Catalunya

Via Catalana

~ Kate Wilson ~ 1 Comment

My blogs name in Catalan is Via Catalana.
Imagine my surprise when I went to look for information about the human chain which will stretch out across Catalunya tomorrow, September 11, and I found they have named the demonstration, in English, The Catalan Way!

Fame at last.

Tomorrow is the national day of Catalunya and a holiday. Last year there was a massive demonstration in Barcelona calling for independence. This year the Catalan Assembly have organised a human chain, holding hands all the way from the border with Valencia to the border with France.
The Catalan Way. Via Catalana.

We have registered and just need to decide where to join in. We looked to see where they need more people, thinking to even go up to the Costa Brava to fill in any gaps. But when I looked Here on the web site, the whole Catalan Way is coloured red which means it is already full.

So we can decide and go where we want to be. I’ll let you know.

And, by the way, sorry for the long gap. I have returned from a two month trip arund the UK and am now full of ideas for new posts.

Scottish – Catalan Independence

~ Kate Wilson ~ 1 Comment

Todays conversation was with the owner of a campsite on the Black Isle near Inverness. He was the first person to say without doubt that he would be voting NO in the referendum next year. He doesn’t want to be seen as a foreigner in England and he believed that the leading politicians in the Scottish Nationalist Party are more left wing than Fidel Castro. He was also worried about the selling off of Scottish utilities to countries like Spain and France and China.
Interesting that on the one hand he was for keeping control of Scottish resources in local hands but against ensuring that those hands were Scottish ones.
He had heard of Catalunya but knew nothing nor seemed very interested in the situation there

Do Scotland and Catalunya have a lot in common?

~ Kate Wilson ~ 1 Comment

Camping in the Scottish mountains and thinking about Scottish independence.
It is interesting hearing what people are thinking.
When I was in Granollers a waiter came and shook my hand when he heard I was Scottish – he felt there was a special relationship between the two countries and that the Scottish referendum was something that could help the Catalan struggle.
However, here in Scotland it seems that people either don’t know anything about the Catalan situation or they don’t want to get too closely associated with it.   In case it muddies the waters here.
That made me think how interesting to see this principle in action – when two minorites or less powerful groups want to get more power they do not necessarily want to join together. If they think it could hinder their own process they may well distance from the other rather than join together and give support.

So Catalans can see the Scottish referendum strengthening their case. But some Scots see the Catalans as pulling the tail of the Spanish tiger – which might be bad news for Scotland and their entry into Europe.

We are hoping to get clearer as our trip around Scotland continues.

What is going on with the weather Part Two

~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

This weekend has been strange again. After a few days of brilliant June sunshine last week, we returned to grey skies and rain with a nippy cold wind to go with it. On Saturday when we were trying to sell some things at a small street market, there was a massive thunderstorm and pelting rain.
Today, Sunday, was the annual sushi party that my friend Tiffany has in a lovely house with a garden and a swimming pool. But…..after a morning with blue sky, the afternoon went back to grey and although it didn’t rain, that little chilly wind was blowing straight through the terrace.  Even I had no intention of braving the swimming pool.

It is very familiar to me. The cautious planning of any outdoor activity is normal in Britain. It is automatic to include alternative plans if it rains. But here it really isn’t the usual weather pattern in June.  I wonder why everyone I see in the street, huddled under umbrellas or wrapped up warm in jackets, isn’t gazing questioningly up into the sky. But they seem to just bow down and get on with it. I am the one asking ‘Why?’

Experts are predicting a wet July as well. Mmmmm…..glad that I’ll be heading north all the way up to Scotland for the summer.

Planting Potatoes in Catalunya

~ Kate Wilson ~ 6 Comments

After such a long break I am just going to leap back in without explanation or apology!

 I just want to give you an update on the potatoes which I brought over from the UK and have planted in two different ways.  The first to go in were the ones we planted in sacks on our terrace and next we put in five rows in a friends allottment in Lliça d’Amunt. All in mid March.

First the sacks – this is how they looked on March 13th

 They are growing so fast that we have to add soil almost every day and I’m actually wondering if this is an easier way to earth them up as normally I don’t have enough extra soil if I have planted rows in the ground too close together. They now have about a metre of deep rich humus to fill up with lovely new potatoes. Here they are this morning.

 My only worry is that we put too many into each sack and we may end up with little tasty marbles.

On the other hand the rows in Lliça d’Amunt are also flourishing and are taller and bushier than their terrace sisters. We have been over there three times to weed and earth up. I must admit it is lovely having only a small patch to deal with rather than the whole allottment – it means we can be perfectionist about keeping it all neat and weed free. This is taken just after planting

And here they are a couple of weeks ago – after being earthed up

 And this was taken yesterday. As always there is not enough room to pile up the earth as much as I would like but I expect it will be fine – as it usually is.

 There are the beginning of flower heads on some of the plants and I think that in 30 days we should be able to eat our first British/Catalan potatoes!