Category Archives: casa azahar

casa azahar is 20!

01 Friday May 2026

Posted by in anniversary, blogging, casa azahar, sevilla, writing

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And just like that the most boring blog on the internets turns 20! For any newcomers, the reason for so much weird randomness here is that back in my cancer days I started putting up a post a day, no matter what (or what about), to give myself something to achieve, an activity, since I couldn’t do much else. So you might get a long heartfelt post about my treatment or a quiz or something about the cats. And then I kept on (and on) simply because if I stopped for a while then I’d feel like the next post would have to be about something important or even of interest. Also, whenever I want to know when I last bought sheets or went to Barcelona… well it’s all here!

Thanks for sticking around.
🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂
🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂

pepe matacucas

29 Wednesday Apr 2026

Posted by in casa azahar, cats, home, sevilla

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not a cockroach

It all started on Christmas Eve. Peter had retired early and was all snug in his bed without a care, and I wandered into the kitchen to get a drink and OMG there were three (aack yes, THREE) cockroaches scuttling around on the floor. I quickly grabbed the Shoe of Death and somehow smacked them all to smithereens and it was only after I had taken care of disposing of their ghastly corpses (and the adrenaline started to wear off) that I started to wonder what the hell roaches were doing in my house IN WINTER. In over 33 years, and in all my different Casa Azahars, I had only ever come across 2 or 3 of the fuckers during the summer, which was bad enough. But then I remembered that I actually had 5 sightings last summer, which was unusual. And I have never seen more than one at a time. When I told Peter the next morning he joked about having been visited by the ghosts of Christmas roaches past (not funny).

Anyhow, since then I started seeing random roaches and I wondered if it had something to do with one of the shops downstairs that had had its drains flushed out mid-December. Maybe the roaches had been disturbed and started scattering throughout the building? I don’t know. I finally mentioned it to my downstairs neighbour who insisted she hadn’t seen any so I let it go until I finally couldn’t any more (had actually taken to sleeping with the lights on as sightings had become so frequent). I told my landlord about the problem just over a week ago and on Monday he sent over Pepe Matacucas (Roach Slaying Joe – not his real name) to check things out and he discovered that they were indeed (aaargh) nesting in the kitchen. So today he came over again to, well, slay roaches.

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elixir (again)

23 Thursday Apr 2026

Posted by in casa azahar, home, retail therapy, sevilla

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When Ralph Lauren discontinued the only scent I had ever loved (since my mid-20s) I found myself adrift in a world I don’t especially like and facing the dilemma of how the heck to choose a new signature scent for yourself (the RL had been a gift, a lucky fluke). I don’t like most perfumes, I hate walking through the perfume section at El Corte Inglés, it’s just not my world. But I loved Lauren, it felt like me, and I didn’t know if I’d ever find a replacement. Then years later I found myself back in Toronto for an extended stay (don’t ask, it wasn’t good) but I was staying with my lovely friend Carol and Clinique Elixir was her chosen scent. I remember I loved how it lingered when she passed through a room and so one day I tried it myself. SOLD. I’ve been using it ever since.

Anyhow, it’s not Chanel expensive or anything but ever since I discovered estuches (gift boxes) there was no going back to paying full price just for the eau de parfum when I could also get it much cheaper and with a couple of extras thrown in. So it became strategic buying, not just waiting until I was almost out. Which is what I did today. Because wtf, I’m worth it.