Author: Kate Wilson

Snowing in Granollers

~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

It is market day and it is snowing

Hands
My hands are still painful and it’s not easy to do the simplest of tasks. I have to be aware all the time of what I am doing – which hand to use to lift the kettle, which hand cannot grasp a mug, which hand can go in my pocket to find the housekeys, which hand finds it impossible to get small coins out of my purse. I am going slower, noticing and appreciating my hands and fingers and thanking them as they find new ways to do things

Inspiration
Bodhi Chicklet whose lovely blog inspires me every time I visit, suggested I look at Lifeunity a blog where they are doing a week long mindfullness practice on Hands.  The idea is to become aware of and start to truly appreciate your hands. From there I followed a trail to the Domestic Yogi who wrote a really interesting post about why we need to activate the energy in our hands.  “The hands and feet are the key to turning on the radiant energy current within.”

Dogs

It is cold outside and tempting to keep your hat on indoors!  Blue went to the vet yesterday as she was peeing so much and is now on antibiotics for cystitis. She developed crystals in her urine after eating a different food. I have now ordered bags of Burns on the internet. They will come from Holland as you can’t buy it in Spain. Bonnie and Duna are fairly peaceful so long as Duna is not allowed to roam free in the house
Candle

 
The reading from Fatima was very short and simple. The pattern left in the wax was very clear, very open, very positive. All roads are open and to take the journey one small step at a time. No rush.

Hands Free

~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

Thank you kind people who have asked about my hand after the accident on Sunday.
Actually it is recovering very well. There is still a wound on the joint and the finger is swollen but it’s all working properly and is generally almost back to normal (I thank homoeopathy and reiki for this fast recovery)
An old hand, a wrinkled hand, a practical square hand, a left hand, a useful hand once again

Which is just as well as this morning I dislocated the middle joint of the little finger in my right hand

I was walking Bonnie and Duna and taking special care of the recuperating left hand so that when Duna pulled suddenly on the right, the lead caught my little finger and CRACK!  Again some instinct took over and I held the finger tightly and heard another crack as it slipped back into place.

 But it hurt and I had to hurry home with two confused dogs under strict control as I couldn’t risk them pulling again.
Here it is now – very swollen, black and blue and agonising if I catch it by mistake on a coat. It doesn’t look that bad does it?  It feels weird though – more than the pain – it is a hand slightly separate from me

 It wants lots of sympathy so I have now tied it to the next door neighbour for protection and laid it on a cushion to be photographed

Quite hard taking photos with only the three remaining fingers of the left hand and they are surprised to have so much asked of them so soon after being squashed in the van door. Tying the bandage was easy with two fingers and my teeth.
What is going on?  What next?  Is it a coincidence that I visited the mystery candle shop last week and bought a candle to help answer the question
‘what is the work I need to do here?’
More about this to follow soon….

“When the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art”   Leonardo da Vinci

A winter walk on the beach

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

I wanted to drive to the sea.

On a ‘normal’ road. Not something with three lanes and everyone driving at 100 km/h.

If you come out of the house and turn left and drive straight down Joan Prim you will arrive at the sea – at Masnou. Except you can’t drive down Joan Prim as it is one way so you have to do a little dog leg around by C/Girona and then straight down to the coast.
For many people it is better to go on a fast road but for me it was heaven and it took us past familiar landmarks like the church at Palau which Tiffany sees as she takes her early morning walks.
Unfortunately once at Masnou we couldn’t find a way to the sea. All along this coast there is a railway line blocking access from the road and you have to know in advance where you’re going to cross over. So we ended up going to Cabrera de Mar and via an underpass, found the perfect car park for Blue to launch herself straight onto the sand

There were no fights today. We kept either Bonnie or Duna on the lead while the other ran free

The sunset was incredible and we even had tea in the van so could sit and watch the colours change

Blue walked all the way to the other end of the beach and back, stopping for a long time to eat something unidentifiable hidden in the rocks.
Others had been there before us

The drive back was on another ‘normal’ road. This one goes straight from Mataro across the Corridor through the Coll de Parpers. We didn’t meet a soul from one side of the mountain to the other. Bliss.

Back in Granollers I parked the van in her new underground parking space and as we unloaded the dogs I made the mistake of leaving my fingers in the wrong place as the door slammed shut. I never knew I could scream like that – luckily the place is soundproof and there was noone else about. It’s quite a primal experience that sort of pain and thank goodness some superhuman instinctive reflex made me pull my hand free just as the door arrived. Otherwise I think I would be like the woodcutter in the joke someone told me in the street this week.
He went into a bar and held up his hand saying ‘five beers please!’

But let’s not finish with this gruesome image – here’s Bonnie taking a rest from digging and chasing sticks in the waves
These are the best moments with the dogs.

Dancing Tango with the Dogs

~ Kate Wilson ~ 6 Comments

So, you know I have three dogs and that one is older and can’t walk far?  And the other two need long walks but fight each other so can’t be allowed too much time free and off the lead?
Well, it is a challenge to give each of them what they need or can cope with and still have a life myself.

How many walks can I do in one day without going crazy?

I asked the universe for help and, as so often before, Tango came to the rescue.
Now I go out every day with my ipod and dance with dogs and each and every walk is enjoyable.
Blue and I dance to Canaro. we start with Poema which is the perfect speed for her. Also it allows for many long pauses as she stops to stare into space or smell the deeper tones of each lamp-post. We seem to be completely still but no, we are still dancing.
Bonnie and Duna need to walk fast and rhythmically. We dance to D’Arienzo.  Usually we start with El Flete which is perfect and gets us into the groove. They have no time to look at each other or growl, the music leads us forward without hesitation.  Across the little square, along the narrow streets, down to the new park and over the river and almost of the Granollers. I am the pack leader and allow few stops, they pick up on my energy and trot happily beside me. We steer round other people and dogs and children without getting distracted by them.
Sometimes we waltz and occasionally dance a milonga which keeps them awake and connected as I change my pace and sometimes mark time on the spot or take longer or shorter steps. Perhaps people watching us think I am mad but it doesn’t seem to matter as we are enclosed in our tango world which feels like a private space.
Bonnie and Duna and I now have another favourite – it’s called Tango Brujo and is played by the orchestra of D’Arienzo and sung by Hector Maure. The words are quite wonderful and his voice is deeply satisfying.  The words and music are by Canaro.
I had never connected with this one before but I do believe that tango is a witch and can do magic!
Tango!Tango!
Tango bravo, tango lindo,
Tango noble, tango guapo
Tango hermano
De mis largas noches tristes,
Compañero de mi pobre corazón.
Tango bravo, fascinante,
Tango brujo!,
Tango bravo, combativo,
Tango bravo,
Tango gaucho
Que a pesar de tanta contra
Defendiste con altura,
Tu bravura de varón.
(I wanted to put the music on here without the videos and if anyone can tell me how to do it I will next time! But the Chicho film is interesting – reminded me of having some classes with him in Buenos Aires)

Monday and new beginnings

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

My friend Tiffany said last week how she likes to start the week well and I feel I managed it today.
We went for a long run/walk first thing then got the supermarket shopping out of the way before lunch. For once we had all the reusable bags we needed to put everything in and managed to pack them up before the cashier started to serve the next person (a pet hate of mine here where no matter how much you have spent in the shop they still see you as a nuisance if you don’t get out of the way to allow the next person through)
In the afternoon I went to a new drawing class with our friend Dolores. There were eight of us, all women, sitting around a large table and listening to UB40. The teacher Jordi taught us about the proportions of the human body and face and then after practising this, we read a short story and drew from our imagination some of the images from the tale

It is also my first day of trying to eat less. I stopped smoking (yes again!) a month ago and it has led to the inevitable. My plan wasn’t very radical – just to stop when I’m full. So I had only two slices of toast, I left the last raviolis in the dish and I only had one digestive biscuit with my tea. The challenge will come on Wednesday when I meet Tiffany in town.

Is it possible to meet for coffee and not eat a cake?