Author Archives: azahar

cut off

06 Friday May 2022

Posted by in covid, hair, sevilla

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cut

So like fuck goddamit! Remember when my lovely hairdresser of more than 20 years Joaquín Curiel died of Covid last year, and then by chance I found a small place near my house that would do a quick wet-down and cut (no blow-drying)? Well, it turns out that as of now the staff there are no longer wearing masks, so that’s a big no way for me. Dammit. Because I don’t want someone who spends their day in close contact with the public breathing all over me at close range, even just for a few minutes. Really all I need is the quickest of cuts, a slightly angled bob, no fuss no muss. And so I turned to the good ol’ Corte Inglés. The down side is that I can’t just pop in and say – can you cut my hair now?? – I actually have to MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. On the other hand, I went in for my cut today at 5 pm and was home again at 5.20. And at least for now all the staff are wearing masks. That’ll do. For now.

second banana

05 Thursday May 2022

Posted by in casa azahar, home, homecooking

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banana

I realise I am late to the party and should have been making banana bread since the first lockdown, but I went stroganoff crazy instead. So sue me. BUT THEN I found myself with a few over ripe bananas (don’t ask) and it seemed like the obvious thing to do. Not having a banana bread recipe, and not wanting to sift through the gazillions of them online, I basically used my lemony poppy seed cake recipe and swapped a few things around. Turned out pretty good, though I should have taken it out of the pan sooner (got a bit mushy on the bottom). What’s your favourite thing to bake? Mine is usually something savoury.

mask upgrade

03 Tuesday May 2022

Posted by in covid, decanter magazine, travel, trips, welcome, work

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mask upgrade

I’ve mostly been relying on surgical masks (made locally) for day-to-day use because I tend to be either outdoors or in well-ventilated indoor situations. BUT… I have a work trip coming up to Barcelona which is both exciting and a bit terrifying. I mean, I haven’t been to BCN since 2014 when I took myself up there for a birthday treat. And I have to say that part of me is really looking forward to being there again, but another part of me is going OMG because, of course, Covid.

Just like the last trip I’ll be taking the AVE fast train direct from Sevilla to Barcelona, a 5.5 hour trip. Which really ends up mostly the same amount of time as flying there (it’s a really short flight). But if you take into account getting to and from the airport, having to arrive at the airport and hour or so ahead of time, and blah blah blah… just no. I really enjoyed the train ride last time. Got to watch a film, read a bit, hang out on social media, and visit the bar car. PLUS I could bring as much luggage as I wanted to.

Of course now the big question is about travelling safely, on a train for all that time. Happily we still have a mask mandate for all public transport, so everyone will have masks on. But it made me think that it was time for a mask upgrade. So I am looking at getting some FFP2/FFP3 KN95/N95 masks for my trip. Still working out what the differences are between them, but clearly they are more effective than surgical masks. Anyhow, wish me luck! My first MAJOR TRIP since March 2020.