Yesterday drove a friend down to Torremolinos, he loves the full English breakfast down at The Tudor Rose... Unfortunately, they are closed on Thursdays! 

So we had some breakfast, local style, and a coffee at this bar on the roundabout with Picasso's dancing ladies... 

Just now uploading it here, I had to check, but the post of the bar and the tree are lined up so well, they look as one! I couldn't work out how the roundabout barrier was in the way!! Lols!!

We had a good walk along the paseo on the beach side then crossed back over and had another coffee before returning home to Alhaurín..

And then later in the day the heavens opened and down came our much needed rain! 

And continued to come down, for most of the rest of the day..

Later in the afternoon I was back in town, having coffee inside! And watched as the rain and the sun vied for position.. 

This morning there was a few drops, but only now has the rain returned, and supposed to be raining all day tomorrow, so a boat might be needed for work in the morning! 

The other day after I'd Blogged, sat, still outside Bar Monikas, a dog that passes by sometimes when I'm there, came up close, I petted him...

He cocked his leg towards my seat... And peed! Hilarious! 

M.

This morning down at Torremolinos, dark skies, parakeets...

Feels like a Sunday!

Probably never get used to seeing parakeets just flying around here, or perched on trees..

This was for me, quite unusual seeing so many just walking around on the ground!

Still they keep the beach looking good, even in the winter months...

TTFN
Marian

Breakfast at Tiffanys... (Nigels)

Yesterday a trip down to Torremolinos and breakfast at the Tudor Rose... taking a friend who hadn't been down there for a long time and was one of his places he liked to go...

I had had my breakfast already... of course! So by about 10:30... still not really hungry, but I managed to force down a very tasty salon and scrambled egg with a slice of toast and lashings of butter... also coffee'd out, I had a pot of tea to accompany the above!

Its a nice spot just here... there... and I nip down through the countryside to get to Torremolinos and parked immediately and immediately is the Tudor Rose! Perfect!

One of the last pull flush toilets that I know of! And is a running joke I am only there to pull Nigel's chain! Well, maybe so, but also for the always good food and friendly service... always a good visit.

We had a short walk along the paseo maritimo before heading back to Alhaurín and my friends car...

This morning after town I set to with what I thought was quite a bad bit of paint flaking going on, maybe a bit of what was caused by the winter and rain and not enough fresh air... I bought a plastic sheet for the next project a pair of sturdy gloves and a wire thingy... technical term! But turned out the flaking paint was as bad as I thought and it took only a few minutes to clear off the powdery stuff and rub it back to cement or plaster ... Spanish houses!  I'll get a primer tomorrow and paint next week!

Downstairs was, is, a bigger project, and I nearly thought to leave it until tomorrow, but I made a start, putting the big plastic sheet down.. 4 x 5 metres... I started pulling down the loose plaster on the ceiling beneath the bathroom... from the damage caused by the bath leaking... about two and half years ago now I am guessing... the paint on the ceiling beneath the plaster is smurf blue... dry is bad enough, when it was wet and dripping blue it wasn't funny at the time.. but was... it is a memory stuck in a bubble... of utter 'what else' and blue hair from the dripping paint... humour in sight of devastation...

Humour when all else is lost... the human condition? Yes, that is it... the human condition...

So I stood on the floor and using the skylight window opener... lol... yes, I am very inventive! I started hooking the obviously loose patches of plaster off, revealing more and more smurf blue!  It was awkward to say the least... so I used a chair... then climbed up the stairs... to releave the pain in my neck.. already!!! Not good enough once I'd got the extra loose stuff off... So I got the ladder... and had to climb to the top to actually reach the ceiling.. being vertically challenged as I am!

I used a thing, for putting on filler and scrapped a great deal more off, but... I stopped because I am always telling people to use masks and goggles in this type of situation and that would be typical if I got some in my eyes, I also am not sure how old the paint is and if its lead based.. more than likely.  So tomorrow, mask and goggles before I finish it off!

And now I am trying to not get into my VR just yet...

Its too hot already for me on the terrace to sit and read; I really need a big tree up there... So maybe something else to do..


TTFN
Marian


song Rosanna... by Toto, because? Just because... I started singing it for no apparent reason.. so thought it best I pass it on here!

Orange blossom...

Today we had a short visit at Cudeca to meet Francos physiotherapist, all went well, and we have another appointment for Friday for Franco to have some physio!  Before I forget, we also popped in to see the nurse here in Alhaurín, the doctor gave us his name and number and told us to, so we did, no appointment necessary, no call, just popped in on our way home, he called a translator and he and Franco via the translator had a good conversation and we have an appointment tomorrow, no hanging about, really great..

We popped into Torremolinos to pick up a few things on our list, picked up a few things, not on our list, because what was, wasn't it store!!

We then went to Plaza Mayor for a bite to eat, and wandering around afterwards I could smell the wonderful orange blossom aroma in the small square there...

Yesterday, we ate lunch out too, this has to stop... for obvious reasons!  €€€€€€€ LOL... but anyway, we enjoyed lunch at Los Morenos near the BP garage, I had my favorite of lamb chops, while I ate the whole lot, minus one [which Franco ate], Franco told me how unhealthy they are because of the amount of fat... but dang... thats the whole reason I eat them!! LOL

Night before I made myself a small pizza! the whole thing!!! It tasted okay, I wasn't ill afterwards, always a bonus, and as you can see Pippa wanted some, although it could have tasted fowl and Pippa would still have wanted some!!  We should have named her gannet!!

And you'll never guess what this is a photograph of!!

Ah... Okay, well a few nights ago I was finishing off my glass of milk and reading my Kindle and I saw through the glass this beautiful spectrum... grabbed my phone and voilá!

It started to rain, just a few drops as we came home earlier, about half four I guess, now, at 7:30pm its chucking it down again! Terrrrrrific!!!

Today when we were out and Franco and I were walking down the long haul of steps to get us back down to the paseo maritimo, Franco kept saying 'is this the restaurant we usually cut through?'.... and I had to keep saying no, not this one either!!  And I said to him... You know Franco your sense of direction is terrible and if there really is a promised land, and if you go there first, you'll have to wait for me so I can get us there together...

TTFN
Marian

Back from Spain, above glimpse out through La Peña in Mijas pueblo... the day of my return to Blighty!

Had a wonderful lunch in La Alcazaba restartante overlooking the Fuengirola and Mijas Costa coastline, no windows, all pulled back and anchored by metal bars, toldos flapping in the breeze, occasionally being pulled back up due to high winds... which is why I got sun burnt!

I had murluza, [hake], with mussels and shrimp aplenty, in a beautiful salsa verdé, two glasses of wonderful Rioja, a desert of flambé bananas and ice cream... Beautiful lunch beautiful day...

Above during a visit to Fuengirola... not sure what was happening in the church square, but became a great pic!

Great prose written on bar window, very good for how I feel just now with work...
Not quick sure how my camera came out like it has with the pavement jutting out like this, but hope it comes out on my Blog the same as I can see it just now!

Our barrio.... at our home in Spain...

Had a great two weeks, should have been a week, but extended it to visit with my aunt Rita from New York, who was on a trip with two of her friends, I had never met the two gals before, they are so much fun, two great ladies I wish I had known longer.  These three could fill a book or ten with the most amazing stories and lifetimes of tales!  I got see them the day they arrived, actually there awaiting they're arrival into the hotel they were staying in which was great!  Then on the Sunday I spent the whole afternoon and most of the evening with them, for the next couple of nights I arrived after they got back from they're trips out and about and had had dinner...

I rented a car, twice... Which was strange, keep thinking I still have the car and have left it back home in the car park behind the house!! Didn't did I!!! lol... I saw loads of friends and neighbors and people of the town who know me, just randomly, like the girl from the lotteria shop, others stores and passersby...  Was so nice driving about the countryside, trips to the coast, lunch with my neighbor from the apartment down at Calahonda, La Trocha car boot sale, the lakes at Ardales and El Chorro... the Kings walk is finished now, and you can get over the railway line now instead of via it to gain access to the amazing ravine.  Breakfast at Torremolinos a couple of times at a friends restaurant, the end of season for him now.  A couple of visits to Ikea!  And Primark in Miramar!!! Home from home eh!  Now I wish I hadn't brought things with me I didn't need to from the UK!!  A trip to La Cañada and of course Malaga... The Picasso museum was closed! Mondays!! Must remember to never go on Mondays again, the Thysson too was closed!  Even the Teteria was closed....

Was so sad leaving, again... I even made a deal with the lotteria girl, for me to win the 100 million euro I would give her 1 million... I have changed our home about there, moving the lounge upstairs in the front room so we have the big doors to look out through, from the sofa we can now see the mountains and the Guadalhorce valley, from first thing in the morning with the sun rising over Malaga, through the changing colors of the day to the sun setting from the direction of Cadiz....

TTFN
Marian