Category Archives: retail therapy

crazy clutter

19 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by in culture, retail therapy, sevilla, spain

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[click on image to enlarge]

Don’t you just love old shops like this? I’ve been going to Bazar Victoria ever since I first moved to Sevilla, which used to be a challenge because most things are “in the back” somewhere and have to be asked for. I think the staff quite enjoyed my miming and bad Spanish whilst trying to get across what I wanted. These days I am more likely to see some cool kitchen gagdet in the window and have to get them to explain what it’s used for, which is also fun. Though I can never tell when Amalio is being serious so I’m still not convinced that the cricket cages are for real…

Do you have a favourite old shop like this where you live?

[more about Bizare Victoria on azahar’s Sevilla blog]

just another day…

04 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by in food & drink, friends, restaurants, retail therapy, sevilla, spain, wine, work

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Yesterday started off as usual, though I was a bit miffed at having to miss the gym due to a late morning meeting. But the meeting went well and after a late lunch at home I thought I’d stay in and get some work done. I recently got commissioned to write a short piece for a very prestigious travel mag and wanted to get a good start on that. But I had a couple of other things on my to-do list and thought I’d get those out of the way first, and so I popped over to take a wine photo for one of my social media clients and then planned to pick up a new dish draining rack on the way home and get back to work. But first…

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new towels

31 Tuesday Jan 2012

Posted by in cancer, home, hope, retail therapy

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I love new towels, but have yet in my life been able to buy the sort of towels I would really love to have (same deal goes with sheets). And as I can usually get by with worn out old towels – in other words, they are seldom a priority – it isn’t until they start getting a bit transparent that I go out in search of new ones. Best time for that here is during the after-Christmas or summer sales. Like now!

This is one of the many up-sides to having a working roommate who can pay his way – that there is actually enough money to buy stuff like this without it being such a big deal.

Also, since the whole cancer thing, I don’t tend to spend money on *stuff* unless it’s something very useful that would improve day-to-day quality of life. Heck, I haven’t even bothered to get my teeth fixed after losing fillings in two of them simply because there’s not that much money to go around and I’d rather spend it on experiences and enjoying life. Like going out for tapas, taking short trips, things like that. Oh, and an iPad. Maybe.

As usual, so much is hinging on the results of the next PET scan. It’s so stressful living in these six-month cancer-free stretches of time, never knowing if the next scan will bring bad news, never knowing how far I can plan ahead. And if anyone tells me I should THINK POSITIVE… well, just don’t, okay? You have no idea what this is like.

Meanwhile, the new towels are lovely and soft…

susana perezosa

14 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in cooking, home, retail therapy, spain

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AKA Lazy Susan. A bit weird that in Spain they use a literal term (bandeja giratora = revolving tray) rather than a literal translation. In Portuguese they are known as “Susana preguiçosa”, which would be “Susana perezosa” in Spanish.

Anyhoodle, do you have any idea how hard these f*ckers are to find in Sevilla? That is, without spending the better part of a day hiking out to IKEA on the bus (which isn’t actually in Sevilla anyhow)? Well, it’s hard. I’ve been looking out for Lazy Susans ever since I moved into the latest casa az last February and have not seen them anywhere. But it turns out that a few places have started stocking them for the holiday season as they tend to be used here more for entertaining than the practicial use I’ve always thought they were made for.

Which is to be able to get at stuff in corner cupboards.

As you can see in the photo in this blog post, I’ve got a very deep corner cupboard just above the microwave. I never know what’s in there and can’t reach into it without getting up on the footstep thingy. And so yesterday I finally managed to find a couple of inexpensive Lazy Susans made of bamboo, which fit perfectly into my corner cupboards. Am now thinking of getting another one for the cupboard below. And maybe a smaller one for my spice cupboard! I’m so pathetically thrilled that I can now easily reach up for access to this cupboard after so long. But hey, simple pleasures and all that.

Anyone know why they are called Lazy Susans?

my elixir

08 Tuesday Nov 2011

Posted by in christmas, retail therapy

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It’s always a drag running out of perfume before Christmas. Not because I expect it as a gift but because I prefer buying the gift boxes that come with a couple of extras and are actually cheaper than just buying a bottle of perfume. And I can usually only find these around Christmas time (though I think they may also do some for Valentine’s and Mother’s day).

Well, I ran out of my Clinique Elixir a couple of weeks ago. In previous years I have waited it out until Christmas, making sure I spritzed up at the Corte Inglés perfume counter while walking by. But this year I was sure that there must be a left-over gift box hanging around somewhere in Sevilla, so while out and about I’ve been stopping in at every place that carries perfumes and finally found this last night. One lonely gift box on the shelf with body lotion and travel spray “extras”, all in a cute toiletry bag (perfect for those monthly trips I’ll be making to Málaga). So there. Perserverence paid off.

And I now smell fabby again. I get asked a lot what my perfume is – I think it really suits me.