20 Tuesday Oct 2020
Posted in casa azahar, sevilla, weather
Storm Bárbara is here! Apparently we will be hit with high winds and heavy rainfall over the next few days. There is already reported flooding in Huelva. Good thing I have the winter duvet freshly cleaned so I can cosy up with the cats and stay dry inside. Also good thing I decided to self-isolate this week.
19 Monday Oct 2020
My PA Morcilla loves sitting on my shoulder while I sit at my desk “pretending” to work. And she makes sure that we don’t start netflixing until at least 7 pm. 😉
Truth is, I am working. Just not getting paid for it atm, so in that sense it’s kind of pretend work. I keep updating Sevilla Tapas, and my various social media accounts. I’m staying in touch with people in the biz and am working on getting a couple of new projects started. And I’m helping out my many friends with tapas bars by promoting them as much as possible.
Frankly, I’m worried about losing my home (don’t tell the cats!) since my landlord has not made any offer to lower my rent. The thought of moving (where?? how??) is too stressful to even consider at the moment. I see so many FOR RENT signs up in my street and around town, that have been up for months. You’d think my landlord would prefer to lower my rent than end up with an empty apartment for six months, or maybe longer. But all he has said to me is that if I want to move then that’s fine with him.Nice, huh?
Thing is, moving for me isn’t just an inconvenience. It rips me apart, because for me my home is my refuge and I really work hard to make each place I live in feel like that. In the case of the present Casa Azahar, it took almost a year after moving in before things were set up “just so” and I really felt at home. Okay, there are a few changes I’d still like to make, but present circumstances prevent that. But it’s actually the place I have felt the most at home in my 27 years in Sevilla. The thought of having to leave this home… honestly I can’t even think about it. It’s just too upsetting.
So I don’t know. Each day is another day. And starting today I am going to begin with self-isolation again. Our Covid numbers in Sevilla and Andalucía are WAY UP THERE, and with Madrid and Granada now shut down, it seems we will be next. But you know, I thought I’d get ahead of the game and shut myself down to stay safe, because for sure once our government gets around to doing this it will already be at least a week or two too late.
Today a friend told me his brother may be dying of Covid in the UK. And another friend in Sevilla has told me they had to shut down their bar because one of the staff has tested positive. These are my first “first hand” experiences, from friends who are suffering through this personally. They are not statistics. They are my friends.
And while shut downs are not the answer for many reasons, until we have a proper testing and tracking system in place, what other option do we have? And seriously, don’t get me started on the “herd immunity” idiots who don’t care who else dies because they want their old lives back.
What are we going to do? My cancer training has me just focusing on the day to day stuff… but I really want to do more. Don’t you? Also, we need to stop thinking about GETTING OUR OLD LIVES BACK. Because that just isn’t going to happen, esp since our old lifestyles were in part what created the situation that we find ourselves in now. And so, now what?
13 Tuesday Oct 2020
Posted in restaurants, sevilla
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Every year the second Tuesday in October is designated as the annual Día de la Hostelería. This year it’s more important, and also more poignant, than ever. I’m watching my friends struggling to stay afloat, most are not even making ends meet but they keep on working, they keep on trying. Sadly others have lost their businesses. It’s been a heartbreaking year.
The jury is still out on how safe indoor dining is. Luckily in Sevilla people can eat outdoors pretty much all year round. But for those without terraces it’s harder to comply with the health and safety regulations and still cover costs. Though I do see most trying, in spite of the difficulties.
There has been a scandalous lack of government support for the hospitality industry here in Spain, as well as elsewhere in the world. Even though these places are our second homes, they are where we go to celebrate, to commiserate, to enjoy our lives, to meet up with friends, to not feel alone. They are the heart and soul of our neighbourhoods. And they need our support.
So even if, like me, you can’t afford to go out like before, then change it up. Just stop by a favourite place for a couple of tapas. You don’t have to spend a lot, but it will all add up if enough people do it. Also, go midweek when bars and restaurants are quieter, because that’s when they need us the most. And remember to help them keep things safe for everyone by wearing your mask when you’re not actually eating or drinking, or any time you get up from your table. Also when the waiter comes to your table… if you pull your mask up then you’re helping to protect them too.
We’re all in this together. Ánimo amigos. ❤
02 Friday Oct 2020
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I am amazed at the number of new tapas bars and restaurants that have opened in Sevilla since we began our lockdown “de-escalation” at the end of June. This is optimism in the extreme, and of course I support it, but there is also a bit of trepidation there, hoping they will succeed in spite of the odds. I know that in some cases the restaurants had already invested in opening in the spring, so it’s now either make or break time. Others, like these crazy guys, looked for new ways to expand on what they already had going here, and make it even more fun and interesting.
I give you (L-R) Jota, Juan, Miguel and Esteban standing in front of their newly opened Lola Por Dios. I took this photo the day before the opening and, as usual in these cases, it looked like they would never be finished in time. But of course they were, and were immediately supported by friends and other happy locals looking for a nice place to enjoy amazing wines and Esteban’s singular sherry-based vermouths, along with delicious traditional tapas. Lola por Dios has been going for years, but this past year or so has also been going through some changes. It was a bold move to change locations and to also create this quirky “taberna vertical” with the bar distributed over four floors, with a small terrace outside on the pedestrian street.
Good luck my darlings! xx
24 Thursday Sep 2020
Posted in casa azahar, coronavirus, home, sevilla
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This is the awning over the lovely light-filled patio I share with my downstairs neighbour. Usually I leave it up to her whether to close it or not, since I would always leave it open (love the light) but I also understand that during the hot summer months it’s better to pull the awning closed at midday. So I was doing just that (while my neighbour was away on holiday in August) when I noticed that the cords on the pulleys were starting to unravel. And so of course I have turned it into a METAPHOR OF MY LIFE. 😉
Don’t get me wrong (and please don’t start worrying)… because this is kind of how I always feel anyhow. The pandemic has just, in a way, given me a REASON to feel this way. It’s like now I have an excuse!
Except of course it’s neither that easy nor simple (or funny!) since I now have extra things to actually worry about, like how I am going to make a living, pay my rent, etc and generally support myself. To be honest? I see no way out. To be equally honest? That’s never stopped me before.
If you’re anything like me you’ve also been riding the ol’ hope-and-dread roller coaster since March. I think all things considered I’m doing okay (you don’t have to agree). I still get up up every morning, for starters. But this week has been weird. It’s not like I’ve given up or anything, but I just can’t make myself go out. And I LOVE going out. For my river walks, to stop in at bars for a beer and say hello to my friends there, to do a little shopping. I love all that shit. But now it’s Thursday and I haven’t been outside since Monday afternoon. Weird.
So it feels a bit like I’m unravelling. The core things that have been keeping me going are still there, but the protective covering, like on that awning cord, has been breaking down. It leaves me feeling particularly vulnerable. And afraid. But tomorrow I am definitely shoving myself out the front door no matter what. It’s a plan. But I am also totally fine with having taken a few “days off” (whatever that means any more).
Years ago when I was writing all about my cancer stuff here I got so many responses from other people with cancer who said I helped put into words how they were feeling. That kind of blew me away, because I really don’t know why anyone follows this silly day-to-day blog. ANYHOW… that’s why I’m talking about the ups and downs re: fucking covid. I’m not asking anyone for help, or to make me feel better, I’m just saying how I feel, talking about what I’m going through. And so if there’s even one other person who takes solace in not feeling alone by reading this, then okay. It was worth it.
PS There is ALWAYS tomorrow
casa azahar 