
It’s officially summer. ☀️💙
21 Friday Jun 2024
22 Monday Apr 2024
Posted in casa azahar, home, seasons, sevilla

The last ditch effort to repair my number one fan was not successful. So after 20 years I had to retire the old girl and get this new model. Which in fact is quite nice! It was supposed to be my new bedroom fan but, as it looks much nicer than the one that was in the living room, I’ve swapped them. So now we’ve got fans in every room again. I honestly don’t know how people live without them (also, saves on AC).
19 Friday Apr 2024
Posted in casa azahar, sevilla

Omg I brought my number one fan Old Faithful down from storage for a cleaning before putting her back to work and the doohickey thingy that the other thingy (on table) screws onto – that holds on the back panel – just fell off. Or better said it just broke off from the motor bit. Dammit. So today I bought some special super-duper glue meant for hard plastic bits and will see if it works. So far it’s holding up but I’ve been told by the instructions that I have to wait for 24 hours FOR BEST RESULTS. Thoughts and prayers please…
08 Tuesday Aug 2023
Posted in casa azahar, life stuff, sevilla
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Well, kind of. I had a lovely lunchtime sherry tasting today with a lovely couple from London and now… that’s it for the next three weeks (!!!). I hadn’t planned it like this but I actually think this is going to be good for me (other than financially, obviously). So I guess what I really mean is that I won’t be doing any paid work for the rest of the month.
BUT… I have my new lifestyle tweaks to make routine, and that will be easier to do with open days to see how to best fit stuff in. I also have a couple of work projects hovering out there… waiting for me to have time to spend with them to hopefully get them moving forward. And I have two new books to read!
What I won’t be doing is taking a break from my online life. People often suggest I “disconnect” for a while and relax, but frankly the idea of that totally stresses me out. I don’t know what I’d do without you guys. And for the most part my “work” and my “life” are one and the same. It just wouldn’t make sense for me to go out for lunch, or for a walk, and not take photos to share with you later. And of course I’ll be keeping my Sevilla Tapas webiste updated.
But as sleep (as in, getting enough) is another of my new goals I may have to forfeit having my phone in bed with me.
So it will be a staycation in my lovely Casa Azahar and of course wandering around Sevilla when it isn’t too hot (this week it’s 42-44ºC). Finding out what I would do if I didn’t have to be anywhere or do anything other than what I want to do. Sounds like a holiday to me!
19 Monday Jun 2023

It’s still a fairly mild 30º here today but by the weekend we will suddenly be up to 44º!!! For several days by the looks of it. Yep, here it comes. My lunchtime tapas tour on Saturday should be fun, and no doubt I will be asked – as I am almost always asked on my food tours – how I cope with THE HEAT here in summer. And I always answer that it’s the same as I how coped when it was -30º or -40º in Canada. I STAYED HOME. As much as possible anyhow.
It’s like people think we have some magic powers here that enable us to be out in extreme weather without feeling the effects. Uh… nope. We just do our best not to go out into it. And keep that AC going as much as possible. I still can’t believe that I spent my first 18 years here on the top floor of a building without a lift and WITHOUT HEATING OR AC. I mean okay, I was 30 years younger, and back then probably couldn’t have afforded to run the AC anyhow. But there is no way I could live with that heat now (heck I couldn’t even manage the stairs now!). Once it hits 29-30º inside my apartment that AC goes on, at least during peak times.
I just hope both my AC unit and the power grid hold up. With Sevilla being flooded by tourists who keep their hotel room AC blasting all day, shower like crazy and expect full swimming pools, I am not optimistic about getting through this blistering summer of intense drought without some kind of problem that will affect us residents who are, and who have always been, conscientious about saving water and not abusing our infrastructure.
Wish us luck! How are things going in your part of the world?