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Summer 2010

Summer was very busy catching up on unfinished tasks from last year as well as catching up with friends. Since moving to Belmonte, time had flown rapidly. There were always work to be done which was mostly our never-ending project from last summer, the garden. The garden looks a lot better now after getting rid of a 100 or more conifer trees but we still have a long way to go. Eventually, we plan to have most of the area around the house paved - maybe this winter.

Our summer break consisted of working in the garden, and me catching up with my web obligations and sometimes the occassional socialising. Of course, not to forget, there were preparations to be done for the next work season. It's been a great and productive summer despite the hecticness.

In this album, are also photos of my birthday, our wedding anniversay and our new dogs, Thomas Kirby and Funky Dory.

Kety's Birthday April 2010

Kety's birthday was celebrated in their home. Once we found out the festivities will take place in their apartment, we knew we were in for a treat. Ever since Stan took us to a Bulgarian restaurant in La Nucia, we have been a fan of this Eastern European cuisine. Kety and Neli did all the preparations and it's common knowledge that when they cook,  the spread will be enough to feed the whole neighbourhood.

George's 70th Birthday

Val arranged through me and Daz a surprise 70th birthday party in a Dutch restaurant, Pinocchio. Friends and some staff from Sinatra's were present and indeed it was a surprise party George will never forget. The food was beautiful like always and the table was festively decorated. Great night with great friends.

Christmas 2009 and New Year 2009/2010

Christmas has been exciting this year - new home and new chapter. This year, we took the Bingo staff to a Dutch restaurant, Pinocchio by the beach for our festive staff party but we had a quiet Christmas celebration at home. For a change Daz had a quiet birthday celebration as well prefering to have a romantic dinner for two in a Japanese restaurant. New Year's eve was a dinner for two in a Mexican restaurant, and a drink with friends, Billy and Jean at Sinatra's. New Year's day was spent at home lazing, eating and playing Wii games.

Belmonte House

We have finally done that big step - buying our own property. What a roller coaster we have been through! For the last two years, Daz had been brooding about having our own place together. I was quite contented to stay where we were and I tried to put him off about it. I was thinking then, we just moved in to La Nucia and surely you can't be thinking of moving again. And you know how hectic it could be moving homes. Daz wouldn't be put off and resumed our property search at the beginning of this year. There were a few contenders and some heartaches along the way but in the end we found a house that we knew was for us. It's beautiful, it has character and it's an ideal home. It was in a sorry state when we first saw it but we loved it. It's not perfect yet but it's an ongoing project that will take some time and although there are still loads of work to do, the house is already a home to us.

Val's Birthday

February 14, 2009, we celebrated Val's birthday in Pinocchio restaurant in Benidorm and it turned out to be a double celebration - Valentine's day and Val's birthday. It was a great mini-party with our good friends and of course, there were loads of surprises for Val. Saskia, the owner, was like always, fantastic with Val. She gave Val the biggest and most beautiful Valentine's balloon in the room which played a song of Roses are red. As a tradition in Pinocchio, after the Valentine dinner celebration, we were to write on a piece of paper a wish and to tie it to the balloon. The balloon was then realeased outside to disappear in the dark sky. Well, my wish didn't come true but in return, I got something better than what I wished for.

Bingo Staff Party 2008/2009

December 19, 2008, we got together with staff and friends for a pre-Christmas celebration at Cappriciosa, Albir. It was followed by a surprise birthday cake at midnight for Daz whose birthday was the next day. The owners were great to set the table so beautifully and provide aperitifs and appetizers for the party considering that they were normally close for that night and that they would be travelling to Italy the next day for their Christmas break. After a hearty and delicious meal, some of us headed for the Tropical bar for a bit of a drink before we headed back home.

Celtic v Villareal

September 30 2008, right after work, Darren and Stan drove to Villareal to watch the game against Celtic. They had little time for the game starts in 2 hours and had no idea where in Villareal the Madrigal stadium would be. Another factor against them was a possibility of a rush hour traffic which can hinder them from making it on time. Fortunately, they made it on time, had a laugh and thoroughly enjoyed it. The only downside was when Daz dropped his phone in the toilet and Celtic lost to the host team. :(

Barcelona Holiday

May 26 2008, we decided to have a small treat for ourselves and visit Barcelona for 10 days. It was indeed a beautiful and memorable holiday with plenty of things to do, to see, to eat and of course to buy. We loved it so much that we are planning to go back. Barcelona is a great city and vibrating with so much energy. We particularly loved the works of the famous Antoni Gaudi and how he inspired architects as well as artists with his work.