August 2007
Written by Geoff Forster
A horrible month saw Rosie's foal being still born.
We got there within an hour of the birth. Rosie's fine we've ben checking on her twice daily.
It's such a waste after over twelve months of pregnancy.
We're completely gutted.
Thanks to Marilyn, Michael and Emma O'Loughlin who distracted from the situation with a lovely evening in Manilva.
We couldn't face blogging about it.
It's a sunny day. A strong breeze is keeping temperatures 5°C lower than usual. Large fluffy cumulus clouds are being blown across the blue sky at quite a rate of knots.
The trees in the Genal are still green so we live in a verdant oasis in this sun-dried golden Spanish countryside.
We went to see the donkeys. We've been going twice daily to make sure Rosie is okay.
She seems fully recovered and is looking very slim and fit.
We can cut our visits back to once a day. We do love spending time with them, it's really calming plus it gets us out into the campo.
All today's photographs were taken by Jane.
Algatocín
Rosie and Domingo are both well. We put a few cloves of garlic into olive oil, leave it at least overnight and rub it onto their heads and neck. It really works well as a fly repellent, the best solution which we've tried. They are plagued with flies without it.
Just to show that normal service has been resumed. Here's one of Jane's 'Faces in the Wood'.
The kittens are doing well. They are putting on weight and enjoying life. They sleep a lot, eat a lot and play hard! They climb and fight and roll around, great to watch.
The vet is on holiday, so Ginger's jabs will have to be arranged for early September.
Another larger kitten (6 months) is now with them. She looks just like Motty. We think she belongs to someone down the street but she seems to live with the four smaller kittens.
We have guests soon and although Faye and Tony are animal lovers, we'll evict the kittens from the 'entrada' to another location.
I play with the dogs most nights to tire them out. A few hundred throws of the stick usually has them panting.
The evenings are wonderful, warm air and heat from the streets means t-shirts and shorts are all we need.
The summer has gone fast. We'll soon be into autumn and we can start walking again.
In the evening we watched "Reign Over Me" starring Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler and Saffron Burrows.
A black guy/white guy friendship, Noooooooo! Plus the emotional aftermath of the 9/11 terrorism attack. Nooooooooo!!!
If I'd known the storyline, I wouldn't have watched it.
The best film out of many recent good/great films which we've seen. Great acting in fact 'BRILLIANT' acting. A must see!
A windy day. Quite a lot of cloud cover.
A trip to Gibraltar was postponed in case of rain. The first rains of the year make the mountain roads dangerous as three months of dust, dirt and oil are mixed with surface water.So if you can avoid driving during the first rains, usually a flash thunderstorm, it is advisable.
Later in the evening as I was walking the dogs our neighbour Cristóbal said that there had been thunderstorms on the coast in Marbella and Fuengirola.
We went to see Rosie and Domingo our donkeys. They plodded up the hill to meet us. Rosie looks really well. Fitter and thinner than at any time since we've had her(15 months).
We rubbed on their olive oil and garlic whichworks wonders in keeping off flies. If it didn't have such a pungent aroma we would recommend it for human use.
We walked them for a while so that they could eat at the track side. Domingo likes exploring and crashes off through the dense undergrowth into the campo. Rosie stays with us happily eating within a few metres of us most of the time.
Back in Benarrabá we watched some films.
'Next' starring Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore and Jessica Biel.
Another to add to the recentglut of 'time travel/slip' movies.
This one's pretty good. Not too far fetched ...? Plenty of action.
'Sunshine' A sci-fi film about astronauts trying to save the world.
Not too bad, starts well but credibility gets a little stretched towards the end.
Worth watching if you like this genre.
'Wild Hogs' starring John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macy, Ray Liotta and Marisa Tomei.
Middle age crisis film. Comedy. Cheesy story with some really funny moments, some really good lines and some great slap stick.We were laughing despite the ludicrous story, with at times a really high cringe factor. Funny family film.
A busy day. Just around the house.
Jane has been making some of her delicious gazpacho. She has got this down to a fine art. Probably a lot more garlic than traditional recipes and certainly a lot less salt than homemade Spanish gazpacho, but she uses a Visor masticating juicer which produces the best juices possible.
It does take longer than a high speed blade juicer, but doesn't destroy any vitamins and doesn't add air/oxygen to the juice so it stores better.
I've been working on websites although I did enjoy listening to Sunderland getting beaten by Liverpool.
I also watched qualifying for the Turkish Grand Prix.
Later in the evening we went down into the village for tapas.
Jane took this photograph of a pretty yellow flower.
We started in Pub Bar Dami. I had pulpo salad. A mix of tomato, red and green peppers and raw onion all finely diced, with small pieces of octopus. One of my favourites. Jane had a McDami burger and a montadito. Which is a slice of pork fillet in a bun. Dami does two types one is marinated in spices the other plain. Jane went for the spicy option.
Then on to Bar Barroso for palomitas. Well I'm not too sure about the spelling having never seen this written down but it is a specialty of this bar. We've never had then anywhere else. They are hot bread rolls with cream cheese and a slice of smoked salmon. Mmmmmmmmmmm. Tasty, we had two each.
Jane took this of Calle Pósito, Benarrabá.
It rained about ten huge drops of rain, we thought that we might get a storm but the ten drops was all that fell.
A little later we went to Bar Andrés Sánchez. Jane unsuccessfully challenged 74 year old Andrés Sánchez senior to an arm wrestling contest ... she just doesn't have the wrists for it. Anyway it amused Andrés.
Then back to Dami's before heading up to the house.
A good evening in Benarrabá.
The moon had risen a little higher. Jane took this photo.
A quiet day.
I watched the Turkish Grand Prix and flicked channels to get the Tees/Tyne derby Middlesbrough v Newcastle United commentary. Hamilton's tyre shredded as 'Boro equalised, a double blow out.
Later we watched. 'I Think I Love my Wife' starring Chris Rock, Kerry Washington and Gina Torres. Comedy. After a couple of minutes into the film we both thought it was going to be rubbish. One well timed expletive changed that! A funny film.
We also watched 'Peaceful Warrior' starring Scott Mechlowicz, Nick Nolte and Amy Smart.
Based on a true story. A sort of twist on 'Karate Kid' but with a college gymnast.
Average film. Entertaining.
A beautiful day.
We went to see Rosie and Domingo. We took a bale of straw, their usual seed supplement and a handful of carrots as a treat.
A trip to Algatocín to the Super Genal for vegetables.
I'm working on one of our new websites.
We spent some time playing with and watching the kittens. They are really coming along. Jane keeps changing her favourite. Now the smallest one seems to be the one she likes most, because the others pick on it and it is very cute.
Later we watched. '28 Weeks Later' starring Robert Carlysle, Rose Byrne. Sequel to '28 Days Later' about the rage virus. Really a gory zombie film set in the UK. Surprisingly good, not usually something we'd usually watch and enjoy.
A beautiful day.
We went to see Rosie and Domingo.
They both look well.
We both worked on the computers for most of the morning.
Just before 14:00h. We walked to te bank. We have a trip to Ronda planned for tomorrow. Blog reader Andrew has asked us to buy him tickets for the famous 'Goyesca' bullfightheld on Septembe 8th.
We called into Bar Andres Sanchez for tapas. We sat in the sun outside for a while. It was a lovely afternoon.
In the evening I watched 'Firewall' starring Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany and Virginia Madsen.
Computer expert - Kidnapping drama. Not a great name for the movie, entertaining all the same. Worth Seeing.
An early start tomorrow.
A beautiful day.
We're up early to go to Ronda for a pair of 'Goyesca' bull fight tickets for blog reader Andrew and his wife Angela.
The drive along the Genal valley was beautiful. With some superb views down to the Riff mountains in Africa.
In Ronda we crossed the famous Puente Nuevo which spans the Ronda Gorge (Tajo).
A car in front turned into a parking spot. Jane braked and a girl on a moped went into the back of us.
Fortunately for her the cobbles across the bridge slow everyone down and it was a very low speed impact. She was far to close to us (her fault). She was unhurt, the bike was okay. No damage to the car, so she drove off after apologising to Jane.
Jane dropped me off near the Plaza de Toros (bullring) and went to park the car.
I joined what looked like the queue of around 100-200 people.
It seemed a little unorganised.
People were sat on chairs in the nearby car park and some in the shade across the street.
There seemed to be no panic to get to the window, so I guessed that they must have inside information that there are plenty of tickets still available.
The window opened at 10:00h. sharp. I do mean a window as well. They we selling the tickets through the iron bars.
The sun was gathering strength. The queue in front of me dog legged across the plaza where the dividing line of sun and shade ran.
I was still last in the 'queue'. People seemed to be wandering around, joining the queue ahead of me, others were still across the road unconcerned about queuing at all.
Jane joined me. She went for takeaway coffee's from Miguel in the nearby Cafe Bar Capri.
You can see the window with the 'Taquilla' sign.
Here the 'queue' snakes to avoid the direct sun.
An hour later and we were still at the back of the queue, if there was a queue.
Jane noticed a few people clutching torn squares of paper with numbers on.
We asked the girl in front what they were for.
(Our doctor uses as similar method as he sees only twelve people each surgery. Twelve scraps of paper numbered 1-12 are left in a dish in the waiting room a couple of hours before the surgery commences. If you need to see the Doctor, you go and get one of the scraps of paper. It also decides the order in which you get to see him.)
She said she had come yesterday and got her numbered paper. She was number '69'. We asked what number the Taquilla sellers in the window were up to ... they were up to number 30. She said to go and get a number.
Now the whole 'crazy queue' made sense. They weren't really queuing at all. just hanging around and keeping out of the sun. It didn't matter if someone pushed in they couldn't get a ticket until their number was called.
A girl near the window had an exercise book. We asked for a number. '160' she said. What's your name. I told her and she laughed and passed me the book to write my 'unusual' name in. She then wrote '160' on a torn page at the back of the book and tore out a rough square. Clutching our number we decided what to do.
I thought she must be working for the bullring, but she passed the book onto another queuing customer when her number was next. I saw the book change hands a few times. It seems that the queue was organised by the queue.
A very 'social' way of doing things. Typical of Spain. So long as you know the system it works better than a traditional queue as it's impossible to 'push in'.
Now no longer needing to 'queue' we went for a walk up the main shopping street of 'Carrera Espinel'.
The street had huge white sheets strung across it. A new feature to keep the temperature down.
Jane window shopped and wandered in and out of clothes shops.
Then we walked back towards the gorge.
Back to the Taquilla ventana and they were up to number 60. So in two hours they'd served 60 people they closed at 14:00h. So the chances of us being served before they closed looked slim to nonexistent.
We went for a walk around the old city. Jane looked in a few tourist (tat) shops.
Back again at 13:00h. They were up to 90. So were consistently averaging one customer every two minutes.
One hour to go before closing and there were 70 people ahead of us. No chance.
We went for another walk this time looking for restaurantes and other diversions to while away the afternoon until they reopened at either 17:00h. or 18:00h. Opinion was divided in the 'queue' as to which it was.
Da Vinci's restaurante has changed it's name to something 'arty farty' and a lot less memorable as I've forgotten it! A strange move as it's under the same ownership. Pizzeria Vesuvius closes Wednesdays.
We were walking passed the plaza de toros and out of curiosity went to see what number they were up to. Amazingly it was 151. Everyone had worked out the 'one customer every two minutes' rate of serving and gone home for lunch. The window was now in full sun which must have helped as well. 153-159 were no shows, so we got our two tickets at 13:58, two minutes before they closed.
After queuing and everyone around me saying how fantastic it was and how they hoped we'd enjoy the 'Goyesca'. I wished that I had a ticket myself. Perhaps I'll go next year. I'll be by myself as Jane's not keen on bull fighting. I've seen it on TV and it's probably very exciting if you are actually there to see the size, speed and aggression of these beasts. Also the 'Goyesca' is special as the ceremony and history of the Ronda ring makes for quite an afternoon.
We had a meal and then sat in the shade of the park near the tajo.
Then we walked up to the car.
We'd had a good day. The queue was 'interesting' to say the least.
A beautiful day.
We went to Gaucín to buy cat food from the 'Nanta'.
We also called into the Super Genal in Algatocín.More tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers for gazpacho.
The little kittens are doing well and now old enough for treatment with 'Frontline', I treated all four kittens plus all of our dogs and cats.
We went to see Rosie and Domingo.
We walked them into the campo for some grass and attention.The Carob trees have started to drop their seed pods. The donkeys love them so we collected quarter of a sackful for them. We'll go out and collect a lot more for them next week.
In the evening we watched. 'Freedomland' starring Samuel L. Jackson and Julianne Moore.
Jackson plays a cop and Moore is brilliant as a distraught mother who's child has disappeared.
Good film, another well worth seeing. Lots of good films around at the moment.
Next we watched 'Pathfinder' starring Karl Urban and Moon Bloodgood. A Vikings and Indians film.
Viking raids on the coastal native indian tribes in North America.
This film follows another trend we've noticed. The film is shot in colour, but with colours so toned down that the result is almost black and white. Occasional splashes of colour are brought out in certain shots. Blood etc. This is an action packed film with plenty of gore. Another to add to your 'must see' list.
A beautiful day.
Jane's cleaning the apartment. Faye (Sheepy Girl) and Tony(El Barbo) (Their 1costadelsol.com user names) are arriving later today.
The kittens are running around playing. Jane now has a new favourite. A little ginger male with white legs and a cute face. It was doing well until it ran from behind me as I was walking down the 'entrada' steps. Unfortunately I stood on its head. The poor little thing ran off yelping really loudly. It has a cut chin and it's left ear isn't sticking up properly. A quick check and it's not in pain in fact it purrs like crazy. Hopefully it's ear will return to an upright position very soon. A visit to the Vet's might be needed if not.
Faye and Tony arrived. It's good to see them again.
They've been staying in Nerja and are looking forward to a quiet couple of days unwinding in Benarrabá and having a home cooked meal.
We watched 'Perfect Stranger' starring Halle Berry and Bruce Willis.
Undercover NY reporter ... entertaining, good plot.
Next we watced 'River Queen' set in New Zealand. An Irish woman is caught in a personal dilema. Set in 1860's the Maori's make a last stand in the face of British troops and settlers.
Unusual subject, well filmed, good story, great scenery.
I was up late, checking the internet for last minute deals, as the Europe wide football transfer window closed at midnight (UK) 01:00h. (Spain)
As the window shut, it appeared that Newcastle United had sold two players, and bought no one. Twenty minutes later a delayed announcement came via the official NUFC site, that we'd signed two Senagalese defenders. Our previously light weight defence is now looking a little stronger.
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