Kate & Cats
Last week I found out there would be no yoga classes over the holidays, which for here means from just before Christmas until January 8th … more than two weeks! So after my last yoga class (day before Christmas eve) I spoke to one of the guys at the reception desk and suggested that as I mostly come to the gym for yoga and there weren’t going to be classes for half a month, that I should only be charged half my fee for January … and he said no problem!
So there I was, feeling quite chuffed at having saved myself 18 euros, when I turned to collect my umbrella that I had left at the front door and saw that it was gone. There were about ten other umbrellas there, but not mine. And it was pissing down with rain. Well, the nice guy at the gym lent me his umbrella (which I brought back the next day) but of course I had to buy myself another one. Found a really pretty red one for 12 euros, which still puts me ahead by 6 euros, but you know … *sigh*
It was a perfect Christmas weekend. Quite rainy, but that made it feel even cosier to stay in and just, well, be cosy. Nog and I set up the “gaming table” on Christmas Eve … with chess, backgammon and scrabble. And we played all three whenever the mood struck. And of course I watched my two favourite Christmas films, along with some other stuff on TV & DVD, and did some reading. Lots of amazing food was consumed, along with plenty of cava and wine. And we also got out for a few walks in between rain storms. All in all, a very happy Christmas indeed. Oh, and there were prezzies too.
You can see them below the links …
I know I shouldn’t have, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Until Azar flipped out and hid under the bed for an hour.
I apologised profusely…he eventually got over it.
This was the ribbon off my Christmas prezzie from Nog.
(I’ll show you that tomorrow)
Today’s Photohunter theme is “twelve”.
With this post I have completed my first year as a Photohunter – I did not miss a week! – and I hope to participate as a weekly photohunter for many more years to come. Many thanks to tnchick for making all this possible.
The other day I mentioned a wonderful gift that I’d received in the mail. It was this absolutely splendid book by Robert Sabuda, quite aptly called a “pop-up celebration”. Because as I opened each page I was filled with joy and wonder at the intricate and beautiful displays. And I’d like to share those images with you today, along with wishing you all the best of the season and a very happy new year.
You can see the pics below the links…
This is some of the stuff I did yesterday so that I could just sit back and enjoy Christmas Eve today. After yoga class (last one till January 8th) I met my friend Juan for a Christmas brekky and I was very surprised to see he had a prezzie for me – a book! Which I shall look forward to reading over the holidays. Then I met Nog and we did some food shopping, getting a whack of veggies at the neighbourhood greengrocer and then heading to the supermarket where we got the main course for Christmas dinner: a small leg of lamb, some pork ribs and – a totally spur of the moment purchase – a few quails (don’t ask).
Then it was home to do quite a few house chores, whilst enjoying some surprisingly good cava (at just 1.95€ a bottle). So now the bookshelves are all cleaned and organised, floors are washed, the Christmas tree lights are fixed, and I also finally got the “azahar sevilla forum” up and running (except for “decorating”), thanks to Andy. Oh, and I put that very pretty festive WP wallpaper on my iPhone. And so, casa az is looking very Christmassy and there is nothing left to do but watch some favourite Christmas films, prepare food, and enjoy one of the best Christmases ever.
What are you guys up to?
Aaaack! I have been pulling out my hair trying to get some sort of forum up and running on Sevilla Tapas. First I thought I’d try P2 for WordPress, which seemed easy enough. And was easy enough to install. But it also seems awkward for people to register and when Nog registered the other day he ended up being able to access the dashboard (!). I’ve also tried bbpress, which is supposed to be “simple, fast and elegant”, but I cannot get it to install properly. I keep getting stuck on numbers 4 & 5 on their instruction page that says “visit the intended URL of the bbPress site, you will be greeted with the bbPress installer” – but sadly this never happens. Then someone told me to install a plugin that does the WP integration for bbpress … no joy there either. Then I had Simple Scripts (on my BlueHost) automatically install bbpress, and that seemed to be working okay, but I couldn’t get into the CSS to change things. And okay, I know I’m not the geekiest of people, but I like to think I know my way around CSS a bit and am usually able to install these things quite easily.
There is also Buddy Press, but I’m not sure that’s really what I’m looking for.
Anyhow, my Twitter friend Andy says he will help me with this a bit later on today … wish me luck. I’ve been getting some interesting feedback and queries by email from visitors to Sevilla Tapas and I think that there would be more interaction if there were a forum option available. I’m actually quite looking forward to that.
| You Are Quirkily Offbeat |
During the holidays, you do things your own way. You have eccentric decorations and traditions. You like to keep things a little kooky and crazy. You hate it when the holidays are too upscale or stuffy. You believe that the holidays are for everyone, and you like to make your own celebration funky and eclectic. You mix and match what you like best. No one is going to tell you how to celebrate this year! |
