Author: Kate Wilson

Interruption in normal service

~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

We are preparing to go away. Aiming for Cornwall but taking an interesting and circuitous route. Today we will drive to France, perhaps stopping in the region of the cave art paintings near the river Lot. Then on to see friends near Clermont Ferrand. After a few days of resting and talking and drinking and eating and laughing …..we will continue up to Calais and go through the tunnel once again.
I’ll see how the new regulations are working around the need to see a vet before entering the UK.
Then we go up to Norfolk to stay with friends. They have very generously offered to have Duna for a few weeks to give us/me/Bonnie a break from the mala llet!  She is a very loving dog and only has one enemy in life – unfortunately that is Bonnie!  Will be lovely to see Janet and Bev and go for walks in that open fresh countryside where the sky is enormous.

After a few days there we will turn westward and drive down to Cornwall, hopefully passing close by Stonehenge.

And then to work on the cabaña once more. In the rain!  Unless we have managed to take some sunshine with us and got it through customs.

So I hope to write as we travel but it will be patchy, as and when we have wifi and time to reflect.
Did you notice the change in photo at the top of the blog?  It is thanks to Nuria who is helping me with Photoshop.

Man on a Crane

~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

I wrote a week ago about some building works on our street.
For the past two days there has been an enormous crane on the site. I always find cranes exciting  although I am not clear what they are for. In this situation surely they can’t be lifting heaving things into place as there is so little room.  This crane is huge and the arm stretches way across the road and beyond.
Today I looked up to see a man making his way along the arm. He wasn’t wearing any harness as far as I could see. This is Health and Safety Spanish style I think.
He inched along to the end

  lay down and fiddled with something mechanical and then inched his way back to safety

Yes, that small shape up there is him!
How was it possible to do this?  I couldn’t believe that everyone was just walking by normally while someone did an amazing thing way up in the sky.

He wasn’t wearing a helmet either – I suppose that if he had fallen a blow to the head would be the least of his problems.

Calendari Dels Pagesos

~ Kate Wilson ~ 1 Comment

A friend just asked me how to find out the dates of all the Festes Majors.
Apart from asking someone who knows (and people in towns and villages all know the date of their local one), the best way is to look at the Calendari Dels Pagesos which you can buy for about 2.20E from news-stands or bookshops.

This publication is a wonderful source of information. Contents include

  • Astrological data – eclipses, phases of moon, sunrise times etc. There is also a list of when the planets are visible.
  • Religious celebrations and dates
  • Weekly markets – if it’s a Monday and you want to go to a market you can find out there is one in Arenys de Munt, Cardedeu, Olot and Santa Coloma de Farners amongst other places.
  • Catalan festivals both local and national. This is where the Festes Majors are listed. Now you can see that there are hundreds!  Looking just at July I see there are festes in Vic, Llança, Espinelves, L’Estartit, St Pol de Mar and about 160 other towns.  Imagine having all these possible parties to go to, especially as a young person. I try to count up village/street parties I went to as a teenager and I come up with 0!!!!
  • All Saints days are listed so you can keep up with all your friends and family and remember to phone them and say Per Molts Anys. Today is St Aaron and Santa Elionor.  I have decided to adopt Saint Catherine of Alexandria as my saint and her day is November 25th. Lets see if the  Calendari agrees…..yes and it is shared with Gonçal and Erasme. I don’t meet many people called Gonçal or Erasme so I have the day mostly to myself!
  • Farming information and when to plant and harvest as well as tips on chicken keeping.         July information “Tenen gran importància les feines de recol-leccio´ i d’irrigacio´. Encara es segueixen plantant tomàquets tardans per a esser collits a l’octubre o novembre.”     The  important jobs now are to harvest and to water. Continue planting late tomatoes so you can pick them in October and November

So, all in all a booklet full of useful information and all you have to do is remember to look at it from time to time.  Ours has been in a drawer until now but I will put it beside the telephone from now on.

Now it’s wet!

~ Kate Wilson ~ 1 Comment

What’s this? Cloudy skies. Wet pavements. Umbrellas.

At last the promised storm has come and I cycled home from the town centre rejoicing in the soft cool drops of water soaking my summer dress and my face and hair.
Of course everyone seemed to magically pull umbrellas from their bags – always prepared!
Bonnie and I walked earlier under grey skies. For the first time in weeks we were not too hot.
When the rain comes after a long hot spell, there is a strange smell in the air. I think it is the heat stored in the earth sizzling as the raindrops make contact. It is strong and like wet washing in a hot dryer.

I am very aware of the UK wanting sunshine and so it seems slightly impolite to be writing happily about rain and clouds and wind. But everything in moderation I suppose. Sunshine and heat is wonderful when it is broken occasionally by cloud and showers. And rain, wind and grey skies are awful when they go on interminably but without them we would burn to cinders.


What would be the perfect balance for me?  Sunshine 80% and Rain 20%?  Mmmmm. Perhaps that is too much rain. What do you think?

Festa Major

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

Late night we made a last minute visit to the Festa Major at Bigues. We danced in the main square and ate chips then came home. It will go on into the wee small hours of the morning but I was happy with our short visit. In fact we only went because the Resident Adolescent needed a lift there and we decided to get off the sofa and go dancing!

Festa Majors are the celebrations that take place in every town and village to mark some special occasion or saints day. It is a real sign of summer than the festes are on and you can go to a different one every weekend. Granollers will spring into life at the end of August when there is a week long party with a full programme of events.

These community parties are funded by the local councils. I’m trying to imagine that happening in the UK. Imagine little Golowans happening in every Cornish village!