Teba

sorry... will write more tomorrow, but above and those below are photos of teba, we took them yesterday on a journey we made looking for caves.... yes i know we have our own in the house, but for some reason franco felt the need for more! bless him!


this castle was atop a very high mountian, we walked up from the street below, only realising when we reached the top we could have driven up! oh well, good exercise, i know because i am still aching from it tonight!


also, inside were a lot of stairs.... down and up, i think in most places this castle would not have been given access too, the celler beneath was open and creepy, the first landing had a couple of rooms that seemed safe enough, the next level up the floors had been replaced with wooden floorboards of which some had been knocked through, maybe when someone walked on them! then i went up onto the roof! yes silly i know it was fairly windy up there but there was no sides to the roof, just one big flat area! and the stairs were close to the edge! i had to get tony to hold out his arm for me take so i could safely get onto the first step down!

anyway more manaña....

movies waiting to watch, we have no sky telly, 4th day...... arh!

TTFN
Marian

yes the soldiers... they do a route from one church to another, we have three main churches here in alhaurin el grande, in the old section at the top of the high street first is the white church (yes i know they are all painted white), but this first one in plaza baja is called apart from its saints name, the white church, then you walk along a bit further and reach the purple church, san sebastian, its cross is purple... then after about ten minutes you reach 'our' church, the santa vera cruz, the green church, the cross is green therefore...

from there its down the main street, back to where they started from!

on lots of occasions the soldiers and other bandsmen travel the whole town, up hill and down dale, from end to end, north south east and west!

we have several bands in town, the army band the police band, and three maybe more also, and they march along one after the other, picking up water bottles along the way and dropping them everywhere... window sills or door steps... along the way!

when the soldiers march they stop and throw theyre guns around and into the air and to eachother! they have axes or shovels or other implements on their back too...


spain is still an army country, we have the traffic police, the town police and the army police, theyre the ones we see most often at round abouts stopping all the cars to peer in to see if people have anything dodgy going on! i guess drugs, guns illigal immigrants and what not!

all the police there, unlike the england, carry guns, the army guys have these huge weapons very much in clear view and are very intimidating.

tony... arrived here wednesday, i went over to malaga by bus to meet him at the car rental section at the airport, he says next time he can find his way to alhaurin now, but i dont mind meeting him, infact i like to, its part of him being here afterall, and the same goes for barry and other family and friends too!

we have been able to get around quite a lot in the afternoons as franco has been leaving work early, so we have been to... la trocha in coin, the miramar complex in fuengirola, last night down to calahonda, our old area down on the coast, we met up with franco's sister maria and her two friends who are out here for a couple of weeks. we went to the palmtrees restaurant that we have been going to for so long, i suppose since 1989! and still don antonio is there, and he has never changed, infact he was born here in alhaurin el grande!

we had a very nice evening, got home about 1230... and i had to be up for work, ugh!!

today, when we close franco and tony are meeting me here and we are off to gibraltor...

hasta pronto...

Joy is not in things, it is in us

TTFN
Marian

Dia de Jesus, 14.00 june 16th 2007

here are some pictures i took only 15 minutes ago more or less, its 1410 now...


there is a small video too, just wish there was sound with it, they sound fantastic the music is stiring marching band... makes you want to join in!


i didnt get quick enough to see, but first came the young children, with a long long piece of purple cloth held between them all, all chanting and laughing...

then came a little older, the cloth also purple was so long you could not see both the bigining and the end from our house!

TTFN
Marian

here is our friend flep and his girlfriend, they're having their hols back in merry ol england just now, flep arrived with me last month and then 'she' arrived later on, she's very shy, looks like she needs the sun too! so after england its off to sunny limes in florida before returning here in a few months....

this is just a little note really for 'the friends of flep'...

to everyone else.... its ok i havent really lost my marbles.....

TTFN
Marian

ugh! i have just found out where all these little black flys are coming from! we have this bucket out by the back door for food waste, for the worms, and franco has maybe not emptied it yet! i knocked the lid by mistake earlier and a swarm of flys escaped the dark moving interior! its alive!

yesterday we had ´ladies that lunch´date, i met up with mate after work and helped her books some flights for her husband and grand daughter, we then had a coffee in bar rosa in centre of town, we go there a lot and know the waitresses, one in perticular we always have a good banter with, well she gave me such a great compliment.... not verbal, more in the sense of trust, she asked me if i would put some money in her bank account for her as she couldnt leave work before it closed, not a few euros either, all those spanish there, and she asked me! of course i was happy to help and left feeling more of an alhaurina... (resident of alhaurín).

then when i got home they have put a huge spot light thing attached to our balcon for the parade thats on this week, for 'dia de jesus'

i think that is the right link i put on the above.

pippa must have gone crazy with the ladders and some fellas up on the balcon and fixing that on there! she never even told me it was there! i noticed the black strips outside the house, but it wasnt till later i saw the light fixed on and the roll of black electric cable.... with the plug for us to plug it in when the time is right.... but when is the time right? we dont know what time of what day they are coming down our street! i guess when the other lights are turned on eh, as long as no one is waiting for our que!

we're thinking of putting a web cam of our street on here, not sure how yet, or even when, but that would be good wouldnt it, because of course you will all want to see the comings and goings or the locals round about.... hahahaha :-)

the old gals pouring their buckets of water down the drains (oh and me too), the infrequent post man on his scooter, dog walkers, old boys strolling down to the local plaza for a brandy and talk, the parades... jesus carried high by 100 men, and the easter parade in all its glory, actually even i would like to see all this from a web cam! oh and hey i have just remembered girls... mercadona man too!

When someone wants something then they should
be aware that they are taking a risk.
This is precisely what makes life interesting.

TTFN
Marian

saturday today and mercadona man, as usual bright and early this morning, and as usual i went to the store afterwards to get a few things that i forgot to put on the order! nothing to heavy at least, i must get one of those trolleys eh! mom did buy me one when we moved in here, but its well, not sure how to put it, its not exactly trendy and i am far far too young to be pulling that up the street! I am!

when we were last in ronda i saw some very fashionable trolley things, so i think next trip there i will buying one of those!


hey look what i found, that one up there.... ok thats sorted!

just remember youve seen the old one, remember the photo of the jamon sticking out the top at christmas?

anyway today... stopped for coffee with friends one way down in bar timon, then to supermarket and into to see friend in shop, long chat and hello's to everyone who came in, no buddy about, she and her husband must be up later, then on my way back same couple from earlier outside different bar so stopped again and had a tinto verano.... very nice in this warm weather...

we 'lost' our phone line this week, tuesday i think it was, so paid the bill on thursday morning(!) tried on wednesday, but of course, you may not pay your bills on a wednesday! but anyway we got back on line in the afternoon, amazing, some people say it can take days, and the internet came straight back too!

tuesday night when we were off to bed the water went.... nothing to do with us, this time! and i heard the cistern refilling around about one am, then i could still hear water.... i listened to it for ages, probably about an hour or more, franco slept through of course, eventually i went up onto the terrace and found franco had left the tap on up there! so we had a bit of a swimming pool on the roof, and i got soaking! of course it had sounded so loud because of the camera with mic that we have on now all night, checking out the back wall etc... it sounded like a waterfall!

i got kind of conned in the shop the other day, friend had to go out so i looked after the place for her for the morning and a woman came in with some books, friend takes books in and sell on, big market here for second hand books as they are so expensive here new, ten to fifteen euro for a paperback book.... anyway, this 'lady' says that the other lady gives a euro for a book... i said i know she gives 50c, so if she wanted to come back later that would be best, she said no she didnt want to, so i said ok i will give you 50c per book and then if the owner wants to she can!! give the rest next visit.... so ok!

then she comes back with husband who goes off about how expensive the books were and we sell them for more well yes 3.50€ rather than 2.50€.... so i said ok ok, give me your name so i can tell owner i have given 3€ of her money to you!

they left and the books.... one a year old but very very well read by who knows how many people, the second 7 years old and pretty rough, the 3rd and final book was an ex library book from ten years ago!

franco has started his blog again, so will get that sorted out on here for the link, he does not hold back on his views of things that go on around here, so remember that please!

Life always waits for a crisis to occur
before revealing itself at its most brilliant

TTFN
Marian

well another week passed, lots of tourists in town now, recognisable by their lack of clothes... hello we're not on the beach folks! one woman today walked past bar rosa wearing one of those thin silky beach tops, kaftan design thingys, thigh length, over her nick-bini! would have been so bad i suppose if she had been under 60! OMgoodness what a sight, well she certainly stopped everyone mid conversation, never know that bar go so quiet.... sorry lady!

franco is doing some work at his sisters on sunday, so we will go down with him bright and very early, june now so cant take pippa on the beach which is a shame as her apartment is right there almost on it!

i am listening now all the time to this new station i found when i went to england, not sure if its on line, i will have to check it out, i think it must be as its one of those DAB channels(?) digital something or other.

its all old stuff, sort of 70's and 80's mostly, i need to break away from day time tv when i am home during the day, its like a drug, and one would think i could only watch the same 'inspecter morse' or 'midsummer murders' episode the once, but no seems i could keep on and on as long as they show them!

so effect in catching up with the 6 or so books i have waiting to be read, and of course, my leaning spanish...

ok gotta go, lasagne waiting to be popped into the oven...

I live neither in my past nor in my future.
I have only the present, and that is what matters.
If you can remain always in the prsent
then you will be a happy man.
Life will be a party, one long celebration,
because life is this moment we are living now

(above from the alchemist-cant believe this book came in today to the shop, i could never give mine away, i have bought it for lots of friends to give, but always kept mine, and the book today i gave to val to read)

TTFN
Marian

just a quick note tonight...

kind of forgot about the full moon at the start of may, did it happen? on one calender i have it showed a full moon and another tonight... a blue moon in other words. we dont get many of them and for some reason i always keep an eye out for them as theyre so special.

well my spanish calaender shows a full moon begining of june and the second one at the end of june, instead of may... where is my blue moon? and did i miss it!

next door had a bit of a problem last night and wanted to see if we had had our camera on, well, it is now... the one that overlooks the back of our houses, seems something, well someone i think i should say got into where theyre dog lives and pulled out a heavy bag... uh oh... now i have written that i have spooked myself again, remembering that noise i heard yesterday when i was sitting on the terrace, then the thing that happened next door... (theyre dog didnt make a noise by the way!) and the full moon.... or nearly!

remember the warewolf of alhaurín..... da da da daaaaaaaaaa1

TTFN
Marian

few photos from my trip back west!!! here is tony, it was a bank holiday and we were in london, this was before it started raining... although inbetween it was warm enough. this is near piccadilly and the trocadero centre, coffee and a cake for me, tony has very well turned his drip around.... no publicity please!


and above and below is where i had lunch a couple of times, here with janette above, and the view from inside out below, it is a morrocan restaurant, really lovely food and wonderful flavoured coffee's.

think the girl who took first photo thought i was a little crazy asking her to take a photo for me in there!

should have taken more of st albans, its such a beautiful city, the cathedral is wonderful, and i did spend lots of time wandering around the town, so next time more shots where tony is now living i think.

today sitting reading on the terrace, i hang a big sheet over the washing line, bit of privicy, i know its only local people that could see me, and of course being local the last thing they would be doing is sitting on their roof terraces in nearly 100degrees of heat... mad crazy foreigners, us i mean! man dogs and englishmen etc etc.... sorry gone off havent i... what i was saying was, me sitting there reading and on the other side of the sheet i heard a strange noise like a cat landing on four paws and a strange other noise, like a sound you would make landing kind of thing, i flew around the sheet and nothing there!?!

too much stephen king i hear you amigos, maybe so, the other evening i put out our rubbish, as we do late evening by the front door, and i had a bit of a shock the street was black, not just dark, the street lights were all out, i could see light coming over from the next street, but our narrow road from left to right was as black as a coal pit! it was like the light had been sucked out of it! i jumped back in and shut and locked the door quick, told franco how spooky it was... yes he laughed at me of course!

If only we could be enlightened enough
to be able to listen in the silence...

TTFN
Marian

oh help!


this is all en español! we have a new lap top, still have my old antique machine, but we are going to get everything from that onto this new little baby...

nothing really here yet, some of my favorites are here, but not the important ones... you know who you are amigos!

the fella that helped get it up and running showed me in a nano second how to move things from there to here, but well, how was it again please sir?

back from england last thursday, and cant believe how fast the time has flown since my return.

franco and pippa were well, a few pounds lighter maybe!

back to cudeca on monday, but am helping friend out in her shop this week coming so, am putting shop above on hold for a while if they dont mind that is!

golfing job, still ahead somewhere, have to wait another few weeks for the local club to decide if they want to try it out and then we can move forward on that.

holiday was great, so lovely to see everyone, now i miss everyone all over again of course, especially my boys...

ok more tomorrow, sorry so short...

Only those who find life find treasure.

TTFN
Marian

Be generous with your smile
Be generous with your time
Be generous with your knowledge
Be generous with your feelings
Be generous with your wisdom
Be Generous
Be Bold
Be Happy

TTFN
Marian

Planes, Trains and Automobiles...

oh and trams coach and subway trains... too into the bargin.

these are the services i have used so far on my trip to england, not bad eh, its a bit late now, well gone 11 in england, so still feels like midnight to me on my body clock, tony has headed off to bed already has work in the morning, i cannot see this keyboard, dont need to for most things, but would be nice specially as its an english keyboard and now i am used to a spanish one some things are in different places, how silly!

oh and i'm so very tired now too, today tony and i went up to london, trains and subway, we went to a couple of museums, the science and the victoria and albert, we looked around a few of the shops in oxford street, and had some lunch, the weather was warm enough but was rain then sun then rain all over again, and so on and so forth! so wet then dried out just to get wet all over again...

we came home about 3pm and went out again to a local chinese for take out dinner... bit different from the chinese baz took me too in nottingham!

i arrived with barry thursday evening, he and a friend came to meet me at the airport, home and late to bed that night, friday he and i went into the city and met up with a couple of friends from where he works, a girl from thailand, and a girl from nigeria, we had lunch in a restaurant called frankie and bennys, not sure if thats spelt right, its a chain of restaurants, been gone so long i havent heard of them!

in the evening we went to barrys local chinese, bit scary it was too, some very suspect customers, a bit of a commotion going on with wrong delivery stuff too, and a girl got hit with something some kids were playing with... all in all i was glad to get back home with the food!

then saturday barry and i went into town with the lady he lodges with too, and we met up with another couple of work friends of his, and we ate in a vietnamese restaurant, really nice food, i had a soup... which was massive, layers of steak, and then the rest of the massive bowl was noodles, with the whole lot floating in a stock, with bit and pieces, and i very nearly finished it, i ate with chop sticks only, oh and a little spoon to help with the noodles and stock.

sunday morning and off to the bus station, leaving barry on his birthday... and travelling south, tony met me in milton keynes and we came home, via a local supermarket, dinner... my lasagne, of course, tony misses it....

ok too tired now, goodness knows if i am spelling anything right here at all, so apologies if its worse than normal amigos.

TTFN
Marian

When two worlds collide...

this is how it feels here today in Alhaurín el rande, Día de la Cruz

on my way back from town walking streets strewn with rosemary plant.... tonnes of it thrown earlier from trucks, and rose petals, pink white and red.... the smell wonderful, i walked up the middle of the street making my way through as i would a forest with a floor rich in leaves...

the bands are still playing around the churches, they began at about 730-8am this morning, the rocket fire started just after 7 i think! will ask pippa.... she said yes it was too early and too loud and she does not like it one little bit!

and tonight i will arrive in nottingham, england...

when two worlds collide, what a difference from dawn to dusk eh mis amigos...

speak to you when i can, from somewhere abroad....

Only those who find life find treasure...

TTFN
Marian

here is a rather large head in the gardens in ronda....


this is a view taken from the lower gardens looking up towards the new, yes the new only a couple of hundred years old bridge over the tajo river...



this taken from that 'new' bridge looking down towards the lower gardens of course!



this taken in mijas.... can you see all those toads? what a noise they were making!

not much tv tonight... its raining! had such nice weather again, but now its pouring, again, wettest april in recorded history and all that it said on the news here last week, and now we're into may, the resovoirs are full... no kidding!

and its bein viaja for me, off tomorrow to england, first to nottingham, home of robin hood, and maid marian of course, but more importantly barry, cant wait to see my first born son, and will be staying with him for a change which is fantastic, normally its a drive up quick visit and drive back down south! i am all packed and ready to go........

Love is the key to all mysteries...

TTFN
Marian

ok ok i hear y'all laughing at me here!

my friends and i went up to the lakes and then on to el chorro, (site of von ryans express movie), it had been a beautiful morning, a real scorcher, and so after work i changed into this little top, and off we went.... but on our way the weather changed, and into the storm we drove, so bad at one stage i didnt notice the police behind until we were leaving a 70 zone and going back to normal speed and i noticed him and my speed at the same time, just a tad over the limit, i at this point stropped breathing, swallowing and everything went into slow motion, then he came past and off he went.... i breathed again.... phew!

we had a good few days, we went to ronda on our wedding aniversary, wednesday, franco had a day off too yipeeeee! had lunch in that lovely restaurant that mom and i went into in december, the one with the beautiful arab courtyard, this time there was more people, lots more!

we had a good, long.... (phew) walk around the town, the new bridge only a couple of hundred years old, and of course the old bridge! the gardens, and the scary lookout that has a swear word for its name, so withheld here! we also went to a couple of places i had never been before! amazing after nearly 20 years of visits to still find new things, well new to us eh!

we stopped on the way back also to visit the man and his boy, remembe the photo of tony and i doing the same poise? and on the top of the summit was a bit of a party going on, some romanians were eating and drinking, they offered theyre fayre, but we declined having eaten already!

in the evening after a little nap.... we went off into town to have dinner, the first restaurant we went to was up the top of one the very steep streets in town, and at one point i went on alone.... to search out the food! well restaurant.... found it, but then changed our minds! so back down we went after everyone had made it up to check it out.... back to place us 'ladies that lunch' go every month or so, and we had a really lovely meal and good time to remember. talk about tired though, the walk home seemed to go on forever....

then... friday.... and they were off back up north and home, and in the one trip, no stop over this time, and made very good time, now next time, its us up there, by car next time not coach hopefully!

i am still preparing for my trip over to england, tomorrow is may day(workers day) and thursday is andalucia day, so both days everything is shut bar the bars!!

and wednesday i am needed to help out my friend a little longer as she has an errand to run.

oh.... the spring fair at finca la mota on saturday past, didnt do as good as last year at all, about a thousand euros less in fact, our stall did 77€ though on its own, we were doing the raffle, a raffle for a painting by a local artist, and a 'name the bear' raffle!

it was hot too, and this year i forgot all about the sun tan lotion and water, and food, that i brought with me last year, we had some shelter from a few trees, but as the sun moved round there was no shade, and it was all day after loading up from the store, and the same at the end of the day, home about 530 i think more or less.

thats it too much typing and hands burning, adios amigos...

No one day is like another,
each moment has its special miracle,
its magic moment in which old universes
are destroyed and new stars created.

TTFN
Marian

oh no, another week come and gone!

well i emailed the job about the job, and yes it is still on track for when i get back from england.

that was on friday last week... also friday last week friend and i went down to miramar plarque and to iceland, not that i bought anything though... empty in there.... HA!

then we went into mijas and had a bit of a snack and coffee and walk around the beautiful gardens, taking in the air and the long awaited and beautiful sunshine... back where it is supposed to be!

we ended our little trip up there going into the little chapel of la peña and said a little prayer for everyone... including friends car which had more problems again.....

and when we got back to her place the car came back, and all fixed too!

pursuaded to get shopping myself and then delivered by bloke on saturday i went round mercadona with cart which mate helped push, but was so heavy to push that the headache i already had got worse and turned into a migrane so i took a tablet when i got home, mercadona man delivered later and i went to bed to let it get on with it and leave me alone! those tablets really are amazing.

sunday franco pippa and i went to la trocha market and then home, lots to do to prepare for friends arrival down south on monday!

i went into cudeca after a quick pop in to other shop i work in, then left early to await the call that friends were about to arrive, but then had to walk back into town to get key so i could open up 'other' shop today! was in there and helping out for an hour, then met friends, they had driven down from cumbre del sol north of benedorm, where i visited last year, leaving sunday, a stopover night on the way, and here early afternoon!

then later, we walked into town, third trip for me so after doing lasagne for dinner too i was totally exhausted!

today after my stint in shop the 3 of us went to mijas for a bit of lunch and walk around the gardens, of course! the toads in the ponds up there are so noisy... just like on friday when i was there then, what a racket they make calling to each other and fighting too i think.

now we're home, and i am tired, again, we're just relaxing now for the rest of the day...

no work tomorrow for me or franco we are all off to ronda for the day, our 3rd wedding aniversary... this time 3 years ago we were in las vegas... saw my brother too for the evening we arrived...

The cup of suffering is not the same size for everyone.

TTFN
Marian

where have i been? been awhile, sorry...

no excuses either, just going into cudeca mondays and helping friend out in newsagents rest of week, no news on the job i had been told i have got... yes maybe thats it, seems i have been waiting till i heard back from him so i could tell you all news about when i start and where it is i will be working with my new bright job and shining contract of employment, bacause looking back it was 11 days ago i last wrote full of excitement and joy!

well no news is good news isnt it? or like i said to tony, maybe just no news is no news and thats it!

friend, neighbor and work mate is donating a huge bear for the spring fayre, and we got up the idea of making it a type of raffle, so its a ' name the bear' raffle, yesterday i did a graph thingy and today stuck english/spanish instructions all over and took it into cudeca today! felt like a school project, all the drawing of lines and writing etc etc, still if we sell all the boxes on it, a name in each one it will bring in 240€ for cudeca on our stall alone, never mind what ever else we are selling... of its for the fayre, oh yes said that! really dont seem to have a single brain cell in working order today! cant spell cant type, speak? oh yes, thats still working!

just spoken to oldest son on msn, he is having a bad day too.... cant wait to see him in two weeks, times like this when i feel i should be there for him and his brother are hard... and i feel helpless with what he needs just now ... so gather round please and i know you dont know him, but a little prayer for him please, a little word for barry just now mis amigos.... thank you...

put doctor on hold, so to speak for now, what with the trip to england, he wanted me to have another cortizone jab, but as they dont last long and one should only have two or three max, seems a bit pointless, i am still taking the anti inflamitories etc, and keeping the salsa and jive to a bear minimum! LOL just kidding!

hey maybe i will see another sponge bob square pants flying by overhead and hear about the job again.... what do you think!

oh saw on paulo coelho site that his latest book is out april 24th in Uk in english, so i will buy that when i am over, cant wait to read it!

The magic moment is the moment when a 'yes' or
a 'no' can change our whole existence.

TTFN
Marian

Good Friday

and what a Good Friday it is!

i have got a job! yes! yes! ok and YES!

out of the blue really too, one i applied for last friday by email, had a reply from but then nothing more, so last night before we went out to watch the parade i thought, why not and emailed him again... whilst we were out i saw one of those childrens helium balloons pass over head and said to franco look at sponge bob square pants up there! might as well be a pink pig or elephant the chance i have of hearing about that job now!

got home and there was an email two missed calls on movil and the house phone! so i called him back and he said he wasnt sure what had gone wrong, and had put my name down for an interview (this morning)

he said he was giving second interviews for other people but offered me a job on the spot! i am taking a part time job, weekends only, although he said he would prefer me to work full time as he thinks i am so perfect for the job...

(woah.... thunder and lightening outside.... scary)

the job? its working at a golf club, not sure which one yet, with a golf club cleaning machine and offering, for a price, to clean the golfers equipment for them! should be good fun, and maybe i will change to the week instead, but for now will try the weekends out, so i can stay at cudeca and still help my friend out in her place!

in the bar, where we had the interview was an english comedian, mike reed! recognised his voice first then when he got up i knew it was difinately him! he look over at us!

we also have one of the status quo band members living in alhaurín el grande found out yesterday.

the weather today had been beautiful, at least down on the coast blue clear skys not a cloud in sight, but i came home, changed quickly and rushed down town to meet with friends and the clouds came over, now its real dark and stormy.

now to semana santa! easter week! wednesday evening there was a play at our church, the last supper, last night jesus was walked through the streets by herods men pulled by a rope and abused, his follows were with him, and several local bands played, guns were thrown into the air and caught... we watched for a couple of hours up at the end of our street, and thought it was all over, but they were just moving about town and came back to our street and our house it seemed about 2 in the morning! we knew when the 100 men carrying (i think) santa deloras was outside our bedroom window as they rang the bell, theyre bell, not ours!

tonight, now this is strange FMN reading your comment on how its going on there in italy, today we have the trial of jesus by herod, tomorrow ending at midnight the crucifiction, followed by sunday his resusitation as they call it here.

going to post this now, i think we might have a power cut now!

Happy Easter everyone...

TTFN
Marian

and a big PS... Thank you one and all! i know you were all routing for me with regards to getting this job (any job!), and on Good Friday too eh!
muchas gracias mis amigos xx

three more, 13, 14 and 15 of china, number 15 is i think my very favorite of them all... although i am not sure, they are all so fantastic...


this one below is just so mystic and wonderous...


this is our easter card from my uncle richard, hope it works folks...

work this morning and afterwards went down to the coast, and missed seeing my old neighbor because it took me too long to get there! traffic at the la cala market caused all the problems, i have to remember not to use that road on a wednesday! instead i popped in to see franco at work and then had coffee with friends wife, then to miramar complex in fuengirola to have a quick look around, then home!

sunday we went down to gibraltor with friends, was ok, rained, but of course being gib, it nearly always rains down there, that little bit of england under a cloud at all times! got a few bits from the supermarket, hot cross buns, ummmmmm, ginger marmalada and a whole 12 cadburys cream eggs for me! for easter from franco, and i got his easter egg today!

monday at work was so busy! at last we changed over from winter to summer stock, oh denise are you reading this amiga? wish you had been there... not just to help but we had 7, yes 7 bags of baby clothes in, good as new! we could have been ooooing and arhhhhhing over every single one, we still go, oh look at this and that, tiny bits you would have wanted.... miss you mate!

anyway.... everything in the store looks better now, all bright and sunny, no more winter blues in there.... and we were open as well as moving things out into the store and money wise, was a great day, everything normal price, and people of course were still buying, and so pleased to see clothes they can wear now!

Seize every opportunity in life, because
once opportunities pass,
they take a long time to return.

er, this one above reminds me of another saying, a favorite of mine past, `i can resist everything, but temptation' :-)...

TTFN
Marian

photos 10, 11 and 12 of china... all so wonderful, so serene and peaceful looking, good place to put ones mind when its too busy!


this i say as my sleepless nights are not getting better, cant believe this, FM always, i think, effects sleep, but as in waking up often and going back to sleep again just as quick, never a deep sleep always dreams dreams dreams..


and now i am waking up and just staying awake, was awake about 115 this morning and i heard the clock strike 3 before i back to sleep, i got up at some point and made a milky honey drink which helped, but that was after ages of just staring up at the ceiling fan! some people say its not good to get up if you cant sleep because then the body thinks thats whats got to happen every night, so i dont know. so in all that time i lay there thinking of 'blog' stuff, and what the doc said last night, i might as well have come down and done it!

last night had an hours wait to see him, he was running very late! i had an ultra sound scan of my innards!!! liver kidneys etc, all ok, i have a calcium deposit somewhere i shouldnt! so not sure what will happen with that or why its there! maybe on a fibroid or node? but it wasnt there 3 years ago and has grown half a centremetre, so?

he gave me a cortisone injection, steriod shot to help with the inflamation, you can only have two or three, and he told me to take it easy over the next 24 hours, not sure if its made any difference yet though. and its back again tuesday evening!

while i trying to get to sleep last night all that was going on in my head, and its such a horrid time, a car drove past and i thought how horrible to be out then, and had some sort of flash back to when i would be driving home at that time, wishing i was already home, or had never even gone out! all alone in my car, was a horrible feeling, if only we could be more aware that one day everything will be alright. maybe not early on, or even half way through, but one day, all will be right with us. i wasted so much time worrying and lonely.

our life here in spain is certainly tough at times, but i am happy where it counts, inside in my heart and soul... see insomnia is getting me all philisophical now... believe me this would have been worse if i come on here in the middle of the night mis amigos!

and you know i am not drinking any more than one or two coffees at the most now... when i was on ten cups a day, no problems sleeping! T E R R I F I C!

God is always the same,
even though he may have a thousand names,
but you need to choose a name to call him by.

TTFN
Marian