As anyone who has read ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ will know, the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything is, of course As of yesterday, it’s also my answer to the question: ‘How old are you?’ (Hence the cake.) I’m sorry to report, however, that I received no revelatory […]
Contrasts
May 8, 2013 by · 42 Comments
Last weekend we nipped across the mountains of the Cordillera Cantábrica to León. At the top of the mountain pass, just over the border from Asturias, we stopped at San Isidro ski station to have a little play in the snow. (And to give the poor old motor-home’s engine a chance to cool down after […]
The Early Bird
February 3, 2013 by · 20 Comments
With Jack starting school last September one of the biggest adjustments we have had to make has been getting up at 7.30 every morning, Monday to Friday. (And, of course, weekends too as Jack’s highly trainable body clock doesn’t switch off just because it’s a Saturday. Dammit.) It might not sound that harsh’ I know […]
Sky
August 22, 2012 by · 18 Comments
The photo I posted on Sunday prompted a flurry of cloud-related comments. The hypothesis was proposed, seconded and swiftly carried that Spanish skies are far more interesting than their English counterparts. A quick glance out my window does nothing to dispel this notion. Right now, the sun is setting off to the west and the […]
Sport
August 8, 2012 by · 29 Comments
I was never very sporty at school. Small and studious, it was clear from an early age that I was never going to make it to the Olympics. Although I did attend a Maths Olympiad in University College Dublin when I was 15. Not quite the same levels of excitement. The first (and only) time […]
Delicate
August 1, 2012 by · 16 Comments
I took these photos on an early morning dog walk. It had rained the night before and the day had dawned damp and misty. The light was dull and the normally spectacular views were masked. My eye was drawn down and in to the hedgerows, which suddenly revealed themselves to be laced throughout with delicate […]
Rules of the Road
January 21, 2012 by · 7 Comments
So, yesterday, I was driving in town and as I approached a Stop sign two Trafico cars (Spanish traffic police, as you’ve probably guessed already) drove past me. Cue accelerated heart rate and butterflies in my stomach. (I’m the same walking through Customs. I blame my Irish Catholic upbringing – it’s made me so good […]
Back to Baked Beans…
January 21, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
A postscript to my Spanish croquetas recipe. It seems that whenever I feel at my most supremely Spanish I awake the next day (or even sometimes the next moment) to find I’ve gone all cliched ex-pat. So, the day after croquetas I find myself cooking sausage, eggs, baked beans and chips. Some kind of deep-seated […]
