Wednesday 8 June 2016

What I did on my holidays


A door-knocker in the Malaga night. Spooky, eh?


The prime motive for going to Malaga and the mountains was for H.I. to garner some material for new paintings to show at her December show here in Bath. This amazing tree had whole families of cats and kittens living in the root structure, secure in the confines of the railings on all four sides. They are probably the most pampered cats in town. People leave vast piles of food for them every day plus copious bowls of water. You have never seen such healthy looking street cats.

Our friend's little apartment in town was supposed to be let out for the Summer - it was booked up - but the builders who are currently gutting the upstairs gave them 2 days warning about their arrival, so now the front is completely scaffolded and bricks and detritus rain down on you beginning at 7.30 a.m. This will continue for three months. Coupled to this, just over the road, a drilling company has begun to sink piles in a vast area of land to build an apartment block. They too start at 7.30, and finish at 7.00 p.m.

Personally, I can handle it and found the drillers fascinating, but they have had to cancel all bookings and send some people to 5 star hotels at their own expense. I have - once again - been eaten by mosquitos, and itch as I write back here in the U.K.

The mountain house is wonderful, and the rugged scenery too over-photographed to be included here.

In general I have really enjoyed myself, but - once again - am reminded that there seems to be no such thing as a relaxing holiday. We got back to find that our immersion tank has sprung a leak...

And now, something specially for John, bought from a street vendor who came up to us at an outdoor restaurant. Very comfortable, and only 2 Euros. I gave them to our hostess.


32 comments:

  1. Welcome back Tom.

    I definitely missed your witty, informative posts, and am glad to see you've returned with your talents intact.

    It's a shame about all the summer holiday time construction surrounding your friends' apartment. Like you, I also am somewhat fascinated by construction, but don't much like the noise.

    Over on East 78th Street, I have seen a door knocker like the one in your first photo. I have never seen a street vendor's offering like the one in the final photo.

    Good to be smiling as my breakfast coffee goes cold.

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    1. Hello Frances. Yes, the drilling process was mesmerising. They seemed to need lots of water - they kept shouting about 'AGUA!'.

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  2. Ah, I misunderstood. I thought that the noisy work was taking place back in Bath and that you were escaping it all by going to Spain. I don't know what to think of the socks. Are they made in China?

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    1. I think they were made in China. I believe someone has complied a complete book of Chinese/English translation, but this one is so good that I think it might have been deliberate.

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  3. We saw similar catteries in Rome. No such thing here. Welcome back!

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    1. In Rome, they are not so cherished, I think. These ones should have been fat, but were not.

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  4. Interesting scaffolding tower. The woman looks nice.

    We once had a two-thirds refund of a holiday in Portugal because others on the trip had complained about the excavation of a new sewage tunnel outside the hotel. P watched the construction with glee from our balcony, up watching at 7am when they started work each day. He told me to keep quiet or just agree when we heard the complaints to the tour rep knowing that I might blurt out "oh, we're enjoying it". We got the refund on day three of the holiday. I came home with more money than I left with.

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    1. Good tactic. I would have employed it, but the apartment was lent by friends who had forewarned us. No excuse.

      The woman is H.I. drawing the cats. She is quite nice, actually.

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    2. The scaffold keeps up the facade of a building which - one day - they will build behind, when they have the money.

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    3. We wouldn't have dreamed of complaining but when P heard the complaints starting he told me to go along with them knowing that I was quite likely to say "we're not complaining".

      (I knew who the woman was).

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    4. On that holiday in Portugal we saw wooden scaffolding, even in Lisbon.

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    5. This scaffold is all German.

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    6. I recognized H.I. as well. Am I correct in assuming she used to be blond. Her beautiful grey hair gives it away.

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  5. I like the door knocker.

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  6. More details of the holiday please. Trust you to find the last item!

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    1. I wouldn't want to bore everyone with my holiday snaps, Weave, even if I did take any. Those cocks found me. I lead a charmed life in that respect.

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  7. Oh, I forgot to tell you - our street was called, 'Calle Madre del Dios' - 'Mother of God' street!

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  8. H.I. is very elegant and young. Is she left handed, Tom?
    Greetings Maria x

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    1. She is holding a ball, with which the door is knocked. Since there are usually two balls to one opening knocking around, I am guessing she is ambidextrous.

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    2. I think that Maria means ' is H.I left - handed but I could be wrong !!!
      Good to have you back ...... The blogging world is always a poorer place without you !!!

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    3. Oooopppps ...... XXXX .... I forgot !!

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    4. Oh! Yes, she is a left-handed daughter of the devil.

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  9. Creepy knockers and mens' cock socks...with all due respect to Forest Gump, your blog is like a box of chocolates--you never know what you're going to get.

    Good to see you back.

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  10. The" hand "knocker is beautiful. I hope that the door it is on was equally so?

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    1. It was a small door for such a knocker, but quite pretty I think. I want one of those knockers.

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