Category Archives: spain

whirlwind week

18 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by in friends, restaurants, sevilla, social media, spain, tapas, tapas tours, work

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In the middle of a whirlwind week! Not only am I up to my eyeballs in tapas tours, but I’ve also got a lot of social media stuff on the go, as well as my own websites to keep up with and update. Then there are the day-to-day things to take care of, plus trying to get to the gym.

In the midst all of this I have not one but two special guests visiting this week, one of whom will be staying with me. Which of course has meant trying to fit in a very serious spring clean-up (overdue, but nothing like a house guest to get those gears moving). I can’t complain that my social life is suffering because my work and my guests ARE my social life. I just need a few extra hours in the day.

How’s your week going?

the catnip connection

15 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by in animals & pets, cats, sevilla, social media, spain, tapas, travel, trips, work

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One of the many things I love about doing the Sevilla Tapas Tours is that little “click” that sometimes happens when you meet people. And although I just met Katrina and her family in person today that “click” actually happened a few days ago when she sent me an email saying she was counting the days until her trip to Sevilla and sent me a photo of her four cats chowing down – she had found her way over to casa az and it turns out her family knew all about my cat family! And she even brought them prezzies! A whole whack of catnip toys.  🙂

And as I have promised Bianca pics of my cats playing with their new toys, here they are. Sorry that Azar is missing, but at his age he can be excused (for just about anything). Anyhow, in the middle photo you can see – typically! – that Luna and Loki are far more interested in the packaging than the toys themselves. But later they played around with them on my chair and after that on my bed, and I am sure that hours and hours of fun lie ahead for them.

Thank you Katrina, Val and Bianca for such a great gift, and also for a lovely afternoon.

rained out

04 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by in culture, fiestas, religion, sevilla, spain

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[click on image to enlarge]

Things have been very quiet around here Semana Santa-wise. After months of scarcely any rainfall it’s pretty much been coming down non-stop since Palm Sunday. Tomorrow it looks like it may lift for about 24 hours before starting up again on Friday.

Above are some pics I took on Monday evening. It was quite sad to see everything deserted and the odd nazareno – like that young boy – making his disconsolate way home after his procession was cancelled.

On the right are a couple of rogue nazarenos I saw yesterday, making their way over to their church. But about an hour later the skies really opened up. Me? I was all cosy at home in PJs watching a film on DVD with Peter and the cats, as I will be again this evening. But tomorrow I have a tapas tour – I don’t know what I was thinking! Oh right, about paying the rent 😉 …. but in fact I do love a challenge and so it should be an interesting night.

It’s actually been a few years since I’ve gone out following the processions and looking for the best vantage points. But I do love Semana Santa and the general upheaval and chaos. I don’t even mind the inconvenience of shops being closed or not being able to get out and about because of the crowds. I guess a part of me enjoys how this crazy week really shakes things up. And in spite of loving my “new” home I still miss hearing La Madrugá played below my bedroom balcony on Martes Santo… so glad now I got up to film that video as it was my last time.

Oh, and this is also the first time in my 19 years here that the orange blossom (azahar) has coincided with Semana Santa. It also seems to be lasting a bit longer this year. Heaven.

awful afflelou

28 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in rants, sevilla, shopping, social media, spain, wtf?

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Exactly a week ago today I came home with my new glasses, something I was quite pleased about because I’d finally found a pair of lightweight frames that were cute and suited me. It’s always difficult finding frames to fit my wide face, mostly these days because shops only tend to stock glasses in “average sizes”. Used to be I could try on a frame and, if I liked it, ask to try it in a larger size. But I digress…

I’d gone out shopping with my friend Fourat because I wanted to get another opinion that I felt I could trust, and our second stop that morning was the Alain Afflelou store near my house. I honestly wish we’d kept going now. Before ordering the lenses for the new glasses I told the salesclerk that the frames were too tight on the right side and he said – no problem! – and that when the glasses came back with the prescription lenses they would do the final adjustments then.

Well, as you know, when I picked up the glasses and got the final adjustments done, I noticed after I got home that the lenses were no longer aligned with the frames. In fact, they were quite wonky. So the next day I went back and was surprised to be told that those particular frames couldn’t be adjusted without warping the frame. Well, not MY problem, right? And so, although I was disappointed that I’d have to keep on looking for glasses I reckoned what the heck and asked for a refund. And that’s when it ALL WENT TO HELL…

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