party on

Every town and village here has its Festa Major once a year when everyone joins in with music, theatre, parades and dancing, usually finishing of with the traditional sardana. Our village fiesta takes place in September so we are rarely here to attend. The next village to ours is celebrating this weekend and this cheerful poster makes me want to check out DJ Razz tonight!

cool caravan

If I wanted a caravan, it would be this one.

weather report

As we are not far from the Pyrenees, we are subject to the mountain effect on the wind and weather. Quite often our little village sits underneath its own personal thunder cloud while just 15 minutes away on the coast the weather is like this. So here is where we have been using up our sunscreen today, while the keen kitesurfer headed for France to find the 'right sort of wind' and the not so keen kitesurfer (my son) stayed in bed!
Life is getting just a little too laid back, I may wake myself up and take the train to Barcelona for a day next week. I have visited Barcelona often and seen the obvious landmarks. The question is, how is the best way to spend a day finding the hidden side of this wonderful city?

daily bread

It's very easy to lead the simple life here, the bread shop sells just three types of bread; long, round and my favourite, only on Saturday the beautiful lacey coca. The tomatoes were grown on Agethas allotment here in the village.
Quinipota has commented that these images show the ingredients for 'pa am tomaquet' the frugal but delicious local dish of bread rubbed with ripe tomatoes and sprinkled with olive oil and salt, thank-you! I am going to make some tonight!

keeping busy

I love euro shops! I bought these dishcloths for 75c each and as it's raining today I kept myself busy by making a bread bag, essential here as bread from the local bakers is straight from the oven and too hot to carry. If I still feel creative the other cloths may become cushions or another bag. Today's thunder storm is very welcome as a fire has been burning through the woods behind our village and the air has been thick with helicopters scooping up water from the local river to stop the spread, the rain should finish the job.

a morning in girona

Girona is our nearest city, just a short bus ride away. I went there this morning to look for a birthday present. I forgot the first rule for shopping in Spain - buy it when you see it because when you go back later the shop will be closed for siesta. So I took some time out to wander around the Jewish quarter in the old town. Girona is small enough to see everything on foot but big enough to want to go back again and again, a beautiful city of ancient steps, narrow streets and  secret courtyards.

still at it

Here I am here in Spain and I still can't help rummaging for vintage, I found this cute illustrated learn to read book from the '70s on a shelf of very old stock at the back of a dusty bookshop. Maybe it will help me improve my Spanish!