Author: Kate Wilson

Bains de St Thomas

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We went in the van to Catalunya Nord last week so called as it is widely seen as being a part of Catalunya although officially it is on the French side of the Pyrenees. Past clamp downs on the language mean that only the old and the young now speak Catalan there but it is now taught in schools. The highlight – for me – was our afternoon in the hot sulphur bathes of St Thomas. Being a great fan of indulgent lazing about I always head for these places if they are available and luckily for me there are lots of centres – Balnearis – to try out. Some are closer to home and I will write about them as I gradually work my way around them!Set in the mountains it is the perfect way to relax after a long walk up one of the highest mountains in the region – Canigó.

Dogs Dogs Dogs

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Seems a while since Duna made an appearance here. I have been collecting photos of dog related street signs for a while so perhaps now is a good time to show some of them.
General theme – dogs must be kept on leads and you must clean up after themThere are various ways of reminding us It seems most people here do it – I hardly every see any dog shit on the streets. And some of the town squares have boxes dispensing little plastic bags in case you get caught short!

Living in a town mean Duna often comes along when I go shopping and it’s so nice when the shops provide an easy place to leave herOne thing I very much appreciate here is that you can take your dog onto the beach in spite of signs saying you can’t. Unlike in the UK where someone officious and red faced would come over and start haranguing you about The Law, people here are more tolerant so long as you don’t let the dog annoy them or, of course, leave little piles around in the sand.
Here is Duna doing no harm, not spreading germs or attacking anyone, just enjoying St Pol
And I don’t want my British dogs to be left out so here they are, living their very different country life in Cornwall while we wait for a home with a garden here in Catalunya

A friend in Granollers

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And the other lovely thing that happened last week was finding this new blog which is written by Tiffany who is Australian and living in Granollers. We haven’t met yet but I’ve been reading about her life and experiences here and it feels really exciting to know there is someone else who is having similar – but also different – experiences. Take a look – she’s very funny!
Her blog is called Life in Catalunya and I’m looking forward to meeting her soon in person.

Festa Major II

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To be honest I haven’t seen much of the Feste and when I have gone to take a look it is getting dark and all my photos have been useless. The best thing that happened was that after I wrote the post with photos of Blaus and Blancs I received an email from someone who I didn’t know (always a pleasant surprise for a blog writer with a small readership) saying that he had taken the same photo as me, standing near me but without either of us knowing each other. Strange coincidence that we had a mutual contact who sent him my blog so he saw my photo. I liked it because it was one evening when I walked into town alone and had the familiar feeling of being among strangers – not expecting to see anyone I knew to say hello to. It’s something funny in Granollers – I am more likely to bump into someone in Barcelona! Or it can feel that way…
Last night we went to dance in the square in front of the church – a band played rumbas and walzes and salsa and swing and it was very nice to just dance together with a few hundred other people, after midnight, in the warm darkness.
One image I caught was of the group called the MacHaguns (a play on the words ‘ma cago’ meaning ‘ I shit on….something) who wear kilts and affect some affinity with Scotland???? This one is interesting – a man in a kilt with a fan! Not often seen in Glasgow.Note the shoes – they are traditional Catalan espardenyes – made with cannabis plant and cotton and once manufactured in the family factory here at home.

Mediteranean Garden

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It is lovely to have a terrace. My garden in Cornwall is wonderful and huge and green and abundant – and wet! Here there is plenty of sunshine and no grass to cut. Only tiles to brush to make eveything neat – of course I don’t do it every day but it’s a nice idea. And watering with a hosepipe every evening as the swifts fly overhead is very relaxing.How fantastic to grow a bouganvilleaAnd roses in potsBut what has happened to the marigolds I sowed months ago?And the nasturtiums have lots of leaves but no blossomThe morning glory is so much bigger without the slug/snail problem that always kills it in Cornwall but…………aren’t there supposed to be flowers?The night scented stock – a disasterIt seems I have lots to learn about gardening here and it’s not as easy as you’d think.
What am I doing wrong?