this is now my 4th spanish spring and i havent grown tired of it.
Ok, so I hade developed allergies for the first time in my life, and its pretty hellish for a few weeks every year, but its still worth it.
the days are so much longer - i never stop marvelling at the joys of daylight saving. After a long and cold winter with too much food, we have started excercising. Ive never liked running but Ruben has convinced me to try it and he runs along at my pace to help me.
we are now up to 4 runs a week for around 20 minutes or 2.5km.... so pretty happy with that. But the best part is when we sit under the almond trees in the Retiro to stretch for a half hour or so. after that, as we walk home, we feel taller, more fluid and energetic. our treat is a fresh juice and a shower before going to work, or going to bed, depending on the time we run. Im so glad we have started this here because the Retiro is such a beautiful place to run and its often the nicest part of our day.
then we have the food part of our day.... very important!! fruits are getting better and with our blender we are experimenting with different juices and soups. I made my first gazpacho this week (cold tomato soup) and it was pretty good.
For me, work is winding down before summer so its a pretty relaxed time. i have alot of reports and exams to write but other than that its quite relaxed. Ruben works either mornings or evenings so we have at least half the day to see each other and share a meal. we are also trying to test some new recipes to go in our latest project - a cookbook..... but more on that later as its a surprise....
then of course, we are approaching the date when we can apply for Ruben's visa. we have just about everything in order and in a few weeks we will know what we need for our future!! exciting (and nervewracking) times...
and we are finally able to take a holiday together again and this time it looks like we will get 2 weeks in Asturias, to enjoy cider, cabrales cheese, mountains and beaches, with lots of walking each day. we will be looking online tomorrow to see if we can spend a week away with ruben's mum somewhere.... we thought it would be a great chance to be together before we leave, so why not enjoy ot while we can!! We will look up prices to the Canary Islands and a few other places tomorrow...
so what else? well, the big Feria de Libro - Book Fair - which has 500 book stalls in the Retiro park for 3 weeks, the magnolia trees starting to flower, the feel of the scorching sun and the cool blast when you step under a tree, the promise of summer and the empty streets we have enjoyed each year....
and of course working through all the stuff we have accummulated, selling what we can, giving away the rest and getting ready to pack u pour lives and love to the other side of the world.... a daunting task.
but for now, i am sitting on a bench on our pedestrian street, enjoying the cool breeze, downloading some programs and getting ready for a pretty easy afternoon of class. Tomorrow is a public holiday and we will go to see Ruben's family for lunch and holiday planning!!
life is good
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
primavera - por fin!!!
spring has sprung.
the first sign was the slightly longer afternoons.
then the homeless man who disappeared last november reappeared on his normal bench across the road and we realised that he was bloody smart and went to andalucia for the winter - great idea....
we had one warm day and half the blossom trees exploded.... the rest waited because they know from experience that this is a false spring and that the cold isnt finished with us yet
we could take one of our 5 blankets off the bed without freezing at night
we could open our window for on hour or so last weekend and it felt BALMY
in other news...
This week i got all house-wifey and made indian PANEER cheese one day and capsicum and chilli chutney the next. Makes up a little for the fact that Ruben cooks all other meals.... we have been eating really well (?too well?) lately....
the rest of the week will be around 22 degrees, so picnics and petanque championships will be squeezed in before winter gives us its last hurrah!!
knowing Madrid, the cold and rain will make itself known for a few more months but this is a wonderful appetizer for what is to come
but around this i must work alot and squeeze in some back breaking yoga when i have time.... next great day is when we can pack away the polar fleeces and pull out the thongs ..... not long now - its been a looooong winter for us
til then....
the first sign was the slightly longer afternoons.
then the homeless man who disappeared last november reappeared on his normal bench across the road and we realised that he was bloody smart and went to andalucia for the winter - great idea....
we had one warm day and half the blossom trees exploded.... the rest waited because they know from experience that this is a false spring and that the cold isnt finished with us yet
we could take one of our 5 blankets off the bed without freezing at night
we could open our window for on hour or so last weekend and it felt BALMY
in other news...
This week i got all house-wifey and made indian PANEER cheese one day and capsicum and chilli chutney the next. Makes up a little for the fact that Ruben cooks all other meals.... we have been eating really well (?too well?) lately....
the rest of the week will be around 22 degrees, so picnics and petanque championships will be squeezed in before winter gives us its last hurrah!!
knowing Madrid, the cold and rain will make itself known for a few more months but this is a wonderful appetizer for what is to come
but around this i must work alot and squeeze in some back breaking yoga when i have time.... next great day is when we can pack away the polar fleeces and pull out the thongs ..... not long now - its been a looooong winter for us
til then....
Friday, January 30, 2009
time marches on...
thanks to pete's text to catch up for my birthday i decided to call around a few people to meet for some quiet drinks. and i think i had the most enjoyable birthday in years..
it started the weekend before for "drinks"..... first we went out for a beer with R's mum, on a lovely rooftop bar at sunset. Then onto Pete's place for a drink.....which was much fancier and special than I had expected. Champagne, home made hummus, avocado and home-baked pita bread. How fancy!!!!! Running late as usual, I click-clacked up the cobbled streets in my new boots (thanks Barbie!) to the never-before-tried bar that was recommended for the night. It was very cute and VERY cheap.... perfect for LA CRISIS!! We managed to spend 30 euros for two and had a long and funny night! After staying at Pete's fabulously located flat, we had a coffee in the morning at his favourite bar before walking home through the Retiro. We had a pre-lunch red wine in the posh bar near our flat (love this spanish lifestyle!) then home to cook up a big lunch before curling up for a well deserved siesta.
My birthday itself started the night before when i came home to a candle lit house and an amazing dinner on the table. Up early the next day to call he family and get a raucous version of HAPPY BIRTHDAY from my now very grown-up nephews. Worked a few hours then home for another amazing meal laid out when I walked in! After a fabulous siesta, we dressed and left...Walking the streets of Madrid at this time of year is special - the air is cold but the skies are clear and there aren't any crowds. We walked into the centre for a drink at a cool bar we've been wanting to try, picked up a movie before tucking in under the blanket again for a cosy night in!
Not very exciting but most people's standards but i loved it - delicious food, great people, perfect memories....
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Madrid is a winter wonderland
We woke up on the 9th to news that it had been snowing all night and that it would be coooooold outside. Damn, this was my first early morning back at work with no boots to wear.... I tentatively went out and found, to my delight, Madrid nestled under a soft, powdery layer of white snow, with plenty more falling.
I watched it fall through my first class, craftily wrangled my way out of the afternoon classes, woke Ruben up and went to the Retiro to enjoy this unexpected treat together.
We took some photos, which don't really capture the mood, but its the best I can share. Click on this photo to go to my Flickr site if you want to have a look!
The next day there was still alot of snow on the ground but the cars had arm loads scrapped off them by the kids having fights after school, the sidewalks had turned to ice but the sky was clear and blue and an early full moon rose above it all.
Magic!!
Saturday, January 03, 2009
....tis the season
well, here i am in 2009 and in a surreal, doozy, dopey state, drugged up on Frenadol to fight the army of bugs that have invaded our house....but before they made their home in the studio, we enjoyed an unexpectedly cool Christmas.
christmas was the anniversary of our trip to morocco last year and each days since we have reminisced about all the great experiences we had there. its a pity we couldn't get away this year but we got to catch up some lost Lopez family time.
24th was family dinner with Ruben's grandparents, aunts, uncle and mum...... there was lots of food, funny wigs, singing and general silliness. Called mum on skype to introduce her to Ruben's family but she had no sound at her end so all she could see where some very strange creatures jumping around in glitter wigs.... sorry mum - another time, ok?
25th and i insisted on having lunch for those non-spanish who celebrate on this day. Ruben was working so we took a risk of the boss walking in and took over the kitchen in his cafe to make an Orphans Christmas Lunch.
There were five of us all together and we had a delicious spread of food, wine, champagne..... we were there all afternoon to keep Ruben company and left a little worse for wear, but by all accounts a success.
26 - sleep and digest
27 - Rubens mums birthday so we made the trek south for a very funny family lunch, dinner, feast.... His two nieces are really growing fast and i got to catch up on some colouring-in and dancing.
- start of cold for both of us
28 - friends birthday at his house. The company was great but the warmth of a centrally heated house was heaven for us. Duck l'orange and pears poached in red wine was quite a treat, even after all this eating!!
29 - digest, take drugs, sleep
30 - continue to digest and cook for next feast
31 - family dinner - i love this tradition for NYE! - typically there is a big family dinner which we prepared in the afternoon after a solid 2 hour siesta!!! Heaven! Ate seafood, Iberican meats, salads, wine etc. At midnight the clock in Plaza del Sol is televised, Time Square-style and as the clock strikes 12, everyone eats 1 grape for every gong of the bell. If you can get through them all, you will have luck. Kisses and champagne follow, and then at 1am we said goodbye to meet friends and go to see a band. They started at 2am and continued til 10am!!!! Now we were on medication, but we made it to 6.30am when the Metro started again
1st - sleep and sneeze
2nd - sleep, cough, get out for a walk and take some photos, then back to bed
3rd - today! still in pj's at 3pm, about to prepare lunch then maybe visit a few galleries that have exhibitions near our place.
Im pretty bummed that we are sick. we have both been working really hard for the past few months and I really wanted to get out of Madrid for a few days R'n'R but its not to be. Instead we sleep in til 12, have breakfast, take our drugs, Ruben goes to work and I try to tick some things off my i-would-do-it-if-i-had-time list.
in 4 days im back to work and the very thought makes me want to crawl into a hole and hide..... but no worries.... once we kick this we will feel much brighter.
happy new year all
ps: oooh and our lives have changed again thanks to the Reyos Magos!!.... we received a hand blender for chrissy so we can make warm soups, AND (drum roll)...... electric toothbrushes. An item i always thought to be a bit of a silly luxury, but after 2 days i am converted!! go and get yourself one ;-)
christmas was the anniversary of our trip to morocco last year and each days since we have reminisced about all the great experiences we had there. its a pity we couldn't get away this year but we got to catch up some lost Lopez family time.
24th was family dinner with Ruben's grandparents, aunts, uncle and mum...... there was lots of food, funny wigs, singing and general silliness. Called mum on skype to introduce her to Ruben's family but she had no sound at her end so all she could see where some very strange creatures jumping around in glitter wigs.... sorry mum - another time, ok?
25th and i insisted on having lunch for those non-spanish who celebrate on this day. Ruben was working so we took a risk of the boss walking in and took over the kitchen in his cafe to make an Orphans Christmas Lunch. There were five of us all together and we had a delicious spread of food, wine, champagne..... we were there all afternoon to keep Ruben company and left a little worse for wear, but by all accounts a success.26 - sleep and digest
27 - Rubens mums birthday so we made the trek south for a very funny family lunch, dinner, feast.... His two nieces are really growing fast and i got to catch up on some colouring-in and dancing.
- start of cold for both of us
28 - friends birthday at his house. The company was great but the warmth of a centrally heated house was heaven for us. Duck l'orange and pears poached in red wine was quite a treat, even after all this eating!!
29 - digest, take drugs, sleep
30 - continue to digest and cook for next feast
31 - family dinner - i love this tradition for NYE! - typically there is a big family dinner which we prepared in the afternoon after a solid 2 hour siesta!!! Heaven! Ate seafood, Iberican meats, salads, wine etc. At midnight the clock in Plaza del Sol is televised, Time Square-style and as the clock strikes 12, everyone eats 1 grape for every gong of the bell. If you can get through them all, you will have luck. Kisses and champagne follow, and then at 1am we said goodbye to meet friends and go to see a band. They started at 2am and continued til 10am!!!! Now we were on medication, but we made it to 6.30am when the Metro started again
1st - sleep and sneeze
2nd - sleep, cough, get out for a walk and take some photos, then back to bed
3rd - today! still in pj's at 3pm, about to prepare lunch then maybe visit a few galleries that have exhibitions near our place.
Im pretty bummed that we are sick. we have both been working really hard for the past few months and I really wanted to get out of Madrid for a few days R'n'R but its not to be. Instead we sleep in til 12, have breakfast, take our drugs, Ruben goes to work and I try to tick some things off my i-would-do-it-if-i-had-time list.
in 4 days im back to work and the very thought makes me want to crawl into a hole and hide..... but no worries.... once we kick this we will feel much brighter.
happy new year all
ps: oooh and our lives have changed again thanks to the Reyos Magos!!.... we received a hand blender for chrissy so we can make warm soups, AND (drum roll)...... electric toothbrushes. An item i always thought to be a bit of a silly luxury, but after 2 days i am converted!! go and get yourself one ;-)
Saturday, December 13, 2008
rainy days and saturdays always make me smile
i was in a posh little bar last night for my work christmas party... enjoyed a few glasses of red and a few g&t's and some delicious food - making a bit of a pig of myself whenever the satay sticks came around,...made my way home on the night bus and short stroll through the chilly streets at 4am to slip into a warm bed next to an exhausted sleeping Ruben..... hmmmmm, in a house with no heating, having a pre-warmed bed is truly a luxury....
so when i surfaced today it was to a wet, cool, grey day that is perfect when you have nothing to do and dont want to feel guilty for doing nothing! Washed some clothes, wrapped my hands around a mug of hot chocolate and treated myself to a yummy little pastry that Ruben brought home from work.
I am now in his cafe watching the people run around outside under dripping umbrellas, listening to cool and mellow jazz, catching up on some downloads. there is something really great about big windows to watch cold weather when you are safe and warm indoors... One of my favourite things.
The week ahead will be pretty calm.... students are all preparing for Christmas holidays so classes are starting to get cancelled, so I will have more time to do more interesting things. I have a list of places I feel I should visit - like the Royal Palace (which is free for EU citizens on Wed), the Prado museum and a few photography exhibitions that Ive seen around. Predictions are for snow so indoors is the only requisite...
time to log off now, Rubens shift is over so we'll walk the 100m home, have a late late lunch and chill out with a DVD, book or the big pile of clothes I have avoided repairing for too long. Either way, its a wonderfully relaxing day after a pretty hectic week.
so when i surfaced today it was to a wet, cool, grey day that is perfect when you have nothing to do and dont want to feel guilty for doing nothing! Washed some clothes, wrapped my hands around a mug of hot chocolate and treated myself to a yummy little pastry that Ruben brought home from work.
I am now in his cafe watching the people run around outside under dripping umbrellas, listening to cool and mellow jazz, catching up on some downloads. there is something really great about big windows to watch cold weather when you are safe and warm indoors... One of my favourite things.
The week ahead will be pretty calm.... students are all preparing for Christmas holidays so classes are starting to get cancelled, so I will have more time to do more interesting things. I have a list of places I feel I should visit - like the Royal Palace (which is free for EU citizens on Wed), the Prado museum and a few photography exhibitions that Ive seen around. Predictions are for snow so indoors is the only requisite...
time to log off now, Rubens shift is over so we'll walk the 100m home, have a late late lunch and chill out with a DVD, book or the big pile of clothes I have avoided repairing for too long. Either way, its a wonderfully relaxing day after a pretty hectic week.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Rachel's visit in Madrid
On Rachel's last few days in Madrid we were able to enjoy ourselves a little more without the wet weather. The three of us went for a yummy dinner in our current favourite restaurant - with bull tail, asparragus and garlic prawns YUMMMM!!
Decided we needed to let Rachel try the best sangria we have had in Madrid, which is conveniently served in a very cool cave bar close to where we were. 
Ive been here before with Andrea and Bernie, but tonight we had the pianist playing old Casablanca style music (the movie, not the place) and it had a very other-worldy feel.
Got Rachel into a taxi at 4am only to hear that her flight was cancelled. She was saved from coming back to our flat with a new flight! Part of the adventure of travelling is finding things to do for 5 hours at an airport, I guess!!
Good luck in Italy and the rest of your trip Rachel - we both wish you lot's of adventures!!
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