Wonderful day in Ronda yesterday, after so many trips by car we thought a trip by train would be really great!  As aforementioned we had checked out the train times and got there in plenty of time, got a coffee first in nearby bar... When we got onto the platform two guys got off the Malaga train, they needed to get to Malaga airport and had inadvertently got the wrong train, they needed to be on a plane in an hour!  They walked into Cartama Estacion to get a cab, wonder if they made it...

The lookout from near the band stand at Ronda, view from the Parador

I tried to take photos that I had not before!  Bit difficult after going to Ronda for 28 years now!  I don't think I had been there since mom passed away... not sure... It was her birthday on Sunday...

The train journey was lovely, took loads of photos... as did most of the people on the train! At one point, we stopped at Bobadilla, a strange, very old station, seems to be out in the middle of nowhere!

 

Blossoms and cactus fruit... best served cold!

 ...And pulled out the way we had come in, so spent the last part of journey going backwards!  Most people moved seats, seeing as there were plenty of free ones, probably not the case in high season! and on the way back Franco and I swapped seats so I did the last part of the journey in reverse!  I don't think I used to like to travel backwards but don't mind it now! Which is pretty good seeing as the amount of train journeys I now have to make are leaving me going backwards most of the time!

           

View from the Parador, looking down at a faraway house and looking up at a hotel balcony...

It was a festival in Ronda, unbeknownst to us!  So 90% of the shops were closed! Dammit!! But, one shop was open, one I have been going into since our first visit there... A shop that sells all sorts of bits and pieces, toys at the back, kitchenalia to the left, and gadgets all over the place! Wonderful shop, full of so many things I have always wanted but didn't know it until I walked in!

    

Weather vein on an old palace and a bullfighter outside the Ronda Bull Ring

I bought a little gadget for my camera or phone, not actually supposed to be for such a use, but I will use it for photography!

Great visual effects with new gadget!

The lack of shopping opportunity also didn't stop me buying a bag, I needed a new one! Of course! Who doesn't??  By travel bag is shot, so bought a replacement!

We had tapas in a great tapas bar... a few cups of coffee, and a far bit of walking, the journey was great, train comfortable, all good, except, I have never watch watched while in Ronda before! Although I knew we had plenty of time I was worried about missing the train home!

Tapas!

TTFN

Marian

Oh dear, what happened to last last Blog post of mine?? Thats the problem blogging using my phone, or Kindle was it?  Must use my lap top next time, I can use my phones internet to do so!

Well, I left my work placement and went to see Barry and his family, spent a wonderful five days and five nights with them all, my gorgeous wonderful granddaughter... She cried when I left the flat to go buy some bits!  she watched my every move around the room, and each morning, came crawling... or walking, pushing the door open to me, with her beautiful smile... 23 steps was the record when I was there!  Probably already surpassed!

Had a good visit with them all, went into the city a couple of times, Baz took us all out for dinner on the last evening, and on the Friday I caught the bus to East Midlands airport... Its what I would call, old school, recently updated, and really nice, small, relaxing, easy to negotiate... after Stansted with about a million people on my last return flight home, this was wonderful!

On my last couple of days with Baz I started to get a cold, probably picked up on one of three train journeys it took me to get to Nottingham!  And not sure how it stayed in its early stages, because the day after I got home it hit me like a hammer, couldn't move, my head felt like it was full of cement, my body just wouldn't coordinate at all, although I carried on carrying on, as I always do, I felt like crapola with a capital C.  I've been home over a week and still feel bad, but better, trying not to cough, but at night is when its hardest not to...

We have been out and about as I say, after Franco's Spanish course on Thursday we got in the car and went for a good drive about, we took a route to Cartama Estacion, checked out the train times... We're going to Ronda tomorrow!  Then we drove through a couple of small towns we didn't know existed until the other month when the bus brought us through them!  We kept driving, more because there was nowhere to stop to park... very busy, it was lunch time... So we came back around and onto the main road again and headed up to Casarabonela, we hadn't been there since my birthday back in 2010, had a coffee and came home...

We've visited the La Trocha twice, today we weren't going to, but then changed our minds, its been such lovely weather, warmer than normal, even for here... Franco and went to the flea market in Fuengirola yesterday and were very over dressed in our coats and boots, the tourists were in shorts and t-shirts, some in Torremolinos... were topless later on in the day!  The men I hasten to add!  And it wasn't a pretty picture, so none included!

We have been to the garden and bought earth for plants that have been living in too little of the stuff and now showing signs of it!  I bought bird food yesterday, left it out for the birds and it was still there today, I have moved it about, and not a bit has been taken, plenty of birds!  I seriously don't think they know its for them!  No birds tables, here... no bird feeders! The bird food seems to be the sort you put in bird cages... So not sure how to go about getting them to know it is for them!!  Its only the birds by the bars that know to pick up what humans drop!

We have been to town a load of times, even one evening!  We were going to go to a British bar right at the end of town, they had a band on, then we thought, maybe it wouldn't be a good thing to go there for the first time not knowing anyone... so we decided on a bar in the middle of town, another British bar, but... we decided on a Dutch bar instead!  We are so not used to British bars, but we want to expand our friends and contacts here... Maybe next weekend...

The view this morning, I had taken Pipster out for a walk, and came home, I was sat on the terrace drinking a cup of tea, watching the sun come up, so far it was only on Las Delicias...

And when we were out for a walk yesterday afternoon, Pip was very intrigued by the cat on a lead, the cat was huge, I kept trying to take sneaky pics when we having a coffee in the bar, but had to wait until we were over the road, and then just blatantly take a photo!

I caught this reflective view of life in Casarabonela before our coffees arrived!

This week, we have Ronda tomorrow, and some friends are due out who live down on the coast at Calahonda, and another friend who will staying down at Torremulle... We will enjoy his singing if he puts on a show down there!

TTFN
Marian

Had a stomach dropping moment just now [earlier when I was unable to Blog}... It's because of Facebooks 'this time....' Whenever thingy...  And was reminded like a punch in the gut of this time six years ago, the horrendous trip to England, mom in hospital, and all that followed on a roller coaster of pain and suffering for mom... And a different pain and suffering for me... Mom is never far from my thoughts, to tell her what's happening in my life, to exchange chit chat on the phone... Suddenly so sad, and so far from home, here I am on placement and my eyes are leaking... I want to be home... 

And suddenly I feel like someone I might support... Talking 'Home' some speak of, wanting to be home... Home is all a matter of who sometimes not where... Some people want to be home, they want their mom's, unaware they now are 'the mom'...

I needed my mom so totally when I was young, as we all do; and when mom got older she needed me more...

She would have laughed at me today, we have a, what appears to be regular chest of drawers here in 'our' room, for our belongings while we are on placement... I obviously noticed on the day I arrived some of the drawers wouldn't open, two I thought were just jambed, and well, the other I saw immediately to be a secret drawer!  That sounds slightly contradictory doesn't it?  But I knew it from living with antiques and my step dad!  I tried the obvious with it, but because one of the other drawers was jambed I couldn't release what I knew to be the secret lock!

Ta Da! All three secret drawers opened!  Nancy Drew and Jessica Fletcher stand back!  Oh and by the by, nothing in the drawers, I kind of guessed there wouldn't be as it is in the staff room for us to use!  But such fun!! Am now wondering if there is a forth secret compartment... Well, there could be couldn't there...

Okay, need help... what is that in the pine tree above?  Is it just a plastic bag! Seems to be coming out of a stalk! Looks like a bit of a palm tree!!?? My camera zooms in really well, but I can't get any closer than this with it, I did get up to the tree before you say it!  But of course then I couldn't see it at all!!

And this little puffed up chap... Lovely day today, took a few snaps in my break!

**** And a few more 'stories' from the past...

Back in the hotel/hospital, 'Coming back after lock down, climbing up the fire escape stairs, quietly past matrons room which looked out on us... soaking wet from walking in the lake!!'

Friend and self had been invited for lunch on board a destroyer, two of us all dressed up... arrived at the port, had to ride out on a small boat and then climb up a rope ladder!!!  With the 'boys' watching us in our frilly knicks from below!!

At a service given in the local area, 'Such fun with Tutu!'
[er yes, that would be Desmond Tutu!!!] ****

Mom & me...

And finally, a surreal moment when a Tweet from yesterday morning was replied to from the man on the program I was talking about!!

TTFN
Marian