The bumper Christmas issue?

I feel as if I’ve slid off the planet for a bit but am now back again! Life has been very, very busy lately to the extent that I haven’t really had time to sit down and report back – until now. So this might look like the bumper Christmas and New Year edition but if you’re not asleep by the time you get through it then I hope you find it a bit entertaining!

Firstly, we were in Norn Iron for a few days but really didn’t get much of a chance to catch up with anyone, so I apologise for that, I’d have loved to have seen everyone but just couldn’t do it. Laurie was able to be off work while we were there so it was wonderful to spend the mornings with her – we never get time on our own for proper chats uninterrupted so that tookcare of the mornings. Then of course the children were home from school in the afternoons and I wanted to spend as much time with them as possible, as when we’re back in Spain I miss them so much.

All in all we had a great time and managed to buy out Marks and Spencer’s food hall bringing back lots of wee Christmas treats! After we’d gone back to Spain we learned we’d missed something special – Lucy wrote and directed a Christmas play for the children at Fiona’s house – Fiona is their childminder and is absolutely the best ever! Anyway, it seems Lucy made all the children dress up in costumes and she put the play on for the Mummies and Daddies at Fiona’s, and it was a big success!

The saddest and most shocking news lately has been the horrendous storms and flooding in the Valencia and Malaga areas, leading to loss of lives and millions of euros worth of damage. You will all have seen on the news reports the devastation left by the storm, it will take a long time for people and property to even begin to recover from that. There’s no need for me to post photos here as you will all have seen lots by now. However, there is one photo I found that sums up the spirit of caring, how neighbours look after each other and volunteer to help clear up in whatever way they can.

This photo is not at all exceptional, this is just a very small example of the numbers of people who came from far and wide to help shovel mud and debris out of houses and roads, to clear the routes for services, and to generally help people who were overcome with the results of the flooding.

There are no strangers, we are all neighbours. Wonderful. Simply wonderful.

So, it’s nearly Christmas again, and it seems like no time since last year – time really does pass so much more quickly the older you get. We’ve been into the city with friends to have a wander round the little artisan market stalls, and to see the lights – Murcia always puts on a great show. Here’s some of them…

One of the things I love about the Spanish is their sense of humour, and that has certainly come out this Christmas! They love to have little models of nativity scenes in towns and villages, in shop windows, in churches and in homes, with everything in miniature, like little dolls’ houses. A custom that is prevalent in the north of Spain, but rapidly gaining popularity further south, is to add a little figure of a “caganer” to the scene, usually half hidden behind the stable containing Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus. I have no idea how this custom started but…the little figure is always shown doing a poo! You can buy the figures with famous faces, singers, politicians and so on. Look it up!

There you go, he’s not difficult to find!

Another example of humour is the most basic nativity scene you could imagine – courtesy of Coca Cola cans. It’s easy to do here due to the Spanish names!

We’ve been busy in these couple of days up to Christmas as we’ve been invited to a few afternoon parties – afternoon ones are best at our age!

So, Peter has made his famous bite-sized vodka layered jellies, they always go down well! We’ve also made some little chicken skewers, some chocolate pine cones, some shortbread, and “Auntie Stella’s fudge”. Oh, and a bottle of home-made limoncello to wash it all down with!

Now here’s a thing. All this stuff these days about “anti-ageing”, especially for women, really bothers me. Why is it so important to try to look youunger than we are? Is it not enough to just look the best we can at whatever age we are, without striving to look twenty again? If you watch programmes like the Kardashian clan, or see photos of many Hollywood actresses, they are all starting to look frighteningly similar. In fact, they look so alike they could be sisters! I really hate this cult of worshipping youth – we should go back to the days when older people were more respected and valued for their wisdom, and not slated because they have a wrinkle or two! An example is the word “crone”. It always meant a woman who is venerated for her experience, judgment, and wisdom. Now it tends to mean an old woman considered to be ugly, a hag. Where did it all go wrong?!

These days women in general tend to look far younger than their age counterparts years ago, and often it’s nothing to do with surgery or other tweaks. I found a photo the other day, of Claude Monet and his wife Alice. In this photo, she is aged 67 – a year younger than I am now. I don’t exactly look like a teenager – heaven forbid! – but Alice looks far, far older than today’s modern women of similar age!

Actually one of the admirable things about women in Spain is that they don’t seem to give a hoot what anyone thinks of them – they dress how they please and have the most enviable confidence. I recently saw a group of younger women, maybe in their twenties, out on the town, and one of them was really big, maybe around 20 stone or so. She was wearing short shorts and a crop top and ALL of them were having a great time, laughing ang chatting with each other, and nobody passing judgement or trying to force women to comply with society’s fake expectations. And again I say – long may it continue!

While we were over in Norn Iron I made sure to bring a good supply of dulse back with me – I really miss it! I’ve discovered I can buy it online but if you think it’s got very expensive inn the shops you need to see the online prices – gulp! The other, rather odd thing I miss here is decent toilet paper. Our sewage system is not connected to the mains because we’re out int he country, so we have a soakaway system underground.This means that you can’t flush paper or ANYTHING but natural waste down the toilets as there’s a serious risk of blockage; it all has to go into a wee bin in the bathroom which we call the Winnie bin, as in Winnie the Pooh! In case a bit of paper goes down by accident the paper itself can’t be too “luxurious”, so it’s not brilliant.

So, it’s now Christmas Eve and we’re about ready to go to friends for a bit of a gathering – I’m really looking forard to it. Then it will be home to the big fires, and video calling the grandchildren. I cna’t wait to talk to them and share all the excitement of Santa coming tonight. Tomorrow morning we’ll repeat, so I can see what presents they’ve had! Laurie is working so the children will be with their dad and his family during Christmas Day then home to their own house later.

I need to get my skates/boots on now to get out the door, so there’s nothing left but to wish you all everything you wish yourselves.

I’m very aware that every year some of us are having to live with the loss of the light of those they loved so much. I hope that those of you who have lost your light will remember that those of us who care so much about you will lend you some of our light until your own can rise and shine again.

We wish you all love, joy, light and laughter, peace in your hearts anad wonderful memories.