Tag Archives: sevilla

caturday may 16 2020

16 Saturday May 2020

Posted by in casa azahar, cats, caturday, home

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This is my dude. I wake up to this big guy stretched out next to me with his head on my pillow, like he owns the bed. The other two come and visit me while I’m in bed, but Loki is the only one who spends the entire night. It’s his time to get in ALL the cuddles.

When I had the first trio of cats they all slept with me, in my single bed, which I have to admit was a bit challenging. I’d often wake up in some sort of pretzel position with cats filling in the gaps. Then I moved and got a bigger bed, and so that was a bit more comfortable.

But there was a definite heirarchy. Lua got to sleep on my head, her son Sunny slept at my feet, and Azar would curl up along my side. When Lua died Azar wasted no time taking over the coveted pillow position, and Sunny moved up to the middle of the bed. But after Sunny left us and I found Loki as a companion for Azar… well, Azar was having none of that. I was his human, that was HIS pillow, and his bed.

So Loki never had a chance to sleep in my bed. Until Azar passed away. By that time Luna had also joined the family, but of course Azar totally ruled the bed by then, so the other two had to find somewhere else to sleep. But as soon as Loki realised Azar was gone, this was his chance. He started visiting during the night, the visits started lasting longer… finally he was IN.

Luna has always been a bit of a weirdo loner, but she does like bed visits. On her terms, when she wants them. But she has never spent the whole night with me. And Morcilla? It kills me but that this little girl, my heart of hearts, refuses to sleep in my bed. I blame Loki. I reckon if it was just me and Morcilla she’d be cuddling up with me every night. Especially as she spends every night curled up on either my comfy chair or my office chair, you know, the ones that are mine and smell like me. And she’s very possessive about me during the day. I think she is biding her time. She doesn’t like to share.

So yes, there is a whole other Sharing The Human routine for daytime, but we can talk about that another time.

jacaranda 2020

15 Friday May 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, lockdown, sevilla

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Oh my heart! 💜 As most of you know, I’m still staying at home because I’m high risk (compromised immune stuff due to previous cancer and chemo) but today l took a quick walk around the block after taking out the rubbish (an Essential Outing) and OMG. I thought I’d totally missed the jacaranda this year and almost cried when l saw these in Plaza Museo. Okay, they were kind of on their last legs, already a bit shrivelled up and I’m sure many blossoms had been lost during the last few days of heavy rain. But suddenly there they were! So happy making. It really made my day.

dodging raindrops and taking my time

13 Wednesday May 2020

Posted by in home, sevilla, weather

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One hour before this shot, and about an hour and a half after, it was totally bucketing down with rain, but I managed to find a quick sunny hour to do my rooftop walk. It’s been like this a couple of days this week, so I can’t complain because I thought I wasn’t going to be able to take any walks at all. The other thing is that cooler temps are back with the rain, so I still haven’t had to use the aircon, thus saving some €€€.

I don’t want to say that living in confinement has become easy, but if you don’t fight it then you end up just going along with each day and carping the diem. Because I can’t really plan much, my days are more about the quality of them, how much I enjoy them, rather than on being productive, setting goals etc. Am I crazy to think that if I keep on with this relaxed come-what-may attitude then I might get back in touch with… me? And thus get a clearer idea of what I should do next?

Things I haven’t been doing… making up biz plans for “whenever” or “whatever”, taking online courses, giving online courses, reading books, making travel-food videos to sell online, making podcasts to promote my biz, listening to podcasts, writing “lockdown” articles to try and sell (or for that matter writing anything to try and sell), losing weight.

Things I have been doing… getting up WHENEVER. Cooking. Drinking wine. Being online a lot with social media and chats, reading articles. Exercising (walks and workouts). A bit of tv, some housework, the occasional (mostly accidental) nap, enjoying my cats. And letting my imagination run free.

It feels a bit like being in a state of incubation (possibly an unfortunate term to use right now) with ideas just floating around and waiting to see which ones will develop and hatch. This is a much more passive me, I usually want to get out there and get stuff done, have a plan, make things happen. But for the moment I’m just going with this, because something is telling me this is the way for me to go. Stay tuned!

lockdown day 60

12 Tuesday May 2020

Posted by in casa azahar, coronavirus, home, hope, sevilla

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So yesterday was the first day of Phase 1, part of our government’s poco á poco getting back to work sorta-kinda plan. As of May 11th certain other non-essential businesses were allowed to open (retail shops, hairdressers, etc) as well as bars/restaurants that have outdoor terraces. The ruling was that bars could use 50% capacity of the terrace, that safe distancing must be provided, and that only people who live together can sit together. WELL JUST CHECK OUT THAT PHOTO. One of many pics I saw yesterday online. WTAF.

I don’t even know what to think anymore. Although we were given the green light to go out for individual exercise (walking, running, cycling) on May 2nd, during specific hours, I continued doing my rooftop walks BECAUSE THIS HAPPENED. And although people yesterday seemed focused on that one bar in Nervión pictured above, there were actually many that had flouted the basic rules. My friend Esteban @vermuteriayosoytupadre took the photo below yesterday afternoon in the Alameda de Hércules while he was out delivering his vermouth. And he told me he had called the police on about half a dozen other places he passed.

I even saw a couple of places with my own eyes when I took out the rubbish around 2pm after my rooftop walk. One neighbourhood bar seemed to be doing things properly. Half their normal number of tables were set out with the appropriate spacing between them, staff were gloved and masked. Then I turned the corner and saw another bar with ALL its tables out, no safe spacing, even two tables had been put together to accommodate a larger group (right, they all live together?) and my heart crumpled up a bit. Why are people so bloody stupid and selfish???

Anyhow, that settles it. I’m not going anywhere until the end of the month, other than rubbish runs and very occasional quick supermarket visits. Because even doing those two things put me at risk as too many people are still not wearing masks, and they approach in the street not even half a hockey stick away (often there’s not time or space to get out of their way) so then I get home and have to not only wash my hands but also my clothes (shoes are left outside my apartment door now) and take a long hot soapy shower. Every short outing feels like I’m dodging bullets.

It both scares and angers me, because dammit, I am doing everything right. Is it frustrating being in lockdown? Sure it is. Do I miss “the old life”? More than anything. But am I going to put other people and myself at risk because I want what I want? Because let’s face it, I may also be an asymptomatic carrier. Answer: no fucking way. This is how we’ll die. Not with a bang but a complainy snivelling whiny bleating whimper from those who think they are privileged and immune.

I’m reminded of that particularly stupid line in Braveheart when Mel screams out to his followers… “They may take our lives but they will never take our freedom!”

Dude… really? How does that work?