Tag Archives: sevilla

black tie event

31 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in friends, sevilla, shoes, shopping

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I found out this morning that I am invited to a black tie event starting at 8 pm – the official re-opening party of Sevilla’s “Grande Dame”, the Alfoso XIII Hotel.

Although I’d been trying to wrangle an invitation for the past few days it wasn’t looking too likely until my friend Fiona (aka Scribbler in Seville) checked to see if she could bring me as her “plus 1”. She was invited as press and because she’s been sleeping with the general manager. Kidding!

Anyhow, at first I was quite chuffed when I got Fiona’s message but then I suddenly realised that I had nothing to wear. So after a slight panic I decided that there was no way I could afford to put together any sort of super elegant ensemble and opted for “ethnic chic” instead. I have no idea what that means but it will look like a flowy black top with an embroidered bodice over a long black silky pleated skirt. With accessories. Which I also didn’t have.

So I went out and bought a pair of shoes (woven ballerina flats – just like Prada’s except they only cost 24€) and borrowed some chunky “statement jewellery” from Fourat. But I still had no bag! So instead of buying some cheap knock-off clutch that I know I’d never use again I opted for a small red woven bag, in keeping with the ethnic chic thang (a  bit like Gucci’s but it didn’t cost 2200€). And I guess I’m all set. Except I have no make-up and have no idea what to do with my *HAIR*. Ah well, I still have two hours to… TWO HOURS! I better get cracking.

keeping hydrated

16 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by in animals & pets, cats, health & happiness, home, sevilla, weather

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Here is the love of my life (aka Azar) having a nice long drink in the middle of a very hot afternoon … it always tugs at my heart when he asks to have a drink and then takes his time, with his tail doing that lazy contented flicking back and forth, bless him. Yeah, he could always drink out of the communal water bowl, which is changed several times a day in these temps to keep it fresh, but he prefers to drink out of his own glass and with someone paying total attention to him. Spoiled? Well, I do my best.

Meanwhile I am drinking at least three litres of water a day and have taken to putting bottles in the fridge so they’re nice and cold. I remember with a shudder when I was on chemo – both times during the summer – and couldn’t drink, or even touch, anything cold. I had to sip on room temperature (hot!) water, which wasn’t thirst-quenching at all. Strange after all this time that I still think of that every single time I pour myself a glass of nice cold water…

How much water are you drinking these days?

32º

15 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in cats, home, sevilla, summer, weather

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I couldn’t take it anymore. So at 5 pm on May 15th I put on the air conditioning!!!

Exactly a month earlier than I did last year. But man! It’s been 32º inside my livingroom since the weekend. Needed some relief, and it’s perked up Azar too. I’ve been quite worried about him overheating and dehydrating. He’s barely eaten the past few days, though he’s still drinking a good amount.

So I’ll probably be bankrupt by September at this rate, but it feels so good to be comfortable in my own home.

And Azar has just got up to have a snack, so there, it’s all worth it.

How’s the weather where you are?

pat in sevilla

12 Saturday May 2012

Posted by in cancer, friends, hope, sevilla, spain, tapas, travel, trips, video

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Dearest Pat,

The other day after reading your very moving post No More Room in the Bucket I kind of fell apart. Even though you had told me that you’d stopped treatment – and although I knew exactly what that meant – I guess a part of me just couldn’t accept it. It was only after reading your blog post (published on the same day I wrote here about still being NED) that it finally struck home. Especially when I read this bit…

“There is no more room in the bucket for big dreams like cross-country train trips. I feel a pang watching tv shows set in NYC, knowing that I’ll likely never visit my favorite city again. It aches to see puppies and kittens and know I’ll never own another one. I’ve never tasted foie gras, or truffles, or uni. I never got to visit the Food Network. I’ll never meet my friend Shawn in person or visit her in Seville, Spain.”

And well, I knew straight away that I had to take you out for tapas!

This video was made on the fly on Thursday with my poky pocket video cam and so my clips turned out pretty rough (one clip showing us having some grilled foie and tuna belly at La Azotea was unsalvageable, but oh well…). Luckily my friend Juan Tarquini not only offered to invite us for tapas at his fabulous Vineria San Telmo, he also very generously edited and polished all my rough cuts into something quite wonderful that I could never have done on my own. I hope it will make you smile.

Everyone really enjoyed meeting you and plying you with fabulous food and drink. It was actually quite an amazing day and I know you touched a lot of hearts here during your brief visit in Sevilla. You will always live in mine.

te quiero Amiga,
Shawn xx

For those of you who don’t already know, I met Pat Steer on the Colon Club forum just after being diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer, when all this was new to me and I was scared and looking for helpful information. Pat had been diagnosed four years before me. She became my sister, my friend, my hero. I love her with all my heart.