jueves, 12 de febrero de 2009

Un largo y cansino invierno

Como reza el título, este invierno ya se hace muy largo. Continuamente oigo comentarios que vienen a decir "Ya estamos hartos de este tiempo, del frío, de la lluvia constante, del viento, de todo. Que venga mejor tiempo." Y mientras escribo, oigo caer una fuerte lluvia acompañada de más viento. No hacía falta más; el pozo ya estaba a rebosar.

El agua ya es excesiva pero el viento ha causado auténticos estrágos. En casa, como cada vez que hay viento fuerte, otra vez ha volado el techo de gallinero y he tenido que subir allí para intentar arreglarlo de nuevo. Esta vez creo (cruzo los dedos) que ha quedado más fuerte y espero que resistirá mejor. Sin embargo, los pobres pinos en la colina frente a la casa no han podido aguantar el viento hurracanado que hizo hace poco. Tan bonitos que eran y el sonido que yo disfrutaba tanto cuando hacía viento, que sonaba a las olas en un mar movido. Pues así han quedado los pobres.


Poco ha quedado de unos árboles tan hermosos. Y como estos, tantísimos más.

Y sin embargo, la vida sigue. Se acerca la primavera y con ella la vida se renueva. Aquí hay unas muestras.

Los patos también están en ello, aunque de alguna manera ha aparecido un familia compuesta de dos patitos y un pollito!

Y a pesar de este tiempo gris, frío y triste, los almendros ya están en flor (lo que les queda de la flor después del viento - me temo que la cosecha de almendras será muy pobre.)

Ahora sólo falta un poco de sol.

sábado, 10 de enero de 2009

New years at calle ilustración

Making the cat uncomfortable by rude staring. He's very sensitive and umble.

No-one much appreciating (if that's how it's spelt) the jokes inside the crackers. It was the classical but much loved What do you get if you cross a vampire and a snowman? Answer: Frostbite



Laura and J.......




.......and Claudia and I in our cracker crowns!!

My challenging job...


This is my first "asignment". I coloured in the picture with alpino, (traced from a photocopy) and then I made flowers and leaves out of coloured paper and added a few details with manley wax crayons.... Lola told me I must colour in the same direction because otherwise "lines" appear once scanned and so I must press harder and always in the same direction. Thankyou Blance, thankyou Esdip, for 3 years of valuable lessons and well spent money!

Madrid Blanca!!

The old Dickensish factory as seen from my kitchen. A contrast between the white snow and the dark dirty walls and broken glassed windows.


Fom behind the glass, dripping with condensation.


No dry clothes today!! (luckily we have a nice tenderete standing in the living room)



A piece of demolished or collapsed roof, looking very beautifull and melancholic....





This morning... This is calle Torrelaguna, where the restaurant and santillana are. This was yesterday around 18h, on my way home.
Depth of snow apon a car's roof, (from which we scooped up lots to make snowballs!!)












This is the Santillana building, just so you can imagine me going in through that door with the impressive number 60!!
I hope to be able to show you some more ( arty ones, pretty ones, when Laura passes them on to me from her own camera. Some of these are mobile pictures, or Claudia's camera.)

viernes, 26 de diciembre de 2008

Christmas 2008

Well, Christmas is almost over. So long looking forward to it and so quickly behind us.

Here are some pictures of Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at Daniela and Tomás's house with the children, plus some pictures of Christmas lunch at Laura's.


Daniela's tree


Playing with the new toys


Christmas jerseys and Christmas high spirits for some, although Alexia's first Christmas failed to make an impression on her



The table all prepared at Laura's house



Passing the time while the turkey cooks, playing games or giving a demonstration of how Uriah Heep tied himself into 'umble knots


Is the bread sauce O.K? (Yes, it was delicious.)


Finally the turkey's are ready,


with the prize-winning cake for later.




And a very good time was had by all!!

domingo, 21 de diciembre de 2008

Happy Christmas everyone


rain, rain and more rain

Well, it has rained for days and days and days and everything is flooded. The fields are flooded, the roads are flooded, everything's flooded. Here are some pictures.


This is the road outside my house. Have to keep the wellies in the car.


Happy ducks in the field below the house.


To get to the house is an obstacle race as the rain has made so many of the (once dry-) stone walls collapse.


This is a field in Sineu with garzas wading about happily.


Of course, what fell as rain down here fell as snow on the mountains. Pretty but chilly. Pretty chilly.

But finally the rain has gone and the sun has come out again, so we had a lovely sunset yesterday evening.
Eugene and his harem go to roost in their tree.

And this is what it looks and sounds like. (Forgot the camera so another poor-quality video)