Hojas De Caramelo

Toffee managed to get me away from the comfort of my bed today. He had this mad idea that he wanted to play hide and seek. He also managed to hoodwink Don D. y Señora Comecocos into his game plan. He picked the short straw so we all went and hid. I found a great place up an oak tree. Don D. went to Bar Olivo and Señora Comecocos found a tranquil spot on the river. The only things Toffee had found after an hour were 5 oranges, 17 walnuts, 8 avocados and 12 lemons. He gave up trying to find us. I was the only one who appeared from hiding. I told him to go and hide. Like a puppy with a bone he scampered off. I counted to 50, looked over the ledge and there he was. He had made so much noise rustling in the leaves it wasn't too difficult. He got all sulky. Still haven't seen Don D.

Factoid: 1528, Chocolate Arrives in Spain: Cortès presented the Spanish King, Charles V with cocoa beans from the New World and the necessary tools for its preparation. And no doubt Cortès taught him how to make Chocolate. The Spaniards mixed the beans with sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and cinnamon. The results were tantalising, coveted, fashionable, and reserved for the Spanish nobility which created a demand for the fruits of his Spanish plantations. Chocolate was a secret that Spain managed to keep from the rest of the world for almost 100 years! It is no secret that Chocolate has enjoyed a reputation as an aphrodisiac ever since Conquistadores first became aware of the "pagan" ways of the Aztecs who regarded chocolate as a medicine, but probably not as an aphrodisiac.