Time does fly. We were closed on Thursday for a day of shopping down in Malaga capital. No guests in the house so it was a good day to get out early with no hindrances. Oh yes, first you want to know how it went on Wednesday with that group of bikers.
Well, they started arriving about 2.00. When Manuela, the organiser, arrived, she told us they had picked up a couple more interested parties on the road.... so in the end, they were 56!! We had set up the dining room so we had sufficient space to walk around putting down and picking up plates and drinks. Of course, they decided to re-arrange the room to their liking. I had to inform them that it didn't work for me as I would not be able to get around.. so they moved things for me. Other than that, they were a fairly easy group, no one complained, unlike the group of Brits where one man told me the roast potatoes were NOT roasted potatoes. AND it was cold!! This group just wanted more to drink... cerveza sin alcohol... they were bikers on bikes afterall.
Everything went well actually and they were all very pleased. I served and cleared all the plates while Dani and Ivan were in the kitchen. They had pincho de gambas (shrimp on a stick), plates of cured meat, cheese, tortillas de chanquetes (white bait), green salad, dressed aubergine, legs of lamb, beef tenderloin with threee types of sauces and dover sole. Dessert was a combination of crema quemada de castanas (baked chestnut cream with toasted sugar), cheese cake with blackberries, chocolate volcanos and chocolate ice cream.
So, I think we will receive some repeat business from this group as they kept telling me afterwards how great everything was ("buenissima"). They were from Sevilla, Cadiz, Malaga, and as far away as Barcelona, or so we were told.
So Thursday we went to Malaga and spent some serious dosh. We finally felt financially comfortable enough to buy a couple of machines we were seriously lacking... a glass washer for the bar and a food vacuum packer for the kitchen. Both are expensive items. Ivan has wanted one of these packers for some time now. With this machine, he will be able to prepare food, vacuum pack it and not have to worry about it going off. It will last much longer. Since our business flow has not been even, it has been hard to predict how much food to prepare without having to throw it away. Now, we should not have that problem. I will collect the machine on 15 November when I next go down to Malaga... we brought the glass washer home on the day and it is now working in the bar, hooray!
We also went to our favorite Asian food store in Fuengirola, the only one we know of in Malaga province. There, we bought some Malaysian chilli sauce and some Vietnamese dipping sauce... all very expensive mind you as it is imported from the UK by the owner to satisfy her small market here in Malaga. So those of us that shop there must pay thru the nose for the products which cost a quarter of the price in London or New York but, whatchagonnado??
Yesterday, Friday, our storage business came to a halt. We had the furniture of a couple that re-located here in March. They bought a finca in the next village. They are clients of the Irish guy, Colm (pronounced "Col-um"), who sells property in the area (and doesn't speak any Spanish to speak of..... but has been here for more than 3 years!!!). Anyway, they needed a place to store their house furnishing as they had not yet found a place to rent while they waited for their new place to be built. So, we agreed to put their things in a large empty room we have upstairs for a nominal monthly charge for a couple of months. That was in March 2006. I asked Richard to please find another place as we weren't in the business of storage... that finally happened and they took their stuff yesterday.
Then we had a couple of rooms last night. Clients from Dos Hermanas near Sevilla. They had stayed in the bungalows next door when they were here last time. They had also decided that they wanted to return to Juzcar (pronounced "whoth-car") but to stay with us in the hotel. They are five and have two rooms. They had a nice dinner last night and we just served them a very nice lunch this afternoon.
We had a good evening as well last night in addition to the dinners we served. A few of the local boys were here all evening drinking away.
We have another two rooms arriving today at some point but I don't know when. It is already 18.00 hrs and not a word from them so far.
And about the weather, it is a bit crap at the moment. Yesterday, clouds and rain... today, clouds and rain. And the days are getting shorter as we all have noted...'tis the season.
Now, the meanest couple in the village.... I want to write a little something about them but this entry is getting a bit long now so I'll have to end and write a bit about them later. There are other stories about the village, things that have happened in the past but are worthy of writing about here. I will get to them, bit by bit. I hope this is not a bore for any of my readers... let me have your comments when and if you have a moment.
