tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62225022865147249022024-03-05T09:03:56.905+01:00Being HereCaution: May contain nuts.
The chronicles of an Anglo/Spanish family settling into a home of its own.
ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.comBlogger472125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-2265798608751781042017-04-20T13:15:00.000+02:002017-04-20T13:15:56.947+02:00Happy Birthday Mum!On 1st April, it was my mum's 80th birthday! Although I couldn't get to celebrate with her on the day, we had previously arranged to have a little party at my sister's house the following week, so on the Friday afternoon, I jumped into my little blue car and drove down to Malaga to catch a plane to the UK.
After an uneventful and relatively peaceful flight, I arrived in Manchester where my ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-43184620462271925582017-03-28T12:03:00.001+02:002020-04-30T11:33:25.864+02:00Four years
Four years have passed since we moved into our house here in Villalobos. In some ways - as we all say - it seems to be only yesterday when we packed up our things yet again and drove out in the drizzle to the countryside. It was such an exciting day...
The lovely table didn't survive.....it collapsed sometime last year.
The garden in its original wild state
Romy happy in the silly ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-20644872772088917462017-03-04T23:19:00.001+01:002020-04-26T20:32:21.929+02:00Al azar.....Since the summer last year, at the invitation of a great women's association here in Alcala, I've been giving Zentangle classes on a Friday evening. I think we have around 25 people, mainly women, who come regularly, either to the beginners or the advanced classes, I often leave the house feeling quite tired after a long week, but invariably, I am rejuvenated when I arrive home a few hours later.ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-9907373355046906862017-01-14T13:35:00.000+01:002017-01-14T13:35:01.247+01:00Starting Over....in 2017It seems so long since I posted that this really does feel like starting over! I have been working many more hours a week since the summer and now, a few months on, I am getting into it and coping better. It has taken a while with some of the classes in the Academy but I am much more relaxed now about teaching in my own style and enjoying the interaction with the students there. And the people atArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-69600989828212561542016-11-07T21:56:00.000+01:002020-04-26T20:37:12.841+02:00Anyway...As I was saying..Smart phones have a lot to answer for!
For example, I was leaving work the other evening and as I walked down to my car, I had the most sensational view of the castle, here in Alcala la Real. And so I took out my phone and took a photo of it. And it was up on Facebook before I got home. Pretty impressive, really.
(Here it is, if you missed it on Facebook!) Isn't that inky sky ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-76386749684350781452016-09-10T15:17:00.000+02:002016-09-11T14:56:09.864+02:00Driving over olives....and almonds...and things.Too long, yes, I know. Too long and this post will also be too long. And I think I know why I haven't been blogging. I can almost name the day when I lost that interest, that bloggers way of looking at things and situation, mentally outlining a blogpost as I looked.
It was the day I got a smartphone.
On that day, I could receive my emails, I could log onto Facebook, I could search the internet ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-49232300691370626312016-08-06T21:37:00.000+02:002016-08-06T21:37:18.114+02:00What a week!The summer holidays are usually slow, lazy and very hot, although this year, I am working, so they haven't been as lazy as last year.
We had Etnosur during July, where we partied in the streets and the boys stayed out all night. That was fun. We've had blissful impromptu afternoons and late evenings on the beach.
And this week, we seem to have never stopped.
Glorious setting
After another ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-81102894283881337422016-07-25T14:21:00.000+02:002020-04-26T20:43:04.420+02:00There's a saying...'A picture says a 1000 words'. I really have lost the blogging plot in the last year or so, haven't I? But for posterity and to share, I am posting here a few photos of important moments in the last few months.
Caught doodling on the tablecloth at our village fiesta in May..
Maybe I wasn't setting the best example....
Signs that garden improvements are happening.
First cherriesArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-4931751338004120872016-05-03T21:47:00.001+02:002016-05-03T21:47:16.321+02:00Not without a hitch...but getting the drift...and splitting my sidesI've been trying to teach idioms.
I have two groups of students who will do exams at the end of May and I tell them it's a good idea to earn extra 'Brownie Points' by including an appropriate idiom or two - if they can. And with the emphasis on 'appropriate!
Have you ever looked at how many idioms there are in English? There are SO many! I have realised that since I've been living in Spain, I ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-21040009852566667792016-03-24T15:39:00.000+01:002016-04-08T05:45:47.074+02:00About timeAs in, about time I wrote a blog post. Although it could also be about 'time'. I don't really know yet. I haven't given much thought to what I'm going to write. I just know it's about time I did or else I might never write again.
January did seem to pass in a flash. We'd had a lovely Christmas all together and the new year started off rather nicely. FR and I went down to Malaga to a concert, ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-62437642030636889292016-01-04T13:31:00.000+01:002016-01-04T13:33:24.522+01:00And now....2016I'm more of a looking forward than a looking back sort of person, but as so many do, when the new year arrives, I find it quite healthy to assess how the previous year has gone.
First thought is usually, 'Oh my goodness! Another year gone! How, when, where....' and then it slowly starts to take a focus with various peaks and troughs. My view is surprisingly like a 3D contour map. I look back and ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-82270786355556625162015-12-07T17:07:00.001+01:002015-12-07T17:07:08.121+01:00The Angel of MalagaAt risk of repeating some information I may have shared with you before on this blog, but the mood to write is upon me, so apologies in advance!
During the first few months after FR and I met - maybe I told you what a whirlwind start our relationship had? We met on 10th March 1996 and on 27th March, also 1996, he moved in with me...
And to continue - we began talking about moving to Spain to ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-44805823792445763332015-11-21T17:09:00.001+01:002015-11-21T19:09:03.513+01:00Old friends....It's been a while since I posted, hasn't it? Hello, anyone out there? .....Well, it's been a while since I read any one else's blogs too and I may appear to have done a runner.
But I haven't and after my lovely weekend, I felt driven to record a few things for posterity and for sharing and for capturing.
On Friday last - yes, the 13th - I unsurprisingly had managed to pick up some cheap ticketsArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-56434798328042304132015-10-09T14:45:00.000+02:002016-10-17T10:02:08.688+02:00Carpe diem...I have such a horrible cold. FR has it too. I feel guilty because we got the cold from Ruy, who got it from Mateo and both of them continued to go to school and do what they had to do. We've been pathetic. I haven't been to work since Tuesday and FR went to the doctor this morning as the cold has gone to his chest and he has an infection. I made my children go to school.
'Seize the day' because ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-51473226608566405472015-09-18T12:40:00.002+02:002015-09-18T12:40:44.103+02:00Not a bad week really...Last Thursday, FR and Ruy went up to Valladolid to see the grandparents. Romy started school the same day after a long hot summer. I had begun working at the beginning of the week. It's strange to be up before the sun and to feel the coolness of the night that suddenly falls as we begin September. Mateo was at home on dog and hen duties. All calm and organised...on the surface!
My cute little ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-81838348915529731632015-09-06T20:45:00.001+02:002015-09-06T20:46:14.234+02:00Balancing act...This is a difficult post to write. There are so very many things in the world that are dreadful. So many people in unimaginable situations and the outcome of some of their actions washed pitifully up on the shores of beaches. We are rightly outraged, horrified and terrified by the concept of people taking such desperate measures to get away from their homes.
As the photographs of little Aylan ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-65411432607187333672015-08-30T20:11:00.000+02:002015-08-30T20:11:11.276+02:00Summer coming to an end...(Bit of a timelapse from starting to finishing this post - with a change of focus part way through too. )
A couple of hours weeks ago, I rather tearfully waved my lot off to Valladolid. The tears were a bit of a surprise. I usually look forward to a little bit of 'just me' time as I get precious little of it and there are always so many things that I want to do....if only I had some 'ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-77143322938604507002015-07-27T23:23:00.001+02:002015-07-27T23:23:07.111+02:00Lazy, hazy, crazy days of summerYes, the song sung by Nat King Cole that I remember so vividly from my childhood. His voice, so easy, so hypnotic and smooth was one that my father, in particular, loved to listen to. My dad was not musical but I have two clear memories that relate him to the music he obviously loved and that we often heard at home when I was young - up to me being about 8, after which the fish and chip shop theyArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-73662213867601616012015-07-17T14:51:00.000+02:002015-07-17T14:51:23.719+02:00'Es una chapuza' or The Psychology of Disappointment I had been planning a very different post. This time last week, we were watching the workmen in our garden, laying metres and metres of concrete in searing heat and feeling very sorry for them and grateful to them. But since then, I have felt differently. I have felt disappointed.
No, DISAPPOINTED. NO,
DISAPPOINTED
NO!
DISAPPOINTED.
My text won't go any bigger.
As you may ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-63791041911647942182015-07-10T11:52:00.001+02:002015-07-10T11:52:39.481+02:00Melting pointThere's a heat wave or three hitting Europe at the moment - if you didn't already know.
Captured by a friend of ours
We've been on yellow and red alert in this area for the past two weeks and now there are several serious forest fires in Jaen and neighbouring provinces.
...not far from where he was holidaying
About 116 degrees F...
Record highs have been hit this monthArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-8519670682871214062015-06-28T12:32:00.000+02:002015-06-28T12:32:39.613+02:00Shpeekin' Inglis. (B2 or not B2.)It's several weeks since I wrote a post and in that time, I haven't really read anyone else's blog or even thought about blogging. Blame Facebook! So many of my friends from blogworld are now Facebook friends too and when life is a bit hectic,then a quick scan of status posts makes me feel like I'm still in touch.
But here's a brief round up....
Romy's performance, which wrote about in my ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-59044482721078348092015-06-08T00:50:00.000+02:002015-06-08T12:41:02.817+02:00Beauty, the Beast and the TeapotFor those of you who are Facebook friends, you will know already that this week has been very important.
Two years ago, Romy's school did a performance of 'The Lion King' for the end of term and they did it in the local theatre. It is still talked about now with respect, admiration and awe. This year, the school decided they would do 'Beauty and the Beast' and as far as I remember, they held ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-37286600455488707492015-05-14T23:00:00.003+02:002015-05-14T23:00:50.600+02:00Living up to their names...Despite my garden looking like a bombsite - now and for the foreseeable future - the roses are blooming and it's wonderful to have little touches of colour around.
Casa Rosales.
The pink ones outside the computer room window. The Clematis and Rosemary also rather abundant this year - ie. unkempt!
One of the red ones - camera colours might be playing up a tad!
I did prune this one ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-35425613468570300382015-05-05T12:53:00.000+02:002015-05-05T12:54:04.266+02:00The brave and the good ...Part Three. Flamingos at Fuente PiedraMemories of our day out are beginning to fade...it's been a busy week!
We left the damp and soggy mountainside behind and headed north, spurred on by the thought of paella at the Visitor Centre in Fuente Piedra. We'd visited this inland, salty lake once before, and on checking this post about it, I am gobsmacked to discover that it's almost four years ago...how time flies! Then, just one month ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222502286514724902.post-65431896670431568692015-04-30T11:57:00.000+02:002015-04-30T11:57:03.804+02:00The brave and the good - Part Two. El Torcal...in the rain!After the fascinating visit to the Dolmens in Antequera, we reboarded our bus and set off up into the hills and mountains to the south.
As we began to climb the winding road, it was rather like being in the north of Spain - Asturias - where the weather is often damp, the countryside very green, the hills very steep and the roads exceedingly bendy.
And as often happens in Asturias, we drove into ArtyZenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.com5