June 24, 2021June 25, 2021 0 Feedbacks on “Exciting news!” by Jean

Exciting news!

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Exciting News!

‘You’re so lucky. I wish I could live abroad’

Ever heard that or even thought it? Well, you can. Chasing the Dream follows the lives of 20 people who did just that. Young people, families, midlife movers, rash spur-of-the-moment property purchasers, and retirement dreamers are all featured in this book.

Earlier this year I was honoured to be asked to join 19 other authors and provide a chapter towards this anthology of travel stories pulled together by Alyson Sheldrake. This is a fabulous idea of Alyson’s to bring together writers and expats to talk about their new lives abroad, the whys, wheres, whats, and hows of what it is really like to move to another country and set up home. It is the perfect answer to those who think that living in the sun is all about cocktails and sleeping the day away in a hammock and is also the answer to any queries or hurdles that are getting in the way of making that move.

Due for release on 27th June you can find it here:

Here are the links:

AMAZON UNIVERSAL LINK: smarturl.it/ChasingDreamNewLife

AMAZON UK LINK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0974P6Q8H

AMAZON .COM LINK: www.amazon.com/dp/B0974P6Q8H

Other news, well, on the writing front book 3 is underway. With lots of stops and starts a few chapters are now in the bag. It is, as they say, a work in progress, and it probably wont progress much more until we return to Spain, which we hope is going to be sometime soon. In the meantime I have a lot to be getting on with. Would you believe that Adrian and I have discovered an aptitude for gardening? No? Us neither. We have surprised ourselves ths year. Adrian has planted a rose bed which is flourishing and I have been busy with the fruit and veg. In between making his guitars Adrian has dug out a filled in fish pond and we now have a healthy crop of potatoes and courgettes, and I have peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, and basil thriving in the greenhouse. We have a fruit cage bursting with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackcurrants, and we have 4 new fruit trees in the garden. Who knew we could do this? Not us, that’s for sure. Until now we have been a disaster in any garden, lots of goodwill but little ability. I still don’t do flowers – they wither and die as soon as I go near but we are in danger of becoming ‘The Good Life’ with the produce.

One upside of our recent horticultural success is a glut of strawberries and we have been having them any whichway you can think of, lots of eton mess, strawberry shortcake, and ice cream, but our favourite is a strawberry mousse. Not for anyone on a diet, unless it’s keto, but oh so delicious. No gelatine involved so vegetarian friendly too.

Strawberry Mousse:

Ingredients,

400g Strawberries, plus another 200g for topping 2 heaped desertspoons sugar, or low calorie sweetener (I use sucralose) for mousse plus 2 more for topping. 300ml pot of double or whipping cream.

Method,

1. Chop the strawberries and cover with the sugar/sweetener. Leave to stand for at least 2 hours to release the juice from the strawberries.

2. Gently cook the strawberries for 3-4 minutes to soften and release more juice. Allow to cool. When cool mash or blitz in a blender to puree.

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3. Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Not too stiff or it will be difficult to blend in the strawberries.

4. Fold in the strawberries and spoon into small dishes. Makes 8 ramekin size dishes. Leave to set in the fridge.

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5. While the mousse is setting make the puree for the top by repeating stages 1&2 with the 200g of strawberries, again using 2 dessertspoons of sugar/sweetener. Cool and spoon over the individual mousses.

Jean Roberts smiling sun.

October 26, 2020October 27, 2020 2 Feedbacks on “Finding my mojo.” by Jean

Finding my mojo.

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We are living in strange times. What with covid, brexit, school closures, and social distancing, no touching, no hugging, and masks are de rigueur, whatever we considered as ‘normal’ is gone and has been replaced by something that I am finding completely alien. Staying safe is a priority and we all have to do what we can to ensure that we stay as healthy as possible. Government advice is so cock-eyed and erratic that we are having to dig deep into the well of common sense to protect ourselves as best we can.

The most difficult part for me has been distancing myself from my family of super-spreaders. They are all either working at the coal face of public interaction, at college, university, or just being a social butterfly to keep sane. Thank goodness for phone calls, skype, and social media. Adrian and I have hunkered down and are content with each other but we do miss them, and we are only on week 1 of the second lockdown! Is it just me or does anyone else feel that because of the length of the first lockdown and the subsequent restrictions that this second set has hit harder and quicker than before?

This year has seen lots of cancelled trips and events but, in that respect we are no different to anyone else. The upside has been that loads of work has been done in the house and garden that would have been left. We have grown loads of fruit and vegetables, built raised beds and fruit cages, laid a gravel bed, painted my studio and re-roofed it, and walked for miles in our woods.

A lot of work this summer but oh so worth it.

Left: Before pic. A work in progress. The back breaking shovelling of gravel hadn’t begun.

Right: Sporting a new roof, freshly painted, and the gravel bed finished. A nice shady spot behind the bay tree. I love my shed.

On one of our walks in the wood we came acrosss this glorious patch of toadflax in a clearing. There were several patches. This is the largest. We found it suddenly and it was so uplifting and cheerful.

Right: Toadflax close up. Such a beautiful and delicate flower, like tiny snapdragons.

To combat a dry spell where my motivation for reading and writing disappeared I have spent days baking up a storm and trying out new recipes. This afternoon I am going to make some crab apple relish. Move over Delia!

A glut of damsons was turned into jam, jelly, ice cream, sorbet, and fruit leather. We gave away loads to neighbours and were richly rewarded with an exchange of plums and promises of produce. A visit to the neighbours was usually met with the response ‘Oooh, what can we give you in return?’ In a funny sort of way this enforced staying at home has brought our tiny community closer together.

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The results of yesterday’s efforts.

Carrot and pepper soup, celery and cheese loaf (recipe below), home made rolls, Madeira, and a slightly overdone cherry cake.

So, I’m back! My mojo has returned – it was hiding in the baking cupboard – and I have picked up a book for the first time in months. Generously gifted to me by the author I am currently reading a fabulous book called Plum, Courgette, and Green Bean Tart by Lisa Rose Wright where the author bought a wreck of a house in Spain in need of renovation. It has started a trip down memory lane for me as it has brought back so many memories of when we bought our first house in El Nacarino. It’s fun watching Lisa and her partner discovering a new country, meeting new friends, trying new food, and immersing themselves in the life and culture of their new land. It’s fired me up again to get out the draft of my 3rd book and get writing again. Thanks Lisa.

The link to Lisa’s book. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plum, Courgette & Green Bean Tart

Taken from Jean Roberts blog, Lisa Rose Wright book, Plum-Courgette-Green-Bean-Tart

Celery and cheese loaf recipe.

I wish I could claim to have invented this recipe because it is so simple, so quick, so foolproof, and so absolutely yummy. The honour for that goes to Mary Berry.

Oven temp: 220C. (200C fan) Gas 7.
Cooking time 55 minutes.
You will need:
1lb self raising flour.
2 teaspoons salt.
1 1/2 oz butter.
3 large sticks of celery.
1 clove garlic.
1 egg.
½ pint milk minus 2 tablespoons.

Grease a 2lb loaf tin. Sift flour and salt into a bowl and rub in fat until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Wash and chop celery finely. Crush garlic and grate cheese coarsely. Add celery, garlic, and cheese to flour. Beat egg and milk together, add gradually to dry ingredients and mix to form a soft dough. Knead lightly and quickly on a floured surface, and then shape into an oblong. Place in the loaf tin and bake in a hot oven for about 55 minutes.

Turn out and cool on a wire tray. Serve fresh with butter. Enjoy!

Next time: Whilst I can’t physically get back to Spain Imaginair is still flying and I’m booked on it. Come and join me on another day trip to Seville. This time in the steps of Carmen. I’ll see you there. ¡Buen Viaje!

June 11, 2020September 23, 2020 8 Feedbacks on “Day Trip to Seville.” by Jean

Day Trip to Seville.

A Day Trip to Seville.

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It’s wet, cold, and really rather nasty in South East England today so I’m taking myself off to sunny Seville for a day out.

I’ve contacted my friend Tina Wagner Mattern (world famous on WLM) and she has reserved me 2 first class tickets on her exclusive Imaginair airline, and I’m off.

I fancy a walk along the river, maybe stopping for a drink in a rooftop bar overlooking colourful Betis street in the Triana district, the vibrant and exciting gypsy quarter of Seville where Carmen was born.

A rooftop bar colourful Betis Street and the Triana calls, Seville.

Cruzcampo and a view. From a rooftop bar colourful Betis Street and the Triana calls.

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After soaking up the sun on the roof maybe a wander downstairs to the river to look at some of the statues and watch the tour boats gliding up and down the Guadalquivir.

The waters edge, Seville. Monument to tolerance by the sculptor Eduardo Chillida.

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On the one side, at the water’s edge, the monument to tolerance by the sculptor Eduardo Chillida and on the other, outside the Teatro de la Maestranza, the statue of Mozart who set many operas in Seville. With his foot on a chair, fiddle in one hand, and music in the other this could be the moment when he was inspired to compose The Marriage of Figaro or Don Giovanni.

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Statue of Mozart who set many operas in Seville.

Then a walk along the river to the Torre del Oro

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taking a left up into the Santa Cruz district and a trip to the Alcazar.

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After the Alcazar a walk around the old town. Through the winding alleyways of the Juderia where the arches were built so low to stop anyone entering on horseback. Quaint houses, pretty plazas and streets so narrow that balconies almost touch.

Winding alleyways of the Juderia, Seville.

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Pretty plazas and streets, old town Seville.

Through the streets where Carmen used to dance and meet her lovers.

And then a stop for a leisurely lunch in a leafy square. Plaza Doña Elvira would suit me nicely today, Restaurante La Cueva I think, I fancy fish. Let’s have a look at the menu – hmmm, the grilled Dorada looks nice.

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Restaurante La Cueva in Plaza Doña Elvira Seville.

I’ll have that and sit for a while and watch the world go by while I eat.

After lunch, just a few steps away from the restaurant, a nice cool walk around the Cathedral and a stop for churros before a walk to Las Setas in Plaza de la Encarnacion.

Seville Cathedral.

I’m not climbing the Giralda tower today, I don’t feel like it.

The view from the top this giant mushroom is amazing.

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A whole 360 degree view of Seville, and the sunset from the top is breathtaking. This work of art is the largest man made wooden structure in the world.

There is just time after this for a walk across the Puente Isabel II bridge for tapas and some people watching in the Triana district before home.

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A perfect end to the day. You are welcome to join me.

Jean and Adrian Roberts in Seville.

I feel better already.

May 21, 2020July 1, 2020 2 Feedbacks on “Oddities and Curiosities of Seville, not so well known things to see.” by Jean

Oddities and Curiosities of Seville, not so well known things to see.

Oddities and Curiosities of Seville. Not so well known things to see in the old town.

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Have you ever walked past something and wondered what it was and that left you puzzled? Me too. Before I got to know Seville I would occasionally stumble on a little oddity tucked away somewhere, sometimes there was no explanation, and other times because of my limited Spanish I couldn’t decipher the legend. My curiosity was piqued so I set out to unravel some of the mystery.

Welcome to my city, Seville. The most vibrant, cosmopolitan, historic, and fun city in the whole of España. That’s my opinion anyway. Wander through the tiny streets and alleyways and at every turn there is a surprise whether it be a tile on a wall, a statue where it is least expected, or a blue roofed dome of a church that has been built over a mosque, there is so much to see. Some of these treasures are hidden and it is easy to walk past and miss them altogether. Today I want to bring you some of those. It took several visits to Seville before I discovered all of these and learned the legends behind them. This is Spain and there is always a story or fable behind the reality. It’s up to you to decide which is real and which is not but knowing the legend makes the walk just that bit more interesting.

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Roman Columns in Seville

Tucked away in a little side street these are easy to miss but they are an important part of the history of Seville. They are believed to date from the 2nd century and are the oldest man-made structures in Seville. Located in Calle Marmoles, beside what is now number 5, they are all that is left of, what is believed to have been a temple dedicated to Hercules, the mythical founder of Seville. They sit between 2 buildings and are easily missed.

There were originally 6 columns. When Don Pedro I (Pedro the cruel, or Pedro the just, depending which side you were on) was rebuilding the Alcazar he decided to move 2 of the columns and incorporate them in the building. One broke on the way and so the other was left in situ. In 1754 two of the columns were moved to the entrance to the Alamada de Hercules leaving the 3 that are currently in place.

The entrance to Alamada de Hercules

Hercules, champion of the weak and great protector, is the legendary founder of Seville. These 2 columns that originally came from C. Marmoles now stand at the southern entrance to Alameda de Hercules topped by statues of Hercules and Julius Caesar. At the other end of the plaza, topped with lions, are 2 much newer columns.

The Alameda de Hercules is the centre for nightlife and diversity in Seville with music venues, nightclubs, bars, restaurants, and a quirky Arab tea shop. It is to Seville what Kemptown is to Brighton. During the day some of the most delicious tapas are served in the bars around the square.

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The entrance to Alamada de Hercules

While you are there, have a look at the Casa de las Sirenas, the mermaids house. At one time it was home to a noble family but fell into disrepair when the last owner’s wife died in the early 70s. In 1989 Seville city council bought it and restored it and turned it into a community centre running cultural activities and holding exhibitions.

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The Stone Man in C. Hombre de Piedra

A short walk from the Alameda de Hercules in Calle Hombre de Piedra, between numbers 10 and 12, is the statue of a torso of a man. Tucked in a niche under the house and at knee level it could be passed by and missed completely.

Legend has it that during the 15^th century, during a religious festival, Mateo el Rubio was drinking in a tavern with his friends. When the procession came by it stopped at the door of the tavern. All of Mateo’s friends went through the door of the tavern and knelt before the blessed sacrament, as was the law to do so at that time. Mateo refused and ridiculed those that did. At that moment the heavens opened and a lightening bolt struck Mateo, sinking him to his knees in the ground and turning him into stone where he has stayed for eternity.

The legend is a lot more fun than (what appears to be) the reality which is that this was the site of an old Roman bath which was later made public by the Arabs who moved the statue to stand beside the entrance. You choose what you want to believe.

To understand what happened to Mateo another walk through the alleyways to Calle Villegas will give you the answer.

Cruz-de-las-Culebras.

On the corner of C. Villegas in the wall of El Salvador Church is the cruz de culebras, which originally stood at the cemetary of El Salvador. Why a cross should be dedicated to snakes, especially in the middle of a city, is beyond me but the important monument here is the law carved into stone beneath it. This is the law that was poor Mateo el Rubio’s downfall. On the stone, dated 1714 ,is inscribed the law made by Rey (King) Juan II which states that anyone who did not kneel before the blessed sacrament would be punished. ‘Even if it were in the mud’ people were expected to drop to their knees or suffer dire punishment. Anyone who did not kneel would be fined 600 maravedis, or would lose their horse, if they were christian, and imprisonment if he were a moor.

The law of King Juan.

The law of King Juan II under the cross

Worth remembering if you don’t want to lose your horse or suffer the same fate as poor Mateo.

The Stone of Tears

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The legend behind this stone is, unfortunately, a heartbreakingly true one. It is quite small and insignificant but it is a testament to a good man, to humanity, and the brutality of the death penalty.

In Calle Laureano, behind the Plaza de Armas, on the corner of Calle San Laureano and Calle Liñan is a small, square shaped stone known as the Tearful stone, or the crying stone.

In 1857, during the first Carlist war, a group of young people in Seville rose up against the tax system, took up arms and fled to the mountains. They were met by the army and a large number of them were killed. The rest were arrested and taken back to Seville where it was commanded that they all be executed. Many of these were juveniles, no more than children, and so the Mayor, Garcia de Vinuesa, made a desperate plea for clemency. The plea failed, they were all taken to the Plaza de Armas and shot. He was devastated, walked away from the Plaza de Armas, sat on this stone, and wept uncontrollably. 82 young people were killed that day.

Inscribed on the plaque above is:

According to popular tradition, on this stone, called since then La Piedra Llorosa (the stone of tears,) he sat down to cry heavily on July 11, 1857, the then mayor of the city when contemplating, after trying to prevent it without success, the execution of 82 young men from Seville , in the neighboring Plaza de Armas of El Campo de Marte.The city council of Sevilla dedicates this memorial in memory of the exemplary civic attitude of that mayor and as future reminder against the death penalty. Seville 1857-2008

The legend of Susona Ben Suson

Susona Ben Suson

In the heart of the Juderia in a tiny alleyway off of C. Agua you will find La Susona. This story is all the more tragic because it is true. It takes place in 1478 during the Spanish Inquisition.
C. Susona is easy to find because of the shop on C. Agua that makes delicious turron and candied nuts. You will smell it before you see it and is an absolute must if you are in the area. It is located just past the entrance to Susona and you can actually go through the shop and exit out the back to the house of Susona.
Susona ben Suson was the beautiful daughter of a Jewish convert to Christianity, Don Diego de Susona. Conversion to Christianity was the only way for many Jews to survive in the final years of the Jewish community in Seville. Despite converting many were faithful to their roots and hoped to bring about a restoration of Judaisim and held secret meetings to plan an armed insurrection. Don Diego de Susona was one of them.
Susona had aspirations and a christian boyfriend. She reported these meetings and the plan to her boyfriend who, in turn, reported them to the authorities and the conspirators were arrested. The full might of the Inquisition fell upon them and they were executed. Susona never left the house again and when she died, in her remorse, she ordered that her head be taken off and hung outside the house for evermore as a testament to her shame and the treachery of christians. It remained there for almost 200 years and was replaced by the tile with a skull on it that is there today.

‘Wherefore art thou Romeo?’ The balcony that inspired the scene in Romeo and Juliet

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Yes, I hear you. Romeo and Juliet was set in Verona, Italy, and, No, there is no evidence that Shakespeare ever set foot in Spain, let alone Seville, but, if you have those thoughts you would be wise to keep them to yourself. Sevillianos wont want to hear them.

At the end of Calle Agua, named because of the channels inside them that carried water to the gardens of the Alcazar, and at the top of the steps that lead into the Murillo gardens, is a house with a very ornate balcony, said to be the inspiration for the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet. The history of Shakespeare’s relationship with Spain is sketchy, to say the least. There is certainly a suggestion that he came to Vallodolid in 1605 with a royal delegation, there is also a suggestion that he met the author Cervantes but there is no absolute proof that either of those things happened. Shakespeare certainly enjoyed the works of Cervantes, but did they ever meet? The jury’s still out on that one. In art and in love everything is possible.

Shakepeare’s history is fairly well documented but the years 1586-1592 are unaccounted for. It is suggested that during those missing years he went to teach in a school in Wales……………….. or did he?

Pledging allegiance to the King

NO8DO. Allegiance to the King on a drain cover

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………………….NO8DO on a police car in Seville

Look down, look up, look sideways. Whichever direction you look you will see the logo NO8DO everywhere in Seville. There is no real certainty of this legend, but the most widely accepted is that in 1254 King Alfonso X fled to Seville to seek sanctuary from his son, Sancho, who led a rebellion against him. The people of Seville stood by the king and because of that Sancho decided not to attack the city, leaving his father surrounded by those faithful to him. In gratitude Alfonso gave the city this emblem. The 8 in the middle represents a skein of wool, so is continuous and has no ending. In Spanish a wool skein is Madeja so, reading aloud, NO8DO is spoken ‘No me ha dejado’, translation ‘has not abandoned me.’ Today Seville still proudly takes it as it’s own and posts it everywhere.

Millstones protecting walls in Seville

You are not seeing things. These are millstones and, yes, they do seem out of place in the wall of a house but they do have a very practical purpose. The streets of Seville are very narrow and in the 16th century houses were being damaged by the continuous passing of horse drawn carriages rubbing against the softer building materials of the walls. To protect the facades, disused millstones were brought in and built into the walls. A simple solution but a very attractive, if curious, landmark.

Seville mill stones protecting walls of buildings.

The old kissing corner

The legendary lover, Don Juan.

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The truth of this tile is that it was placed there in 2012 during the renovation of the Restaurante Don Elvira. The legend is much more romantic and interesting.

This tile is to be found in the Barrio Santa Cruz on the corner of Calle Gloria and Plaza Venerables (where the Hospital of the Venerable is to be found.) Don’t forget that the legendary lover, Don Juan, was from Seville. There are, however, 2 different versions of this story. The first, Don Juan, the seducer, trickster and womanizer, who was turned to stone by the father of a woman he seduced, and a later version, equally tragic but much more romantic. This tile is related to the later version in which he is named as Don Juan Tenorio. Don Juan Tenorio falls in love with the beautiful 17 year old daughter of the Commander of Calatrava, Doña Ines de Ulloa who had led a pure, if lonely, life in a convent. The writer of this story describes young Ines as ‘the light from which the sun finds it’s brightness.’ The love is reciprocated, the commander is unhappy and kills Don Juan, and the beautiful Inez dies from grief.

Just 1 minutes walk along the C. Gloria is the Plaza de Doña Elvira, the said birthplace of Doña Ines and the place where she died from her heartache. It is impossible to see this tile and know this story and not believe that part of this romance was carried out in this square. It is expected that couples visiting this square kiss and take photos at this sign. How could you not?

Jean Roberts, author of A kiss behind the castanets and Life beyond the castanets.

If you enjoyed these not so well known things to see in Seville then there will be more to come. Would you like to hear about how there came to be a crocodile in Seville cathedral? or why there are no steps in the Giralda tower but you can climb to the top? Next time maybe, Seville is full of surprises.

May 1, 2020June 25, 2020 4 Feedbacks on “It’s my new book and the start of my travel guide to seville.” by Jean

It’s my new book and the start of my travel guide to seville.

It’s my new book and the start of my travel guide to Seville.

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Life Beyond the Castanets by Jean Roberts

Jean Roberts, Life Beyond the Castanets.

In this awful time with the coronavirus, in the Roberts household at least, good things are happening. My new book is here. My pre-release copies arrived on Sunday and went straight into quarantine until Wednesday when I could excitedly open the box. Since then I have been busy distributing them as best I can with the help of my daughter who has been doing socially distancing delivery for me , and dropping them at the post office.

My first book ‘A Kiss Behind the Castanets’ took us up until the time that we were happily ensconced in our new home in Acerico. ‘Life Beyond the Castanets’ picks up from where that left off, introduces new people, takes us outside of Acerico, and even takes a quick dip into the past where 1960’s Romford was an exciting place to be. The past is what makes us who we are today and I have indulged myself with a delve into a memory that always leaves me with a warm glow. Trust me it is relevant to the rest of the story.

We haven’t been able to get to Spain recently as the ferry we were due to take in March was cancelled, as was the subsequent one for May, but I have been visiting through photographs, phone calls, and online chats with my friends in the Puebla Set. The Puebla Set? If you haven’t heard about them don’t worry, you soon will. Their friendship has enhanced our life in Spain, added fun, a touch of craziness, a world of new experiences, and a lot of love. That’s for another post but, when you meet them, you’re gonna love them.

I may not be in Spain, but Spain is in me. It is buried deep in my heart and under my skin. If I can’t get to Spain I will just have to bring Spain here. My current project is to work on a travel guide to Seville, where to eat, where to stay, where to visit. My own personal favourites. So, coming soon…………… my town……….. Sevilla!

Balcony in Seville. The inspiration for Romeo and Juliet.

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Restaurant in Santa Cruz. Jewish quarter. Seville. Juderia.

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November 27, 2019July 1, 2020 4 Feedbacks on “Remember me?” by Jean

Remember me?

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Hello Blog, remember me? No? I don’t blame you, it’s been a while. I think the last time we spoke I had just been interviewed by Jay Artale for an online travel book site and I promised to come back soon. Well, they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions and, whilst I had lots of those, I found there were lots of potholes in my road too. It’s been a real roller coaster of emotions these last few months. Lots of highs but also lots of crashing, gut wrenching, lows. Hey ho, who said life was meant to be easy?

Despite some painful moments we have had some amazingly good times. I have been on the radio! At the end of July I was invited on as a guest by Sarah Banham to her programme ‘Writers Block’ on Colne Radio, and, rather nerve wrackingly, I was on with book reviewer Hannah Read (that’s us pictured above) who was reviewing my book live on air. Fortunately she liked it and gave me a fabulous write up on her blog Pages, Places, and Plates as well as some super press on the radio. Pop over and have a peek. Hannah writes one of the best blogs on the net, full of information and recommendations for books she’s read, places she’s visited, and places to eat. It’s a lovely site so while you’re there have a nose around – after you’ve finished reading my review of course 😀

https://pagesplacesandplates.wordpress.com/2019/08/03/a-kiss-behind-the-castanets/

There’s a link to the radio programme too if you missed it and fancy a listen.

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-a3zi3-bd2dc9?fbclid=IwAR2E0y9mwZNXXZ_fw1tO5Fe92uc6Xcb1wE1AXSZYat25kGu5hnkQR9A9y94#.XXY4cy1–dw.facebook

The book is still going great guns and getting good reviews, it has been featured on the internet as ‘Book of the week’ and I have sat in the ‘Sunday Spotlight’ – a day long chat where members of the ‘We Love Memoirs’ facebook group could pop in and out ask questions, share stories, talk about the book, and anything that spins off from there. It was fun. Just like a long coffee meet up with friends.

My next book ‘Life Beyond the Castanets’ is with the publishers and is due out towards the end of March 2020. Exciting times. I’m having to sit on my hands so that I don’t blurt out any more just now. I’ll save that for later. In the meantime I am busy choosing the cover. Not as easy as it might sound – there are so many ideas going around in my head and so many photos to choose from.

Some of the ‘ups’ this year:

Findley Clark

We have swelled with pride at watching Findley go off to Uni…………

Eva Duffy

……..and we are watching Eva getting ready for college.

She has opted for art, modern history, media and,

just because she’s a clever cookie, creative writing.

Christian is building up a huge following as a photographer specializing in doing car shoots and he has been commissioned to take photos and write an article for the Ford magazine. The grandchildren never cease to amaze us with their talents. Proud grandparent? Just a bit. Super proud of all of them.

https://chrisclarky2822.wixsite.com/mysite

Do you want to hear what I did earlier this year? I’ll tell you anyway. I decided that I wanted to get fit, lose weight, live a bit longer etc so I bought a Fitbit. Anything that gets me out of my chair and moving around has got to be good for me, right? I’m not a lover of exercise and my hobbies are mostly sedentary so I need to move more. Until I bought the Fitbit I was tracking my daily steps on my phone, which was ok until I forgot and left it on the desk or on charge for a couple of hours. At best it only recorded a fraction of the day’s total i.e. I’d been shopping, met Suzanne for coffee, and done a load of housework and amazingly only walked 46 steps – you get my drift. Something to wear on my wrist 24 hours a day, something I wouldn’t forget and leave at home when I went for a walk would be the bees knees.

Being mostly sedentary I decided to take it easy at first and aim for 5000 steps a day. Not a big total but still a couple of miles more than my phone said I was doing, so trying to get in the 5000 steps I have been footing it out around the zoo, going for long walks in the woods, and even sometimes marching on the spot while I’m busy doing something else. I was doing so well that I decided that I would go for a run.

Brain said ‘You’re doing good, Jeanie. Go jogging’

Knee said ‘What do you think you’re playing at! I’m not having any of that.’

Arthritis says ‘Hang on, be there in a jif.’

So, months of agony and physiotherapy later I’m trying to avoid surgery and a knee cap replacement. 5 months on and I’m still limping but it is getting better.

So much for keeping fit!

Apart from a couple of weeks in September we haven’t been back to Spain and I miss it ,so, as we aren’t going back for a while, I decided to bring Spain to us and made salmorejo, a cold, thick soup that is so typically Andalucian.

The salmorejo recipe is included in my next book so, as a taster (d’you see what I did there 😉 ) I’m letting you have a sneaky peek and sharing it here. This recipe was given to me by my friend Dolores and it doesn’t get more authentically Spanish than this. It’s an old recipe handed down to her by Rafa’s mum. So yummy.

You take these:

1kg (2lb) tomatoes. Or you can use 2x14oz cans of chopped tomatoes.

150g (5oz) bread with crust. (better if the bread is a day old)

1 garlic clove

100 ml olive oil. (3.64 fl oz)

5ml (1tsp) fine salt.

1 small green pepper.

Topping:

2 Hard boiled eggs

Tiny pieces of chopped Serrano ham – about 30ml (2 tbsp)

Tuna.

You do this:

Hard boil the eggs and keep to one side.
Soak the bread in water.
Peel the tomatoes and put them in a bowl and chop into chunks.
chop the pepper and garlic and add to the bowl along with the olive oil.
Drain the bread well squeezing out the water and add it to the mix.
Salt to taste.

Place all of this in a blender or use a hand mixer and pulp to a fine creamy texture.

Chill until ready to eat.

Divide the mixture between 4 bowls. Chop the hard boiled egg and drop in the centre of each bowl of salmorejo. Sprinkle with the chopped jamon. Top each dish with about 5ml (1tsp) of tuna.

To finish swirl a drizzle of olive oil on top.

And you get:

Sunshine in a bowl (tapa for 4)

¡Disfruta!

Til next time. Hasta luego.

June 5, 2019July 1, 2020 0 Feedbacks on “Fame at Last!” by Jean

Fame at Last!

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A few months ago I was interviewed by Jay Artale of Birds of a Feather Press about my book. The interview was published this week.

Follow the link and check it out.

Go me! 🙂

Author Interview with Travel Memoir writer Jean Roberts

May 17, 2019July 1, 2020 4 Feedbacks on “Jeeps, Painters, Old Friends, and a Place in the Sun” by Jean

Jeeps, Painters, Old Friends, and a Place in the Sun

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This last month has been amazingly busy, so much so that blogging has taken a back seat, but it has also been amazing fun.

The end of April saw us loaded up and heading off on our annual pilgrimage to the big Jeep rally in Chambon-Sur-Lac in the Auvergne. 9 of us in 5 modified Jeeps were off to have some fun slipping, sliding, and rock crawling through tracks and forests in this beautiful part of France. This year the date coincided with a public holiday so the event was shortened by a day but, boy, did we pack a load in! Being the only Brits there we even got interviewed and photographed for a French magazine. We went up above the snow line and down into valleys to clamber around waterfalls. By a river that ran through a wooded area we came across some prospecters from Poland panning for gold. Adrian managed to impress them with the only bit of Polish he knows, Pivo Prosze – beer please.
Out on a run in convoy with 30 other Jeeps we bounced single file over rocks and through mud and then suddenly came upon a small clearing and everyone stopped. The Jeeps parked higgledy piggledy and everyone got out. Out of the back of one of the Jeeps baguettes, cheese, meat, and wine appeared and was spread out on the bonnet of one of the 4x4s. Lunch French style for everyone in the middle of a forest, a rustic feast, and with copious amounts of wine. 20k still to drive to get to the end but, hey, this is France and there’s no flashing blue lights on trees.

Ready for the off.

Through the forest

Over rocks and through the mud

Lunch, French style

Panning for gold

Up above the snow

The event over the rest of our party headed for home and we headed south to Figueres. I had a date with Salvador Dalí and a planned meet up with an old

friend who I hadn’t seen for over 50 years. Karen and I grew up on the same street. We were like bookends, she lived at one end of the row and our house was at the other end. We went to the same school and shortly after we left she went off to live in Spain and has stayed there. It was great to catch up with her again. Let’s not leave it another 50 years, eh?

Figueres was the birthplace and home of the completely bonkers but infinitely talented Salvador Dalí. A visit to the museum of his works was first on the list followed by a visit to his house in Port Lligat. The museum is also the mausoleum that he designed for himself. It’s interesting that he chose to be buried with his works and possessions all around him and not with his wife out in Pubol. There’s no inscription on his grave. He lays under a white oblong stone slab with a memorial stone in a completely separate room.

Dalí Theatre-Museum

The grave of Salvador Dalí

Memorial Stone

His house in Port Lligat is in an area of outstanding beauty, possibly the prettiest part of the Costa Brava. We travelled along narrow windy mountain roads, most of the time with a sheer drop at the side, definitely not for the feint hearted, and arrived at a car park where a family of wild boar were living. Completely unfazed by all the traffic they wandered around the cars eyeing up the picnickers.

It’s a walk down close on a hundred steps to get to the sea and Dalí’s house with a well placed restaurant and bar about half way
down. We ate lunch in a spectacular setting overlooking the bay, small fishing boats, a turquoise sea, whitewashed houses, and two huge great silver heads looking over a wall. It wasn’t difficult to spot Dalí’s garden.

Guess which one is Dalí’s house.

The garden is beautiful, overlooking the sea, on several different levels, it is quirky and full of Dalí’s imagination. From the man made out of a rowing boat to huge flower filled teacups and the iconic Dalí eggs, it was all there. His presence is everywhere. Full of art works it is also serenely peaceful, possibly an antidote to some of his madness. I can see why he loved being here. Inside the house was a bit bohemian but I was surprised at how conventional so much of it was. There are some oddities, like his stuffed animals and cricket cage, but otherwise most of it is surprisingly normal. There is a lovely touch in his bedroom where there is an oddly angled mirror. Port Lligat is the easternmost point in all of Spain and so Dalí placed the mirror so that he could lay in his bed and be the first person in Spain to see the sunrise. Their bedroom is surprisingly spartan. There are frills and mirrors but mostly it’s rather bland. He and his wife, Gala, had separate beds side by side. Gala had planned to die in her castle in Pubol. When she unexpectedly died at Port Lligat they propped her up in the car as if she were still alive and drove her there. For anyone still questioning Dalí’s sanity I’ll just leave that there for a while.

Pirelli tyres and Mae West’s lips

Outdoor dining room

The penis pool

Dalí’s bed on the left. From here he would watch the sunrise in the mirror.

The sunrise mirror.

Unfinished painting of Gala

Left, Inside Dalí’s studio. Gala died before the painting could be finished.
Right, For his huge paintings Dalí used an ingenious pulley system. He would sit in the chair in front and paint hoisting the painting up and down as he worked.

The pulley system

When we left Figueres we had planned to do the journey in small hops visiting anywhere that took our fancy along the way. We weren’t on the road long before what did take our fancy was to just go home. We’d had a great trip, done some fantastic things, met up with an old friend, and just felt that we couldn’t top that. It was an easy ride, an 11 hour journey but smooth and comfortable and we still arrived home in daylight.

Just one more photo. Dalí woke up to see the sunrise from his bed, this is the view from mine. It’s good to be back.

March 20, 2019May 16, 2020 2 Feedbacks on “Numero Uno!” by Jean

Numero Uno!

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Amazon best seller Jean Roberts new best selling author These have been the most manic 12 days that I have had in a long long time and I am absolutely buzzing! On the Friday the advance copies of my book arrived and on the same day Findley was offered a place at his first choice university. Time for a double celebration, and boy we celebrated well! By Sunday the paperback was on sale and on Monday the ebook was on pre-release with sales of both shooting straight to the number 1 spot on Amazon. Since then it has stayed at the top and has sold in places as far flung as Australia, America, Namibia, Germany, and Spain, and has gathered some stonkingly good reviews. I have been overwhelmed at the response and am very very happy. Who would have thought anyone would have been interested in my life!

Number 1 in Amazon!

My lovely family, concerned that Findley’s success had overshadowed my book release, decided that I needed a celebration that was my own and threw me a surprise party this Sunday so it’s been a week of eating, drinking, interspersed with a load of book promotion and late night messages to and from my editor who is currently trekking her way around the Far East. Yesterday I took a day out. Feeling the need to ground myself for a while I took myself off for a nice relaxing visit to my brother who I haven’t seen for a few months.

Back to normal now and working on book 2.

January 31, 2019May 16, 2020 6 Feedbacks on “Baby it’s cold outside!” by Jean

Baby it’s cold outside!

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When it’s cold and miserable Our good friends. outside sometimes all you need to bring back the sunshine are good friends, good food, and a few good laughs. Lunch yesterday in our favourite local restaurant with our favourite local people.

We are back in Spain and to say it’s a bit nippy is an understatement but the sun is bright and we manage to find a few warm corners. The journey here was a bit of a nightmare. Just out of Santander we picked up rain, then sleet, and then snow. At one point it was a total whiteout and we followed the snowplough for about half an hour. I have to say, it’s impressive the way Spain deals with bad weather. Snowploughs line the motorways and are out clearing the roads at the first sign of a snowflake. The traffic keeps moving. We just take it easy and occasionally even a Spanish driver slows down.

Because of the weather we didn’t arrive until 3am but as we opened the big gates and pulled into the drive the cats came running towards us clearly excited that the feeding station was about to be open for business again. I’m completely convinced that cats have a 6th sense. We look after a bunch of strays while we are here but we’ve been away a couple of months and expected them to have forgotten us and disappeared however as we stepped out of the car we were surrounded by a clowder of kitties and had to manoeuvre an obstacle course to get into the house! Don’t they know they were meant to be asleep? We could barely keep our eyes open.

In the morning there was no chance of a lay in as we were woken by mewing, meowing, and howling as they called for their breakfast.

It’s good to be back. Mother nature has been kind while we’ve been away. All the moggies are plump and healthy as are the oranges and lemons on our trees. The fruits are sweet and so full of juice that their weight is bending the branches of the trees until they touch the ground. We have lemons as big as footballs, more O.J. than you could shake a stick at, and the olives are fat and ripe for the picking. It’s going to be a good harvest.

Oranges weighing down the tree branches.

A few G&Ts in there, or how about a Bucks Fizz anyone?

January 13, 2019May 16, 2020 6 Feedbacks on “Happy New Year!” by Jean

Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year everyone!

My first blog of 2019.

“Dear January, December has been very kind to me so you have been put on the back-burner for a little while. I promise to make it up to you.”

December started well. We had just returned from Spain and almost immediately set off again, this time in the opposite direction to Germany. It was Christmas market time and the start of our regular trips with Chrystal and Charlie. The first to Aachen (by Eurostar) and the second to Nuremberg. The train journey was fun and made a nice change from the stress of our usual budget airline. Picnic on the train, a bottle of bubbly. Very nice.

Aachen was very good but we didn’t get to see the market. Chrystal and I went shop shopping on the Saturday and then found the next day was the first Sunday in Advent and the market was closed. We’ve been in Germany before at Advent and the markets have always been open so this was unexpected. A bit of a disappointment but we more than made up for it in Nuremberg.

Arrival in Nuremberg and nicely tucked up in our comfy hotel we were excited to find all our favourites just a few steps away. Galeria and Bar Fusser opposite which meant saving lots of leg miles as we were backwards and forwards with shopping and didn’t have far to stagger after dinner. Despite this we still walked our feet off exploring bright and sparkly shops and even brighter and more sparkly markets. Colourful stalls designed Alpine style jostled side by side wafting out wonderful Christmassy smells, food stalls selling mouthwatering bratwurst, lebkuchen, and gingerbread, the heady smell of the gluhwein (mulled wine) everywhere, and all around people wrapped up warm against the winter weather drinking Christmas out of china boots. Under the cathedral a choir sang Christmas songs on a stage that had been erected for the occassion and above the Christkind with her golden robes, the traditional giver of gifts, looked down. Wonderfully exciting!

Happy bread seller. — Happy bread seller

Santa gets everywhere. — He gets everywhere

Nuremberg's famous prune people. — Nuremberg’s famous prune people

Bright bauble stall. We bought Michael a penguin

Plenty of beer. — Just a small one then Adrian

We had a day to spare so Charlie suggested that we went to Rothenberg ob der Tauber. Oh my! What an experience that was. Firstly we went on a double decker train – upstairs of course (what children we are!) – and then travelled through fairytale forests with mysterious tracks disappearing into them before arriving at what must be the prettiest town in all of Germany. Most of it is medieval with cobbled streets, towers and turrets, and narrow windy lanes with houses placed haphazardly going off in all directions. Storks nests perched higher up on tall buildings adding to the overall atmosphere and appearance of the town. Walking through the fortifications into the town is like stepping back in time several centuries. On the corner of the town square is a huge Kathe Wolfart shop, a Christmas shop and museum that is open all year round. The enormous nutcracker standing outside inviting passers by into a treasure trove. The town is magical. It rained all day, that horrid fine rain that soaks miserably through everything, but nothing, absolutely nothing, could take away the beauty of this place or our enjoyment of it. We need to go back. In summer.

Rothenberg christmas market. — Rothenberg Christmas market.

Where the magic happens, – we caught Santa shopping.

I do love our trips to Germany. They are exciting and fun and just good family time that get the run up to Christmas off to a good start. My favourite time of year. The house is warm, it is filled with the lovely inviting smells of pine, cinnamon, warm apples and baking, and there is a lovely buzz in the air.

Our Christmas tree in Essex.

Since the New Year there has been a lot of excitement in the Roberts household as the word from the publisher is that my first book is due to be released in March. Just 2 months away! The cover is decided, formatting done, and everything is on schedule for launching onto an unsuspecting public. Are you ready for this? Watch this space – I’ll keep you posted.

November 19, 2018May 16, 2020 0 Feedbacks on “A stomping good time” by Jean

A stomping good time

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We have been on our travels again. We were going back to Spain to have the house re-rendered and repainted and just as we were about to leave we received an invitation from Bodegas Lecea in San Asensio in the Rioja region to an end of season grape stomping party. Who are we to refuse an invitastion like that? Also, the date of the party was 2 days before our ferry home so it was a perfect opportunity to catch up with José Camára who we had met in May this year just as he was about to open his own winery.

Bodegas Lecea in San Asensio in the Rioja region.

Outside Bodegas Lecea tents and stalls had been erected selling food and locally made goods, a cross between a hippie fair and a German Christmas market. We picked up our engraved glasses and tickets for 4 glasses of wine each and had a wander around.

Food or wine? Dilemna.

A few wines, a bit of shopping and then onto the grape stomping. This was a on a much grander scale than our big red bucket but just as messy and as much fun. The grapes were piled in a huge cement vat and while we ‘trod’ from above some poor guy shovelled the vines below continually stacking and piling them back up on top. As the juice squished between our toes the stomping was messy and sticky on our legs we were having so much fun, but spare a thought for the poor man beneath us, he was getting covered all over!

Thank you Lecea, you put on a good show. It was a fantastic day.

The following day we met up with José in his new winery Bodega Del Tesoro in Cuzcurrita del Rio Tiron. As we drove into Cuzcurrita all we saw were what looked like really small, really old, run down houses. We drove past several times before we realised that these were the entrance to the winery. These places really are unique. The house fronts disguised the entrance to caves and cellars. Inside they were huge! When José bought his winery it was derelict and in just a few months he has made a miraculous transformation. It is amazing inside and his wine is absolutely first class.

José had just bought another winery next door which he plans to turn into a wine bar. It looks like we’ll be coming back. Good luck José, you really have created something very special.

September 2, 2018May 16, 2020 10 Feedbacks on “The Grape Harvest” by Jean

The Grape Harvest

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Thanks to the heavy rains this winter we have had an absolute glut of fruit. We’ve given loads away, frozen heaps, eaten tons, but there’s only so many figs a body can eat, right? We had got to the stage when friends would run when they saw us coming with a carrier bag so we decided that we would have to try something different or they (the fruit, not the friends) would all have to go on the compost. So, after air and oven drying pears, making fig jam and chutney, and eating them in various forms of yogurt, I scoured the internet, begged recipes from friends, and set about making our own hooch. I made 2 types of pear vodka (one spicy, one sweet), preserved figs in brandy, and then cast a beady eye towards the grape vine.

Harvesting our grapes.

For the first time ever our grape vine was struggling under the weight of fat, succulent, pendulous clusters of juicy sweet black grapes. It was crying ‘help me!’ every time we passed by. So, buoyed up with the knowledge gained from our trip to the Rioja region earlier this year we decided to have a go at making our own wine.

Grapes picked.

We bought a big red bucket and set out early before the sun got too hot chopping off the ones in the camino before setting about the garden. We filled a 25 litre bucket!

Within minutes it was wheelbarrowed into the house to be trod. Yes! a bare footed stomp to extract every ounce of juicy sweetness. My mum would have had so much fun with this. I was chuckling at the memory of her laughing as the grape skins squelched between my toes and I sank lower and lower into the bucket. It was as much fun as you thought it would be mum.

Jean Roberts treading our grapes.

Right now it’s fizzing and popping away in the bucket and smelling absolutely wonderful! I wonder if the family will be brave enough to try it at Christmas.

Watch this space.

August 18, 2018May 16, 2020 2 Feedbacks on “Hello – it’s me :)” by Jean

Hello – it’s me :)

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First attempt at blogging about our life here in Spain.

This is my first attempt at blogging. I’m very new to this so please be patient with me for any mistakes, mishaps, or general ditziness.

Let me tell you a little about myself. I am married to Adrian, have 2 daughters (with spouses), and 3 grandchildren who fill my life with love and laughter. Somewhere along the line we made the crazy decision to buy a wreck of a house in Andalucia and so now we flit between our permanent home in the UK and our happy place amongst the olive groves of Southern Spain. I am in love with both places. Spain, the country, her people, the culture, art, food, and wine hold on tight to a huge chunk of my heart. I absolutely adore Spain. Other things I like? Well, I love travel, cats, foxes, Christmas, snug winter evenings by a roaring fire, and family time. Adrian will tell you that above all I like swearing at the computer when I get things wrong (which I frequently do.) That’s me in a nutshell. Oh, and I write.

This has been an exciting week. On Monday we had a few friends over and it turned into an impromptu party. Isn’t it amazing how spur of the moment things turn out to be the most fun? We had a great time, and then on Wednesday I was offered a formal contract to publish my first 2 books. Excitement doesn’t begin to cover it.

We’ve not had time to sit and reflect properly on what it all means as we’ve been busy with builders all week. We now have hot running water in the caseta, a toilet that functions without our feet needing to be in the shower, and a monstrous structure on our roof! It’s all good.

I will be blogging about our life here in Spain, our travels, food, lifestyle, and sharing adventures as they happen. I hope that some of our travels may inspire others to make similar journeys. Life should be fun, don’t take it too seriously.

Thanks for dropping by, please call in again soon.