Last few photos from this years Malaga Feria.... above balloons!!! As you can see, a small person holding them from below, its a wonder he didn't get pulled up into the air... with so much hot air above him!!!!

This above is a small chapel I think, right on the port... its surrounded by the new 'soon to be' shops bars restaurants... looking sad, un-wanted and awkward there!

When we got there this area was almost empty, from above, fine streams of cool refreshing air were being sprayed out of the tubing... wet, cold spray, nice, no actually it was! In this heat!

But later, when we were passing back the whole area was heaving with people, eating, dancing, dancing and eating! Oh and drinking, lots!!

I had to include another photo of this amazing character... the 'drunk' doesn't he look like he is sitting down on something? Believe you me, nothing is there, just his fantastic sense of balance!


This is one of the palaces... yes, yes, I should know which one, I don't! Sorry amigos!

Now, I have to mention something that has been driving me crazy, or I shall explode, and make a helluva mess all over the sofa that I now sit upon! A friend of mine, has been asked to send, to England, a 2 into 3 pin plug converter, Visitor to UK Travel Adaptor .... to enable a Spanish cable to be used in an English wall socket.... Obviously I said, "well, yes ok.... but so much easier to just buy one there".... And so for anyone Google'ing this item.... the link above will take you directly to one such thing, in fact 3 for the price of two just now you lucky people over in Blighty! They can also be bought in John Lewis, Debenhams, Smiths... etcetera, etcetera.... if you cannot manage to even get to a shop to look they're on line even cheaper, with free delivery!!!

Humph!

TTFN
Marian

Malaga 2011

Malaga feria week still here on my Blog today.... above, where these huge flowers were coming out from... a small building, the smoke smelt of beer... the cabin beneath, was advertising San Miguel.... so maybe it was beer brewing!!!!

A ferry pulling out of the harbour... mmmm, not a great photo, sorry amigos, it is what it is!
A ferry pulling out of the harbour!!!!

But above the Adventure of The Sea, a royal Carribean liner.... Huge with a capitol 'H'.... the gangway with people boarding, how awful!!!

Stuck out on the seas in this... beauty, I had never fancied a cruise, but the last couple of years, I have thought, yes, I could do that now! Must be my age!


I quite like the photo above, on the right, the ship, on the left the reflection!


Y el final... well for today, some more massive flowers, these are about 20 foot high, hard to show their size on here, well I tried!

TTFN
Marian

We went to Malaga on Saturday, not that you would have noticed from Saturdays Blog entry? Strange I just wrote a purloined poem.. Still who knows where my head was, even I don't know!!!

So Saturday, on the bus and to Malaga City, the feria had started the evening before with an opening at the fairground, and this day was the first in the city centre, with loads of stuff going on....

On C/Larios the main street, lots of celebrations... the street is always covered with sun screens from July through to September, just the extra bits and pieces for the next two weeks...


Above a Mom and daughter looking lovely in matching dresses, saw lots of this idea....

When we arrived we first went to have a look around the what's not so now new railway station! Estación María Zambrano, Its amazing! So many shops, restaurants etc, and the entrance to the tracks themselves looks like an airport terminal, with the X-ray machine for bags to go through before getting through, there were loads of people waiting for friends/family at the two arrivals exits.... Made me want to jump on a train to Barcelona or Madrid immediately!

Just read this link before from the stations site about an line that is no more, shame...Malaga to Coín train!


Above some revellers, pausing between songs for a photo shoot!

After the railway station we headed off towards the centre, stopping for coffee and a magdalena, [cake]... then it was onwards and further in!


Couldn't resist this pic above when the opportunity came to my notice! Below everything was mayhem, we were caught up in a huge amount of people rushing about like ants, swarming this way and that, I looked up at the manikins in store window, I was probably the only person who even noticed them watching us....!!!

This amazing chap above, more pics of him tomorrow, there were many many 'live' statues in the street, most of them very good, painted silver, gold, bronze, or dressed in many guises and poses... but this 'drunk' was simply the best! He appeared to be sitting down, as you can see, but he is sitting on nothing, just using fantastic balance and legs muscles of steel! When anyone popped some money into that box, he kind of unbent himself to stand, and bow, in a drunken manner and offer his bottle to the money giver! He had crowds round him, every time we passed him!

After the first walk up c/larios [and back], we thought we would go to the port and see if any ships were in, one was, Adventure of the Sea, a massive liner, was just boarding... without me!!! i took loads of photos... tomorrow for those too!

We had a coffee in a bar in the port before we did the 45 minute walk to where the ship was harboured, there was also a German warship nearby, they were loading up with food, water and one or two beer barrels! A small group of fellers were behind a truck having a sneaky smoke and a couple were behind another truck doing the same thing, couple as in man and woman I mean!

We stood there awhile watching people boarding and people waving them off, prematurely as the shop wasn't even moving!!! Then a ferry headed for the islands was off on its journey, not sure where, either Palma or Tenerife, both were written on the side, both in very different directions!

Then it was the long walk back... we sat for a while in the park near the harbour, we had food with us, and water! [much needed, water], then back into the centre again.... I was so completely shattered by then, I don't quite know how I was even managing to walk... just my mind keeping me moving I think! Anyway, after a walk to the main square we left down a side street, crossed the river, and back to the bus station, where I did collapse, with a cup of coffee!

Not long to wait for our bus, and the wonderful air con on board...

TTFN
Marian

from the Sufi master Hafiz :

Light Will someday split you open
Even if your life is now a cage.

Little by little, You will turn into stars.
Little by little, You will turn into
The whole sweet, amorous Universe.

Love will surely burst you wide open
Into an unfettered, booming new galaxy.

You will become so free
In a wonderful, secret
And pure Love That flows
From a conscious, One-pointed, Infinite Light.

Even then, my dear, The Beloved will have fulfilled
Just a fraction, Just a fraction!
Of a promise He wrote upon your heart.

For a divine seed, the crown of destiny,
Is hidden and sown on an ancient, fertile plain
You hold the title to.

O look again within yourself,
For I know you were once the elegant host
To all the marvels in creation.

When your soul begins
To ever bloom and laugh
And spin in Eternal Ecstasy-

O little by little, You will turn into God.

Translated by Dan Ladinsky

c/o Blooming Humans.com

TTFN
Marian

Unbelievable riots mostly in London over last few evenings, others in Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol, they are starting again already this evening now also in Manchester Wolverhampton and Nottingham, 16,000 police deployed in London alone tonight... Its looks like a war zone, gratuitous acts of robbery, violence, arson, thuggery... a poor man bleeding on the pavement was helped up from the path, then his saviours turned into thieves and stole everything from his back pack!

Most of the shops closed today at 3pm... Now there will be more loss of earnings, to add to the ruined businesses of the last few nights and homes, more unemployment and more homelessness.

Below is my planned Blog for today, but not sure if it seems appropriate after the above mindless actions going on right now....

But, here it is.....

Firstly, a photo of a bad accident in the street outside, four x four, off the road and into the piles of rubbish in the street waiting for collection!


Was anyone hurt? Don't know the windscreen looks full of bins....

Before the next photo of the above incident, didn't do much over the weekend, so little infact I got a headache! To much sitting down and doing nothing me thinks! Because Monday, after only a few hours of walking and moving about a bit, the headache went!

I didn't feel I should take another pain killer so just had to put up with the head pain, on top of all the rest, going to see the doctor, now up on the top of the town, must make the climb and just go and get an appointment, need something stronger now!

The medical centre was down on the high street, nice and local for everyone, of any age or strength of leg! Central in the town, and people could be helped up the steps and/or walked back to their apartments by various family and friends, now, up there at the top of the mountain [it feels], its not a walk most of them can now do, or me for that matter, I will have to zig zag my way there!

Not tomorrow, tomorrow we have a new boiler arriving! The last has, after six years of hanging on by a thread, literally, given up! The only way to get hot water is by, sorry was by, not doing now before anyone has a go.... turning on the gas, turning on the hot water tap, and rushing back to the boiler and igniting the many many flames that alight when the hot water is turned on, because the one pilot light, isn't working! And of course because such a huge amount of gas comes out of so many jets there is a bit of a bang!

Tomorrow, hot water, hot shower, hopefully! Its done well, like the washing machine, that didn't work for about 6 months last year, after the heavy rain from the winter before last, and then, suddenly is was ok again! More or less?????

Today went to look for a lawyer, he, they, were in offices in La Trocha, and said they were moving over the road, so, we checked out 'over the road' nowt, by the side of La Trocha, nope! Went inside to read what notice they had left on their door of their old premises.... and yes it says over the road, but not until October!!!! Mmmmm!

Ok, depressed by too much Sky news and rioting.... here is the other photo of the car crash on my street the other day.... the pulled back version! No zoom folks!



What? You can't see it? There's the four x four, up against the rubbish, just like in the first photo amigos! Where's the kid with the remote control though!!!

TTFN
Marian

I think today's post will begin today and carry on tomorrow, I haven't posted since, some time, and the last dew days, well all week, not felt up to talking much, I haven't even had this on for longer than an hour at the most I think...

Had some either bad reaction to all the pain killers I have been taking or just plain poorly, full stop!

Yesterday all I had in my head were blank empty spaces, and today I awoke with an epiphany! I know! me! But now should I begin with it? Or close with it? Yess the latter just to keep you with me, because this is going to be a long one, and however heavy your eyes get, however dry your mouth..... get a coffee now!... I will keep you hanging on today... or will that be tomorrow when I finish this? And if I keep talking this non sense you'll hang up now!

Where shall I begin this spilling out of words I have today... to my notes, [mental], the notes NOT ME!

A tv program today, they sent a dog to a sanctuary when his owner had died.... and the woman said she wanted to go too! I remember when Mom's dog went to a kennels, then she was adopted by a wonderful family in Beaconsfield, chaffeur, cook, house keeper, the dogs had they're own room, I remember saying did they want an new daughter too!!!!

Which leads me to earlier today, we were talking about times in our lives that were significant in our future, or pointed us in certain directions, for instance when I was 15[while ago!], and walking through Tring with a friend, she stopped to speak to someone she knew, introduced me.... and by the following Monday I was starting my first job that led from that conversation!!!! Thank goodness, because I didn't have a clue what I would do for a job!

And how at one point my life led me to Aylesbury... which led to my job in Mercedes and all the wonderful friends I met there, who are still my wonderful friends... It led to Barry getting a job where he did, although, as he is still doing the same thing, albeit somewhere else, and may not thank me for it? And Tony went to a certain training centre, which led to his first job, and the people he met there, you know who you are... So if I hadn't followed that road as I did, none of the above would have followed....

I was always meant to be here in Alhaurín, I had house hunted here a long time ago, then it didn't happen, got divorced instead! Then Mom and I house hunted here... but didn't go ahead with the move to Spain, then a few months later did, and moved to Fuengirola on the coast. Now, here we are, in Alhaurín after all! I was always meant to know the friends I know here, in this town...

And then there is the weird stuff, like when I was visiting my brother in California, we were in San Francisco, just for two days, and on the tram we passed someone I thought I knew, and at the turn-around he was there again, I went up to him, [well why not?] and he said, hey Marian! what you doing here!!! and finally? [for now] when I was on the course at Santa Maria, never been there before, on a day I wouldn't normally be on the golf courses, four guys walked up onto the tee, I recognised one, and turned out it was someone I had worked for 30 years before!

Strange but true...

Today been trying to work out why so many blank pages on the Kindle books we have been publishing, no answers yet! Three books on Kindle, and all with blank pages, they're not there during downloading, or in the document itself, but most certainly there on the Kindle! ARH!!

Its hot heat now, sweaty!! There it is, its sweaty weather now! I think this may have been making me feel worse, I'm getting hot without with weather! That's something to do with my heart, I got a letter, at last from the hospital, explaining everything, well not everything, just the problems I have actually!!!

And before I totally bore you with all the words this little bit below is part of the description of some of it...

"The Haversian Canals are a network of minute canals, which traverse the solid substance of bones and proceed from the central cavity. They convey nutrient vessels to all parts."

Sounds like a snippet from a wonderful story about middle England in the late century!

And me.. the results! The primary problem is, are, no is a [MVP] Mitral Valve Prolapse with secondary [PSVT] Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (which is an abnormal conduction of electricity in particular areas of the heart).

The spinal cysts are in the sacral nerve root S2 with secondary radicular cysts...

End!

Well I didn't go on as much as I thought I would, did I? Did I? hey wakey wakey!!

Oh the epiphany, well you know the old "which came first the chicken or the egg?" Why didn't I think of this before, like when I was a child, a chicken didn't just happen in the first place did it! They evolved like we did, so the chicken came from another type of bird, some prehistoric animal that shrank down to size!

For goodness sake, there is the answer!!!!

TTFN
Marian