Category Archives: friends

a day in the life…

17 Wednesday Sep 2025

Posted by in casa azahar, friends, home, sevilla

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Me: I can’t find the new envelopes.
Peter: I didn’t touch them.
Me: They were in your shopping bag.
P: I don’t remember seeing them.
Me: Except you TOOK THEM OUT OF YOUR SHOPPING BAG.
P: Then what did you do with them?
Me: I didn’t do anything, you must have put them somewhere.
P: I don’t remember putting them anywhere.
Two hours later…
Me: I FOUND THE ENVELOPES.
P:
Me: They were in my office drawer. I had already put the cards inside.
P:
Me: Well you still took them out of your bag and put them in the office.

Long long years of two (most of the time) friends living together. And now mostly bumbling along with bad memories, various dodgy joints and other ailments, and almost daily farcical spats. But it kinda works? Like we’re family by now so put up with each other… and even sometimes like each other 😉 To be honest a lot of 65-70+ peeps would probably do better in this set up than being “looked after” somewhere. At least for the moment what one of can’t do the other one can, and vice versa. But if Peter kicks the bucket before me, goddamn I’ll be annoyed! Who will take out the rubbish and drive me crazy a hundred times a day?? And be that one person I can rely on.

Pam & Gibert

29 Friday Aug 2025

Posted by in food & drink, friends, sevilla, sherry, tapas bars, tapas tours

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Vaughn, Nora Frances, Pam & Gibert

It’s always so lovely when clients become friends. Pam & Gibert were first here in April 2024 and came out with me on both a Flamenco Tour and for a Sherry & Tapas Tasting. We’ve stayed in touch since then and so when I heard they would be stopping in Sevilla briefly at the end of August with another couple we had to do something. But what? I could have offered them a Triana Tour for something different but of course I CAN’T WALK. In fact, the only work available to me since last August has been the tastings because they take place in one bar and I can hobble there and back again at my own snails pace. So then I had a think and put together the “Off The Beaten Path ON CRUTCHES Tour”. And it was actually fabulous.

All the bars were about a five minute walk (ten minute hobble) apart and – most importantly – not far from my house. We started off early at Sevilla’s sherry temple Manolo Cateca in order to get The Table (there’s only one) and while Manolo doesn’t take bookings he agreed to hold the table for me if we got there right at 12.00 noon. Deal! After that a few posh seafood snacks at La Barra de Cañabota followed by the “main course” of traditional tapas at Taberna Zurbarán (who also don’t take bookings but did me a favour). And well, it turned out so well I am tempted to offer it as one of my regular tours, except other than Cañabota I would have to call in a favour each time at the other two places and I don’t want to take advantage. It would work with just two people as we could always squeeze in without having to book everywhere. Hmmm… maybe something to think about.

Anyhow, Pam & Gibert will be back AGAIN next March (“I’m like a bad penny, Shawn”) and I really can’t wait to see them again. Even if just to hear Pam’s wonderful southern accent again… I could listen to her all day.

blues shark

04 Monday Aug 2025

Posted by in friends, sevilla

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last time I saw Steve (left) in London 2019 with my friend Michael

My friend Steve Pay has died. He has had various health issues over the years and then was diagnosed with spinal melanocytoma. The other day he moved into a nursing home but, as his wife Sara told us on his Facebook page, it was still unexpected. Everyone thought he had a bit more time.

I first “met” Steve on an online forum called H2g2, originally started by Douglass Adams and, after his death, taken over by the BBC. That’s when I came in… maybe around 2002? Anyhow, the site was meant to be an online “Hitchhikers Guide” with people contributing articles about subjects they were knowledgeable on., kind of like a pre-Wikipedia. The forum was there for members to discuss… well, whatever. I had a look around before venturing in but then popped into one of the forums “GOD – FACT OR FICTION?” without realising my life was about to change.

It was there that I not only met Steve (aka Blues Shark), but also Peter and a host of other colourful characters, some colourful in a good way, others not so much. Anyhow, lots of discussion ensued on these forums, or as much as dial-up would allow, which ended up with Steve coming down to Sevilla for a week or two in the summer of (I think) 2003 and renting out one of the spare rooms in the apartment next door. I think that short holiday sealed the deal for Steve… he totally fell in love with Sevilla.

The next summer Peter also came down for a holiday and, well, never left. Several other h2g2 pals also made their way down to “Casa Az” to visit over the years. Then one day Steve met Sara, and they started coming down together. Some pics below of them on various visits. But the last time I saw them was on a trip to London a few years ago and then in 2019 I met up with Steve and my friend Michael for lunch at Darjeeling Express, and that was the last time I saw him in person. We kept up a bit on Facebook (really the worst social media platform for me, I lose touch with so many people who only use FB) so I wasn’t really aware of how serious his condition had become. And now he’s gone.

We shared a love of cats, music (esp blues), good food and wine… and chat. That guy loved to talk. Much love to Sara, perhaps one day she will make it back to Sevilla and we can go have a glass of his favourite sangría together. Hasta siempre, amigo mio. 💙 🦈

click to enlarge photo

la saeta

15 Tuesday Jul 2025

Posted by in friends, sevilla, spain, tapas, tapas bars

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Believe it or not I actually went out ON A SATURDAY NIGHT last weekend. Got a whatsapp message from my lovely friend Jeanine during the afternoon to say I should stop by her newest venture, Taberna La Saeta. I’ve been friends with Jeanine since we first met back in 2009. For many years she was a driving force behind La Azotea (check her out personally delivering lockdown takeaway – so much heart)  before leaving to explore other adventures. But now she has come back to hospitality (where she belongs) with a new summer pop-up bar at La Saeta.

Taberna La Saeta is a classic “de toda la vida” tapas bar and is in a great location (ie, not far from my house!) and if things work out the pop-up may end up a permanent thing. I hope so! We stopped in for a few tapitas and it was great. Very cosy, warm vibe, great food and also very good wine.

Wishing Jeanine and her partner (and chef) Juan all success and happiness and I hope to soon put La Saeta page up on Sevilla Tapas very soon. If you’re in Sevilla go and visit. Open every evening from 8 pm.

wines of central & southern spain

03 Thursday Jul 2025

Posted by in andalucia, books, friends, wine

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Look what came today! Been looking forward to this, the companion book to my friend Sarah Jane Evans MW‘s The Wines of Norther Spain. I even get a nice mention for advising Sarah Jane (ever so slightly) about Sevilla wines, still very much unheard of, even here. Excellent timing to help with research I’m presently doing for a couple of Bitesize Sevilla articles as well as an upcoming travel piece for Decanter.

Things are hopping down here in the south. As Sarah Jane says in her book, if she had written the chapter on Andaculía ten years ago it would have been very different. Exciting times. Also nice to see so many people I’ve come to know over the years mentioned in the book. Worth taking a look.