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