I have bought an apron! It’s not my first apron to be sure, but it’s the first one I’ve ever used. Or even bought. Over the years I’ve been given aprons by friends, by event organisers in their swag bags, by cooking schools… and they have all been politely folded in a kitchen drawer and forgotten. Because… well I don’t know! It just always seemed like that ONE EXTRA THING to have to deal with. And frankly, I’ve always been quite a tidy cook and don’t end up getting splashed with sauces, grease, etc. That is, UNTIL…
Yep. Lockdown. During the past year I’ve been cooking up a storm, as many you who follow my personal @azahar Instagram will have seen. Just home style cooking stuff, often using up leftovers, fridge foraging, and sometimes trying out dishes for the very first time. Much of which also gets posted on Azahar’s Kitchen. Continue reading →
So after spending all day in a total tizzy (my vaccination appointment wasn’t until 5.30 pm) I made my way to the health centre, bared my chubby arm, got the jab, and then went for a cold beer. Peter had met me there on the off chance that someone might not have shown up for their appointment and he might luck out and get his too. But it turned out that they were calling people by year of birth and he is just a couple of weeks away from his. It was actually very efficient. I was called within less than a minute of arriving, then was told to wait for 15 minutes before leaving. I waited half an hour just to be sure – I once had an anaphylactic reaction after a chemo infusion (after I got home!) and don’t ever want to experience that again.
And so that’s one down and one to go. On July 1st. Guess I should know soon enough if I am going to have any nasty side effects. So far so good… 🤞
Came across this cool car with old suitcases stacked on top and decided to take a photo of it. At first I wondered why someone would leave their suitcases unattended like that but upon closer inspection it was clear that they were empty and decoration only. Still risky though.
“people gather round her and she finds it hard to stay alive”
Today I’ve taken a “day off”. And you may well wonder – a day off from friggin what?? – since I have no work, no daily routine, no nuthin that would normally create any semblance that might constitute a DAY. But the thing is, I’d been doing more or less well, sticking to my schedule and getting out there for my (almost daily) 10,000 step walks for the past (almost) two weeks. But today…?
Well, first of all I had another run-in with my crazy downstairs neighbour. When I first moved in (four years ago) she LOVED ME then soon decided to HATE ME (no idea why) and so that was weird. But since lockdown last March she decided she loved me again and things have been fine, with no longer having to try and avoid her when coming and going. Then yesterday she suddenly hated me again, accusing me of doing things I hadn’t done, leaving garbage on the doorstep, blah blah, followed by so many nasty whatsapp messages. And it made me very sad. I mean, I know it’s her problem, but dammit, I will never get used to hearing shitty things being said about me and it will never not me cry. It may sound silly, but my home is my refuge. If there is any tension anywhere in the place I live it affects me and hurts me. So, that was yesterday.
Then I woke up today. After having fallen down on my way to bed last night. I was taking Morcilla’s dish to the cupboard after her bedtime snack and then Loki got tangled up under my feet and I stepped on him (paw? tail? no idea) and he SHRIEKED and then I jumped back, holding the dish aloft in my right hand and lost my balance, crashing down heavily on my left side onto the marble floor. Holy fuck it hurt. I actually didn’t move for ages, trying to decide if any serious damage had been done. When I finally picked myself up (dish intact, cat food strewn everywhere) my left leg, elbow, shoulder, were in big time pain.
So yeah, I woke up today. With minimal damage it turned out, thank goodness, other than bruising and that feeling of vulnerability that happens when you’ve dodged a bullet. I mean, my god, I could have broken a hip or ankle, whatever. But although I was more or less okay I just lost track of everything.
So I didn’t go for my walk. And I’ve been loving those, dammit. In fact I didn’t go out at all, or even get out of my pyjamas. I feel trapped somewhere between the hate vibes rising up from my downstairs neighbour and the “one step away from disaster” feeling from almost having had a serious accident (though this also gets projected onto Covid and Cancer, which are still looming large for me). Result? I’m a fucking mess today.
And so… I decided to cook something challenging. My therapy. So far so good. Though it’s still hard not to just cry for “no reason” now and then. In the end, this will be just another day, and tomorrow… well, that’s gonna be another one. If I’m lucky. So if you’re feeling like this too, hey, you’re good. You’re not alone. We’ll get through it. xx
After spending half my river walk on Saturday trying to dodge walking, jogging and cycling covidiots either without masks or with them half off their faces, I decided to map out a different route for weekends (it’s pretty quiet down by the river during the week). And look! I hadn’t been to MarĂa LuĂsa Park since before lockdown over a year ago, and well, it’s just as beautiful as ever. 🙂
