So yesterday was International Women's day and so the ladies all called by LOL or so it seemed, Africa came round to say that Charo hadn't left the keys at the kiosk and hadn't shown up, I said maybe she was stranded someplace, so no work for me in the afternoon, well who was going to be out and about in weather like this, Roma showed up having braved the track from her place, luckily she has a 4x4, mind you that isn't always the way poor ole Mark took 2 hours trying to find a passable track into the village yesterday, not that the 4x4 won't do it, just no road! Anne called by to ask if I had heard anything early in the morning, nope, and then she told me about the rock that rumbled......concerned about A & J I phoned and they were stranded at Gomaz, their car playing up again, so said I would pop down and collect them [yep got car again, trouble is can't go anywhere - is there some cosmic joke going on?] Anyway turns out car needs new altimeter thingy, pricey, can't be done till Wednesday, so parking on hill till then, luckily not such a hard thing to do here......their lovely wee house is now beginning to drip and the almacen in showing cracks, the water is now coming up as the land is so saturated and of course no house out here is built with any thought of dealing with monsoon type rainfalls that last 36hours......Reme called by later on a little quieter than usual, but as she says we are human sometimes we up sometimes we a little down So no ladies lunch this week, we were supposed to be going out to Roma's, [it was here last week] but seems wisest to wait until weather improves and roads get mended, also I think Reme is a little tired of it and needs a break. Our ladies lunch does accept a token male now with J and he loves every minute 

 Keeping the best bits till last - Lau Lau completed her 10mile run on Sunday in 95mins and that's with a dodgy knee - yep I am a very proud Mamma and this Friday is the 4 month scan of the new 'un  
Well I is off for some lush veggie soup that Reme brought round for me last night,  Squidge still giving me strange looks  and moves oddly - I'll leave it a bit longer, but if she is truly unhappy with it she will have to go back to being the tough terrier she is meant to be LOL think I'll use up some the odds and ends and make a couple more of the doggie jackets slightly smaller as there are a few ladies in the village who like to "dress" their pooches - not that I really approve of some the stuff, keeping little mutts warm and dry is no bad thing

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'The southern coast of Spain - blessed with the best climate in Europe, with over 300 days of sunshine a year.' hahahahaha [picture c/o surinenglish]Apparently the road is closed from the village down to Malaga [thanks to Isaac who put it up on Fb, I was planning on going to Cartama estacion for more yarns] - I presume that we have something similar to the picture which is Granada way - I know the road to Coin is similar and I have heard of friends out on the campo who are totally cut off, hope they have their cupboards well stocked!! Me? well the water is once more running down the bathroom walls and despite having a towel lying across the bottom of the top terrace door I seem to have a mini waterfall - the top room is now sooo damp it is a health hazard lol - it has rained continually from Friday early evening and it is now Sunday afternoon it is sporadic now but it has been like a monsoon, I reckon we have had as much rain as Scotland does in a year in 3 months - and to think that last week it was promised the end of the freaky weather mmmmmmmm maybe next week?????Africa and I went to see Charo yesterday, we waded our way through the streets, and we now have a few hours each working - keeping the place open while Charo gives art classes and deals with a kinda hectic personal life, I am really gonna have to work at my Spanish now eeeeeek, this is me facing/braving a fear - no not a problem but a challenge Charo's shop is much like the Art Garden that I loved working at in Moniaive.I have also returned to my studies with the Arcane School, I wasn't sure whether I could restart - anyway happily for me I am welcomed back and I can pick up from where I left off 9 years ago - mmmmm - even the fact that it is 9 years has it's significance - I have pulled out all my past papers, a bit damp and nibbled round the edges from the mice and have been reading through - yep tis time once more - the life  ...... does not stand still, but inevitably....proceeds from revelation to revelation.....You may feel driven to indulge yourself  and thus more consciousthan usual of your whims and wishes. Appetites of all sorts can assertthemselves within you, causing you to look for ways to feed yourdesires. You may find yourself buying luxury items or purchasing goodsyou cannot afford in an effort to satisfy your cravings. However, thedesire you feel may actually be indicative of a profound psychologicalneed. Before you give in to your whims, think about what they mightrepresent. You may discover that a desire for expensive clothing orelectronics actually reflects your wish that others might recognizeyour accomplishments. If you do choose to spoil yourself today,consider how you might do so in ways that will legitimately improveyour quality of life.Fulfilling your desires mindfully allows you to indulge yourself withgoods and activities that contribute to your well-being or personalevolution. Sometimes what we want can be an illusion in which a simplepleasure represents a need that is more complex and deeply rooted inour emotions. When struck by a craving, considering it carefully beforesatisfying it can help ensure that you are addressing your realdesires. You’ll gain an understanding of not only what you wantbut also why you want it. In examining your desires, you may be able todiscover a way to fulfill them with a more healthful, spirituallynourishing, or enriching indulgence than you initially conceived of.When you examine what lies behind your desires today, the indulgencesyou choose will make you truly happy.And can't we all identify with that!!Who's seen Outnumbered? - who does Ben remind us of then? Thanks to Wendy I found a link on YouTube, but loads missing - I heard Andy Hamilton being interviewed about the series and a lot is not scripted, if you have or know anyone with kids gotta watch; in context I was listening to radio programme on the minds of children and how much it has changed - thank the gods/esses - to think that peeps thought that kids didn't know logic, kids are extremely logical that is what causes most of the embarrassments that and the fact that most parents seem to say one thing and mean another so get caught out by their kids - the reason we MUST be utterly truthful with our babesBlessings Be...........

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margaret fuller"If you have knowledge let others light their candle in it".

give thanks with thanksgiving.we all so much to be thankful for-so much in our lives we just take for granted.no one signed this little article its by anonymous.here goes:"counting your blessings.if you have food in the refrigerator, colthes on your back, a roof over head and a place to sleep....you are richer than seventy-five percent of the world.

if you have money in the bank or in your wallet and spare change in a dish someplace....you are among the top eight percent of the worlds wealthy.

if you woke up this morning with more health than illness....you are more blessed than the million that will not survive this week.

if you never experienced the danger of battle,the lonliness of imprisonment.the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation.....you are ahead of 500million people in the world.

if you attend a church meeting or spiritual gathering without fear of harassment,arrest,torture or death...you are more blessed than 3 billion people in the world.

if your parents are still alive and still married...you are very rare,even in the united states.

if you read this message you are more blessed than over 2 billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

if you hold someone's hand,hug them or even touch them on the shoulder..you are blessed because you can offer a healing touch.

if you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful....you are blessed because the majority can,but most do not.

now go forth and share your blessing with rest of the planet...........anonymous

with all the chaos and unpredictability of the planet at the moment we all need to stop a moment and just be thankful and grateful for all the goodness in our lives !!

Talk about magical rendezvous,[ your name here]

Right this very moment, on a distant farm, there basks a fig, a nut, or a berry, whose very life force will soon be your own. But that's not all...

Right this very moment, there's a gorgeous home on a splendid property with a spectacular view, whose roof will someday give you shelter. But that's not all...

Right this very moment, there are beautiful souls on your beautiful planet, whom you do not even know, yet through your meanderings and theirs, paths will cross, love will be shared, and eternal friendships will be created. I'm still not done...

And nothing you do, or don't do, can prevent these serendipities I've just shared, and so, so many more.

Amen, hallelujah, rock me Amadeus -
    The Universe

From an interview I have just heard on the radio - we were presented with what the Americans would call a challenge and the Brits would call a problem Summed up very well me thinks!  

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Hip hip hooray!!!! Tomorrow is Andalucia Day, dancing and free paella and a holiday on Monday - BUT - forecast says stormy tomorrow and the village haven't put a tent up - oooops.

I have had a quiet few days  - realisation that this is the first time [except for a couple of odd weeks last year]that I have had the house all to myself - yes I am enjoying it - starting scarping off the flaky paint and cleaning the mould off the bathroom walls, mmm lovely having a clear/throw out and starting on a crochet project for Reme - who turned up earlier as hubby wanted the house to himself for a while, then Africa showed up and asked us to lunch - Carmen cooking - a typical tasty soup But by the time we had finished and cleared away big plops of rain were to be heard a falling well we have agreed to meet up tomorrow and go see the dancing in the Plaza if it isn't pissing it down - but we are promised this is the last of the rain - it has caused much devastation and death.

Hopefully Leigh et al will be over for tomorrow afternoon, I think Glenys is going over to collect them.

Next week I am hoping to get back to the gym again and get a routine back into my life - although Wednesday will be a day off as Reme is cooking a Dutch meal for us all at my place......yep all we do is cook eat drink and be merry

On going sage of insurance etc will no doubt continue and I am going to have to ask Jerome if I can borrow t car as I really need to get more yarn, gas and general shopping - mmm missing being mobile and going out with Wendy and Jules on our monthly jaunts, hey ho rolling with it.......

Blessings be for the full moon......

I was about to publish this last night when the leccy suddenly cut - so here are a few pics of our wee village enjoying Andalucia day no storms [a was forecast and probably kept a lot of people away

I am sure many of you will spot a few familiar faces

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Amazing how threatening to go to the press has got me some attention from the insurance office so back to sending all that through again - AND yesterday I saw Jules n Pete and Pete's old car was rammed at the w/e he had neither insurance nor itv, he only used it for the campo, but the "rammer" has to pay out, tis the way in Spain; mind you Z has written a cracking letter for me for the Olive Press which I am holding in reserve.

ooo interesting item on you n yours as I am writing all about bamboo which aint quite what it seems, what a shame and thanks for someone for finding out and making it known as I was about to get some more bamboo yarn, I bought some, well cotton bamboo mix, for the wrap I am doing for Reme, and it is lovely and soft - but maybe I'll hold on that till the manufacturing is a little better to the people who have to do it - the bamboo itself is great as it doesn't require the water that cotton does, buy the chemicals used in processing kinda outweighs the lack of pesticides used - did you know that the biggest quantity of pesticides used are used on cotton, mmmm, think on that when buying your next "natural" product - well all you who know me will know what I am about to say USE HEMP, not pesticides not water hungry grows everywhere in the world - improves the soil blah blah blah yep on my soapbox

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Remember, it's not about controlling anything; it's about rolling with

the incoming waves as gracefully as you can. Being flexible now is more

important than a dramatic show of your will power.

Well sunny Sat has turned into rainy Sunday, was going to go to Cartama estacion for a wool foray with the 2 Marijkes, but M1 and I don't think it's worth going out in this weather, more rain means more disruption on the roads and the cloud is hanging very low.....nah not worth it! Another collapsing house in the village, which strangely enough once belonged to a good friend of mine [winks you know who you are xx] well not the house but the swiming pool that the new owners decided to put in....mmmmm....well it is positioned on a slope, so maybe not the wisest of moves, the crazy bit is that a couple of folks couldn't wait to email the old owner to tell them, not that these same people have ever bothered with her since leaving the village several years ago, some folks really do get a buzz outa bad news, do they spread happy news in equal measure?

Yes Eli N = Norman the ole fella who was staying here, well age concern found which ward he was in and a couple of volunteers have been to see him, reporting back that he seems very weak, so he'll not be reappearing this w/e.

Tenerife is not having any easier time than us by the sounds of things from Eli.......well it is said that the sun returns in Marzo, let's hope so, it's gonna take a month of Sundays, literally for things to dry out anyone want a free holiday accommodation that includes some painting LOL

Anne[vecinos]popped round on Friday to say my cat was hiding in her place, no, Stinkers was curled up as per usual in the rocking chair, anyway she asked if I would help get it out [apparently I am better with cats]because it was hiding under the bed....thought Squidge might do the trick hahaha no chance she just looked at it and it huddled all the more tightly under the bed, anyway nudged it out and with sleeves covering hands picked it up and set it outside, poor wee beastie was terrified, it's one that hangs around in our locale on the rooftops. It was thenrevealed that it was Anne's bday, so I had to stay and have a glass of wine and chat with them, they really are a lovely couple and real inspirations for how you can be in your 70s, won't be long now till they are off again on their boat.

Great Saturday play on the radio - Murder in Samarkand -

David Hare's witty portrait of an unlikely hero, based on the memoir by Craig Murray.

Craig is proud to be sent as Ambassador to Uzbekistan, eager to work hard and also eager for fun. The combination takes him on a dangerous course both professionally and personally, and the stakes couldn't be higher.

He blows the whistle well and all those who chose to bury their heads with regard to our government [whoever it might be] should listen and take heed.

That's all folks xoxo

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 I took this picture from the terrace last night just before 7 - beautiful, tonight I can't see the chimney on my neighbours house and the rain is pounding the streets again. I am definitely running on empty now, no I didn't sleep at all last night, but I did enjoy listening to radio6 who played everything from the Kinks to the Killers - did some crochet and scraped some walls, then prepped the meal for the girls coming round, got a call from Marijke asking if I could bring some crochet up to the Terazza bar for Jaab to see - made a very good sale and some more orders , dashed back as I had promised A a computer lesson and also to finish lunch off. Julio was later getting back as problems with car [he had to go to Malaga] so lunch stretched to the 6 of us and we had a fun time as usual, think we could become quite a big group going to the Howling night when Lau comes out, J n A left just after 4 to catch the garage as it opened, R went off for her siesta and then Carmen Africa n lil un wandered off.

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Remember this first time round with Rex's son!!

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I make a dash to the p.o to post a letter for A, and see a patch of blue sky, reminding me it is still there the leccy has come back on and I

Well that was quite timely

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