20 Tuesday Dec 2011
It took some thought but last night I tried this hopefully cat-proof set-up, taking a tall bookcase thingy from Peter’s room into the living room and putting it in front of one of the windows. I think it looks okay, don’t you? So far the kittehs haven’t shown too much interest in it (the lower three shelves don’t have anything “interesting” on them) but Luna has a thing for strings and cords, so I tuck the cord away when it’s not plugged in.
Yay! I love this little tree.
18 Sunday Dec 2011
First posted on December 18th, 2006 – exactly five years ago!
I still feel the same about the scrooges…
It seems to be turning into an epidemic.
Lately I’ve been coming across so many people complaining about the Christmas season in various ways, ranging from mild dislike to out-and-out hatred.
It seems that those who dislike/resent/hate Christmas the most are those who feel somehow pressured or obligated to do things they don’t particularly like doing during this time of year, or they dislike/resent/hate the way other people celebrate Christmas.
But surely they are placing the blame erroneously. If one cannot say no to family and/or friends, should they blame Christmas? If they don’t like the manner in which some people exploit the holiday season and the crass commercialism that goes on … why say it’s the fault of the holiday? And if it’s the religious aspect of it that they dislike, well, this is easy enough to ignore.
It seems to me that these scrooges are redirecting their frustrations in order to avoid acknowledging where the real problems and issues lie. Though of course there are some people who just complain for the sake of it because they enjoy complaining. 😉
Another anti-Christmas argument I often hear is that people should always behave with compassion and generosity towards their fellow man, not just once a year. And I quite agree. But like birthdays, anniversaries and such, Christmas is a once-a-year reminder to behave this way and I see nothing wrong with that.
Anyhow, I really love Christmas, though my best Christmases started happening after I left home at age 15. I’ve had a few nice family Christmases since then, but my best ones have involved cherished friends and loved ones. And one quite memorable one when I was in my early twenties, doing my laundry and then going out to the cinema as I was on my own. I reckoned that since I was all alone I’d get all pathetic and do all these sad and pathetic things … but then I saw that I wasn’t actually on my own. There were plenty of other people at the laundromat and at the cinema and it was somehow comforting to be in their company.
So basically, Christmas is what you make it, though it may not always turn out to be exactly what you expect.
14 Wednesday Dec 2011
Posted in cooking, home, retail therapy, spain
AKA Lazy Susan. A bit weird that in Spain they use a literal term (bandeja giratora = revolving tray) rather than a literal translation. In Portuguese they are known as “Susana preguiçosa”, which would be “Susana perezosa” in Spanish.
Anyhoodle, do you have any idea how hard these f*ckers are to find in Sevilla? That is, without spending the better part of a day hiking out to IKEA on the bus (which isn’t actually in Sevilla anyhow)? Well, it’s hard. I’ve been looking out for Lazy Susans ever since I moved into the latest casa az last February and have not seen them anywhere. But it turns out that a few places have started stocking them for the holiday season as they tend to be used here more for entertaining than the practicial use I’ve always thought they were made for.
Which is to be able to get at stuff in corner cupboards.
As you can see in the photo in this blog post, I’ve got a very deep corner cupboard just above the microwave. I never know what’s in there and can’t reach into it without getting up on the footstep thingy. And so yesterday I finally managed to find a couple of inexpensive Lazy Susans made of bamboo, which fit perfectly into my corner cupboards. Am now thinking of getting another one for the cupboard below. And maybe a smaller one for my spice cupboard! I’m so pathetically thrilled that I can now easily reach up for access to this cupboard after so long. But hey, simple pleasures and all that.
Anyone know why they are called Lazy Susans?
12 Monday Dec 2011
Still not sure what to do about the Christmas tree situation here at the new casa az.
There doesn’t seem to be a safe place to set up my pretty wicker tree where the cats won’t be able to get at it and rip it to bits.
So for now I am enjoying other trees around town and one of my favourites is this one at the Vineria San Telmo.
Love the wine corks and little Tio Pepe baubles.
Might have to do what I did one year, which was to unplug and move the wicker tree into my closet every night. It was a bit of a pain, but I don’t see any other option, especially with Luna the turbo-kitten around.
What does your tree look like this year?
01 Thursday Dec 2011
I woke up this morning with a definite Christmassy feeling!
This week it’s been much colder, going from “Indian summer” temps to very chilly overnight and then sneaking up to about 16-18º during the day. Still pleasant for walking around, and people are making the most of terrazas that get direct sunlight, but it’s suddenly winter. And December. So thoughts have turned to my favourite holiday of the year.
To be honest, I haven’t had a really great Christmas in many years, for many reasons. And that’s kind of made me sad, and made me almost give up on even trying to celebrate. But this year feels different somehow. So I plan on having a wonderful Christmas this year in my fabulous new home (still feels new to me, though it’s been almost a year). Who wants to join me? 🙂
casa azahar 