Guess What Time it is?

Yes! Catalan time!
Shall I admit that I have not studied at all during 2011? I suffered a total lack of motivation. My honeymoon stage had worn off and I was left wondering what I had got myself into, studying this language.
2012 is the year to pick up the fragments of what I learnt before and begin again.
Jett is doing great. He's even getting an appropriate accent.
Cheers for a great learning year!

Hello Kitty Domination

When I was a child in Australia, Hello Kitty was popular in some circles. I collected Hello Kitty items.
When I went to Japan ten years ago, I realised Hello Kitty was Kitty Chan and was a staple, like rice, in Japanese culture.
And now here, in Spain, Hello Kitty is making a bid to take over the world. She's everywhere. I spotted her this morning peering out of this car window.

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)

A Cyber Walk In Granollers

Today I thought I´d take you for a quick walk in Granollers to my favourite coffee shop/bakery.  Let´s go.

 These are the stairs from our apartment. We´re going down.

At the bottom of our building there are two elevators. Sometimes, if I want to get one last look at what I look like before I go out into the world, I open the doors of the elevator and there is a long mirror. Doesn´t show shoes, but I get a more flattering light than the one in my hall.  That´s me today.  (If you want, you can post me a picture of you today and I´ll add it to the blog too, just for fun)

Here´s our entrance. The weather has changed a bit in the last few days.  Today it´s sunny but with a few clouds. About 23 degrees, but cooler in the shade and breeze.  I´m still wearing sandals.

We turn left and that ´s what we see.  The building beside us is a bank with some surprisingly insensitive and politically incorrect advertising considering the  ‘occupy` movement going down.

So we walk to the end of the block (15 steps?) and turn left again. Yes, lots of graffiti here.

Our bins! This is still our block! Come on.

It`s marketday! It´s pretty late (1:30), so people are packing up. I haven`t been to the market for ages.  We have to get across here. Hold on to your bag. Granollers is usually pretty safe, but on market day every one has a better grip on their possessions.

I usually cut down here. There a less people. Especially on market day.

We`re almost there.  Love this old stone work. A student of mine just walked passed.  Smile and wave.

There`s the church! We`re sitting there.

Ferrer! Our coffee shop/bakery.  I think it has one of the best coffees in Granollers.  My sweet tooth has more or less disappeared in the last weeks, but you can order what you like. Today`s on me, so order  anything you like.

It was lovely to see you today! Thanks for joining me. 

This is the first post where I have used my new Toshiba netbook, our lovely fuji camera, my new Motorola flipout and done everything myself! (ok I did call Albert about some small details, but, I did the actual work!)

I´m even going to try to blue tooth this document to my flipout and send it from this coffee shop before I leave.  Am I not totally cool and clever, not to mention modern and dexterous?¿  That is my Spanish keyboard for you!

Hugs all and talk to you soon!


(edit - blog publishing disaster actually occurred but hopefully Albert can help me out with tech details. Learnt a lot though!) 

My Birthday Present

Thank you Albert! I love it.


It's a Toshiba Mini NB500 series, in burnished gold! 

After Lunch Nap

Summer in Plaza Corona

It's almost lunch time here. But people are feeling lazy. Summer is truly here. Flies are dancing in the air. It's also market day in Granollers, so there are many more people on the street. There's a breeze, but it's warm.
 I came out to drink Tiger's Nut milk (orxata) but felt so lazy I decided to take a boost of caffeine instead. I'm cleaning the apartment and preparing for our month long road trip to Norway. We leave on Sunday. I can't afford to be lazy this afternoon.
 I'm also strongly aware that when we return it will be to the Festa Major. A week long (loud) party centred 50 metres from our building block.
And my brother arrives. It will be his first visit to Granollers.
Ah, the cafe amb llet is kicking in. It was my emergency coffee for work purposes! Is it me, or is everyone suddenly walking faster?
 Oh, and remember, the sales start here twice a year. The 7th of January and the 1st of July. So if you plan to come for shopping, those are the best days.
My friend Kate said she was feeling in love with this place lately. I guess it's contagious. Arrogant women, lazy appreciative men, hot sun, lots of bars with terraces, people milling about. It's not the Spain of the south, as I have read about, but it's plenty for me.

Conversations with Jett

(Jett was just about to go down to the shops)
 Jett: I'm going to wear a hat and some gloves.
 Tiffany: Why? It's so warm out.
 Jett: Because I want to look suspicious.

30 Days of Blogging Challenge

Today I pledged to write for 30 days with the #trust30 for the Domino Project. Join me!

Photo: Tiffany Jones (detail from Farmor's house)

Jett Wins a Writing Competition!

Today we're in Barcelona with some of Jett's classmates and his teacher to receive a prize for Jett's composition in a literary contest. It's XII Certamen Literari Escolar En Llengües D'Origin. He wrote about his trip around the world, in Catalan.  Three prizes were given for his age group in Catalonia. 

The Dentist!

I walked happily along to what I thought was my final dentist appointment this morning. It was a cool, cloudy morning and nothing suggested that my expectations would be dashed.

My dentist drilled, polished and filled with efficiency and little drama. "But hey, what's that? Ahhh. Hmm."

These are ominous sounds to someone in the dentist chair.

 'Looks like there's another hole down here.' My dentist called her assistant and they peered at my cavity with interest while scraping bit of white gunk out of it. Oh.

I've got two more appointments! Serves me right for not coming to the dentist for over 10 years.

Thanks to my excellent and good humoured dentist and her lovely assistant for the great photo!

My Pastry Compromise

Hello Kate! Well, this is the chat we didn't have this week since you were away.
You can see where I am, and I've decided to allow myself a SMALL pastry. Not the normal one.
I went for a 90 minute walk this morning and then 40 mins of asana practice. Now my coffee. It's ok. My body is still recovering from the Montserrat walk. Especially in the supportive tendons in the lower legs. Albert was brave and carried the bag with our things. He's now 32. Suffered no birthday blues. :)
It's seriously hot here. 30 already.
Today I'm taking Jett to the doctors. He's had some troube with his ears for a while and it's time to do something about it.
How's things there? What have you been eating? I've sent a few students your e mail. I've cut back my English classes so I can spend more time with energy healing/qigong/yoga. It means an immediate drop in income, but for me there isn't a choice. It's time. We can talk about it when you get back.
When we were walking to Montserrat I was thinking about the movement into darkness, the womb, the mountain, and the connection between human 'spiritual drive' and the black Madonna and the virgin birth. The new being that arises from the void.
And I was watching The Matrix last night and had the whole latex fantasy as a fashion option for a moment. Luckily it's summer or I might even buy something stupid in a fit of movie madness. :)
I like these slow hot afternoons. I have three classes this afternoon. All lovely people.
Ok then. Got to meet Jett. Let me know all your news! Hug and smile

Our Smiling Cookie

Happy Birthday Kate!

Love from our lunch table to yours.

Today, the Cavalry.

Today is the last day of the Roman festival here in Tarragona. We're still in the old football field and we're watching the Roman Cavalry spear cabbage heads. It's rather exciting. It's very hot here and plenty of people everywhere.

Jett's Heaven- Battle/War Board Games

We're at the games of strategy and there are lots of groups of men playing at war. Throwing dice, moving little men, picking up cards and suddenly shaking hands because someone won. There's a smell of sweat and stale air. Onwards and upwards.

Curiosity for Who is Next!?

Guess what?! Someone wanted to follow the queue! And they started asking everyone who was before and after them! Lots of shaking heads, expressive grimaces, and pointing. Very funny!!

On the TV!

We're picture 67!

Today is the Day Of the Mother of God of Montserrat (La Mare de Deu de Montserrat)

Bit of a mouthful isn't it?  Montserrat is a serrated mountain close by and in honour of this day, I will repost from one of my other blogs.  Approaching the Virgin of Montserrat. 

However, Albert's mother's name is Montserrat and we have a couple of friends also named after the mountain. Typically people made a big deal out of their 'Saint Day' rather than the birthday around these parts, but lately the birthday has taken precedence.   Jett and I popped over for a few minutes earlier to give Montserrat a present and we will celebrate the day on Sunday. Today it's impossible as its a Barca/Madrid game playing.

Anyway, congratulations to our Montserrats!

Photo: Our Montse.

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.