Earthquake!

Last week there was an earthquake very near to Gibraltar, in my opinion a little too close for comfort. According to different websites and news sources the epicentre but I have chosen to look at the Spanish new website of Europa Sur which is a new paper for the Campo de Gibraltar.

They have reported a 4.3 earthquake just 50km north of Gibraltar, close to a town Called Jimena de la Frontera. I did not feel any movement when it happened (it was around 4am last Tuesday) and in the morning I went to check if the wine glasses in the sink had fallen over but they had not moved an inch. The rabbits might have felt it though as that same morning they woke us both very early – we could hear them nervously biting their cages and running and hopping around.

I went into work the next day and I was asking everyone if they had felt anything and no one seemed to have done so.

I know Gibraltar is in a high earthquake zone so little earthquakes come and go all the time, some we do not even get to know about, but this was a moderate one which people in Spain have felt. The last major earthquake felt in Gibraltar was the big earthquake in Morocco a few years back - a minor tremor was felt here.

I am just happy that in this latest movement of earth no got hurt and there are no reports of any damages.

The in-laws are coming.

Next week Nadia’s family will be arriving in Gibraltar for a week and her sister is going to stay for two weeks. Over the last few months I have been planning of what we are going to do and also where we are going to go. Now some of you out there might think it is not too hard as Gib is such a small place but it is harder than it looks.

One of the things we planned is a visit to Granada which will be doing over the Easter weekend. It is not the first time that I have gone to Granada for Easter but this time I am praying for good weather as last time we went, the weather was wet and cold and visiting the Alhambra in the rain was not the best experience. Most of the paths in the gardens and castle, if not all, were very slippery and we even saw some tourists have a nasty fall close to the water steps.

Also it is Semana Santa (Easter Week) in Spain so this year it will be a change of venue to watch the processions and in Granada they are magical to witness as it is stepping into the past in some sections of the city. The most beautiful to watch this would be the candle lit procession under the imposing building of the Alhambra as it goes past in silence, broken only by the passing river.

I have also planned a visit to Ronda but the details on that are still up in the air -it is not too far away from Gibraltar and for me Ronda is like a second home since I go up there so often. We will also do the normal tourist things in Gibraltar but I might be able to skip some things as my in-laws have been here before.

We invited Nadia’s sister to stay an extra week so we are going to be taking her over to Morocco for the weekend as she has always wanted to go. Even though it might just be Tangiers, it will give her a small insight into Morocco.

I am looking forward to the next few weeks but I am also a bit nervous of what they are going to take back from this trip - this is the 1^st time Nadia’s family are coming over to Gib since we met, even though we went over last year.  

Oh, I also think I should brush up my Bulgarian.

A new addition to the family (Pretzel the Bunny)

I went hiking with the scout two weeks ago and on the way back Nadia and me went into Carrefour for some much needed supplies for the house. On the way into the store there is a small pet shop and next to the door was a rabbit cage with all the little rabbits up for sale. There must have been 5 or 6 rabbits there but one of them made me laugh as it was the cheekiest little guy on display - it was sleeping on top of all the others and I fell in love with it, but we decided not to get itas we already have a rabbit at home, Mr Buttons.

This last weekend we went shopping and again we went to Carrefour and the same little guy was still in the shop. Again, he was being cheeky and mischievous to the other rabbits and after some talking while we did some shopping; we decided to go and buy him.

We took him home to meet Buttons (who is about five times bigger); at first the little one was a bit scared of the new place and of Buttons as he was trying to be the boss of the two. But yesterday we had a breakthrough as Buttons did not pick a fight with Pretzel and also Buttons started to lie down on the floor when the little guy was next to him which is a good sign - Buttons seems to be happy that Pretzel is in the house.

Nadia is also in love with little Pretzel as he stays perfectly still when you pick him up and also lies still when you give him a hug or a cuddle, unlike Buttons who tries to get away from you by kicking and scratching. Buttons is now a reformed rabbit too, though - he is much calmer around the little one, I am not sure if it is that he feels old around the newbunny, who knows.

Over the next few weeks I hope they both become the best of friends.

Rock Chef

Last week I saw an ad on Facebook about GBC’s new programme RockChef, and that there were tickets on offer for one of the dinner nights (I think it was the quarterfinal) where the contestants were going to try their menus out on the public.

Before I go into how the night went I am just going to mention what Rock Chef is all about. It is a programme similar to Master Chef & Hell’s Kitchen but with a local flare. The show will be shown on TV at the beginning of April.

The tickets for the dinner were only £20.00 and this was for a 3 course meal which to me sounded like a good deal and a fun night out and in April Nadia and me can say we have been on TV even if it is just in Gibraltar.

The dinner was being hosted by the Yellow House which is just down the road from where I live (quite convenient). There was a dress code for the dinner which made it a bit more fun and Nadia was able to try her new hair styling springs which we had bought from London 2 weeks earlier.

When we arrived at the Yellow House the TV crew was not quite ready to start the event so we were told to wait for a few minutes while they put their finishing touches. We were introduced to the presenter of the show where he explained how the event was going to work out and he also mentioned to ignore the camera – we were asked to ‘participate’ by sharing our opinion on the food. The menus on offer had been created by the two chefs working there on the night - one was fish and the other meat.

The food was good and even though that I knew that the chefs were not professionals, they still prepared a good meal. I had ordered the meat option but I enjoyed Nadia’s fish more, and the Gambas Pil-Pil she had as a starter were the best we have had in Gibraltar. There was a lot of tasting and swapping of food involved!

All in all it was a fun night out. We enjoyed the food and the wine that went it, even though that talking to the camera was a bit nerve-racking but the wine helped there. I am looking forward to seeing Nadia and me on TV and also I finding out who will win Rock Chef.