat what I ate again, or at least for a longer time, three months wasn't long enough! 

Felt so sick all day, struggled to eat my lunch.. I made myself eat a bit of porridge this morning as I'd not eaten since then.. 

By nine I'd turned off TV and Kindle, eyes closed a Nothing Much Happens pod cast on and bang! Bang bang bang about twenty rockets from behind the house..

Then I could follow the course of the band by the direction of the music as it paraded around the church and these narrow streets..

More rocket fire again and again ..

I had shut the both bedroom doors to give me a buffer, but not much, and still awake at 11pm..

I think I might have drifted off slightly, then at 12:30!!! Fireworks! 

I'll try and get the video in here but I think the file will be too big, I'll try some screenshot..

But just imagine a firework display, and you are standing ten feet away, beneath the display! That was me, us, who live just here in our street.

It lasted maybe ten minutes, it used to be twenty, so thankful for that .

It ended and I continued to hear the band playing as it moved around.. about half one by now..

Then alarm went off! 03:15! Whoop whoop!

I did what I had to do, and taxi arrived before the rubbish collection at 04:20 en punto! 

Driver, although I've never used his cab before, is a familiar face for all the years I've lived here, when going to Bar Cruz he is always at the taxi rank. He speaks good English and we talked all the way .. poor man!

I had to check a case in, self check in, very easy and fast once I actually got to the machines.. then bag dropped and done! 

Security, it's usual pandemonium, like no one has ever flown before, conveyors blocked by people leaving fluids in! Time and time again, it has been twenty three years!! 

A bottle of face cream IS a fluid!! Unbelievable, so, you can imagine my stress levels right now!

At least, I guess my bag to carry on is just a satchel I use for flying and light..

Now I bid españa a farewell y hasta pronto! 

M.

Funny, this morning I wrote this to end my Blog

'Often what feels like the end is a new beginning'

And today's insight 

Reads..

Don't give up, the beginning is always the hardest.

Unknown

Sometimes the word human is used in the loosest sense of the word.. for instance sitting here waiting for J. to come to out and we get to work.. man shouted at his dog, two with him, the poor downtrodden dog came back and walked between his master and the other boxer, and looked up looking sorry for having walked ahead.  

And the man kicked his leg.

So the dog walked on the other side of his doggy pal..

So sad, this breaks my heart, actually breaks it

I could post the photograph I just took of this man, but I know that would only get me into trouble and the man would never change.

So instead a photograph of an old boxer friend of mine, who only ever wanted to sit on my lap.

M.

Nice relaxing afternoon down on the coast, had lunch then a nap, then down to a beach bar for a coffee.. 

Missed a great shot of a sparrow drinking from a flower on one of those palms trees there in the foreground...

But, when it's gone, it's gone...

After a morning of heavy rain it's turned out to be a beautiful afternoon and evening..

Listening to my Theme tune Spotify play list, presently playing Terry Jacks Seasons in the Sun..

Which actually is strange after a conversation just now... About dads...

Didn't get to go the supermarket this morning, but hey ho!

Feel there is more to say, but I think I'll just relax and listen to the music... 

On Nights in White Satin now... The Moody Blues, when I bought this album from PRP records in town, when I was 15... It skipped a bit on only this track, so I took it back and they tried it on their shop deck and it played fine! So, forever my album skipped a bit! 

M.