Madrid Teacher

Many years ago I studies in Holland and this was when I first became interested in Spanish music, my room mate was Spanish and one of my best friends Javier studied in Holland at the same time and we still see each other and keep in touch. Javier and jose introduced me to Spanish Music, while I still cant seem to get to grips with Spanish Rock ( I am nearly there with bacalao), flamenco guitar is still one of my passions. I found this on You Tube. it is well worth a listen to, Also this link to a web for a bit of background information

http://www.gypsyflamenco.com/diego.html

We have officially become our mothers. Look what we have put on our balcony.

We watch Dolce Vita, diario de patricia, our friends say we make too much food, and now flowers. Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




But they are beautiful!!!


Read this from the BBC news, what a diamond geezer


First day of the holidays and the sun is shining. Ole

I am still in delierious shock, I actually got my car back within five days. What is happening to the world. I love Spain, I love the Royals and what a company Ford is. Well my car is made in Valencia.

Great saying today about politics, "as poisoned chalices go it was like something rustled up by Lucrezia Borgia on one of her most vengeful days"

Although there is a picture to the testonomy that I rant like him on the wall at my work , hopefully there are no other similarities. Why does he just not take that one step further. see story

I know it is not very Madrid related but it does inspire hope that the ETA situation could be solved in the future, its just that it could be a long long process.

This is quite political for a sunday morning.

R overslept for work this morning forgot about change in time.

Had a friend and her daughter over from Belfast this weekend and during the weekend we visited two parks, the Retiro and my local park in Alcala.

I love both parks, the retiro for a sunday afternoon saunter especially in summer, just lazing under one of the trees in the shade does a lot more than 8 packets of St johns wort, I also like the crystal palace. Its like in Sefton but with windows.

My other favourite park is in Alcala not only is there a great bar where you can sit out in the sun and let my neighbours feed Nova (thus saving me a few euros), but the coffee is great too.

Here are some pictures can you guess which is which park. My favourite is the one in the twon where Cervantes was born

My nearly brand new car wouldnt start this morning, I thought it might be because of the snow (In Madrid In late March, they never told me this at the interview).

So when the grua arrived the garage then couldnt let the car in , even overnight ) I was too stressed to argue with them, R thinks that I am being a neurotic English person again, however I had to remind R that the last time my car broke down it was missing for three months, until it was finally found in a car park in Valencia, so yes R I am completely flipping out about it.

To more positive stuff, found this website with some nice easy to cook Spanish recipies

http://www.cocinacasera.com/

See i am de stressing already. Though what has happened to my karma I dont know, two car problems in two years. i must have been bad in a past life.

I normally have a least a little bit of respect for elected politicians ( as I said a little for many and much for a few) , but this man can be summed up by three little words

self delusional buffoon

story (click here)

Hope evryone enjoys today.

Although I am not really a fan of mice the only real phobia I have is Europhobia, but only in the sense of the EU ( I know I benefit from it by living in Spain but I am sure I could still live here if the UK wasn´t in the EU ( and the paperwork could not be any different that is for sure))

The reasons are:

1) A single currency doesn´t work effectively when there are sovereign states I think interest rates should be decided by those they effect most or at least be decided by an organisation which is closely related to the people the interest rates will effect.
2) As a democrat I prefer decisions to be made as near to the people they effect as possible
2) What might be good for Spain might not be for Poland for example. Power distribution is un-balanced in my view in the EU
3) Although there arn´t as many Eurocrats as the Sun says, they are still unelected
4) I like my cucumbers bent (well that is a bit of an exagerration).

I like the four freedoms but not the 120 000 anti-freedoms which seem to have followed.

The story of Endessa therefore does not suprize me. Lowest common denominator barginning results in lowest beneficial consequences.see story I cant relate to the idea that you can be a member of a club but only follow the rules you like.



This is my first time in six years I am not going to Fallas, but have friend over from Ireland and she is a bloody firework!!!!!

Bon nit

It was 24 degrees this afternoon in Alcala. So I decided to buy some strawberries, even after 6 years I still love going into a shop and buying fruit in Spain, when I think back to the days at Morrisons when it was a choice between Golden delicious and about 4 other members of the fruit family, I dont know how I survived.

Shopping in Spain is still one of those activities I love and everytime I do it there seems to be something new to amaze me.

Was reading in a church magazine today how we are supposed to mellow as we get older, I think that if someone said to me three years ago even that I would be content sitting in a park with strawberries, a dog and an Ian Rankin I would have laughed. I suppose I am now appreciating living my Spanish Dream.

I havent any pictures of the park near my flat or the "ahora mas" from whence said fruit was bought so here is a picture of the university in Alcala.

I haven´t really blogged for a while but there have been some sad family reasons for this. In a few days I will get back to it.

But read some of these. This woman while very pretty is completely bonkers.Ann Coulter

have spent a few lovely afternoons in the Park with Nova, it was 24 degrees today and I divided up my two layer coat so summers very very nearly here.

Yipeee

Summers coming again, the bar in the Park for my sunday coffee has put the seats out again.

All is well, it was 24 degrees today and I know this is it now until november. And he hasn´t put the price of coffee up either.