EL HORNO -- THE OVEN

El sabado compré una deliciosa (tenía toda la pinta, por lo menos) paletilla de cabrito que hoy me dispuse a cocinar en el horno. Lo puse a pre-calentar a 200 c. y esperé. No se calentaba. Hay un reloj a la izquierda de los mandos y toqué el botón. De repente se encendieron unas luces rojas con numeritos, di vuelta a las agujas del reloj para pararlas en el 200 pero se me pasó. Di vueltas de nuevo tratando de volver a encontrar el 200. Todo se apagó y empezó a sonar una campanilla (aún sigue despues de más de una hora...). Desesperada, llamé a la puerta de Gemma y Oscar. No están. Fui al primer piso a los vecinos que estuvieron en Canada durante treinta años. No estaban tampoco (acaban de volver de un crucero. Llegaron a las 02:00 según me informó Miguel el vecino de enfrente de ellos). Entonces llamé a Miguel--ya le conozco porque el sabado, muy amablemente, me llevó en coche al pueblo). La verdad que la mar de simpático me dijo que su hijo (se estaba duchando en esos momentos) bajaría a ayudarme. Bajó y el pobre trató de arreglarlo pero no hubo manera. Me dijo que su madre sabría, porque habían tenido un horno igual y que cuando volviera de la compra le diría de venir. Vino pero tampoco hubo manera de arreglarlo (parece ser que tuvo un horno igual pero hace quince años y ya no se acordaba) entonces Margarita que es como se llama la madre, me dijo que le diría a Luisa (la que estuvo en Canada), que también estaba de compras, en cuanto volviese viniese a verlo porque le parecía que su horno era igual. Mientras tanto la campanita no dejaba de sonar... Al poco rato bajó Margarita de nuevo con un plato de merluza con almejas y un entrecôte para que no me quedara ¡sin comer! Qué maja, no me digais...
Al fin llegó Luisa (la de Canada) y ¡arregló el horno! Las lucecitas se encendieron y la fastidiosa campanilla paró de sonar. Como veis tengo unos vecinos la mar de solidarios y simpáticos. Estoy feliz. Miguel, Margarita y Luisa son setentañeros, o sea, de mi quinta...

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On Saturday I bought, what seemed, a delicious kid (goat) shoulder blade which I was, happily, going to roast yesterday. I pre-heated the oven at 200 c and waited. Nothing happened. To the left there was a clock and a button. I pressed the button and the clock lit up red, I moved the needles and numbers appeared. I tried to stop them at 200 but they went ahead until they stopped and a bell started ringing... It rang for more than an hour! Desperate I knocked on Gemma and Oscar's door. They weren't home, so I went upstairs to the first floor where a couple, that had lived in Canada (Sudbury) for thirty years, lives. They weren't home either. Miguel, who lives in front of them, told me they had arrived from a cruise at 02:00 a.m. and that they had gone out shopping because, of course, I knocked on his door also. (I already knew Miguel because on Saturday, he very kindly, drove me to the village). I told him my woes with the damn oven and he said his son (who was in the shower) would come down and help me. He came but didn't manage to fix it (the bell was still ringing) he told me that his mother, who was out shopping, would be able to help me as they had had an oven just like mine. Margarita, the mother, came after about an hour but wasn't able to do anything either as she did have an oven just like mine, fifteen years ago, and she couldn't remember how it worked... She said that Luisa (who had lived in Canada) was sure would help as her oven was like mine. So I waited for about another half an hour with the bell still ringing... In the meantime, Margarita, came down with a dish of hake with clams and a steak so I wouldn't be without lunch! I tried to tell her that I did have more food and to please take it back but to no avail. She insisted and insisted. Really, it was VERY kind of her.
Finally, Luisa (the "Canadian") came and fixed the damn oven!! The bell stopped.
As you can see I have lovely neighbours. I think I'm going to be very happy here. Miguel, Margarita and Luisa are in their seventies, which means that practically, we're all the same generation!