new shoes 2025!

12 Wednesday Nov 2025

Posted by in retail therapy, seasons, shoes, shopping

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Trying out these Fluchos, a Spanish brand that seem to be better quality (and better priced) than Camper. I realised that the last time I bought shoes was back in 2021 (actually bought in 2019 but I didn’t wear them for two years).  Last winter I actually got by on these refurbished favourites (from 2017) but sadly the time has come to retire them. And yes, okay, I did buy these ones a couple of years ago but turned out they were just too ugly after all so I returned them.

My point is… I needed new shoes and I am hoping these ones will work out. It’s always so stressful buying shoes because of my triple EEE wide “duck feet” (narrow heels), requiring a usually quite painful breaking in period, and I never know what’s going to break first, the shoes or me, until it happens. So I am wearing these guys around the house for awhile before trying them outside. Fingers crossed. 

sevilla european film festival

11 Tuesday Nov 2025

Posted by in art, cats, films, sevilla

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LOVE this year’s poster for the Festival de Cine Europeo de Sevilla. Sevilla-based illustrator José Luis Ágreda was inspired by traditional posters for Seville’s spring festivals and incorporated iconography from cult European films, including Sergio Leone’s Dollar Trilogy and the cat from ‘Flow’. The other two Ágreda created for this poster series featured Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire and Fellini’s La Dolce Vida (and the cat!). I recognised that horse right away as it’s from one of my favourite feria posters from 1934.

sherry bar!

10 Monday Nov 2025

Posted by in friends, sevilla, sherry, sherry week, spam

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There is a lovely sherry bar around the corner from my house and for Sherry Week they were holding a sherry tasting by one of my favourite bodegas, Lustau. How could I resist? So on Friday evening I went with Peter, Sharon and Fiona (aka my angels) and we had a great time tasting four gorgeous dry sherries from Lustau’s Almacenista line:
🥂Fino del Puerto
🥂Manzanilla Pasada de Sanlucar
🥂Amontillado de Sanlúcar
🥂Oloroso del Puerto
Many thanks to Eduardo Rodríguez for being a great host and sherry educator 💛 💫

caturday november 7th 2025

08 Saturday Nov 2025

Posted by in casa azahar, cats, caturday, home

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What a week with Luna. Last weekend she got a bit floppy… wasn’t up to much, didn’t want to eat, was obviously out of sorts and even walking a bit wonky at times. On Monday I arranged an appointment with Vet Sonia but, after some “emergency” feeding of Luna’s favourite paté she was suddenly much perkier so we left the appointment until Thursday. Fine. 

And she seems to be fine. Blood work looks good for a girl her age (14) but she also has a cyst under one nipple, which we have arranged to have removed in December when she goes back for a revision (vets think it’s benign, this is just to make sure). Meanwhile she will be taking omega 3 supplements for slightly elevated cholesterol… and that’s it. Given that her last blood test was over a year ago it seemed prudent to do a proper check up at her age. 

And she was good as gold. Even in the taxi! The first driver at the stand actually refused us saying he had allergies “to both cats and dogs”. Luckily a second guy showed up and no problem. When I said we had a gatita he said “no problem, I have two of my own”… later I told him how the other guy told us he had allergies and that I didn’t believe it, and he said “no way, I don’t believe it either”. Anyhow…

Part of the major stress of bringing the cats to the vet is all the howling and wailing that goes on the minute they are put in the carrier and especially once they hit the street. All those scary sounds and smells, can’t really blame them. But after a bit of complaining at first, once we got in the taxi she was quiet as a mouse. And at the vets… 

I know it has nothing at all to do with me but all of my cats – always – have been easy to work with at the vets. Blood tests? No problem. Xrays? Okey-dokey. Prodding and poking, looking at teeth etc… they just go totally limp. And I love them for it. I mean, I know it’s because they are terrified, if I tried any of that shit at home it would be NO FUCKING WAY but the minute they are out of their realm they lose all their sass. Bless them.

Part of the reason this appointment was moved to Thursday was because there would be two vets on duty that day (for blood extraction etc) and I was all like… but it’s Luna! Anyhow, it’s done. And we’ll see what happens in December.