Hola everyone, its Michelle/Essex checking in with you from the Costa del Sol, I hope you're all doing well this week in our crazy new world. The temperatures here are beginning to drop. For me this is the perfect time of year. It's not so hot that everyone is moaning about the heat on Facebook like they have been for the last two or three months. It's just beautiful, but we can definitely see that Autumn is on its way and it's now getting darker earlier around 8pm. The days are lovely and warm and the nights are starting to cool down so the light jackets are starting to come out of the closets.

On my side of the coast as far as the virus is concerned. It all seems pretty calm here. In fact, I think the numbers are still quite low. In fact Mijas where I am, we got a thank you from our Mayor thanking us, the public for our exemplary behaviour. How about that, a pat on the back for being good citizens. Thank you very much Mr. Mayor.

Malaga local government is supposed to be distributing a further 532,000 masks this week to the town halls of the province. Municipalities of more than 20,000 inhabitants will receive 363,500 masks to be distributed. Now I have to say this is a pretty good scheme, back in April, every person in every household received a box with masks and hand sanitizer, in order to help maintain the safety of its residents. So for us, this will be the second delivery this year. So, I gotta say hats off to Malaga local government.

Now the Bank of Spain has downgraded its economic forecast, due to the rise in COVID infections. They're not expecting the economy to return to pre pandemic levels until 2023. That is one heck of a downer it's going to be a really long, three years and it's also beginning to have a bit of a knock on effect. Unfortunately, not a positive one. As figures of burglaries are on the rise and it seems that the robbers had a very busy weekend last weekend, robbing numerous homes, businesses and restaurants in the area and one of the businesses does actually have, I found out, clear CCTV footage and clear photos of one of the perpetrators. So personally, I hope they catch them and I hope they chop all their hands off. I mean it's just, it's so horrible it really angers me that you work so hard for what you have and some scumbag thinks it's okay to take it away from you. You feel so violated, it's awful. Where I live is a very quiet residential area. I've been here for over 10 years in this particular house, even though I've been in Spain 12 and we've had no problems but now it seems that things are starting to get a little crazy.

Fuengirola Port has been hit particularly hard with many people walking away from their businesses and bars closing. It's just no longer viable for them to carry on, after being hit so hard this year with the lack of tourism. It's really sad to see so many of them lose their livelihoods and just throw in the towel. Some of these owners I know personally, and they've been on the coast for many years but they just feel like they have no choice. They're just handing in the keys.

In contrast, Madrid is still facing problems and a further 8 cities have been locked down making that a total of 45 regions. The reason the numbers are much higher in Madrid is because of their dense living situation. Here in the Costa del Sol, things are more spread out. In Malaga people tend to live in apartment blocks. It's a big major city and so therefore people are on top of each other. There is a threat that if the numbers don't start to reduce they will eventually close the entire Province, which is not good, considering the Government of Spain.. ....yes, you guessed it, it's in Madrid, and they may also stop the Madrileños from crossing the border in order to wait it out in their second homes in the Provinces of like Alacanté and Malaga. If they test positive for the virus.

Now, I'm getting very frustrated at the moment with all the diversity that seems to be spreading throughout the world. Forgive me if I sound a little impolitically correct, but I feel at a time when we should all be helping one another. We're being divided and conquered and put into little boxes of race, religion, sexism, ageism, I think, in fact, if you have an opinion or you want to speak about anything you have an ism. I just think it's sad that we can't all respect one another and live and let live. People or people we're not born with these thoughts. They're a learned behaviour. Surely, at this time in our lives we should be tolerant and help one another get through the most difficult time in our history.

On a lighter note I had the pleasure of visiting the lakes in El Chorro this week. I have to say it's so beautiful there. The scenery is amazing. Hubby took me for a picnic and a pedal boat ride on the lakes, very romantic. It was a lovely chill out day, something that we don't get to do very often that we really should do more of and the location is absolutely breathtaking. I can't reveal any more at this time of what we were doing up there but I will alert you in January/February, when everything will become clear to you to see and you will also see me podcasting. At the moment I'm under the contract keep my big gob schtuum but when you get a chance to visit Spain. I highly recommend visiting the lakes in El Chorro in Ardales. It's about an hour and a bit drive from Malaga. And the views are breathtaking. In fact, we're thinking of having a short break there with Lolly our dog, as there are a number of pet friendly hotels up there.

Now living in Spain comes with hazards. One being mosquito bites you know the little beggars that come out at night for your blood. Well apparently a spoonful of sugar may help keep the medicine down and according to new research, that has pinpointed a protein in the disease carrying mosquitoes that can curb their attraction to human blood. According to new research feeding sugar to mosquitoes affects the protein enough that these blood suckers temporarily keep from biting humans. Yeah, that's what I need. No wonder I'm constantly being bitten. I've got a very big Skittles addiction. Mosquitoes look at me as their personal Smorgasbord. They jump off people to get to me.

While female Tiger mosquitoes must suck blood to gain the energy necessary to develop their eggs. They also feed on sugar from plant nectars or SAP. So researchers wanted to see whether a bellyful of sugar might reduce their vampiric urges. They fed a solution of sugar to young female mosquitoes, then they put 10 to 12 of these little beggars in a plastic cup, and they put the open side of this to their hands to see how interested the mosquitoes would be in taking the bait. What a job to have, I'm a mosquito checker. Mosquitoes are particularly attracted to humans, often living in urban areas, like me. Thank goodness I manufacture mosquito screens and they can transmit a number of nasty diseases and that tell you that bites aren't too great either. By the way, did you know that it's only the female pregnant mosquitoes that bite.

Now, on the funnier side of the news this week. It's time to go food related and this is a gooden.

How do you fancy a new crispy, salty, snack ? Pharmacists have dev not pharmacists...lol physicists have devised a preparation method that transforms gelatinous Jellyfish into crisps and it may help make Jellyfish, a more common food....errr I don't think so. I can't imagine hunkering down to watch my favourite movie with a bag of Jellyfish crisps. Certain species of jellyfish are presently eated in various cultures eated ? eaten in various cultures primarily in Asia. No kidding ? They'll eat anything. Not that the Spanish don't have their own strange eating habits I want to add. Jellyfish may be prepared in a variety of ways but fresh Jellyfish can spoil at room temperature. I bet they can bloody sting too ! So they can be soaked in a salty solution for 20 days or more and then dried and then that preparation process leaves the Jellyfish with a texture that researchers described as being like a pickled cucumber. That sounds completely gross. Can you imagine being a taster in one of these labs. However, they have a new method. It not only offers a more rapid way of preparing Jellyfish, but also produces a new crisp texture, more like a potato that might appeal... To who ? Seriously, would you guys be interested in eating a bag of Jellyfish crisps ? I cannot wait to see Gary Lineker advertising these. I wonder if they'll do them in different flavours

You know, sometimes I read these stories that I have to think why. Here's another one an Illinois man celebrated an unusual milestone last Tuesday for 60 years, 60 years he's been holding on to an old sandwich that former President Richard Nixon took a bite out of. Steve Jenne from a small town in America, of course, was a 14 year old boy scout, who was then like asked to serve in the honour guard when the then vice president made a campaign stop to his hometown. On September, the 22nd 1960 and that was ahead of his speech in a place called Wyman Park. Nixon was served a Barbecue Buffalo sandwich, which sounds a lot more delicious than Jellyfish, on a paper plate during a cookout and when he was finished, Jenne, snatched up the leftovers. So like once Nixon left. He looks down at the picnic table. Everyone's gone and he thinks, Ill grab that half eaten sandwich. So he takes a half eaten sandwich and he runs home to his Mom, oh by the way tasted the sandwich, he tasted the sandwich because he commented on how tasty and good it was. I'm not sure I take a bite out somebody else's sandwich. Anyway, he then runs home to his mom and he says Mom, Mom, I got a sandwich that Nixon took a bite out of and she was so surprised and she said, pretty much what I would say. "What do you want me to do with it ?". So he said "Freeze it". His mother than wrapped up the sandwich even a plastic bag and put it inside an applesauce jar and stuck it in the freezer. Ever since then, he has kept that sandwich frozen. He even got a guest appearance on an episode of The Tonight Show with the legendary Johnny Carson in 1988, and then went on to publish a book called "The Sandwich That Changed My Life", about the whole wacky story. Now I wonder if anyone is going to be looking for any uneaten Trump sandwiches this year or maybe that would be a little too hard to swallow. Maybe a little bit of Humble Pie would be more appropriate. Well my friends. That's all for this week. I will be back with you next week with more insights and nutty news. Until then, have a fabulous week. Be kind to each other because you never know who you're going to be sitting next to in that old folks home. Stay safe, Hasta Luego from the Costa del Sol.

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