August 16th, 2000

Here we are, back again in Spain. We arrived on Saturday evening. We are staying at the same house as last year, in the mountains, about 12 miles from Malaga. I came with Patrick, Sarah and the children. This was originally a small farmhouse, with three small rooms and a large kitchen where probably everything was done. Cooking, eating, socialising, etc. There is a huge fireplace and all original fittings.
The owners have built a whole new extension, three bedrooms, two shower rooms, a very large sitting-dining room and a big courtyard.
It's very funny, Michael stayed with us last year and he had the old part of the house and now the children keep saying, "Can we use Uncle Michael's bathroom?" and like going into Uncle Michael's room. I wish he was here this year. We miss him. Patrick misses him.

Lorenzo, Mary and the family are coming tomorrow. It is Isabel's birthday. It is quite hard to find the way here, but they made it last year. We will have a barbecue.

It's great that there is still a place like this in this mad modern world. No traffic, no people, no neighbours. Just some horses up on the hill and flocks of goats grazing on the mountains. It gets dark at about 9:30 local time and quite suddenly. Not much twilight. The mountains turn black and then the lights appear in the little houses, you don't know how they cling to the mountain sides. We went out to dinner on Sunday evening. It was a nice social occasion, but ah, a rather hazardous journey.

Today the family have gone to the seaside. I opted out, I couldn't risk getting any more bites, the family haven't a bite between them. My last count was eight. Anywhere there are biting insects, I'll get bitten. I'm having a lovely day, lots of nice things to eat and a cassette player with lots of tapes. I've finished 'Driving over Lemons'. It was good. The family have just got home, now they are all in the pool. It is hot.

Well, Mary and Lorenzo and girls came on Thursday. We had a lovely evening. Patrick did a barbecue, and we had a little cake with candles for Isabel, and we had melon which was delicious. We went up the mountains to Comares(?) on Friday. It is a little village on top of a mountain with views you couldn't imagine, and hundreds of paths and little roads criss-crossing the mountains and tiny white houses in the distance. It was bad going up, but coming down it was hairy. I just held on to Tom and closed my eyes. We stopped half way home and had a nice meal. Mary's family went back at nine o'clock.

Yesterday, (Saturday), we went to the fiesta in Malaga. It was very colourful. There were thousands of people. It was hot in the town. Everywhere was beautifully decorated, canopies over the streets to keep some of the sun off. The women and girls wore festive dresses. There were stalls selling everything you could imagine. There were also quite a few beggars. We had tapas and drinks at tables on the pavement. Patrick made a great curry when we got home.

I go in the pool when the sun goes off the terrace at about seven o'clock and the water is lovely and warm. Today is Sunday. We all got up late. We don't know where the church is. I have my Mass book so I've been reading the lessons and Gospel for the day.
We are going out somewhere for dinner this evening, another hairy journey. If I never drive up or down another mountain road it will be too soon. Well, we did go out on Sunday evening and had a lovely meal at a place near Periana, right beside a lake. Michael was with us at the same place last year. On the way there, Patrick took us the long way round. The road was good, but it wound around the mountain. It was about nine o'clock and all the villages were lighted up. There are no words to describe it. It was wonderfully, terrifyingly beautiful.

On Monday, we went to meet Mary and Lorenzo and the girls. We had breakfast and then went on the beach. We lay on beach loungers all afternoon. They all had a paddle or a dip, I didn't get my toes wet. We walked around in the evening and then had a nice big meal. The children played on a bouncy castle. We said goodbye to the family at about ten thirty. We got back at twelve o'clock.
Mary phoned today.

Wednesday was Mary's birthday. Patrick phoned her last night. Yesterday we went to visit a family near Gibraltar. They came from Brighton. A doctor and his family. They own a house with pool and lots of ground. We had a nice day with lovely lunch. We got home at twelve o'clock. It was a very long journey. About 200 miles round trip. That will be our last long journey.

Today, Thursday, we are having a nice easy day at home. Patrick and Sarah are just gone to the shop at Riogordo with Lucy and Thomas. Martin stayed with me and is drawing a big spider. It is so peaceful, not a sound in the house, not even a mouse. I am siting at the table in the big living room writing this and looking at out at the mountains. I am listening to Luciano Pavarotti on a tape. I've got five new mosquito bites, nobody else is bitten. Total number fourteen.