Madrid Teacher

This video succinctly explains to R why my mum has not visited. This video operates on so many levels. She lives in Pudsey, I have a jumper like the one in the video and I hate the food they mention.

In a metrosexual Madrid (see how many men have their legs shaved) why can a male not cool himself down with a fan without drawing the opprobrium of other their fellow citizens. In a place where Beckham gets away with being the gayest gay icon and men can cluck around the aftershave counter at El Corte Ingles like viejas around the olive shop in the local mercado, do male fan users get stared at as though they possess lepracy. Spanish machismo bravado society in my experience only exists when they are safe behind the car door and protected by changing traffic lights. I think its time for a new formation the MCUFWBSALF (males can use fans without being stared at liberation front). A fan is much more use when dealing with 38 degrees than wafting a 20euro note on the face while queuing

Labels: annoyances

My attempts at being Percy Thrower have been quite limited although the roses on the balcony are just about surviving and the avacado plant is showing healthy adolesent growth as the before and after pictures below show.

Before



Current state of affairs



However, a more impressive array of flowers can be found in the parks of Madrid and Alcala through out the summer. I was really impressed with the rose garden in the Retiro. It was interesting to see the names of the roses such as French Revolution (red obviously) and Cosmos (white which triumphs over the rest because its the symbol of Yorkshire). here are a few of the pictures taken yesterday in the park.

One of my first memories of Spain was walking at about 5:30 am in benidorm of all places back to a rented Villa in about 1994, the car pollution had subsided and the smell of the flowers and shrubs was in the air. Every so often I sometimes regain a sense of that aroma when returning late and walking through the park near our flat

Labels: life in spain

I read an interesting article in last fridays Independent (a friend brought it over for me from Scotland) It contained a story about hotels letting out rooms for a siesta. Not the usual room for the hour type serivce but one which allows all those who live miles away from their place of employment, to take a nap and therefore not miss out on their Spanish brithright. I only ever have a couple of siestas a year, don´t know why just dont need them. What was quite typical is that the employers association in Sevilla said that they are against it because it would mean that their members would have to work more. I don´t actually see how because the people in the rooms would be sleeping.

A big thankyou to the Doctors and Nurses in Alcala hospital. I have just come home after a operation and they were brilliant. How anybody can argue against a socialised health service I cannot understand. Still feeling quite high on the drugs though so will have to stop writing.

I once read that the murder rate drastically increases in Spain during the summer, I presume due to the heat. A physicist friend of mine told me that in Valencia a persons brain swells due to the humidity so is this the reason why?

However I find that people seem much more jayquilo during the summer. I have experienced functionarios actually being polite and useful this week, I would go so far as to say that one of the education civil servants I met this week, went the extra mile and directed us to the correct building. The whole Dr House persona evaporated in the ministry of education this week, and although we still had to savour the queing, I actually left the building with a big cheesy grin on my face satisfied that my objectives de jour had been met.

Everyone seems happy in Alcala, there has been more drunk revelers but less car beeping at 7 in the morning, which demonstrates energies are being diverted in preparation for the August break and the fiestas.

Even the bulls in Pamploma have been generous this July only a couple of gorings so far.

To top the last week, R won a holiday in a four star hotel for us after he appeared on a cooking program. Things can only get better, soon I will be able to find parking outside my flat when everyone else goes on their holidays.

I love summer in Spain and not just because of the weather, everyone and everything feels content. Just watch out for the swollen brains!!!

Labels: life in spain

Yesterday the streets of Madrid were taken over by a manifestation which did not comprise of the usual malcontents bleating on about anything which this government does, or cause trouble and upset in the name of conspiracy theories. Although Rajoy was missing which means he is either ill or on his holidays because that is a man who is present at every march in Madrid or so it seems. Yesterday was a celebration of everything that is gay, but also more importantly to me a place where people of every sexulaity come together and celebrate diversity. It is fun, good humoured and for me it illustrates that labels are not important.

Here are some of our photos the rest are on our facebook