Hot. Uncomfortable in the afternoon. There is no way to survive without lemons and iced tea. Cold showers.
Working on my sandals, plastering walls. Eating Gazpacho from Maripaz, who suddenly appeared at the wall today with a pitcher. Seda is taking a bulerias class in the evenings. Stavros and Geoffrey have cut a bunch of huge beams and planed them, making cross beams. Now they're tiling - the tiles you'll see when you look up at the ceiling, behind the visible beams. Insulation on top of that. And then other stuff.
Translating angry messages from Maria and Maripaz when they saw Geoffrey nearly fall through the ceiling. "He should never have started this crazy project!" Maria looks very upset. They see all. Maripaz just stuck her head over the rooftop a minute earlier and told me to tell Geoffrey he must move his car or it will be towed.
The guys start at random times of the morning. This morning their 7:30 start inspired Maria to send them a thermos of coffee and cookies over the wall. Seda and I went to get some Jerez from the despacho de vinos. It's dark inside and they pour you vino into your own plastic bottle, straight out of the kegs. Then we got sidetracked walking down Calle Sol by a man's collection of Lola Flores photos and records and LPs of tons of flamenco, in his garage. We stopped to talk and he showed us pictures of himself as a young man, dancing. We go shopping in the market, yesterday all four of us. Stavros gets incredible deals and makes us awesome Greek food, and Seda does Turkish of course. Somebody makes lunch around 2:30 or 3:00 and someone else cleans up. Then someone has an idea for dinner and starts it. Everyone likes to cook so there is no need to figure out much.
We might go to Puerto de Santa Maria tonight.
This is the most ideal life. It will end in August cause I'll have to go back to making money. I love having several other people around too. They are easy to live with and we all get along great. It's more interesting than being ever just two people living together.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
I don't remember where I left off...
Well, Geoffrey drove from London a couple weeks ago.
I've been helping him with a thousand projects around his house: he is currently taking the roof off the suite at the front.
The week before last, we went to Montanchez, in Extremadura, where a Londoner friend of his has property in the countryside. We tented there for two nights and went to markets on Saturday morning, bought cheap cheese, sausage and wine, and I bought a jacknife, one of the ones made by hand locally - you can see the pin pounded by a hammer, that holds it together. The thought was that it would cut leather, which I have a stash of, but mostly it was for the artisanship.
There's been a concert in Puerto de Santa Maria, with some famous and excellent flamenco singers, in a football stadium - a weird atmosphere, but very local... very Andaluz - full of hot young gitanos and gitanas decked out, among the families and people of all ages. We had potato chips freshly cut and friend right there at a stand, and a jug of rebujito.
I am making my own rebujito every day. You need lemons in the heat. Two lemons get squished into a tall vase, cane sugar is added, lots of water, and a little bit of jerez (sherry).
Geoffrey goes to the market almost every day to get some type of fish. Sardines, Mackeral, Cazon (dogfish), squid. Last night we made cola de toro. He used to eat it in Ireland but there it was cheap. Here it is a delicacy.
On Sunday we went to los Canos de Meca, a beach beside the Trafalgar lighthouse. It is a gorgeous beach. I tried to snorkel but was not very successful cause I get scared of breathing under water. Geoffrey looked in vain for shrimp, and collected seaweed so we could steam it. He carries a gas burner with him sometimes, in case any wild food might turn up, that he can have for lunch.
My friend Mika, who lived here in 2010, just visited from Turkey, where she now lives (she is Japanese).
I suppose there are other things to tell, but right now, I need to go do stuff. Probably another trip to a different building supply store.
Till next time...
Well, Geoffrey drove from London a couple weeks ago.
I've been helping him with a thousand projects around his house: he is currently taking the roof off the suite at the front.
The week before last, we went to Montanchez, in Extremadura, where a Londoner friend of his has property in the countryside. We tented there for two nights and went to markets on Saturday morning, bought cheap cheese, sausage and wine, and I bought a jacknife, one of the ones made by hand locally - you can see the pin pounded by a hammer, that holds it together. The thought was that it would cut leather, which I have a stash of, but mostly it was for the artisanship.
There's been a concert in Puerto de Santa Maria, with some famous and excellent flamenco singers, in a football stadium - a weird atmosphere, but very local... very Andaluz - full of hot young gitanos and gitanas decked out, among the families and people of all ages. We had potato chips freshly cut and friend right there at a stand, and a jug of rebujito.
I am making my own rebujito every day. You need lemons in the heat. Two lemons get squished into a tall vase, cane sugar is added, lots of water, and a little bit of jerez (sherry).
Geoffrey goes to the market almost every day to get some type of fish. Sardines, Mackeral, Cazon (dogfish), squid. Last night we made cola de toro. He used to eat it in Ireland but there it was cheap. Here it is a delicacy.
On Sunday we went to los Canos de Meca, a beach beside the Trafalgar lighthouse. It is a gorgeous beach. I tried to snorkel but was not very successful cause I get scared of breathing under water. Geoffrey looked in vain for shrimp, and collected seaweed so we could steam it. He carries a gas burner with him sometimes, in case any wild food might turn up, that he can have for lunch.
My friend Mika, who lived here in 2010, just visited from Turkey, where she now lives (she is Japanese).
I suppose there are other things to tell, but right now, I need to go do stuff. Probably another trip to a different building supply store.
Till next time...
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