Hello soccer fans....

Twiglet, the man and I all went out for dinner last night to the local bar/restaurant, and while we were there, a soccer fan was born. Oh my....they turned on the TV, which always has a certain fascinating novelty factor for my kids, and there was the game, Espanyol playing Bremen....little one got RIGHT into it, cheering when they scored and all. This morning at breakfast she asked if I could put on the computer so we could watch another game.

Hmmm.

Smallest munchkin and I were supposed to go into BCN to the zoo today, but she admitted that really, she didn't want to. Well, since it was supposed to be a treat for her, we didn't. Instead she wanted to go to the candy store (what a surprise) and as I was also after one small purchase, that seemed OK.

While I love Barcelona, there is a very large problem with pick-pockets there and camera thieves, and now that I have this handy-dandy new camera that has allowed me to bore all of you with tons of photos, I don't really want it lifted. Nor do I feel like spending all of my time hugging the d*mn thing to my body either...so I was after a camera bag that didn't look like a camera bag, that I could sling over my arm and still hold a child's hand, and NO one would suspect held a camera. Something....goofy. But not so goofy that my children would be too mortified to walk with me. I think I found a pretty good balance...here it is:

It is definitely goofy, and it certainly doesn't scream out, "Look at this expensive camera that I am paying absolutely NO attention to whatsoever while my child here is FREAKING OUT completely!"

I cut a bit of closed cell foam out of the dog's bed - a martyr to the cause - packed in an old dead sponge and a couple of pairs of socks that have holes in them, and it is pretty nifty.

While the youngest and I were waiting for the candy store to open, I saw these, which I had been meaning to talk about for a while.

Here's a close up. They are water jugs tied in place. They place them at the base of trees, which initially led us to think that they were some sort of trickle feed for the trees that some folks had put out, but they are also at the corners and against posts.



Finally, I found someone to ask. They are to keep dogs from peeing on the trees or bushes, or posts, or doorways. I suppose it gets the dogs to pee further out, and once you know about the system, I suppose it lets you know that the people who live there don't want you to let your dog pee there. To my mind, I think a little dog pee would be a lot less ugly than the aging water jugs. But that's just me I guess.

Niblet and I had to wait around for the candy store to open....an eight year old's definition of eternity, the time between when the candy store is supposed to open, and when it does seven minutes later.... while we were waiting though the grown up got so that she wanted something a little sweet as well, and since there is this beautiful bakery next door, we went in and I got this....



You can get an idea of the size of that as I photographed it on my lap, those are my knees peeking out from the end of it. It is bread dough sweetened and rolled very thin, covered with sugar and sliced almonds, and it looks and tastes like it has been baked, there are thin crispy layers that break off and melt in your mouth, but it was quite greasy, not gross greasy, but there were oil marks on the paper, which implied either very heavy greasing of the pan, my guess, or a deep fry and then bake process. Either way it was quite delicious.

Eldest child returns this afternoon, grubby and grumpy and exhausted. It will be great to have her back. Today I also have to go into work to get paid, and the final event on the agenda is English day with the lady I am practicing English/Catalan with.

Tomorrow the man is going to run in a race, and the festivities begin. Brace yourselves for far too many photos....