Monday, July 30, 2007

Ever seen a shire horse on a beach?




Hmm, shire horses don't normally frequent beaches. I know donkeys do, well they do in Blackpool anyway, and I suppose that is weird enough, but shire horses!


We went to the beach near the farm yesterday and came across a farmer beach game which involved seeing how many bags of sand your shire horse could pull. Very odd.
Oh and a special mention for little Bruna - the dog at the farm. Unfortunately she has died in circumstances that are difficult to understand as the tale was relayed to us by the crazy old guy who still lives there. Something to do with a blow to the head ......which I sadly suspect could probably have been dealt with by a vet - but the old guy wouldn't get involved which such things I'm sure. He certainly never goes to the doctor and wanders around with all sorts of injuries. RIP Bruna.
S xx

60th birthday party






Hello bloggers,


Last friday we were up in Tarragona at my in laws house to celebrate my father in law's 60th birthday. I managed to escape dancing with any oldies but Jose was comically harrassed by a slightly drunken woman all night, who eventually got him to dance with her. She really was obsessed with him! As he looks exactly like his father did 30 years ago, we were all joking that she must have fancied Ramon 30 years ago and with a little too much alcohol thought she'd found his younger self all over again.


S xx

Thursday, July 26, 2007

she'll be coming round the mountain when she comes




Last weekend my cousin Angie got married........on top of a bloody mountain! I'm not sure if the non conventional and highly personal service was because its her second time round or merely because she's non conventional. Anyway, whatever the driving force behind the idea, it was brilliant. A complete success. It has been raining and flooding like no one's business all summer in England but someone was watching over her that day (perhaps my Uncle John, her late Dad) and the sun shone perfectly and we all had a jolly old time.
The "hymns" were hilarious. We firstly sang, led by a scout leader friend, "she'll be coming round the mountain when she comes". Then later in the "service" we all got very into singing "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands". That was just hysterical - 80 poeple on the top of a mountain in wedding outfits clapping hands, stamping feet, turning around and shouting "we are" ......as the verses go ( as I know now). We were all laughing our heads off - it was such fun.
Later, after some hilarious speeches by my dad (who gave her away in the absence of my late Uncle), the crackers groom and his bestman, a whole pig was spit roasted and the country dancing started! So, a proper country wedding. I am only sorry that my spanish husband wasn't able to witness this british crazyness - he got stuck in an important meeting and couldn't make it. He'd have been lost on the "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands" but he would have given us a laugh!
S xx


Friday, July 13, 2007

All things green


I just looked through my old blogs and saw this first picture from when I planted my little herbs. Well take a look at the second photo - the basil is going for it! I wonder if its anything to do with being pregnant that I am having such a good effect on the herbs - fertility and growing skills and all that.
Not sure if you can overdose on basil. I suspect not. But should it be a possibility then I'd say me and Jose are at risk. Every night I find a wayy of building tomatoes, basil, red onion and lashings of olive oil into the menu.
The mint is still looking a bit straggly there in the middle but its actually all falling over the edge towards the street - so there is more than you think. It makes a nice yogurt raita anyway.
S xx

Olivia


Ok here she is - well still inside her home - that is me! Its official now by the way that she is called Olivia. Her middle name will be Uxue (pronounced ooshoey) which is a Basque name (Jose's maternal side are Basque). The first two photos where I am wearing a green top and black leggins are in Marroco where I was 19 weeks on.


The last two photos are taken today at 21 and a half weeks on - taken in out spare bedroom (where I spend a lot of time because thats where the computer is). Its looking a bit bare because we still haven't put the curtains or the pictures up. This is apparently (so says Jose) going to happen this weekend - our first weekend at home with no social plans for ages. Wish us luck with Jose's first time with a drill!
S xx

Marrakesh


Hello! I have always wanted to go to Marrakesh but have never seemed to have managed it - for some reason. So, we took ourselves off there as a last taste of luxury before the baby comes. The baby is not going to stop us travelling but I'm sure she will influence our choice of hotel, so, I enjoyed going for something grown up and stylish for one last time. The hotel was truly amazing. Its called caravan serai - look it up if you fancy an exotic getaway thats actually not too far away.
The suite was enormous and very traditional and had a really big private terrace ......where I shall own up to a little nude sunbathing!

As for Marrakesh itself, other than the bazar, it was somewhat if a let down actually. It doesn't really have any striking architecture or charm. The main square that everyone raves about is nothing to write home about - so I won't!

I love the food but was rather disappointed to find that set menus were the only thing offered. Therefor not really allowing you to pick and choose some of the not so obvious dishes. All they seemed to be pushing was couscous and tagines ......which you can get on your local high street (if you live in London anyway).

Another let down was the fact that the poeple are absolutelyt money obsessed! They really were using every opportunity to blatantly rip you off......which kind of turned you against them. I have travelled to far poorer and less developed places but never experienced a money grabbing cheek quite like that of the Marrocans. Sorry if anyone Marrocan is reading this but it is an honest criticism based wholly on experience.

We did meet one lovely Marrocan boy who had a French girlfriend in Valencia and so got me on the phone to her and begged me to be her friend! I must ring her now that we are back actually. It may come to nothing but then again we may strike up a friendship - stranger things have happened.
I seemed to grow (pregnancy tummy wise) masses whilst I was out there. I'm going to do a separate blog with some tummy pictures after this one. I was happy to get myself nice and brown though - being enormous is all the more acceptable when you are brown for some reason.

S xx