Friday Smiles 2024 # Week 1

 A Very happy New year to you all. It will take a bit of getting used to,  to write 2024 now!

I hope you were all able to see the new year in, in whatever way suits you best. We were busy with video calls from all our boys through the evening. Tom lives in Denmark and they seem to have fireworks going off randomly all evening. His flat is quite high up in a block, so he has a good view all around, and usually shows some of it to us live.

We weren't particularly impressed with the TV programmes on offer so I read with my Kindle and Chris did whatever he does on his laptop, but as midnight approached we turned on to a Spanish chanel that was featuring the celebrations in Madrid's main plaza. There is a domed roof with a large gold ball on a chain above the clock, and at midnight it slowly lowers until it reaches the clock which then chimes . 

The tradition here is that everyone has a glass of cava and twelve white grapes, and for every dong of the clock, you eat one grape. Believe me it is almost impossible to eat twelve grapes, even small seedless ones, in the time it takes for the clock to strike twelve times, but that is the custom, and it is fun trying! Some supermarkets even sell little plastic dishes with twelve grapes on them for the occasion, but the fruit counters also carry huge amounts of grapes in bunches to divi up among your guests etc.

After that we half watched TV for the next hour, and at 1.00 our time, which is mid-night in UK, we tuned into the BBC, raised a glass to family and friends over the waters, and watched Big Ben strike and then the fireworks. 

I am always torn by this as I love the pyrotechnics, but am also uneasy about all the money going up in flames at a time of financial hardship for so many. I know it is sponsored, and a lot of funding comes from the sale of tickets, and as a country we really do do it very well, but all the same, I felt from what I saw on world news, that other countries had toned down their displays a little this year, while ours was possibly more spectacular than ever. Certainly there were more colours in the sparkles, and I admire the pictures they can create with drones. Here are a couple of shots I took of the TV screen.

As for the rest of the week, nothing very exciting has happened. I have had several chats with our son as both he and his partner are Covid positive, which messed up some of their holiday  plans.

Last Friday we passed a small shop that has a very small garden centre attached to it, and I bought these winter pansies - well they are violas really I think. Aren't they pretty? And also one red and white mini-carnation, or pinks as we always called them when my dad grew them, which I bought because it smelled so strongly or cloves.They are now planted out in some of our front pots and add a spot of colour to all the greenery.

My arm continues to improve and only really hurts now if I try to do too much with it, so I must be patient. One big improvement is that I can now push myself up from lying flat so I am able to sleep in bed again, instead of in the recliner chair. That is very positive.

Also this week we met a lovely Spanish lady who is coming to do some cleaning from next week, (after the Three Kings weekend). We had been talking about it for while, and right now I can do with a bit of domestic help. She doesn't speak any English so it will be good practice for me to use my Spanish, which is another positive.

The weather has changed today with quite a significant drop in temperature, which is a shame as we want to walk up through the village for a little event this evening. We will just have to wrap up well!

As a follow up to that, we had steady rain all afternoon, much needed but not wanted that day, but by the evening it was dry again and we donned our coats (first time this year), and walked up to the small plaza at the top of the village. Here we came to what I would describe as the Spanish version of Santa's grotto. There were three thrones set up under the awning, and soon the three kings arrived, and a queue of excited children soon formed, waiting their turn to sit on the knee of one of the kings, and tell him what they were hoping to get on the night of 6th.

Meanwhile, in the side road that runs alongside the plaza, there were trestle tables set up with 60meters of roscon on them! This is the soft, brioche style bread shaped into a doughnut ring , surrounded by a gold paper crown, and topped with a sweet, sticky glaze and big pieces of glacé fruit for the jewels, traditional for this festival. Although these can be bought plain, they are usually sliced through the centre and filled with lots of cream. This huge one was organised by our local baker, Noella, (seen in this photo), and with some helpers, she soon had it sliced into generous portions, plated up, and handed out to the waiting crowd. We had our slices and they were delicious.

Back on the plaza, as the kings were preparing to leave, and every one was satisfied after eating their roscon, the artificial snow machine turned on. It was on a balcony of the flats above the shop that fronts one end of the plaza. Soon we were all covered in soft, foamy flakes and the children were gathering it up to throw at one another. It was all great fun and we really enjoyed the evening.

And that is really it for this week. We will have a busy weekend with the Three Kings celebrations, but after that, the decorations will come down and everything will get back to 'normal' whatever that is. So I will now link up with Annie's Friday Smiles. See you over there.

Friday Smiles 2023 # Week 52

I haven't a great deal to write about today, but I couldn't let the last Friday of the year go past without writing something.

I hope you all had a fabulous day last Monday, however you spent it. Ours was relatively quiet as it tends to be once the children have 'flown the nest', but we had video calls with our boys, and enjoyed videos of our grand-children and great-grandchildren opening their presents.

We had a liesurely start to the day, but once we were dressed and my hair had dried after a shower, we took our usual selfie together, which we then post online to all our family and friends, wherever they are. Our lovely pink bougainvillea still has lots of flowers on it this year, so we stood in front of that to take our photo.

Some time ago we booked to eat our dinner at a local bar, and I was glad I didn't have to prepare and cook it. They are fairly recently reopened with new folk in charge, though we knew them from their previous venue, but sadly they did not announce their Christmas Day menu in time to get that many bookings. But there were enough folk there to give it some atmosphere and the food was well cooked. Also we knew some of the other diners so we were able to chat with them. There were fun Christmas glasses on each table that we put on for a photo. We pulled our crackers and Chris wore his party hat but I settled for the little finger hat that held our cutlery when we arrived.

Boxing day, (Dec 26th if you are not familiar with the concept), is not celebrated in Spain so it was business as usual on Tuesday. We wandered into town for the market and I took this  photo of the sky. I thought it was so pretty. Every morning for the past few weeks, has dawned hazy, but before long the sun has broken through to give us a lovely warm day until around 4.00 when the evening chill comes in.

We stopped for a coffee at Simon's bar, a local that  has a large clientele  of Spanish families, but also makes all the English folk feel very welcome. In my opinion they have the best decorated window in the village this year. I love all the little animals and birds, as well as the snow and bright red poinsettias. One of the things I like about village life is that this all sits/hangs on the outside window ledge all day, and no-one touches it! There is a safety shutter that comes down over it at night once the bar closes. My photo is not the best as it shows the lights inside the bar, and a reflection of a delivery lorry in the srteet, but it is so unusual to find a moment when no-one is sitting in front of the window, that I had to grab the opportunity when it did occur.

I am very happy to say that my arm is improving well now, and I am able to do more things for myself. It is still very weak, and lifting is not allowed, but it is good to be able to get dressed unaided (most days), make a cup of tea and fill the dishwasher. It will be a while before I can reach up to peg washing on the line etc, but every small step is worth a celebration!

I am sure some of you are gearing up to a party at home or away for next Monday. I think we will be spending the time quietly at home as we have done for the last few years. But we have our big, most important celebrations to look forward to at Epiphany on 6th January.

So I will  link  up with Annie's Friday Smiles, and for now I just wish you all what you wish for yourselves - Health, Hapiness, Peace and Love for 2024.