Cats overjoyed

We arrived home last week at 1 a.m. and were wary about the reception we'd get from Yin and Yang.   Our friend had told us that they could win an Oscar for sulking while we were away.  They've known her for about 4 years but during our absence, if she walked in a room, they walked out, only turning up for their meals.  

We were gobsmacked by the warm greetings - lots of yowling from both and following us around for the next few days, sleeping on the bed at night.   What a surprise.

I have pics and more to write but the PC crashed the day after our return and I'm busy now loading up and trying to get back to normal with a brand-new one.   Man oh man, what a lot of frustrating work.  

Yorkshire Holiday

They know something's up.....they're eyeing up the cases, sitting inside when they realise I haven't closed them, and generally have a reproachful look in their eyes.    "You're going without us, aren't you"!

Yes, we are - for the first time together - because a kind friend is moving in to look after Yin and Yang as a substitute servant.   We are off to Harrogate, York, Whitstable and Bronte country.   From the various recommendations from friends about places of interest, we are going to eat our way round E. Yorks... Yorkshire curd cake, and a long indulgent visit to Betty's team room for her dainties, Wensleydale blue cheese, fish 'n chips at the Magpie in Whitby while dodging Dracula memorabilia.  And all this in between the purpose of our holiday:   journeys on steam locomotives.   This is el jefe's special interest (see his website here  www.elegantsteam.com )  It's full of his graphic illustrations of 19th century steam locomotives in glorious colour. 

We are getting very excited.

Socks in Seville

We had a jaunt to Seville, despite wall-to-wall rain.   El jefe's shoes let in water, we had no umbrellas nor protective clothing......disaster.    So, new shoes for el jefe, lovely Spanish leather boat shoes.   But the socks had to be dumped - they were soaking.

We were in a very posh area and the only shop (apart from MaxMara and Loewe's) was Carolina Herrera, haute couture, and the only place for socks: yes, they had them.....lovely silky black ones with red toes and heels 15€.  We could probably have bought 6 or 10 pairs for that in M & S!

The hilarious thing was the packaging - presented to us in a beautiful monogrammed red box, ditto small designer carrier bag and the receipt looked like a flyer for the fashion house with the name of our server printed at the bottom.     All very tasteful, elaborate - and expensive.   But who cares:   his feet were dry!

Take a look at this

    

"Vaping"

I write so infrequently on here that I'm half ashamed to return to this blog to write about stopping smoking tobacco.   Ah, to hell with it - it's quite a milestone for me so why not share it with everyone.   I say everyone, but I think anyone who did stumble across this blog quickly faded away because of my lack of input.

Anyway, back to the point of all this post.    I am 72 today and apart from an 18 month tobacco abstinence period back when I was 54 or so, I have been a dedicated smoker since I was 14.   It was the thing to do then, it was normal.  Go and see your doctor and he'd be sitting there, smoking.    Spend the evening nursing a glass cup of Expresso in the new coffee bars back in the 50s, everyone was smoking.    Cinema, ditto; same for department stores.....anywhere and everywhere.  Bachelors  (the brand of ciggies!) were my poison of choice,  with a short period of those elegant Du Maurier in the red flat flip up box; short-lived because they were more expensive.  

In my latter years I've stuck to Silk Cut Silver, the very lowest tar and nicotine that you can buy and as I used to say to anyone who wanted to try one, "don't give yourself a hernia inhaling - there's nothing there".

Last month I went on a rare visit to UK for my niece's wedding.  It was freezing and I spent a great deal of time outdoors in the wind and rain having my ciggies (no-one else smokes and I was banished from the house).   Everyone was either just getting over or just acquiring a vicious cold and bronchitic-type cough and there was no escape for me.    That was nearly a month ago and I'm still wrestling with the aftermath.   I gave my germs to D, el jefe, and he gave them back.....and so it goes on.    Last week, el jefe wondered if I should not smoke and try to get rid of this whooping-type cough.   It was obvious he was worried.  

I saw an ad in our local internet forum for vaporised electronic ciggies so gave the guy a call and he visited that evening with all his wares.    I chose the psychadelic-looking one in the picture above.   It's light, neat and does the business.   I get a nicotine hit (there's a choice of strengths from 6-24 mg) a cloud of vapour that looks like smoke but isn't, and a lovely vanilla smell as that's the ejuice I've chosen.   I've got a standby of cherry, also very fragrant.   I just have a puff now and again, rather than light up and smoke (or let go out while I'm busy) a whole ciggie.   I've removed the ashtrays from my desk and side tables so the areas are now clean - so is my keyboard that used to get silted up with ash, along with the front of my clothes!  

And I don't want a real fag.   Aint that amazin'! 

No, I don't know the long-term effects of using ejuice and I don't care at the moment as I'm breaking the tobacco habit.   I'll keep you posted.

The Purpose of LIfe

So this is what it's all about



Hope this comes out o.k.  

Have not written on here for aeons.   Have been very bogged down with visits to northern Spain for a sick friend, getting involved with volunteering with Age Concern and continuing to enjoy gardening, reading and cooking.  Aand am still pretty obsessional about keeping up with world news.

Just not enough hours in the day these days.

Impromptu performances:

This was the scene in the shopping mall at Area Sur, Jerez....an elderly Spanish guy, dressed as a pirate - complete with treasure chest - doing a story-telling session for the children.  And how they loved it.   Some people can have children spellbound without even trying.

I love coming across these impromptu things in supermarkets and malls.   I'm still waiting to experience my first mob flash........one day.  

Mediterranean sandwich

We couldn't wait to leave the hearty soups and stews of winter behind and get into salads and Med sarnies.    I saw a programme on t.v. aeons ago with an Italian chef baking his bread then halving it  horizontally, drizzling with oil and pesto and filling with whatever took his fancy.   He wrapped it all up in foil and weighted it down with bricks  for a couple of hours so that all the flavours mingled. 

Our fabulous machine made some bread with olives and sundried tomatoes so I thought I'd have a go with our own version:   It makes a light, filling and delicious evening snack/meal, which I serve with naughty crisps (potato chips in the U.S.?)



Lightly toast thick slices of bread, score, drizzle with olive oil and pesto sauce.   Add in layers whatever you fancy:   tomatoes, onion, slivers of garlic, sliced olives, gherkins, cheese slices, ham, tuna, chicken slices, chorizo, garlic sausage.  

Wrap the final sandwich(es) in foil, place a bread board on top and press hard down.  If you have a brick, place this on top.

Really yummy.