...Everyone is preparing for Christmas now. We are having 5 for dinner including us. This means getting the shopping sorted by the end of this weekend. Neil from Paneil's kindly offered to get a Turkey for us whilst he was shopping, later, we needed to phone him and he said to Ange: "...you know the full turkey I am going to get for you?" We wanted a full turkey as opposed to a turkey crown because I am partial to dark meat "...yes" she replied, "well its a full turkey, but it hasn't any legs." Now the Spanish do some silly things, but surely a 'full Turkey' when advertised should at least have legs and wings as well as the rest of it. Anyway after a bit of a chat, we decided we would go to the Ex-Pats shop and buy a frozen one from there we had noted that they were in tact. That is what we did and got a 5.4 kilo turkey for around 24 Euros.
The Spanish eat a lot of game and poultry. In most supermarkets you can get a full Rabbit, chickens, turkeys etc. One thing you need to be wary of though is when you prepare to cook a chicken check inside the neck, because they usually keep the head there as well as the neck, giblets et al. I found this out when we lived in Fuengirola and I heard this scream from the kitchen when Ange first discovered this fact.
The council of Finestrat Pueblo have responsibility for La Cala bay and that includes the Christmas fiesta, and the decorations associated with it. This year in order to be helpful to the environment, and to be prudent in the current credit crunch, they decided to delay the lighting of the Christmas lights until last night, and very nice they look too.
The other day I went into the Marina Bar and the usual red plastic tubing with lights all the way along it, which was the focal point of the Bar's Christmas decorations, was missing. This doesn't totally surprise me because the other night, the first half was lit and the second half, the bit that tends to be noticed, wasn't. I, wrongly thought, that they had merely discarded it, but I should have had more faith. As the bar was fairly quiet, Pedro produced this red coil and stood by the glass main entrance door. It was his intention to pass the plug end of the 'New' lights between the open door and the wall and drag it in towards the sockets located behind the door. It was hilarious, he was pushing the wire as far along the door as he could whilst with the other hand trying to grab the plug. However, his arms weren't long enough and there was a 3" distance he couldn't bridge. So I went over and grabbed the plug for him before his plan failed miserably. "Thank you Boss" he said with a clear grin, noting the futility of his original plan. Next he rolled it outside, against the wall up over the side todos screen along the top and across the forecourt to the tree, finally coiling it up the tree until he ran out of lights he clamped it on each coil between two cross head self tapping screws previously placed for this purpose. None of the coil on the patio was covered in gang tape or secured to the ground. (In England, the Politically Correct brigade, Health and Safety Executive, Ambulance service, Fire Brigade and Police Force, would by now be launching individual prosecution notices for health and safety infringements, danger to public health, causing fear and harassment, affixing self-tapping screws to a palm tree and the danger of electrocution) Happy in his labours, Pedro retired inside the bar for the grand switch on. On it went and it certainly brightened the forecourt up a treat. Now only a few days ago they had two new televisions installed which now seems to provide a full English TV package and a full Spanish listing. So they can now have football from the English league, anything from the Spanish league and all other international matches. But, they can't have all of this and the Christmas tree lights on because they have no sockets left, so the football always wins after all the Spanish are a macho race and nothing stops football.
The seasoned marina bar customer has learned to put up with their ways. So when Jesus ignores you, hits you with his tray, pulls your hair, pinches your skin or affectionately slaps you at the back of the head, he is merely being playful, and when you ask Pedro for a drink and he says. "...no you 'av to come back tomorrow" (and most annoyingly Jose has started doing the same) he doesn't mean a word of it. Salvador on the other hand is generally moderate in mood and happiness. These insults are not just for Christmas they last the year round.
It isn't just their habits that can be odd. No matter which football match or sporting event is on the TV, they have music blaring out both inside the bar and outside on the patio. In the interests of not boring you the reader I will not list all the songs and lyrics, because I have heard them all so many times I could do, but as far as us Brits are concerned, Christmas never went away, we have been listening to 'Auld lang sine', 'I wish it could be Christmas' 'We're having a gang bang, we're having a ball' 'The hokey kokey' and many more every single night, interspersed with 'She sang shang-alang' various Abba, Dolly Parton, Frank Sinatra medleys and music you wouldn't take with you on Desert Island discs. I think Antonio and Pepi think we Brits like it.
My son on one of his visits did record a CD with more up-to-date tracks but still middle of the road enough to be enjoyed by all. This was the equivalent of introducing the beatles to the Queen Elizabeth I Court. It was played once and never again. Recently we have been getting some new stuff: Neil Diamond 'Rattlin' Rosey' 'Build me up Buttercup' by .... I forget, 'Is this the way to Amarillo' (the original, not Peter kay's) and 'I am the music Man' .... enough to turn a man to drink...
The nearest we get to Traditional Spanish at this time of year is a daily sufferance of a Lady (of some longevity) who comes every year and plays Spanish Flamenco music, mimes to it, and struts around like a demented whirling dervish, when it's warm in a dress worthy of a Flamenco dancer, but as its cold right now she has taken to wearing jeans and gloves, which doesn't half knacker the image. After her 'performance' she walks around the tables with her hat in hand touting for payment for the entertainment. This is interesting for body language enthusiasts, The British embarrassingly scurry into their pockets/purses looking for the smallest denomination they can find, The Nordic folk ignore her completely, but the Spanish look her in the eye and stare as if she has lost all of her senses, until she can't hold the stare any longer and moves on towards a more vulnerable victim. The only other hawkers we tend to get are the Chinese 'bling' sellers, rose sellers, and a Spanish chap, dressed quite dapper in a suit, wearing a very 'spiv' hat and an arm full of gold-looking bracelets and necklaces and trying to sell them. When we give him the 'No gracias' routine, he just laughs, well at least he is happy in his work.
The Chines 'bling' sellers achieve a modicum of success. Their bits and pieces usually contain flashing blue, red, green, yellow lights it isn't just moths who are attracted to bright lights, tourists also like them. Sometimes they are key-rings, or hats with flashing lights and at the moment they sell these gaudy coloured sunglasses with flashing lights all the way up the ear pieces and around the lens. You may ask what sort of people buy such things?.................well...do you remember me mentioning Pete?...
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