There has been a little flury of Spanish activity, and as it's not about its failing economy it must be about animal cruelty!
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/30/catalan-fire-bulls-face-ban
Some may they deserve it
www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2010/aug/19/bull-escapes-ring-spain-video
love love love x
Monday, 30 August 2010
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
It Started with a Mixxx
It's still raining. Looking out of my window this morning I thought to myself that it couldn't last long, that was ten hours ago. Come home Mark, it's lovely here Mark, don't need to be in Spain for nice weather Mark. Fuckers. The weather has put me in a bad mood, its August! Normally it doesn't bother me but the last few days the rain has seemed to be waiting for me to go outside to do it worst.
It was Grandads birthday, he was given the choice of whatever he wanted to do and as anyone else would have done he choose Dover castle, obviously. Any trip to Dover Castle is brought down by needing to go through Dover which is something to be avoided like cancer. I learnt many things about medieval history of which I now can't remember any. Something to do with kings, knights and the French, always the French. That nots quite true as I do remember what a lovely young lady dressed as a lovely young medieval lady, told me. The castle was used by the military right up until 1958, how a medieval lady knew that I don't know, but its stuck in my mind which is something I will remember if I ever have exams to revise for again. When the time comes I'm still thinking of doing a PGCE and walking around the castle made me think that one day I might have to do this again with 100 bratty kids.
The theme continued yesterday. Another day another castle with some friends we that I used to work with at Waitrose. Nothing says excitement like a small castle tour of Kent. This time it was Rochester which reverses the situation of being a boring castle but a town that doesn't make you want to kill yourself. Rochester is nice, full of vintage shops which being with two girls meant I spend a lot of time in looking at flowery dresses from 1936 and debating whether buying fur from decades ago is ok. The real question is why would anyone wear a fur coat real or fake?
The rain is getting heavier, least I'm inside this time, bastards.
Matt was back and it was so nice to see him. I finally got to meet his lovley girlfriend Hannah. Going back out in Gravesend was truly lovely. A young English rose challenging a fellow to fisticuffs for looking at her chips was my personal highlight.
The search for a flat grinds on and on and ever on, help me relieve the tedium!
love love love x
It was Grandads birthday, he was given the choice of whatever he wanted to do and as anyone else would have done he choose Dover castle, obviously. Any trip to Dover Castle is brought down by needing to go through Dover which is something to be avoided like cancer. I learnt many things about medieval history of which I now can't remember any. Something to do with kings, knights and the French, always the French. That nots quite true as I do remember what a lovely young lady dressed as a lovely young medieval lady, told me. The castle was used by the military right up until 1958, how a medieval lady knew that I don't know, but its stuck in my mind which is something I will remember if I ever have exams to revise for again. When the time comes I'm still thinking of doing a PGCE and walking around the castle made me think that one day I might have to do this again with 100 bratty kids.
The theme continued yesterday. Another day another castle with some friends we that I used to work with at Waitrose. Nothing says excitement like a small castle tour of Kent. This time it was Rochester which reverses the situation of being a boring castle but a town that doesn't make you want to kill yourself. Rochester is nice, full of vintage shops which being with two girls meant I spend a lot of time in looking at flowery dresses from 1936 and debating whether buying fur from decades ago is ok. The real question is why would anyone wear a fur coat real or fake?
The rain is getting heavier, least I'm inside this time, bastards.
Matt was back and it was so nice to see him. I finally got to meet his lovley girlfriend Hannah. Going back out in Gravesend was truly lovely. A young English rose challenging a fellow to fisticuffs for looking at her chips was my personal highlight.
The search for a flat grinds on and on and ever on, help me relieve the tedium!
love love love x
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
The Theme from Cheers
Hello!
I've just returned from Cambridge. It really is a lovely place. I've never been to Oxford but after this weekend as far as I'm concerned it's shit. It was lovely to catch up with people, it does seem that most people I know are moving/have moved to Cambridge. Sophie and Kelvin's new house is lovely even without furtniture which made everyone walking past think we were squatting. Mark showed as the tourist sights, of which there are many, including a medieval armoury (my highlight being the armoured man pouches), a church tower which destroyed my legs (so much for the gym)and a clock that looks a dragon innit. I daresay there was some ale consumed.
My landlord flirting has reached whole new levels. After finding a new site it's reduced me to be being a shameless hussey. On this site one must flutter your eyelashes by using the "Register your Interest" button and to contact that person they must recipricate. If they have a little look at your profile and don't like it they can ignore you and your left to sit on the side of the virtual dancefloor looking at your feet and burning with self loathing. But then maybe I look too much into these things. I've had a few young things look back at me but as yet no deals have been sealed. The lingering suspicion remains and is proably not the best start to any potential relationship. If you register your interest it shows on your profile and so does anyone else. Well some of the same characters keep appearing, Irene, if that is in fact her real name, Sergio and Tomas. It's on, we'll see won't we? Remember if you do get it ahead of me, I do know where you live! Thats not the sort of sentence that comes back to bite you.
Other than that life is normal I spend a lot of time listening to my sister argue with her boyfriend and have taken to listening to politics lectures in order to gain some opinions that I can try and pass off as my own. It will also outbalance the football watching. While writing this I've been supporting Young Boys (real name) against Spurs, I found myself encouraging them with a "come on Young Boys!" again not the sort of sentence that could ever come back and bite you.
This weekend will be much better as theres a top of the table clash between the mighty undefeated (in games that count) Charlton against some team from Oldham. That's followed by Matt making his glorious re-entry home from that rural bit of England on the Welsh border which no one knows a damn thing about. And thats not it, oh no, its Grandads birthday on Sunday which could get off the hook if hes back on the gin in the afternoon. I'm really looking forward to it.
love love love x
I've just returned from Cambridge. It really is a lovely place. I've never been to Oxford but after this weekend as far as I'm concerned it's shit. It was lovely to catch up with people, it does seem that most people I know are moving/have moved to Cambridge. Sophie and Kelvin's new house is lovely even without furtniture which made everyone walking past think we were squatting. Mark showed as the tourist sights, of which there are many, including a medieval armoury (my highlight being the armoured man pouches), a church tower which destroyed my legs (so much for the gym)and a clock that looks a dragon innit. I daresay there was some ale consumed.
My landlord flirting has reached whole new levels. After finding a new site it's reduced me to be being a shameless hussey. On this site one must flutter your eyelashes by using the "Register your Interest" button and to contact that person they must recipricate. If they have a little look at your profile and don't like it they can ignore you and your left to sit on the side of the virtual dancefloor looking at your feet and burning with self loathing. But then maybe I look too much into these things. I've had a few young things look back at me but as yet no deals have been sealed. The lingering suspicion remains and is proably not the best start to any potential relationship. If you register your interest it shows on your profile and so does anyone else. Well some of the same characters keep appearing, Irene, if that is in fact her real name, Sergio and Tomas. It's on, we'll see won't we? Remember if you do get it ahead of me, I do know where you live! Thats not the sort of sentence that comes back to bite you.
Other than that life is normal I spend a lot of time listening to my sister argue with her boyfriend and have taken to listening to politics lectures in order to gain some opinions that I can try and pass off as my own. It will also outbalance the football watching. While writing this I've been supporting Young Boys (real name) against Spurs, I found myself encouraging them with a "come on Young Boys!" again not the sort of sentence that could ever come back and bite you.
This weekend will be much better as theres a top of the table clash between the mighty undefeated (in games that count) Charlton against some team from Oldham. That's followed by Matt making his glorious re-entry home from that rural bit of England on the Welsh border which no one knows a damn thing about. And thats not it, oh no, its Grandads birthday on Sunday which could get off the hook if hes back on the gin in the afternoon. I'm really looking forward to it.
love love love x
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Maggie's Farm
I have been chatting to potential landlords. It's a teensy weensy little bit frustrating. The biggest problem is that we blantly don't trust each other. I think they are some one sitting in a room somewhere showing me pictures of his sisters flat in an attempt to get me to send them some money. They think I'm a timewaster, destroyer of flats. One of them is really rather strange so I thought I'd put some of his insights here.
Dear Dear,
it is me, who you wish to rent flat from. i and my family were delighted to hear that you wish to live in our flat. we spend much money to get it a good look and we hope and we pray that you are the one. i say we sell the flat but my wife said NO! (she's stern yet fair) she said to hope and pray to God that someone would come. you are the answer to pray. i move to London to work for the church of God, i prayed that good man and family will come my way. we put it all in God's hands. (no pressure there then)
i must know these things:
full name:
age:
address:
age:
children:
age:
pets:
smoker:
job:
age:
date of birth:
am working on a sea (I thought you worked in a church in London?) so am a very busy person and also since you are in Uk it will be easy (what will be easy?)
We work on trust and if you do wish to rent this flat I would appreachiate a months depoist sent in advance, preffably the end of the week. (his English suddenly improved)
Worringly, thats copied and pasted. This is what I've been dealing with for the last week and its making me a little pissy. I'm thinking of applying for a pgce and starting looking into that is also head ache inducing but I shouldn't complain as it has given me a project. A very dull one but still.
love love love x
Dear Dear,
it is me, who you wish to rent flat from. i and my family were delighted to hear that you wish to live in our flat. we spend much money to get it a good look and we hope and we pray that you are the one. i say we sell the flat but my wife said NO! (she's stern yet fair) she said to hope and pray to God that someone would come. you are the answer to pray. i move to London to work for the church of God, i prayed that good man and family will come my way. we put it all in God's hands. (no pressure there then)
i must know these things:
full name:
age:
address:
age:
children:
age:
pets:
smoker:
job:
age:
date of birth:
am working on a sea (I thought you worked in a church in London?) so am a very busy person and also since you are in Uk it will be easy (what will be easy?)
We work on trust and if you do wish to rent this flat I would appreachiate a months depoist sent in advance, preffably the end of the week. (his English suddenly improved)
Worringly, thats copied and pasted. This is what I've been dealing with for the last week and its making me a little pissy. I'm thinking of applying for a pgce and starting looking into that is also head ache inducing but I shouldn't complain as it has given me a project. A very dull one but still.
love love love x
Thursday, 5 August 2010
Swing and a Miss
Hola chicos
I have just been sitting smugly thinking how good my Spanish is as I conversed with a miserable sounding Spaniard banker. Thats right I phoned a Spanish bank. I need to close it and move the money to my English one as it turns out I can't check my balance here and its very frustrating. I rang up started talking and you could actually hear her deflate in the knowledge that this was going to be a difficult conversation and she really can't be doing with it. I can't understand banks in English (along with gym instructors and history) so I was dreading it in Spanish but it was ok. I said what I needed to say (Did I mention it was in Spanish!) and she understood! She understood! Sure, she couldn't help me further but small victories.
When not basking in the glow of my feebly low level of Spanish, I've been basking in the glow of the little black box that now lives in my room. I've been morally and fiancially irresponsible and bought an xbox. There goes any chance of my Spanish improving. There I was reading, excerising and socializing, but that all stops now. Now starts hours of sititng in a dark room, bashing a key pad and weeping gently.
Apart from that my poor sister is in hospital. She's had a small operation on her nose. I've just been to visit. She was surprisingly chirpy before crashing. Hospitals are weird places. The old women across from Claire spent the whole visit time talking about how bad these times are in comparison to a time when we were at war with the Nazis while the woman next to Claire was staring at a bed pan in disgust/wonder. Hospitals are also the best response to Daily Mail anti-immigrant types. If immigrants go away the NHS will collapse within fifteen minutes.
Other than that we visited Alex to spend time being cool in London and witnessed a great Kentish batting collapse. Still won it! Have it Essex!
love love love x
I have just been sitting smugly thinking how good my Spanish is as I conversed with a miserable sounding Spaniard banker. Thats right I phoned a Spanish bank. I need to close it and move the money to my English one as it turns out I can't check my balance here and its very frustrating. I rang up started talking and you could actually hear her deflate in the knowledge that this was going to be a difficult conversation and she really can't be doing with it. I can't understand banks in English (along with gym instructors and history) so I was dreading it in Spanish but it was ok. I said what I needed to say (Did I mention it was in Spanish!) and she understood! She understood! Sure, she couldn't help me further but small victories.
When not basking in the glow of my feebly low level of Spanish, I've been basking in the glow of the little black box that now lives in my room. I've been morally and fiancially irresponsible and bought an xbox. There goes any chance of my Spanish improving. There I was reading, excerising and socializing, but that all stops now. Now starts hours of sititng in a dark room, bashing a key pad and weeping gently.
Apart from that my poor sister is in hospital. She's had a small operation on her nose. I've just been to visit. She was surprisingly chirpy before crashing. Hospitals are weird places. The old women across from Claire spent the whole visit time talking about how bad these times are in comparison to a time when we were at war with the Nazis while the woman next to Claire was staring at a bed pan in disgust/wonder. Hospitals are also the best response to Daily Mail anti-immigrant types. If immigrants go away the NHS will collapse within fifteen minutes.
Other than that we visited Alex to spend time being cool in London and witnessed a great Kentish batting collapse. Still won it! Have it Essex!
love love love x
Monday, 26 July 2010
Ginger Beer
Its been lovely being home. It's been lovely to see everyone. I've started back at the gym. Its still an inheritinely degrading experience. We've had some excursions to the seaside, walks in the countryside, its all been very famous five.
The highlight was todays trips. Aren't animals amazing? After months of increasingly less obvious suggestions a hardy group of us made the epic trawl across the great plains of the South to Longleat. It was a proper little day trip. At six in the morning the car was not the cheeriest of places, especially when caravans rear their ugly heads. Why do people do it to themselves? But after a filthy roadside breakfast, you're ready to go.
At the start I'm usually not bothered about animals but by the end I end up chooing and clucking like an idiot, speaking in a stupid voice. Meerkats normally bring this unpleasant side out of me the most and they did again.
Though the my favourite animal today may have been a gorrilla. He is 47 which apparently for a gorilla is like being 100 for a human. He sits on an island by himself and apparently if you try to introduce other animals to the island he will throw whatever he has to hand at them until they are taken away. He has a TV on which he likes to watch Sponge Bob. He is my hero, when I'm old thats what I hope I'm going to be like. Its worrying when the ranger described the gorilla as liking bright colours, moving pictures and sleep, but thats what I like.
An animal I swear I'm never going to be like is the fucking Pelican. We were driving around minding our own business when a pelican stepped into the middle of the road and refused to move. John edged forward sure he would just pop out of the way, but he was not to be moved. He then took out his beef on the front of John's car and a ranger had to move the miserable bastard on. Lions? Tigers? Wolves? No, we were rescued from a pelican, but it was a pelican with a bad attitude and a point to prove.
Other activitites of day included John and myself demonstarting just how bad a pair of losers we can be when beaten to the centre of hedge maze, feeding some deer and fighting over ipods.
Hope you are all well, I'd let you on my island to watch Sponge Bob
love love love x
Friday, 16 July 2010
Well Quite
A bit delayed but here a few pictures from San Fermin. I didn't take many as I don't want to be one of those people who can't remember actually being there as they were too busy taking photographs. But these photos do demonstrate the main theme of San Fermin, people everywhere! Everywhere!
Pamplona's population is around 200,000 but for 9 days it becomes 1,200,000. Tent villages are put up around the city but its not enough and you find people asleep everywhere. Parks, bus stops, benches, anything surronding a tree. The streets are full everywhere and the bars are rammed. The biggest foreign groups were the Americans and the Australians and it was strange to walk around Pamplona and hear English everywhere.
What I really liked about it was that there was little organised entertainment. With the exception of fireworks, a few processions and some local bands people were left to entertain themselves. This means people mingle together and can enjoy the company of friends. Some people invent more creative ways of keeping themselves busy, my favourite example being jumping of a 15ft statue and relying on the crowd to catch you. From what I saw they always did. It is probably the greatest credit to the whole event that everyone is just there to have fun with everyone. I didn't see any trouble or hassle, everyone was so relaxed. There was room for the hard drinkers and there was room for families to stroll with young children.
Due to the circumstances I couldn't get to close to the bull run. You need to be pretty dedicated! Normally there are nine occasions but unfortunately I had to fly, so next time. I was pretty disappointed but you realise that actually its only quite a small part of the entire festival. Next time.
My highlight was the opening when people cram into the square outside the town hall and lift the red neckerchief into the air, screaming and shouting to fire the fireworks to signify the start of the festival. The balconies above were crammed and they threw buckets of water down onto the crowd. Wine is flying everywhere through the air and within five minutes of the start the white everyone is wearing is filthy. Wearing a neckerchief legitimately has to be an obvious highlight. Then your left to get on with your drinking which can be as messy or civilized as you like.
Pamplona's population is around 200,000 but for 9 days it becomes 1,200,000. Tent villages are put up around the city but its not enough and you find people asleep everywhere. Parks, bus stops, benches, anything surronding a tree. The streets are full everywhere and the bars are rammed. The biggest foreign groups were the Americans and the Australians and it was strange to walk around Pamplona and hear English everywhere.
What I really liked about it was that there was little organised entertainment. With the exception of fireworks, a few processions and some local bands people were left to entertain themselves. This means people mingle together and can enjoy the company of friends. Some people invent more creative ways of keeping themselves busy, my favourite example being jumping of a 15ft statue and relying on the crowd to catch you. From what I saw they always did. It is probably the greatest credit to the whole event that everyone is just there to have fun with everyone. I didn't see any trouble or hassle, everyone was so relaxed. There was room for the hard drinkers and there was room for families to stroll with young children.
Due to the circumstances I couldn't get to close to the bull run. You need to be pretty dedicated! Normally there are nine occasions but unfortunately I had to fly, so next time. I was pretty disappointed but you realise that actually its only quite a small part of the entire festival. Next time.
My highlight was the opening when people cram into the square outside the town hall and lift the red neckerchief into the air, screaming and shouting to fire the fireworks to signify the start of the festival. The balconies above were crammed and they threw buckets of water down onto the crowd. Wine is flying everywhere through the air and within five minutes of the start the white everyone is wearing is filthy. Wearing a neckerchief legitimately has to be an obvious highlight. Then your left to get on with your drinking which can be as messy or civilized as you like.
Hopefully when I collect some more photos I can put up some more interesting ones!
love love love x
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)