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Lovely to see my lovely friends featured in the autumn issue of Gurmé Magazine! You can see it here…
gurmé amigos
23 Wednesday Sep 2020
Posted in friends, sevilla, tapas, tapas bars
Tag Archives: friends
words to live by
19 Saturday Sep 2020
Posted in coronavirus, friends
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Covid has turned out to be similar to my cancer experience in terms of friends deciding I am no longer “worth the effort”. And that’s okay. For me it’s been a bit like clearing out your wardrobe and getting rid of things that no longer fit or suit you any more. And well, I say friends, but in reality these people were acquaintances, of which I have many (comes with the job).
At first it felt a bit odd, even hurtful, until I realised that when I am feeling lonely I am not actually lonely for them. And when I want to talk to someone, it’s never them. So in a sense I am Marie Kondo-ing my personal life and sticking with the people who spark joy. Closets could still do with some work though…
my 27th sevilla anniversary
16 Wednesday Sep 2020
Posted in casa azahar, friends, sevilla, tapas, tapas bars
Twenty-seven years ago today I drove down from Salamanca with a friend and with all my worldly belongings in the back of his car, along with some precious cargo – my two cats Lua and her son Sunny. We arrived in Sevilla at 8 pm, as previously arranged (to meet landlord and pick up keys), and miraculously found parking almost in front of my new home in calle Mateos Gago. But there was no landlord. And as this was 1993 there were no cell phones, so we just waited. And waited. Finally we asked the bar we were parked in front of if we could get something to eat and drink, but we didn’t really want to leave the car because of the cats and all. And bless them, the people at Bar Campanario actually brought food and drink out to our car, like we were at a drive in, and it was lovely. The landlord finally showed up at 11pm full of apologies, but we were fine (though the cats were happy to see a litter box!). Bar Campanario ended up becoming my local, heck even my living room (my studio apt across the street was tiny), and the owners became fast friends.
adiós pasos largos
26 Wednesday Aug 2020
Posted in coronavirus, friends, sevilla, spain, tapas, tapas bars
Last Sunday I was out for a walk and, well, FUCK IT WAS HOT, so I thought I’d take a detour on my way home to see if one of my fave places Taberna de Pasos Largos was open for a cold beer (as it used to always be open on Sundays). Well, not only was it closed… IT WAS GONE. I mean, totally gone. Empty. And my heart broke a little, once again.
The toll of this fucking virus can be seen everywhere, but in my own world I am (so far) mostly affected by the restrictions it puts on me, including having lost my job and only source of income, as well as the loss of so many wonderful bars and restaurants. And this time I lost something very special. I don’t even know what to say, other than I will miss Paco, Pepe and Isi very much. Yes the food was great, the wine too, but I will mostly miss just being there with them. So sad. 
Paco & Pepe
Isi
Isi
friends in the time of coronavirus
24 Friday Jul 2020
Posted in coronavirus, friends
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This is tough. Yes, lockdown was lifted here on June 22nd, and non-essential shops, along with bars and restaurants, were allowed to slowly reopen. And so far that seems to be going well. People are mostly following the rules.
But then Spain immediately opened its borders not just to EU Schengen countries but also to the UK, which was basically WAY BEHIND in their Covid response, and even now have yet to call for a the mandatory use of masks.
After lockdown was lifted here nothing much changed for me. I stayed home, waiting to see what was going to happen. Would there be a second wave of infections two weeks later? How safe was it really? For those who don’t know I am in a high risk situation due to being immunocompromised due to previous cancer and chemo treatments, and also because of my age. So not only am I more likely to catch this fucker, I am also more likely to die from it. A sobering thought.
But I have been out for tapas now… maybe 3-4 times? And also for the occasional cold beer when I’ve been out grocery shopping on my own. Have also had a couple of business meetings and a trip to the hospital. Though I mostly keep myself to a schedule whereby I only go OUT THERE about once a week, and maybe meet up with a friend every other outing. Which leads me to… Continue reading
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