Welcome back! I have finally got a minute to get typing! You will all have heard by now that our beautiful baby girl, Willow Jasmin de Pola, was born on 4th July at 11.15pm. For those of you interested here is my birth story.....

The 4th July began as any other day. We got up with the alarm, I made Tanc breakfast in bed and I had a freshly squeezed orange juice (I was concerned about filling my bowel!). We showered and dressed for our appointment at 9.30am. It was a very strange feeling to know that by the end of the day, more than likely we will have a daughter! Taking my suitcase with us we drove to the hospital in good time.

Parking is horrendous in Marbella, particularly around the hospital, so we left the car across the road with the valet carwash and said we'd be back later! Yolanda, the Spanish midwife, was waiting for us at the front door. She helped us through the check-in procedure and then took us to our suite. It was definitely the best room in the house with views over the Marbella Marina.

End of Part 1 - Willow is calling me!

Here is our Gilbert and George poster which was available to download off the internet for 48 hours following the BBC programme on the artists' life. We had it framed and Tanc used his new drill to hang it in our downstairs 'study'. He's on a roll with the drill I tell you! I had to keep moving or he would have drilled me up on the wall....

Well nothing happened on the weekend. I was moody and uncomfortable, barely able to support my own body. Once down I had to ask Tanc's help to get up! This will be the last photo of me pregnant. I spoke to doc this morning and I'm checking in to Hotel USP Marbella ( i mean Hospital...) on Wednesday morning at 9.30am CET. I'm going to be induced, 12 days over my due date so fingers crossed all goes well. We should have a baby by Wednesday night! I will let you all know what happens as soon as I can...... wish me luck..... i'm a bit scared to be honest!

Here is some information on the artist I mentioned in the previous entry. Mark from New York gave us a piece of his string art for our wedding present.

Gabriel Alberca

Gabriel Alberca was born in Algeria but has lived most of his life in Málaga. He is a member of the San Telmo Royal Academy of Fine Arts and he describes himself as a representational artist. He was one of the group of Málaga painters who stayed with Picasso in Cannes in 1957. Alberca remembers Picasso’s love of life: “He lived life to the full in every way and that’s why he was, to a certain extent, destructive, not only in his art in which he destroyed and recreated everything, but also in his personal life. His life was very complex.”For Alberca, Pablo Ruiz Picasso is the symbol of the 20th century. His favourite periods are the cubism and the whole of his early work, the blue and pink periods. “He made it very difficult for us all to go on painting. After Picasso, we had to start again from scratch.”
Friday, January 16, 2004

It's now into Week 41 and getting ridiculous. I'm so heavy that my feet and knees can barely support me. I am only comfortable when lying on my side or swimming in the pool. No sign of any contractions or signs other than lots of Braxton Hix. And it's now really hot outside!

We had lots of odd jobs around the house to do before any guests arrive (Amanda is our first in 2 weeks) and hubby wanted me to hire an odd job man to do them but I didn't fancy the idea of another stranger in the house so convinced him that he could do them if we bought the right tools for the job. So on Saturday we went to Leroy Merlin, a large DIY supermarket, and purchased a propert B&D drill, appropriate bits, hooks, screws and bulbs. That little exercise just about killed me and I had to wait in the car while Tanc did the rest of the grocery shopping. I think he will have to get used to doing it on his own for a while!

The rest of the weekend was spent DIY'ing, with Tanc up a ladder and me giving my 2 cents worth. It was quite a comedy of errors and a real test of a marriage but we got there in the end and my husband proved to be a worthy member of the DIY club. I am very impressed and proud of his results. And the drill has paid for itself in one weekend!

Our lamp from Tangiers was finally hung

Our wedding present from Mark was hung, it's a piece by a 70's string artist called Gabriel Alberca and apparently he is experiencing a surge in popularity with collectors. Nice!

Our apartment is starting to look like a gallery, but we love it!

Now these were a challenge, there was blood, sweat and tears involved....

Let's hope madame decides to come out and meet us soon because I'm getting very fed up...

Claerwen has requested a swimwear shoot before I drop the bun in the oven. Well here I am about to start week 40, in ALL my glory! You may wish to avert your eyes following these words.... not for the weak at heart.....

We have now added to our burgeoning property empire! We are the proud owners (well not really till all signed at notary but we've started the process) of 2 apartments in Berlin. They both require some renovation so we will have fun with that! We have been using the services of a local bloke who helped to source the properties and will help project manage the renovation in our absence. When finished his wife will rent out the properties for us on a short term, fully furnished basis. Thank god for Ikea! One property is in Prenzlauer Berg which is currently the trendiest area and the other is in Charlottenburg in the west of the city, close to the major shopping area. Both really good, interesting areas. Check out the links below to learn more about the areas....

http://www.inyourpocket.com/feature/55849-prenzlauer_berg.html

http://www.inyourpocket.com/feature/55587-charlottenburg.html

In case you didn't know Tanc bought me a newer BMW X5 a month ago so we had 2! We have now sold my green one and have kept the newer black one thank goodness so are back to being a 2 car family. (Eco warriors we are not! I don't drive a lot and I do recycle! I have separate bags hanging up for each product.... do I sound a tad guilty!)

Here's my lovely green car going off to it's new owner......

I forgot to report on my last visit to Dr Berral last Thursday. Tiger was monitored and all is normal. I was 1cm dilated and my cervix had started to lengthen and soften. So although it is impossible to tell how much longer, we are on the way! Now we await spontaneous labour or if nothing has happened by the 26th I need to go back in to the clinic to be monitored. I feel like it's more likely to be spontaneous combustion! Even Doc said i think she's going to be one of those chubby babies! Cherubic let's hope!

On the weekend we went to lunch in Benaojan which is past Ronda. We ate at a gorgeous restaurant on a river, which used to be a mill (los Molinos). Although I was very uncomfortable it was a beautiful setting. Charles and Sandra and Diana, Alex and Alex's son little Alex were with us. After lunch we went to look at Charles' land just down the road. They all went for a walk while I stayed in the car chatting with Sandra (in Spanish) about plastic surgery in Columbia which is where she is from and where she and Charles are going this Saturday for a 2 month holiday.

Notice Tanc's Ecuadorian Panama hat which we bought in Barcelona

In the last couple of weeks my face has really puffed up, and I know longer have ankles, not that I could see them if I did have them! Note to self: don't wear slicked back hair when having a fat face day. I look more like a fat 15 year old than Sade!

My 2 friends Ida and Tina were both booked in to be induced yesterday at the USP hospital in Marbella (where I'm going). That is if they didn't give birth on the weekend naturally. Yesterday was the annual Marbella holiday for the Feria (big party) so let's hope the doctors were in good shape! I await news of their experiences with bated breath.....

On Sunday we went to Arroyo Hondo for lunch. It's a gorgeous restaurant in the hills of Casares and just up the road from the villa we put the offer in on. The food is the best I've eaten on the Costa del Sol and never disappoints. We were joined by Charles and Jo and Jayne. A great afternoon/evening...

37 weeks


My husband took me out for dinner on Friday night, to Naga Thai in Puerto Banus. It was delicious as usual and seemed like ages since I had been out. I managed to find a dress to fit. I bought this about 8 years ago in Perth! Not bad value! I cut the draped sleeves and tied them behind my back. Of course it used to have the draped Grecian look and now is skin tight but at least it fits! Difficult to sit elegantly in a restaurant though as you have a tendency to spread your legs. Lucky there was a table cloth!

36 Weeks

Clumsy, vague, dizzy, can't concentrate or focus on anything, can't get comfortable, aching feet and back and a fat face... and some people actually enjoy being pregnant?? God I need a glass of wine!

I had lunch with 2 great girls who I met at the antenatal classes. We went to the new Terra Sana on Marbella Port. It was great fun hanging out with girls in the same situation, as you can whinge to your hearts content and they will empathise! Looking at the picture you would say I am due first but Tina is due any day and Ida in the next week and I am not due for 3-4 weeks!

Ida from Sweden, me and Tina from Denmark

Here are some pics that Sandy took of me at the Baby Shower....

Lovely Sophia organised a baby shower for me on Wednesday. It was fantastic getting a group of girls together for a laugh, and of course to spoil my baby! It was great to catch up with Michelle and Karen from my old work and to see Naomi and Sara out of a work situation (I only ever see them in the Notary or at their office to pick up documents or a cheque for my husband). And Sandy has just got back from a romantic trip to Dubai and she looks amazing so I got a snippet about her successful trip too. I made cupcakes and pink jelly, pink dip and smoked salmon pastries as well as pink cocktails (cosmopolitans). Unfortunately most of the girls were driving so I wasn't able to get them too hammered!

Sophia and Karen enjoying a cocktail, fag and a chinwag

Sandy looking laidback and glamourous as always

Smiley Michelle wondering where the waiter is with her cocktail

Adorable little ballet shoes from Naomi and Sara

Tiger's bedroom is coming along nicely!

Our friend Mark from New York, an art dealer, popped around for a casual BBQ

Took Tiger on her first shopping expedition on Saturday (first in honour of her anyway). We bought her cot plus bedding, a pram, a chest of drawers with bath and change table and a bouncy hammock. It was fun. And we managed to get some things on sale so hubby was happy! They are all being delivered this week so I will have fun putting the nursery together.

I went for the 34 wk scan this morning (i'm just starting week 35). Tiger is in a perfect position with head down and her spine to my right. She looks adorable all ready! Really plump now with a big round head which is going to make my life difficult! Her head shows 35.6 weeks while the rest of her body is showing gestational age of 35 weeks.

I spent nearly 2 hours with the doctor, running through all my questions and telling him my thoughts on how I would like the birth to proceed. Thank goodness he is in agreeance with everything that I said and laughed at how much research I had obviously done. So basically now I just wait till the contractions start! We have our last ante-natal class tonight then we are on our own.

Went to Gibraltar on Saturday to visit Mothercare and spend lots of money on a pram, cot etc. We got there just after 2pm and the store had shut as had most stores other than Marks & Spencer. Bugger. What a strange place it is! Gibraltarians are in-bred and how it shows! And they seem to speak Spanish and English in the same sentence. Well it was an experience but I was glad to get out of there and don't think I'll be going back to be perfectly honest!

My week 33 body

Week 32 Body

Surely I can't get much bigger!

We went for our 32 wk checkup and I have put on 3kgs since last month bringing me to 70.6. That's 15kg or 2.36 stone so far! Tiger is growing rapidly now and her head and legs are bigger than average. I hope this means she will come early because I think I will explode if it's another 8 wks! She is still looking very much like daddy.....

We are still not sure where I will be giving birth. It's ante-natal class day today so should be interesting. It's also the Champions League semi final with Manchester United playing so I doubt whether my husband will be concentrating on anything other than getting out of there pronto! Thank goodness for SKY+ !

My new cleaner, Mariella, is working out beautifully. She is upstairs cleaning the bathrooms as I sit here typing. Fantastic! She comes twice a week and it is making a big difference to my life. She's a young Polish girl who is very keen and and a good worker. Her boyfriend valets our cars which is how I got hold of her.

I've been researching Berlin property for the past few weeks. We are planning to purchase our next investment property there if all works out. I've been speaking to a property sourcer who is going to gather a range of the best properties in our budget and make appointments to see them. Tanc will go over for a couple of days to check them out and hopefully find one to buy. Unfortunately I won't be able to fly now till after the birth but I can't wait to check Berlin out. It sounds amazing!

Off to do my Spanish homework now. Haven't done anything for a week as we have had another national fiesta holiday...

Birthday Boy!

Monday was my darling husband's birthday so he decided he'd like a BBQ/party on Saturday. We were incredibly unlucky with the weather as it had been lovely just prior and just after Saturday but party day was grey and drizzling constantly. The party went on regardless, in the house and outside on the terrace, under the awning. We had plenty of food, champagne and other bevs, and brilliant music supplied by our friend Frank from London who had lengthened his trip specifically to play DJ. So the rain soon became an issue no longer..... I had worked like a dog, shopping and cooking, making all the food from scratch so when it actually came time to socialise, I was shattered. I only managed 2 hours before I snuck off to bed for the rest of the night. By all accounts it was a very successful party and birthday boy certainly enjoyed himself. There were a few bodies lying around the next morning and I found a few questionnable items which lead me to believe that a wild night was held by all. I'm glad I was safe in bed! Item no. 1, a pair of ladies knickers on the stairs, item no. 2 a pony tail in the rubbish bin. Strange! Our friend Mark from New York texted next day asking who cut his hair but no-one has owned up to the knickers. I'm not surprised!

Enjoying the BBQ

Look at the size of me!!!

Tanc thanking Sophia for his birthday badge

Theo providing the entertainment

The blonde contingent, Clover, Charles and Sandra

The Wags getting down to Frank's toons

(A big thankyou to Diana and other mystery photographers for making sure the night was recorded)

On Monday, T's actual birthday, we attended our first ante-natal class held by Anne a lovely Irish midwife, highly experienced in Spain, along with 8 other couples. They all seem very nice so hopefully we will make some friends as well as get prepared for 'the main event'!!! Tanc even managed to watch the graphic DVD although he admitted later that he couldn't look at one bit and I assured him i was quite happy for him to stay up the top end during the birth!

Semana Santa

Friday morning we drove down to Tarifa, past Gibraltar and Algeciras. We were booked onto the 1pm ferry to Tangier. It is just under 1 hour from home to Tarifa and then 35 mins across the Strait to Tangier. The time-consuming component of the trip is the queuing - first for boarding passes, then through security. So from home to the hotel in Tangier was 4 hours. When we pulled into the port of Tanger I was filled with both excitement and trepidation. I had heard so much about the city's glamorous bohemian past (it used to be known as sin city) but had also listened to so many first-hand tales of drama, frustration and displeasure.

We were advised by Clover to only take a yellow cab, not a blue one. We soon saw why! The blue ones were tiny old Fiats and the drivers were freakishly kamikaze! The yellow cabs were old Mercedes saloons and the drivers more controlled. It was a 5 min drive to our hotel at the entrance to the Medina. We stayed at El Minzah which is one of the oldest and most famous 5 star hotels in Tanger, built in the 30's and frequented by many an artist and movie star.

We decided not to hire a guide to take us around the Medina but had difficulty convincing a gentleman that we hadn't booked him, we had only enquired how much and he proceeded to walk with us for a good while. It is such a unique atmosphere in the old part of town, almost ancient. It was sometimes reminiscent of a scene from Star Wars with Obi One Kanobi lookalikes walking around everywhere and strange creatures in robes.

The first day was spent gathering our bearings and deciding what to purchase and our purchasing strategy. I was nervous and felt quite self-conscious. Everyone was staring at my belly as though they had never seen a pregnant woman before. During the day there were mostly men around. They just seem to sit around all doing not much, except the ones trying to lure tourists into their shops. There were groups of men of all ages just sitting around, for example looking out to sea. We decided that with all the praying they had to do there was not much time for anything else. At the call to prayer there is a mass exodus, then afterwards a return to the buzzing streets. In the evening the streets really come alive with more stalls and men accompanied by women, although not showing any overt signs of affection we noticed.

We must have drunk several litres of mint tea throughout the day, resting in between our walking back and forward through the maze of the kasbah, trying to look like we knew where we were headed! When we got back to the hotel we were exhausted. We ate in one of the hotel restaurants serving traditional Moroccan fare which was delicious however the service was very Faulty Towers! We went to bed early but were kept awake by the horrendously loud thumping music of a Moroccan wedding taking place downstairs!

Next morning we woke to a gorgeous sunny day and enjoyed a delicious buffet breakfast including pancakes, eggs, fruit and more mint tea for me! We set off early on the purchasing expedition to get some shopping in before checkout at midday. I was much more confident and relaxed and even wore my camera around my neck. We had a fantastic day and got to experience another side to the people. We experienced the humble, generous, trusting and trustworthy side of Tangerinos which was far from what I was expecting. And we bought some amazing items for the house - 2 carpets, a teapot, 4 cushion covers, a tray and a shirt. Tanc is amazing at bargaining. He plays them at their own game. I have no doubt we bought our items lower than any other tourist that day. He always said it was in his blood! He even managed to get 50% off the hotel bill after complaining about the noise overnight!

Week 29 Body:

Went shopping yesterday and bought about 10 outfits for Tiger from H & M. Uh oh! Not bad though, got a lot for 82 euros!