Thursday 18th August

Went out for dinner with a couple of Hop friends...Alex and Anna, and Anis and his wife, Nuria. Alex has just come back from a month in Russia, having not been home for nearly 10 years! He is not an emotional person (very stalwart and Slavic looking, with heavy eyebrows, heavy cheek bones and an even stronger jaw line) but Anna said that the first week he was there he just kept waking up, unable to believe he was really there. He was showing me videos on his phone of family parties, and I joking said is that the vodka bottle? (I thought it was a bottle of water), to which he replied that his Nan had been drinking her home brewed hooch for 70 years. Even stranger, he is totally tee-total, although he said he nearly caved. What really touched me was that he brought Lucy a Matrouchka doll, and went specially to this huge warehouse/shop in Moscow to pick it out, despite the huge amount of family obligation he was under.
We went to a lamb place on the road up to Calleo Salvaje, which I had been to years ago. El Rancho del Guanche (I think) Food ok, but the company was excellent. I only know Anis very slightly (as in 'hello' when Hop introduced me about 3 years ago) and had never met his wife before, but she is one of those rare people who I like instantly. Went for a few drinks in Adeje afterwards and when we came home, I was able to sleep soundly, having left the mummy purse behind and only taken my cash and keys. Sensible girl!!!
The other point worthy of note was that as we left home the heavens opened and there was a rainstorm, complete with thunder claps!