Breakfast Conversation

I just had the strangest experience!  There were a couple of women talking in the cafe, and they were obviously talking about clothing and quite seriously too.

I didn't realise I was staring, and then suddenly the lady turned to me and smiled and started talking to me about the same thing. Obviously I didn't catch everything and I stumbled out my ´no entenc' (I don't understand) but she kept talking and gesturing at her top and finally it was discovered that shirts were not comfortable but naturally I assured her it looked nice anyway and the colour was great.

That hasn't happened to me before.  That total strangers engage me in conversation. Well, it's happened in other countries, but not here.  Just yesterday I was saying to Xantal (a friend/student) that I was looking for positive things to love about Catalans. Very funny. And just now, as I'm writing, they said goodbye to me... and though they spoke to each other in Catalan, they spoke to me in Spanish. (Also quite typical from Catalans)

Happy Summer Evenings!

Everything was very good today. Perfect weather, great company, cold drinks and yummy vegetable chips. Yay Granollers! Oh, and the sales started today so what could be better?

Last Year's Saint Jordi Rose Tree Finally Blooms!

We were a victim of a fungus growth at the beginning of the spring and I had to cut back the branches. This is the first rose of the season.

At the Doctor's Advice?

Not exactly, but since I could only undertand part of my Dentist's speech, I'm sure he could have said something like 'Go home love, put your feet up. Grab a glass of wine or two to take with these antibiotics. And of course you're not bad for not taking care of your teeth like you promised your parents. Those cavities are totally undertandable.'


(It literally took 5 minutes. He poked my tooth, made my leg jump, told me I had cavities, gave me a prescription to get rid of the infection and pushed me out the door without so much as a how do you do.  And they say the Spanish are slow.)

Watermelon Seeds!

Jett asked if we could plant some seeds from a watermelon we ate a few weeks ago. Well, three little sprouts are coming up! Spring is truly remarkable. We even have flowers coming on our tomatoes! :-D

Finally! Our New Car!

Yay! We have it! :)  For a link about our Citroen C3 Picasso.  We have a dark red one!

My Work?

These days of fine weather I've been having my English conversation classes outside on a terrace. It really doesn't feel like work at all. More like I'm working on my tan. Well, it's hard, but someone has to do it.

Our New Car!

We paid for it today and we'll pick it up on Tuesday. Picasso C3. Isn't it lovely!

My Jasmine

From my bed, during my afternoon nap, I can see my beautiful pot of jasmine. It's in full bloom.

Our Shepherd's Pie

We ate a Shepherd's Pie with a lentil, mushroom and tomato base for dinner. It was huge! There is plenty left for Albert's tapa tomorrow and another dinner!

Look! A New Addition to the Kitchen

My clever Bertsie did it! Not only handsome and funny, but he went out on his own initiative and bought and installed this thing. Thanks Bertsie!  I would also like to mention that it works!

The Leaking Ceiling: The Saga part IV (?)

So this morning I was suppose to meet the insurance man so he could take a look at the ceiling. I totally forgot and slept in. Luckily I had my Japanese dressing gown handy so I could rush down the hall, all of my hair fluffy in all directions and answer the sounding door bell. 'Sorry dude,' I said, covering my awkwardness with extra brashness, 'I don't understand you. You'll have to speak English.' 'Good morning. I'm here to see the roof.' Oh. Well then. I swished around and opened the door to Albert's bathroom. He looked at it for a moment, wrote something on his folder, called Albert, made some measurements and left. We'll see what happens in the next episode of the Leaking Ceiling.


This all started on December the 10th. 

Five Year Anniversary

Someone said you should treat your anniversaries like the relationship's birthdays. Its a nice idea.

The 11th is one of Albert and my five year anniversaries. Its when we met each other for the first time in the flesh. If you didn't know, we met on the internet.  (That's a different anniversary.) On a travel site designed to keep contacts with people you've met around the world. And to show off your travels.

Anniversaries, birthdays, new years; they have never been particularly fun for me. I find my mind wants to dwell on the things that didn't get done or the bad memories. In the last few years, just for comfort sake, I've been actively trying to remember and dwell on the positives symbolized in these events. And truthfully, it makes a nice difference for every day living.

When you're looking at the relationship, you notice that its not just the relationship that has changed but its the individual as well, and in our case, the circumstances too.  Albert was only 26 when he came to live in Norway and the last five years have shifted his priorities, opened his perspective and in many ways, he's embraced the 'grown up' part of his life.

I had been living an independent lifestyle with a high focus on my personal satisfaction in health and environment. I've moved into the roles of housekeeper, mother and spouse support.  In actual fact, its more rewarding than its been given credit for.

I have to admit that the last year has been, for me, the best year of the relationship. We are not testing each other as much, and have settled into a certain trust and appreciation for each other that wasn't there at the beginning of the relationship. We've dropped some of our unattainable expectations and have learnt to like or at least keep quiet about the things we don't appreciate in each other.

I'm proud of us. We've become more open, supportive and understanding of each other.

Congratulations to us and for our five year birthday.

Recognition of Happy Times - Let's Give Thanks

As I said earlier, we've been here 18 months. The last two weeks have been amazing. At every turn, Albert and Jett have expressed happiness on all levels. My house is tidy and I'm doing what I like to do, and getting paid for it. 

Pause.  And wow.  Let's just sit down for a moment and look around and say thanks. 

I don't know what's around the corner. I'm not looking. I'm happy right here and now and that's more than enough for me.  

Thanks to Albert for being so thoughtful, kind and sporty! Thanks to Jett for being a sweetie and brushing himself off quickly to get back on the horse time and time again. 

Speed Cleaning

My Mum gave me this book a couple of years ago. I've been following some of its advice and it's helped me organise the apartment. My biggest problem with cleaning, apart from being lazy, was where to start. This book explains the sequence of tidying in a way that has penetrated my foggy mind. 1-declutter. Take away everything that doesn't belong in the room. 2 -dust walls, ceilings, pictures and wipe down switches with a wet cloth. 3 -dust stuff,then wipe down with appropriate cleaner. 4 - sweep and wash floors. That's the basics for each room, and it works for me.

The End of The Math Book!

Jett had a huge amount of homework to do since coming back from holidays. Tonight, he's on his last page, and truly I feel for him. Albert has displayed excellent patience, and Jett has the reward of finally knowing what 3 plus 8 is. 

First Day of School in Granollers.

Jett went back to school today. I saw a few children crying, but mostly there was hugging and smiles. School began a week earlier than usual. It seems Spain is going to add a weeks holiday somewhere in the year instead of having the usual THREE months holiday. Wow. Three months! Though they do have summer camps here, its true. Where you can do many specialised activities. So far, for Jett at least, so good.

Ipod Love

I must admit that I love my mp3 player, that happens to be an ipod. Its true the ipod has some functionality problems if you don't want to embrace the whole 'i' world, but it plays music and my audiobooks happily and I take it with me everywhere. Even to bed.

Cleaning the Cupboard

I have trouble cleaning. Sometimes. It kind of creeps up on me and suddenly there are little dust bunnies and little spills on the floor and dust piling on surfaces.

I usually wait until I can’t stand it anymore and then I do a BIG clean. It can take hours.

Since moving to this apartment, I’ve been pretty consistent, however, I needed some motivation. I asked my friend to e mail me every time she cleans something. Well, not sweeping the floors or doing the dishes, but everything else.

I have a schedule up too, on my computer, of all the little jobs I’m suppose to do. I’m a big list maker. Some days I do it, and some days I don’t.

Anyway – as a commitment to cleaning, and a commitment to letting my friend help me, I took a photo of before and after I cleaned the kitchen cupboard.

The other thing too, is I don’t have a feel for where things should go. I have trouble knowing if I should put the bread over near the tea, or with the biscuits. If someone has some tips, or would like to come over and sort it all for me – you are very welcome.

Making a home. Through the clean and the unclean times.

Introductory Post

Hello!

My name is Tiffany. I’m Australian. I’m 37 years old and am a health instructor.

In April of 2009 I moved, with my son and my partner, to Granollers, Catalonia, Spain.

This blog is intended to record and share some of our experiences in moving to another country.

If you would like to see some of our previous experiences while travelling, take a look at our World Nomad Travel Journals.

My partner, Albert (he’s Catalan), also keeps a journal of his life since moving to Norway in 2006, and you can access it from Blogger. If you can’t read Catalan, there are photos enough to keep you occupied for days (sometimes 100 photos per post!).

If you’re in the same boat, that is, you’ve moved to Spain, and would like to add some of your stories, or comment on mine, you’re hereby cordially invited.

Thanks for joining us.

Love Tiffany