Diary of a Nobody

After my second period "de Rodriguez" this year, today it was back to normal. The "Lovely Rita" came home this morning, after 10 days "babysitting" in Germany, in order that her daughter and son-in-law could celebrate reaching 50 years of age by going hiking in the mountains.

[Photo: PW]    

Early Start in Germany and Spain

Today Rita got up at 2.30 am to leave for the airport (Karlsruhe-Baden Baden) at 3.00 am.

Daughter Katrin took her by car - no public transport at that ungodly hour - so that Rita could catch the first flight of the day - to Malaga.

I was up early also, at 5.30 am, to tidy up the house, to "hoover" and to mop the floors.

I managed to squeeze in a breakfast, and two cups of tea, before I set off - later than planned - in the car, headed for Malaga Costa del Sol airport.

I was running late, but so was Rita's flight, fortunately for me. It landed 45 minutes late.

Phew! I got there in time.

[Sol Villas]    

Brekkie on the Beach

As we had planned, we headed for the eastern end of Torremolinos to find a "chiringuito" for breakfast. Our venue of choice, El Alamo, had disappeared!

We later learned that it had been sold, renovated and changed its name. It was shut in any case!

The next place we tried, was also closed. They don't do breakfast in low season!

It was quite clear that temporada alta was over. Little traffic, empty car parks and only a handful (residents?) on the beach.

La Playa - surf house - to the rescue

This place was open. I've been here at least three times before, when I've taken my kids and grandkids to the airport following holidays with us in Ronda.

It was Rita's first time. She lurved it (Phew!)

It was not cheap (the bill with tip came to 35€) but what we got for that was outstanding.

Our waiter, Alberto, was very obliging, and it was the best breakfast I have had in a long time.

    [Photo: Paul Whitelock]

    [Photos courtesy of La Playa Surf House]

After breakfast

I thought we might spend some time on the beach, but the weather was quite autumnal, and Rita was very tired, so we headed straight for home.

Chez Nous

Rita wanted a nap, so I finished the tidying up around the house that I'd not managed earlier. I also cleaned the pool.

Later I cleared out the rubbish, went to the tip and paid my dues at my local, Hotel Ronda Valley, where I had a couple of beers and wrote this!

    [Photo courtesy of HRV]

Going home now! Buenas noches.

© Diary of a Nobody

Links:

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Golden Wedding anniversary - Eye on Spain

My week “de Rodríguez” is over - Eye on Spain

What is a guiri? It's what the Spanish call us foreigners - but is it good or bad? - Secret Serrania

Photos:

Hotel Ronda Valley, La Playa Surf House, Paul Whitelock, Sol Villas,

Tags:

"babysitting", Brekkie on the Beach, chiringuito, "de Rodriguez", Diary of a Nobody, Eye on Spain, Germany, guiri, golden wedding anniversary, hiking in the mountains, Hotel Ronda Valley, Karlsruhe-Baden Baden, Katrin, La Playa Surf House, "Lovely Rita", Malaga airport, Paul Whitelock, Rita, Ronda, Secret Serrania, Sol Villas, Talheim,  Torremolinos, Wikipedia

I was browsing the Eye on Spain website earlier today (Sunday) - it was too hot to be outside - and I came across some interesting information.

Three top tens, and my posts feature prominently in all three listings.

    [Eye on Spain logo courtesy of SoundCloud]

The Top Ten most popular blogs

I assume this means the ones getting the most hits.

At number one is my old online "mate" Lenox Napier.

I've never met him but we are avid followers and "likers" of each other's posts.

I plan to visit him one day, but he lives in Mojacar (Almeria), a good five hour's drive from Ronda.

It's on my "bucket list"!

    Lenox Napier [Facebook]

The Top Ten most popular blogs

Spanish Shilling

Property News from Spain

Puntos de vista - a personal Spain blog

IAN & SPAIN

Max Abroad : The Best of Spain

Still Discovering Spain...

El blog de Maria

The Culture Vulture

The Spanish Fly - Travels in Spain

Spain's Best

My blogs on this list are:

Puntos de vista - my nom de plume is Pablo de Ronda. This blog is where I express my point of view on a range of subjects.

The Culture Vulture - Writing about all things cultural: art, dance, flamenco, music, poetry, television, theatre and, of course, bullfighting.

The Spanish Fly - my travel blog. Mainly about Spain but occasionally elsewhere.

    Me [Secret Serrania]    

Most popular blog posts

The most read articles. On this list I appear at Number 1 and Number 2, then at number 5, number 8 and number 10.

The Prodigal Wife

PBMF 2025 - Saturday August 7, Ronda

The Fire Season: It's Never Been This Bad

The best places to retire in Spain in 2025

Rogues Gallery - Holiday Rental Companies

Beautiful villages to visit this summer

New Poll Reveals Majority in EU and UK Favour Rejoining, But with Incompatible Conditions

Ronda boring?

Spain's Most Refreshing Salad?

Ghosts of the Past

Rita [Photo: Paul Whitelock]    

Most commented posts

This is a list of posts which attract the most comments. I come in at 3, 6 and 9.

Rogues Gallery is where I name and shame individuals, organisations and companies who have done bad things.

Two of the posts here are about rogues: Holiday Rental Companies. Which is the worst? Booking.com. Ask any hotel, guest house or individual renter.

The other rogue is Vladimir Putin. Need I say more?

     Rogues: Booking.com .....                                  ..... and Putin, war criminal [The Guardian]

The Prodigal Wife - This is about my missus, Rita, who has left me "de Rodriguez" again!

New Poll Reveals Majority in EU and UK Favour Rejoining, But with Incompatible Conditions

The Airport Run

Rogues Gallery - Holiday Rental Companies

Jumilla

I Always Buy Them Second-Hand

The Prodigal Wife

The best places to retire in Spain in 2025

Bring Out More Flags

Rogues gallery – Hijo de  Putin

Sensory Pleasures, Rota, Spain, 1972

   [Courtesy of The Week]    

My "Eye on Spain" blogs:

Alles auf Deutsch - a blog in German. Bitte klicken Sie hier

A View from the Mountains - a blog about the news and current affairs. Please click here

My Covid-19 Diary - now discontinued, but the archive is still there. Please click here

Diary of a Nobody - my personal diary. Please click here

Spanish Matters - a blog in English and Spanish for those learning the language. Haz clic aqui

Eye on TRUMP - no longer "live". Please click here to access the archive

"Guiris" galore - a blog featuring foreign writers, poets, artists and others who have made an impact in Spain. Please click here

"Help, help me, Ronda"! - a blog about my "adopted home town" and the surrounding area. Please click here

How to ..... ? - a practical guide to dealing with Spanish bureaucracy and also simple DIY tasks. Please click here

Only Joe King - a light-hearted look at life in Spain. Please click here

Puntos de vista - my views and opinions about life in Spain. Please click here

Serranía Kitchen - recipes from Spain and around the world. Please click here

Sporty Sam - sports news. Please click here

The Crazy Guy - That's me! Some of the daft things I've done in my life. Please click here

The Culture Vulture - reviews of art, bullfighting, dance, flamenco, music, poetry, television, and theatre. Please click here

The Curmudgeon - the place for this "grumpy old man" to have a moan. Please click here

The "Guiri" Gourmet - my eating experiences in Spain, and occasionally France, Germany and the UK. Please click here

The History Man - a blog about the history of Spain. Please click here

The Merry Tippler - a blog about drinks. Please click here

The Spanish Fly - Travels in Spain and sometimes further afield. Please click here

Links:

2025 - Our year of travel - Eye on Spain

A Year in the Life – 2020 - Secret Serrania de Ronda - my "bucket list"

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

www.help-me-ronda.com

www.secretseerrania.com

© Diary of a Nobody

Images:

Facebook, Paul Whitelock, SoundCloud, The Guardian, The Week, 

Tags:

bucket list, de Rodriguez, Diary of a Nobody, Eye on Spain, Facebook, Ghosts of the Past, Hijo de  Putin, Holiday Rental Companies, Lenox Napier, Pablo de Ronda, Paul Whitelock, PBMF 2025, Puntos de vista, Rita, Rogues Gallery, Ronda boring?, SoundCloud, The Culture Vulture, The Guardian, The Prodigal Wife, The Spanish Fly, The Week, www.help-me-ronda.com, www.secretserrania.com

I've decided to de-clutter my life. I've always been a bit of a hoarder, but now it's time to "get rid".

All those shirts that I'll never get into again; the trousers which are too tight round the middle.

    [Image courtesy of Time For You Cleaning]

In addition to reducing the size of my "wardrobe", a lot of the pictures and artefacts I accumulated over many years have to go.

My pet collections will remain, however. Elephants, sea-horses, geckoes, scorpions and cats, some of them living beings. Countless geckoes, thankfully few scorpions and our two rescue cats, Paulinchen and Fritzi.

Houses

I own two houses in Spain. My domicilio, in Ronda, where I live with my German "missus", and also a rental property in the nearby mountain village of Montejaque.

I've decided to give up renting and sell my rental house.

The bureaucracy is a nightmare and it's just got worse.

So, I'm selling up. I can use the money for other projects, like really attacking my "bucket list".

    Casa Real, Montejaque [Karl Smallman]

Cars and bicycles

We have two Peugeots, my 2008 hatchback and Rita's charming little black 207 cabriolet.

We don't really need two cars, in my opinion, but Rita says we do ..... so, that's the end of that!

After all she's the boss!

I had two bikes, but I've just sold one to a friend, keeping the e-bike for the time being.

    Peugeot 207 cabriolet [Peugeot]

My bugbears

There are a handful of things I would love to de-clutter, but can't.

Bad debtors and Spanish bureaucracy in general; Hacienda (Tax Authorities), Spanish banks and Guardia Civil Trafico in particular.

    guardia civil trafico roadblock [gct]

A number of people owe me money, mostly British fellow-countrymen, Irish "deadbeats" and a German Frau. Am I a soft touch? I guess I'm too trusting. No Spaniard owes me a "penique", by the way!

So, come on Neil G., Julian M., Rob, Gertraud F., Algatocin "cock teaser", Amanda Mc., and Trish Z, PAY ME WHAT YOU OWE ME!

Oh! There is one Spanish company that has ripped me off. They're called AQUALEI, a water treatment company based in Elche near Alicante. 

    [Image: Toons Mag]

Last Word

I think my decision to de-clutter my life as much as possible is a good one. At 75 years of age I ought to be slowing down!

Unfortunately, living in Spain means we all have to put up with Hacienda, banks and the traffic cops, not just we "guiris", but the Spanish too.

However, they're accustomed to it, so they just shrug their shoulders and get on with enjoying other aspects of their lives.

    [Image courtesy of The Corner]

Links:

CASA REAL, MONTEJAQUE - Large modernised traditional village house in beautiful pueblo blanco - PRICE REDUCTION 120.000€ - Help me, Ronda

Help me, Ronda - HELP ME RONDA - On the header bar click on more, FAQ, Tax and Finance, where there are three relevant articles

POLICE - Help me, Ronda

Rogues Gallery – the name and shame blog - Eye on Spain

The Spanish Police are beginning to get on my nerves! - Help me, Ronda

What is a guiri? It's what the Spanish call us foreigners - but is it good or bad? - www.secretserrania.com

© Diary of a Nobody

Acknowledgements:

Guardia Civil Trafico, Karl Smallman, Peugeot, The Corner, Time For You Cleaning, 

Tags:

cop, Diary of a Nobody, Eye on Spain, Guardia Civil Trafico, guiri, Hacienda, Paul Whitelock, police, Rita, Secret Serrania, Spanish banks, Spanish bureaucracy, traffic cop, www.help-me-ronda.com 

I've needed a haircut for a while. I've been looking a bit scruffy and my "comb-over" is not impressive. But I never seem to find the time to drive to Ronda, where I live, to sit and wait to get my hair chopped.

Today, however, I found myself in Utrera (Sevilla), a delightful town, with time to kill.

The barber's shop was open, it was 5.15 pm, and had no customers.

So, I was all set.

    My barber's in Utrera [Booksy]

"How did you like it, sir?"

My "Barber of Seville" was Emerson from Bolivia, who has been in Spain for a year.

His boss - I didn't catch his name - is from Columbia and has been in Spain for eight years. 

Then, all of a sudden, the barberia was inundated, with four Nicaraguans. They told me they left the country of their birth, which is in Central America, because of the political regime there.

Latin America [World Atlas]    

They were interesting people, and they were fascinated by me, an Anglo-Welshman living in Ronda (Malaga) and speaking fluent castellano. We had a great "chinwag".

They all told me they had opted to come to Utrera because the cost-of-living is lower than in Sevilla City. They do not intend to return home.

© Diary of a Nobody (Paul Whitelock)

Pictures:

Facebook, Paul Whitelock, World Atlas

Tags:

American Barber, Anglo-Welshman, barber, barberia, "Barber of Seville", Bolivia, castellano, Columbia, comb-over, Central America, Diary of a Nobody, haircut, Malaga, Nicaragua, Paul Whitelock, Ronda, Sevilla, Utrera, 

September

September is the ninth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 30 days.

September (from the Latin septem, "seven") was originally the seventh month in the oldest known Roman calendar, the calendar of Romulus, c. 750 BC.

    [Image courtesy of iQuote]

March (Latin Martius) was the first month of the year until perhaps as late as 451 BC. 

After the calendar reform that added January and February to the beginning of the year, September became the ninth month but retained its name. It had 29 days until the Julian reform, which added a day.

Back to school

September marks the beginning of the school year in many countries of the northern hemisphere, when children, and teachers, go back to school after their summer break.

For several decades of my life September meant "back to school". From the age of five to 18, September was the month when school started a new academic year.

At university it was a month later, October.

    [Image courtesy of Freepik]

For 15 years of my career, as a teacher, it also meant "back to school".

For another 15 years, as a schools inspector / advisor, September also dominated my life.

So, without realising it at the time, September was actually quite stressful. 

September 2005 onwards

After some 50-plus years, September became a month to savour and enjoy. This came as a surprise bonus in 2005, the year I stopped working, which was also my first "annus horribilis", a phrase coined by Queen Elizabeth II to describe her 1992. 

[The Phoenix File]    

I experienced a nervous breakdown; my wife divorced me and I was made redundant - a "triple whammy" indeed!.

However, "every cloud has a silver lining" and 2005 became a turning point for me. Within three years of leaving employment I had found a new lady to love, a new country to live in and new things to do.

In 2008 I moved to southern Spain to live with my new lady, a German called Rita, already resident, and started "work" as a journalist and translator. By 2010 Rita and I had "jumped the broom" and in 2011 we bought our dream home (where we still live 14 years later).

Wedding in 2010 [Photo by HMR]    

Endword

Since I retired, aged 55, and moved to Spain, I've grown to love September. Temperatures drop from the highs of August, the tourists start to disappear and life takes on a more gentle pace.

Spaniards come back to work, having taken holiday in August, and you can start to sort your affairs out and deal with "el papeleo" again, eg tax, IBI, and all the other bureaucratic issues Spain throws at you.

    [Image courtesy of Freepik]

September is arguably the best month in Spain. Not so hot as in high summer, fewer tourists, and a time to relax and travel.

I love September - now.

Links:

Metamorphosis: Annus Horribilis to Annus Mirabilis – Part I

Metamorphosis: Annus Horribilis to Annus Mirabilis – Part II

The Houses That Jack Built

Wrong way round

©  Paul Whitelock

Photos and images:

Freepik, HMR, iQuote, Paul Whitelock, The Phoenix File

Tags:

"annus horribilis", divorce, Elizabeth II, Freepik, HMR, iQuote, nervous breakdown, Paul Whitelock, redundancy, Rita, The Phoenix File, triple whammy

Rita needed a break from me, so she took off to her house in Montejaque to relax, "recover" and contemplate.

That was on Saturday.

Tuesday

Rita called to say she was coming home. Her quiet time alone had done her good and she felt like a new woman.

Oh! And it was unbearably hot in her house - no aircon and no pool!

Changes

I swear to God, Rita is indeed a changed woman. Much more relaxed. We spent time together in the pool (the first thing she did on arrival was get her kit off and jump in the pool - naked of course. Well, she is German and the "krauts" have a penchant for nudity (it's called FKK - Freikorperliche Kultur).

As for me, an uptight Englishman, I've been a regular nudist, ever since I discovered how nice it was on a Greek Island (Serifos) in 1975.

I've "done it" since in France (Corsica), Germany, Austria, Norway (sauna), Scotland (sauna), Portugal and Spain. And in our house and garden in Ronda, which is private and not overlooked.

Tuesday night

I offered to prepare a welcome-home dinner, and - surprise, surprise - Rita agreed! Normally she doesn't allow me to cook!

We had fillet steak with all the trimmings! A sure-fire success. And lots of delicious wine.

And...?

I think we should "bottle" Rita's tranquil break at her house in Montejaque and market it as a "cure"!

We could make a fortune!

© Diary of a nobody

Links:

Body beautiful: I get to the bottom of the joys of nudism - The Times

La Web del Nudismo – Naturismo en España

Steak au poivre – Secret Serranía style

Thanks:

Karl Smallman, Paul Whitelock

Tags:

Austria, Corsica, fillet steak, France, FKK, Germany, Greek Island, Serifos, "krauts", naked, Norway, nudist, nudity, Paul Whitelock, Portugal, Rita, sauna, Scotland, Spain

I flew to the UK for the first time this year on April 10th, a Thursday. The plan was to visit my children Amy (41) in London and Tom (38) in Hastings (East Sussex) and their children over a long weekend.

I took a Ryanair flight from Malaga into London Stansted, then got the fast bus connection into Stratford Shopping Centre (East London).

It all went very smoothly. I got through border control in double-quick time, courtesy of my e-passport, bought my National bus ticket and went to the stop to catch the A9 into London.

It was so early not much was open in Stratford, but I ended up in a delightful Bulgarian cafe and sampled two excellent beers from that country with my breakfast fry-up!

[Photo courtesy of Ryanair]

The "Big Smoke"

Amy lives a short walk from there in a new flat she has bought. I hadn't seen it yet, other than in photos, so I was looking forward to that.

   Views of the Olympic Park with the Athletics Stadium (now West Ham United's home ground)

   and the Helter Skelter by day and by night [Photos: PW]

On the night of my arrival Amy was due to have orchestra practice (she is first oboist). The plan was that I would attend that, then we'd go for dinner together. However, that all changed when Amy had to go on a class camp with her younger son and stay overnight.

So I was all on my own for the first night. No problem - I enjoy my own company.

Amy is chief executive of Tutors United, an educational charity which provides catch-up classes for kids who have fallen behind.

On Friday evening we picked up her two boys, my grandchildren, from school. Amy and the boys' father Carlo are divorced but share custody of their two children. 

Amy [Tutors United]    

Off to the seaside

On Saturday we all hopped on a train to Hastings to stay with my son Tom, wife Susannah and their two children.

Tom and Su are both professional actors and musicians, although Tom is "resting" at the moment and Su is a stay-at-home mum.

Tom in "a Clockwork Orange" [West End Theatres]    

Birthday Party

On Saturday we celebrated the 2nd birthday of Tom and Su's youngest. The weather was hot and sunny so we were able to go ahead with the planned BBQ.

Nearly all the extended family were there and it was a great afternoon. It was fun to catch up with Su's mum, Claire, and dad, Nick, my ex-wife, Jeryl, and my brother, Simon, and his wife, Marilyn.

I also had a really long chat with Jeryl's brother, Tony, and his wife, Diane, who I hadn't seen for years. 

I got to know better Su's (half-)brother, Pav, from Belarus; his dad, a recent refugee from that conflicted country, Su's sister, Tara, and her Danish husband. I also met Nick's partner who is from Ukraine. It all felt very cosmopolitan.

    Three mums: Amy, Diane and Jeryl [PW]

Fathers' Day

Sunday was Fathers' Day in the UK so I was treated to brunch in Victoria Park, Hastings, a splendid oasis in the town with a couple of restaurants, a miniature railway, tennis courts, a playground and exquisite gardens.

    Two dads on Fathers' Day [Photo: S Austin]       Big yellow train ride [Photo: Anon]

Despite the heat, we did the lot!

Time to go home

On Monday 14th I spent the morning in and around the emblematic George Street. Had a couple of tasty pints and bought a few souvenirs before I took the train from Rye, next door to Hastings, to London Gatwick for my Wizzair flight back to Malaga.

   The Albion in Hastings - my favourite pub        Mollie from Wellington (NZ) - service with a smile

   [Photos by Paul Whitelock]

But, shock horror, I missed the flight!

I haven't done that for decades. 

So I had to book a new flight with another airline, Vueling, so I was very late getting into Malaga and quite a bit poorer!

Epilogue

Despite the catastrophe of my flight home to Spain and the chaos that is Malaga airport at night*, I can look back fondly on a delightful few days with family in England.

*Rogues Gallery - the name and shame blog - Chaos at Malaga airport

©  Diary of a Nobody

Links:

Claire Hamill Band - Live - Living Proof - 13th March 2025 - YouTube

Meet Amy: Our New CEO - Tutors United

SUSANNAH AUSTIN - NIGHTWALKING - Vídeo Dailymotion

West End Live 2016 Sunny Afternoon - YouTube

Pictures:

Amy Gibbs, Paul Whitelock, Ryanair, Susannah Austin, Tom Whitelock, Tutors United, West End Theatres

Tags:

"A Clockwork Orange", Amy, Claire, Claire Hamill, Diane, Hastings, Jeryl, Nick, "Nightwalking", Paul Whitelock, "Rogues Gallery", Ryanair, Stratford, Su, "Sunny Afternoon", Susannah Austin, Tom, Tom Whitelock, Tony, Tutors United, Victoria Park, West End Theatres, YouTube

This was the title of a massive hit for Tom Jones, the Welsh pop-singer who went on to become one of the elder statesmen of popular music through his collaborations with other artistes, such as Carlos Santana.

It seemed like an apt title for this piece about cats and other pets (mascotas) that have featured in my life of seven and a half decades.

Tom Jones, young and old [Photo image: Wikipedia]    

Me, cats and other pets

When I was growing up in Devon we had dogs. I don't remember any cats. My dad kept chickens too when I was very young. And at one point I bought a couple of mice. I was going to breed mice, sell them and make a fortune! My pair of mice produced one litter of 10. That turned out to be a short-lived enterprise.

I remember a gorgeous, even-tempered boxer called Heidi; a toy poodle called Snowy and a mongrel with the name Chloe.

First felines

As a young childless married couple we moved to our second house in Thelwall, Cheshire. I was 30 and Jeryl was 27. We got a couple of kittens. They both disappeared. After that we started a family and were pet-free. Our two kids were enough of a challenge!

As Time Goes By 

After Jeryl and I parted I moved to North Wales to live with my new girlfriend, a widow called Maude. She had a dog. I was early retired, but Maude was still working, so I spent a fair bit of time with her dog, whose name escapes me.

My second marriage, lived entirely in Spain, has had its fair share of animals. Over 15 years of marriage we have had two cats and a dog.

The first cat, Cleo, was "murdered" (poisoned) by a nasty cat-hating German woman in Montejaque, where we lived at that time.

Our lovely dog, a pointer called Berti, was run over and fatally injured by a speeding motorist in La Indiana.

We currently have a female cat which, as a kitten, had been dumped at the "basura" near our home. It followed me to our house and the rest is history.

Berti relaxing by our pool [Photo: PW] 

Pauline (Paulinchen) is now nearly a year old. We took her to the vet, who de-loused her, got rid of her fleas, inserted a chip in her neck and, on a subsequent occasion when she was old enough, sterilised her.

Pauline is very much a domesticated cat. She has worked out the limits of our large garden; she is very aware of the traffic that passes by the front of our house.

Last week we acquired a second cat.

Three separate neighbours had seen it get hit by a car outside our house.

Three days later, on a Saturday morning, I found it injured hiding at the back of our garden. We took it into the house, fed and watered it and set up a "bed".

On Monday we took it (we still didn't know its gender, cos it wouldn't let us look).

"Turco" examined it, established that it was a girl, and that it had a dislocated hip. He thought it would right itself with rest and a course of antibiotics.

And then it ran off!

Yet, it comes every evening for the food we put out. Rita has photographed her a number of times.

This evening she was there again, along with several other cats from the neighbourhood, which have clearly realised there is food to be had.

We managed to feed and water her without the others. She gobbled up the wet food and the bowl of dry biscuits in double-quick time. But then she disappeared again.

STOP PRESS:

After a week away, we returned to find that the second cat was still hanging around our garden. Previously other cats were coming to our garden because they realised there was food to be had. I started to feed the cat in the kitchen and she did come in. Rita and I decided to get her sterilised, as we had no wish to have a litter of extra cats. We made an appointment at the vet for this to happen. Long story short, "Turco" discovered that she had had a litter some mongths earlier. He removed her uterus and we gave her a name: Fritzi, as we called her, is essentially our cat. She sleeps in the house and hangs around the garden all day. It looks like she has become domesticated.

© Paul Whitelock

Tags:

Berti, cats and other pets, Chloe, Cleo, Cocoa, elder statesman of popular music, Heidi, Jeryl, mascotas, Maude, Paulinchen, Pauline, Paul Whitelock, Rita, seven and a half decades, Snowy, Tom Jones, Turco, Welsh pop-singer, "What's new, pussycat?"

Lotta's confirmation and Paul's 75th birthday

May 18th, 2025

The date for the confirmation of our German grand-daughter and the 75th birthday of yours truly coincided. We were invited to the confirmation - it's a big deal in Germany - so, off we went.

Friday May 16th, 2025 - Departure Day

Our first trip of the year to Germany started on Friday. We were invited to the confirmation of one of our granddaughters.

Lotta is 13 and she was next up on Sunday.

She is the third of our four German grandchildren.

Anton and Madita have already been "done"; Lyra is not ready yet.

Cartoon: Lebenslauf Bremen Shop   

The journey

We got up very early and drove by car from Ronda (Andalusia) to Malaga Airport. Our Ryanair flight to Karlsruhe Baden-Baden took off late and we landed late. Nonetheless, we managed to catch our bus to Rastatt to catch our train connection.

That's where the chaos began. German railways, Deutsche Bahn, especially the regional trains in Baden-Württemberg, are now a huge construction site.

Everything is being expanded and renovated.

This means many delays and cancellations.The system that was rebuilt after the Second World War and was arguably then the best railway in the world is now a joke.

After decades of neglect, the federal government is finally catching up.

   Cartoon: Landon-Advertising

DB suffers from:

• Old infrastructure
• Poor disabled access
• Lack of punctuality
• WCs on trains out of order
• No drinks and snacks either on the trains or on the platform.

Compared to Germany, British Rail (UK), RENFE (Spain), and SNCF (France) are perfect.

Our train journey was exhausting and stressful. The train ride took longer than our flight from southern Spain to Germany!

Nevertheless, we made it to Bietigheim, where we were picked up by Katrin, Rita's daughter.

Footnote

In the train from Karlsruhe to Bietigheim, we chatted the whole way with two young Germans. She was 20, a university student studying Business Management, and he was 26, a single father of a 2-year-old daughter, unemployed and without money. The two didn't know each other. We talked about all sorts of things. It was fascinating.

Arrival in Talheim (B-W)

This pretty village near Heilbronn is where the Schröders live. Katrin is Rita's oldest child and the mother of Lotta.

The Schröders didn't have space for us this time, but Katrin found us an Airbnb right in the heart of Talheim.

Our Airbnb apartment in the village is perfect. Spacious, clean with Wi-Fi and a brand-new flatscreen TV, and much cheaper than the hotels in the area.

Dinner was at the Schröders - asparagus soup and spaghetti with vegetable sauce - all homemade. Delicious.

Kurze Gasse, 5 [Photo: PW]    

Talheim is important for Rita and me.

We got married in the Talheim registry office 15 years ago.

After the church wedding two days later at Maulbronn Monastery, we had our "wedding breakfast" at the Haigern Restaurant in the vineyards above Talheim.

    [Photo: Paul Whitelock]

Saturday May 17th, 2025

I woke early in our Airbnb after eight hours sleep (we went to bed at 9.00 pm following our long and tiring journey on Friday.

I did some work on the computer, while drinking two cups of tea and two coffees. Then it was off to Hauptstrasse 59 for breakfast - home-made muesli, followed by German bread, Wurst, Schinken (ham) and a choice of cheeses, all washed down with two more coffees.

Then I borrowed an electric beard and hair-trimmer and metamorphosed myself from Ernest Hemingway into an asylum-seeking refugee.

    Me as Ernest Hemingway [BBC]                                            Me as an asylum-seeker [selfie]

Everybody had different things to do, so I made myself scarce and drove into Heilbronn, 20 minutes away. 

Heilbronn

I wanted to go to several shops I like there, including Woolworth's and C & A, both Dutch companies long-since disappeared from the British High Street. Here both are still going strong and sell stuff cheap.

    [Photos: Paul Whitelock]

There are also other places I like, such as Tchibo, a coffee brand with coffee shops which also sell interesting things, such as clothes, books, camping gear, as well as coffee beans from around the world.

The Wurstbude around the corner from the Stadtgalerie, a huge indoor shopping centre, was my destination for lunch where I enjoyed a Riesenbratwurst mit Brotchen und Senf, washed down with a Paulaner Hefeweizen. 9 euros, 10 with tip.

    [All above photos by Paul Whitelock]

After that it was a visit to one of the best bookshops I've ever come across in Germany. 

So, what did I buy in Heilbronn?

Well, I spent 48,25€ in Tchibo, 7€ in Woolworth, 13.35€ in Nanu-Nana and 5€ in TEDI.

The Osiander-Buchhandlung relieved me of just 2.99€ for a book of difficult Sudokus for Rita and an unnamed outlet, next-door, 1€ for 50 paper place mats.

77.59€ in total.

I was very happy with what I got.

[Photo: PW]    

BBQ at Hauptstrasse 59

We got together at Katrin and Gero's for dinner. Gero's sister Stefanie and her daughter Klara had arrived from Dortmund (NRW), so we were seven people. It had turned chilly so we sat inside. 

What a super evening - great Wurst, tasty Maultaschen, Brotchen and pasta with vegetables. Washed down with some super beers, wine for the older women and soft drinks for the kids.

And best of all a great chat, mostly in German with a bit of English for good measure.

Also a linguistics lesson from me - involving ghoti and fish. See the illustration to the right.

Back home for 11.00, Rita retired at 12 midnight and I followed at 1.00 am after wishing myself a happy 75th birthday!

[Sketchplanations]    

Sunday May 18th, 2025 - The big day

Confirmation Sunday

This was the reason for our trip to Germany. Lotta was to be confirmed today in the Kilianskirche, the protestant church in Talheim. It was also my 75th birthday - I was born on May 18th 1950. So the extended Schröder family had two important milestones to celebrate.

Birthday breakfast

I popped to the local bakery when it opened at 8.00 am and bought breakfast to take away.

We shared buttered pretzels and a buttered croissant with Senseo coffee in our delightful little Airbnb apartment.

Very German and very perfect.

My "birthday breakfast [PW]    

Then we showered and got ourselves "togged up". Rita looked stunning as always, today in a dark blue "Overall" (jump suit) with green flowers. Even Rita conceded I looked smart too in my navy blue slacks, navy polo shirt and mustard pullover.

We walked the short distance to the church where everybody was gathered outside in the sunshine. There were 11 young persons waiting to be "done". The service was all very nice and very protestant.

Afterwards it was photo-shoot time. Lottas older sister Madita is studying photography, so she took the best photos with her proper camera, while the rest of us "snapped away" on our mobile phones.

[Awaiting photos]

Confirmation-cum-birthday lunch

Just a short walk from the church is the excellent Ristorante il Meloranci, owned and run by Sicilian married couple Pina and Pepe Ruggiero. It's our favourite eatery around these parts. I've been a number of times. Christenings, confirmations and even our eve-of-wedding dinner back in 2010 - our church wedding was the following day in Maulbronn monastery.

[Photo: PW]    

As always the food was outstanding. We shared a first course of selected shared dishes (a bit like Spanish tapas, in fact) followed by a main course we had chosen in advance. Rita and I opted for Wolfsbarsch (sea bass) on a bed of sliced raw vegetables and rocket. Absolutely outstanding.

Coffee and dessert was to be served later chez Schröder.

Birthday drink

It is the custom in Germany that "das Geburtstagskind gibt einen aus", the birthday boy or girl buys a round of drinks. After discussion the day before with our hosts Katrin and Gero, who were footing the bill at the restaurant, that I should invite everyone for a post-prandial drink.

So at the appropriate moment I stood up and made a short speech, before inviting all present to order a digestif. Most adults ordered coffee and the children a soft drink, which meant my bill was far less than I was expecting.

Kaffee mit Kuchen

Back at the house the 19 of us had a choice of great cakes, among them Apfelkuchen, Johannisbeer-Torte, and Tschoko-Torte.

I was replete from lunch, yet over the next few hours I managed to find room for all three. My dilemma was, what to drink?

I'd been on wine in the restaurant so had another glass of white. I fancied a beer really but "Bier auf Wein, Lass das sein!" 

Later I had a cup of lemon tea and back at the flat no alcohol at all.

Hauptstrasse 59 [Photo: PW]    

Quite a sober birthday, in fact.

Monday May 19th, 2025 - Vuelta a España

Home time for me. Rita is staying two-and-a-half weeks longer to catch up with friends and family, while I shall be de Rodriguez ("home alone").

The day started with packing my rucksack and checking out of the Airbnb.

Then we drove to Gero. We had breakfast and relaxed a bit. Then it was off to Stuttgart to the airport for my flight back to Spain.

I arrived home at 10.00 pm, where Paulinchen was waiting to welcome me. My journey to Germany was over.

From today on, I am "de Rodriguez".

Links:

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

© Paul Whitelock

Photos:

BBC, Landon-Advertising, Lebenslauf Bremen Shop, Madita Schröder, Osiander, Paul Whitelock, Sketchplanations, Wikipedia

Tags:

Anton, "Bier auf Wein, lass das sein!", BBC, "de Rodriguez", Deutschland, Eurowings, Gero, Heilbronn, Joachim Baensch, Julia Baensch,  Katrin, Landon-Advertising, Lebenslauf Bremen Shop, Lotta, Lyra, Madita Schröder, Osiander, Paul Whitelock, Rita, Ryanair, Schröder, Sketchplanations, Spanien, Paulinchen, Paul Whitelock, Sketchplanations, Stuttgart, Talheim, Wikipedia

The last four weeks have been incredibly busy, with lots going on.

It all started with the death of a Pope and ended on my 75th birthday.

Let's take a look.

[Image courtesy of Posters]    

Monday, April 21st - Pope Francis dies aged 88
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 17 December 1936, died on 21 April 2025. Head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until his death. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first Latin American, and the first born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century Syrian pope Gregory III.

[Image courtesy of ABC News]    

Pope Francis - Wikipedia

Monday, April 28th - El gran apagon

The longest and most widespread power cut in living memory hit Spain, Portugal and parts of France.

Read more here: 

Thursday, May 1st - Labour Day / May Day

Celebrated throughout the Western world. Often a public holiday.

For more on this, click here:

Sunday, May 4th - My dad's birthday

John Albert Whitelock would have been 108 today. Sadly he left us 40 years ago aged 68 after suffering a fatal heart attack.

Here is more: 

Monday, May 5th - Early May Bank Holiday (UK)

This is in effect May Day. The UK prefers to have its public holidays on a Monday.

Wednesday, May 7th - Papal conclave begins / India - Pakistan conflict / US - UK trade deal / Arsenal out of Champions League

What a news day!

133 cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel to choose a new pope.

Hostilities commence between India and Pakistan over the disputed Kashmir territory.

A US-UK trade deal on tariffs is announced by Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer.

Arsenal crash out of the Champions League after defeat by Paris Saint Germain in the semi-finals.

Thursday, May 8th - 80th anniversary of VE Day

In 1945, this was the day when the German surrender was announced, after six years of fighting during World War II.

Commemorated widely throughout the West.

Thursday, May 8th - New pope chosen

In the early evening, following the fourth vote, white smoke emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, in Rome, signifying that the world's 1.406 billion Roman Catholics had a new pope, the 69-year-old American Leo XIV, the 267th Bishop of Rome.

"Habemos papam!" - Leo XIV

Friday, May 9th - International Day of Europe

75 years old, this day was inaugurated in 1950

Saturday, May 10th - The "101"

Sunday, May 11th - Homage to and Romeria

Thursday, May 15th - Off to Germany

Saturday, May 17th - Christening of grand-daughter Lotta in Talheim (Baden-Wuerrtemberg)

Sunday, May 18th - My 75th birthday

Monday, May 19th - Return to Spain