Tag Archives: friends

man about the house

08 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by in friends, home

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A couple of weeks ago the tap outside on the terraza started leaking. At first I wondered if this might be the cause of my crazy water bills (not to be confused with my insane electricity bills) but it turned out that this leak wasn’t of much consequence. But it was still there. And while I’m pretty good at general home repairs and maintenance there are some things I’ve never had to do – like change a tap – and so I feel a bit out of my depth. I called the landlady’s handyman who’d recently done some work in my kitchen (and who also helped me move my washing machine), but he was busy on a job and had no free time for a couple of weeks. And I sure didn’t want to call in a professional plumber because my landlady had told me this was something that happened after I moved in so I’d have to pay for it…

Then my friend Pablo came to the rescue. He stopped by tonight and said the tap needed to be replaced and that he’d pick one up and do it for me sometime in the next few days. And it turns out he’ll also replace the crappy taps in my bathroom! Well, I’ll have to buy the taps, but he said he could do the work for me. I’m so happy because these taps have been driving me mental since I moved in and the landlady had her guy “fix” them while he was doing odd jobs, but basically they are old crappy taps and beyond repair.

Then, since Pablo seemed to know about these things, I asked about the possibility of changing the electric ceramic cooker (only 3 out of 4 burners work properly) to a gas one, and he checked around and discovered that the gas line was already in place so it would be a very simple installation. So now I’m all psyched about doing these few home repairs with Pablo’s help and advice. I’ll need to get a plumber to hook up the cooker (when that day comes) but meanwhile it’s so nice to have a “man about the house” who can help with these things. Even though he lives across town and I’ll end up paying him in carbonara dinners, it’s still a source of comfort.

Gracias Pablito!

jessica’s birthday night out

24 Wednesday Aug 2011

Posted by in birthdays, food & drink, friends, sevilla, summer

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Had a fabulous evening out with Jessica to celebrate her birthday (which is really on Saturday but, hey, she won’t be here then). In typical Spanish style I was invited out for a meal and we ended up at the most fabulous La Azotea, newly reopened after summer holidays. The food was amazing. And knowing it was Jessica’s birthday Juan brought us cava on the house as soon as we sat down. The original plan had been to go for dessert at Al Aljibe afterwards, but we were both so stuffed we opted for a nightcap cocktail at Roof, the new rooftop bar at the Casa Romana Hotel.

And now to bed. It’s Jessica’s last day in Sevilla tomorrow and we have to get up early to find exquisite olives for her at the market to take home.

pablito

05 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by in friends

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twelve years ago… two years ago

It’s funny about friends…sometimes they come and go, other times they just go. But with my friend Pablo, it seems we keep looking for ways to stay in touch. I first met Pablito when he called me (about twelve years ago – or more!) to translate his CV. One thing led to another and we became good friends. Then we became friends that really got on each other’s nerves a lot because – let’s face it – we are both quite strong and stubborn personalities. But after a bit of breathing space we always wanted to see each other again.

Anyhow, after not seeing Pablo for about a year – other than the two times he met me for coffee at the hospital during my PET scan appointments (which was so appreciated!) – he called me yesterday to ask if I wanted to go for a lunchtime beer. Which ended up being lunch (his treat) and then he came over to see the new casa az. And it felt like he’d never been away and that, somehow, he belonged. Because he is someone I can be myself with, and I hope he feels the same. And friends like that don’t happen every day… sometimes it takes twelve years or more.

reconnecting

24 Friday Jun 2011

Posted by in friends, health & happiness, life stuff, tapas

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You may remember Pilar – one third of my fabulous team in the nuclear medicine department. Well, it turns out that just after my last PET scan in January she fell ill and has been off work ever since. We’ve stayed in touch by phone, but she hasn’t been up to going out until the past week or so. And so she organised it so that we would meet up with another old pal of ours, Montse, and her baby Irene.

Here we are sitting outside a tapas bar in Montse’s barrio, enjoying some cold drinks and snacks and catching up. Both Pilar and Montse were also students of mine at various times over the years but, although I’ve seen Pilar quite a bit, I actually hadn’t seen Montse for about three years. I knew about her first child but was surprised to see her almost ready to have her second. And Pilar looked great, with lots of energy, but she doesn’t expect to return to work until after the summer. Which means Monday will be the first time I’ve had a PET scan without my “Pili” there to make me feel at ease and – very importantly! – to give me my results straight away. But I’m hoping that either Isabel or Ricardo will be able to break the news (either good or bad) to me before I leave the hospital. And I also hope that Pilar gets better soon so I can start giving her the year of pre-paid English classes I still owe her.

After a couple of very pleasant hours we said our “hasta prontos!” and I met up with Nog to have one more Cold Beer before going home. Stopped at a kind of rough & ready place around the corner from the house that I wouldn’t choose to eat at, but it had Cruzcampo “Glacial” and a nice terraza that was catching a lovely breeze. So we sat out and listened to the Gay Pride concert that was going on at the Setas. This was the view from the terraza.

Finally came home to cuddle cats and turn on the a/c for awhile before going to bed, and I found myself thinking about what a wonderful day it had been (including my early morning Corpus Cristi walk) and what a wonderful place Sevilla is to live in. Happy.

it’s a conspiracy!

31 Tuesday May 2011

Posted by in cancer, cats, holidays, hospitals, Malaga, summer, travel, trips

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At first I thought it was a simple game of “where’s Loki?” that the two boys were enjoying when I took this photo. But recent events have led me to believe that the cats – who are gods, as we all know – are conspiring against me.

I’d thought that having Jessica here at the beginning of July to look after the boys – and especially Azar – was a sign that I should plan a few days away in Málaga before the next PET scan. And if Nog could get away for the weekend this would also provide Jessica & Thomas with a nice possibility for a romantic few days at casa az, enjoying the space and the terraza…

The first problemita occurred when Manolo said he wouldn’t know if his apartment would be available until about two weeks before that weekend. But I remained hopeful that it would work out. So I planned to leave just after my next oncology appointment, the day after Jessica got back (July 6th), which would have given me a few fab days in Málaga on my own before Nog came to join me. And all the while I would know that the cats were in very good hands.

Well THEN I got a booking request for a Sevilla Tapas Tour for July 7th – for five people! – and just couldn’t turn down that kind of money. But then I thought – hey – depending on Jessica’s schedule I could go for the weekend with Nog, then he could come back the following Monday (July 11th) to look after the cats, while I stayed on to enjoy my pre-scan holiday for a few more days.

Nope. Today I got a notice in the mail saying my appointment to go over all the heart tests that I had done after the scary four-hour tachycardia incident which ended up with me wearing a holter was booked for Monday, July 11th. Well Hell!

I just wonder how he does it. Is it the ears? In any case, it seems clear to me that Azar is moving heaven and earth to make sure I don’t go away this summer, and that Loki is in cahoots…