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On the beach
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Espinaredo
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An horreo (traditional granary)
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Kittens
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Pears
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Flower puppy
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Breakfast terrace
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Bubbles
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Guggenheim
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San Sebastian old town
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La Concha
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Sagrada Corazon
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San Sebastian harbour
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At the beach…
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August 31, 2010I know that summer isn’t officially over until 21 September, but somehow the end of August always feels like the end of summer to me. To that end, I’m wearing shorts today, although the weather’s a bit too cool for them. I’ll feel free to wear tights to the office now on chilly mornings as well…Didn’t want to run this morning, even though I’d had a good eight hours sleep. I can’t help but notice how much better I sleep when I don’t drink in the evening… Worked from home, although productive work is increasingly elusive with all the additional things I need to take care of now this consultation is underway. Knocked off about 5:30, and wound down with some food preparation. Tried the zucchini carbonara again, and think I achieved what was intended. It was almost like carbonara, but without the richness. I didn’t add any water at all and it still came out a bit too wet. Perhaps try it again with really crisp little zucchinis or maybe peas? |
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August 30, 2010Swam a mile for the first time today. It took me about half an hour, which isn’t great. I’m pretty sure I earned a swimming proficiency badge for doing a mile in under half an hour when I was eight years old. Still, I don’t think I could have done it at all a month ago…Did a half hour of hill climbing on the treadmill as well, to give the joints a break from running. I much prefer running outside to running on the treadmil, but they are excellent for hill workouts. We’re having the bathrooms retiled this weekend. A number of tiles had buckled in the downstairs shower (probably due to subsidence), and the upstairs bath should have been fully tiled when we mounted the shower head on the wall. It wasn’t, and water has been seeping under the wallpaper ever since. The work is nearly done now, and looking pretty good. Had the guy slap a coat of white paint on the upstairs toilet too, as it was looking a bit dingy… Nova returned home from her sleepover at Fays at 6pm… still in her pyjamas — now that’s a sleepover! |
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August 29, 2010Took the girls swimming at the gym this morning. In between bouts of playing around, I tried to sort out Nova’s front crawl breathing. The way she lifts her head out of the water each time she breathes really disrupts the flow of her stroke. I instructed her to try to watch her left hand emerge from the water at the end of each stroke, which seemed to keep her head better aligned.Salad niçoise for lunch, customised for each family member:
Nova to Fays for the afternoon, which turned into a sleepover. They are very happy to see each other again after a summer apart. It meant missing out on the pot roast garlic chicken I cooked — one of those 40 clove recipes, which turned out really nicely. Started watching the third series of Mad Men, which we’ve had on our TV recorder for ages. The fourth series in coming in a couple of weeks, and it would be great if we can catch up by then… |
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August 28, 2010Went for a trial run/swim on the Heath with Trish this morning. Wore my new trisuit, and didn’t feel as stupid as I thought I might. We walked to the women’s pond, climbed in and started from there. Man, was it cold — my muscles practically seized up. And the first time I put my face in the water with my new goggles was a real shock. The water is absolutely opaque — swimming front crawl was like trying to run with your eyes closed. I ended up mostly swimming head up front crawl, which is pretty tiring as well as bad for your neck.Hopped out, put our trainers straight onto our wet feet and ran the mile to the mixed ponds. I was expecting the murkiness of the water this time, so it wasn’t as upsetting, but I hadn’t realised quite how shallow the mixed pond is. I’m pretty sure I could have stood up in places if I wanted to (I most certainly didn’t…) Another run to the lido (where we didn’t swim), then cross country to the men’s pond (where we couldn’t swim) and back to the ladies pond again. So we pretty much ran the whole course, and did two of the four swims. I feel a lot more confident about the event now — the distances are managable, and while the swimming will be tougher with dozens of other people thrashing about in the water with me, it’s not such an unknown now. The trisuit is great as well — it feels really nice when you run, and running wet is actually quite refreshing (though I did get the start of a blister on one instep. The waterproof tape on my ankle didn’t last the distance — I’ll have to give that more thought before the day. Pete and Pasc are back from the States today — so that’s the end of our cat and snake feeding responsibilities for the time being. Since returning from Spain, poor Adam has been feeding four cats twice a day, plus spritzing their snake. And every few days he has been defrosting and chopping up mouse fetuses as well… Went out for dinner at the Rose & Crown with our duathlon team — Trish, her boyfriend Adam and friend Katherine. Trish and Katherine have done it before, but Adam is a newbie like us. Spent a bit of time planning — where we’ll meet, whether we’ll go round as a group (no) etc, but more time enjoying our food and drink. Carried on across the street for a nightcap before calling it a night. Making my way through the pub crowd to the door, I found my way blocked by ex-Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten, who — like all the famous people I’ve ever encountered — was unexpectedly small. I tapped his shoulder and said ‘Excuse me’. ‘Oh, sorry!’ he said politely, stepping to one side… |
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August 27, 2010Tried on a few more trisuits at a shop in East Finchley this afternoon. Just as well, there is a lot of variation in cut and fit. I’m reasonably happy with the one I bought — I wouldn’t walk down the high street in it, but I think I’ll feel okay running around the Heath on the day…Bought some new goggles as well — ones more suited for open water swimming, they are half way between a snorkelling mask and the kind of goggles I’m used to. I didn’t trust them, but they worked amazingly well. In fact, I can now see too much, all the mysterious bits of gloop and balls of hair drifting in the water are crystal clear. I could even see the pattern on a woman’s swimsuit two lanes away. I knocked off a quick kilometre and got out of there. I really should increase my distance — my swim took only 17 minutes today… Watched The Third Man with Nova for movie night, in preparation for my trip to Vienna with Nova at the end of October. I think she enjoyed it, though there was a lot of context to explain. The black market and post-war division of Europe don’t mean a lot to most nine-year-olds. Wanted an early night after last night’s rotten sleep. Pete and Pasc’s cat, Mr Christmas (who we’ve been feeding while they’re in the States) turned up on our doorstep miaowing. I gave him a cuddle, and let him walk round the place a bit, then popped him out and went to bed. The silly cat proceeded to bash his head against the cat flap until he forced it open, marched upstairs and pounced happily on our bed. Tossed him out, and five minutes later there he was again. We had to lock the cat flap to keep him out, after which he spent the ENTIRE NIGHT circling the house, yowling plaintively. Adam had to physically carry him back to his house in the morning… |
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August 26, 2010Did my two mile run in my fastest time ever this morning. And my ankle held up fine, good which is encouraging… Strangely enough, Adam is having a similar problem with his ankle. That skewer through the ankle joint feeling that crops up out of nowhere, usually after a stretch of downhill running. I’d self-diagnosed it as a stress fracture based on a lot of internet research, but should really get myself along to a sports doctor to have it investigated further.Went to a running shop on my lunch hour to explore my trisuit option. They had only one make of women’s trisuit, which I tried on. I know trisuits are supposed to be skin tight, but not sausage-skin tight surely…? I had doubts I’d ever get the damn thing off again… I think I’ll try a few more before making a decision… Late getting home from work again… It’s difficult these days — in addition to the day job, there’s a whole crop of extra line management issues, daily union meetings, and options to ponder and research… Dinner was jacket potatoes with beans and cheese. They’re so much better when you bake them in the oven instead of the microwave, but take a lot longer too… Overheard at our dinner table this evening:
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August 25, 2010The consultation on the future of my team went live at the end of the day. It is a somewhat better paper than the dog’s dinner we were originally presented with, mostly because of the issues we’ve raised over the last week. I have mixed feelings about that, but there’s still plenty for people to react to. And you could argue that we’ve made it more coherent so people can better understand the magnitude of the change being proposed — and the lack of thought that’s gone into it…Had a good swim this evening, channelling all my frustrated work energy into it. Sauna’ed afterwards then home for dinner. We tried a new dish — a zucchini carbonara that should be much lighter than traditional carbonara. There are egg yolks, but no cream, butter, or bacon. Unfortunately Adam messed it up by adding about half a cup of pasta water, which produced a nasty, eggy slurry at the bottom of a bowl of undressed pasta and courgette. One to try again… |
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August 24, 2010Worked from home today, which gave me a chance to catch up on the mountain of email I didn’t get to tackle last week, as well as continue my assault on the mountain of laundry.Claudia and her three nieces left for Italy this afternoon, adding duvet covers, sheets, pillowcases, and towels to what is more of a mountain range than a mountain… |
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August 23, 2010The rain eased off somewhere in the middle of the night, and we had reasonably dry conditions in which to break camp. I don’t trust this Welsh weather though, and sure enough it started spitting down during the last trip to the car. By the time we were repacking the boot and trying to force the lid of our roof pod shut it was pelting it down. Need to do some repair work on the tent before we use it again — two of the tent pole are splintered and unusable, and one of our camp chairs is ruined as well. Threw out a couple of Nova’s novels that were too sodden to consider trying to dry…It’s a shame the weather was so shitty, because I really like this festival, and Lyra is a good age for camping now. Toilet trained, sleeping through the night, and eating the same food as the rest of us, she proved to be a good little camper. Got back to London at 2pm. We’d shifted Ewa’s hours today to 11-9. so she had a bit of time to cook and iron before we got home, then stayed on to look after the girls while we went out to Kiplings with Claudia and her three nieces. The girls all had the chicken dish Nova normally orders, but found it too “piccante” for their Italian palates. Claudia insisted on picking up the tab, which was very nice of her… |
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August 22, 2010This is what festivals are supposed to be like… Sunshine, sitting on the grass listening to music waft your way while your beautiful little girls gambol like fawns about your feet, blowing bubbles and playing happily together…
Returned to the tent for lunch. It’s been a surprise to realise that I enjoy eating at the camp better than on site. We couldn’t afford to eat all our meals out for one thing, but it’s actually nicer and food is as good or better as well… Able to see a bit more music today — the wonderful Laura Marling before dinner and then back out again to see the Tindersticks. We rashly opted to leave the raincoats behind… Should have known that was the kiss of death… It started spitting early in their set, and was raining steadily by the time they finished. Spent some time round the bonfire, where the rain felt less noticable. Turns out the girls are quite concerned about the idea of seeing the Green Man burn — each year they build an enormous sort of statue from branches and leaves, which they burn to mark the end of the festival — so we dropped that from our evening plans.
Headed back to meet Dave for Joanna Newsom. The rain was increasingly heavy, but the kids dozed off and seemed easier to stay than try to move them. Plus there was always the possibility that the rain would ease up… Though it didn’t, and we were thoroughly drenched by the time we headed for the tent at midnight. Got the girls towelled down and into their pyjamas, and had just zipped ourselves in for the night when Nova piped up over the drumming rain, “Mum, I’ve thrown up in my sleeping bag…” She hadn’t been lying down five minutes, and Adam was beside himself that she hadn’t told us she was feeling ill. There was no point in getting angry with her. I cleaned things up as best I could, using the rest of the paper towel, toilet paper, and one of our tea towels. Stuffed the sodden sleeping bag, fleece blanket, pyjamas, cuddly toys into a bin bag and tied it off. I’d thought to bring a few extra sleeping bags in anticipation of possible wetting/vomiting incidents, but unfortunately they were in the car a mile away in the pouring rain. There was nothing for it but for Adam to get dressed again and slog off into the night to retrieve one. I brought Nova in with me in Adam’s bag, and when he returned he bedded down in the girls’ damp and smelly pod. |
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August 21, 2010The weather is noticeably better today… The rain was lighter, and by mid-afternoon it had stopped altogether. The damage has been done to the site though — there was a sea of mud at major crossroads, and sitting on the ground still isn’t really an option.Spent a couple of dry hours after breakfast watching Ponyo in the cinema tent. Oddly enough, a lot of families had gone for that option, and it was absolutely packed. Adam joined us afterwards for a wander round the site, and another visit to the bubble store where people were practically throwing money at the “bubbleologists”. They do have a great selection of stuff: bubble flutes, bubble guns, bubble wands that produce bubbles the size of beach balls… After lunch at the tent, we returned to the kids’ field for Nova’s dance practice. She’s learning a routine that will be performed in the festival procession on Sunday. This time it was dry enough for the girls to do some trampolining, and ride on the wooden swing boats. I was keen to see Johnny Cooper Clarke, so Adam took the girls off for a couple of hours. A lot of other people had the same idea, and there was stiff competition for a good space. I’m pretty good in those sorts of situations, and weasled my way to the front, where I had a only slightly obstructed view. Johnny Cooper Clarke has been going a long time — I had a couple of his albums when I was in university — and is a bit of a fossil by now. He’d also done some serious damage to his back and seemed to be relying on the mike stand for support.
He was very funny, and did a lot more stand up than I expected, along some classic material, like Evidently Chicken Town: EVIDENTLY CHICKEN TOWN the fucking scene is fucking sad the fucking train is fucking late the fucking view is fucking vile the fucking pubs are fucking dull the fucking train is fucking late the fucking pies are fucking old Ate dinner “out” tonight, which I thought it would make a welcome change from all that hunching over a single burner in the rain. And there is some very fine food to be had at festivals these day. Nova and I opted for pies from the PieMinister, Lyra had a sausage and tartiflette potatoes, and Adam had a falafel. Watched The Unthanks (“no thanks” as far as I’m concerned, though Dave loves them). It might have been more enjoyable if you were up close (music always is) and could catch their nifty clog dancing moves, but it just didn’t draw me in… I would have liked to stay for Billy Bragg’s set, but Nova started feeling ill and Lyra was fading so we made a final circuit of the site, checking out the bonfire and headed back to the tent. Once the girls were down Adam out again to see The Flaming Lips, which were apparently excellent.
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August 20, 2010Rain, rain, go away… Moved onto the main site for an initial recce, but it was too wet to linger anywhere long. Stopped by the bubble stall on the way back to the tent, to satisfy Lyra’s hankering for a bubble gun. They are pretty cool — a sort of semi-automatic bubble handgun, with a “clip” of bubble mix slotted in. Naturally, Lyra blasted through the whole bottle in about five minutes… The rain a bit lighter in the afternoon, and we were able to perch in the light drizzle for a beer and a punnet of chips. Gotta seize your moments… We saw our only band of the day as well — a guy called John Grant, formerly of The Czars — who had a ready supply of the kind of bitter and twisted lyrics I tend to enjoy, especially on such a weekend as this is shaping up to be… The rain was picking up — and the girls fading — so we headed back to tent, giving tonight’s headliners (Beirut and The Doves) — a miss… |
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August 19, 2010Adam was up all night working, so it fell to me to do all the packing, car servicing, shopping etc… Managed to fit in a dental appointment (I need a root canal in September — my cup of joy is really running over at the moment) and a swim as well.We finally got off about 2pm, a couple of hours later than planned. I had to do the driving as well as Adam was far too drowsy to operate heavy machinery. By the time I got to Reading the whole family was snoozing away. Suited me, as Adam is a bit of a backseat driver…;-) The rain started up the minute we crossed the Severn Bridge into Wales. The weather forecast had been pretty dire for this weekend, but you can always hope they’ve got it wrong. If you planned your life around the British weather forecast, you’d never dare leave the house… Hired a trolley in the parking field to move our masses of gear to the camping field. I was glad I’d thought to pack the tarp because it was absolutely chucking it down. Still, it took a quite a while to load the trolley, which we then had to drag a good mile across wet grass, plus make a detour to get our wristbands. Our kit was pretty wet by the time we found a spot to pitch up. The wind was really gusting by now, and it was a right production getting the bloody tent pitched… Sod’s law, the rain let up considerably once we were inside, but the damage was done. The clothes in our backpack were wet, Nova’s books were soggy, cardboard food box was disintegrating. Not a great start to our festival weekend… We pretty much bunkered down in our tent for the rest of the evening, with the porch open for small intervals when the rain allowed. Heated some soup for dinner inside the tent (one plus of having such a cheap tent is that it certainly qualifies as a “well ventilated area”. Went to bed when it got dark and listened to the rain batter our tent. That can be quite a comforting sound when you’re snug and dry under canvas, but with this cheap, leaky tent it’s anything but…:-) |
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August 18, 2010Work is pretty all consuming at the moment… Even in normal circumstances, it’s hard to cover everything when my job share is on holiday. And these are far from normal circumstances…I haven’t had a full evening in all week, and am scarcely seeing poor little Lyra. Adam filled me in on a conversation he overheard between Lyra and her nanny, when Ewa took her to the toilet today:
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August 17, 2010What a day… I’m not expecting any changes to the new structure she’s proposing, but the paper has been cobbled together without any real understanding of what we do (and therefore what needs to be accounted for in disbanding us), the business risks, or a coherent rationale for the changes she’s proposing. Be interesting to see what she ends up publishing next week… Went for a quick drink with my team to relive some of the more Pythonesque moments of the meeting and generally let off steam. I’d hoped to go for a swim this evening, but this felt more important. It was 10pm by the time I was home and eating dinner. Stayed up late watching an unexpectedly good film with John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix called Ladder 49. Or maybe it was just the kind of thing I needed to disconnect from my stressful day… |
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August 16, 2010Back to the office… and straight into the news that there is a plan getting underway to disband my E-media team, placing all my team members at risk of redundancy. As is often the way with these things, it’s actually a proposal to change business processes being dressed up as a change in team structure.I was given the heads up today so that I’ll be in a better position to support my team when it is announced more widely tomorrow. Looking forward to that… Burned off some emotional energy with a walk/swim workout before dinner. Increased my swimming distance for the first time — 1200 metres tonight… |
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August 15, 2010Last day of my holiday… it’s back to the unpleasant realities of work tomorrow… Today was a real home day, which Nova took to the extent of not even getting out of her pyjamas all day.I’m still doing laundry… What with the mountain of bedding and towels from the McGhee’s visit, it’ll be a few days yet before I’m on top of it. Then there’s gardening to catch up on, and work bits and pieces to find. Plus Claudia and her nieces (I’m never sure how many she’ll turn up with) are arriving on Tuesday morning, so we need to do up the flat again… |
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August 14, 2010Adam went for a run first thing, then after breakfast I headed to the gym for a walk/swim workout. This is the first day my arms have felt tired during the swim, so I’ve decided to take tomorrow off from swimming.Took the girls to see Toy Story 3 in 3D. The glasses were too big for Lyra, and I think the story was a bit complex as well — at any rate, she wasn’t absorbed by it. The rest of us loved it, and I cried a bit at the end when Andy headed off to college. Something we said on the way home triggered some anxiety in Nova about her baby Lola doll (which she hasn’t thought of in the last four years…) She tearfully turned the house upside down looking for it without success. I have a sneaking suspicion that she put it in the box of stuff we donated to the jumble sale at the school Christmas fair, but she says she didn’t. I wouldn’t have got rid of Lola without her say so — it was her first doll and a gift from Grandma Fern — so let’s hope it turns up… |
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August 13, 2010A Lyra-mommy day, as Nova was having a playdate with her friend Sarah. She helped me shuck chickpeas and bake rye bread rolls this morning, before we headed off to the library to get Lyra her very own library card. She was quite chuffed with it, and importantly carried her two books and diveedoh to the counter herself and handed over the card.Went for a swim in the afternoon, and knocked off my kilometre quite easily. This is more swimming than I’ve done in the last twenty years, and to my surprise I’m quite enjoying it. With the fear of this duathlon (or ‘aquathlon’ as the swim/bike events are apparently supposed to be called) hanging over me, it’s easy to make time for workouts at the moment. The question is how can we best prepare ourselves for this event from a standing start in the next three weeks to avoid disgrace? We need to gain as much fitness as possible without overdoing things. To that end, I’m alternating between one- and two-workout days, and always taking a day off between runs. |
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August 12, 2010Happy birthday, Greg! Went to the gym for a swim, and did a half hour walk on the treadmill to give the joints a break. Vietnamese chicken salad for dinner, followed by an episode of University Challenge and then to bed… |
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August 11, 2010Packing to fly home this morning was quite a production… The requirements had changed — we set out from home wanting to carry all our belongings between us, this time it was a matter of having the right stuff in the right bags.Settled up our bill after breakfast, and had them make us a few salami sandwiches to avoid to bane of airport food. When Javier presented us with our bag of food, he’d kindly included a big bottle of water, and a bottle of wine as well. We’ll save that until we’re back in the UK, I think…;-) The drive to Avilés airport went smoothly, and we were able to drop off the hire car early enough to avoid an additional day’s rental charges. We weren’t gouged as badly for the damage as I thought we might be. We came out just a bit worse than if we’d taken out the damage waiver… The plane left on time which was good, but the flight was quite bumpy flight which was bad. At least it was only a hundred minutes — I counted them down. Took the train from Stansted, then a taxi from Tottenham Hale. Beulah arrived five minutes after we got home bearing dinner — her amazing Bangkok salad for us, and ham and salad for the girls. Very kind of her, and great not to have to worry about organising a meal our first evening back… |
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August 10, 2010Our first sunny day in Galicia, and the last day of our holiday… Drove into Tapia de Casiaregio instead, thinking we’d maybe buy a few little gifts for our pet sitters and have some lunch. Didn’t particularly warm to the place, and am very glad we ended up staying where we did. Didn’t even find anywhere we wanted to eat lunch… Opted to eat at our local beach front pulperia (I love that word) instead. The Galicians are great eaters of octopus (pulpo), and have hundreds of restaurants dedicated to serving just that. This one was a vast tent with shared paper-covered tables and benches. There was an old guy out front boiling octopi in a vast copper pot, and another one grilling ribs on a big barbeque. Opted for octopus (which was delicious), peppers padron, green salad and chips — delicious… Spent the afternoon on the beach, splashing in the sea and lying on the sand. Returned to the Sundance for a drink before heading back to the hotel. Ate dinner at the hotel… I had gazpacho again, followed by grilled lobster, and Adam had tomato goat’s cheese stacks and a Galician salt cod dish. I like salt cod, but always find it surprisingly rich. Nova did a repeat on the pork steak, and Lyra — who managed to stay awake this evening — went for chips. Thank god for chips… |
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August 9, 2010Early start this morning… Adam set the alarm for 7am, so we could visit Cathedral Beach at low tide. Got there when the tide was still ebbing, and had it all to ourselves for a good half hour. It was great wandering among the great stone pillars and sea caves that are normally submerged, examining all the sea life — mussels, limpets, barnacles, crabs, sea anemones — clinging to the rocks and waiting for the water to return.After a hearty breakfast, we packed our bags (we’re being demoted from a four-bed to a three-bed room) and set out for the day. Decided to keep it local, and spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon wandering up the long stretch of beach towards Foz. The tide returned, cutting off the option of returning along the beach, so we made our way back on the cliff path. Ate lunch at a seafood restaurant called Pipo’s — seafood paella for two, green salad and bread. To my surprise, Lyra loves crab. “Is that a crab in our rice?” was her first question, followed by “Are people allowed to eat crab?” and “Do crabs mind when people eat them?” Yes, yes and yes, I told her. Once she’d tried it, her demands for more crab outstripped my picking abilities… Back to our new room late afternoon for a siesta. At least that was the idea… There was a good deal of drama over the new sleeping arrangements — there was only room for one single bed in the loft and a child cot had been set up at the end of our bed. Lyra wasn’t having of that… “I want to sleep in the loft!” she complained. When Nova agreed to sleep in the cot, Lyra insisted that she also wanted to sleep with Nova. Eventually dragged the mattress from the cot up the ladder and wedged it in at the foot of the single bed. This led to a further conflict over who’d sleep in which bed, that I eventually resolved with an executive decision… Ate dinner in the hotel restaurant tonight. I was about 9:30 by the time we went down, but I still wasn’t that hungry. Lyra was very tired, and after eating her customary bread roll and the cucumber garnish for my gazpacho, fell asleep in my lap. Nova knocked off a pork steak and chips but I was defeated by my grilled bonito fillet. Adam couldn’t finish his line-caught hake steak either, but that didn’t stop him from eating a flan for dessert. To bed about 12:30… |
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August 8, 2010Although room has 20 foot ceilings, it got too hot in the night… The roof was noisy as well. I think it must have been birds walking about, but it worried me because the girls are sleeping in the loft area. There is a stair gate across the top of the ladder, but they would die if they were to fall off it somehow. It’s a mother’s lot in life to constantly imagine such scenarios, however unlikely…Breakfast is buffet style, but Javier the owner was bustling around, organising coffees, glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice etc. It was Javier who greeted us in reception yesterday evening, carried our luggage upstairs to our room, fixed the wifi at Adam’s request, and we saw him serving food in the restaurant when we went out for dinner at 10pm last night… The man is everywhere — he reminds me of the innkeeper in Local Hero… The weather was pretty overcast, so we opted to drive west along the coast. Picked up a few picnic supplies to supplement the leftover tortilla, then carried on to Ponto de Baje, which is the northernmost point of Spain. Adam and I have always sought out these remote corners of the countries we visit. Hiked out to the end of the headland, and sat eating our lunch and watching the crashing waves and wheeling gulls. Stopped at the beach in Foz — just up the coast from our hotel — on the way back. Even at 5pm on a blustery Sunday the beach was crowded. I think it must be a holiday, there were so many family groups picnicking en masse, or maybe that’s just how the Galicians do things… I was impressed with the girls for wanting to swim in that chilly Atlantic surf. They were in for only ten minutes — and only up to their knees at that — but Lyra was blue when they returned, her spots almost black against her blanched skin. Wrapped her in a big towel and carried her back to the car. Home for a warm shower and some relaxation. We’d intended to go out to dinner, but the time got away from us. Opted for the rest of our salami, biscuits and a square of chocolate instead. We’ll fill up at the buffet breakfast tomorrow… |
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August 7, 2010Lyra spots are definitely drier today, although a new one has erupted on her gums, and there are a couple on her feet that still look really nasty. She’s really having a rough ride with these chicken pox…Packing up, I discovered more vomit stains on Nova’s quilt — nothing to do but come clean about them when Javier arrived at 11am. I was planning to offer him some money for dry cleaning, but he was very relaxed about it. Drove into Oviedo, and parked in the centre of town. What a beautiful city, full of statues and fountains, including one of Woody Allen who is apparently a great fan of Oviedo. He says of the city:
Our first stop was the cathedral, which unfortunately was shutting for a wedding just as we arrived. Meandered around the old town instead, which is pedestrianised and completely charming. Lunched at a pretty mediocre place — it wasn’t bad, but it certainly wasn’t good either… The best bit was the way the waiter poured our cider in the traditional style. Holding the bottle high above his head, he’d pour it into a glass held at waist height… without looking as he did it. I think the idea is to aerate an otherwise flat drink, but it makes an impressive spectacle. Had a look round the cathedral, which has a beautiful golden altar. Didn’t pay to see the relics, which apparently include some of Jesus’ nappies. Lyra was so mucky from her encounter with some gum, chocolate ice cream and god knows what else that I bought her a new teeshirt and changed her on the street. Tempted to throw the other one away… On a recommendation from Javier, we visited Los Monumentos on our way out of the city. Two pre-Romanesque structures from the 800s — a palace and a little chapel. Lyra had fallen asleep and Nova opted to wait in the car, so we didn’t linger… It was 5:30 by the time we left Oviedo and headed for the coast road. The motorway here is being built in segments. We would do a stretch then come off and creep along the coast road until came to another finished segment. Seems an odd place to be building such an impressive motorway. There were never more than a couple of cars on it. Reminded me of those similarly pointless, half built motorways in Sicily… I’d wanted to stay in Tapia de Casiaregio in the western corner of Asturias, but wasn’t able to find anything, so eventually went for something nearby. Ended up 20km across the border in Galicia, in little village called Reinante. The hotel turned out to be a funky little place, half a kilometre from a beautiful beach. We’re in a family room, which has a sort of loft with two little beds for the girls. It was pretty late by the time we headed out for something to eat. Ended up at a little surfer bar, where we ordered tortilla and salad. I was dubious we needed that much food but Nova and Adam insisted on the salad. After a couple of little tapas, the salad arrived on a plate the diameter of a family-size pizza, and decorated — to Lyra’s delight — with an apple carved into a swan. It was an odd mix of ingredients that didn’t quite work for me — crab sticks, canned peaches, canned asparagus, watermelon, cheese, pineapple, olives, french dressing — but we ate it anyway. We were just polishing it off when a similarly dimensioned potato tortilla arrived. Through heroic effort we managed to eat half of it. The waiter looked puzzled when he returned, and asked why we’d left so much, didn’t we like it? When we said it was just too much food, he packaged it up for us to eat tomorrow. It was nearly midnight by the time we got back to the hotel. “Dad, you said we were going to have a family bath tonight!” Lyra piped up. Our room has an impressively large circular bath. Seemed easier to keep our word than argue about it for the next half hour. Ran a quick bath and all squashed into it before calling it a night… |
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August 6, 2010Slept until 10:30 in the morning — along with most of the village who had been making rather merry until past 3am…Had to rewash some of the laundry we did last night, after handscrubbing the lingering orange stains. Another morning in… Adam did his writing work, while the rest of us poodled around. Made a lunch that used up random groceries, and finally by mid-afternoon we were in shape to head out for an adventure… Drove to Villaviciosa, thinking we’d maybe have a drink then mosey along the coast. Ended up spending a good hour and a half in the city playground, where the girls had a good run around. Nova was very nice about sticking with Lyra, and they seemed to have fun together. Lyra’s feeling quite sensitive about her spots, and concerned that people will laugh at them. I think she’s got all the spots she’s going to get — it’s a matter of them drying and healing now. Lots on her face — lips, eyes, nose — nothing has been spared… “Why did Alice want to give me her chickenpops?” she keeps asking. “I want to give them back to HER!” After a little drink and a snack in a cafeteria, we headed home again. There was just time to reassemble Nova’s bed (and discover yet another sheet that needed the vomit stains scrubbing out) before setting out for dinner with Jeff, Joy and Josh. Drove to a local restaurant they like called La Vega, with good food, and very generous portions. It was about 11:30 by the time we left. The kids had lasted really well, but Lyra was getting a little punchy. On the drive home, she kept asking me “what kind of people don’t talk?” I told her babies don’t talk, or very old people, or mute people. She’s generally after a particular answer when she asks that kind of question, and I obviously wasn’t providing it. After the growl of exasperation she makes at times like this, she finally burst out “Mum, you are being like an armadillo that eats BLOOD!” Well, that certainly put me in my place…;-) |
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August 5, 2010Up in the night a couple of times with Lyra — she’s feeling so itchy and uncomfortable now the pox are starting to crust over. “I wish I didn’t have chicken pops any more!” she kept saying.It didn’t seem right to drag her out on another day’s sightseeing. Adam has work he needs to finish off, and I’m happy enough for a down day as well. As for Nova, nothing suits her better than a day of drawing and reading. And it’s raining again… Did a little circuit of the village to check out the fiesta preparations in the square. Adam got talking to an English woman called Joy who was there with her six-year-old son Josh. Turns out they bought a house in the village five years ago, because her husband is very into mountain walking. She gave us a little tour of it — it’s very compact compared to our place, but charming as well. Much more the sort of place we’d usually rent. In the afternoon the weather cleared, and we took the opportunity to explore the nature reserve a few miles up the road. Parked up in the picnic area, then walked up one side of the river for about an hour until it opened out at the foothills of some craggy looking mountains. Stopped for the girls to have a little play in the river, then headed back. Lyra had grizzled about walking most of the way up — she does have chicken pox on the soles of her feet, poor little mite — but kept her amused on the way down by playing Dora Explorer. Dinner was a cross between paella and the Spanish rice my mother used to make. I thought it was great, and Nova and Adam both liked it. Lyra had fallen asleep in the car on the way back, and proved impossible to wake. She had fits of coughing and choking in her sleep, and was running a temperature as well. Dosed her up with medicine and was about to put her to bed when she jolted upright, crying “we have to go to the fiesta!” The energy of the crowd seemed to revitalise her. As did the princess jewellry set she’d had her eye on this morning. Six euros of plastic toot, but money well spent. Laden with her “jewels”, she danced in the square like the belle of the ball, spots and all. Indulgent smiles from the Spaniards who love children, and someone even took her picture. We were soon drawn into conversation with a teacher from Gijon, who’s mother-in-law lives in the village. Nova fell in with some little girls, and when the accordian band started up, she was drawn into a circle for some dancing. The band played a few songs then stopped about ten. “Well, time for dinner,” said the family from Gijon gathering up their little children. Got Lyra to bed, then returned to the fiesta with Nova, while Adam stayed in. Jeff and Joy had arrived, and I talked to them while Nova reunited with her Spanish pals. Back about midnight. Lyra was feverish and moaning, and with the choking episodes it felt better having her in with me. Transferred her to our room, and Adam resettled in her bed. Lucky move, because an hour later Nova vomited spectacularly all over her bed and Adam’s pillow. He woke me up to help… I remade the bed while Nova washed her hair and Adam sorted out the vomit-soaked bedding. Put a load of laundry on and went back to sleep. Or not… Lyra was wide awake by this point, still hot and grumbly but seemed better than earlier. Probably a good two hours before I got her settled agian…. |
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August 4, 2010Lyra’s pox are really blossoming now… Her scalp is a mass of bumps, her back is carpetted, and they are starting to appear in her armpits, crotch and on her face. I gave her a cool bath and patted her dry gently before covering her in calamine. Gave her a dose of piriton too, to help with the itching. There’s one nasty, inflamed-looking one on her flank, but otherwise they are either in the blister stage or just starting to dry up.Had a leisurely start to compensate for Lyra’s illness and our late night. I was also keen to get our laundry out in the sunshine before we set off. Drove into Arriondas to replace the little cat souvenir Lyra had managed to lose in Covadonga yesterday. Carried on through to the Cabrales valley, home of the delicious Spanish blue cheese by the same name. Stopped for an 8 euro menu del dia in a little cafe — salad, grilled sole, red wine, flan for me and scrambled eggs with white asparagus tips and a beef stew for Adam. I shared a serving of cabrales with Adam as well. Nova had a good appetite (having tossed her cookies on the winding descent into the valley), but poor Lyra had little appetite. We’d intended to take the funicular from Poncebos to Bulnes for a post-prandial mountain walk, but arrived to discover there was a one and a half hour wait for the funicular. Filled the gap with a siesta in the car instead… By the time we made our ascent, the clouds had moved in and wreathed the mountain top in mist. Actually I don’t think there’s that much of a view from Bulnes anyway (though I couldn’t swear to it) — I think it’s more of a starting point for walks leading to viewpoints. Back to our house about 8pm. I made chickpea pasta soup for dinner, and gave Lyra another tepid bath. Her pox are really irritating her now — she was particularly bothered by ones “in her bottom”. There are a number in that general area, but none that look particularly sore. I’m starting to wonder if she has a few inside…? |
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August 3, 2010Wanted to get an early start today to visit the Picos de Europa. According to the woman in the tourist office, the weather should be pretty good, and we may actually be able to see something once we get up into the mountains.Getting Lyra dressed, we noticed lots more spots on her back. We’d noticed a few yesterday, but because Nova also had one, I’d put them down as sandfly bites — both girls do spend a lot of beach time covered in sand. But today it was clear that Lyra has caught Alice’s chickenpox. We worked it out — it was two weeks yesterday that she last saw Alice. I thought the incubation period was 5-7 days, but Adam had heard 10-14 days, so this is in the zone. Stopped in Cangas de Onis for Picos de Europas maps, and a session in a little playground where Nova managed to break her Croc. Arriving at the national park, we were confronted with a confusing array of mostly full parking lots and buses. There was no mention of any of it in our guidebook, so we opted to ignore it and carried on. Found a parking space in a little lot further up the road, from where we walked a kilometre through the woods to the sanctuary at Covadonga — a site of major importance to Spanish Christians. It is revered as the place where the Reconquista began in 800AD when Pelayo, the local Visigoth ruler, defeated a band of Moors. The sanctuary shelters in a cave in the cliffside above a waterfall. There is a beautiful little altar, the simple tomb of Pelayo and a row of pews where you can sit to worship. It’s quite lovely… We also visited the basilica, which is set amongst the lush green mountains. Ate lunch in the hotel cafe then hiked back to the car. We discovered what all the parking and buses was about when we tried to carry on. There is no access for private cars to the lake road between 8:30am and 6:30pm. Headed back down, parked up and caught a bus instead. As soon as we started driving that road we could see the wisdom of the bus system. A hair-raising, switch-backing, guardrail-free goat trail that climbed upwards into the clouds for 12km, overrun with cows and buses, it would have been a nightmare (and seriously dangerous) to negotiate it with all the holiday traffic on the roads. Spent a couple of hour walking among the peaks. There were thousands of people up there — another bus would pull in every ten minutes — but they all dispersed surprisingly swiftly. There was an excellent visitors centre, a video centre, a mining museum etc, all of which the girls were eager to visit. It was all really nicely done, but I was getting antsy to start walking as the clouds were moving in. Sure enough, by the time we got to the main “mirador” (viewpoint) over the lake, the cloud had moved in and we couldn’t see fifteen feet… Back at our car by about 6pm. We were tootling along, singing “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” when Adam took a corner a bit off-line and glanced the curb. We could tell immediately that something was seriously wrong… Turned off as soon as we could — into the parking lot of a hotel-restaurant — to check the damage. We had a flat tire — in fact we had two. More than flat… both tires looked like they’d been slashed, the front panel of the car was a bit bent and a hubcap was missing. I trekked back for the hubcap while Adam phoned the rental company. There was no one there who could speak English, but we’d attracted a little crowd by this point, and one of the waitresses talked to the car agent, while another guy gave us a very rough translation of what was being said. The upshot was they would send a taxi for us, and a tow truck for the car. There was something lost in translation about how long it would all take. It was translated to us as “very soon”, but when Adam called back after an hour of standing in the parking lot, it turned out the taxi was coming from Aviles (over an hour away) and that’s where we were being taken to pick up a new car as well… Fortunately Lyra had chosen to doze off in her car seat almost immediately. Ordered a quick dinner for the three of us, which we were just finishing when the taxi and tow truck arrived. Transferred our bags, carseats and kids to the taxi and set off. I’d assumed we’d be zooming up the motorway to Aviles, but when it became clear that we’d pass the turnoff for our village, Adam asked the taxi driver in our wretched Spanish if it would be possible to drop the kids at home. The guy wasn’t keen on deviating from the route, but eventually agreed to run us the 6km up to Espinardeo. Hopped out in the village square and walked from there. In the end I had the girls in bed by 9:45 — and was most of the way through Fatal Attraction by the time Adam returned at midnight. Quite a disturbing film on a lot of levels, and one which initially seems more morally complex than it actually is. Glenn Close becomes this vengeful fury after a one-night stand doesn’t develop into a meaningful, permanent relationship, but aside from cheating on his wife (the only genuinely wronged party in the film, aside from the bunny) I can’t see that he’s done anything wrong. His main mistake is not ‘fessing up to his wife, which keeps him engaged in the escalating conflict with Glenn Close… |
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August 2, 2010The rain in Spain falls mainly on Asturias… though it does look a little brighter than yesterday… Troubled by work dreams — the situation I’ll be returning to is starting to prey on my mind…No water in the house this morning. There was just enough to brush teeth, take our gravol pills etc. Phoned our man about it — apparently there’s some issue with the whole village but should be back on by the time we return. Headed into Arriondas — our biggest local town — to get a proper map from the tourist office. Picked up some groceries as well, then drove to Vega for a picnic. What a great beach — much wilder than the one we found yesterday. The weather was still overcast, but that didn’t stop us from having a splash in the amazing rolling waves. There were big flags marking boundaries for surfing and swimming, and possibly areas that weren’t safe as well… After an hour or so the sun broke through and it turned into a lovely afternoon. Nova was keen for another swim, so I went in with her. The beach here is relatively flat, which means you can walk out a long way before the water gets deep. We got out to where Nova could still just stand, and had a lot of fun in the big waves. We were holding hands at first, but then we got a little separated. I think the tide must have started going out, because gradually the pull outward became stronger. Nova was having trouble swimming against it, and started to get pretty anxious. Managed to grab hold of her eventually, but it was hard work yanking her in. I don’t know if you’d describe it as a rip tide, but it was something like it. Nova could well have got into difficulty if she’d been out there on her own… After having showers, we sat at the little beach cafe. The girls had an ice lollly each, while we drank a deliciously refreshing drink called Damm Limon — a 60:40 mix of lager and lemon — the Spanish equivalent of a shandy. Drove back through Arriondas where Adam got his hair cut in the local peluqueria. It was an old style, classic barbers shop, the kind he loves to frequent whenever we travel. Left him to it and took the girls souvenir shopping, or ‘recuerdo’ shopping in Spanish. Returned half an hour later to find Adam being shaved with a lethal looking straight razor, his head gleaming with polish and cream and cologne fumes rising off him. Looked pretty good actually… We’d been hoping to keep up the swimming this week in Asturias, but it turns out that the Arriondas pool was flooded (along with the rest of the town) in June, and is closed for repairs. There’s an outdoor pool in Infiesto, but having investigated, it isn’t suitable for lap swimming… Pizza and salad for dinner. Watched a film this evening called “The Return of Bobby Z”. This one had Laurence Fishburne and one of the Carradine brothers in it. Don’t know where they find this third rate television — I’ve never heard of any of the stuff they show or advertise. Actually this film was pretty good compared to the previous nights’ viewing… |
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August 1, 2010Lyra had a little ‘accident’ in her bed, which woke her at 6am… It’s a bit damp in this house, and I don’t think there’s enough bedding on the beds. Lyra never wets the bed at home — and I think she must have got cold in the night…”Mum, there’s rain in the weather and wet big insects that can fly. But they just touch me, they don’t sting…” Lyra reported after checking out her balcony. Sounds like she may have had an encounter with a moth — I noticed several big ones plastered against the wall. Espinaredo is a pretty little village, with narrow lanes between the houses, and numerous horreos — those raised wooden sheds/granaries that are typical of this area. Lots of cats mooching around, and cows and the occasional donkey. Heard the clank of cowbells when we were still in bed. Looked out the bedroom window to see three cows in the lane below having a quick munch on a big fuschia, before an old guy with a stick drove them on… After breakfast, we drove over the mountains to the coast (Nova vomiting up her gravol pill on the way…) Arrived at La Espasa beach to discover that Lyra had wet herself in her sleep. Off with the knickers, but had to leave her skirt to air dry. Hope this isn’t going to be a recurring theme… Ate at a restaurant on the beach — beer, bread, olives, patatas bravas, peppers padron, and bigondas… which turned out to be nasty little whelk things. They tasted alright, but their incredible slimy curliness when you pulled them from their shells with a straight pin was a bit offputting. Impressed with both girls for trying one… I’d tried to order chocolate milk for the girls, but ended up with hot chocolates. In Spain, hot chocolate seems to be served as a glass of hot milk with a sachet of ColaCao chocolate powder and another of sugar that you stir in. Inevitably messy, but it keeps them occupied. Changed into our swimsuits, and went for a dip in the sea. It’s not a great day for the beach, but the water was fine once we got in. Drove home through Villaviciosa. We’d thought we might stop and have a look round, but it had started to rain so we didn’t bother. The girls were happily sharing Nova’s iPod (or “iCod” as Lyra calls it) and singing along to Abba songs — very sweet… Dinner was omelettes and salad with a glass of wine. Headed out into the drizzle afterwards to do the recycling and check out the village bar. Like the Danish say, “no bad weather, only wrong clothes.” The warm clothes that I was resenting packing and lugging from place to place is coming into its own. Watched the worse TV show ever tonight. It was called “Sexy Money”, and I kept thinking it must be some kind of farce. What were actors like Donald Sutherland, Lucy Liu, Nate from Six Feet Under, one of those Baldwins and Jill Clayburgh doing in this piece of shit? Adam thinks it’s typical prime time American TV, I’m wondering if it’s the TV equivalent of those adverts actors do that are only shown in other markets. Shilling whisky for big bucks is okay in Japan, but don’t let the fans at home see you do it… Or maybe it should be judged against the daytime soaps, by which standard it is probably pretty good — better actors, marginally better script, sets that don’t wobble when someone closes the door… |
