A week in my life

It’s been a good week with lots of movement – various aspects of life evolving and changing although, on the surface, everything is more or less the same.

You know the sort of week – time goes by, things happen, some days are better than others?
First – I finally went and had my hair cut in Granollers

 I had been putting it off.   Fear. Timidity.  But I am pleased with it and feel so much better, bouncier, lighter.   I managed perfectly well to explain what I wanted – in Catalan – and when the woman was washing my hair I did my usual MMMMMMmmmmm to show that I like having my head massaged (some people don’t!) and she continued to spend about 10 minutes massaging my whole scalp. I fell asleep – it was incredible.

The weather has been cold – today -4. But the sun still shines and it’s lovely during the day to be out and feel the warmth on your cheeks – it’s not hot but strengthening every day

We went for a walk up on the hills behind Mataro

Blue managed to walk all the way up to the top where we found an abandoned masia and dreamed of buying it and making it our home

It is so wonderful to be out in the countryside, to walk without traffic or people, to hear birds and see the sea in the distance

This week I have been practising Castellano as I realised it is getting harder and harder to speak it now that Catalan is dominant in the foreign language department of my brain. I have switched back to Spanish National Radio 3 to practise listening. On Saturday they played this song which I think would be lovely to dance tango to. But on the Catalan side of things I am feeling happy that we have almost finished the book we bought last year, Les Veus del Pamano. It feels like a big achievement and I understood almost every word.
On Saturday there was a class of Contact improvisation here in Llancadora.  It helped me relax after these two weeks of pain and at last I felt myself coming back into my body after the double shock of hurting both hands so badly.
On Sunday we had the tango class here again but for the last time as the teacher can’t afford to pay rent for the space!  It was 15 euros but he didn’t have enough people.  It’s been great to do some leading again as there were more women than men and all of them happy to practise with me. I am beginning to miss teaching tango so perhaps sometime I’ll start it up again and perhaps combine with English practice!

Today was my drawing class and tonight is the first meditation group at Tiffanys house.
New beginnings.

I feel that Spring is just around the corner – as if the seeds that are buried deep in the dark frozen ground are beginning to come to life. Something inside is shifting and wakening. We’ll see. For the moment – here is the cake that I brought home for tea, to celebrate the first day of my hands feeling better!

Antoni Tapies in Barcelona

I went up to Barcelona, got off at Passeig de Gracia as usual and five minutes later was in the Fundacio Antoni Tapies. There was a steady stream of people arriving but no queues and it wasn’t so full that you felt squashed in. The spaces are large and airy and the pictures arranged with plenty of room to stand and stare. There was an atmosphere of quiet contemplation, respect and sadness – or at least I felt sad. There is something powerful about visiting the gallery of a great artist only a day after he has died. A feeling of both presence and absence.

I stood for a few moments waiting to sign the book of condolence – not sure what made me want to do this but I wanted to make some mark

I find Tapies art inspiring – like so much abstract art it helps me contact something that is both human and other worldly. Like cave art – messages from the unconscious

Antoni Tàpies

Just heard on the news that the Catalan artist Tapies has died aged 88.  I have been meaning for ages to go back to the Fundacio´ Tàpies  in Barcelona. I went there first without really having a strong feeling about Tapies art but came away feeling really inspired
I go to Barcelona tomorrow I may pop in there and sign the book of condolence. It is only a few minutes walk from Passeig de Gracia station.

“Art should startle the viewer into thinking about the meaning of life.”  Antoni Tapies 1923-2012