It's been one of those mornings weather forecasters call 'changeable'. It was sunny and hot early on, but a stiff breeze kept whipping up, and the clouds looked increasingly menacing. We went for a walk on the beach, but took raincoats with us in a rucksack just in case. Luckily it stayed very pleasant and we had a nice walk, and at the end we met up with Marian for coffee at the cafe next to the main beach car park.
Just after we got home, dark clouds rolled over us to the west, leaving a strip of clear sky along the horizon. Suddenly, as we looked, whirlwinds started to descend from the clouds towards the ground. Two of them seemed to reach the ground, while four or five more hung suspended under the clouds. I had the presence of mind to grab the video camera - but not the digital still camera, unfortunately.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Friday, October 29, 2004
Constructive criticism
Our hearts sank this morning when we spotted surveyors with a theodolite measuring up the plot right next to our building, underneath the kitchen window. They're already planning to build just behind there, along the road running between our flat and Anja's.
It therefore looks as if we'll be surrounded by construction soon, and will probably lose some or most of our lovely kitchen view :((((( Luckily our main view out to sea is pretty much guaranteed safe. And of course it'll be a while yet before the kitchen view is impeded, maybe years, and who knows where we'll be by then. Maybe we should sell up now and move out of the village. There seems to be a concerted effort to build on every square cm of land...
If they go ahead, the two new buildings will destroy significant numbers of beautiful trees, the two gardens have some of the tallest trees in the built-up area, including various pines, plus of course the doughty agave, which is still surviving despite lots of heavy winds in recent weeks.
See the photos below.
It therefore looks as if we'll be surrounded by construction soon, and will probably lose some or most of our lovely kitchen view :((((( Luckily our main view out to sea is pretty much guaranteed safe. And of course it'll be a while yet before the kitchen view is impeded, maybe years, and who knows where we'll be by then. Maybe we should sell up now and move out of the village. There seems to be a concerted effort to build on every square cm of land...
If they go ahead, the two new buildings will destroy significant numbers of beautiful trees, the two gardens have some of the tallest trees in the built-up area, including various pines, plus of course the doughty agave, which is still surviving despite lots of heavy winds in recent weeks.
See the photos below.
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Hair today
Daniel had a haircut today (see photos above - click on them to see a bigger version). The last time he went to the hairdressers he made a huge fuss and was impossible to cut, so Carmen was steeling herself for more of the same today. However, it turned out we'd prepared him well, having talked about it with him all day, and Carmen says he sat perfectly still in the chair, with a very serious face, watching the locks of hair fall onto his Bob the Builder mobile phone in fascination. He even let Ciano, the barber, use the shaver and hairdrier, and spike his hair up with gel at the end. The end result is a great success IMO.
Jamie had another music lesson this afternoon, which went well. Apparently they started playing 'notes' today with their recorders, rather than numbers as they had been up to now.
This evening, despite still aching thighs, I decided to go for a jog. As it was a full moon and clear skies, I went onto the beach and ran almost to the headland at the end. It was wonderfully empty and a bit spooky in the pale moonlight. I guess I managed about 8 km / 5 miles in total, there and back, and I was very pleased that my calf muscles didn't cramp up. My perseverance seems to be paying off. What I do is I find a rhythm that suits my fitness level and legs and just keep going, almost hypnotically or like an automaton. I'm not sure if this is how you're meant to do it, but it works for me.
I suppose 8 km doesn't sound like much in the grand scheme of things, but it would have been unthinkable until recently. So please allow me to glow with pride briefly (or was that exertion?).
THURSDAY MORNING UPDATE
I hadn't been aware that there would be a lunar eclipse last night until Kelly mentioned it on the phone yesterday evening. As luck would have it I was awake at 5.45 this morning, wandered out onto the balcony and caught the eclipse in full swing. The sky was bright with stars, and the dawn chorus was under way all aronud. What a nice way to wake up, even if it was a bit early.
Jamie had another music lesson this afternoon, which went well. Apparently they started playing 'notes' today with their recorders, rather than numbers as they had been up to now.
This evening, despite still aching thighs, I decided to go for a jog. As it was a full moon and clear skies, I went onto the beach and ran almost to the headland at the end. It was wonderfully empty and a bit spooky in the pale moonlight. I guess I managed about 8 km / 5 miles in total, there and back, and I was very pleased that my calf muscles didn't cramp up. My perseverance seems to be paying off. What I do is I find a rhythm that suits my fitness level and legs and just keep going, almost hypnotically or like an automaton. I'm not sure if this is how you're meant to do it, but it works for me.
I suppose 8 km doesn't sound like much in the grand scheme of things, but it would have been unthinkable until recently. So please allow me to glow with pride briefly (or was that exertion?).
THURSDAY MORNING UPDATE
I hadn't been aware that there would be a lunar eclipse last night until Kelly mentioned it on the phone yesterday evening. As luck would have it I was awake at 5.45 this morning, wandered out onto the balcony and caught the eclipse in full swing. The sky was bright with stars, and the dawn chorus was under way all aronud. What a nice way to wake up, even if it was a bit early.
Gone yesterday
I finished off my 22,000 words on Monday evening, and so I was able to get off for a bike ride yesterday morning. The weather was perfect, so I took off towards Unquera, detoured around the Pechon peninsula, then headed up along the left (western) bank of the River Deva. (The opposite bank to the one you drive along to go to Potes). It was a very pleasant route, much less traffic than the main road on the other side of the River. I crossed the river at Panes, and then took the long hill up from El Mazo to Merodio. I was originally planning to tackle another long hill, but my legs weren't up to it, so I headed back home via Cabanzon, Camijanes and Abanillas. 57 km in all, and achy thighs to show for it (again).
While I was off biking, Carmen went into Torrelavega and finally found posh shoes for Jamie and herself for the wedding, as well as various other bits and pieces. Jamie's shoes are very nice but they pinch, so we might have to take them back…
When I got home, the news of John Peel's death was a huge shock to the system. Rest in Music.
While I was off biking, Carmen went into Torrelavega and finally found posh shoes for Jamie and herself for the wedding, as well as various other bits and pieces. Jamie's shoes are very nice but they pinch, so we might have to take them back…
When I got home, the news of John Peel's death was a huge shock to the system. Rest in Music.
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Shoe size conspiracy
What is it about shoe sizes? Up until about five years ago, I wore a size 12 UK/13 US/47 EU. I sometimes had trouble getting hold of shoes that size, but when I did, most of the time they fit me. Now I don't believe, at 41 years of age, that my feet have suddenly grown in size, and the shoes I wear certainly don't look any bigger than they used to be. So how come these days I can't fit into sport shoes which are anything less than 13½ UK/14 US/49 EU?
Suffice to say in a country like Spain, where everyone is that bit shorter than they are in Holland and England, it's hard enough finding shoes to fit me at the best of times. And you can imagine it's pretty frustrating to try on yet another pair of 48½s only to find they are miles too small.
Well despite all this, I managed to find a pair of running shoes today, and they fit me! I've started jogging again, and came up against the same calf cramp problem this week that I was getting in the summer. I'd been running in indoor shoes, and I decided to get some proper running shoes, to see if that makes any difference. I wore them this evening and they felt very good. Another thing had been trying to do is keep the runs short to start with -- up to now I've only been running to the beach and back, which I suppose is four of five kilometres in total. Once I'm confident I can do that every day or every other day without any problem, I will start increasing the distance bit by bit.
It was a very sweaty run this evening - it was still 25° C. here at 9 p.m. after a southerly wind (straight from Africa) had blown here all day. It had already been 20° C. at dawn, and then the sun shone all day. Not the best day to pick for a shopping trip, in retrospect - we could have spent it on the beach. Apart from my trainers, we came away pretty much empty-handed, having failed to find posh shoes for Jamie or Carmen.
The kids enjoyed themselves though, especially in the big play area at Corte Ingles. We bought them special crayons that they can use in the bath, which wash off afterwards. They had a great time when they got home this evening, daubing the bath and walls and each other, and didn't want to get out. They are both looking forward to a visit from our English friends Toby and Jackie and their little girl and baby boy tomorrow.
I managed to get 18,000 of the 22,000 words done last week, which I thought was pretty good going. I'm going to try and squeeze in another couple of thousand during the weekend (wishful thinking!) and finish it off on Monday morning.
SHOE SIZE UPDATE - 2 weeks later
The other day I put on an old pair of shoes to go out in the rain, and my toe was touching at the front, which I can't remember it doing before, so who knows, maybe my feet have grown in the last couple of years. I know when I went to buy skate shoes at a specialist shop in Utrecht in May, they didn't have any that fit me, wherreas in the past I'd always been able to find something there.
Suffice to say in a country like Spain, where everyone is that bit shorter than they are in Holland and England, it's hard enough finding shoes to fit me at the best of times. And you can imagine it's pretty frustrating to try on yet another pair of 48½s only to find they are miles too small.
Well despite all this, I managed to find a pair of running shoes today, and they fit me! I've started jogging again, and came up against the same calf cramp problem this week that I was getting in the summer. I'd been running in indoor shoes, and I decided to get some proper running shoes, to see if that makes any difference. I wore them this evening and they felt very good. Another thing had been trying to do is keep the runs short to start with -- up to now I've only been running to the beach and back, which I suppose is four of five kilometres in total. Once I'm confident I can do that every day or every other day without any problem, I will start increasing the distance bit by bit.
It was a very sweaty run this evening - it was still 25° C. here at 9 p.m. after a southerly wind (straight from Africa) had blown here all day. It had already been 20° C. at dawn, and then the sun shone all day. Not the best day to pick for a shopping trip, in retrospect - we could have spent it on the beach. Apart from my trainers, we came away pretty much empty-handed, having failed to find posh shoes for Jamie or Carmen.
The kids enjoyed themselves though, especially in the big play area at Corte Ingles. We bought them special crayons that they can use in the bath, which wash off afterwards. They had a great time when they got home this evening, daubing the bath and walls and each other, and didn't want to get out. They are both looking forward to a visit from our English friends Toby and Jackie and their little girl and baby boy tomorrow.
I managed to get 18,000 of the 22,000 words done last week, which I thought was pretty good going. I'm going to try and squeeze in another couple of thousand during the weekend (wishful thinking!) and finish it off on Monday morning.
SHOE SIZE UPDATE - 2 weeks later
The other day I put on an old pair of shoes to go out in the rain, and my toe was touching at the front, which I can't remember it doing before, so who knows, maybe my feet have grown in the last couple of years. I know when I went to buy skate shoes at a specialist shop in Utrecht in May, they didn't have any that fit me, wherreas in the past I'd always been able to find something there.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Just a quiche
Just a quick update as I've got 22,000 words to somehow get through this week and need to keep going. Thankfully the text is very suitable for voice recognition, so I'm motoring along.
Jamie's second front tooth fell out in the night, so she's got a lovely big gap now. I'll try and get a photo up later on. Her tummy seems to be better now, she ate proper portions yesterday evening and this morning.
Later!
Jamie's second front tooth fell out in the night, so she's got a lovely big gap now. I'll try and get a photo up later on. Her tummy seems to be better now, she ate proper portions yesterday evening and this morning.
Later!
Sunday, October 17, 2004
Stir crazy
It rained most of the weekend so we were stuck indoors most of the time. Jamie
was much better yesterday but 10 minutes after she went to bed she suddenly threw up. Huge amounts, seemed like everything she'd eaten all day, poor thing. So we had a major clean-up operation, which luckily Danny slept through. We tried to carefully watch everything she ate today, and so far she seems alright. I suppose the crunch will come when she goes to bed. She seems to have had a tummy bug off and on for ages now, maybe time for a trip to the doctors.
The kids have coped pretty well with being stuck inside, and they (well, Jamie mainly) have just tidied up the huge amounts of mess they created this afternoon. Lego did a stirling job this afternoon, as did Bassie en Adriaan on the telly.
Jamie keeps asking if there's any post for her, and we tell her that if she wants to receive post, she has to send some. So she came up with the idea of drawing some nice drawings on postcards and sending them to various people. So watch out for post from Jamie in the near future. Some of them are themed specifically for the recipient - Jamie's idea.
was much better yesterday but 10 minutes after she went to bed she suddenly threw up. Huge amounts, seemed like everything she'd eaten all day, poor thing. So we had a major clean-up operation, which luckily Danny slept through. We tried to carefully watch everything she ate today, and so far she seems alright. I suppose the crunch will come when she goes to bed. She seems to have had a tummy bug off and on for ages now, maybe time for a trip to the doctors.
The kids have coped pretty well with being stuck inside, and they (well, Jamie mainly) have just tidied up the huge amounts of mess they created this afternoon. Lego did a stirling job this afternoon, as did Bassie en Adriaan on the telly.
Jamie keeps asking if there's any post for her, and we tell her that if she wants to receive post, she has to send some. So she came up with the idea of drawing some nice drawings on postcards and sending them to various people. So watch out for post from Jamie in the near future. Some of them are themed specifically for the recipient - Jamie's idea.
Friday, October 15, 2004
Training failure
Brenda flew home from Santander on Wednesday morning. Ryanair's new service has transformed this small airport - up till September it had only been served by 25-seater planes. Now the car park is filled to overflowing - in fact it's not even worth looking for a space, we parked on the grass verge. The queues for check-in and passport control snake round the building. Despite arriving just over one hour before departure time, we were among the last people in the check-in queue, so predictably (for those who know her) Brenda was getting very nervous as the minutes ticked by. It didn't help that I mentioned that I'd seen Ryanair close a check-in desk while there were still people in the queue (in Newquay, now THAT's a small airport). But you know me, I can never resist a wind up. And we know for our trip in December to leave at least 30 minutes earlier.
Jamie and Danny gave her plenty of hugs and kisses before she left, but settled down again happily into their usual routine afterwards. Jamie seemed to have picked up a tummy bug on Wednesday, and threw up in the afternoon. Actually maybe I should rename this blog 'sick bay log', as life seems to be one long year-round succession of colds, flu and tummy bugs in this house, for some reason. She stayed off school on Wednesday afternoon but managed to get to her music lesson ok at 5. She seemed a lot better yesterday, and went to school both morning and afternoon, although she didn't eat a great deal all day. She has rhythmic gymnastics after school and was awake quite early, so I'll be interested to see how she holds up during such a long day.
We decided on Thursday that it was time to start Danny on potty training. They do this at the creche as well, so we arranged it with them and brought plenty of changes of clothes. He toddled off to the creche nappiless and happy, and when we went to pick him up he'd apparently done a few wees in the potty and had only wet himself once. However, back at home he decided he wasn't playing. He refused to do anything on the potty, and managed to wet himself twice and do a no. 2 in his pants in the space of one hour. Oh joy. So we decided to take it a little more gently and put him back in nappies for a while again.
Brenda had some excellent weather while she was here, but it has turned now and is cold, blustery and drizzly. I usually bring the kids to school/creche in the morning, but Carmen had some things to do in the village so she took them today - bad timing as they all had to wrap up in raincoats and boots and struggle against the wind. We will be turning the heating on for the first time today.
I received a cryptic message from Mike Hardman the other day, which when decyphered said that he'd finally bought his camper van. Another long-held dream realised, good on you, Mike. Hope to see you parked in the campsite here soon.
Interesting article in today's Guardian, reviewing a 3-part documentary coming up on BBC TV. "Since September 11 Britain has been warned of the 'inevitability' of catastrophic terrorist attack. But has the danger been exaggerated? A major new TV documentary claims that the perceived threat is a politically driven fantasy - and al-Qaida a dark illusion." shame I won't be able to see the docu here, although it will probably appear on Dutch tv fairly soon. Read the article here.
Jamie and Danny gave her plenty of hugs and kisses before she left, but settled down again happily into their usual routine afterwards. Jamie seemed to have picked up a tummy bug on Wednesday, and threw up in the afternoon. Actually maybe I should rename this blog 'sick bay log', as life seems to be one long year-round succession of colds, flu and tummy bugs in this house, for some reason. She stayed off school on Wednesday afternoon but managed to get to her music lesson ok at 5. She seemed a lot better yesterday, and went to school both morning and afternoon, although she didn't eat a great deal all day. She has rhythmic gymnastics after school and was awake quite early, so I'll be interested to see how she holds up during such a long day.
We decided on Thursday that it was time to start Danny on potty training. They do this at the creche as well, so we arranged it with them and brought plenty of changes of clothes. He toddled off to the creche nappiless and happy, and when we went to pick him up he'd apparently done a few wees in the potty and had only wet himself once. However, back at home he decided he wasn't playing. He refused to do anything on the potty, and managed to wet himself twice and do a no. 2 in his pants in the space of one hour. Oh joy. So we decided to take it a little more gently and put him back in nappies for a while again.
Brenda had some excellent weather while she was here, but it has turned now and is cold, blustery and drizzly. I usually bring the kids to school/creche in the morning, but Carmen had some things to do in the village so she took them today - bad timing as they all had to wrap up in raincoats and boots and struggle against the wind. We will be turning the heating on for the first time today.
I received a cryptic message from Mike Hardman the other day, which when decyphered said that he'd finally bought his camper van. Another long-held dream realised, good on you, Mike. Hope to see you parked in the campsite here soon.
Interesting article in today's Guardian, reviewing a 3-part documentary coming up on BBC TV. "Since September 11 Britain has been warned of the 'inevitability' of catastrophic terrorist attack. But has the danger been exaggerated? A major new TV documentary claims that the perceived threat is a politically driven fantasy - and al-Qaida a dark illusion." shame I won't be able to see the docu here, although it will probably appear on Dutch tv fairly soon. Read the article here.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Potes, pronounced Poh-Tess, although Pooh-Tess might be more appropriate
Yesterday we drove up the magnificent Desfiladero de la Hermida (La Hermida Gorge) to Potes. As it is a holiday weekend, there was a lot of traffic on the way up, and gridlock trying to get into Potes itself. Being in-the-know semi-locals, we parked outside of town and walked the 500m to the centre. It was horribly busy, but we managed to walk around the market, then headed for a restaurant at the early hour (for Spain) of 1.30, in order to be sure of getting a table. It was nearly empty, but within half an hour it was full up and there were people waiting, so we made the right decision. Daniel then made the first of many olfactory attempts to ruin our day - he filled his nappy just as we were starting our first course. Hmmm, thanks. There was nowhere to change him, so we just had to do our best to keep him seated (so he didn't spread the smell to all four corners of the room) and get on with eating as best we could. Surprisingly we all managed to enjoy our meals despite the occasional waft - it was all local mountain fare, bean stews with chorizo and black pudding, stewed beef with home-made chunky chips, that kind of thing. And a wicked dessert - it tasted like scoops of souffle in a creamy sauce.
After lunch we changed him on a low wall, then walked back to the car and drove on towards Fuente De. On the way he managed to silently throw up, covering himself and his car seat. At Fuente De we stopped at the Parador Hotel for coffee. It had been drizzling when we arrived, but it soon cleared up, and the kids ran off to the playground in the hotel gardens, while we sat at an outside table. When they returned, 15 minutes later, Daniel's right shoe was looking a suspiciously different colour to his left one. Greeny-brown, as opposed to the standard brown of his left shoe. On closer inspection it turned out he had trodden right in the middle of a fresh cow pat, which had also got on his socks and trousers. Nice. Luckily we had a change of clothes for him, but unfortunately he had to sit on the sicky child seat again, which then made these clothes dirty again. We were very glad to get him home and straight into the bath.
Today we took it easy, wandering over to La Ostreria restaurant by the breakwater at lunchtime for a more refined lunch. Excellent food and a pleasant walk there and back. Brenda flies home tomorrow so life will return to boring normality again.
After lunch we changed him on a low wall, then walked back to the car and drove on towards Fuente De. On the way he managed to silently throw up, covering himself and his car seat. At Fuente De we stopped at the Parador Hotel for coffee. It had been drizzling when we arrived, but it soon cleared up, and the kids ran off to the playground in the hotel gardens, while we sat at an outside table. When they returned, 15 minutes later, Daniel's right shoe was looking a suspiciously different colour to his left one. Greeny-brown, as opposed to the standard brown of his left shoe. On closer inspection it turned out he had trodden right in the middle of a fresh cow pat, which had also got on his socks and trousers. Nice. Luckily we had a change of clothes for him, but unfortunately he had to sit on the sicky child seat again, which then made these clothes dirty again. We were very glad to get him home and straight into the bath.
Today we took it easy, wandering over to La Ostreria restaurant by the breakwater at lunchtime for a more refined lunch. Excellent food and a pleasant walk there and back. Brenda flies home tomorrow so life will return to boring normality again.
Saturday, October 09, 2004
Thigh strain
Danny's tooth seems to have come through ok, he's back to normal again today. We drove to Santander this morning to pick up my aunt Brenda from the airport. Jamie spotted her plane coming in to land parallel to the car as we were arriving at the airport. It was busy at the airport with Belgian football fans arriving for this evening's international against Spain in Santander.
Jamie had her second rhythmic gymnastics lesson yesterday afternoon, which went very well. Lots of hula hoops and long ribbons.
I got away for a long bike ride yesterday afternoon - 55 km, my longest so far. The route was San Vicente - Unquera (along the coast) - El Mazo (near Panes, on the Potes road) - Merodio - Bielva - Labarces - Roiz - Lamadrid - San Vicente. There were a couple of very long climbs, particularly El Mazo > Merodio and Bielva > La Rehoya, and after the latter all the strength was gone from my legs and I had to soft pedal the various other smaller hills on the way home. It was semi-overcast, warm and humid, and quite pleasant for cycling. The south wind (Scirocco) suddenly appeared in the evening, and is still here today, along with sun and clear skies, so it's very hot and blustery today. This is very good news for Brenda, who at this moment is sitting on the balcony playing snap with Jamie. Last time she was here, last summer, it was raining when she arrived and all the way home from the airport.
Jamie had her second rhythmic gymnastics lesson yesterday afternoon, which went very well. Lots of hula hoops and long ribbons.
I got away for a long bike ride yesterday afternoon - 55 km, my longest so far. The route was San Vicente - Unquera (along the coast) - El Mazo (near Panes, on the Potes road) - Merodio - Bielva - Labarces - Roiz - Lamadrid - San Vicente. There were a couple of very long climbs, particularly El Mazo > Merodio and Bielva > La Rehoya, and after the latter all the strength was gone from my legs and I had to soft pedal the various other smaller hills on the way home. It was semi-overcast, warm and humid, and quite pleasant for cycling. The south wind (Scirocco) suddenly appeared in the evening, and is still here today, along with sun and clear skies, so it's very hot and blustery today. This is very good news for Brenda, who at this moment is sitting on the balcony playing snap with Jamie. Last time she was here, last summer, it was raining when she arrived and all the way home from the airport.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Teeth, tongue and earring
Daniel's been out of sorts the past couple of days: diarrhea, not eating, drooling a lot, restless nights. Yes, he's got another tooth coming through. Yet another one. Each time we think 'this must be the last one', and each time another one comes along a couple of months later to surprise us. Of course, he won't let us have a look!
Coincidentally Jamie has a very sore tongue at the moment, which has meant she hasn't been able to eat or drink much either. We tried get her to rinse her mouth with highly diluted Listerine mouthwash, but this didn't seem to help, so Carmen took her to the doctor's this afternoon. He said it was nothing serious, and prescribed a cream. According to Jamie, it tastes foul, and she has made a huge, noisy fuss each time it's had to be applied. But it worked well enough for her to be able to eat her tea, at least.
We rented the DVD of Girl With a Pearl Earring tonight. Lots of emotion simmering just below the surface, it reminded me a bit of films like French Lieutenant's Woman and Far From the Madding Crowd in that respect. Scarlett Johanson was a joy to look at, as always, but this time in a completely un-made-up look (which it probably took the make-up artist ages to get right) and very brightly lit in order to get that Vermeer-y effect of white light falling on her from the side through a window all the time.
The fine weather has come to an end, unfortunately, and it rained most of the day. Apparently it should pick up again at the weekend, just in time for Brenda's visit. Fingers crossed.
Coincidentally Jamie has a very sore tongue at the moment, which has meant she hasn't been able to eat or drink much either. We tried get her to rinse her mouth with highly diluted Listerine mouthwash, but this didn't seem to help, so Carmen took her to the doctor's this afternoon. He said it was nothing serious, and prescribed a cream. According to Jamie, it tastes foul, and she has made a huge, noisy fuss each time it's had to be applied. But it worked well enough for her to be able to eat her tea, at least.
We rented the DVD of Girl With a Pearl Earring tonight. Lots of emotion simmering just below the surface, it reminded me a bit of films like French Lieutenant's Woman and Far From the Madding Crowd in that respect. Scarlett Johanson was a joy to look at, as always, but this time in a completely un-made-up look (which it probably took the make-up artist ages to get right) and very brightly lit in order to get that Vermeer-y effect of white light falling on her from the side through a window all the time.
The fine weather has come to an end, unfortunately, and it rained most of the day. Apparently it should pick up again at the weekend, just in time for Brenda's visit. Fingers crossed.
Peter
Devastated this morning by the news that my friend Peter Capell is in intensive care in Christchurch, NZ. The original melanoma on his head has metastisised
into tumours in his lungs, liver, pelvic area and brain. Peter is 38 and was
married in Cyprus in December. His wife is due to have their 1st baby on
27th of October (a honeymoon baby).
To describe Peter as kind, gentle, optimistic and guileless would be like describing Tiger Woods as a decent golfer.
into tumours in his lungs, liver, pelvic area and brain. Peter is 38 and was
married in Cyprus in December. His wife is due to have their 1st baby on
27th of October (a honeymoon baby).
To describe Peter as kind, gentle, optimistic and guileless would be like describing Tiger Woods as a decent golfer.
Monday, October 04, 2004
Monday musings
It's been gorgeous weather here the last couple of days, and we made the most of it yesterday when we went out for a walk up on the cliffs above the Barquera. See the photo below.
My voice recognition package arrived at the weekend and my first impressions are very good. (I'm dictating this now). The most difficult aspect is forming your thoughts before you start speaking. Hopefully I'll get used to this quite quickly.
My aunt Brenda is arriving here on Saturday for a short visit, and all of us are looking forward to it. Hopefully the gorgeous weather of the past week will continue; unfortunately these hot spells always come to an end and are usually followed by weeks of cloud and rain, so fingers crossed.
Tuesday update:
The voice recognition is going very well, yesterday afternoon I managed to do what used to be almost a full day's work in about 3 hours... I've taken on a couple of urgent jobs for today and tomorrow and am hoping I can get these finished just as quickly.
My voice recognition package arrived at the weekend and my first impressions are very good. (I'm dictating this now). The most difficult aspect is forming your thoughts before you start speaking. Hopefully I'll get used to this quite quickly.
My aunt Brenda is arriving here on Saturday for a short visit, and all of us are looking forward to it. Hopefully the gorgeous weather of the past week will continue; unfortunately these hot spells always come to an end and are usually followed by weeks of cloud and rain, so fingers crossed.
Tuesday update:
The voice recognition is going very well, yesterday afternoon I managed to do what used to be almost a full day's work in about 3 hours... I've taken on a couple of urgent jobs for today and tomorrow and am hoping I can get these finished just as quickly.
Sunday, October 03, 2004
Saturday, October 02, 2004
Perez the Mouse
Jamie lost an upper front tooth today, so now we know what she wants for Christmas! The prospect of a nighttime visit from Perez the Mouse, bearing gifts, has turned her into a very happy bunny. Perez being the Spanish version of the tooth fairy, of course, but you'd worked that one out already, hadn't you? She wasn't very happy at lunchtime, though, when it started wobbling, and she couldn't properly eat her macaroni (her fave meal). Luckily it was out within 2 hours.
Carmen's gone off to buy an outfit for the wedding in November. It's Roberto's wedding, he's the son of a sister of Carmen's grandmother. Great uncle? Second cousin? No idea. Anyway he's younger than Carmen so he'd be a strange great uncle. Very nice chap as well.
Carmen's gone off to buy an outfit for the wedding in November. It's Roberto's wedding, he's the son of a sister of Carmen's grandmother. Great uncle? Second cousin? No idea. Anyway he's younger than Carmen so he'd be a strange great uncle. Very nice chap as well.
More deadlines and a party
I spent today chasing deadlines, yawn. I overran the last one by 2 hours, and I now can't wait for my Dragon Naturally Speaking (voice recognition software) to arrive, which according to Kelly (my former boss) has increased his productivity three-fold.
Jamie had a birthday party this afternoon, which Carmen took Jamie and Danny to while I was sweating away at the grindstone, but I managed to get finished in time to bike up to join them for an hour. It was in the cafe we went to after Danny's Christening, opposite the petrol station, and the kids were all playing the play area outside when I arrived. Both our two were having a whale of a time. Danny had a sit on my bike, then wandered over to look at a bunch of motorbikes, "WOW!".
One of the mums there told us that her son had complained that the new English teacher "only spoke English all the time, and the only one who understands her is Jamie". Ha ha! Later on, however, one of the other mums said that her son was refusing to go to school and making a lot of fuss because of this English teacher, who is apparently an older lady and English native speaker. Thinking about it, 5 is a bit young for total language immersion, especially here in Spain where there's not the exposure to other languages that there is in somewhere like Holland. I'll be interested to see what happens. The positive aspect from our point of view is that it's definitely going to help Jamie with her English.
Jamie had a birthday party this afternoon, which Carmen took Jamie and Danny to while I was sweating away at the grindstone, but I managed to get finished in time to bike up to join them for an hour. It was in the cafe we went to after Danny's Christening, opposite the petrol station, and the kids were all playing the play area outside when I arrived. Both our two were having a whale of a time. Danny had a sit on my bike, then wandered over to look at a bunch of motorbikes, "WOW!".
One of the mums there told us that her son had complained that the new English teacher "only spoke English all the time, and the only one who understands her is Jamie". Ha ha! Later on, however, one of the other mums said that her son was refusing to go to school and making a lot of fuss because of this English teacher, who is apparently an older lady and English native speaker. Thinking about it, 5 is a bit young for total language immersion, especially here in Spain where there's not the exposure to other languages that there is in somewhere like Holland. I'll be interested to see what happens. The positive aspect from our point of view is that it's definitely going to help Jamie with her English.
Friday, October 01, 2004
Bike ride yesterday
I had a big deadline to meet yesterday (Wednesday) so I was manacled to the computer until I got it finished at 5, then leaped out of the door to go for a long-awaited bike ride. Also much-needed as I hadn't been out of the house for 2 days! I decided to bring back the bike I borrowed from our friends Marian and Vivion, which my brother Jason had used when he was staying here in August. I took off on one of my favourite circuits, over the main bridge towards the beach then up the cliffs and over to Meron along the back road, up to La Revilla then on to the Comillas road, turning off just before La Rabia onto the road to El Tejo and Lamadrid, which they are busy resurfacing at the moment, and about time too! When I got to Lamadrid, I decided to cut back over the motorway and along the path that runs between Pico Saria and Abano, which is the steep path alongside the motorway (Jason will remember). Total of about 22 km I reckon (couldn't check this though as my bike computer was on my other bike) in 1.5 hours.
It was the first time I'd ridden the bike, and the first thing I noticed was that it was a lot lighter than my own bike, which is a hybrid mountain/city bike and therefore more sturdy than a straightforward mountain bike. The next thing I noticed was that the bike was a death trap! The front brakes needed tightening, and the brakes in general took ages to do anything. The front forks wobbled, and putting the bike in bottom gear at the front resulted in either the chain jamming in the teeth or in the chain coming off completely. Somehow I managed to get it back safely, more by luck than judgement though. Having to keep my hands hovering over the brakes at all times meant my hands were in a painful position, and cramping up after 20 minutes.
(I hope this doesn't come across as ingratitude, both Jason and I were very glad to have had the bike at our disposal this summer. We had a great time on it, taking it out on 3 long, hilly trips totalling more than 100 km).
Everything considered I enjoyed the ride yesterday though, despite the discomfort and fear for my life ;) My thigh muscles were twinge-ing nicely this morning.
We watched the mighty Barca last night, who are looking like main challengers for the Champions League this season, although Wayne-a-rooney's galvanising hat-trick on Tuesday has made MU a major contender again. UEFA cup tonight, come on FC Utreg! Of course the only team that really matters (Sheffield Wednesday) was operating at a slightly different level yesterday - they got knocked out of the LDV Vans Trophy... Ah well, I reckon that must have been Paul Sturrock's intention, so that he could concentrate on the league....... ahem. To think they were in Europe and in the top 3 of the premiership only 10 years ago. Sigh.
It was the first time I'd ridden the bike, and the first thing I noticed was that it was a lot lighter than my own bike, which is a hybrid mountain/city bike and therefore more sturdy than a straightforward mountain bike. The next thing I noticed was that the bike was a death trap! The front brakes needed tightening, and the brakes in general took ages to do anything. The front forks wobbled, and putting the bike in bottom gear at the front resulted in either the chain jamming in the teeth or in the chain coming off completely. Somehow I managed to get it back safely, more by luck than judgement though. Having to keep my hands hovering over the brakes at all times meant my hands were in a painful position, and cramping up after 20 minutes.
(I hope this doesn't come across as ingratitude, both Jason and I were very glad to have had the bike at our disposal this summer. We had a great time on it, taking it out on 3 long, hilly trips totalling more than 100 km).
Everything considered I enjoyed the ride yesterday though, despite the discomfort and fear for my life ;) My thigh muscles were twinge-ing nicely this morning.
We watched the mighty Barca last night, who are looking like main challengers for the Champions League this season, although Wayne-a-rooney's galvanising hat-trick on Tuesday has made MU a major contender again. UEFA cup tonight, come on FC Utreg! Of course the only team that really matters (Sheffield Wednesday) was operating at a slightly different level yesterday - they got knocked out of the LDV Vans Trophy... Ah well, I reckon that must have been Paul Sturrock's intention, so that he could concentrate on the league....... ahem. To think they were in Europe and in the top 3 of the premiership only 10 years ago. Sigh.
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