26 Saturday Jan 2008
Posted in birthdays, friends, life stuff
That’s what it’s called – little black dress fragranced body bar.
Bonus post today as I’ve just received a belated birthday prezzie from the lovely nursemyra. Trust her to come up with sexy soap! It really does smell divine and it also does behove one to stretch out birthday celebrations as long as possible.
Muchísimas gracias, honey! 
12 Saturday Jan 2008
It might have appeared to some of you that Nog was conspicuously absent from my birthday post the other day. That’s because he was actually absent or, to be more precise, he was being a grumpy old git. But I wasn’t about to not have a happy birthday just because I was being ignored. And you guys all really helped with that – thanks again for all the good wishes and making me feel special and cared for.
So anyhow, Mr Grumpy finally came out of his slump this week and said that he wanted to make up for the ‘lost birthday’ and so I’m having a second birthday today. Started off with Nog bringing me arabic pastries in bed with hot coffee. Then he had to go out and give a class so I went to the gym and we both got home around the same time. We had a bit of shopping to do and while we were in the supermarket Nog asked me what we were going to have for lunch. I just looked at him like he’d suddenly sprouted four heads and went off to get some cava. When he caught up with me he said – “Let me rephrase that… where would you like me to take you for lunch?” Yay! 🙂
I suggested we try the dining room at Enrique Becerra (we’ve only ever had tapas at the bar there) but as it was already 2 o’clock and we didn’t have a reservation I wasn’t very hopeful about getting a table. And sure enough, when we turned up the bar was totally packed and we were told the dining room was fully booked. In desperation I said to the maître de … ” oh no! But it’s my birthday!” – and one of the waiters standing nearby stage whispered to him “but it’s her birthday!!!” – and so it was suggested that we be taken up to ‘the office’, which in fact is a small private dining room for two, and totally charming. It really couldn’t have been lovelier. We were very well taken care of by Pablo and Rafa. Pablo even said we could have one of our favourite starters from the tapa menu (the dining room menu is a bit different). And well, the meal was just fabulous!
You can see the pics here … Enrique Becerra (scroll down to photos 18-22)
Not sure if Nog has anything else planned for this second birthday, but if not I’ll happily rewatch the first episode of House (season 4) at 8.30, drink some more cava and maybe enjoy my last packet of Orville’s. Anyhow, I’m glad he’s stopped being an old grumpy boots… and it was very nice being taken out for a birthday lunch. So I guess I can take the ‘looking for a new flatmate’ ad out of the paper now. 😉
07 Monday Jan 2008
Posted in birthdays, home, life stuff, sevilla, spain
And so I’ve been thinking about what it means to be actually in my fifties now. Feels a bit unreal, to be honest. Kind of like something that happens to other people. But of course I’m glad to have made it to another birthday and today, unless Nog has something special planned, I think I’ll just buy a bottle of 
and enjoy this last day of the holiday season with a good book or a film and some of my favourite popcorn (my friend guspemar picked some up for me when he was in New York last week). And I may even get round to changing the only-a-woman-in-her-50s-would-be-caught-dead-wearing frumpy brass buttons on my pretty new M & S red cardy , so that I can finally wear it.
It’s the custom in Spain (or so I was once told) that the birthday person buys everyone in the bar a drink, not the other way round, so ever since that first birthday in Salamanca that cost me a small fortune, I’ve pretty much stayed clear of bars on the 7th of January. Of course, virtual bars are quite a bit more economical (well, except for the buying a computer bit), so please come in and make yourself at home… and welcome to my birthday! 
06 Thursday Sep 2007
05 Sunday Aug 2007
Posted in animals & pets, birthdays, home, love, photos
Born August 5, 1993 at 10.30 am
Well, the approximate time. Lua’s four kittens were born between 10-11 am and there was no way of telling them apart. That pic is of Sunny just after we moved from Salamanca to Sevilla – he was 6 weeks old. I can’t believe he was ever that small.
And now as I write he is almost exactly 14 years old. Big lovable hunk o’ dude that he is.
Here are some BIRTHday photos… 
casa azahar 