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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

TTFN
Marian

Tivoli World

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

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


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

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



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



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

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

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

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

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

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

TTFN
Marian

More Puppys

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

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

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

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

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

TTFN
Marian

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

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

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

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

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

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

TTFN
Marian

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

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

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

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

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

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

We are all masters of our own destinies.
Brida

TTFN
Marian

The rain in spain falls at last in Alhaurín el grande

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(still no stamps in the post office)

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

TTFN
Marian

Rain? Nope it was just kidding!

above photo... ronda

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


above photo restaurant in ronda!

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

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

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

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

TTFN
Marian

The BBC in Alhaurín el Grande

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

TTFN
Marian

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

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

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

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

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

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

TTFN
Marian

el bebé a bordo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Emotions are wild horses...

TTFN
Marian