Tag Archives: sevilla

knee news

18 Monday Aug 2025

Posted by in health, hope, hospitals, knee saga, knees, sevilla

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I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE THE KNEE SPECIALIST. The call came in this morning and I almost couldn’t believe it. It’s for next week, August 28th and while I know I should be happy I’m also nervous, because of course this is just to find out if my surgery will be approved. I’ve already printed out my page outlining everything that has happened (and not happened) since May 2023 when this whole knee saga began. Hopefully it won’t be glossed over and dismissed like it was by the trauma guys last October.

To wit my friend Sharon has offered to come with me and be my advocate. Thing is, I’d be an excellent advocate for someone else, I just can’t manage it for myself when I’ve got all the other scary feelings going on. What can I say, hospitals trigger me big time. Anyhow… stay tuned. If it ends up being a simple meniscus repair I could be up and walking again in no time. A replacement would obviously be a longer recovery. And of course in either case I’ll end up going on another waiting list. But first things first.

too many veg!

14 Thursday Aug 2025

Posted by in casa azahar, homecooking, markets, sevilla

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Coming home from the Bellas Artes Museum yesterday I was hobbling up Calle Baños and spotted Frutas Faustino. Which has been there as long as I can remember. Just up the street there is also a butcher, an abacería and a fishmonger. Totally old school family-run shops that have somehow managed to survive in the centre of the city’s gentrification horror.  Faustino’s isn’t that far from my house, but the markets are closer (Encarnación and Arenal) so I normally go to those for fresh produce. Anyhow, stopped in for a couple of tomatoes and ended up leaving with close to 20€ worth of veg (!!!). And if you know anything about fruit and veg prices here, you know that was a LOT.

What can I say? There was a guy ahead of us pretty much buying up the whole place to be home delivered (yes, you can still do that here and it doesn’t cost extra) so while waiting I kept spotting this and that and the other… by the time it was our turn omg. There was just so much. But that’s fine. Went home and made a late lunch that included mar azul tomato with a side of avocado mashed with lots of lime and cilantro. And all I’ve been thinking about since is what I’m going to do with all the rest of the veg. What a happy dilemma.

art & mercy

13 Wednesday Aug 2025

Posted by in art, culture, sevilla, spain

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The Bellas Artes (Fine Arts) Museum is a 4 minute walk from my house, according to google maps. These days it’s more like a 15 minute painful hobble, but still. IT’S NOT FAR. And I don’t go there nearly often enough. Especially considering that residents get in for free. It’s housed in a stunning ex-convent and is worth going just to see the building. But the collections are also spectacular, and this new one caught my interest.

The Hospital de la Caridad (Charity Hospital), founded in 1663 by Miguel de Mañara, is undergoing quite extensive renovations and so they have moved their art collection over to the museum until work is finished. This means works that were previously hung at various levels, behind the altar, etc inside the church can now be seen in a gallery setting at eye level. These include paintings by Murillo and Valdés Leal and sculptures by Roldán. Wow.

I mean, pretty special just to see these pieces up close, but for me it was the whole theme that moved me as well. Charity and mercy… taking care of those around you. Okay, this was mostly so that you’d end up going to heaven, but still, it’s not a bad message. Look at DEATH down there standing on now totally useless wordly possessions, reminding us that you can’t take it with you.

There were 17 works in all and by the end I could only think of how far we have strayed from caring about our fellow humans. Though maybe it’s always been that way, otherwise why create this whole heaven/hell myth to scare people into behaving with compassion and basic decency? I dunno… getting very tired of the world these days. And am pretty much fed up with people. Not ALL people, obviously (not you guys!) but you know what I mean. Thank god for cats.