fame!

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BV interview

Once again I am famous!  😉

Bon Viveur got in touch with me a few weeks ago and asked if I wanted to do an interview for their online magazine and I told them I would be happy to as long as they corrected any grammatical errors before publishing it. Ha. Have to say that being asked to do stuff like this as an “expert in my field” by Spanish publications always makes me feel, I dunno, like I have actually arrived. That I’ve been accepted. It means a lot to me. Anyhow, it’s now been published and here it is…

Shawn Hennessey: de Toronto a Sevilla

he’s baaaacckkk!

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he back

No doubt you all remember this guy. And you also may remember that after about a dozen years or so of being flatmates Peter moved out and got his own place in 1997. So I have had just over four years of living on my own, which I have LOVED, and which I especially appreciated during lockdown. But needs must after almost two years of no income and, since I was cut off from all government aid in June 2020, well, living alone is a luxury I haven’t actually been able to afford for quite some time.

As for Peter, who is now living on his UK pension, he will also save on monthly expenses, and get to live in a bigger and nicer place – WITH CATS – in a neighbourhood that he prefers to where he is now.

Now we just have to see if we can still live together! At least he’s the devil I know.  😉

welcome back blue!

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sun's back

After close to two weeks of constant RAIN the sun is back and so is our beautiful blue sky. The good news is that during this time our reservoirs have gone from less than 30% to more than 50% full, which is wonderful. I’ve only gone through one serious drought in Sevilla, with water shortages and restrictions, and now it looks like we are going to be spared that this summer.  🙏🏻

my first antigen test!

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antigen test

So it’s been a crazy week. I was a bit sniffly with a sore throat the other day and then started thinking about the tapas tours I had booked over Christmas and then I started to get worried. Last week was when infection numbers started going through the roof again – we are back to level 3 – and the idea of being at close quarters with maskless strangers for 4 hours made me nervous not just for me but for them. Because I had no idea if I was infectious and antigen tests were (and still are) as rare as hen’s teeth. All the farmacias were sold out.

And so I cancelled the tours. And felt terrible about it because I have never cancelled a tour before this, not in twelve years. I mean, there were only 4 of them, but they were also my only source of income for December.  So aside from apologising profusely and returning all the deposits, I also spent a considerable amount of time with each client making sure they were set up by booking places for them, giving lots of recommendations, and in some cases even recommending what they should order at each tapas bar. I just didn’t want to leave them in the lurch, especially as the cancellations were quite last minute.
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dan jamón

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dan jamon

Remembering my pal Dan Jamón who loved life, travel, good food and wine, Christmas, and he especially loved his wife Deb. Last time they were in Sevilla they gave me this great Christmas card with matching tree ornament, to remind me of London, where they lived. The ornament has been on my bookcase since then, and the other day I found the card tucked away with some Christmas stuff, and that will now stay up on the shelf with the little London bus. If two people were ever meant to spend a long and happy life together it was Dan & Deb but, sadly and most cruelly, cancer cut that life short. My thoughts have been with both of them since Deb told me the heartbreaking news last week. Such a gentle lovely man, I know his memory will be a blessing to all who knew him.