Saturday, 19-09-26

Morning, everyone.  Welcome to Saturday's blog.

We had the best time at Aqua Springs yesterday - in an understated way.  We didn't have any packages or treatments although there's plenty on offer, we just went for the joy of relaxing  in warm bubbles, steam rooms, saunas, etc.  Beth had had a stressful couple of weeks - nothing bad, just things ramping up temporarily - and she very much needed some chilled time.
We chatted, soaked, relaxed, had a nice lunch of cheesy jacket potato and salad, coffee before we left and it was just lovely!

I got a bit of a shock when I drew my curtains back this morning.

This is the view across my garden, back of next door's house to the right, corner of garden room, the dividing fence and two trees which are outside my neighbours' boundary on the other side.  So there's trees on a small slope, a road and the countryside.
Yesterday morning the view was of solid leaves from side to side, meeting in the middle and cutting down significantly on my neighbours' light and a bit on mine too (but not that bad).
As they are on council land, they're not GT and T's responsibility but they were not only greatly impacting on light but also there were branches dangerously close to the corner of their house.

Obviously, yesterday, it was their turn for the chop!  I didn't notice yesterday because I didn't look out when I got home.

Poor trees - what a massacre!  However, they will recover in a few years.  It's happened before and five years later you would never have known.  In the meanwhile, we will enjoy the extra light and an enhanced country view.
And there won't be any leaves to sweep up this autumn!

There's absolutely nothing in the diary over this week.  I have the usual stuff - bread to make, washing, drying and ironing, meal planning, etc, but I've started off with a cafetiere of good coffee rather than just a mug and I'm going to chill.
Later on, I will work on the last bit of the Spain recount but that will be fun to remember.  It'll probably go up tomorrow.

Hoping you have a lovely weekend too.  xx

Friday, 18-09-26

Morning.  It feels chilly this morning but the sun is almost shining so fingers crossed.

Another quick one because it's nearly time to leave for Slimming World and I'm leaving early because Beth has a day off and we are going to Aqua Springs in Colchester for a spa day.  No treatments, just lots of swimming/soaking in bubbles, sauna, etc and a lunch there.
And lots and lots of catch up and chat.

I'm looking forward to it very much.  xx

17-09-26: Food at the Old Spanish Mill

When you use the Old Spanish Mill. there's several different ways to do it.  It used to be on a bookings site, like an air B&B  but the owner found that there was an unacceptable amount of damage done and mistreatment of the facilities so it is let more on personal recommendation and through their own site now.  

People can book just a room or two, plus the facilities as extras, it can be used as a self catering or catering can be done for you.
Lindsey booked the full Monty - all the rooms, use of the studio and the pool and all food included plus trips out and transport.  Completely inclusive, in fact.

The meals were a mix of UK with a Spanish slant and proper Spanish that would be 'acceptable' to a group of Brits.

So breakfasts were always fruit, yogurt, cereals, toast, plus blueberry pancakes for a few days and pastries (croissants, pain au chocolat, etc) on a couple of days.  Sausage and bacon were Spanish!
Lunch and dinners started with what was basically tapas - Spanish cured meats, dips, always a big platter of salad, cheeses, bread, etc.  To be honest, that would have been enough!  Then there was some sort of main and then dessert.  And drinks with wine in the evenings.
And there was always food on the side - fruit, nuts, crisps, cake and 'bars' - there was a particularly nice orange flapjack sort of thing and I might possibly had had too many of them!

I took a few photos of the meals at the Mill and when eating out.

As I said, meals were a mix of UK and Spanish - Darren was from the UK and, while not a 'proper chef', he was a jolly good cook.
This was one of the Spanish dishes - a proper, authentic Spanish tortilla de patatas and it was so delicious.
I made one this week but couldn't bring myself to use anything near the amount of evoo the recipe demanded so it wasn't quite the same but jolly good, all the same.

One evening, we had paella - or a version of it.  Like many local dishes, there are regional variations.

Darren made a chicken one (below) and a vegetarian one and both were superb.

He used a proper paella set up with that large shallow pan over a burner - I wish I'd taken a photo of it.

A sample of the salads.  Such a lovely mix of ingredients.

Self explanatory!

We went out for a few meals . . . 

When we went to the natural spa at Balsa de Cela (more about that in another post), we had lunch is a local restaurant, the Caseta Tia Matilde, a very friendly place with nice servers who were very understanding of our ignorance of Spanish (Lindsey did GCSE Spanish so had a bit).

This what I had and, while it looks like burger an chips, the pork burger wasn't made of pork mince, it was proper pork and the add ons were spicy and flavoursome while the patatas < grin > were NOT chips!

Fish is a local industry and Dan had a fish platter which was amazing!

There was one outing we couldn't do so instead we went to Baza.
On the 6th (the day we were travelling out), Baza held a traditional Fiesta which sounded extremely raucous and messy ( https://www.andalucia.com/province/granada/altiplano/baza/cascamorras-festival )

On Thursday evening we headed there to experience post Fiesta celebrations - basically a big fair in the town centre.

There weren't many street food stalls; instead there were proper restaurants under canvas but we did sample some Madeira (I think it was Madeira anyway) .

Afterwards, after dark, we had coffee/wine/beer and nibbles at a street café.  Great atmosphere.

On Saturday night we went to a restaurant in Seron and the rest of the photos are what some people had - I didn't take any of these photos.

Cod with prawns and brie (and various seasonings)

Salad

Steak

and the most amazingly plated calamari!!

Again, the staff were very accommodating and understanding of the language issue.

After all that, it seems almost unfair to say the Mill food was a bit of a disappointment, but only because I'd have loved full on Spanish and it wasn't, it was a fusion.

However, it was still amazing, beautifully cooked, not the least bit fancy, we ate a ton (and gained a ton, I expect) and now I am having fun looking up authentic Spanish cuisine.

('Disappointment' really isn't the right word at all, is it? )

I am NOT looking forward to getting on those scales at Slimming World tomorrow.

Coman bien todos 

(Google tells me it is Spanish for 'eat well, everyone')

Thursday, 17-09-26

 Morning, one and all.  Thursday has landed and so has some fairly heavy rain.  It's very dark and gloomy out there right now so I guess the solar panels wont be given much to work on for a while.  Yesterday was very pleasant though and we still need loads of rain down here so absolutely no grumbles whatsoever.
I feel for teachers though - wet playtimes are no fun!

This is just a quick post as I have PT soon and then coffee with Chris but after that I'd like to work on the next bit of my Spanish holiday.  Maybe there will be another post later on today.

Yesterday was a pleasant day - I got all the ironing done but the washing basket is already filling up again what with clothes, towels, bedding, etc.  

Sharon came round, chopped at my hair and I feel civilised again!

Right, better go, bathe and get ready for an energetic forty five minutes.  Have a really lovely day, everyone, whatever the weather throws at us!  😊  xx

Wednesday, 16-09-26

Morning, all; welcome to Wednesday!  How are you all today.
Half way through September already - how is that even possible?  

Just an ordinary blog today - because life goes on.

The journey home on Sunday was as expected.  We left Almeria in glorious morning sunshine and landed to teeming rain!!
The last time I used Stansted (in the 1990s!!!) it was a small, friendly, easily negotiated place and I really enjoyed the experience.  Suffice it to say, it has changed!

Almeria, on the other hand, gave old-Stansted vibes.  Small, easily negotiated, friendly people, one - just one - duty free shop and space to breathe.  At Stansted, it felt like miles of duty free to negotiate, crowded, over stimulating - just not very nice really.

Anyway . . .

I got home just after four and didn't do much at all!

On Monday, I went to circuits and did washing - the ironing is still sitting in the basket; I really do need to get that done - and slept quite a lot.

Yesterday, I went to Groove and in the evening I was out at the Harvester with Beth, Linda and Julia.  It was a lovely time, as always!  In between, I rested - lol!

Today, Sharon is coning to deal with my hair, after which time I will feel normal again!  There's that ironing and some housework and I'm sure I will snooze too.  I'm still feeling weary!  :-)

And I will work on the next bit of the Spain account (or recount, as we used to call it in school)!

Have a great day, all.  Take care.  xx

Tuesday, 15-09-26 - Molino Viejo (the Old Spanish Mill)

Good morning, everyone.

Here's a link to info about the Mill from a booking site:  https://turismoalmanzora.com/en/item/old-spanish-mill/

The Mill's own site:  https://www.oldspanishmill.com/

And there's some YouTube stuff as well.

This is about three years old:

And about two years ago:

It's a lovely place, an old water mill that has been adapted into a sort of 'wellness' centre or holiday base.  It's not luxury but it is very comfortable in a simple way and the vibe is just lovely.

I took photos and will just talk you through my perspective.

Because it is old and rural and Mediterranean, the walls are well over half a metre thick, the windows are small, covered with mesh (I didn't get bitten once!) with wide opening windows and wooden shutters inside.
Overnight, I could open the windows wide open and the mesh kept all the bugs at bay.  When the sun started shining in, I closed the windows and the shutters and the ceiling fan kept everything beautifully cool, even when it was baking outside.
It did make for a gloomy room but that was not an issue.

The beds looked basic but were really comfortable and each room had an ensuite - mine had a bath as well as a shower which I was thrilled about.  There was plenty of storage and we all had one person occupancy.  

There were plenty of artefacts to remind us of its past - this is in the corner of the lounge (see below) . . .

Yes, that's a TV, the only one in the whole place and it didn't go on once all week.

This is to the left of the above photo, outside (obviously) - more mill stuff.  Many of the doors and windows were protected with bars.

The lounge.  Very cool, very comfortable and I may have fallen asleep once or twice in there during siesta time.

I quickly got into the habit of seeking a cool place from around two thirty to five because it did get very hot and a bit humid.  Mornings and evenings were just perfect.

I just LOVED those floor tiles.

This was taken just outside the main 'house', looking up.  It's build on quite a slope so there's levels and it definitely isn't wheelchair friendly in the slightest.  Just to the left is where we say and chatted or played games and to the right is the lounge.

And, yes, the sky really was that colour most of the time.

We had rain once - a really dramatic night time storm that I missed completely (hearing aids out!) but which kept everyone awake for a while, as did the flooding.  Old windows, bit leaky, I gather.  Normally not a problem but this was a pretty dramatic storm, they said.

Part of the studio where Lindsey did classes.  At the other end there's a massage table and various bits and bobs and there are two windows that look over the mountain slopes.  I meant to take a photo and forgot.

One of several little sitting areas.

And the pool.  Unheated and felt cold when you got in but once in it was delightful.  Lindsey did several aqua classes.

Here's what I mentioned earlier - where we sat to chat or play games.  A very sociable area.  The two windows on the left look into the dining room where we ate our meals.

The sign!!!

A view!  It was like that all the way round and there were a lot of wind turbines.  I love them -they are elegant and carry hope for the future - they do to me anyway.  Much nicer that those ugly old pylons (we could see a few of them too, mind you!).

Over-exposed.  Top to bottom.

(and at this point I glanced at the clock and realised I needed to dash off for Groove - sorry.  Home again now and carrying on!!

The 'roads' up to the mill were really just stony tracks so the last bit of each return was - interesting! 

Being a mill, there used to be a river, of course.  It's now a drop into a dried up river bed that occasionally floods again if there's heavy rain higher up.  Those stones on the edge are the only things blocking the drop.  A bit scary when reversing to the gate on a dark night.

So that's the Old Spanish Mill.  It was such a lovely place - homey, comfortable and restful.

I've booked to go back.  Both next year's trips are booked (Lindsey takes a maximum of eight) and so is April 2028.  She opened booking for September 2028 last week, five of us immediately confirmed and the other three places are now taken.  That's how much people love it.

More tomorrow.  xx

Monday, 14-09-26

And a very good morning to you all!  It's so nice to be writing in here again after a wonderful holiday staying at Molina Viejo (the Old Spanish Mill).  It's way out in the mountains, about an hour and a half from Almeria which is where we flew to from Stansted.  I gather Southend to Granada was an option too but Stansted is closer to home.

I've uploaded my photos and I also have some taken by others in the group but need some time to get everything organised before I can blog.  Patience is a virtue!

Just to say that it was such a lovely time away.  We all got on well, the Mill and the food Darren provided for us were amazing, Lindsey did classes, we went out and about when we wanted to and it was all included.
It wasn't touristy so no souvenirs, no fridge magnets, just loads and loads of memories.

Back home, there was obviously a lot more rain than we had - we just had one very dramatic mountain storm on Wednesday evening and the rest of the time it was glorious!  I can see why afternoon siesta is a thing though!

So - this morning I took just a a few garden photos because why not?  Here we go!

First of all - what I thought was baby foxgloves that I dug up and potted in hopes that they would flower next year obviously aren't anything of the sort.

I did a reverse google search and they (I dug up several plantlets) appear to be nicotiana sylvestris or woodland tobacco plant.
Now, I remember planting one two years ago that really didn't do much at all so I guess it was pondering its options, so to speak.

Here's some into on the RHS site.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/69785/nicotiana-sylvestris/details

It's really quite dramatic and the flowers are wow!

It's really just as well I removed them from the middle bed because it's absolutely crowded now and looking a lot nicer that this photos would suggest.

I had to photo the tomatoes, of course.  Chris and Tracy have picked as I asked them to but there are more coming.  It's just as well I tied them up or the whole lot would have fallen by now, probably damaging the canes as they fell.

The rhubarb is dying back now so I will be removing the dead leaves soon, there's autumn raspberries to pick and. . . 

. . . here we go - the single surviving pear.  I picked it before going away, wrapped it in tissue paper and popped it in the fridge and now it is sitting in the fruit basket to ripen - fingers crossed.

Time to go up and get ready for circuits.  Yes, home one day and Lindsey is straight into the new block the following day.  Where she gets her energy from I don't know.  She was amazing all through last week and on she bounces into Autumn fitness.

I'll organise my photos today and probably do two or three posts about last week.  It was lovely and it's also nice to be home again.  Win win and now I want to do some Spanish meals as well as by Cretan ones and all the usual normal cuisine stuff.
Fun!

Have a lovely day, everyone - have you had plenty of rain too?
Take care, stay dry and see you tomorrow!