Tag Archives: summer

holidays at home

15 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by in 20th anniversary, holidays, home, sevilla, spain, travel, trips

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Yesterday evening I decided to mix a little business with pleasure and go out to do some research on rooftop bars. I’ve actually had a blog post written on this since June but needed photos. So I went out with Peter and managed to get to five places before sunset (black sky with a blurry Giralda tower in the distance – not interesting!), stopping at the last one for a drink, and then returning to one of the previous ones for another, before heading home for a late snack. And although some work was involved it did feel a bit like being on holiday.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, because of Azar’s health situation I’ve postponed all my 20th anniversary travel plans other than day trips (though I’m still struggling with that one overnight biz trip to Córdoba) and have decided to spend the rest of August “on holiday” in Sevilla. This isn’t to say I won’t be working, just that I’ll be treating myself (and Peter) to going out more, and spending a bit less time in front of the computer. I haven’t had many tapas tours this month, and at first I was stressing about that, but now I’m just going to relax and enjoy the rest of the summer. You know, “this may be my last one” is always in the back of my mind and, especially after Pat’s death and with the next PET scan coming up soon, things feel more precarious than ever. So what the heck. Holidays at home.

so what do you do when it’s 51º…?

11 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by in food & drink, sevilla, spain, summer, tapas, weather

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Well, if you are completely mad like me, and an Englishman like Peter, you go out in the midday sun!

Of course we didn’t know it was going to be 51º. The official weather forecast was much more conservative and said the high would be 42º, but you know, who lives at the airport? In the centre of Sevilla with the sun blazing down on narrow cobbled streets with very little air-flow it soon turned into a blast furnace. But I was determined to go and visit a little abacería I’ve been meaning to go to for years. Finally did go on a Saturday at the end of June only to see a sign posted outside saying they were closed for holidays – starting that day! I later found out that this was the first time in 15 years they’ve closed for holiday.

Anyhoo… when I saw an article in the local paper about the post-holiday re-opening party yesterday at La Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo (on San Lorenzo day!) I knew I had to get over there. And I’m really glad I did. What a little curiosity shop of tasty delights! An abacería is a combination of provisions store, take-away delicatessen and tapas bar, and the best ones have been around forever and have a loyal and local clientelle. In fact, we were not only the only foreigners in there but also the only non-neighbours. Everyone was clearly on a first-name basis and the old guys hanging around the bar area made me feel like I was in a small village rather than in Spain’s fourth largest city.

After trying a couple of tapas I got to talking with the owner Ramón who was charming as heck and really keen to tell me all about the place and even about future plans, including cooking classes that will be starting up in September. I loved how he’d take an occasional trip through the bar with a tray of complementary snacks, and I also loved how they served the bottled beer in tiny ice buckets. And the tapas were very good! So all in all, a very worthwhile reason to go out in the very intense HEAT.

terraza cats

30 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by in animals & pets, cats, home, summer

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[click to enlarge]

It wasn’t quite so blazing hot this past weekend so I took the opportunity to break out the BBQ for the first time this summer. Really I should BBQ all year round EXCEPT for summer since usually the only times it’s bearable to do so is either 9 am or midnight… a sunny January afternoon would be much more comfortable. Anyhow, everyone had a great time including little Luna, who took to inspecting all the plants and finding hiding places (as you can see, Loki is content to find a nice shady spot and stay put). I still wouldn’t feel comfortable letting the cats out on the terraza on their own, but they love coming out when I’m hanging up laundry, watering plants, etc.

That old gentleman Azar prefers spending the hot summer days stretched out on the coolish marble floor under my bed. The tumour on his shoulder has almost doubled in size in the past few weeks and I am becoming torn between wanting him to be with me always and not wanting him to suffer. So far I think he is still doing okay, all things considered.

What did you do over the weekend?

another sandal dilemma

23 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by in retail therapy, shoes, summer

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Last year I had a slight sandal dilemma when I bought these Mephisto sandals because my usual size seemed a tiny bit short, but the next size up was way too long. So I went with the usual size and they were fine but, because they were my only sandals last year (and I wear sandals from March – October) they are pretty much worn to a nubbin.

The problem is that all the Mephistos this year are either waaaayy ugly or else the same as last year. In order to have something new and comfy to wear (the shredded insoles on the old ones also shred my feet!) I bought a pair just like these, though they aren’t the best for walking as they don’t have a back strap.

In desperation I started looking online and found a place in the UK that stocks the model shown here, which I think look nice and also look like they’ll be comfortable. It’ll cost me 10€ to have them shipped here, but that’s not my dilemma. What if they don’t fit right? I’ll end up paying shipping charges twice and still have no sandals. Though I’m pretty sure I’ve had this style before, or something similar. Having very hard-to-fit feet is it foolish of me to even consider ordering sandals online?

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?