Home again
AndalucÃa, 13th of May
I have just arrived back in Spain after a four day visit to Bristol and I'm so pleased to be home, which
is how I see it now. It was great to see friends again and I have to admit to having indulged in a little retail therapy
but I missed the sun and the scenery, and of course Fred who stayed here to paint the house whilst I was gone. Having
been a city lover all my life I've converted to being a lover of the outdoor life - as long as there is sunshine!
A new family member
You might
remember that I had to leave my three legged old cat in the care of a good friend in Nottingham. I knew that it wouldn't
be long before either I went in search of a cat or a cat came in search of me. The latter happened a week or two ago and
we have been most definitely adopted by a beautiful young male who is temporarily named Gato, the Spanish word for cat. We are going to take him to the vet for a health check and to be
neutered. There are stray cats everywhere here and we don't want to add to the problem. Evidently dogs are often left on
the doorsteps of newly arrived foreigners, especially the English I suspect, because the Spanish know how soft-hearted
we are about animals.
How to restore a floor tile - use hairspray!
La cocina, the kitchen, is just about finished and we think it
looks wonderful. There has been much scratching of heads about how to deal with the reclaimed floor tiles, which have
been laid but are in a pretty poor condition. This evening the contractor Andre, his foreman and two ladies who clean
and paint have been experimenting with ways to restore the beautiful brick red and mellow yellow of the tiles. The
solution, a thorough soaking with hair spray followed immediately by a coat of sealant. This is being done as I write
and the air reeks of hairspray, something I haven't come across for years since I last had a bouffant hairdo in about
1961.
Las visitas, the visitors
My mum and step father are coming to visit on Thursday, our first visitors from the UK and we are hoping
to impress with the kitchen and the view if nothing else. Much cleaning, painting and gardening to be done in the next
day or so. The lady in the paint shop in the village sees us every few days and I think is astounded by the quantities
of la pintura, paint, and las brochas, paint brushes, we get
through. The brushes are so cheap here you can just use them and throw them away which helps no end.
Sent by: Sue
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