Bedrock

Archive for the ‘spain’ Category

For some time now I’ve been into having a simple Cafe Con Leche and Tostada Con Tomate breakfast – many of the local cafes do a decent job of that combo – and not expensive (2-3 Euros for the lot) which means going out for breakfast almost every day is very practical – not to mention that with no butter, the tomato is quite good for you. (obviously you would add a little salt and Olive Oil – well, I do anyway).

Well, didn’t we just discover this (thanks to our good neighbours). Mermelada Con Tomate does not taste as you might expect, the tomato flavour isn’t that strong – but it makes a great marmalade.

Now, if only they’d make a version that uses Stevia instead of sugar, I’d be VERY happy with this new variation, as it is I’m guessing tha occasional use will do no harm.

Took the two boys up the hill this morning, meanwhile it seems we have the virus in Galera, so no doubt there will be some panic until the novely wears off. Thankfully, living on the edge of town it is relatively easy to keep out of the way.

I just watched bits of the RNC (USA) on the web – I’m wishing I’d never taken any notice of the last few years of American and British politics. Here in the wilds of Andalucia (I’ve yet to figure out if that should be “s” or “c”) it is just about possible to simply say “to hell with it all” and enjoy the simple life along with a nice set of neighbours.

Don’t get me wrong, “simple” for me includes high speed broadband but that is slowly happening out here.

After that trip to the lake, we’ve been lying low other than a solitary trip to the pub to see friends. Maureen’s been working on the house and I’ve been working on a proper VPN back to the UK – I’ve struggled with really understanding how this works for some time and finally grasped it – so now from a TV perspective we’re well and truly in the UK while enjoying the many benefits of Spain.

The cats of course could care less as long as it is sunny and right now, almost without exception, it is.

Social distancing at the local…

If I had to get out of bed and travel to the office I’d be unhappy but as we’re not doing that, we’re making the best of the sun and yesterday visited one of very few open lakes. The locals must be spooked as there were only two other couples anywhere in view in the morning and ultimately there were just the four of us with a large lake all to ourselves. We got some relaxing swimming in. I even thought it might be good drone weather – that’s what I get for thinking – first attempt I lost a bolt – that’ll be fun to replace.

Still, we had a very nice morning followed by a light lunch at a nearby hotel – sitting outside, naturally. This water is unbelievably nice – still very low compared to a few short years ago. We can only hope it gets replenished over the winter. In the meantime, it is refreshingly cool instead of just plain cold.

The land I’m standing on, no more than a couple of years ago was under water. As for our friend’s dogs, they loved it. Should have taken our cats but it was a bit hot in the car for them. I can see a return trip in my future, armed with our blow-up boat.

Maureen and I have had our cave in Spain for 11 years now and we still keep learning something new. Tonight I learned from my pal Kenneth OE Sundin (founder of SMEBOX and friend who lives in Uppsala in Sweden) all about Pintxos (Pinchos) which are popular in the Basque region. Here’s https://www.euskoguide.com/food-drink-basque-country/pintxos-pinchos/

Bearing a marked resemblance to some of the TAPAS we enjoy here in Southern Spain…. they are a small snack eaten in bars in Northern Spain. Main ingredients sliced bread with a topping. Maybe on our trip to Bilbao at the end of the month? It isn’t that long ago that I learned about NDUJA from my pal Antonio in Italy… does it ever end?

Well, it’s all happening this morning…

We got a call from a non-English-speaking DHL driver this morning (just after the second Alexa alert in 2 days to say we have packages from Amazon on due today – yesterdays’ didn’t turn up) to say “Peter” then something in Spanish then “Posa”. We headed off down to Pizzeria La Posa, intercepted on the way by the DHL van who had decided after all to deliver to the house – thank goodness there is only on way up to our place.

The driver handed over the slightly bashed parcel and off we went to the cafe where we met Bob from the Altiplano photo club who answered some questions I had about supplying club-promotional photos for the forthcoming Galera fair (Sunday August 18, 2019). Looks like I got over-enthusiastic about the photo frames.

Weather in Galera is sunny but calm today, a good time for some writing and a spot of painting… so our next stop was the local ferreteria.

When in doubt, check local stores. After gasping at the price of a 6-way mains extension on Amazon.es (€14, just under £14 – not only that but there’s a good chance of it ending up in the local pub), I was pleased that my neighbour/friend Dave picked me up an extension during his trip to the coast for a mere €9 – then THIS MORNING while looking for a quick paintbrush purchase at the local ferreteria, I noted the same thing at a staggering €4.90 and bought one. Pays not to make assumptions about prices at local stores.

Now, I would tell you the name of this hardware store in Galera, Granada (Spain) but he has to be the last store on the planet to NOT be on Google Maps. He is however on Calle Cervantes, just seconds away from Parque Infantil Sanchez Faba.

I have to do a technical write-up elsewhere about the sockets and an update on a couple of smart bands (watches ) I  just received so that’s about it for this entry.