Author: Kate Wilson

Our Milk

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

On the way into Penzance I am often stopped by the neighbours crossing the road

It’s a small dairy herd, a family farm producing milk and they live just across the lane.
It’s so good to see them, to switch off the engine and watch the brothers gently leading them from the dairy to the pasture, to remember Spot the collie who used to live with them many years ago and who was always sitting at the farm gate, watching the cars pass by.
Dylan, another neighbour from the past, a large Bouvier des Flandres, was in love with Spot and when it was ‘that time of year’ he would stroll down our lane, cross the fields and settle down beside her, moaning gently. He was a gentleman – never tried it on – just wanted to be close.
In those days people allowed their dogs much more freedom to roam. They had independent friendships and adventures.

Memories are always shadowing me here in Lamorna. Quite comforting to be here while I gather strength for the drive south to the sunshine.

What happened?

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

If I was reading my blog I would have thought yesterday: 
‘What’s going on?  How can you write nothing for almost a month and then just reappear with no explanation with a post about paella in Cornwall?’

I have been unable to write for the past month.  Not because there is nothing to say nor because I don’t want to say anything but because I don’t know how.
So here it is. Unadorned reality.  In early August we heard that my brother had died, unexpectedly, suddenly and without warning.  And when you write a blog, especially one that is semi-personal, this kind of real life event poses a problem.  Ignore it? Write about it? Refer to it in passing?
Impossible decisions while in the middle of an emotional crisis.

For myself I have no problems writing about my life and what happens but it’s not just about me, there are others who might prefer total privacy.
So silence ensued while I mulled over this question and many others

Someone dies and in a strange way you feel more alive. I suppose it is because you are shaken out of the dream in which you live forever and change takes place slowly and gently.
Boom!  Suddenly you wake up to time and mortality and uncomfortable words like ‘too late’ and ‘never’ and ‘the end’. And exciting words like ‘now’ and ‘do it’ and ‘yes’

This blog is about my life in Catalunya but I sometimes wonder what exactly that should include and what is better left out. I never wanted it to be just a travel blog nor a blog about culture and language. For me it was always more about what happens when you step outside of the familiar and comfortable and go in search of Self.  The Catalan Way is a sort of joke I have with myself about taking a different path and I want to describe all the adventures I have along the way. 
But I notice now more than ever that there is a censor – internalized and strong – that sometimes makes it hard to write exactly how I would choose to

My brother was a writer – he wrote fiction while I have chosen this different way.  But our own lives when described become a sort of fiction, we include some things and miss out others.
Writing here is important to me so I include this part of my life. 

Rather tentatively, I must admit, but with love.  And with a heightened sense of the importance of following your dreams, appreciating each day whatever it brings, and loving everyone in your life as much as possible.  We are all fragile and we are all strong.

Barcelona on a Plate – the Catalan girls

~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

This is the scene at the entrance of the Newlyn Fish Festival today

Yes, it is raining and although today is supposed to be the worst, that doesn’t mean it is going to be sunny, just that perhaps tomorrow it will rain less.
I feel sorry for everyone – holiday makers, people in tents, anyone trying to organise outdoor events like the theatre in the park or at the Minack, all the people who live here and face a long dark winter without having built up a reserve of Vitamin D, and especially I feel sad for my dear friends from Barcelona who are back in Penzance and running The Catalan Kitchen.
They have a wonderful catering business making authentic paellas in various locations over what is humorously called ‘summer’ – campsites, private parties and local festivals like The Fish Festival.
I went there today to see them and watch a paella being made – from the first sizzling garlic cloves to the final five minutes when it must ‘rest’ under a cover to allow the steam to finish off the cooking

I am very inspired by Marta and Cristina – they had a dream of making Catalan food available in Cornwall when they first came over four years ago.  Marta and I had met at a tango class in Barcelona and when they had a chance to visit the UK they decided to ignore the pull of London and to come and visit me. That friendship led to many things – new relationships, new homes, new lives.
And now seeing them here smiling brightly in rainy Newlyn makes me very happy and glad to be part of something so alive and creative

They have made a great success of the business and managed to do so in one of the worse summers Cornwall has ever known.  What an inspiration!

But for them and for everyone else here in Cornwall I wish for some sunshine and blue skies – we need it now – Please!

Forest Fires

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

Sitting here in rainy Cornwall I am reading about the terrible fires that are affecting Catalunya.  There is nothing so far in the British news but HERE is an article online from the Mail. The photos are shocking and bring home forcefully the horror and tragedy of these large fires which can be started by someone throwing a cigarette end out of their car or sometimes, incredible to believe, deliberately.
It is all in the region of the Catalan/French border. Close to Figueres and uncomfortably close to the lovely place I stayed in with Bonnie and Blue. The road we used to start our journey to the UK is closed as it is unsafe.
Please join me in sending positive thoughts to all those affected – human and animal – and hoping for the high winds to calm down and allow the flames to die out.
There can be fewer things more terrifying than an out of control fire.

New starts

~ Kate Wilson ~ 7 Comments

It’s difficult to know where to begin after a break. We travelled for two weeks and now are here in Lamorna, in beautiful sunshine!
The whole journey was about 1500 miles and along the way there was lots of food for thought and sights to gladden the eye. I don’t know where to begin so lets dive in to the most important part of the journey.

Duna and her new home

If you have been folllowing the blog for the last 6 months you will know there were problems between Duna and Bonnie. We tried everything we could to help Duna accept a new dog in her life but the fights continued and got worse with each passing month. Duna’s life became very restricted – I couldn’t walk both dogs at the same time which meant she spent more and more time at home.  She was kept on the patio which was heartbreaking as she felt abandonned. Bringing her into the house meant she had to be tied to a table leg – more anguish. Walks in the woods or the mountains or by the sea were tense as Duna could only be let off leash with constant vigilance and occasionally we missed the moment when her fury arose and had to pull her snarling angry little body off Bonnie. Bonnie was anxious most of the time and started to be tetchy around other dogs.  She  learnt to defend herself, taking her to places in the canine psyche that she had never visited before.
She often ‘won’ the battles but Duna would never give up, always returning for another tussle.

So, sadly and slowly we realised that living together was no longer possible. Someone or some dog would have to find a new home. Quite often it was touch and go who that would be! But realities were faced – I am the major dog walker in our home and Bonnie is my dog so we decided to look for a new home for Duna. Apart from her hatred of Bonnie she is a wonderful loving, intelligent and beautiful dog.  She clearly would be happier in the countryside with a family who love walking and who give her an outdoor life.

We arrived in the UK not knowing what the solution would be and in the first days found a wonderful new home in Norfolk for Duna. She is living with a couple who have a garden and whose own dog died a few months ago. Andy works outdoors and likes to have his dog with him all day, travelling around farms and gardens. He also is a great walker and regularly does 10 or more miles every day. She is living next door to two close friends of mine so I am hoping we can see her again next time we come back and of course will get news of her often.

Leaving her was very sad. I miss her firm little brown and white body, her silky soft muzzle and her long curly ears.  She was very much loved in Catalunya but the truth is that it is not a good life for a springer spaniel in the centre of a town. It’s not a great place for a border collie either but I take Bonnie for her walks several times a day and at 10 she is more ready for a quiet life than 3 year old Duna.

I would never have seen myself as someone who would re-home a dog but this life in Catalunya shows me more and more  how you can’t ever say never!  And I feel sure of Duna’s happiness in her new life.