I turned 75 on May 18th 2025, last Sunday.

I was in Germany at the time attending the confirmation of my third German grandchild, which was on the same day.

So, we had a joint celebration lunch.

^{[Image courtesy of Etsy]}    

On May 19th I started two-and-a-half-weeks "de Rodriguez". 

On that date I flew back to Spain, while my good lady, German Rita, lingered in Germany to catch up with family and friends and to attend the latest Familientreffen, family reunion.

I would normally attend that too, but we have a kitten now, plus there's lots to do in Andalucia after the rain and floods in the Spring.

"De Rodriguez" in May

My period "de Rodriguez" did not start well. Between Talheim (B-W), where we had been staying, and Stuttgart Airport, my wallet went missing! 

Gone were my TIE (residence permit), two bank cards, two health cards (national and private), my tarjeta65 (pensioner discount card), two ONCE lottery tickets (no doubt winning ones!) and 45€ in cash.

Fortunately, I still had my passport and one Spanish bank card, so I would be able to board my flight, re-enter Spain and pay for stuff.

Over the next couple of days, Rita searched Hauptstrasse 59, the car we had borrowed, contacted the Airbnb host and phoned Lost Property at Stuttgart airport. There was no sign of my wallet. 

So I put blocks on the two bank cards and set about re-applying for everything else.

    ^{Cork wallet [Clan Earth]}

***

As for "footloose and fancy-free" (the best translation of "de Rodriguez" I can find). Nada. 

Apart from going to bed and getting up when I want, and not having to rush home from my local for dinner, nothing much has changed.

Certainly no "slap and tickle", which is implied by the "nudge-nudge, wink-wink" nature of being "de Rodriguez". 

The only women I fancy are all happily married or way too young.

Besides, I've no time for "einen Seitensprung", as the Germans call a "fling" on the side.

^{[Image courtesy of Amazon UK]}    

When you have to prepare a meal, cook it, and after eating it, wash up, dry and put everything away, and tidy up the kitchen, you begin to appreciate what your wife/partner does!

My realm is outside in the garden. But, "when the cat's away", that work doesn't stop either. Mowing, weeding, tending my "huerto", clearing areas of garden overgrown with metre-high weeds, tidying up. It's never-ending!

^{[Photo: Karl Smallman]}    

Those giant weeds

I engaged my sometime gardener Rafael to help me cut down the giant weeds. I'd bought a brand-new desbrozadora which Rafael used for several hours, while I cleared away. A good job done.

***

Well. I'd been home five days and not much sign of "de Rodriguez".

Then, on Friday evening I got a call from Rita who was now in North Germany staying with her niece Bianca, and guess what .....

STOP PRESS:

The Airbnb host had phoned to say she'd found my wallet! We're not sure exactly where, but we believe it had fallen underneath a piece of furniture.

Katrin would retrieve it and bring it to the family reunion and Rita would bring it home to Spain.

Phew! What a relief! I can now unblock my cards and don't need to re-apply for anything.

And if my lottery tickets win me a million, it will be perfect!

^{[Image courtesy of ONCE]}    

Links:

….. de Rodríguez? - EOS

De Rodríguez – at Christmas? - EOS

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

https://www.justlanded.com/english/Spain/Spain-Guide/Visas-Permits/TIE-Tarjeta-de-Identidad-de-Extranjero

HOW TO …..apply for a replacement TIE - EOS

© Joe King

Pictures:

Amazon UK, Etsy, Karl Smallman, ONCE, Paul Whitelock, WordPress

Acknowledgements:

Wikipedia, www.eyeonspain.com, www. help-me-ronda.com, www.secretserrania.com

Tags:

Airbnb, Andalucía, "de Rodriguez", "einen Seitensprung", Familientreffen, family reunion, "fling", floods in the spring,  lottery ticket, May 18th 2025, May 19th, "nudge-nudge, ONCE, wink-wink", Rita, "slap and tickle", Stuttgart Airport, Talheim, two-and-a-half-weeks "de Rodriguez", "when the cat's away"

We've all heard of wife-swapping and some of us may have tried it or even indulged on a regular basis. It's been going on since the year dot - look at the Old testament of the Holy Bible.

   [Image courtesy of Culture Watch]

House-swapping is a more modern activity.

The origins of house-swapping

It started in the USA back in 1953 when a group of European teachers keen to travel abroad economically during their summer breaks formed "Intervac International".

In the same year David Ostroff, a teacher, created a home exchange network called "Vacation Exchange Club" (now renamed HomeLink) in New York City.

In 1992 Ed Kushins started what is now "HomeExchange.com". In 1995 he moved the business to the internet.

[Image courtesy of TimeOut]    

What is it and how does it work?

The basic idea is that two parties/families agree to offer each other homestays for a set period of time. Since no money changes hands it is a modern form of barter.

It is totally flexible in that it can involve any type of accommodation, including boats and mobile homes; it can be for any length of time; simultaneous or non-simultaneous.

Homestays can be arranged privately or via social networking services or companies, which charge a fee.

[Image courtesy of Facebook]    

(information provided by Wikipedia)

"The Holiday" (feature film from 2006)

A successful romantic comedy film starring Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black and Kate Winslet. Law and Winslet arrange a house-swap with Black and Diaz. The English couple have a charming cottage in the countryside in Surrey and the Americans have a large pad in Los Angeles, California. It is winter in England and freezing cold. Law and Diaz fall for each other and soon sleep together. Black and Winslet do not have an amorous relationship. Winslet befriends an elderly neighbour of Black, played by Eli Wallach.

This enchanting film gets shown on UK TV every Christmas. I've seen it loads of times and love it. Winslet is Winslet, ie brilliant; Law is truly a beautiful blue-eyed man who can also act; Diaz is the best I've ever seen her play; and Black is a better actor than you would expect of a rock musician. Best of the lot, however, was Wallach, already an old man, he played his role to perfection.

[Poster courtesy of La Vanguardia]   

A poignant and beautiful film about house-swapping.

House-swapping in Spain

The home-exchange idea was slow to catch on here in Spain. Yet in recent years it has taken off. according to a report in La Razon there has been a 59% increase in pernoctaciones (overnight stays) since 2024, according to figures from "HomeExchange.com" and we're only in April!

Our experience

We dabbled with the idea about five years ago. We found swap-partners but couldn't agree on dates ….. and then the Covid-19 pandemic put paid to the idea.

As for now, post-Covid, we have a kitten so aren't sure whether that would work. And I'm not convinced Rita is fully on board with the idea. We'll see.

Photos and images:

Culture Watch, Facebook, La Vanguardia, Paul Whitelock, Time Out

©  Joe King

Acknowledgements:

Columbia Pictures, HomeExchange.com, IMDb, Paul Whitelock, Universal Studios, Wikipedia 

Tags:

barter, California, Cameron Diaz, Columbia Pictures, Covid-19 pandemic, Culture Watch, David Ostroff, Ed Kushins, Eli Wallach, Facebook, Holy Bible, HomeExchange.com, home-exchange, "HomeLink", homestays, house-swapping, IMDb, "Intervac International", Jack Black, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, La Razon, La Vanguardia, Los Angeles, non-simultaneous, Old testament, Paul Whitelock, post-Covid, simultaneous, social networking services, Surrey, swap-partners, "The Holiday", Time Out, Travel Guru, Universal Studios, "Vacation Exchange Club", wife-swapping, Wikipedia 

My son is called Tom. His mum and I wanted something short that couldn't be shortened further, so we chose Tom, not Thomas.

So what happened? His own mother called him Tom-Bom until, at the age of 30, he objected.

We adopted the same strategy for our daughter. We named her Amy. She was Amy-Lou to her mum for years (her second forename is Louise), and even today is more often than not called Ames, one syllable fewer, but more letters.

Doh!

Photo of Tom in Ronda

Famous Toms (in alphabetical order)

Thomas à Becket

Thomas Becket, also known as Thomas à Becket (1120 – 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his death in 1170.

   Becket's murder [Getty Images]

Becket engaged in conflict with Henry II, King of England, over the rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the King in Canterbury Cathedral.

Soon after his death, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.

I know a thing or two about this Thomas, at least from fictionalised versions of this story. I studied "Becket", a play in French by Jean Anouilh, as part of my A-level French course. Indeed, in later life I played him in an English production of the play in Manchester. The film version, starring Richard Burton as the martyred cleric and Peter O'Toole as Henry II, was a great film. That came out in 1964.

The play "Murder in the Cathedral" (1935) by T S Eliot is all in verse and tells the story of the days leading up to the assassination of Becket and the assassination itself. This too was made into a film.

Thom Pearson

Estate agent in Spain. Also a star in a different way. In 2010 he sold us the house where we still live. I already knew him before. An all round good guy.

Because of La Crisis he moved back to the UK, to Essex, and earned his living from secondary double-glazing. He still has shared ownership of the estate agency Sierra Estates in Arriate and comes over fairly often to show properties. I learned from his associate Paco that they are about to open a new office in Ronda.

    Thom Pearson [Photo: X]

Tom (and Jerry)

The best cartoon ever? Poor old Tom (the cat) always came off worse against Jerry (the mouse).

When I was a student at university in England our Thursday nights in the TV room in the hall of residence were the most important night of the week. "Tom and Jerry", followed by "Tomorrow's World" and then "Top of the Pops". I loved Thursdays.

  [Image: IMDb]

Tomasz Schafernaker

Tomasz Schafernaker is a Polish-British meteorologist who currently works for BBC Weather.

Tomasz was born on 8 January 1979 in Gdańsk, Poland, and attended school both in his native Poland and in Britain.

   Tomasz Schafernaker [The Guardian]

He was educated at the independent school St. John's College, Southsea, in Portsmouth,  followed by the University of Reading where he gained a BSc (Hons) in Meteorology.

He normally forecasts on the BBC News Channel, Radio 4 or Radio 5 Live. In 2017 he was voted the most popular weather presenter in the UK in a public poll.

Schafernaker modelled for the front cover of "Attitude Active", a British gay magazine in January 2010 and was again photo featured by them in 2017. He lives alone in London.
 

Tom Bradby

Anchor for ITV News at Ten. Also the author of several novels.

I prefer ITV News at Ten to the BBC's equivalent, which, these days, is a bit bland and predictable.

Bradby makes cutting asides, about the news stories he reports. I like that.

   Tom Bradby [Radio Times]

Tom Chaplin

Lead singer of Keane, one of my favourite groups of the 2000s. Chaplin's tenor voice is sublime.

I still listen to their albums regularly.

The band did not last long, partly because of Chaplin's fondness for beer while performing live. 

Despite that, they left a major mark on the music of that decade.

There are rumours of a reunion. Let's hope so.

    Tom Chaplin [La Vanguardia]

Tom Collins

A "Tom Collins" is a Collins cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water.

This "gin and sparkling lemonade" drink is typically served...

    A "Tom Collins" [Photo ABC]

Tom Conti

Tom Conti is a Scottish actor, born of a Scottish mother and an Italian father.

I first became aware of him in the TV series "The History Man", where he was thoroughly believable.

He was even OK as the Greek lover to Pauline Collins neglected housewife in the film version of "Shirley Valentine".

He was also in the cast of "The Glittering Prizes".

   Tom Conti [The Independent]

Tom Courtenay

Yorkshire-born Courtenay first came to prominence in the film "The Loneliness of the Long Distant Runner".

He also appeared in "Doctor Zhivago", "Billy Liar" and "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich".

Tom Courtenay was a brilliant actor, who preferred the theatre.  In 1966 he became a fixture at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Memorable performances included "The Dresser" to Salford-born Albert Finney's "Actor", as well as in "The Rivals" (RB Sheridan), Uncle Vanya (Tolstoy) and "King Lear" (Shakespeare).

    Tom Courtenay [Wikipedia]

Tom Cruise

A leading actor of his generation he starred in "Top Gun" before playing the lead in the "Mission Impossible" series.

He was also brilliant as the "wayward" lawyer in "The Firm".

Famously married to Nicole Kidman, with whom he filmed the controversial "Eyes Wide Shut", he later wed Spanish stunner Penelope Cruz. They too are no longer together.

    Tom Cruise [photo: La Vanguardia]

Tom Hanks

"Sleepless in Seattle", "Saving Private Ryan", "The Road to Perdition", "Forrest Gump", "The Terminal", and "Philadelphia" are some of his movies. He also voiced Sheriff Woody in the "Toy Story" films.

He won the Oscar for best actor two years running for "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump".

What a star! Every role he played was a tour de force. He is the fourth highest earning actor in history.

    Tom Hanks [Wikipedia]

Tom Jones

The sexy young Welsh crooner with a string of hits to his name ("It's Not Unusual" and "My, My My Delilah" were massive) turned into the elder statesman of popular music, collaborating with the likes of Santana.

Tom Jones, young and old [Wikipedia]

"Tommy"

The rock opera by the 60s group "The Who". Pete Townshend on lead guitar, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer, the late Keith Moon, left a major imprint on the rock scene of the time (the 60s).

Townshend is nowadays regarded as one of the great lead guitarists, certainly in many people's top ten.

    [Album sleeve courtesy of Amazon]

Tommy Cooper

A really funny comedian. My favourite joke of his? "A man walked into a bar and went ouch. It was an iron bar."

A talented magician, he made a career out of his "failed" tricks. Born in Wales his family moved to Exeter in Devon, where I lived as a teenager. Cooper was three at the time. He had a distinguished military career before moving into entertainment.

Cooper died on stage aged 63 in 1984. I saw it happen!

   Tommy Cooper [Wikipedia]

"Tommy Gun"

The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy gun") is a blowback-operated, selective-fire submachine gun, invented and developed by Brigadier General John T. Thompson, a United States Army officer, in 1918. It was designed to break the stalemate of trench warfare of World War I, although early models did not arrive in time for actual combat.

The weapon was also sold to the general public. Because it was so widely used by criminals, the Thompson became notorious during the Prohibition era as the weapon of choice of "The Mob" in the 1920s. It was a common sight in the media at the time, and was used by both law enforcement officers and criminals.

    a "Tommy gun" [Wikipedia]

Tommy Hilfiger

Thomas Jacob Hilfiger is an American fashion designer and the founder of the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation.

After starting his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People's Place in upstate New York in the 1970s, he began designing "preppy" clothing for his own eponymous menswear line in the 1980s. The company later expanded into women's clothing and various luxury items such as perfumes. It went public in 1992.

In 2006, Hilfiger sold his company for $1.6 billion to Apax Partners, who next sold it in 2010 to Phillips-Van Heusen for $3 billion. Hilfiger remains the company's principal designer, leading the design teams and overseeing the entire creative process. 

    Tommy Hilfiger [Wikipedia]

Tommy Lee Jones

Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor. He has received various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Jones established himself as a leading man in the 1990s, known for his gruff and authoritative film roles. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in the thriller film The Fugitive (1993). His other Oscar-nominated roles were as businessman Clay Shaw in JFK (1991), Hank Deerfield in In the Valley of Elah (2007), and Congressman Thaddeus Stevens in Lincoln (2012). He played Agent K in the Men in Black franchise.

    Tommy Lee Jones [La Vanguardia]

Other notable roles were in Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), Under Siege (1992), Natural Born Killers (1994), The Client (1994), Batman Forever (1995), Double Jeopardy (1999), No Country for Old Men (2007), The Company Men (2010), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Jason Bourne (2016), and Ad Astra (2019).

Tom O'Connor (d. 2021 - aged 81) 

A funny comedian who was ever present on British TV screens in the 1970s and 80s.

O'Connor, a former teacher, was also a television presenter and actor. Originally a comedian in working men's clubs, he progressed to hosting TV game shows such as Crosswits, The Zodiac Game, Name That Tune, Password and Gambit.

Tom O'Connor on "This is Your Life" in 1977 [Big Red Book]

O'Connor was born in Bootle, my stomping ground for 10 years. He became a mathematics and music teacher at the St Joan of Arc School, Bootle, and was also assistant headmaster.  After work he appeared as a comedian in working men's clubs.

His television debut came when he appeared on The Comedians, but it was talent show Opportunity Knocks that shot him to national fame; he won the show three times. He was a subject of the television programme This Is Your Life in 1977 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews.

Tom O'Connor (II)

This Tom O'Connor is the head  chef at Restaurante La Cascada, at the Hotel Molino  del Puente. Tom took over the kitchen when father-in-law Ian Love decided, at 62, that it was time to step out of the kitchen. Ian joined his wife Elaine "front of house", where he is head barman and waiter.

Ian, Elaine and Carly Love with Tom O'Connor

Tom is the partner of Carly, the middle daughter of the Loves, and they are the parents of Sofia, aged 5.

Tom is a trained chef and has worked extensively on the Costa del Sol. For three years Tom and Carly had a successful restaurant in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, before returning to the mainland following the birth of their daughter.

Tom Petty (d. 2018 aged 66)

Thomas Earl Petty was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was the leader and frontman of the rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. He was also a successful solo artist.

Over the course of his career, Petty sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. 

He died, aged 66, of an accidental drugs overdose.

    Tom Petty [Wikipedia]

Tommy Robinson

The least said about this extreme left wing activist the better. Famously infiltrated St Helens Council, installing one of his acolytes to cause trouble. I used to work there and witnessed it first-hand.

Robinson is believed to have orchestrated the riots following the murder of three young girls in Southport in 2023. Thinking he was safe lying on a beach in Spain he was arrested by Special Branch officers and brought back to the UK. He is in gaol in Wormwood Scrubs, the last I heard.

    Tommy Robinson [Wikipedia]

Tom Selleck

A Hollywood actor famous for roles in "Magnum, P.I." and "Blue Bloods". His films include "Three Men and a Baby" (1987) and its sequel "Three Men and a Little Lady" (1990). He also had a featured role in "Friends".

A major supporter of gun laws in the USA, that's when I lost interest in the b***ard.

    Tom Selleck [Wikipedia]

Tommy Steele

Born Thomas Hicks, but known professionally as Tommy Steele, this cheeky chappie is an English entertainer, generally regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.

After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele recorded a string of hit singles including "Rock with the Caveman" (1956) and the chart-topper "Singing the Blues" (1957).

    Tommy Steele [Spotify]

Steele's rise to fame was dramatised in "The Tommy Steele Story" (1957), the soundtrack of which was the first British album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart.

He starred in further musical films including "The Duke Wore Jeans" (1958) and Tommy the Toreador (1959), the latter spawning the hit record "Little White Bull".

Steele shifted away from rock and roll in the 1960s, becoming an all-round entertainer. He originated the part of Kipps in "Half a Sixpence" in the West End and on Broadway, and in the 1967 film version.

As an actor, he notably appeared in the films "The Happiest Millionaire" (1967) and "Finian's Rainbow" (1968) and as the lead in several West End productions of "Singin' in the Rain".

Also an author and sculptor, Tommy Steele remains active at the age of 88. He was knighted in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to entertainment and charity and was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2021.

Thomas the Tank Engine

Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional, anthropomorphised tank locomotive who originated from the British children's books The Railway Series, created and written by Wilbert Awdry with his son Christopher, first published in 1945.

    [Image courtesy of Amazon]

Thomas runs on the Fat Controller's North Western Railway on the Island of Sodor. He became the most popular character in the series, and is the titular protagonist in the accompanying television series adaptation Thomas & Friends and its reboot Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go.

Thomas debuted in the 1946 book "Thomas the Tank Engine" - the second book in "The Railway Series" - and was the focus of the four short stories featured within.

In 1979, British writer and producer Britt Allcroft arranged a deal to make the television series "Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends" (later rebranded as "Thomas & Friends"). The programme became an award-winning hit around the world, with a range of spin-off commercial products. Since then, Thomas has become commonly-known in popular culture.

Like the rest of the cast, Thomas did not initially have an individual voice in the English version of the television series; the voice acting  consisted entirely of narration by various actors, including Ringo Starr and Michael Angelis.

Tommy Trinder (d. 1989 aged 80)

Thomas Edward Trinder was an English stage, screen and radio comedian whose catchphrase was "You lucky people!". Described by cultural historian Matthew Sweet as "a cocky, front-of-cloth variety turn", he was one of the United Kingdom's foremost entertainers during the Second World War.

    Tommy Trinder [Photo: MUBI]

Known for his confident and direct style of comedy, Trinder first found recognition with his music hall revues in the late 1930s. During the war, he worked for ENSA and maintained a successful film career, starring in a string of Ealing Studios films including Sailors Three (1940), Champagne Charlie (1944) and Bitter Springs (1950). During the 1950s, Trinder became a television star, notably as the original host of Sunday Night at the London Palladium (1955–1958). In 1959, he became chairman of Fulham Football Club, a position he maintained until 1976. He continued to perform into the 1980s.

Tom Thumb

Tom Thumb is a character of English folklore. The History of Tom Thumb was published in 1621 and was the first known fairy tale printed in English. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, tangling with giants, and becoming a favourite of King Arthur.

    [Amazon]

The earliest allusions to Tom occur in various 16th-century works such as Reginald Scot's Discovery of Witchcraft (1584), where Tom is cited as one of the supernatural folk employed by servant maids to frighten children. Tattershall in Lincolnshire, England, reputedly has the home and grave of Tom Thumb.^[1]

Aside from his own tales, Tom figures in Henry Fielding's 1730 play Tom Thumb, a companion piece to his The Author's Farce. It was expanded into a single 1731 piece titled The Tragedy of Tragedies, or the History of Tom Thumb the Great.

In the mid-18th century, books began to be published specifically for children (some with their authorship attributed to "Tommy Thumb"), and by the mid-19th century, Tom was a fixture of the nursery library. The tale took on moral overtones and some writers, such as Charlotte Mary Yonge, cleansed questionable passages. Dinah Mulock, however, refrained from scrubbing the tale of its vulgarities. Tom Thumb's story has been adapted into several films.

"tom-tom"

A tom drum (also known as a tom-tom) is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century.

The drum called "Thammattama", played by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka, is used in a  of Buddhist rituals in that country. However, the tom-tom drums on the Western drum set clearly resemble the Sri Lankan version more than the frame drum.

A modern tom-tom drum [Wikipedia]

The Tom Tom was also the first GPS "navi". I had one and it was great. Not like Google Maps which often gets it wrong.

    [Tom Tom]

Tom Whitelock 

This Tom is a professional actor and musician. His biggest role to date was as Pete Quaife, the bassist in the group "The Kinks", in the award-winning West End musical "Sunny Afternoon".

Tom in "Sunny Afternoon" and in "A Clockwork Orange"

Other top roles he has played include Guy in the Altrincham Garrick production of "The Full Monty" and Donald in Dennis Potter's "Blue Remembered Hills" at "The Playmakers" of Stockton Heath, when he was still at school and an amateur. As a professional he played one of the droogs in "A Clockwork Orange", the controversial play by Anthony Burgess, at various venues in London; Juan in Lorca's "Yerma" at the Cervantes Theatre, London.

While still at drama college he took on top roles in plays by Leo Tolstoy.

Tom plays piano, keyboards, acoustic guitar, bass guitar and double bass. He often accompanies his wife Susannah Austin on recordings and at live performances.

Tom Whitelock is bloody good. Well, Tom is my son and he makes me very proud.

Links:

86 04 WKDA AntonioLobato Basic2 0 15secs 16x9 FINAL - The Film "Becket" 

Everybody's Changing Closed Captioned - Keane

Thomas' Train (Season 1, Episode 5, UK, Ringo Starr)

Tom Jones 7 Songs

Tommy Steele - Flash Bang Wallop (Taken from Half a Sixpence DVD)

The Who - Pinball Wizard (Tommy Live At The Royal Albert Hall)

West End Live 2016 Sunny Afternoon

© The Crazy Guy

Photos:

East London and West Essex Guardian, Facebook, La  Vanguardia, Warrington Guardian, Wikipedia,

Tags:

"A Clockwork Orange", acoustic guitar, A-level French, Altrincham Garrick, amateur, Anglican Communion, Anthony Burgess, Archbishop of Canterbury, assassination of Becket, bass guitar, "Becket", "Blue Remembered Hills", Canterbury Cathedral, Catholic Church, Cervantes Theatre, Dennis Potter, Donald, double bass, drama college, droog, East London and West Essex Guardian, Facebook, Getty Images, Guy, Henry II, Jean Anouilh, Juan, keyboards, King of England, La Vanguardia, live performances, London, Lorca, Lord Chancellor, martyr, Murder in the Cathedral", Pete Quaife, Peter O'Toole, piano, Pope Alexander III, professional, professional actor and musician, recordings,  Richard Burton, saint, Stockton Heath, "Sunny Afternoon", Susannah Austin, "The Full Monty", The Kinks","The Playmakers", Thomas, Thomas à Becket, Tolstoy, T S Eliot, West End musical, Wikipedia, "Yerma"

April, traditionally a rainy period, gives way to May, when flowers will bloom because of the water provided to them by the April rains. By extension, that a period of discomfort can provide the basis for a period of happiness.

April here in southern Spain is the start of Spring, a little earlier than in Britain, and plants and trees are starting to push out shoots and buds. It's a good time to start planting.

April is also a busy month for us socially, especially this year, 2025.

April 1st

April Fools' Day in the UK, USA and other English-speaking countries.

Please see here for more about the significance of this date in English-speaking culture: 

April Fool! - Eye on Spain

April Fools' Day - Wikipedia

[Image courtesy of Freepik]    

April 1st is also the date of the official end of the Civil War in Spain in 1939, 86 years ago,

and the beginning of the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, which lasted some 36 years until his death in November 1975.

[Video courtesy of YouTube]    

April 5th

The end of the UK Tax Year in the UK, the only country I know where the Tax Year is not from January 1st to December 31st.

Why do the British have to be different?

Miles instead of kilometres; Fahrenheit instead of Celsius; pints instead of litres; drive on the left with a right-hand drive car; and so it goes on.

[Image courtesy of Bestinvest]    

April 6th

My brother's birthday. Simon will be 72.

I hope to see him later in April, when I visit the UK for Father's Day to see my two kids and four grandkids.

Simon lives near Bristol with his second wife Marilyn (Simon was widowed in 2001). Simon volunteers for the Blood Bike Service, a charity which delivers hospital notes, x-rays and body parts for transplants.

Brother Simon on his bloodbike [Photo: BBB]    

April 10th - 14th

I fly to the UK for the first time this year on April 10th, a Thursday. The plan is to visit my children Amy (41) in London and Tom (38) in Hastings (East Sussex) and their children over a long weekend.

I fly Ryanair from Malaga into London Stansted, then get the fast bus connection into Stratford Shopping Centre (East London).

[Photo courtesy of Ryanair]    

Amy lives a short walk from there in a new flat she has bought. I haven't seen it yet, other than in photos, so I look forward to that.

On the night of my arrival Amy is playing in an orchestral concert (she is first oboist). I shall enjoy that, then we'll go for dinner together.

On Friday evening after school her two boys, my grandchildren, will come to Amy - she and the boys' father Carlo are divorced but share custody of Felix (8) and Jude (5).

On Saturday we'll all hop on a train to Hastings to stay with my son Tom, wife Susannah and their children, Wilbur (6) and Buckley (1).

Amy [Tutors United]    

There we'll celebrate my 75th birthday (a month early) and on Sunday lunchtime Father's Day and Tom's 38th birthday, a few days later, in one of the great pub restaurants in the seaside town.

On Monday 14th I shall take the train from St Leonard's-on-Sea, next door to Hastings, to London Gatwick for my Wizzair flight back to Malaga.

I may break my journey in East Croydon (Surrey), which is a fascinating cosmopolitan town, with a large international population.

Tom [Photo: Paul Whitelock]    

April 16th - 23rd

On Wednesday April 16th we fly to Marseille (France) for a week's holiday near Avignon with Rita's daughter and family. This is also Tom's 38th birthday.

Katrin and Gero and their three children Anton (19), Madita (16) and Lotte (14) are driving from the Heilbronn area of southern Germany with their VW Transporter and their caravan, and we shall be joining them on the campsite. But, not under canvas - we have booked a "house" with its own facilities on the same campsite which overlooks the river.

This will be my first ever visit to this part of France and I can't wait to dance on the bridge at Avignon ("Sur le pont d'Avignon, on y dan-se, on y dan-se .....").

    [Video  courtesy of YouTube]

April 23rd

St George's Day in England.

In my experience the least celebrated of the four British Isles patron saints, the other three being St David (Wales - March 1st), St Patrick (Ireland - March 17th) and St Andrew (Scotland - November 30th).

We shall not be celebrating either. On an English airline they may have mentioned it, but we are flying Ryanair, the Irish low-cost carrier, so I doubt it will come up.

    [Image courtesy of Britannica]

Last Word

I'm not aware of anything else due to happen in the month of April. But I reckon that's enough to be going on with, don't you?

Links:

(15) Post | Feed | LinkedIn

Meet Amy: Our New CEO - Tutors United

SUSANNAH AUSTIN - NIGHTWALKING - Vídeo Dailymotion

West End Live 2016 Sunny Afternoon

© Only Joe King

Photos and Images:

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Tags:

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There have been eight English kings called Henry - "Enrique" in Spanish.

The most notorious of these were Henry II, who had Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket murdered by his knights in Canterbury Cathedral .....

..... and Henry VIII, who famously had six wives and split England from the Roman Catholic Church, leading to the Reformation and the establishment of the Church of England.

King Henry VIII [Picture: Wikipedia]    

This article

That’s the historical background for this article which is about modern day “Enriques/Henrys/Harrys”.

Here are my chosen eight in more or less chronological order.

Henry Ford

Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist and business magnate most famous in the world of motor cars. 

As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automobiles affordable for middle-class Americans through the system thatcame to be known as Fordism. 

In 1911, he was awarded a patent for the transmission mechanism that would be used in the Ford Model T and other automobiles.

Ford was born in a farmhouse in Springwells Township, Michigan, and left home at the age of 16 to find work in Detroit. It was a few years before this time that Ford first experienced automobiles, and throughout the latter half of the 1880s, he began repairing and later constructing engines, and through the 1890s worked with a division of Edison Electric.

He founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903 after prior failures in business, but success in constructing. automobiles.

Henry Ford [Photo: Wikipedia]    

The introduction of the Ford Model T automobile in 1908 is credited with having revolutionized both transportation and American industry. As the sole owner of the Ford Motor Company, Ford became one of the wealthiest people in the world.

He was also among the pioneers of the five-day working-week. Ford believed that consumerism could help to bring about world peace. His commitment to systematically lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system, which allowed for car dealerships throughout North America and in major cities on six continents.

Personally I have owned several Ford cars in my nearly six decades of motoring: A Ford Anglia, a Fiesta, a Cortina, a Mondeo, a Galaxy and a Focus. Hire cars I have enjoyed include a Ford Kuga and a Ford Puma*.

I recall that the Fiesta and the Focus were my favourites.

Harry Belafonte

A famous black American singer, he is most famous for the Banana Boat song.

Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s.

Belafonte's career breakthrough album Calypso (1956) was the first million-selling LP by a single artist.

Belafonte was best known for his recordings of "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)", "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)", "Jamaica Farewell", and "Mary's Boy Child". 

He is one of the few performers to have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT), although he won the Oscar in a non-competitive category.

    Harry Belafonte [Photo: Wikipedia]    

Harry Belafonte - Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) (Live)

Henry Kissinger

Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat and political scientist. He served as the 56th United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977 and the 7th national security advisor from 1969 to 1975, serving in the presidential administrations of both Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

Born in Germany, Kissinger emigrated to the United States in 1938 as a Jewish refugee fleeing Nazi persecution. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war, he attended Harvard University, where he excelled academically.

He later became a professor of government at the university and earned an international reputation as an expert on nuclear weapons and foreign policy. He acted as a consultant to government agencies, think tanks, and the presidential campaigns of Nelson Rockefeller and Nixon before being appointed as national security advisor and later secretary of state by President Nixon.

Henry Kissinger [Photo: New York Times]    

An advocate of a pragmatic approach to geopolitics known as Realpolitik, Kissinger pioneered the policy of détente with the Soviet Union, orchestrated an opening of relations with China, engaged in "shuttle diplomacy" in the Middle East to end the Yom Kippur War, and negotiated the Paris Peace Accords, which ended American involvement in the Vietnam War.

For his role in negotiating the accords, he was awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize, which sparked controversy. Kissinger is also associated with controversial U.S. policies including its bombing of Cambodia, involvement in the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, support for Argentina's military junta in its Dirty War, support for Indonesia in its invasion of East Timor, and support for Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War and Bangladesh genocide.

Considered by many American scholars to have been an effective secretary of state, Kissinger was also accused by critics of war crimes for the civilian death toll of the policies he pursued and for his role in facilitating U.S. support for authoritarian regimes.

After leaving government, Kissinger founded Kissinger Associates, an international geopolitical consulting firm which he ran from 1982 until his death. He authored over a dozen books on diplomatic history and international relations.

His advice was sought by American presidents of both major political parties.

Henry Cooper

Sir Henry Cooper OBE KSG (3 May 1934 – 1 May 2011) was a British heavyweight boxer. He was undefeated in British and Commonwealth heavyweight championship contests for 12 years and held the European heavyweight title for three years.

In a 1963 fight against a young Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali), he knocked Clay down in Round 4, before the fight was stopped in Round 5 because of a cut to Cooper's eye.

In 1966 he fought Ali for a second time. Ali was then world heavyweight champion. However, Cooper got TKO'd again.

Cooper was twice voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year and, after retiring in 1971 following a controversial loss to Joe Bugner, remained a popular public figure.

He is the only British boxer to have been awarded a knighthood.

    Henry Cooper with Cassius Clay [Wikipedia]

Harry Carpenter

Harry Leonard Carpenter, OBE (17 October 1925 – 20 March 2010) was a British BBC sports commentator broadcasting from the early 1950s until his retirement in 1994. His speciality was boxing.

He was presenter of programmes such as Sportsnight (1975–1985) and Grandstand and also anchored coverage of Wimbledon and golf tournaments.

Carpenter was the son of a wholesale fish merchant at Billingsgate Market and was born at South Norwood in South London. He attended Selhurst Grammar School in Surrey.

During World War II, he served as a telegrapher in the Royal Navy. Upon leaving the Navy after the end of World War II, he began his journalism career in 1946. He began sports reporting as a sub-editor for several national newspapers. He was an avid supporter of Crystal Palace FC, the local team in South Norwood.

Frank Bruno and Harry Carpenter [The Telegraph]

He joined the BBC in 1949 and was the corporation's full-time boxing correspondent from 1962 until his retirement in 1994. He served as a boxing columnist for the Sporting Record from 1950 to 1954. He then worked for the Daily Mail as a boxing writer and sports columnist from 1954 to 1962.

While writing for the national papers, Carpenter broadcast regularly on radio and television, covering thousands of professional and amateur fights including all Olympic Games from 1956 until 1992. He wrote three books about boxing, produced the documentary, The Richest Prize in Sport, and served as the voice of the Hall of Fame series, Sports Archive and Great Moments in Sport.

Carpenter described the end of the historic boxing fight between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali in Zaire, in 1974, a fight which became known as "The Rumble in the Jungle", as "the most extraordinary few seconds that I have ever seen in a boxing ring".

“And suddenly Ali looks very tired indeed. In fact, Ali at times now looks as though he can hardly lift his arms up ... Oh, he's got him with a right hand! He's got him! Oh, you can't believe it – and he's doing his shuffle! And I don't think Foreman's going to get up ... he's trying to beat the count ... and he's out! Oh my God, he's won the title back at 32!”

While occasionally given to raising his voice, as he did when Ali knocked out Foreman or when Barry McGuigan floored Eusebio Pedroza in 1985, Carpenter was widely regarded as unflappable and a great professional.

Carpenter's rapport with former WBC World Heavyweight Champion Frank Bruno was well known. Carpenter often conducted post-match interviews with Bruno, whose catchphrase was "know what I mean, 'Arry?".

Over the course of his career, Carpenter was recognised as "The Voice of Boxing". While his name was most often associated with boxing, Carpenter established himself as one of Britain's most versatile sportscasters, covering many of the major sporting events. He was a presenter of Sportsnight between 1975 and 1985 and a regular member of the broadcast team on Grandstand. 

He covered all major golf tournaments from 1965 until his retirement. He also served as commentator on the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race, and greyhound racing. He anchored coverage of Wimbledon for the BBC from 1967 until 1993.

Carpenter was appointed OBE in the 1991 New Year Honours.

Harry Enfield

Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian. He is known in particular for his television work, including Harry Enfield's Television Programme and Harry & Paul, and for the creation and portrayal of comedy characters such as Kevin the Teenager, Loadsamoney, Smashie and Nicey, The Scousers, Tim Nice-But-Dim and Mr "You Don't Want to Do It Like That".

Born in Horsham, Sussex, he is the eldest of four children (and only son) of English television, radio and newspaper journalist and presenter Edward Enfield and his wife, Deirdre Jenkins.

He was educated at the independent Arundale School in Pulborough, Dorset House School, Worth School, Collyer's Sixth Form College (all in West Sussex) and the University of York, where he was a member of Derwent College and studied politics. He squatted in Hackney and worked for a while as a milkman.

Enfield first came to wide public attention when appearing on Channel 4's Saturday Live as several different characters created with Paul Whitehouse. These quickly entered the national consciousness.

Among these characters were Stavros, a Greek kebab shop owner with fractured English; and Loadsamoney, an obnoxious plasterer who constantly boasted about how much money he earned.

The Loadsamoney character was created in reaction to the policies of the Thatcher government of the day, and took on a life of its own, sampling the songs "Money, Money" from the musical Cabaret and "Money, Money, Money" by ABBA to spawn a hit single in 1988 and a sell-out live tour.

Enfield as Loadsamoney [British Comedy Guide]

In May 1988, Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock used the term loadsamoney to criticise the policies of the Conservative government and journalists began to refer to the "loadsamoney mentality" and the "loadsamoney economy".

Enrique Iglesias

Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler was born in Madrid, Spain, in May 1975, the third and youngest child of Spanish singer Julio Iglesias and Filipina socialite and magazine journalist Isabel Preysler. 

Iglesias was raised with two older siblings, Chábeli and Julio Jr. His father's family is from Galicia and Andalusia; his father also claims some Jewish and Puerto Rican ancestry on his mother's side.

At first, Iglesias and his two siblings stayed with their mother; however, in December 1981, Iglesias's grandfather Dr. Julio Iglesias Puga was kidnapped by the armed Basque group ETA. 

When Enrique was six years old he lived for a year in the Yugoslav capital of Belgrade with his mother.

For their safety, Enrique and his brother Julio were sent to live with their father in Miami, Florida. There, they were brought up mostly by the nanny, Elvira Olivares, to whom Enrique later dedicated his first album.

    Iglesias with partner Anna Kournikova [HOLA]

He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican label Fonovisa where he released three Spanish albums Enrique Iglesias, Vivir and Cosas del Amor becoming the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. 

By the turn of the millennium, he made a successful crossover into the mainstream English-language market. He signed a multi-album deal with Universal Music Group for US$68 million with Interscope Records releasing a string of hit English albums such as Enrique, Escape, 7 and Insomniac. During this time he also released Spanish albums such as Quizás and 95/08 Éxitos under Universal Music Latin.

His partner is the former Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova.

Enrique Iglesias Éxitos Sus Mejores Románticas / Enrique Iglesias 30 Grandes Éxitos Enganchados

Prince Harry

The second son of King Charles III King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms since 8 September 2022.

In 1981, the then Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer.

They had two sons, William, heir to the throne, and Harry.

Charles and Diana divorced in 1996. 

Diana died as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash in Paris the following year. In 2005, Charles married his long-term partner, Camilla Parker Bowles.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, and is currently fifth in the line of succession to the British throne.

After school and university Harry became a professional soldier, serving two terms in Afghanistan.

He is the founder of the Invictus Games.

Now estranged from the Royal Family, Harry lives with his wife Meghan Markle, a US actress, in California. They have two children, Archie and Lilibet.

    Harry and Meghan [US Weekly]

In Spain Harry is known as Enrique.

Footnotes:

Henry II

This episode of English history has spawned various works of literature, including “Murder in the Cathedral”, a play by T S Eliot and the plays “Becket” by Jean Anouilh and "The Lion in Winter" by James Goldman.

The film version of "Becket" starred Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton as Henry II and Becket respectively.

O'Toole also played Henry II in the film "The Lion in Winter" opposite Katherine Hepburn as Queen Eleanor of Acquitaine.

    O'Toole and Burton in "Becket" [Gold Derby]    Hepburn and O'Toole in "The Lion in Winter" [The Alexandria Papers]

Henry VIII

Henry VIII is mainly remembered for having six wives and for setting in motion a chain of events that would lead to England’s break with the Catholic Church and the start of the English Reformation.

This rhyme recalls what happened to each of his wives:

“Divorced, beheaded, died,

Divorced, beheaded, survived”

Henry VIII's queens were:  

Catherine of Aragon (Spanish); Anne Boleyn; Jane Seymour; Anne of Cleves (Dutch); Catherine Howard; Catherine Parr

Henry VIII in literature, music and film:

"Henry VIII" (play)

The "Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eighth", often shortened to "Henry VIII", by William Shakespeare

"Carry On Henry"

A fictionalised story involving Sid James as Henry VIII, who chases after Barbara Windsor's character Bettina.

"Henry VIII" (opera)

"Henry VIII" is an opera in four acts by Camille Saint-Saëns, from a libretto by Léonce Détroyat and Armand Silvestre.

"I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am"

Pronounced "'Enery" in the Cockney style. Original by Harry Champion, then by Herman's Hermits.

Herman’s Hermits ~ I’m Henry VIII, I Am ~ 1965 ~ Single Audio Video

"The Six Wives of Henry VIII" (album)

by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released in January 1973 on A&M Records.

Endword:

There are, of course, other Henrys and Harrys. 

Ones that come readily to mind are: 

Harry Kane, England football's captain and leading scorer;

Debbie Harry, American singer with the group "Blondie"; 

Harry Styles, actor and singer formerly of the pop group "One Direction";

Henry Slade, Devon-born England rugby union international, with 69 caps to date and still playing;

Harry Hill, English medical doctor and stand-up comedian; 

Harry Kewell, Australian football international (58 caps) who played for Liverpool FC, now retired;

Harry Houdini, Hungarian-American escapologist;

and Harry Potter, fictional wizard created by J K Rowling.

Debbie Harry of "Blondie" [Wikipedia]    

Blimey! That's another eight! Enough for another article?

© Joe King

Links:

Enrique Iglesias Éxitos Sus Mejores Románticas / Enrique Iglesias 30 Grandes Éxitos Enganchados

Harry Belafonte - Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) (Live)

Harry Enfield - Stavros

Herman’s Hermits ~ I’m Henry VIII, I Am ~ 1965 ~ Single Audio Video

Photos:

Amazon, BBC, British Comedy Guide, Facebook, Gold Derby, ¡HOLA!, New York Times, The Alexandria Papers, The Telegraph, US Weekly, Wikipedia, YouTube

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áéíóúü

By Joe King

Christians the world over are waiting for Christ’s second coming, ie that the Son of God will one day return to Earth.

Well, I have to inform you that the “Second coming” just happened - on Saturday.

    [Image of the Second Coming by Word on Fire]

For some reason Christ changed his name to Rafael and this miracle worker helped me sort out a major problem.

Backstory

Rita and I had been without running water for several days. No water in the taps, no central heating, no flushing loos.

Why not?

Where we live in the “campo”, ie the “Andalucian outback”, there is no municipal water supply. The 50 or so houses in our pedania all have wells, including our house, which draw water from below ground.

In our case we also have a “share” of a communal well. In our case it’s a “back-up”, if for any reason we have a problem with our own “pozo”.

[Cartoon courtesy of Facebook]    

In 14 years living here, we’ve needed to access water four times. It seemed like a good idea to have access to reserve water.

It costs us around 200€ a year, ie our share of the standing charges. If we draw water, we have to pay for that in addition. So, it’s a kind of “insurance policy”, albeit rather expensive.

On this occasion we couldn’t draw water because the pump for the communal well is kaputt. It has been kaputt for two and a half weeks!

The company responsible, Voltasur, is nothing short of useless and hasn’t taken seriously the fact that most of us are old, some in their 80s.

Un pozo [photo courtesy of Sondagua]    

The Solution?

On my land is an alberca, a concrete water store. It’s full of water from a spring higher up the hill.

“Son of God” Rafael helped me run a garden hose from said alberca into my empty “deposito”. We topped it up, I backfilled the system, switched the pump on and watched as my huge concrete tank filled up with water.

Everything is working now, running water in the house, for the central heating, toilets, the lot.

It took us an hour to sort out the problem. And it didn’t cost a penny, except what I gave “Son of God” Rafael, the miracle worker, for his time.

Una alberca [Photo courtesy of GIdeAA]    

The Outcome?

I have resigned from the communal well. It is costly and it let us down in our hour of need. I shall pay my contribution for last year, which is due soon, after which it’s Adios.

“Son of God” Rafael is still around, in case I need another miracle.

© Only Joe King

Photos and Images:

Facebook, Glosario ilustrado de arte arquitectónico, Sondagua, Word on Fire

Tags:

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By Joe King

Well. Life is a drama, isn’t it? However, mundane you think your life is, or has been, it’s still a drama whether we’re talking about “The Archers” or William Shakespeare; “Emmerdale” or George Bernard Shaw; “Eastenders” or Oscar Wilde.

As for me, ever since I played Joseph in the nativity play at my primary school, drama has played a significant part in my life, already seven and a half decades long.

William Shakespeare [Wikipedia]

You’d have thought that after playing Jesus’ father, the only way would be down, but not so …..

School years

I wasn’t involved in drama activity in either of the two boys’ grammar schools I attended. I was too busy playing sport.

So life was drama-free.  Or was it?

An adolescence spent with my parents' unhappy marriage as a backdrop was never going to be without its dramatic side. Mum hospitalised for a year; my younger brother and I raised by our gran during that time; my dad struggling to cope with the impending breakdown of a second marriage; a sudden and rushed move to another town 50 miles away; the trauma of settling into new schools; a fire; a second house move; a complicated love life; a flirtation with the Pentecostal Church. 

A psychiatrist would have had a "field day".

Hele's School, Exeter as it was [Exeter Memories]

University came along at just the right time, or did it.....?

University

My first year at university was a complete and utter drama. I was still an evangelical Christian at that time which marked me out as a "bit of a freak" amongst my fellow students. I was so fervent that it affected my studies.

I dropped out at the end of that year and, aged 19, I was back home with mum, dad and younger brother (Mum was well again and had decided to stick with dad and keep the family together). As for me, I got myself a job in a small supermarket. 

So, I was pretty "washed up" at 19! All the academic potential I had shown down the "swanny"!

Salford University main building [Media City]

Eventually I came to my senses, negotiated a return to university and in the summer before re-joining my course I went off to Germany to work and get my German back "up to scratch".

Back at uni in October 1970, I joined the drama society in order to meet some girls. There weren't too many members of the female species at my university (Salford - a new-ish technological university) and I knew that drama is more popular with girls than with young men.

That was true and my plan sort of worked, although I didn’t manage to “get my leg over.”

I had a part in “The Fireraisers” (“Biedermann und die Brandstifter”) by Swiss playwright Max Frisch and ended up having a short-lived relationship with a beautiful Welsh girl who used to do my make-up.

Then I went away on my year abroad, so that "petered out" naturally.

[Poster courtesy of Unrestricted View]

Eccles

Around the same time, an older friend, Dave, a music teacher, persuaded me to go along to the Eccles Drama Soc. I got a part in “A Christmas Carol” (Charles Dickens) and was terrible. I kept "drying" (forgetting my lines).

Salford (continued)

When I came back from six months in Spain and six months in Germany, I saw a young girl in a Shakespeare production at the new University Adelphi Theatre, which had been built while I was away.

Jeryl had come to my attention in the Student bar (she was a bit loud!) and I was intrigued.

Moving forward a few years, Jeryl, from Luton, became my wife!

But, once again, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Adelphi Theatre [University of Salford blog]

Teacher training college

At Sheffield City College, where I went to do a postgraduate teaching qualification, I joined the Drama Group, partly because I’d developed a taste for acting and because, as I'd found at university, more girls have amateur dramatics as a hobby than young men.

I played Teddy, Miss Brodie’s lover, in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” by Muriel Spark. I was also the male lead in a film we made of “Riders to the Sea”, by Irish playwright J M Synge.

After the “wrap” of “Jean Brodie”, ie the after-show party on the last night, I was seduced by a very sexy young teacher trainee who was in the cast. My first-ever “one night stand”.

Dame Maggie Smith as "Jean Brodie" [Rotten Tomatoes]

Schools I taught in

St Nicholas RC High School in Hartford, Northwich, Cheshire

St. Nick's was my first school as a qualified teacher.

I was only there for two years but performed in a couple of staff/student productions of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, “The Pirates of Penzance” and “HMS Pinafore”.

Great fun!

[Poster courtesy of Genius]

Cardinal Langley RC High School, Middleton, Greater Manchester

My over-riding memory of dramatic activity here was the number of “affairs” being conducted amongst members of staff.

On the real drama side I appeared in a staff play (I forget the name) and a staff/student musical where I ended up ad-libbing with the audience, getting them to join in the singing.

St Aelred’s Catholic High School, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside

Once again quite a bit of “’Ow’s your father” going on amongst the staff here.

I confess that I succumbed to the temptation for a while.

[Wikipedia]

Swinton & Pendlebury and Salford

When my girlfriend Jeryl and I moved in together in a flat in Salford, we joined an "am-dram" group in Swinton & Pendlebury. We ended up getting very involved. Apart from acting, I was chairman of the committee for a while and Jeryl was Hon Sec.

During that time the group  was renamed SPADES – The Swinton & Pendlebury Amateur Dramatic and Entertainment Society.

A highlight was when we took our production of “Jock on the Go”, a musical play based on works by Arnold Bennett, to the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.

I got to sing in this fantastic theatre-in-the-round in the old Manchester Stock Exchange!

Royal Exchange Theatre [Photo: Loads To Do]

Stockton Heath and Warrington

When we moved to Thelwall near Warrington (Cheshire) we continued with SPADES for a while, but the travelling became too much, so we looked for drama opportunities which were more local.

We joined the Playmakers of Stockton Heath. The standard of acting was pretty high. Jeryl and I were now married, but still childless, so we had plenty of time to indulge our hobby.

Jeryl soon became one of the leading actresses and played the lead in a number of productions, including the matriarch Bernarda in “The House of Bernarda Alba” by Lorca.

She also directed some great successes. She was especially good with Alan Ayckbourn plays.

I also picked up some good roles, including Biff in Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons”; Donald in “Blue Remembered Hills” by Dennis Potter; Becket in "Becket" by Jean Anouilh; King Henry II in "The Lion in Winter"; and The Emcee in “Cabaret”, my favourite part ever.

Our whole family, ie Jeryl, me and children Amy and Tom, appeared in “Lark Rise to Candleford” by Flora Thompson in around 1990.

[Photo courtesy of Wikipedia]

Salford Players

Jeryl and I were occasionally “poached” by Salford Players, a semi-professional outfit just down the road.

I had some great roles there, eg in Terence Rattigan’s “Separate Tables”; “Events While Guarding The Bofors Gun” by John McGrath; and “Oh! What a Lovely War!” by Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop.

(Sir) Ben Kingsley was a member of Salford Players before he became famous.

[Poster courtesy of amazon.com]

Altrincham Garrick

We also appeared a couple of times at another semi-pro group in Altrincham, where many “resting” professionals ended up.

Many years later our son Tom Whitelock, who went on to become a professional actor, appeared at “The Garrick” a few times.

A highlight was his performance as Guy in “The Full Monty” by Simon Beaufoy.

[Poster courtesy of ATG Tickets]

First Marriage

My first marriage was a drama from start to finish, yet it lasted 30 years. There was never a dull moment!

North Wales

My first relationship after my divorce from Jeryl was a huge drama. The stage we performed on was a beautiful cottage in a stunning village in North Wales overlooking the island of Anglesey.

But it was never going to last …..

Second marriage

My second marriage, now in its 15^th year, has also not been short of drama.

Wife number two is Rita, a feisty German, whom I met in Ronda (Málaga).

We still live just outside the "Ciudad Soñada" ("City of Dreams" - Rilke), and our relationship is so "dramatic" it would make a great “soap”!

    Me and Rita at the beach [selfie]

London

Tom Whitelock, my son, studied at Rose Bruford Drama College where he appeared in a number of productions including Chekhov's "Three Sisters".

He started his professional acting career touring schools running drama workshops. He appeared in London fringe productions including "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess; "Yerma" by Lorca and several pantomimes.

He got a great gig at Shakespeare's refurbished Globe Theatre beside the River Thames, appearing in The Bard's "Romeo and Juliet".

Tom finally broke through into The West End when he won the part of Pete Quaife, bass guitarist of "The Kinks" in the musical "Sunny Afternoon". Eight live performances a week for 12 months!

    Tom in "A Clockwork Orange" [Action to the Word]  Tom as Pete Quaife in "Sunny Afternoon" [West End Theatres]

Since Covid-19, when Bojo The Clown (prime-minister-at-the-time Boris Johnson) shut theatres down, theatre work has been harder to come by. 

Despite the fact that I live in Spain, I've managed to see Tom in all these productions.

Ronda

I joined a local drama group during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Proyecto Platea was great fun, but I found it too much of a challenge and too time-consuming.

Now I just go to watch their excellent productions, whenever I can.

Epilogue

So, my life has been a drama in more ways than one, but it's been great.

I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Later this week we're off to see our favourite local actors from Proyecto Platea (qv) in "Bodas de Sangre" by Federico Garcia Lorca at the Vicente Espinel Theatre in Ronda.

©  Only Joe King

Links:

'Sunny Afternoon' acoustic cover | Sunny Afternoon cast - An acoustic version of "Sunny Afternoon" by the show's West End cast

West End Live 2016 Sunny Afternoon - Live outdoor promotional performance in Piccadilly Circus

Photos and Images:

Action to the Word, ATG Tickets, Exeter Memories, Facebook, Genius, Loads To Do, Media City, Paul Whitelock, Proyecto Platea, Rotten Tomatoes, Royal Exchange Theatre, "Sunny Afternoon", University of Salford blog, Unrestricted View, West End Theatres, Wikipedia, www.amazon.com, YouTube

Tags:

"A Clockwork Orange", Action to the Word, Amy, ATG Tickets, "Bodas de Sangre", Bojo The Clown, Boris Johnson, Covid-19, “Eastenders”, “Emmerdale”, evangelical Christian, Exeter Memories, Facebook, Federico Garcia Lorca, Genius, George Bernard Shaw, Jeryl, Jesus, Joe King, Joseph, Kinks, Loads To Do, Media City, nativity play, Only Joe King, Oscar Wilde, Paul Whitelock, Pentecostal Church, Pete Quaife, Playmakers, Proyecto Platea, Rita, Ronda, Rotten Tomatoes, Royal Exchange Theatre, Salford Players, Salford University, "Sunny Afternoon", SPADES, “The Archers”, Tom, Tom Whitelock, University of Salford blog, Unrestricted View, Vicente Espinel Theatre, Warrington, West End Theatres, Wikipedia, William Shakespeare, www.amazon.com, YouTube, 

áéíóú

“My true love said to me: four calling birds…..”

I must have mis-heard, I thought it was “calling four birds”. I did call four birds (ie women), cos I was "de Rodríguez" and feeling a bit lonely.

Who were these “birds”?

First of all, I tried a divorced/widowed English lady who has a house in Montejaque, but she’s not resident here and was in the UK.

Shame, as I really fancy her and she knows it.

She says that if she had been in Spain she would have accepted my invitation….. Mmmm!

Next, I tried a divorced Irish lady, who IS resident in Ronda. She had written on Facebook that she would be on her own on Christmas Day. But she politely declined my invitation.

That’s also a shame because I fancy her too and I told her so some while ago over a coffee. She said she was flattered, but nothing ever came of it.

I guess I’m too old for her. 10 years age difference isn’t much though, is it?

My third attempt was with a Spanish neighbour who has broken up with her fellah. He prefers to live in Madrid with his mother (who mentioned Oedipus?). So, they are no longer an item.

She’s a teacher, so well-to-do here in Spain. She’s spending Christmas Eve with her family in Grazalema (Cádiz), where she is from, but said she’d be back in Fuente de la Higuera for Christmas Day and could perhaps come.

Trouble is, I don’t have her phone number to confirm it. She is not aware that I fancy her.

My fourth possible Christmas Dinner companion is my next-door-neighbour-but-one. She’s been a widow for some dozen years following the premature death of her husband after an accident at work. Her name is Mercedes. [I always wanted to have a Mercedes – Behave yourself! I’m talking about a Mercedes-Benz car. I worked as a translator for the luxury car company in Stuttgart 50-odd years ago]. Being local, she told me she will be spending Christmas with family in Ronda.

A fifth possibility to invite for Christmas Lunch is a Geordie divorcee who has lived for many years in Spain, including Cantabria and Benalmádena. She has now fetched up in Ronda.

I’ve met her for coffee a few times and we get on really well. There is no sexual attraction between us, but we’re aligned politically, and we enjoy each other’s company.

I haven’t rung her yet.

All the other women I fancy are:

1. Married
2. Much younger than I am
3. Don’t fancy me back
4. Are Hollywood stars and therefore out of my league

Plan "B"

I’ve invited two “new” Spaniards to join me. They are employees at my local, where they live in, in the hotel.

This hotel is going to close its restaurant on Christmas Day, so this couple have nowhere to eat and no kitchen where they could prepare something. Most restaurants round here don’t open on Christmas Day.

“New” Spaniards?

She is from Uruguay and he is from Argentina. They’ve been in Europe a while and have no desire to return to South America, where many countries, including Argentina, are problematic, if not downright dangerous.

I helped them apply for Spanish nationality earlier in the year and their Spanish passports came through this week. So, we have something to celebrate – and not just Christmas.

Sadly, they have declined my invitation.

A Spanner in the Works

I learned yesterday that my English pal who has half shares in an Estate Agency here, although he lives in England, is coming out on Boxing Day.

He’s booked into the local hotel. He could stay at my place, surely?

Endword

It looks like I shall definitely be “home alone” on Christmas Day.

The first time in 74 years.

But it’ll be good. I’ll make sure of that!

Check out my planned Christmas Meal (link below).

Roast turkey with all the trimmings?

Nope!

© Diary of a nobody

Links:

Advent - in Spain

Christmas Parties in Spain 2024

De Rodríguez – at Christmas?

Wham! - Last Christmas (Official Video)

Photos and Images:

5 Minute English

Autobild

Bookywooky

Facebook

FreeImages

Hotel Ronda Valley

MetroFamily Magazine

Wikipedia

Tags:

5 Minute English, Advent - in Spain, Argentina, Autobild, Benalmádena, Bookywooky, Cádiz, Cantabria, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Lunch, Christmas Parties in Spain 2024, De Rodríguez – at Christmas?, Diary of a nobody, divorced Irish lady, Facebook, "Four calling birds", FreeImages, Fuente de la Higuera, Geordie, Grazalema, “home alone”, Hotel Ronda Valley, Joe King, Madrid, Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz, MetroFamily Magazine, “New” Spaniard, Oedipus, Ronda, next-door-neighbour-but-one, resident in Ronda, South America, SLK, Spanish nationality, Spanish passport, Stuttgart, teacher, Uruguay, Wham! - Last Christmas (Official Video), widow, Wikipedia

This weekend has been a disaster!

On Friday I didn’t win the Christmas hamper at my local bar. I haven’t won it there since 2011!

On Saturday I didn’t win the raffle at the local craft market in Ronda either!

And, later on Saturday, Tyson Fury lost his World Heavyweight boxing title fight.

On Sunday I didn’t win El Gordo – well, I didn’t buy a ticket ….

And tomorrow my wife is leaving me …..!

Christmas Hamper, Hotel Ronda Valley

I chose two numbers, 50 and 51, our birth years. I thought one of them was sure to win.

Nope!

Craft Fair Raffle, Mercadillo, Convento de Santo Domingo

I managed to get two good numbers, 6 and 8, both numbers of houses we own in the area. Once again, one was bound to win, I thought.

Not so!

I found a lovely Christmas present for the missus, Lovely Rita.

Heavyweight Boxing Title Fight, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The Gypsy King, Tyson Fury, is 6’8’’ tall and weighed in 55 pounds heavier than his Ukrainian opponent, Oleksandr Usyk, who beat Fury on points back in May to take the title and inflict Fury’s first loss as a professional.

Well, Usyk did it again on Saturday night, winning the verdict from all three judges.

El Gordo, Sorteo de Navidad, Lotería Nacional, Madrid

I couldn’t buy a ticket anywhere on Saturday evening. Every outlet had sold out. So, I didn’t win that either.

My wife is going to leave me tomorrow (Monday)

But only for a week. Rita is going to Germany to spend Christmas with family. Three children and four grandchildren.

"Why are you not going with her?" I hear you cry.

Click here to find out why: 

Christmas "de Rodríguez" - Rita’s alternative Christmas Dinner

© Only Joe King

Links:

De Rodríguez – at Christmas?

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

My week “de Rodríguez” is over

Photos:

Al Jazeera

El Pais

Facebook

Insurance Insider

Murcia Today

Ryanair

Tags:

Christmas Hamper, Convento de Santo Domingo, Craft Fair, de Rodríguez, El Gordo, Eye on Spain, Gypsy King, Heavyweight Boxing Title Fight, Hotel Ronda Valley, Lotería Nacional, Madrid, Mercadillo, Oleksandr Usyk, raffle, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Secret Serrania, Sorteo de Navidad, Tyson Fury, Ukrainian

That’ll be a first. My first ever Christmas on my own! In 74 years! What’s going on? Has my wife left me?

[Photo courtesy of Karl Smallman, www.secretserrania.com]

My Christmas History

As a young boy at home in north Devon, Christmas Day was spent at home. In three different houses in Barnstaple and two in Exeter, East Devon. (We moved house a lot, when I was a kid!)

Boxing Day was usually spent with friends or relatives.

When I was a sixth former aged 16, I spent Christmas working as a waiter in a hotel in Newton Abbott, South Devon. It was a temperance hotel, so no alcohol, not even in the gravy nor ladled over the Christmas pud!

I shared a bedroom with a permanent member of staff, who turned out to be a ‘queer’ (this was when homosexuality was still illegal, and the term ‘gay’ was not yet in use). The term ‘queer’ is no longer politically correct, as it was back in the 1960s.

    [Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock]

Nothing happened, of course,but it was an eye-opener for this boy who’d led a very sheltered life.

As a university undergraduate and subsequent postgraduate, I always returned home for Christmas.

In my third year I brought my girlfriend down to Devon to meet mum and dad. Dad was smitten with Jeryl, whom I married in 1975, after I had finished my studies and started work as a teacher.

After that we sort of alternated between her parents and mine, until we bought our first house, in Walkden (Greater Manchester) in 1978 and began hosting duties.

We moved to Thelwall, Warrington (Cheshire) in 1980 and more often than not spent Christmas at home, especially after our children were born in 1983 and 1987.

We had bought a timeshare on the Isle of Arran (Scotland). We chose Christmas Week, so for several years we enjoyed a Scottish Island Christmas.

By now both our mums were widows. My mum Vera moved up to Thelwall in 1990 to be near her grandchildren, and Jeryl’s mum Jean lasted until 2000.

    Auchrannie Resort, Isle of Arran [Facebook]

In 2001, Jeryl and I bought our first property in Spain, an apartment in Ronda (Málaga), which we named Piso Blanco. In 2003 we bought a second one, a house to renovate. We called that house Casa Blanca. So, we enjoyed a couple of Spanish Christmases.

    Piso Blanco, Ronda [Paul Whitelock]

In 2005, after 30 years of marriage, Jeryl and I divorced, I retired early from work, and I spent the next couple of Christmases in North Wales at the house of my new girlfriend Maude.

    Minffordd, Bryn-y-Maen, North Wales [Rightmove]

We split up, however, and my dear old mum offered me a home with her back in Thelwall. We spent a couple of Christmases with my brother Simon in Yate (S. Glos) until I met Rita in 2008 in Ronda. Rita is German. We “jumped the broom” in 2010.

    Tunstall Villa, Latchford [On the Market]

I had just bought a house in Latchford, Warrington, when I met Rita. I hosted one Christmas there for my two kids, Amy and Tom, their mother Jeryl (my ex-wife), their partners, Paul and Su, and my mum Vera.

Since 2008, Rita and I have celebrated Christmas either at home in Ronda or at Rita’s daughter’s, Katrin, in Germany.

Why “de Rodríguez” in 2024?

    [Photo courtesy of Wordpress]

Quite simply because we now have a kitten which we cannot leave. We’re not prepared to put her in a cattery, and we won’t find anyone to house/cat-sit at Christmas.

So, I shall be all on my own-ee-oh; footloose and fancy-free! Yippee!

I’m looking forward to my week alone. There are no Christmas lunches on offer that I am aware of in any local restaurants, so I shall enjoy roasting my own turkey with all the trimmings. Not forgetting my Christmas pud. With flaming brandy, of course!

I shall decorate the house a bit to make it a bit more Christmassy and, if I get any, open my prezzies.

  "De Rodriguez" [Photo courtesy of El Mundo]

I can watch “The Great Escape” and “Home Alone” on the telly and go to bed and get up when I want. I can’t wait!

Only 40 days to go till Christmas!

© Only Joe King

[Photo courtesy of Freepik]

Photos:

El Mundo

Facebook

Freepik

Karl Smallman

On the Market

Paul Whitelock

Rightmove

Wordpress

www.secretserrania.com

Links:

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

My week “de Rodríguez” is over

Piso Blanco, Ronda

Sunday – de Rodríguez!

The Building History of a 72-year-old DIY Fan

Tags:

Barnstaple, Boxing Day, Casa Blanca, Christmas Day, Christmas pud, “de Rodríguez, Devon, Exeter, footloose and fancy-free, ‘gay’, German, Germany, “Home Alone”, homosexuality, Isle of Arran, Jean, Jeryl, kitten, Manchester, Newton Abbott, Piso Blanco, politically correct, postgraduate, ‘queer’, Rita, Ronda, Scotland, “The Great Escape”, Thelwall, timeshare, turkey with all the trimmings, undergraduate, Vera, Walkden