A Pick Up in Granollers

Conversation in the street.
Translated into English but it was all in Spanish.

(and I mean Spanish – not Catalan)

Man:   Boy or girl?   (indicating Bonnie not me)
Me:     Girl
Man:   I have one like that – they’d be a good pair. What about getting them together sometime?
Me:     She is beautiful isn’t she?  But she’s had the operation you know.
Man:  You mean she can’t fuck?
Me:     No, she can’t
Man:  Oh well, that’s a shame. Bye then.

If you ever have this type of conversation on the street it is useful to know these words:-

Macho, Hembra, Ligar, Follar, Guapa y lo mas importante – NO!

Virtual Vermut

It’s a long long time since I invited you to a virtual vermut.   I saw this copy of Time Out in a bar last week and it nudged me into throwing open the doors to invite you for a virtual drink

Notice it is in Catalan – I thought that was impressive!

I got back to Granollers on Tuesday night.
As always there is lots going on – in my head mostly. But we also have done a few things.
Like going to a jazz concert in Anonims Bar in Granollers which is an alternative sort of place run by an anarchist. There are shelves of books, they serve vegetarian food and I quite like it but we hardly ever go there for some reason. Perhaps because we don’t go out to bars that often?
The band was very experimental

and I didn’t stay much longer than the time it took to admire their space helmets made from two bowls taped together. Very clever.
I left early as I needed to get to bed in preparation for going to the gym at 7.30 am.
Tiffany was going to give me a yoga lesson on the roof terrace. Yes, it’s the start of a new exercise regime…..there is something seriously wrong with my stomach – surely I can’t be pregnant? Ha. Ha.

We went to the beach at St Pol and managed to spend a few hours there without the dogs fighting. They each had their own umbrella and were allowed off the lead only under supervision. At the least this thing is making us super organised.
It is the annual Jazz Festival in Granollers and in the programme I noticed John Taylor was playing at the Casino on Friday

 It was emotional for me as I used to know him years ago when he was married to a very close friend of mine Diana. She died about 8 years ago and meeting John and hearing him play brought back very intense memories of her, her paintings, her garden, her piano playing and her wonderful wicked sense of humour.
The music was incredible and I tried unsuccessfully to get a photo of Johns feet which dance around joyfully when he is playing – like two excited kittens they jumped and frolicked while his hands were working the keyboard.


On Saturday we walked in the mountains at Montseny, picking sweet wild strawberries along the way.  The river there has large deep bathing pools which Bonnie plunged into until her excitement made Duna too agitated so we had to stop. Something in her eyes tells you there is danger of an attack.  Things still not peaceful there but we are doing our best with leader of the pack training.

Today we went to a sushi party prepared by Tiffany, Albert and Jett.
Bonnie won the toss and came too. She made friends with Jett and didn’t bark at anyone

The food was wonderful -how fantastic to have vegetarian friends here – we rolled out own sushis and I certainly ate too much.  Could that be connected to the stomach problem?
I met there the most friendly baby whose whole face lit up like the sun when he smiled. He was only 11 months but managed to work his way around the group, charming all in his path.
He’ll go far I am sure.


So, now I look at it I can see it’s been a full week. And a good one. I’ll show you one more picture – it’s my quick drawing of Venus Passing the Sun which happened on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. Triggering, I hope, an outpouring of creative and love energy all over the planet!

El Cant Dels Ocells

I know I have let things go rather on the language front – if you’ve been reading here then you’ll understand why.
But I made this little video in the hermita of Sant Nicolau near Ordis.
It is a beautiful Catalan traditional song, made very famous by Pau Casals playing it on the cello.
The words are:-

Al veure despuntar
El Major lluminar
En la nit més joiosa
Els ocellets cantant
A festejar-lo van
Amb sa veu melinosa

For me it is a hymn to the birds and I sang it as a thank you to all the birds of Sant Nicolau who gladdened my days and nights there.
And also as a thank you to Pep for all the love laughter and music he has brought into my life.

Mas Sant Nicolau

This is a very special place.
Here are some of my favourite bits. Some random images of a wonderful place to visit
Most important of all there is this….

There are little nooks for snuggling up with a book…

And a room with piles of books to chose from

This was my pile – I didn’t get round to the Karen Horney!

There is table tennis

And a swimming pool

You can sing in the church

Which is right outside the gate

Yesterday there was an amazing thunder storm

Followed by double rainbows

And although I have no photograph……there is the nightingale

 Mas Sant Nicolau  0034 972 525462   email:[email protected]
They have courses here too!
and overlooking it all is the wonderful Lucy!

Time to Leave

Well I am packing my things now and getting ready to leave St Nicolau.
I am sure I will be back.

I went and sang in the little chapel this evening. Just me with Bonnie lying outside, her head resting on the doorstep. And somewhere the chameleon who lives inside the porch.
Tomorrow it will be one week since Blue died. I can’t believe it.  I think in Buddhist traditions the spirit stays around for 7 days after leaving the body and I am so glad to have been here during this time. It will be hard to leave anyway but I am telling myself that Blue’s spirit will be back home in Cornwall by now. Waiting for us when we get there in July.
I am going to bring one of my sculptures to sit in the garden here – the Blue Dog. Will be good to have something solid here as a reminder.

The last few days have been quiet, staying close to home, writing and reading and singing and gardening. It is incredibly soothing to get my hands into the soil and pull up weeds.
And it is one way to say thank you to Helen and Francis for all they have done for us.