The worker...

hello...... so the above isnt actually one of the shops i work in... but when i saw this photo i liked the look of it anyway! i will have to take a photo of one of the ones i am in, or maybe all of them...

so last week? what happened? i dont know! was going into work at cudeca monday morning and got a call saying i may be working wednesday instead of the thursday i had been told about sunday evening on the phone, then, during work it was up dated to working the next day! so monday was crazy after that, emails to open... hotmail was so slow i had to open and move to my gmail account so i could open attachments and then put to disk, printer out of ink and i needed to have copies of things for monday... internet place was busy, went back hour later and their printer wasnt working... so franco home and it was down to another internet place to print/copy/fax info, then to torremolinos to see where i had to go next day! i know i know... but although its not far i actually hadnt ever spent any time there! couple of visits to the tax office and to a hotel where barrys girlfriend was staying, but that was it, never gone into the town or to the coast there, ever.... so anyway found where i had to go in the morning and home! on the way we stopped at a kiosk on the street here in alhaurín and our car was reversed into! opposite of the day before when we were hit from behind! this time no damage though!

dinner about 10pm and bed! up early tuesday and all week, about 645, walking pippa, but a shorter run, more because i just cant walk that far then go to work after, poor dog, but its not for always... then each morning i have driven between 27 and 35 kilometers to work in torremolinos, four estancos so far, the first in town centre, second on the paseo maritimo malaga end, third up a side street from paseo, and fourth near the paseo, benalmadena end of town! tomorrow is in benalmadena itself. each day i have had to meet my supervisor so she can show me where each shop is, following her without her indercating has been fun... suddenly turning or going around roundabouts not knowing which exist she will take! LOL!

i had a meeting with someone from the tabacco company at last on the thursday morning, so she could tell me what i should have doing for the first two days! and to carry on doing... she also joined me in a shop on the friday morning and we went to lunch (oooh'err) before she left to go back to benidorm where she is based during this promotion...

tuesday before starting i had to go, with my supervisor to get my social security number... that was fun, and not easy! infact wouldnt have been able to have done it all all without her with me!

everyday i have gone into the shops, set up my stand thing, tall and narrow picture of lambert and butler and golden virginia packets! and ask people if they are buying cigs or tabacco, for them or others, which brands etc, and if i change theyre brand or if they buy more than they would have they get a gift... cool bag, beach mat, bag or t-shirt!

all the estancos have been good to work in, all very different, selling gifts etc, so its been interesting... first two days were the worst healthwise for me, felt so tired and achy, real bad, then thursday meeting meant i didnt start till 5pm so was only 3 hrs on my feet that day and fridays store was so good i didnt really notice standing as much! have only one weird thing i guess from my back and the pressure on it somewhere, and thats that my left arm is a bit numb from the elbow down and pins and needles in my left hand! but thats not too bad i suppose, can cope with that for this amount of time.

i have about 40/50 minutes driving to work and an hour home each day, traffic is worse coming home, so i am away 12 and half hours more or less, long long long day! 10-2pm and then 5-8pm, lunch time i have to find somewhere out of the sun to sit and have my lunch... and i just read...

lots more i could probably tell you, but i am seriously tired today still and only a few hours before it all starts again! yesterday i saw friend in shop, friend for coffee, friends in their house in town and friends near our house, all on my trip back from town! then home.... gone 3pm i think!

spent couple of hours cleaning and washing the floors dusting etc, my wonderful wonderful husband looked after me all week, i came home and he had dinner ready for me every night, we ate then franco washed up and put everything away... i couldnt have cooked at all, then he made my fruit drink for me for the following day... now pippa on the other hand acted all week like the spoilt child! left all day by both her children (how she sees us!) she taught us both a lesson every evening, by barking and biting and scratching and annoying us fully till time for bed!

now, i shall leave you...but not forget you... if i have a moment of energy left any night this week i will say 'hello'...

TTFN
Marian

Working...

i am so sorry friends... i started a job on tuesday, very suddenly and its been very busy... i am so tired even my eyeballs ache... so for now just wanted to say i am still here! and will blog on saturday...

FTTFN
Marian

Chase...

where has the time gone? sunday now... friday i think was just a walk into town, had coffee with friend... and chat with another in her shop, she is feeling under the weather, i think as so many people are is must just be the heat, after the little rain we had on thursday it did cool things down a bit, so on friday when i got home i thought, ok up on the roof terrace get some sun, apart from going to the beach the other day, i havent 'sunbathed' at all, not at home where the roof is like an oven, i thought it was cooler and sat up there finishing a good book and relaxing, when i came down i was so sore from the sun... i very stupidly didnt put a dot of sun cream on! dont know what i was thinking it was well over 30C!

have been juicing every day now with our new machine, infact thats all i have at lunch time, just over half a litre of juice! thats about 6 to 8 portions of fruit/veg in one go, and its very filling.

saturday i went to town and collected a pair of pants pif paf were getting for me from another store, just a black pair regular kind of style for work! have had another couple of calls saying they are counting on me for a perticular promotion theyre doing... so we will see! and still needed a pair of shoes without open toes for work, at this time of year here in spain the sales have started back in july and they continue to the end of august, and everything in the shop has to go, which is good, no searching for the sale rack, but it also means the shops are only stocked with summer wear, and for a job you need... well work type things, so only now there is some new stock coming in, hidden away somewhere in the stores, but the shoes! i got a nice pair of black sort of work looking, open heal but closed in toe with a little bar across... all leather tops soles inners etc.... 3€ yes three euros! thats about 2pounds 10 pence! wow.... with all that spare cash, i got a 4 tumblers with lids for the juice! and an umbrella and had to pay a wopping 3€60 for those 5 items! from the euro store!

now today more to the point...

market... blah blah blah.... drove down to the coast in search of an open food store, hadnt done my normal on line shopping in case i was working (?) so, we're at the junction where there is a slip road you have to stop at the end of, usual here in spain (?) and we got hit from behind!! bang! we moved forward and over to converse with the other driver and make room for the other traffic to get onto the carreterra 340, and he drove off couldnt believe it! we were both out of the car and so jumped back in me trying to remember his plate number, repeating it over and over, while franco was trying to catch him up! i coulnt find my pen for ages, what with saying the number over and over, and trying to watch where he was, dodging in and out of the two lane traffic, so many exists and so many cars coming and going... but we did! he came off at the calahonda turn off, our old exit, and he got stuck in the traffic and we pulled up along side his car... he had got blocked in and franco just parked next to him, i think the people behind would have got upset at that only when they saw franco get out of the car they thought twice!

we explained to him its a criminal offence to leave the scene of an accident, and if we were spanish they would have called the police by now and he wouldnt be driving anywhere for some time to come! he said well there was no damage, and we replyed it dosent matter about damage or not... although there was to our car and alot to his own which he obviously didnt care about! you do have to stop, get out of the car and actually look to see what the cars look like, not just guess and run away, i must admit the poor guy looked terrified, i mean we dont look that scary... do we? but we dont look english and maybe he thought he was in worse trouble than he was!

he paid us for a new number plate light, goodness knows where it is, could be in the bumper somewhere, but its gone from sight! and i think he didnt have insurance, i asked for it and he said he didnt have it on him! bit unusual that, if you get pulled by the police here they dont say you have 7 days to take your docs to a local police station, they take and keep your car if you cant produce your docs until you do... and of course if you dont have any, you would just lose your car... period!

havent checked the camera yet though, i was so shaky dont know if i took a photo or not, it did the trick though... talk about exciting!

back at the market earlier the man who used to take the old clothes for 'humana' from cudeca, passed by when i had my purse open and he pretended to snatch my purse... that was funny...NOT ! i could have given him a karate kick... if i knew how!

so... went to lidl, home, unpacked and eaten lunch, time to relax again now!

People who are friends, usually have the same virtues, the same enemies, or the same faults.

TTFN
Marian

El Zoco, Calahonda

oh i'm tired now.... went out at 9am and just back and its gone 6pm! went down to friends where we used to live near el zoco, its still the same as last i saw it... the front covered now by scafolding etc, but everything inside is ok, all the restaurants etc, its only the book shop, not reopening, mario's mens hairdressers... he is sharing with the ladies hair salon at the moment! the card shop and the ones along the front road side, super market is still open of course, and the furniture store where the blaze started is just a skeleton! there is a new comercial centre called comercial los olivos, which should be opening soon too, thats on the road down or to, the toll road there at calahonda.

after having coffee, we have a wander around saw a few people i used to see everyday, and then at 12 went to see family who are over and staying in the beach apartment, we went to la cañada shopping centre... and it was pouring with rain when we arrived! yes rain, flithy stuff too! how come the clouds get dusty like that i would like to know! anyway we ran into the shops and stayed there for four and half hours!!! and yes i feel like we did!

i bought a white blouse in zara's and had to line up for half hour the tills were so busy! its nearing the end of the sale now and the whole shopping centre is a real mess, it looks like a bunch of monkeys have gone through it and just chucked stuff around! how can some people be so messy? i was tiding as i went! and we were picking stuff up off the floor, what a state the place was.

anyway, dropped them off and now i am home, and tired and going to relax now, so caio for now!

If you do something good, enjoy it, repeat it, and allow it to become a way of life...

TTFN
Marian

Melting...

phew... wish i would cool down, just another couple of weeks and it will, just a little, just a day without having to constantly dry myself with tissues would be good! the lady above is just how i feel i look!

had another email scam today... unbelievable some of them arnt they, or am i the only who gets them? todays was from a so called company telling me a claim had been processed for me and i needed to contact them with regards to collecting the money... no doubt they would want my bank account details, the one before was from a 'company' in china telling me they needed someone in spain who has a bank account so they can have their spanish clients put money in to it, and i would forward said money to china!?! i have had the usual one from nigeria asking for my bank account details quite opening saying they have money for me, but i must give them some first! but the worst and quite upsetting given my dad died in an auto accident, was a company saying a mr *****, had died in an auto accident, and they were trying to tracy his family and it seemed i was the last living relative!

not heard about the job yet... checked when i logged in my meeting with the supervisor was on my time sheet though! why are things so strange? you know i once went for a job interview, and the man said, oh by the way this was here too, in spain, anyway he said they had 5 women he wanted to do a days work and see who got on best.... so the five of us did a whole day down at this realitors, 9 to 7, two hours lunch break, was easy enough, just answering the phone really and after working at mercedes, very few calls, i was used to 100's, there it only rang maybe once or twice in 15 minutes! i learned how to put new properties into their internet site, details photos etc, and typed a few letters.... they never even phoned me.... infact they never phoned anyone! good idea eh if you have someone going on holidays, just put out an add and try 5 or them! yeah ok we were the mugs, but who would ever guess! still i learned a little about property data base on the net!

A friend will joyfully sing with you when you are on the mountain top,
and silently walk beside you through the valley...

TTFN
Marian

Haro, La Rioja

just found another photo of Haro, the beautiful sqare....can you see the storks nests?

Monday

exciting title for today isnt it! sorry... but the photo is good, one i have 'borrowed' the www its Haro La Rioja, in the north of spain, a beautiful old town, its built on a mountain side and very very old, every other shop is a bodega, wine is every where! down rickety old stairways to the cellars beneath, and big factories on the out skirts of the town, there is a beautiful square i have put photos that i have taken on here before, loads of storks and their massive nests built so precariously you cant see how they ever stay up, or hold all their babies!

now the weekend... saturday friends and i went to la trocha, the big shopping centre in coín, well big probably isnt the word, not compared with places in the uk, and i think my family in the states would exclaim '... and where is it really then marian?' its just one walkway, shops to the right and shops to the left, no upper/lower floors, no sudden turns and another line of stores... but its there, and coín now has lots more than it had before, although if your in the town its a bus ride to trocha... la cañada and miramar are much more what we in enland are used to, but small even so compared to the one at blue water etc, the biggest shopping mall i have been to is in conneticut i think and although we were walking around for 5 hours we never once retraced our steps!! toooooooo much, you can only do so much!

anyway, trocha, walk about and drinks....

sunday franco pippa and i went to market, under la trocha, in the car park at street level, then we dropped pippa off and we went down to the coast, we were looking for ink cartridges for our printer, that seem to be the hardest thing to find! i didnt slip over sunday which is good! but franco fell out of a tree today... not good! he has some bumps and bruises now, so thats my friend fallen over and now him! does everyone have to copy me??

today... work, the shop was shut, but we have new racks in now and have to move the summer stuff out and the winter stuff in, first it needs sorting and going through properly...

thats it really i think.... have put off my trip down to see friend tomorrow as everything is shut for asuncíon dia, or assumption day in english, the day thats celebrates mary being received into heaven, her heavenly birthday i guess...

its also the final day of our celebrations here in alhaurín that have been continuing all week as the virgin is taken through all the different areas, barios, each night...

before i go i got a postcard from my cousin tim today, he was in bermuda when he sent it... the card shows bermuda, but the card was printed in italy, and before it came to spain it went to malta first!?!

its so hot, think thats why my mind is going from one thing to another and cant think stright... no air, just hot hot hot... we all looked at work today like we had been in the shower without first taking off our clothes!!!

Close your eyes to the faults of others and watch the doors of friendship swing wide...

TTFN
Marian

Interview

made it back ok from interview.... i didnt drive into malaga as i thought i would, instead this morning i suddenly decided to take the bus instead... too much in my head to think about driving into the city, and would have been ok maybe if i had a friend with me, so i bus'ed in... arrived cool and untroubled by traffic, ten minute walk from bus station to el corte ingles and half hour early! i went up to the top floor anyway and the restaurant and luggage section had gone! panic! then i realised there were more stairs further up and that they alone had an extra floor above and lo and behold there was what i was looking for... so back down and browsed for a while and back to luggage, i think i know every suitcase there is up there now and color, saw some real nice hand luggage and those tiny little bags for trips away, and now it looks like no one will be able to take more than a wallet aboard now! that will hit the market wont it! but better to be safe than sorry... only thing that bothers me is not being able to read a book while i'm flying... i always do...

last night here around our streets was beautiful, and i'm sorry i have no photos... so will discribe only... some of the streets had the blue and white bunting flying over head, lots of palm leaves leaning against houses and others making archways for walking under... every now and then an alter outside someones house with dolls and food and ornaments of the virgin and candles burning brightly... she has not been brought around these streets for 8 years! we were with neighbors when she was brought up the hill at a street adjacent to ours, she was carried by just over 20 men, not the 100 to carry christ... the band played ahead of her and the crowd followed... its always such a moving event... the real spain, with all the old traditions still going strong, all the things people miss out on down at the coast... 2 years ago, we never realised all this went on just half hour away in these hills.......

the full moon has come and gone again, no new sightings of our towns warewolf, i know you all think we crazy here for beliving in it, but well who knows eh?

the job... by the way.... is promotions... mostly at malaga airport and sounds great fun, the work wont be a 9 to 5 , 52 weeks of the year job, could be a week in one month or four in another, but that suits me... it will be promoting sales of products in the dutyfree section, purfume, cigerettes, food etc etc...

Friends are like books,
you don't always use them...
but you know where they are when you need them.

TTFN
Marian

Virgin de Gracia

the lady above is our towns patron saint and we are celcbrating her this week, from the 10th to 15th of august, and tonight she will be carried around the streets in our neighborhood, dont think this happened last year, but i do remember her coming through held high 4 years ago, when i stayed with friends who used to live here... hopefully i will get a photo thats good for here!

but to the news today primarily... thank god for the security in england, all those flights that could have been blown up by those people, it really dose not bear thinking about... its worth all the waiting and cancelled flights for anyone travelling over the next few days, some people were asking silly questions about not taking hand luggage through or having their shoes checked? what is the matter with them, would they rather not have a safe flight?

i remember sarah and i coming back to england after 9/11 it was the day after only, our flight had been embarg, what is the pural of that word have tried a few things and none look correct, anyway, we couldnt fly, it was only delayed for four hours, although none of us minded, and none of us minded the extra time and effort put into checking everyone throughly for our flight.

and tomorrow i have an interview... i had a strange call yesterday, but after some confusion mainly as she phoned me on my mobile and the signal is useless in our old house with its thick walls! but after we worked it all out... i am meeting someone who got my details from an on line job centre, thing is..... i dont know who the company is, where theyre based, what the job is... yes yes i can hear you ... what on earth is the girl doing, and you dont know where i'm meeting her yet, her i hope, it was a her i spoke with on the phone! i am meeting her in a famous store in malaga... near the luggage section! oh well wish me luck and i'll let you know how i get on when i get back tomorrow...........

Wherever you are, it's your friends who make your world...

TTFN
Marian

Ronda

tony and i mimicing the statues beyond...

Wednesday

phew its hot, strange how we all want the cool days, and fluffy sweaters and jeans back on now, but then, when its cold... now i know its never as cold here as back in england and we never have snow, except if we go higher up and further inland, but when its cold for us its cold ok! we get used to this heat, well almost so when its cold here we feel freezing! even if that means its about 10 degrees C! anyway sorry, off on one again eh!

yesterday... friends and i went down to the coast to sort out something for me and something for them! i picked them up at 7am! thats 7am and we were down in fuengirola and parked by 745, we went along to one of the police stations for them to hand in forms to get their NIE numbers, like social security number, needed for everything here! at 820, still in line... i left them to it to go to the bank, (back near the car park) for a certificate to prove i had a bank account! waited, bank opened went in, one guy there deals with us foreigners i was in there about half hour, then i had to go back past car park, past police station where friends were still waiting! to lawyers office further on, to hand in certificate! and back to police stations, we went for coffee then about half hour later their number came up, handed in papers and left! about 11am! have to collect in 4 to 6 weeks.

little shopping here and there and then home by about 2pm, yup one fun day, but we got lots done so that was good! oh forgot, we had a little bite to eat, a spanish thing of bread, olive oil, garlic and tomato, bit crispy and very tasty... well mate went for salt we merrily sprinkled away then found it was a sugar replacement thing! ugh! so then we added the salt... what a mix up, sure she was getting me back for the time ages ago when i put a spoonful of salt in her coffee instead of sugar, it was at her house and the two containers were identical! ugh!

am still suffering from my fall and then when i met up with mate today, she had fallen down! copy cat, maybe i'll win the lotteria this week and then she will too! all i can say is thank goodness we dont drink! how bad would we be then! the streets are just so slippy and greasy, any shoes you wear might as well be skates!

did a little vid while having a coffee at our famous roundabout this morning, blurry and old looking as usual, the vid i mean, or is it me! just kidding... life begins at 40 eh? well shame the body deteriorates from then on too!

some of you my friends whose blogs i read too, you all sound so worldly wise and grown up... am i the clown? mind you i dont have to paint on my smile... its always real...

Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others, can not hide it from themselves...

strange how this little line came up next in my book, hope i bring a little sunshine to you all.

TTFN
Marian

The long tuesday

i seem to have days that i do so much, tell you all my day, probably sounds a bit boring sometimes? just another day in the life of Maz eh! like today got alot acomplished, but then i think of lots of other things, past stuff that i think is more interesting or at least different from the norm! so todays news tomorrow and and today a small but interesting glimpse into my past memories... do do doooo do, do do dooooo do, (this is spooky music to take us back in time)!

one evening my husband dave, came home from work and said he had to go to another job that was really urgent and did i want to come with him for the drive, the job was in park lane, a very posh street in london, we only lived half hour away, so i gathered things for the trip, our at that point only son barry, was 6 months old, so it was only one small case for the evenings trip!! and off we went, sorry forgot, dave was a carpet fitter back then. so we arrived at the apartment building and dave went in, only had to fit a bathroom carpet in a cream shag pile carpet... very luxurous at the time! we were just going to wait in the van, but the customer said to bring us up so barry and i came up and were welcomed at the door by... telly savalas... kojak!! only wearing a veeeeery short bath robe! he kissed me on my right cheek, just here... see? and took us through into the very large lounge, dont know if its just my memory but it really was the biggest living room i have ever seen... he took barry from me and showed him around the room and then sort of sat him, being only 6 months old, it was more of a leaned him, in his chair! and he told us him and his girl friend, marianne, were off out soon and that we should help ourselves to anything we wanted from the kitchen, to drink or to eat whatever, just to make ourselves at home... the bathroom dave had to fit was a rather large one as you imagine in an apartment down park lane! and they left later, and later we let ourselves out of their home.

now the funny thing... the next morning i realised i had left my coat there! and dave called, it was a sunday and he left it till mid day to phone, telly answered the call still sounding sleepy and said my coat was safe and that it had spent the night on their bed!! oh my goodness!

we went back up to london to collect it later that day....

he was such a wonderful kind and generous man, and so tall and broad, i was then about 21 and he seemed like a giant to me... he signed me a photo which i treasure, and of course barry dosent remember a thing about it!

Friends bring out the beautiful things in each other that no one else looks hard enough to find...

TTFN
Marian

Poem

To a poet a thousand years hence...

I who am dead a thousand years,
And wrote this sweet archaic song,
Send you my words for messengers
The way I shall not pass along.

I care not if you bridge the seas,
Or ride secure the cruel sky,
Or build consummate palaces
Of metal or of masonry.

But have you wine and music still,
And statues and a bright-eyed love,
And foolish thoughts of good and ill,
And prayers to them who sit above?

How shall we conquer? Like a wind
That falls at eve our fancies blow,
And old Maeonides the blind
Said it three thousand years ago.

O friend unseen, unborn, unknown,
Student of our sweet English tongue,
Read out my words at night, alone...
I was a poet, I was young.

Since I can never see your face,
And never shake you by the hand,
I send my soul through time and space
To greet you. You will understand.

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

i came across this poem years and years ago, i cant even remember where or when anymore, but it struck me as something magical to my mind, so have kept it, its typed out, you know the old fashioned way! and the bit of paper is worn and torn, i usually put things in keep sake boxes, but this has always found its way out and i come across it from time to time... have a few things that do that! must be my guardian angel wanting me to see things.

glad i have just now to share with you all...

TTFN
Marian
ps. thought i would check out this poem here on the WWW, it was written by James Elroy Flecker, Maeonides is another name for Homer, lots about him on there, and the site i read this in the man said he came across this poem over 40 years ago!

A Poet

here is me and a gentlemen from cadiz... i am sorry i did look at his name and now? tony took this shot when we went there last year...

today we went to the market, taking pippa with us, then dropped her off home and went down to the shops on the coast, we were only there yesterday but had forgotten something we needed, a car jack! we looked around town here last night, but only the bizzar shops were open, here in alhaurín from the end of july and all the way through august the shops are only open in the mornings as its too hot in the afternoons... and yesterday morning we went down to coast, shops, marias apartment and then to the beach! we walked along to cabopino, took us about half hour 40 minutes from marias place, had a couple of cokes each and walked back, i had flip flops on and my feet were burning from the sand i was raising as i walked! needed shoes on!

then we made our selves comfortable and sunbathed for a couple of hours down near the apartment, very quiet there, only a handfull of people, no one really knows the beach there and its so nice because of this! i pulled out an old bit of weathered wood that looked like a small foot stall and moved it out into the sea so i could sit on it, it was so lovely and cooling reading my book as the waves came in and out over me and my block of wood! from where i sat i coulnt see land at all, was strange feeling!

now look at me going on as usual, i was only going to type a poem i found years ago for you to read as i did something really daft this morning, not intentionally and something i always dread doing with my joints always hurting as they do, and remembering every last bump and knock i have ever had, well i slipped over would you believe, franco and i were walking into the miramar shopping centre still in the car park, we're usually hand in hand, but franco had gone to look at a car that caught his eye... and to be honest i really dont remember going down! but there i was flat on my back! i hit my left hip really hard and left wrist caught real bad, but i hit everything bar my head i think, my glasses which had been on top of my head went flying! franco pulled me up and i waited in the car while he went into the shops instead...

so as you can guess my hands are agony just now, although the pain killers have taken the edge off i know typing is not going to help me tomorrow!

so poem tomorrow...

TTFN
Marian

Vera Cruz

photos from this morning, i did a small video but it didnt really come out, the computer then crashed before i had to time to check it out on the video down loading site thingy, so had to go round the houses to get it back, had to post it on here instead of over there>>>>>> and then quickly checked it out, didnt like it and deleted it! so if you did get to see it, you must have blinked and then it was gone!

me and friend went up to ayuntamiento, town hall, this morning i had to pick up my empradronimento certificado, cert. to say i live here! and kip wanted to see plans for plaza near her place, we dont have many green park areas in town, and they want to put a car park on this one! seems an idea now is to put an underground one instead and then put the garden back afterwards! uuummmm, this would be the fountains, the band stand, all the beautiful trees and flowers etc etc, we will see!

the first pic is actually taken from the plaza infront of the townhall, and is the view from above our house, although you cant see our roof from here, our neighbors is blocking the view, good for us actually! then the next two are inside the townhall, me! near a wall fountain, and the main fountain with lil' cherub atop! its a really pretty interior courtyard, arab by design of course, this whole area of andalucia if you didnt know was taken by the arabs a long long time ago, and alhaurín actually means 'garden of alla'...

oh and then after all above and going into town another pair of shoes went their seperate ways! soul from uppers! they were only cheap beach shoes, but comfortable and good for walking these upperty bumperty streets! wasnt going to make it home so had to pop into a shoe shop and buy another pair! 5€ blue strappy shoes, not the best for our village, but i had to do something, or it would have been barefoot... and red faced!

Great friends are hard to find,
difficult to leave,
and impossible to forget...

TTFN
Marian

Sardinia

yes.. got it!

phew... getting hotter!

today went down through town to friends apartment for coffee, well water first, and their elevator is out, so a nice 4th floor walk at the end, was nearly the end of me! they could hear me panting all the way!

their electricity bill was way over the top, and is not even registered to their apartment number, so i think something dodgy is going on there!

sent my mom off a nice top i got for her earlier in the week on my way home... and have just tried to stay cool(?) hahahaha! think times like these as everyone says, just go to the beach! but i dont fancy being out in the sun all those hours, would be nice if it was sardinia still here, with trees to the beach for shelter! its still 40C on the roof now and its gone 8pm... bring it on!

shall i try putting a photo here now, did try already but it was a no go zone!

nope ok will try again later....

Because we can't call people without wings angels,
we call them friends...

TTFN
Marian

Mijas Pueblo

this is the shrine of 'la virgen de peña' at mijas pueblo, its beautiful, a chapel but more like a cave though really, just 6 rows of benches on either side and then the huge alter filled with flowers and orgaments and the virgen of course, a very small child she is too, like a little doll.... people used to go in to thank her for ansered prayers, and leave something for her, a lock of hair, photos etc, they were pushed into the rock walls, but now there is only a little of that left and no one is allowed to do this anymore... still i went in the thank her anyway today, lit a couple of candles, i would prefer the wax sort, but they are electric... and they do need the money!

i said, as promised a prayer too for FMN's aunt and uncle...

before my little trip to mijas i first went down to the coast, taking my friends with me, and left them there! they did ask me to, they have visitors and wanted to spend the day on the beach, so we had a coffee, i did what i had to do, and came home via beautfiul mijas, i have taken a video, but you know this little camera of mine, its not great at a distance, so will see what its like!

have moved a few bits around our little 'dolls' house we live in to allow for our new 3 piece suite coming tomorrow, and now to rest!

was great having the car again, freedom of the open road... w o n d e r f u l l..........

A true friend is like the shade of a great tree in the noonday sun...

TTFN
Marian
ps, just came back to add that i have just gone up on the roof terrace to put out washing, its 330pm and its 45C/113F in the shade at the moment... wondered why pippa stayed inside when i went up, normally my little shadow puppy follows me everywhere, today she had more sense!