Calentita

OK, I thought I'd add a throw-away little entry about a Gibraltarian delicacy.

Calentita is essentially chick-pea flour, water, salt and pepper. It gets mixed up into a kind of batter and then baked. It is available as a breakfast item on many cafe menus in Gib, and apparently nowhere else.



This is an ideal breakfast for me because:

1. I don't like crunchy, crispy, or dry things in the morning.
2. It's gently flavoured, so not too much of a shock to the senses.
3. It's inexplicably comforting....like a blanky for your guts (I need comforting in the morning).
4. "Calentita" means er....small warm thing or slightly warm thing. I'm not sure, but it just sounds nice.

I'm going to make a batch at home and see how it goes.

Nick

Scouting San Roque

This weekend we went to San Roque. It's a small town within the Campo de Gibraltar, around 15 mins from the Frontier.

We're looking for a place to rent here, or here abouts, so that Bianca can work in Gib.

Yes, we're on the move again! Sometimes I think we should just invest in a good tent. Bedouin style perhaps. I could get into reclining on some cushions and eating dates.

Anyway, here are a couple of pics of San Roque, just so you know what we're talking about.

Typical Spanish high-street.



View from the square in the Casco Antiguo, down a side street.



Another side street with a steep incline provides a view of the hill opposite.



I'll let you know what happens...

Nick

Arcos Landscape

I've been taking a few slightly more considered shots of the town recently. Autumn has brought the clouds back into the sky, and I've been really enjoying them.

The weird light here is skudding under storm clouds. I took this photo in between bouts of rain. I'm not sure if I really got it here, but it was a really odd sight.



Typical sunset from our terrace, all that concrete gets in the way, but makes a nice silhouette.


Nick

Toms Birthday

In the worlds latest attempt to make us feel old, Tom went and turned seven this week.

This year Tom decided that he wanted a bike, so while we were in Gib we went to the bike shop and found a cool silver number with six gears and a decidedly rugged look. Tom seemed more than satisfied.

This morning (I'm going to write it as though I'm not several weeks late in making the entry), we wheeled the thing into the living room and presented it to him. He was chuffed.

I think I should mention that he was also delighted with ALL the presents he received despite the fact that his parents did not go to the effort of thanking everyone. Please accept this as an apology and a blanket thanks to you all. Sorry.

Anyway, back to Tom.

We had breakfast, and then after preparing him for the possible disappointment of not managing to ride without stabilizers immediately, we headed out to the hill behind the house to give the new bike a try.

Tom was riding on his own 3 minutes later. Yes, I gave him two pushes and on the third I just let go. It seems he's a natural.

Later we went to the park and he continued in the same vein. He was in sixth gear and smirking before too long. OK, there were a couple of headlong crashes into the fencing and a few stationary falls (I'd forgotten how easy it was to do that, but when your only just reaching the floor....), but by and large he seems to have got the hang of it without any difficulty. Cool.

This picture shows Tom on his new "proper" bike. That's his old bike on the edge of the frame. Looks a bit silly doesn't it? Don't tell Ollie.



Trying to take picture of Tom riding was a lesson in that fact that focusing a camera on a moving target is REALLY hard. Here's a photo of him on the move. It's not great but at least it is in focus.



He also got a pair of inline skates for his birthday, with helmet and pads thankfully. I don't have any pictures just yet.

It was a bit of an unconventional birthday this year. He didn't have a birthday cake (poor thing). I've just been trying to remember with Bi, but there was a candle to blow out. I think it was lodged in a plate of potato salad or something. Anyway, famous bike riders don't eat cake. Which brings me to another thing. While Tom was showing off to me in the park we were talking about how he would become a famous rider (on account of him being really good at it) and Tom decided that in fact there was a down side to being famous. Apparently it is that when you have to go home because it's tea-time "all the people will get sad and cry" because they want to keep watching your amazing bike skills. And those are his words.....

Writing this reminds me that I must give him a a big hug when he gets home......shucks.

Nick

Mums Visit

She was the first to book a trip and the last to arrive, probably to give us plenty of time to settle in. This week my Mum paid us a visit. I nipped over to Malaga to pick her up, then we took a quick detour into Gib to see the Sanguinettis and pick up the rest of the Feeks, before heading to Arcos.

We got home late and knackered.

She was soon eating prawns...



During Mum's stay we went out and about when we could. I was working for a good chunk of it unfortunately.

We spent a morning looking around Jerez, took a trip up to the hills at El Bosque and went, for the first time for all of us, to Bornos.

When we were in Bornos we stumbled upon a beautiful garden and palace. I guess any number of web sites and guide books would have told us about it anyway, but it was much better to just find it. It as a lovely day, and the gardens were very lush.

Pond.


I believe Mum took more (and better) photographs of her stay here, but I forgot to get them before she left. I might ask her to send some of the nicer ones to me so that I can add them.

Anyway, photographs or not, we all had a good time, and Mum helped a lot while she was here. As usual with our visitors, we were sad to see her go.


Nick

The Wedding

This weekend was Ernest and Yvette's church wedding. I say "church" because they are already Husband and Wife, but they were married in an English registry office. They decided they wanted to seal the whole thing with all the trimmings, and why not?

So in the morning, all over Gibraltar, Sanguinettis and Gonzales' (and a few Feeks) were busy zipping dresses, tying ties and applying make-up, and generally preparing for the event.

Here are the boys with their cousin, Ewan.



The men.



All the men.


And here is Bianca and me, hoping we cut the mustard. I think we do, despite the fact that I look a bit sick.


They were married in the Cathedral in the center on Gibraltar, which is an Main Street. For those of you who don't know, Main Street is like the high-street of Gibraltar, so the walk to church was a very public thing. It's really nice, the people in the street get a little show, and the wedding parties get to show off their get-ups.

Anyway, Bride and Groom were beautifully turned out. The Bride was blushing and in the long tradition of healthy and successful weddings, we were all left wondering why she would marry him. Earnest: In case you read this, that IS a backhanded compliment.

The wedding went smoothly, though Yvette did get the giggles, because the wedding vows unearthed a well kept secret. Ernest has a mystery middle name, given to him by his Mum at birth, and mentioned never more until today. Ernest Sandro Sanguinetti. I like it.

After the wedding we went to the Botanical gardens for a photo session. I've yet to see the official photo's, but Yvette's dress was lovely, and when I get hold of something, I'll post it here.

There was a reception, and I'm glad to say that I was too busy having a good time to take any photographs. Good.

That's all for now,

Nick

Ollie goes to school

Ollie started school this week. He's been going for an hour a day to get comfortable with the idea. As you can imagine, he's not comfortable at all! So far he hasn't wanted to go. I think when he starts the same hours as Tom, things might improve. He'll be able to see Tom going in and hopefully, since Tom is his role model, he'll happily follow.

<Just insert an imaginary picture of Ollie looking angry and upset>

In other news, it was Bianca's brothers' stag night on Saturday. I took Monday off! Good time had by all I believe. It's the wedding next week, and Tom, Ollie and Ewan are all equipped with smart jackets, trousers, shirts and even little bow ties. hehe. I promise to get some pictures of that.

Nick

Bianca turns *blankety blank*, Victoria turns seven and Ewan turns four

This weekend saw another trip down to Jimena. This time to celebrate a clutch of Birthdays as the title of this entry suggests.

More swimming, more playing and more cake. More Tablita (more shouting, goading, arguing and threats of violence haha)!

Everyone except Bianca (La Fotografa), was enjoying the Jelly.....




Later on the kids were given some light sticks to run around with. Great idea!

Here's Ollie (blue) and Ewan (green)...



Here's Tom...



And here's Tom, Victoria, Ewan and Ollie running around and around in a circle!



The kids had a fantastic time as usual, in all the space and fresh air.

Again, the film camera took precedence over the digital, so not much to show. I'm enjoying using my film cameras again though.

Nick

Ollie turns three

Yes, Ollie turned three last week. When we woke on the 27th July it was with the promise that we had survived the "Terrible Two's", and were now moving on to the "Terribly Well Behaved Three's".

Lets put it this way, he's a bit of a scamp, but that's just Ollie....



And I know I said he was a bit ugly as a baby but now......

We had a little BBQ at home on the Terrace for him, and then at the weekend, we went to Jimena to celebrate it again with the rest of the Sanguinetti clan.

There was swimming and playing and cake.

Unfortunately for those of you who are interested, the photo aspect of this blog may get bit sketchy for a while. I have started using my film cameras again, and many of the photos I have been taking will not be available for posting.

Hopefully, I will eventually get a scanner and normal service will resume.

Here's a photo of my lovely wife. I'm a bit low on photo's and I think it almost does her justice.




Most of the day (and night) was spent playing "Tablita". We call it Ludo in the UK, and the board and rules are the same. Over here they play it with more verve (that translates to shouting, goading, arguing and threats of violence).



Maybe, when I scan the film photo's in, I'll add them to this entry for posterities sake.

That's all for now.

Nick

Nuestra Senora de las Nieves

This weekend was a party weekend in Arcos, in honour of Nuestra Senora de las Nieves (Our Lady of the Snow). There was Flamenco singing every night, and it finished with a kind of kids party thing. Low lighting and a personal distaste for flash photography mean that I really failed to capture any of it on camera.

I will now use the power of the written word to weave a tapestry of the events.......Oh bugger that! Here's a photo of some people, at night, in the square...



The guitar playing was fantastic. The singing I can take or leave really, but the guitar was really beautiful. There were dancers too but they came on too late for us to catch (and we didn't leave until about 1.30am).

It was really fresh at that time of night which was a real relief from the incessant heat. I know those of you in the UK will be cursing me cursing the heat, but it really is very hot! The inside of my trousers has been like a tropical hot-house for the last month. Steamy!

We're really enjoying the way Arcos has come to life in the Summer. The kids are welcome at these events and the people are relaxed. I could get used to this.

Our Boys Can Swim!

Yes, it's official, both Tom and Ollie can now swim.

In fact Tom has been swimming for a couple of weeks now, and naturally, he's becoming a stronger swimmer every day.




Today was a revelation for Ollie though. Ever since Tom stopped wearing his armbands Ollie has been complaining about his. Well, he would because as far as he is concerned, he can do whatever Tom can!

Bianca went to the pool with them today, and after some persistent whining, she decided to get into the learner pool with Ollie without the armbands. This pool is well out of Ollie and Toms depth, but not as deep as the big one.

Ollie doesn't understand the distinction between jumping in with and without the armbands and it seems he's got a point! He was leaping into the water and swimming!!! This is a two year old we are talking about. What a boy!





While they were in the learner pool Ollie climbed out to run around the edge to get away from Bi who was quite rightly making sure she was within reach of him at all times. Anyway, it seems that while she was telling him in no uncertain terms not to jump in out of her reach, he decided to do a typically Ollie thing. He ran in the other direction and launched himself headlong into the adults pool without a second thought.

Apparently people were scrambling all over the place to get to him, but when they did, there he was doggy paddling around the big pool with the other "men".

I wish I had been there. I don't have any photos but tomorrow I plan to go with them and capture it all.

I already have loads of footage of the boys (.mpg files) swimming around but I can't post them here. I may make up some discs and send them around.

Anyway Pride, Pride, beaming Pride. I hope you all get the impression!!

I'm going to finish up with a little action sequence.

Going....


Going...



Gone!




UPDATE: The photos in this entry were taken the day after the original post was published. I have added them so you can see for yourselves.


Nick

A Family BBCube (Ollie Speak)

We finally got around to that "quiet" BBQ. Threaded up a few Pinchitos (kebabs), grabbed a couple of beers and headed for the roof.

Hmmmm MEAT!



Bianca relaxing in the cool of the evening...




The whole family enjoying a salad and a kebab. Ahhhhh simple pleasures.




More later,

Nick

Alison and Libby Came To Stay

As you can see from the previous entry, Alison and Libby were here for the party.

However, I think I should dedicate an entry to their visit.

Most of the picture come courtesy of Alison's camera which is why there are none of her. Still you saw what she got up to in the last post.

I was amazed at how Libby has grown up. She'll be hitting me up for a teener on the way out for the night before I know it. And how pretty!



The locals really admired here blond hair and fair skin.

I think the kids were happy to see each other..




Unfortunately, I was busy (mostly) during the day while Al was here. It was pretty hot too! While I was working the rest of them went down to the pool to or up to the terrace. The middle of the day was really only suitable for sleeping and watching movies.

The paddling pool on the terrace is good enough for the little ones anyway..



Bianca showed Al and Libby around the old town a bit...



The fact that I was busy gave them a chance to cram into the car and head for the beach..



Libby liked the balcony as much as our two..



Time for one last holiday treat at the airport..



Her shoes seemed happy, but I was sad to see them walking away
.


Finally we had to say goodbye. :-(



I think they had a good time. Ask them yourselves. It was hot and tiring at times, but I hope they come back soon.

Thats all,

Nick

Arcos Party #1

Well, it was going to be a quiet BBQ but Bi went and met some people, and they brought some more people...

I was hoping for a few drinks and some fun. When almost everyone turned up with their own bottle of spirits, I knew it was going to be a good night.

We used the terrace for a party for the first time..



It took a while for people to warm up...



But not THAT long..



Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Hehehehehe.



The kids were in bed when everyone arrived. But not for long...



And they were remarkably well behaved. Must have been the vodka!



And did I mention it was a BBQ...




Anyway, they turned out to be a good bunch.

At around 3am El Fuzz even showed up to tell us to keep it down, but by that time the dancing was over. They were too late to cramp our style.

About 4.30, the guests were flagging, though showing no signs of leaving. Hehe. They left shortly after, and we all collapsed into bed.

*I woke up with a terrible headache*

More later,

Nick

Yes, Another Day At The Beach! (And no, we're not bored of it yet).

Well, we learnt a valuable the lesson from our last visit to the beach (see previous entry) and today we went to Los Canos de Meca instead of somewhere more local. OK, it takes about 1.5 hours to get there but when we arrived, we soon remembered why we love this place so much.

This is a beautiful beach, with just enough people on it. The water was warm and clear, there was a warm breeze blowing and the Chiringuito down the beach was playing Cuban music all day. It was perfection. The kids were really well behaved, both in the water and out. Tom is starting to swim without arm-bands now, which he is very proud of. Bi and I are proud too.

The thing is with Los Canos de Meca...... it's a nudist beach, and although it is not compulsory, a fair number of people take advantage of the fact. This makes photography tricky. That said, I did get in a couple of shots with no jiggling boobs or flaccid wangs in evidence...

The beach...


The cloud in the photo above was very lonely!

Tom, waiting for me to come for another dip. Check out the tan line.




By the way, for a CD of the photos I took which were unsuitable for publication, email me privately, and in confidence ;-)

Yes, we scored another great day. I sincerely hope you are all very jealous.

On the way home, along with a large number of biscuits, we were treated to a lovely cloud affect...




And a fabulous sunset...



Thats all for now,

Nick