Category Archives: summer

the windy wind & the wavy waves

04 Monday Jul 2011

Posted by in summer, travel, trips, video

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I took this short video yesterday morning around 10am at a chiringuito (beach bar) next to where I’d had breakfast. I had meant to do my usual seaside walk and get my toes wet, but it was so darned windy that I didn’t dare get to close to the water lest I got swept in…

Just look at how those beach umbrellas are flapping away! It was actually a gorgeous morning to sit out there, and the cool “poniente” wind was a welcome change after several weeks of HEAT in Sevilla, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to hear anything I was saying (just as well) or the nice Paco de Lucía music playing in the background (pity).

Got back home at mid-day to a slightly cooler Sevilla (the poniente reached this far!). But this is all going to change tomorrow as we get back to sweltering summer temps. Anyhow, got unpacked and showered and snibbled the kittehs like mad, then some grocery shopping and lunch. And after that a trip to the hospital to see my oncologist. Am now waiting for Jessica to return from Germany … tapas await us.

How was your weekend?

zahara de los atunes cata

29 Wednesday Jun 2011

Posted by in food & drink, summer, tapas, trips, wine

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Remember how I was supposed to go to Vejer and Zahara de los Atunes a couple of weeks ago. Then what with a sick kitteh and other issues, I decided it would be best to stay home. But not this weekend!

Azar has been doing great the past couple of weeks and so I am going to join two of my clients (and friends) for a fabulous food and wine tasting (una cata) with tuna almadraba from La Sal and the amazing wines from Jorge Ordoñez & Co. in Zahara de Los Atunes on the Cádiz coast. Will be going on Saturday and probably coming home again sometime Monday. Agustín says I can stay at their place so it’ll just cost me bus fare and a meal or two. Really really looking forward to it!

weekend plans and other stuff…

16 Thursday Jun 2011

Posted by in food & drink, friends, restaurants, spain, summer, tapas, travel, trips, work

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So what the heck.

Have been invited to Vejer to participate in a cooking class headed by the fabulous Annie B, and I am to stay over in the “yellow guest suite”, which sounds delightful. The next day Annie is going to drive me down to Zahara de los Atunes where we will have a delicious lunch in the village before she drops me off in Atlanterra so I can get down to work.

Said work involves taking photos and lots of notes about my Seville client’s sister restaurant in Zahara, which I already know well from my visit there two years ago. You may recall the time my friend Agustín asked me to look after their old pup Mini while they were away in Mexico. Not sure if this time I’ll be able to stay over at Agustín’s because he’s having work done on the place, but if not my client Charo says she can put me up. So why not?

And since you’re probably wondering… no, it never occurs to anyone to pay me extra for going out of town or spending days at events with them. At least, not so far. And so far I am more or less okay with that because I am trying to prove myself to them, that I really am a valuable asset. And, it must be said, a lot of the extra work is actually quite fun. But it doesn’t pay the rent.

There will be another trip to Zahara in early July – just overnight again – to make a video of a wine and food pairing evening with two of my clients. Which I think is going to be amazing. Stay tuned…

I give in!

15 Wednesday Jun 2011

Posted by in home, sevilla, summer, tapas, twitter, weather, work

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It’s too darn hot…

And yes, I know it’s not nearly as hot as it’s going to get (and bear in mind that when it says it’s 36º it’s usually a good 5º hotter than that in the centre of town) but Nog and I just got back from his first “dress rehearsal” Sevilla Walk, with our twitter pals @annalibera and @jorgeguitian, and I finally put on the AIR CONDITIONING. Because I can.

And man, does it ever feel good. Even taking the inside temp down from 31 to 28 feels amazing, especially after a nice cool refreshing shower. But I mostly did this because when I got in I saw that Azar had thrown up on my bed (just “water” but all over the clean sheets I’d just changed last night) and then I found him hiding underneat the bed  looking decidedly floppy. So I decided he needed a little cool down time, during this hottest part of the day.

I had hoped to hold out until July, but oh well. I shudder to think what every hour of centrally cooling down all 90 square metres of this place will cost, but I reckon that an hour at lunch time and an hour in the evening before bed should help get us through the worst of it. And I have to say that it feels so luxurious to be able to come home and be comfortable! I expect to feel just as amazed next winter when I don’t have to wear four layers and shiver in front of a space heater. Now I just have to figure out how to pay for this luxury.

To wit… the first run of Nog’s Sevilla Walk went well. Still some editing and fine tuning to do, but over-all I think Anna and Jorge enjoyed themselves. Afterwards we had some great tapas at La Giganta. Cheap too! All that food and two drinks each for just 8 euros a person…

brand new walking tours!

07 Tuesday Jun 2011

Posted by in change, sevilla, spain, summer, work

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So okay, this came about yesterday while wondering how the heckity Nog was going to not just get through the summer, but also get by in general, teaching English classes here.

For the past year or so he hasn’t been doing well in that department and so, instead of trying to flog that tired old horse (I gave up trying to make a living teaching after getting off last chemo two years ago) I came up with this brilliant idea – private walking tours!

And very special tours, where Nog would take people to unusual and “not on the tourist map” places, perhaps throw in a coffee break, and also give advice on other great places to visit, fab tapas bars and other stuff people want to know. I think it’s going to be a winner.

Of course he is a bit nervous, but in fact he knows more about the history of Sevilla than I do, and I know he loves teaching and sharing knowledge, so I really think this is going to be up his street.  And now to get busy promoting it – wish him luck!

Sevilla Walking Tours