15 Monday Aug 2022
Posted in health & happiness, sevilla, walks
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before 😉but today I started back on my River Walks. Or at least I hope so. I can’t remember when – or why – I stopped doing them, but for quite a while they were a part of my daily routine. So I hope I will keep this up, at least 3-4 days a week. Wish me luck!
12 Friday Aug 2022
Posted in health & happiness, hospitals
Had to get up at stupid o’clock for blood tests (had booked an 8.15 appointment at my health centre without thinking, duh). Anyhow, was out and about trying to find a positive slant on having to be out and about at that hour and then saw this lovely lemony sunrise and thought, yep, that’ll do. 🙂
Should have actually done this back in June after my last CT scan but when I saw the results were normal(ish) I reckoned there was no rush. This is one good new thing, that I can get my test results online now and don’t have to wait to see the oncologist. Then I get the blood tests done and, once those results are in, I send an email to the oncology department requesting a follow-up appointment. The last couple of times they have been phone appointments, which is fine by me. So unless I’ve missed something scary in my scan results, or there’s something dodgy with the blood tests, it will probably carry on like before with another CT scan six months from the last one. We shall see.
09 Tuesday Aug 2022
Posted in sevilla, tapas, tapas bars
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Since reopening after lockdown Bodega Soto has been run by the third generation of this macareno family, Manuel Infante Soto, who clearly has a slightly bonkers sense of humour. The bar is much more “cluttered” than previously, with all kinds of curious bric a brac, including this mini depiction of the annual almadraba tuna catch and a creepy killer doll which Manuel says came into his possession after a client said it was too scary for her to keep at home. There’s plenty more to unpack here and so I shall be back to question Manuel about the history of some of his other curios.
04 Thursday Aug 2022
Posted in friends, sevilla, social media, tapas, tapas bars, twitter
I’ve been Twitter pals with Yin @jjassociatesYin & Phil @philjjassociate for YEARS. They live next door in Portugal so they end up coming to Sevilla quite often, but today was the first time we’ve managed to meet up in person. Total kindred spirits in the love of good food and wine department, plus we know a lot of the same bars and bar owners. It’s almost like we’ve been living parallel lives here.
Today we went somewhere they hadn’t been to before, La Barra de Cañabota, with Peter joining us, and we had a great time. Looking forward to future Beer O’clocks with them.
03 Wednesday Aug 2022
Posted in coronavirus, covid, sevilla, work
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Got my electricity bill for July and OMFG. It is DOUBLE from July last year. As in TWICE AS MUCH. And last July was already way more than in 2020. I mean, I knew it was going to be hefty because prices are skyrocketing and I had made the decision that, since I am staycationing this summer, I would spend that travel money (as if I actually have any travel money) on being comfortable at home. It was more the idea that I would somehow not be spending so much if I stayed home. But you know, I did the same thing last summer, and the summer before. Not travelling, mostly at home, staying cool but also paying attention to the lower rate hours, etc. So that hasn’t actually changed.
When I talk about “staying cool” that means I hold out until the 2 pm change in rates before I turn on the AC, even though it’s often been more than 30º in my living room for most of the morning. But after that, fuck it. The rates change again around 7 pm but there is no fucking way I’m going to turn off my AC until bedtime. So I don’t, but I also never sleep with the AC on. And I always use fans in the bedrooms, the living room, which means I can set the AC to 24-25 (when it’s 42º outside this means inside it gets down to maybe 26.5º inside) and that is fine, because having the fans makes 26-27º inside feel comfortable enough. And of course I’m wearing next to nothing, just light cotton “day pyjamas”.
The government has come up with a new “Energy Saving” plan that will restrict businesses from having their premises warmer than 19º in winter or cooler than 27º in summer, and that when they are running the heat or AC they must keep all doors and windows closed. This applies to shops, restaurants, offices, etc… but hotels?? Can you imagine that hotels are going to start restricting their guests from being comfortable? Can you imagine the government would even ask them to? Of course they won’t.
Meanwhile, decreeing that all doors and windows must be shut tight WHILE WE ARE STILL IN A PANDEMIC (numbers in August are going up) and while next to nobody has proper ventilation, is beyond irresponsible. That is totally going to fuck up not only my personal life (can’t go out for tapas any more unless I sit outside) but also my job. I can’t even think about it. I have taken July and August off even though I can’t afford it to try and avoid getting sick, but now it looks like when I return in September things will be even worse. Fuck. How’s your summer going?
