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this morning i see no off line blogging done yet! yesterday when i got home i settled into my book and that was it for the day! dinner and clean round and back to book! i am reading Cecelia Ahern's 'thanks for the memories', think today, 3rd day of reading it i will finish it!
in fact this morning if i hadn't rallied my self i don't think i would have made it here this morning at all, i woke up feeling like all my spoons were gone! remember the story?... its carrying this lap top that does me in, not sure how much it weighs, but its not a light weight... like i must be!
thought i would just do a short walk around the block for Pippa... but here i am El Zoco, in my now very familiar chair... and worrying a bit now about this H1N1 virus, sure my boys would tell me not to be silly, but i am thinking will the powers that be make travel prohibited at all between countries? and what happens if they do? Franco says if i go to England i will have to take a dingy with me, and if needs must i will have to sail it home! he will be waiting for me on the beach here at Calahonda! knowing my luck and the prevailing winds i will end up on the beach alright! but in Atlantic City... look out for me Aunt Rita, reel me in please!
also made a mistake about Mom's flu vaccination... it doesn't cover this current one, sorry Mom...
just got the Euromillion lottery... the 'ol boy was pleased to see me, he remembered me! i told him its been 4 years since we lived down here! and the two old tickets i took in? nada de nada!
TTFN
Marian
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
written Tuesday afternoon...
well when Pippa and i walked back along the beach today no boat... no outboard motors, and no green 'blue' boxes! only a load of rubbish left, lots of food and water... for the trip!?! i suppose we will never find out the circumstances of this happening will we! another ship load over from Africa and gaining access up the little slip way here?
i keep open, did i tell you this? i keep open my Twitter page after hitting that more more more button a few times... as i don't have time to read much while i am grabbing my free wifi while i can get it! i also keep my Facebook and blog open, and today the couple of You Tube vids, the one i did of here in El Zoco, and one my friends sent me, so i can look again, and show Franco later.
whats weird about the Twitter and Facebook though is, i feel i can add to them, but of course i cannot, nor can i open anything else on them or i lose the page and then thats it! very frustrating!
we rushed back from Calahonda thinking it might rain! no clouds now, but it had come over all gray and stormy looking, bit windy on the beach again and no one sun bathing today! but now all clear again.... an hour later!
ok this morning now! Wednesday, when Franco came home yesterday he did a bit of painting outside to brighten up the white paint work, the railings always leave brown marks below and it only takes a few minutes to paint over.
this terrible H1N1 virus, on Monday 'they' said to sneeze or cough into the crook of your arm, or forearm even, then Tuesday morning 'they're' saying don't forget to cover your mouth with your hand... hands too can spread the disease by touching other surfaces etc, makes more sense to use your arm please! this virus stays 'live' for 24 hrs, once out of your body, so someone could cough touch a table etc, and if within 24hrs someone touches the same place it can be passed on that easily. this is all common sense and we all know this... i remember picking up a virus like this when i was 19, chicken pox! ugh! got back home from my holidays and the next week didn't feel well, got a cab down to the doctors, cabby didn't feel well either strangely!
...turns out i had chicken pox and the cab driver had mumps!
i have only ever had the regular flu once in my life, my mom was worrying but as i said to her she has had a flu vaccination so is already one step ahead of the game!
lets hope it doesn't get worse...
TTFN
Marian
well when Pippa and i walked back along the beach today no boat... no outboard motors, and no green 'blue' boxes! only a load of rubbish left, lots of food and water... for the trip!?! i suppose we will never find out the circumstances of this happening will we! another ship load over from Africa and gaining access up the little slip way here?
i keep open, did i tell you this? i keep open my Twitter page after hitting that more more more button a few times... as i don't have time to read much while i am grabbing my free wifi while i can get it! i also keep my Facebook and blog open, and today the couple of You Tube vids, the one i did of here in El Zoco, and one my friends sent me, so i can look again, and show Franco later.
whats weird about the Twitter and Facebook though is, i feel i can add to them, but of course i cannot, nor can i open anything else on them or i lose the page and then thats it! very frustrating!
we rushed back from Calahonda thinking it might rain! no clouds now, but it had come over all gray and stormy looking, bit windy on the beach again and no one sun bathing today! but now all clear again.... an hour later!
ok this morning now! Wednesday, when Franco came home yesterday he did a bit of painting outside to brighten up the white paint work, the railings always leave brown marks below and it only takes a few minutes to paint over.
this terrible H1N1 virus, on Monday 'they' said to sneeze or cough into the crook of your arm, or forearm even, then Tuesday morning 'they're' saying don't forget to cover your mouth with your hand... hands too can spread the disease by touching other surfaces etc, makes more sense to use your arm please! this virus stays 'live' for 24 hrs, once out of your body, so someone could cough touch a table etc, and if within 24hrs someone touches the same place it can be passed on that easily. this is all common sense and we all know this... i remember picking up a virus like this when i was 19, chicken pox! ugh! got back home from my holidays and the next week didn't feel well, got a cab down to the doctors, cabby didn't feel well either strangely!
...turns out i had chicken pox and the cab driver had mumps!
i have only ever had the regular flu once in my life, my mom was worrying but as i said to her she has had a flu vaccination so is already one step ahead of the game!
lets hope it doesn't get worse...
TTFN
Marian
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
well firstly... washed up dingy on beach this morning, i wonder what the salvage laws are here? although by now probably nothing left! when Franco took Pippa for her early morning walk first thing, the dingy there of course, two very big out board motors, lots of canned drinks and very large blue plastic wrapped boxes!?! who knows what was in there!?!
i sent poor Franco straight back to get photos!!! well i couldn't miss out on that photo shoot could i? the weather was good last night, but as i say later the wind was up and the sea was rocking and rolling with fierce abandon, so whoever was on that boat, looks like they had traveled some way, did not have a good trip, then wash up here? did the people wash up here too? or just the boat? doesn't bare thinking about....
and so to other stuff already written....
yea!!! car passed ITV! everyone can uncross they're fingers now ;-)
were a few problems, a front gator(?), play in back bearings, slight leak on both back break cylinders... but passed!?! these things we caught on the pre itv check and so we expected a fail! we are glad the old girl passed, but not sure it would have made it in an England! here if your car doesn't pass you have 21 days in which time you don't have to pay again for a re test, there is another line for retests, so no booking needed, and they only recheck what your car originally failed on.
i forgot to say when we got back Sunday evening the electric had been off and all our food in the freezer was gone, well you know what i mean, no good and headed for the bin!
very windy walk along the beach for Pippa and I last evening while dinner was on the go... i think you could call it bracing! it was wonderful blow you over wind, stand and lean into it wind arms outstretched... there were surfing waves! and further out the waves had wings!?!
the clothes blew dry in a couple of hours!
and here the shortest video ever on You tube... on where i am exactly while i am blogging to you these days... i had to wait for the area to clear yesterday... as you can see, not many people about, in fact was only one table on the other side with a group of people on who were there when i arrived and only left 5 minutes before me!
TTFN
Marian
i sent poor Franco straight back to get photos!!! well i couldn't miss out on that photo shoot could i? the weather was good last night, but as i say later the wind was up and the sea was rocking and rolling with fierce abandon, so whoever was on that boat, looks like they had traveled some way, did not have a good trip, then wash up here? did the people wash up here too? or just the boat? doesn't bare thinking about....
and so to other stuff already written....
yea!!! car passed ITV! everyone can uncross they're fingers now ;-)
were a few problems, a front gator(?), play in back bearings, slight leak on both back break cylinders... but passed!?! these things we caught on the pre itv check and so we expected a fail! we are glad the old girl passed, but not sure it would have made it in an England! here if your car doesn't pass you have 21 days in which time you don't have to pay again for a re test, there is another line for retests, so no booking needed, and they only recheck what your car originally failed on.
i forgot to say when we got back Sunday evening the electric had been off and all our food in the freezer was gone, well you know what i mean, no good and headed for the bin!
very windy walk along the beach for Pippa and I last evening while dinner was on the go... i think you could call it bracing! it was wonderful blow you over wind, stand and lean into it wind arms outstretched... there were surfing waves! and further out the waves had wings!?!
the clothes blew dry in a couple of hours!
and here the shortest video ever on You tube... on where i am exactly while i am blogging to you these days... i had to wait for the area to clear yesterday... as you can see, not many people about, in fact was only one table on the other side with a group of people on who were there when i arrived and only left 5 minutes before me!
TTFN
Marian
Monday, April 27, 2009
hola amigos! here we, Pippa and I, are back in El Zoco, Calahonda... Crissie how you doing? often wonder if your doing ok when i am here.
i am trying not to think about our car, Franco has taken it down for a pre ITV (MOT) check, then its booked in for this afternoon after 3pm, as i have probably mentioned before, in Spain you don't have mot bays at nearly every garage which is the norm in England, here they are bizarre few and far between, literally! there is an ITV centre at the Poligino near Malaga airport from our house about 45 minutes away, and the next nearest at about an hour is the one in Estapona down the coast aways.. nothing in between and these have to service the thousands of vehicles here in this area of Malaga! never even thought of how many mot bays there were where we used to live, how many 5 or 10 in each biggish town maybe? has to be...
i investigated the leaflet i found about cheap internet down here on the coast, wondering if it would be any good for us while we're here a bit more at this time, too much money to actually put into the house, and the pre paid cards!! wow! quite expensive, i guess ok if your only out here on holidays, but for us, spending in one week what we spend in a month with telefonica is just not viable! but great for holidays!!!
we checked out the price last night when we went out for a walk, not sure which place on the list to try, so tried the nearest, the McDonalds! but only went in there for the card! anyway when i came out i spotted something nice, we picked it up and carried it home, will look nice on wall somewhere in the house! the bins are a place of barter here in Spain, you take, you collect! would never have done this in England! but everyone i know has, and does pick up some very nice stuff... as they say... someone else's rubbish is someone else's treasure!?!
Pippa checking it out this morning... for defects or smells!!??
still cant decide what to do at the house regarding the internet, paying out the huge monthly charge with the iva (tax) etc and line rental when we're not using it so much just now, playing with the idea of the vodafone plug in, as long as we stay near the door or windows to get a signal!?! so as i cant decide, decided to do nothing for the time being!
the rain we had yesterday has cleared and its wonderful sunny and warm, no cross that out, hot day again thank goodness!
how is my new layout blog looking? not feeling in a pink mood anymore, looked like blancmange! ummmm!
adios...
TTFN
Marian
i am trying not to think about our car, Franco has taken it down for a pre ITV (MOT) check, then its booked in for this afternoon after 3pm, as i have probably mentioned before, in Spain you don't have mot bays at nearly every garage which is the norm in England, here they are bizarre few and far between, literally! there is an ITV centre at the Poligino near Malaga airport from our house about 45 minutes away, and the next nearest at about an hour is the one in Estapona down the coast aways.. nothing in between and these have to service the thousands of vehicles here in this area of Malaga! never even thought of how many mot bays there were where we used to live, how many 5 or 10 in each biggish town maybe? has to be...
i investigated the leaflet i found about cheap internet down here on the coast, wondering if it would be any good for us while we're here a bit more at this time, too much money to actually put into the house, and the pre paid cards!! wow! quite expensive, i guess ok if your only out here on holidays, but for us, spending in one week what we spend in a month with telefonica is just not viable! but great for holidays!!!
we checked out the price last night when we went out for a walk, not sure which place on the list to try, so tried the nearest, the McDonalds! but only went in there for the card! anyway when i came out i spotted something nice, we picked it up and carried it home, will look nice on wall somewhere in the house! the bins are a place of barter here in Spain, you take, you collect! would never have done this in England! but everyone i know has, and does pick up some very nice stuff... as they say... someone else's rubbish is someone else's treasure!?!
Pippa checking it out this morning... for defects or smells!!??still cant decide what to do at the house regarding the internet, paying out the huge monthly charge with the iva (tax) etc and line rental when we're not using it so much just now, playing with the idea of the vodafone plug in, as long as we stay near the door or windows to get a signal!?! so as i cant decide, decided to do nothing for the time being!
the rain we had yesterday has cleared and its wonderful sunny and warm, no cross that out, hot day again thank goodness!
how is my new layout blog looking? not feeling in a pink mood anymore, looked like blancmange! ummmm!
adios...
TTFN
Marian
Sunday, April 26, 2009
advert in paper just now "hog roasting coming to Spain" erm hello people over there with English phone numbers... here in Spain there has been plenty of roasting going on like that for hundreds of years! north south east and no doubt west!
i remember years back i received an email on a help site i am on... the lady said did i think Reiki or Indian head massage, or even refexology would work over here in Spain!?! and what could she charge for it? 60 to 100€ something like that? and accommodation... would 300€ a month get them a 3 bedroom apartment near the beach with an area to do their above business!
as you can guess i was flabbergasted! the bear naked truth was all i could tell her, and did, of course! well actually lady we already have all of the above on offer here on most urbanizations and probably anywhere where there are lots of ex pats! so how many urbanizations?? thats one heck of a lot of places already... and how much to charge?she wanted up to a 100€!! well i was getting the above free from my lovely neighbors down stairs at the time...
an apartment for only 300€ of that size on the beach, then, she would be out of luck!
i couldn't/cant understand how someone would think we don't have things here in Spain! with so many peoples from so many different cultures we have everything here already! its really only the bigger things that need getting up to date... big business computer systems allowing people to do things easier, licenses for this and that, driving etc, doctor stuff... well the list could go on, but we will catch up here one day...
just Google'd braserias here in Spain... this is a catering company, i think(?) but the list was endless for machines to cook your beasts on!
came across the old spam sketch by Monty Python, has Spanish subtitles!
as you can tell on my soap box early this morning! must be feeling better and yes... no head ache, yea!! and its raining... no!! no signal on the tv so Franco is racing around the track on his Playstation! Pippa is asleep... as is the rest of Alhaurín el Grande this morning!
oops nearly forgot... when we were coming home Friday afternoon, driving along the N340 into Fuengirola where you can see the top of the Sierra Nevada... people on the beach sun bathing to my right... hot air blowing in through the car windows... and the top of the Sierra Nevada white with snow still! always strange this time of the year when you can be skying up there and then two hours later laying on the beach....
TTFN
Marian
i remember years back i received an email on a help site i am on... the lady said did i think Reiki or Indian head massage, or even refexology would work over here in Spain!?! and what could she charge for it? 60 to 100€ something like that? and accommodation... would 300€ a month get them a 3 bedroom apartment near the beach with an area to do their above business!
as you can guess i was flabbergasted! the bear naked truth was all i could tell her, and did, of course! well actually lady we already have all of the above on offer here on most urbanizations and probably anywhere where there are lots of ex pats! so how many urbanizations?? thats one heck of a lot of places already... and how much to charge?she wanted up to a 100€!! well i was getting the above free from my lovely neighbors down stairs at the time...
an apartment for only 300€ of that size on the beach, then, she would be out of luck!
i couldn't/cant understand how someone would think we don't have things here in Spain! with so many peoples from so many different cultures we have everything here already! its really only the bigger things that need getting up to date... big business computer systems allowing people to do things easier, licenses for this and that, driving etc, doctor stuff... well the list could go on, but we will catch up here one day...
just Google'd braserias here in Spain... this is a catering company, i think(?) but the list was endless for machines to cook your beasts on!
came across the old spam sketch by Monty Python, has Spanish subtitles!
as you can tell on my soap box early this morning! must be feeling better and yes... no head ache, yea!! and its raining... no!! no signal on the tv so Franco is racing around the track on his Playstation! Pippa is asleep... as is the rest of Alhaurín el Grande this morning!
oops nearly forgot... when we were coming home Friday afternoon, driving along the N340 into Fuengirola where you can see the top of the Sierra Nevada... people on the beach sun bathing to my right... hot air blowing in through the car windows... and the top of the Sierra Nevada white with snow still! always strange this time of the year when you can be skying up there and then two hours later laying on the beach....
TTFN
Marian
Friday, April 24, 2009
2nd blog of the day, couldn't wait ... we have come home and in the mail box... un believable... this week a letter saying we haven't paid our phone bill!
so why hasn't the bank paid, heck so worked up i cant type only typos! hitting the back button hard and fast with so many mistakes i cant type at all coherently (yes had to spell check thata one!)
money in bank yes, paid the last bill? yes... no rhyme or reason here, i really really wish the guy who used to be in this branch of Banco de Andalucia was here now... i know all these problems started when we moved the branch up here from Fuengirola, but really, a few direct debits? of course you only need to give change of address in Blighty, no need for branch changes!
we also had ANother electricity bill! after all that fuss over the 63,14€ from two weeks ago. which actually turned out to be Februarys bill, we had paid March's bill before we got the final demand, or even the bill for Feb! sort it out! there is no one else to turn to, no choice of.... what? how many in England 5 or 6? probably 10 different electric and gas suppliers... here there is only two, that i am aware of, and the other one... Endesa is currently looking at buying! Great!
even adding all those together they're more than the bills we used to get, they have probably put us on the wrong tarif too! and i am still furious over that water bill we got the other week from 4 years back, not even in our name!?!
i think i have now lost the plot, found myself singing..."i'm going crazy, i'm going crazy!" out loud... franco driving a fast car on his Play Station and almost fallen into the tv didnt notice!
Adio!
TTFN
Marian
so why hasn't the bank paid, heck so worked up i cant type only typos! hitting the back button hard and fast with so many mistakes i cant type at all coherently (yes had to spell check thata one!)
money in bank yes, paid the last bill? yes... no rhyme or reason here, i really really wish the guy who used to be in this branch of Banco de Andalucia was here now... i know all these problems started when we moved the branch up here from Fuengirola, but really, a few direct debits? of course you only need to give change of address in Blighty, no need for branch changes!
we also had ANother electricity bill! after all that fuss over the 63,14€ from two weeks ago. which actually turned out to be Februarys bill, we had paid March's bill before we got the final demand, or even the bill for Feb! sort it out! there is no one else to turn to, no choice of.... what? how many in England 5 or 6? probably 10 different electric and gas suppliers... here there is only two, that i am aware of, and the other one... Endesa is currently looking at buying! Great!
even adding all those together they're more than the bills we used to get, they have probably put us on the wrong tarif too! and i am still furious over that water bill we got the other week from 4 years back, not even in our name!?!
i think i have now lost the plot, found myself singing..."i'm going crazy, i'm going crazy!" out loud... franco driving a fast car on his Play Station and almost fallen into the tv didnt notice!
Adio!
TTFN
Marian
half asleep still this morning, here in El Zoco, Calahonda, on with the lap top, couldn't connect to the internet, even re started this machine to no avail! wasted ten minutes of battery time, gave up and asked the guy in the bar and then while he was standing there scratching his head as to why it wasn't working... i saw i hadn't got the wifi button on! doh! oh heck!
still flinching walking alone that carraterra every day, well twice a day with Pip's walk in the afternoon too, guess that will take a while, as will the bump on the back of my head still there... and i am also already worrying about having a weekend of migraines again... no that wont help, but i was born to worry... or born worrying, not sure which happened there! thing is i have a bit of a headache forming behind my eyes now, best get of here while the going is good and get home and relax(?) another word i am not familiar with!
found some rubbish on the floor, an old flyer someone had lost from their windscreen all about the local internet here, so must remember to check out before my batter goes, its been sitting here beside me for nearly an hour and still not done it! do it now before i go...
adios amigos...
TTFN
Marian
still flinching walking alone that carraterra every day, well twice a day with Pip's walk in the afternoon too, guess that will take a while, as will the bump on the back of my head still there... and i am also already worrying about having a weekend of migraines again... no that wont help, but i was born to worry... or born worrying, not sure which happened there! thing is i have a bit of a headache forming behind my eyes now, best get of here while the going is good and get home and relax(?) another word i am not familiar with!
found some rubbish on the floor, an old flyer someone had lost from their windscreen all about the local internet here, so must remember to check out before my batter goes, its been sitting here beside me for nearly an hour and still not done it! do it now before i go...
adios amigos...
TTFN
Marian
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Happy St George's Day!
ouch! Pippa and i were walking along the N340 after dinner last evening on our way towards the slip road leading to the Thau Bar and i got hit on the head by a rock or something! must have either shot out from under the wheel of vehicle, or someone threw it at me! hurt like heck and made my eye sockets hurt somehow... was one hellova shock, i continued on, Pippa none the wiser of course, and when i got home i held a cold cloth on for a while, i know there's plenty of room for the bump to go in, but prefer bumps on the head to come out!
am also glad we weren't walking the other way and i would have got it in my face... ;-(
today i tried to see if i could get wifi a bit further out from the bar, but couldn't i guess these wifi areas are fairly restricted, and i wouldn't be happy to sit at the guys bar and not have a coffee, so we will continue as we are...
also today... the chair and table we always sit on now daily here in El Zoco are positioned slightly different and i keep sliding backwards into the chair and away from the table!
probably wont help my still achy head from yesterday, the lump hasn't gone done yet... i was a bit weary as we walked along there this morning, what i wonder are the odds of it happening twice? or more? on the other side of the N340 Steph was hit by a stone on her shoulder a few years back, so thats two of us now!
i have had to release Pippa's harnesses a bit, i don't think its fat she is putting on but lots of muscle from all the extra walking and pulling to get to the cats!
ok, now to emails etc etc... oh my choice of photo this morning! a photo i took in Ashridge forest a few years back now of the wonderful Blue Bells, that, i should imagine are there now, this very minute...
TTFN
Marian
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
yesterday afternoon after dinner, Franco Pippa and i went for a walk... we headed off on the beach aiming for the exit that brings you out by the garden center on Calahonda, but we saw a guy coming down through low rough undergrowth, it was a path although not well trod, a path non the less, so up we 3 went, and as we got into the woodland at the top we found we were in what looks almost like a house! or at least a bar! tables, chairs, cooking equipment... it looked like a home! oh heck!
so down we went back onto the beach, with i guess the guy thinking 'what you doing going into my place! how weird! still cheap bills i guess!?!
then we continued on to underpass and up through onto the other side of the N340, coming down past Lidl we saw a road on the other side we thought we might try, that we never had, so back under the N340 and up the slip road momentarily going the wrong way, we came straight off and went down this little road... warning of fire hazards and such... past a big house and we found our selves above that little woodland! we took the first path off that aimed at the beach, it was very very steep and rough and Franco had to carry Pippa at one stage as she didn't want to continue through!
and so back down on the beach! where another man was cleaning out a pan in the sea... walked back on the beach, up into another wooded bit, which when we really looked was a camouflaged area! into what was probably his little place on the beach!
Pippa had a free run on the beach and into the sea and then we were home...
TTFN
Marian
so down we went back onto the beach, with i guess the guy thinking 'what you doing going into my place! how weird! still cheap bills i guess!?!
then we continued on to underpass and up through onto the other side of the N340, coming down past Lidl we saw a road on the other side we thought we might try, that we never had, so back under the N340 and up the slip road momentarily going the wrong way, we came straight off and went down this little road... warning of fire hazards and such... past a big house and we found our selves above that little woodland! we took the first path off that aimed at the beach, it was very very steep and rough and Franco had to carry Pippa at one stage as she didn't want to continue through!
and so back down on the beach! where another man was cleaning out a pan in the sea... walked back on the beach, up into another wooded bit, which when we really looked was a camouflaged area! into what was probably his little place on the beach!
Pippa had a free run on the beach and into the sea and then we were home...
TTFN
Marian
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
here is Pippa she was watching the cat below right.. till she saw me watching her!
can you see in the distance Africa?and yesterday...oh so sad, my battery went flat before i had a chance to log out of anything or close my pages... i was talking to two friends at the next table... me talking!?! hey! and when i looked down... gone! blank screen in my face! connection gone!
they were new friends, we said hello as they sat down, and they petted Pippa, then i was laughing at something someone said to me on facebook, and we got talking from there, about our dogs and then general other stuff that us ex pats chat about i suppose!
then when i came home and plugged in... all those pages were still there even the connection symbol was still turning.. and i though hey i'm on line! yeah right! like this would be possible... but was strange there for a minute or two.. so twitter and sky news all on hold.. all over the world! well yes my little world anyway.
there was this huge strange ship out there last evening... didn't see its approach and then it was off into the distance towards Africa... but strangly, seemed to drift to the left then go forward, then drift again... crab stylie!
zoomed in shot above and a little film i took and put on You Tube...
having coffee with an old neighbor when we, i, finish here... from where we used to live in Calypso right there over the road from El Zoco,
i finished my months supply now of Aloe Vera, it had absolutely no effect on me whats so ever, what does that mean? that it wasn't strong enough? that it cannot help my Fibromyalgia? or that, for me, the parts the aloe works on are ok in me? i know after 20 years of trying different things i shouldn't maybe think anything will work!
i made some more bread pudding yesterday afternoon... that helps!
TTFN
Marian
Monday, April 20, 2009
some shots of the Alhaurín to Fuengirola road, means nothing to those who know it not of course!
the four lanes wide road is understandable now in some places, in others who knows how it will turn out...
in one turn of the road is a very tiny little finca, minding its own business, i really hope they dont destroy it... there wont be anything left if they take 20 foot of its land!
these were taken the last weekend, so its changed now even more...
and so to blogging....
hello amigos, well surfaced now after a long weekend... woke up saturday with a bad headache, took two strong tablets back to bed, got up again early afternoon, went down to local shops for a few bits about 7pm, was ok'ish, head not good and my fibro aches and pain horrendous.
woke up this morning, Sunday with a migraine so took a migraine tablet and got up about 3-330pm head still quite bad, but its the rest of me so painful, all that laying down kills me... oh it would be so lovely to lay in bed watching tv and eating lovely squigy no good for you foods, and knowing i could get up afterwards and feel fantastic! a doctor told me about 15 years ago that as i get older i should improve... well i am waiting... how much older have i got to get?!?
just written a couple of email drafts to friends to save time in the wifi bar tomorrow... every second counts there, wish i could plug in but they have plugged all the plugs! but then the wifi is free so what can i do! i think i need a battery run on the sun like the torch and mobile phone ones... i need a lap top one now... mind you i don't expect carrying this computer around on my back every day is helping me much is it! i know its only a lap top, but it feels like my old pc on my shoulders!
its Monday morning now... just remembered a weird dream like thing i had whilst having my migraine, i usually tend to have weird dreams where i know i am dreaming and can control them, this time i was awake but couldn't control thinking... migraines! great things!
but i was worrying about a strange thing, in the past, well now too of course, we find remains of things belonging to peoples of the past, and we can tell by where we found them how individual people lived they're lives, rich or poor, healthy or sick etc... and can trace a persons movements from one area to another.
well what about the people who look into our lives... where will they look... land fill areas! our whole lives will end up in land fill! all mixed up together, those of the future wont know where we lived or how etc with all our stuff just layered up one on another... from one type of plastic to another, from cd's down to vinyl... and 8 track(?)
we will have to start filling our own gardens with our own rubbish, although some will only be able to do a few months, a few years maybe for some, and then those others, like us, with no land... i think piling it up on our roof terrace just would not be a great look! well we will have to continue to pollute someone elses land!
yes well maybe i still have a bit of my migraine hanging about if i am telling everyone this weird idea of mine!
i am emailing GM.TV this morning, i have to! they're talking about pot holes! heck we dont have a road anywhere that is hardly a made road round Alhaurín el Grande at the moment... apart from the awful roads to Mijas pueblo and of course the Fuengirola road, the Coín road is un passable, the lower Coín road is one land slide to another, filled in with tar which just contiues to sink, and the same for the road around Alhaurín de la Torre, we have free roller coaster rides everywhere we go!
ok sun is shining and time to go...
TTFN
Marian
Friday, April 17, 2009
heck i sound a bit moody and grumpy there yesterday dont i! thought i better do some live blogging for just a minutes, before battery goes, again!
here are pippa and i sitting in the plaza in el zoco, lots more tourists out today which has to be a good thing these days, the sun is out and its getting warm, although we are in the shade the t-shirt and shorts brigade... ;-) used to be me, are over in the sunshine, bless them every one.
i have 8 open tabs up there, jumping from one to the other to get everything completed, i had to open up the you tube to copy and paste the link for susan boyle below and was worried she would boom out all over the place, but not to worry the battery is so low the volume isnt working at all!
we are back home later today, is strange packing and un packing every few days... now always seem to have left something some where else!
ok amigos, have a good weekend...
TTFN
Marian
here are pippa and i sitting in the plaza in el zoco, lots more tourists out today which has to be a good thing these days, the sun is out and its getting warm, although we are in the shade the t-shirt and shorts brigade... ;-) used to be me, are over in the sunshine, bless them every one.
i have 8 open tabs up there, jumping from one to the other to get everything completed, i had to open up the you tube to copy and paste the link for susan boyle below and was worried she would boom out all over the place, but not to worry the battery is so low the volume isnt working at all!
we are back home later today, is strange packing and un packing every few days... now always seem to have left something some where else!
ok amigos, have a good weekend...
TTFN
Marian
Thursday
i guess at home i am so used to just going over to the pc and being 'on line', when i was working last year down on the coast and getting home past 10pm too tired to eat never mind go on line it was ok to catch up at weekends, although during the day i got a bit writing crazy... pen in hand and no where to write!
this morning i went down to local vodafone store here at Calahonda to inquire about the plug ins they do, its 45,24€ a month for the best package 24hr un limited, 3Mbps, sounds a lot but we pay 29,99€ a month with telefonica... the bill is never that though, there is the monthly line rental which you pay every month of course, whereas when you have just the phone line its every other month.. so twice the line rental price, IVA (tax) then apart from any calls... was bad until we remembered to use the eurodirect cards! we were using free call which is fantastic and the cheapest, but we couldn't use our Spanish card, may try again... any way, depending on calls the bills are never less than 60€ something and was 111€ a couple of months ago! nightmare!
so... 45€ with vodafone is less than we have been paying... but and its a bigun... we don't have much of a signal in the house at home!
if we change telefonica to evenings and weekends i think its 15€, but plus line rental and IVA we're already over the 45€ again! and also remember we can use the plug in with vodafone on our lap top wherever we are!
oh and there is a 22,04€ a month with vodafone with only a 200Mb! so as long as we dont download anything big would be fine... if we had a signal in the house!
...and round we go again!
weather much better today! blue sky and muchos sunshine!
did everyone see Susan Boyle on Britain Got Talent? i just knew she was going to be another Paul Potts... i get goose bumps every single time i hear the replay, shes already had an invite on the Oprah show in the states! she is already a winner and good luck to her... we all saw this lady make her way out on the stage, all making our own minds up prematurely and you know what i mean if you saw her... then wham bam, what a voice!
oh the ships have all gone that were lined up along the coast here, didn't see them leave, just here... and then gone...
also in vodafone i checked to make sure my mobile is registered, come end of November any un-registered mobile phones will be cut off! i must admit i presumed it was, as we had been on contract with the number, still get mail from supplier, last got a new phone last year about August/September time when i 'damaged' my old phone! and of course in the shop they had my name, checked my details etc before letting me leave with the new one... but seems you have to have registered a phone since December 2008, so i am not registered, yet, still not yet as i didn't have my passport or residencia on me to do so today!
TTFN
Marian
this morning i went down to local vodafone store here at Calahonda to inquire about the plug ins they do, its 45,24€ a month for the best package 24hr un limited, 3Mbps, sounds a lot but we pay 29,99€ a month with telefonica... the bill is never that though, there is the monthly line rental which you pay every month of course, whereas when you have just the phone line its every other month.. so twice the line rental price, IVA (tax) then apart from any calls... was bad until we remembered to use the eurodirect cards! we were using free call which is fantastic and the cheapest, but we couldn't use our Spanish card, may try again... any way, depending on calls the bills are never less than 60€ something and was 111€ a couple of months ago! nightmare!
so... 45€ with vodafone is less than we have been paying... but and its a bigun... we don't have much of a signal in the house at home!
if we change telefonica to evenings and weekends i think its 15€, but plus line rental and IVA we're already over the 45€ again! and also remember we can use the plug in with vodafone on our lap top wherever we are!
oh and there is a 22,04€ a month with vodafone with only a 200Mb! so as long as we dont download anything big would be fine... if we had a signal in the house!
...and round we go again!
weather much better today! blue sky and muchos sunshine!
did everyone see Susan Boyle on Britain Got Talent? i just knew she was going to be another Paul Potts... i get goose bumps every single time i hear the replay, shes already had an invite on the Oprah show in the states! she is already a winner and good luck to her... we all saw this lady make her way out on the stage, all making our own minds up prematurely and you know what i mean if you saw her... then wham bam, what a voice!
oh the ships have all gone that were lined up along the coast here, didn't see them leave, just here... and then gone...
also in vodafone i checked to make sure my mobile is registered, come end of November any un-registered mobile phones will be cut off! i must admit i presumed it was, as we had been on contract with the number, still get mail from supplier, last got a new phone last year about August/September time when i 'damaged' my old phone! and of course in the shop they had my name, checked my details etc before letting me leave with the new one... but seems you have to have registered a phone since December 2008, so i am not registered, yet, still not yet as i didn't have my passport or residencia on me to do so today!
TTFN
Marian
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
this is like a race against time... here in El Zoco, again, the day is sunny then raining! and cooler than yesterday!
and i am racing to get everything done on here i want to, what on earth would i do without a computer? live i guess!
so here below the off line work i did yesterday afternoon folks...
well no treasure on the beach on our way home, lots of sun bathers! crazy mad tourists, it was freezing... well strong wind a blowing and my fingers turned white with cold! i know though when i used to come over here even in February on hols i used to be wearing the shorts and t shirts and nic bini on the beach... brrrrrrrrrrr! before we got to the beach we encountered a few dogs, one especially excited poodle wound himself around my legs several times with his lead between him and his mistress! then we met them a few minutes later when i was standing in the phone booth talking to mom! wonder what Pippa thinks of me standing there in a small glass box and talking, apparently to myself! (probably oh here she goes again i suspect!) but she just stands there looking about at the scenery!
seeing those ships out there, waiting... and waiting... they also look a bit like they're about to invade Spain! not sure who it could be though? us foreigners are already here ;-)
just been on line from my mobile, wont be doing that again, Franco has Yoigo and its quite cheap, about 1.50€ for the day, he says... and i was trying and trying was the thing to get into my gmail and twitter, not successful in the latter at all, and it must have been for all of about 10 minutes and cost me nearly 2€!
battery is now fired up again, but no wifi we can get into from here... well looks like a printer somewhere, which could be a problem if one of us pressed print by mistake! where would it print out? maybe i could write a short note... "hello where are you?" we're here ****! press print and see what happens!!!
well loose women is on now so i think i will relax and have a laugh with them and play solitaire at the same time!
TTFN
Marian
and i am racing to get everything done on here i want to, what on earth would i do without a computer? live i guess!
so here below the off line work i did yesterday afternoon folks...
well no treasure on the beach on our way home, lots of sun bathers! crazy mad tourists, it was freezing... well strong wind a blowing and my fingers turned white with cold! i know though when i used to come over here even in February on hols i used to be wearing the shorts and t shirts and nic bini on the beach... brrrrrrrrrrr! before we got to the beach we encountered a few dogs, one especially excited poodle wound himself around my legs several times with his lead between him and his mistress! then we met them a few minutes later when i was standing in the phone booth talking to mom! wonder what Pippa thinks of me standing there in a small glass box and talking, apparently to myself! (probably oh here she goes again i suspect!) but she just stands there looking about at the scenery!
seeing those ships out there, waiting... and waiting... they also look a bit like they're about to invade Spain! not sure who it could be though? us foreigners are already here ;-)
just been on line from my mobile, wont be doing that again, Franco has Yoigo and its quite cheap, about 1.50€ for the day, he says... and i was trying and trying was the thing to get into my gmail and twitter, not successful in the latter at all, and it must have been for all of about 10 minutes and cost me nearly 2€!
battery is now fired up again, but no wifi we can get into from here... well looks like a printer somewhere, which could be a problem if one of us pressed print by mistake! where would it print out? maybe i could write a short note... "hello where are you?" we're here ****! press print and see what happens!!!
well loose women is on now so i think i will relax and have a laugh with them and play solitaire at the same time!
TTFN
Marian
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
couple of photos of the road down to Fuengirola... well its getting wider now for sure...in places you can see how they are going to fit in four lanes... cant wait for it to be finished... not we all really cant wait for it to be finished!!!
ok now its Tuesday... down in El Zoco, Calahonda wifi... wow...
there is a kiddies ride nearby which keeps starting up and playing some creepy fun fair music and startling Pippa and me! i have just copied and pasted the blog i wrote off line yesterday, and thought i would start afresh today...
cannot connect to messenger from here, wonder why?
anyway... couldn't sleep last night, was tired we stayed up to watch the late Heroes too.. i am such a superhero fan! and was tired then started thinking and that small little hazel nut turned into that mighty oak tree! all i could think of was that blooming water bill which must be illegal! the road tax to pay, next week the ITV (MOT in English!) and soon the IBI, (house tax) the rubbish and something else!
we have nothing coming in now to pay this lot at all... Pippa just cant a find a job either! and now i think the battery on my lap top wont last another five minutes... help!
they were using the tractor on the beach just now when we were leaving, as they do at the beginning of summer, maybe Pippa and i will walk home that way see if any buried treasure has been brought to the surface...
theres lots of big carrier ships out there in the sea... about 9 or 10 that we can see, heavy cargo ships, and you can easily see the red marker lines well above the water level which is where if they were carrying would not be visible... and they are just sitting there in the water and waiting, to get fuel? to get goods? non of which is happening just now, they look a sorry sight for sure... just spaced out enough but looking in a line non the less...
ok battery warning light on, bye for now amigos...
TTFN
Marian
down at Calahonda... found we had forgotten a few very important things... Franco's work boots, my make up!!! oh heck! no make up, was going to get around that, just buy some mascara and a color for my eyes, thats enough for me, but really needed the boots, so we did the trip back home and back down here twice yesterday, Sunday, the road not well trodden now was like being on a wagon pulled by horses around America during the time of long long time ago... rocks, pot holes, mountains, warm air and the sound of grass hoppers! i am sure behind the scenes were the mountain cats, snakes and those all important Indians with their bows and arrows!
imagination? who me? well yeah of course i do!
something so sweet to tell, when i spoke to my mom this morning she relayed a story from yesterday, she and my cousin went to see my uncle in St Joseph's and with them they took something very very special that had been lost for about 9 years! whilst he had been digging in the garden of their then home, my uncle had lost his wedding ring, he had been wearing it about 50 years by then i think, he is in his middle 90's now, my auntie has since died 5 years ago, now in his new home the lost ring far from his mind... but... someone now living in his old place, a relative, whilst gardening came across the said wedding ring! and yesterday his face was alight when he saw it again, he whipped off the ring my aunt had bought to replace it, and got it back on rapido! mom said he kept on touching it and smiling, how lovely, bless him... the smallest thing can mean so much to us all...
few more holiday makers down here this week, things are looking up? Pippa is going crazy for some cat that keeps on appearing and just standing there staring up at her! what a tease!
tomorrow i am going to pick up my computer and walk! found a wifi place, so if you get this Tuesday, you know its working, although i may have mentioned this by the time you read this! knowing me!
remember mom and i went to see The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's last month? well last night i switched on my DS lite and came across a new thingy in there i hadn't seen before, asking me if i would like the machine to find a book to my liking? i had to answer a few questions and then wait to be told which book it thinks i would like to read! number one book of the 110 books in there it told me i would like to read is The Phantom of the Opera! how about that! how spooky!
back at the ranch... we received a water bill on Wednesday the 8th April, (dated 26th of march to be remembered), as it said in ten days if not paid we would have our bank account embargoed, our social security payments, ha we should be so lucky! it takes over a months to get a bank account un embargoed which would mean telephone and electricity payments not paid! apparently we hadn't paid 5€ at some point in 2005, and 12.30€ in 2006! we moved in in 2005 so 50/50 weather its ours or not, and in respect of the other... how about sending us the bill in the first place? we often don't get our post, a reminder never came? and why wait 4 or 5 years to ask for it???
it also isn't even in our name, so whose bank and social will they freeze?
anyway, we will pay it, of course, it may not be legal, or even owed by us, but what can we do, in england i would go into the water board and ask, this isn't in my name, is it for me? why have you waited so long? whats with not sending a bill in the first place or a reminder... oh sorry think i just said all that in the last paragraph... oh well!
info: don't forget to click that 'back up' button on your sky remote to get rid of any information tabs you get in the top corner that come up, like 'remind me' and 'next movie' etc, apparently they're leaving a shadow on these new tv's of ours, just like you wouldn't leave your computer screen on would you!
ok enough off line from me just now, cant wait to get on line tomorrow...
TTFN
Marian
imagination? who me? well yeah of course i do!
something so sweet to tell, when i spoke to my mom this morning she relayed a story from yesterday, she and my cousin went to see my uncle in St Joseph's and with them they took something very very special that had been lost for about 9 years! whilst he had been digging in the garden of their then home, my uncle had lost his wedding ring, he had been wearing it about 50 years by then i think, he is in his middle 90's now, my auntie has since died 5 years ago, now in his new home the lost ring far from his mind... but... someone now living in his old place, a relative, whilst gardening came across the said wedding ring! and yesterday his face was alight when he saw it again, he whipped off the ring my aunt had bought to replace it, and got it back on rapido! mom said he kept on touching it and smiling, how lovely, bless him... the smallest thing can mean so much to us all...
few more holiday makers down here this week, things are looking up? Pippa is going crazy for some cat that keeps on appearing and just standing there staring up at her! what a tease!
tomorrow i am going to pick up my computer and walk! found a wifi place, so if you get this Tuesday, you know its working, although i may have mentioned this by the time you read this! knowing me!
remember mom and i went to see The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's last month? well last night i switched on my DS lite and came across a new thingy in there i hadn't seen before, asking me if i would like the machine to find a book to my liking? i had to answer a few questions and then wait to be told which book it thinks i would like to read! number one book of the 110 books in there it told me i would like to read is The Phantom of the Opera! how about that! how spooky!
back at the ranch... we received a water bill on Wednesday the 8th April, (dated 26th of march to be remembered), as it said in ten days if not paid we would have our bank account embargoed, our social security payments, ha we should be so lucky! it takes over a months to get a bank account un embargoed which would mean telephone and electricity payments not paid! apparently we hadn't paid 5€ at some point in 2005, and 12.30€ in 2006! we moved in in 2005 so 50/50 weather its ours or not, and in respect of the other... how about sending us the bill in the first place? we often don't get our post, a reminder never came? and why wait 4 or 5 years to ask for it???
it also isn't even in our name, so whose bank and social will they freeze?
anyway, we will pay it, of course, it may not be legal, or even owed by us, but what can we do, in england i would go into the water board and ask, this isn't in my name, is it for me? why have you waited so long? whats with not sending a bill in the first place or a reminder... oh sorry think i just said all that in the last paragraph... oh well!
info: don't forget to click that 'back up' button on your sky remote to get rid of any information tabs you get in the top corner that come up, like 'remind me' and 'next movie' etc, apparently they're leaving a shadow on these new tv's of ours, just like you wouldn't leave your computer screen on would you!
ok enough off line from me just now, cant wait to get on line tomorrow...
TTFN
Marian
Saturday, April 11, 2009
well here are some photos taken last night... down our narrow street, just wide enough for the four rows of 25 men shoulder to shoulder supporting Jesus.... the one above has that awful bright light making things hard to see from our perspective!
since they have paved our new road the wall there on the left is a bit lower now, obviously still as narrow! hardly a brick width i'd say!
i think the videos are better....
i need to take better photos! seeings as i take so many photos!
just a bit of a blog this evening with two short, well one short one very very short little videos i took last evening, of the processions as they came up our street, actually not as late as i have said there on you tube! probably because i have a bad head, and am a bit confused... more than usual, but with only four hours sleep on Thursday evening and then last night we ended up moving into the back bedroom for Pippa's sake really as she gets so up set at all the noise going on out side... we were watching tv and i suddenly thought to go check on things in the street, got there just in time!
plugged in the street light! and stood on the balcon for nearly two hours... maybe a coat and something on my feet would have been a good idea, it was blooming chilly out there!
the first little vid is Jesus with the cross... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AGB5Nj_rCA
i just copy and pasted the above and it works ok!
then secondly the Virgin... my camera ran out of steam as was i by this time, and the women carrying her are not slightly out of sync... but very poor girls, and also me holding the camera is a bit more wobbly! so sorry amigos!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBr1-V9EHsQBlogger: Ultreya - Create Post
anyway, woke up with sore neck back and head, took some tablets and went back to bed! so my plans for the day were wiped out!
but Doctor Who is on tonight! last one i guess now with David Tennant in, my fav doctor who! only the switch over to the new guy and then thats it! little things eh!
yesterday friends of ours came by to help Franco sort out a console he has that we couldn't work! turns out still needed tony to help... thank you honey! amazing technology isn't it! you can play games, of course, go on line, talk to friends around the world... Franco even had a look at my blog to see what we had been doing so far this month!
ok folks gotta go, brain not working and hands tired... tonight is the live representation of the Resurrection at both our Plaza del Convento, and Plaza Nuevo, it begins at midnight in both cases.
i have just come across these great videos taken on Maundy Thursday of the celebrations here in Alhaurín el Grande... curtesy of InMalagatoday.com enjoy.
hasta manaña amigos.
TTFN
Marian
plugged in the street light! and stood on the balcon for nearly two hours... maybe a coat and something on my feet would have been a good idea, it was blooming chilly out there!
the first little vid is Jesus with the cross... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AGB5Nj_rCA
i just copy and pasted the above and it works ok!
then secondly the Virgin... my camera ran out of steam as was i by this time, and the women carrying her are not slightly out of sync... but very poor girls, and also me holding the camera is a bit more wobbly! so sorry amigos!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBr1-V9EHsQBlogger: Ultreya - Create Post
anyway, woke up with sore neck back and head, took some tablets and went back to bed! so my plans for the day were wiped out!
but Doctor Who is on tonight! last one i guess now with David Tennant in, my fav doctor who! only the switch over to the new guy and then thats it! little things eh!
yesterday friends of ours came by to help Franco sort out a console he has that we couldn't work! turns out still needed tony to help... thank you honey! amazing technology isn't it! you can play games, of course, go on line, talk to friends around the world... Franco even had a look at my blog to see what we had been doing so far this month!
ok folks gotta go, brain not working and hands tired... tonight is the live representation of the Resurrection at both our Plaza del Convento, and Plaza Nuevo, it begins at midnight in both cases.
i have just come across these great videos taken on Maundy Thursday of the celebrations here in Alhaurín el Grande... curtesy of InMalagatoday.com enjoy.
hasta manaña amigos.
TTFN
Marian
Friday, April 10, 2009
Bottles Bottles all those empty bottles.... oh so tired! last night the processions wound round slowly, and every time we thought it was over, they came back round... we were up about 7am, no afternoon siesta... Pippa was especially nervous about all the goings on and just barked continuously poor thing. the completion of the ceremony came up our street about 2am i think, maybe half hour earlier, we knew they were coming by the solemn ringing of the bell... very poignant noise.... and about 20 foot from out side our house is where they rested for half hour and the 100 men who carry the statue of Jesus get a chance to drink water and smoke! there are always another 100 or more people ahead and behind so its like being in the middle of a big party right from our bedroom! we had the door open for the electric cable... remember our neighbors have the spot light on their balcon this year, but as they're away the cable was secured... tightly... onto ours for us to switch on at the appropriate times...
erm anyway! Franco came back downstairs and watched a bit of TV, while Pippa and i lay down on some pillows watching from the window, all the people standing and smoking... oh the chewing gum this morning on our new street ugh!
anyway they left slowly... the last few people were behaving as if unwatched by anyone (!) even though they were a part of the very important procession behind Jesus and all that had gone on before... one women delighted in pushing as many of the bottles of water she could that had been placed by the bandsmen, and 100 carriers on the edge of the wall... over it! into someones garden!
and a couple right at the back filled their pockets and bags with the spare water for the band etc, the man even came back to fill his pants pockets! all seen above by me, the watcher! so be careful what you do amigos!
i guess it was about 3am or later that the last of the peoples were gone, Jesus continued up to our Vera Cruz church and then i think down to San Sebastian, and the bands continued on for some time longer! people were running up and down the street and the many bottles and bottle tops still laying about in the street we being kicked about noisily. i know we have all kicked an empty bottle about, at some time or other, but we're talking 3 and 4 in the morning, down what would otherwise now be a quiet and sleepy, very sleepy street and its inhabitants! lots of groups of people played the bottle game, couples, single people even took up the challenge! another time i could hear a womans high heel shoes, and i thought will she? wont she? and yes she did! kick that bottle! kick that bottle! i wanted to run down and kick it right back at 'em!
i think it was between 3 and 4 that we were able to try to get to sleep, but then i was starting to feel slightly strange, sort of euphoric or something! and another thing that happens to me when i start to meet up with that 'been up for 24hrs' thing i start to get a cold, well i say start, suddenly i have wet sticky eyes and nose! sore throat and a cough! its like my body just says enough already... body closing down even if mind isn't!
the days of burning a candle at both ends i think for me are well gone... we, no sorry i was up just after 8am, feeling very tired already and its only half 10! i have had a quick 'run' about the house doing cleaning jobs now, because there is no way once i stop i will be able to start up again, hard enough for healthy people to live on 4 hours sleep but for Fibromyalgics... well i'm not even going to get started... too tired....
just had to edit this as i read it on line and saw so many words that were wrong or missing, now i cant find them so, apologies... i am tired!
TTFN
Marian
erm anyway! Franco came back downstairs and watched a bit of TV, while Pippa and i lay down on some pillows watching from the window, all the people standing and smoking... oh the chewing gum this morning on our new street ugh!
anyway they left slowly... the last few people were behaving as if unwatched by anyone (!) even though they were a part of the very important procession behind Jesus and all that had gone on before... one women delighted in pushing as many of the bottles of water she could that had been placed by the bandsmen, and 100 carriers on the edge of the wall... over it! into someones garden!
and a couple right at the back filled their pockets and bags with the spare water for the band etc, the man even came back to fill his pants pockets! all seen above by me, the watcher! so be careful what you do amigos!
i guess it was about 3am or later that the last of the peoples were gone, Jesus continued up to our Vera Cruz church and then i think down to San Sebastian, and the bands continued on for some time longer! people were running up and down the street and the many bottles and bottle tops still laying about in the street we being kicked about noisily. i know we have all kicked an empty bottle about, at some time or other, but we're talking 3 and 4 in the morning, down what would otherwise now be a quiet and sleepy, very sleepy street and its inhabitants! lots of groups of people played the bottle game, couples, single people even took up the challenge! another time i could hear a womans high heel shoes, and i thought will she? wont she? and yes she did! kick that bottle! kick that bottle! i wanted to run down and kick it right back at 'em!
i think it was between 3 and 4 that we were able to try to get to sleep, but then i was starting to feel slightly strange, sort of euphoric or something! and another thing that happens to me when i start to meet up with that 'been up for 24hrs' thing i start to get a cold, well i say start, suddenly i have wet sticky eyes and nose! sore throat and a cough! its like my body just says enough already... body closing down even if mind isn't!
the days of burning a candle at both ends i think for me are well gone... we, no sorry i was up just after 8am, feeling very tired already and its only half 10! i have had a quick 'run' about the house doing cleaning jobs now, because there is no way once i stop i will be able to start up again, hard enough for healthy people to live on 4 hours sleep but for Fibromyalgics... well i'm not even going to get started... too tired....
just had to edit this as i read it on line and saw so many words that were wrong or missing, now i cant find them so, apologies... i am tired!
TTFN
Marian
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
time for change... and onwards to Winchester Cathedral!
and i am sorry i cannot remember who is who is here now...
i took so many photos in here, the battery ran out in my camera and had to run out and buy some more...
Semana Santa is getting underway here in Alhaurín el Grande now... the chairs are out in the streets, all tied together and to nearby doors for security! the stage is up and ready in the Vera Cruz church behind our house...
tomorrow and friday the town will be closed for business! except the bars, bakers and small kiosks of course!
meanwhile on our street there are no road signs yet so people are chancing it and going whichever way they want to go! someone is painting the front of their house, bit last minute me thinks... and the sheets are out to protect our newly paved street!
had coffee up town with friends, was good sitting out in the sun out side Bar Rosa... enjoying the day...
i made bread pudding last night! never made it before, we dont have any scales so was pretty much hope for the best and it came out great! infact better than great... well i think! so i think i will have another piece now with coffee up on the terrace in the sun and read....
TTFN amigos...
Marian
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Yes still in Portsmouth... we seem to have been here for weeks now! no disrespect to Portsmouth of course, just having trouble getting all these pics out to you! HMS Victory above and below here, we were not allowed to take photo's inside the ship.
and now below HMS Warrior....
wicked gun rack to grab a gun from at a moment notice no doubt!
and below the wash room! wonderful mangles, and below those small boxes with the handles... thats where the clothes went in with water and you turned the a big iron handle at the end to give movement to the drums and wash the clothes... an original washing machine!
latest on the electricity bill... in the mail yesterday afternoon, the normal electricity bill came, the first and original, to which Saturdays registered reminder with threat of being cut off! me thinks they came the wrong way round! with bank statement showing all requests had been paid!!! i wonder if i had paid the first one i picked up in the post office if we would have had the money back!
water bill came too, and i paid that this morning using the fantastic bar code reader machine in the BBVA! muy bien amigos!
TTFN
Marian
Monday, April 06, 2009
and now of course we know why the small bright plant was put on our window sill.... the neighbors thought we were away! and when we came home they took it away again, and another plant was put on another house window sill when people found no one home there! so all our houses had plants and flowers... i had bought some plants on Saturday evening down at a local nursery, i must have known! a plant up on the balcon had died, due to over watering by mistake! the tubs natural drainage was blocked and it drowned! i fixed the tub but the plant never came back! so new plant for there and i had two deep red... plants... up on the balcon, but Sunday we brought them down at put them on the down stairs window sill.
lots of people had huge plants out side their front doors! massive things, and big ferns, they must have them in inside courtyards i guess! they looked wonderful... and last night out walking pip a makeshift bar was still going strong up the road in celebration of our completed streets...
i seemed to be nothing but cleaning yesterday! and today i am sorting out the tools that seem to come into the house and never get back to their storage cubboard! the gas fire is back in the cave till winter as last! and two gas cans are waiting by the front door for the gas man! i hope he is here on friday? will be the first time in months...
remember the electric bill from Saturday? i took it into the bank to find out why it hadn't been paid, the cashier called Endesa, the electric company, had a brief conversation and told me the bill was nothing! and tore it up! a mistake? great mistake i could so easily have just paid it and would we ever have had the 67€ back? and then on the other hand i will feel troubled until the time of the next bill, when we may well get cut off!!!
my thoughts are with all the people killed, injured and missing in their homes in Italy this morning, couldn't believe it when i saw the devastation on the news this morning, a massive earth quake in L'Aquila...
TTFN
Marian
lots of people had huge plants out side their front doors! massive things, and big ferns, they must have them in inside courtyards i guess! they looked wonderful... and last night out walking pip a makeshift bar was still going strong up the road in celebration of our completed streets...
i seemed to be nothing but cleaning yesterday! and today i am sorting out the tools that seem to come into the house and never get back to their storage cubboard! the gas fire is back in the cave till winter as last! and two gas cans are waiting by the front door for the gas man! i hope he is here on friday? will be the first time in months...
remember the electric bill from Saturday? i took it into the bank to find out why it hadn't been paid, the cashier called Endesa, the electric company, had a brief conversation and told me the bill was nothing! and tore it up! a mistake? great mistake i could so easily have just paid it and would we ever have had the 67€ back? and then on the other hand i will feel troubled until the time of the next bill, when we may well get cut off!!!
my thoughts are with all the people killed, injured and missing in their homes in Italy this morning, couldn't believe it when i saw the devastation on the news this morning, a massive earth quake in L'Aquila...
TTFN
Marian
Sunday, April 05, 2009
here is our wonderful 'new' street this morning, it was last renewed as a whole street in 1959... so fifty years ago exactly!and so in celebration we had an official opening... only in Spain? must be, let me know though! i don't remember ever having an official opening on any of the many streets that have been re paved or tarred before!
and here THE ribbon! we, a few of us who live here, had to move over onto the other side of it a policeman asked us all to do so, although there were a few late comers who stayed put on our new street!
the tv station Andalucia TV were there....
and the band... just seen i can change this photo on my Picasa, and have straightened it up... whatever next eh! someone standing over my shoulder holding the camera for me hopefully! i know what photos i want, just not got the steady hands to take them!
before i down load photo's i have just taken from the 'Opening of our Street', i thought i better up load pics i took when Barry and I arrived back home here last month!
looks like snow yes! all the block paving settling in with the white cement dust!
it was sooooo bright coming out of the house onto this whiteness....
then this morning, or rather that morning!... the sky was white too, well low level cloud and we were in a blanco blanket, or a bag of white cotton wool!
ok going to do new photos now and get them on here, of course you will have seen them already, as to get here you will have had to pass there! if I'm quick that is!
TTFN
Marian
Saturday, April 04, 2009
last few shots from the Spinnaker Tower, you know i couldn't spell that to begin with! now it is firmly imprinted in my mind!
these two shots above and below show the equipment for the out side elevator! UGH!!! C r a z y or what!
the door... to? well when no lift there its the door to a 110 meter drop!
just been down to the post office with an aviso (delivery note) we found amongst our mail yesterday, it was in the name of a previous owner, from way back whenever! and from the electricity company... its still in his name, as i may have said previously, you have to pay to have the name changed(!) doh!!
so into postoffice, picked up the letter that this aviso reffered to and after a bit of this and that home again! it was a bill! the bank hasnt paid the last one!? remember we had this with the last phone bill! so seems they still have not transferred over the direct debits that were needed and now we have received this!
since the new billing system has come into force in november last year... old styley you could go for 2 or 3 bills without being cut off, a lady whose apartment i used to look after never paid her bills and i was always going down to Fuengirola to do them in a job lot! and remember 3 bills was six months of non payment before cut off.
now if a bill is not paid, no reminder? you have to pay by a certain date of course, the date the cut off happens, and if its not paid you have to pay everything that owed up to date, which will be a part or whole of the next bill to have your electric put back on!
TTFN
Marian
Friday, April 03, 2009
April 1st
well here i am off line blogging again... no wifi here! heck all those air waves full of un delivered text messages and wireless technology you would think i could hack into it somehow... well anyway... i shall continue until the heat of this lap top gets too much for my legs!
we are down here at the beach... relaxing and sun bathing on the terrace, feels bit like a holiday except for the cleaning and tidying up, and of course Franco being away during the day! but Pippa is getting well in with all the walking everyday! she gets the early and late runs with Franco, and two longer walks with me, the first about 9am when we go to either the El Zoco side of Calahonda, or the super sol end! having a coffee at a bar and then completing the circle! i am catching up with some old friends from when we used to live down here, Pippa is loving running on the beach and running out into the sea! i let her off lead and in she runs, coming back all wet having a good shake then getting full of sand! sniffing about in the flotsam and jetsam of the beach, those spiky things, urchins is it?, sea cucumber looking things! lots of sea weed and general rubbish, there is little sand here now, they haven't made their usual delivery of golden sand that they normally do each year that appears from somewhere! although they have brought some other material, Franco thought it might be river sand, but it looks like its shell based, and tiny tiny little pebbles, its nicer to walk on though, and some of the walk we do towards royal beach is over really huge rocks that are now exposed and hard to walk on without slipping over.
yesterday i walked into a small wood, it used to be fenced off and without thinking we went in, nice underfoot and a big green canopy overhead of wonderful pines... then i realized as Pippa was sniffing about the forest floor there were cob webs down there... and in all the trees! OMG i had taken Pippa into the lions den... well den of the processionary caterpillar! we were out fast...
it is nice walking pip about down here, so many other people walking their dogs all the time too, people say hello and coo and make kissy noises to her, sometimes stopping to pet her, and no one crosses the street to avoid us, well Pippa i think it is, not me! no one backing off when Pippa looks at them - or putting their arms up in the air!! well you have seen her! i mean she is scary!!! arh my poor little baby!
i am calling mom every day from a call box, and she calls me on my mobile! those euro direct cards are great though, in the house or a telefonica call box.
mom got her results on Monday, the tumor is now the size of a cherry, and 5 of the 6 lymph nodes are now clear. they have decided to leave her be for a couple of months, and then have another CT scan to see how 'things' are. she said they talked about radiation treatment, but that it would be very invasive and she could have it, or not just now. so we will see what happens now in two months time, bit of a limbo situation... but she is feeling great and, as usual out and about most days, down town, or Hemel or Aylesbury! she is eating so many things to help, grape nuts, aloe vera, fruit juices and green tea, lots of good stuff all anti toxins and health giving.
i brought some aloe vera back with me, and have been taking it twice a day since, mom started hers two days ago and says she feels better already! she said it could be her imagination! i need to improve mine then i think, as i don't feel any benefits yet! not sure if i expected to but i am opened minded on trying things that i think, hope, will help my Fibromyalgia improve. i sort of think i tried it before, but not sure.... obviously my memory needs help too! i'm having a table spoon full in the morning first thing, before anything else and about 10 or 15 minutes before anything else. and then before i go to bed i have another tablespoonful! it says you can have 15ml one to three times a day, but i don't have any measure thats so small! will have to find something, maybe i am not having enough!
ok hasta la vista amigos....
TTFN
Marian
April 3rd
the apartment block near where we are just now has lots of 'for sales' and 'to rent' signs, everyday people come and look round, they stand on the balcony's and look out... at us! the balcons all face this little urbanization, which is pretty and settled, only two story's high, a mix of apartments and houses, you wouldn't even know which was which if you didn't know! the pool is big and the gardens well matured, but over there...
the block is four high, the wooden (why?) railings already look they are rotting, the paintwork looks worn already and in need of repainting...chunks of plaster and brickwork has broken off! when we saw the original plans it was for about 40 or 50 apartments and the legal distance from the beach... the finished block is about double the amount and of course all the ones nearer the beach are illegal! not sure how 'they' have got around this... i wonder if i should go out now and tell these prospective buyers?? just kidding??
Pippa has her eye on one of the many gatitos that live here, or at least like to come visit! she wants to get down there and play with them... what makes it worse is i think one likes to come up here, through the rejas, up the stairs onto the roof terrace and sun bath... she goes crazy when she gets out the front door sniffing where the cats been!
i got hooked on the game on here yesterday, solitaire! i had never played it before 'shock horror aghast', i know, but i never had, and then i couldn't stop! i have it up here now ready to play!
in The News paper yesterday on the front page it says all money from the EU with reference to the road structures going on here in Spain will stop, as of now, because of illegal land grab etc... what will happen then with the Fuengirola road? they cant leave it like it is!
ok folks... on line now and live! when i went back to the solitaire i completed it! wow! not sure how many tries i had but i did it, now i have to do it again!
we came home this evening... to find our house has moved! well the number, our old number is two doors down, and we have the number from two doors up! there was also a very pretty little pot plant on the window sill... although it was gone when we came home after popping to town briefly, so who put it there? and then who and why took it away again!
its not just these few houses, all the houses in the street beginning at the beginning have changed numbers... god help the postman! what will happen to our utility bills? where will they go, should we change them officially? leave well alone? will the postman know which have been changed or just go by names? too many questions and not enough answers!
answers needed on the toll road also! last week cost 2.35€ and now its 3.80€! great, like we can all afford this increase in these times. i know they raise it for Semana Santa to 'catch the tourists' but we live here and have to pay it all the same!
not sure whats happening on the Fuengirola road there were no workers there late on this afternoon... i really hope they dont just leave it like it is now! we'll all be back to donkeys to get anywhere! our teeth rattle and bones crunch, so not sure how our old car manages to keep together over it all - the knocking and clanking noises it makes! one day it will be like an old black and white movie where the car stops, the doors open and fall off, the bonnet pings up in the air... the wheels pop out, and the airs gusts out of the engine in a puff of smoke!
TTFN
Marian
well here i am off line blogging again... no wifi here! heck all those air waves full of un delivered text messages and wireless technology you would think i could hack into it somehow... well anyway... i shall continue until the heat of this lap top gets too much for my legs!
we are down here at the beach... relaxing and sun bathing on the terrace, feels bit like a holiday except for the cleaning and tidying up, and of course Franco being away during the day! but Pippa is getting well in with all the walking everyday! she gets the early and late runs with Franco, and two longer walks with me, the first about 9am when we go to either the El Zoco side of Calahonda, or the super sol end! having a coffee at a bar and then completing the circle! i am catching up with some old friends from when we used to live down here, Pippa is loving running on the beach and running out into the sea! i let her off lead and in she runs, coming back all wet having a good shake then getting full of sand! sniffing about in the flotsam and jetsam of the beach, those spiky things, urchins is it?, sea cucumber looking things! lots of sea weed and general rubbish, there is little sand here now, they haven't made their usual delivery of golden sand that they normally do each year that appears from somewhere! although they have brought some other material, Franco thought it might be river sand, but it looks like its shell based, and tiny tiny little pebbles, its nicer to walk on though, and some of the walk we do towards royal beach is over really huge rocks that are now exposed and hard to walk on without slipping over.
yesterday i walked into a small wood, it used to be fenced off and without thinking we went in, nice underfoot and a big green canopy overhead of wonderful pines... then i realized as Pippa was sniffing about the forest floor there were cob webs down there... and in all the trees! OMG i had taken Pippa into the lions den... well den of the processionary caterpillar! we were out fast...
it is nice walking pip about down here, so many other people walking their dogs all the time too, people say hello and coo and make kissy noises to her, sometimes stopping to pet her, and no one crosses the street to avoid us, well Pippa i think it is, not me! no one backing off when Pippa looks at them - or putting their arms up in the air!! well you have seen her! i mean she is scary!!! arh my poor little baby!
i am calling mom every day from a call box, and she calls me on my mobile! those euro direct cards are great though, in the house or a telefonica call box.
mom got her results on Monday, the tumor is now the size of a cherry, and 5 of the 6 lymph nodes are now clear. they have decided to leave her be for a couple of months, and then have another CT scan to see how 'things' are. she said they talked about radiation treatment, but that it would be very invasive and she could have it, or not just now. so we will see what happens now in two months time, bit of a limbo situation... but she is feeling great and, as usual out and about most days, down town, or Hemel or Aylesbury! she is eating so many things to help, grape nuts, aloe vera, fruit juices and green tea, lots of good stuff all anti toxins and health giving.
i brought some aloe vera back with me, and have been taking it twice a day since, mom started hers two days ago and says she feels better already! she said it could be her imagination! i need to improve mine then i think, as i don't feel any benefits yet! not sure if i expected to but i am opened minded on trying things that i think, hope, will help my Fibromyalgia improve. i sort of think i tried it before, but not sure.... obviously my memory needs help too! i'm having a table spoon full in the morning first thing, before anything else and about 10 or 15 minutes before anything else. and then before i go to bed i have another tablespoonful! it says you can have 15ml one to three times a day, but i don't have any measure thats so small! will have to find something, maybe i am not having enough!
ok hasta la vista amigos....
TTFN
Marian
April 3rd
the apartment block near where we are just now has lots of 'for sales' and 'to rent' signs, everyday people come and look round, they stand on the balcony's and look out... at us! the balcons all face this little urbanization, which is pretty and settled, only two story's high, a mix of apartments and houses, you wouldn't even know which was which if you didn't know! the pool is big and the gardens well matured, but over there...
the block is four high, the wooden (why?) railings already look they are rotting, the paintwork looks worn already and in need of repainting...chunks of plaster and brickwork has broken off! when we saw the original plans it was for about 40 or 50 apartments and the legal distance from the beach... the finished block is about double the amount and of course all the ones nearer the beach are illegal! not sure how 'they' have got around this... i wonder if i should go out now and tell these prospective buyers?? just kidding??
Pippa has her eye on one of the many gatitos that live here, or at least like to come visit! she wants to get down there and play with them... what makes it worse is i think one likes to come up here, through the rejas, up the stairs onto the roof terrace and sun bath... she goes crazy when she gets out the front door sniffing where the cats been!
i got hooked on the game on here yesterday, solitaire! i had never played it before 'shock horror aghast', i know, but i never had, and then i couldn't stop! i have it up here now ready to play!
in The News paper yesterday on the front page it says all money from the EU with reference to the road structures going on here in Spain will stop, as of now, because of illegal land grab etc... what will happen then with the Fuengirola road? they cant leave it like it is!
ok folks... on line now and live! when i went back to the solitaire i completed it! wow! not sure how many tries i had but i did it, now i have to do it again!
we came home this evening... to find our house has moved! well the number, our old number is two doors down, and we have the number from two doors up! there was also a very pretty little pot plant on the window sill... although it was gone when we came home after popping to town briefly, so who put it there? and then who and why took it away again!
its not just these few houses, all the houses in the street beginning at the beginning have changed numbers... god help the postman! what will happen to our utility bills? where will they go, should we change them officially? leave well alone? will the postman know which have been changed or just go by names? too many questions and not enough answers!
answers needed on the toll road also! last week cost 2.35€ and now its 3.80€! great, like we can all afford this increase in these times. i know they raise it for Semana Santa to 'catch the tourists' but we live here and have to pay it all the same!
not sure whats happening on the Fuengirola road there were no workers there late on this afternoon... i really hope they dont just leave it like it is now! we'll all be back to donkeys to get anywhere! our teeth rattle and bones crunch, so not sure how our old car manages to keep together over it all - the knocking and clanking noises it makes! one day it will be like an old black and white movie where the car stops, the doors open and fall off, the bonnet pings up in the air... the wheels pop out, and the airs gusts out of the engine in a puff of smoke!
TTFN
Marian