May...

As I write this we are in the middle of a thunderstorm, which is quite a surprise given that May has given us a whole month of blue skies, sunshine and temperatures ranging from 25 to 32 degrees Celsius.  This is probably the best time to visit Madrid with all the main squares and streets lined with tables and colourful flower beds and baskets.

This is certainly fine hashing country - last week we were running in the mountains above a town called Manzanares El Real with its medieval castle and a large lake.  The mountains opposite still had snow and the slopes were full of lavender, thyme and wild flowers all in full bloom.

We visited both Segovia and Toledo during May, and whilst Toledo is larger than Segovia with a fine mixture of churches, a synagogue and Moorish architecture, I prefer Segovia with its fantastic view from the Alcazar’s tower across the city and cathedral to the snow capped peaks behind.

The month was tinged with disappointment though with West Ham being relegated to the Nationwide First Division, albeit with the highest number of points that a relegated team has accumulated. We had a great run in losing only once in the last twelve games - we’ll be back!

The other excitement of the month was discovering that my brand new car does not start in sunny weather!  This led to a trip home from the countryside on the back of a recovery vehicle.  It starts fine when left in the shade...bizarre.