
Hobbling home from lunch today and passed the usual spot where I used to watch the Cabalgata de Los Reyes Magos (Three Kings Parade) in calle San Pablo. Not this year. But it was good to get out today before all the madness started.
05 Monday Jan 2026
03 Saturday Jan 2026
Posted in cancer, health & happiness, hope, sevilla

Yep still doing this which means… I’m still here! As I hope to be a year from now to continue this annual message of hope (from that first time in 2009) when I boldly posted my daybook turned to January 3rd 2010 with the words “STILL HERE!” written on it. After having been diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer mid-2008 and going through three major operations and chemo twice and being told my chances of survival weren’t very good. But I made it to January 2010 and I hope to keep posting this every January 3rd for some time to come. Watch this space.
03 Saturday Jan 2026
Posted in casa azahar, cats, caturday, home
02 Friday Jan 2026
Posted in art, markets, sevilla, tapas bars

A new year and another great L’Armanaque de Sevilla by local artist (and my neighbour!) Alfredo Rodríguez. He started making and selling his colourful prints of bar façades during lockdown in 2020 and produced his first L’Armanaque in 2023. Each year has been a bit different and for 2026 we get not only a new façade each month but also Alfredo’s suggestions for what to eat and drink there.
Not quite as artistic😉 but also special to me is getting the little magnetic fridge calendar every December from my butcher in the Encarnación Market. I can’t remember when I started picking these up but it’s been years. I stopped in there just before Christmas and THERE WERE NO CALENDARS. Found out they were late being delivered so I went by again today to pick up some carrillada and before I could even ask he slapped a calendar down on the counter for me. My kitchen wouldn’t feel the same without one.

01 Thursday Jan 2026
Posted in casa azahar, seasons, sevilla, tapas, tapas bars, tapas tours
Tags

Happy New Year! In keeping with tradition (or one of them anyhow) I hobbled over to Barrio Santa Cruz at lunchtime with Peter to visit my two favourite bars there. First up was Las Teresas where we arrived just in time to grab a couple of bar stools in front of the jamón cutting station (my happy place). Ordered some cava and raised a glass (and some jamón) to Dan Jamón as that was his happy place too. Then we went around the corner to Casa Román for some sherry and tapas.
I don’t get over to the ol’ hood much these days – I used to be around there at least 2-3 times a week on my tapas tours – because what should be just over a 20 minute walk now takes almost an hour of slow painful hobbling. So while it was lovely to see everyone, and they were all so happy to see me too, it made me realise how much I miss my “old life”, and the people in it, and being able to, you know, walk.
While at Casa Román I was chatting with Manolo (he’s just behind the sherry glasses in the pic below) and later remembered that he’s had surgery for either his knee or hip, can’t remember. And I thought, well he’s a big guy, must weigh at least as much as me… so then I wondered why I am being fat shamed by doctors and denied proper treatment when a large (not fat) man weighing the same or more than me isn’t. It would seem that weight isn’t the issue after all. Anyhow, I will start that fight up again after my birthday. Because I really really really want my life back.
