Pat's Party

On Friday 3rd December, was Ed's cousin Pat's 60th Birthday. She lives in Ciudad Quesada, not far from where John was.

I made some cakes for her, as she was having a buffet in the local 'Country Club' but this was only savory dishes. A German cheesecake and my cherry crumble cake, along with an apple crumble cake. Typically, when you bake for someone else, the applecake decided to leak, so it looked a bit messy! Still, at least it tasted good. I thought it was a bit mean to bake so many cakes and Ed not get any, so I baked a fruitcake especially for him too!

On the way to Quesada, we pass one of the famous Osborne bulls (Toro de Osborne). These were erected from 1956, to advertise their 'Brandy de Jerez'. They were all meant to be removed in 1994, but by then everyone loved them, so, the name Osborne was blacked out and they were allowed to remain.

Ed and I stopped for lunch in a cafe before goinf to Pat's house, and we just laughed at the service. We asked for tea, and it came in a little teapot, along with a tiny milk-jug and cup and saucer. What's wrong with that? Well, in most of Spain, if you ask for tea, they assume you want a herbal one, and if you ask for the 'black' type, they still don't think you want milk. You then get funny looks. It was like being back in England. The staff and all of the customers were english. Even the owner admitted that she never spoke spanish at all (having studied it to A-level years ago).

Pad was pleased to see Ed, not having seen him for ages, but better still, just before we arrived, she was given a suprise present; her daughter turned up from the UK! Alan said he was 'going out to get her present' and came back with Dionne!

The buffet was held in a beautifully laid out room in the club, and in the main area, there was a singer on that night. The girl, Lucinda, had an excellent voice, and out of all the songs she sang, Ed and I only thought that one of them was not very good. She certainly had lots of confidence as well as lots of staying power!

We left at about midnight, ready for the long drive home. The roads were good as usual, but very quiet. In fact, for a 10 mile section, we only saw 2 cars on the road. In England, no matter what time of the day or night, there is always something else around!