Tag Archives: home

lessons in lounging

14 Monday Aug 2017

Posted by in cats, holidays, home, sevilla, sevilla staycation

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This week (other than one tapas tour on Tuesday) I am on a “staycation” in Sevilla, and here’s Luna giving me a lesson in lounging. This is her favourite lounging spot in the new Casa Azahar. No doubt I’ll be spending too much time lamp hunting, but I also hope to relax before going off to Málaga next week.

It’s been a busy summer and so some “down time” is probably a good idea. I’m not actually very good at relaxing, but it’s nice having a change of routine this week, and also looking forward to seeing the sea again.

blasts from the past

12 Saturday Aug 2017

Posted by in casa azahar, life stuff, sevilla, spain, tapas tours, work

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The other day I was wrapped up in all the IKEA nonsense, feeling abused by corporate bullshit, and then I happened to see that – once again! – one of the new corporate tapas tour companies in town had copied another of my tours. So I mentioned on Twitter how disheartening this is, to not only have people copy things I have created, but they even use the same bars FFS, as if nobody will notice that the bars no longer have actual clients in them, just food tour groups. As if bars don’t have their own eco-systems. Grrrrr…

Then the next day I got a mention on Twitter linking to this photo taken almost exactly 6 years ago (Sept 2011), with a great comment from Tim being very supportive. And I remember this tour! I almost didn’t do it because I was still getting over that emergency op but at that point I also really wanted to get out of the house. So I arranged it that I would meet them with Peter at the first stop, just to say hola, and that Peter would take it from there, since I didn’t think I could manage a whole evening out. But I actually made it to the second stop (this photo was taken at Bodeguita Romero) and I remember not only having a great time before leaving Tim and his friends in Peter’s capable hands, but also enjoying my first glass of wine in over a month.

Anyhow, what a great memory to be reminded of, and curiously this was my second “blast from the past” from 2011 this month, since Ross & Annie are also back in town. All of which is reminding me to enjoy what I have and embrace all the GOOD. Because sometimes I forget.

design challenge!

11 Friday Aug 2017

Posted by in casa azahar, home

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So now that I am FINALLY BOX FREE I can turn my attention to other things, like getting light fixtures for the living room, bedrooms and hallways. Any ideas for what might look best in with this plaster ceiling detail? There are two of them in the living room, and I’d like them to be quite bright as I will only use them during the day. And no, I don’t think I’ll be going back to IKEA…  😉

IKEA nightmare almost over…

10 Thursday Aug 2017

Posted by in azahar, casa azahar, cats, home

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So this is basically what all the fuss was about. A simple cupboard 60 x 60 x 140 to serve as a pantry because the kitchen (to the right) doesn’t have enough storage space. It’s handy, just the right size, fits into a space I wouldn’t use for anything else, blah blah blah…

WHY it took over a week to organize the delivery and assembly is beyond me. The guy who showed up today to put the cupboard together said “August with IKEA is always like this” (leading to the obvious question… then WHY NOT HIRE MORE PEOPLE IN AUGUST???). But it wasn’t his fault. I’m sure places other than IKEA contract his company’s services, and in fact he was very friendly and helpful. I couldn’t have been happier with him.

One glitch (of course!). See that cardboard package alongside the cupboard? Well, that’s the cover I paid extra for. Turns out the covers need to be CUT TO SIZE depending on the order, and my guy wasn’t told this and didn’t have the right tools, so there it remains until IKEA sends someone out to do this. But at least it doesn’t affect how it functions. Which means that already three boxes are gone from the hallway and by tomorrow THERE WILL BE NO MORE BOXES. I almost can’t believe it.

Now that it’s (almost) over, I am so relieved that I (almost) can’t believe how upsetting all this was. I think that because moving is so stressful anyhow that when things get fucked up they feel even more stressful. Also, had everything been delivered and assembled last Friday – LAST FRIDAY!!! – as promised, the new apartment would have been pretty much set up over the weekend. Instead it’s been another week of BOXES and feeling disorganized. Yeah, I know, first world problem and all, but it still sucked. Especially as I’m supposed to be on holiday this week, and it sure hasn’t felt like a holiday. BUT… big deep breath… it’s all looking better now. How’s your week been?

settling in

03 Thursday Aug 2017

Posted by in casa azahar, cats, home

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Some things are different, some have stayed the same. And some are a bit of both. The girls love napping on my cool new wheelie office chair (just like they used to on the old one). Unfortunately, nobody can see how cool it is (including me) because if I don’t keep it covered up it will get ripped to shreds in no time. Actually, the old one got ripped to shreds even with a cover on it. Oh well…

It’s fun watching these guys settling in. To be honest, I think they are really going to miss all the boxes once they finally get unpacked and everything is put away.