Yes, I have legs. Sí, en tinc cames

Well, today has been athletic.  First the Man and I walked about 5K, then we rowed for about an hour, and it was not gentle lily-dipping the whole time.  Gasp!  I haven't rowed in MONTHS!!!!
Deu n'hi do!  Avui ha quedat molt atlètic! Per començar, l'Home i jo hem caminat una 5 kilòmetres, llavors, hem remat per una hora i no hem anat xino-xano tampoc.  Urgh, no he anat a remar per MESOS!!!!

After lunch, I was starving, a haircut for the man, a shower and a nap, Youngest, Chuck and I went out for a run to try out her new trail running shoes, she says they're very comfy, which is wonderful.  Then a walk to a friends and a bike ride back, they've lent me a bike till I find one that I both like and can afford.  A challenge that.  Desprès de dinar, i tenia una gana que mata, tallava els cabells de l'Home, m'ha dutxat, i feia un migdiada; la Petita, en Chuck i jo hem anat a córrer a la muntanya, sobretot per provar les bambes noves de la Petita.  Són fet per anar a córrer a la muntanya, trail runners es diu en anglès.  M'ha dit que son molt còmodes, me'n alegro.  Llavors, he anat a peu cap a la casa d'una amiga i he tornat amb un bici!  M'estan deixant un bici fins que trobi un que m'agrada i que no surti super car.  Una repta això.

This week, main goal:  find a bike.
El objectiu principal d'aquesta setmana:  troba un bici

Secondary goal, swim in the sea, seems a good one.
El objectiu secundari: nada al mar, sembla un bon idea.

In the plans, meet up with Kate, teach, study, paint, run, the usual suspects.  Also reintegrate pilates into the running routine.  I've been lazy about it when I get back from a run, but the reality is that it really helps and works well with the abdominals.  Which at my age, helps a lot stopping back ache.
També tinc planificat de trobar-me amb la Kate, ensenyar, estudiar, pintar, córrer, com sempre.  També vull reintegrar pilates en la meva rutina de córrer.  Fa temps, em fa pal fer-ho quan torno de córrer, però la realitat és que m'ajuda molt sobretot amb els abdominals.  Que, amb la meva edat, ajuda molt per prevenir mal d'escena.

Thanksgiving, una festa canadenca

Just dawned on the man and I that Thanksgiving is next weekend!  Looked each other over and thought that maybe we should do something about it this year, as we so often forget, so we're going to see if the Man's rowing buddies would like to come over for a Thanksgiving lunch, Catalan time...say arrive at 2 to eat at 3?

Avui, l'Home i jo hem recordat que Thanksgiving, una festa dels Estats Units i Canada és el dilluns que ve, la de Canada, és a dir.  L'Estats Units ho fan en Novembre.  Desprès d'un moment, hem decidit de celebrar-la aquest any, que normalment, no ho fem, perquè normalment, ho oblidem.  Llavors, hem decidit de convidar els amics de remar de l'Home per un dinar de Thanksgiving, però amb horari Català, arriben a les dues per menjar a les tres.

The only problem is the rather, ahem, European size of my oven, and finding a turkey.  I'll ask the guy around the corner what he can do.  Cross your fingers.  L'únic problema que tinc és que el forn no és tan gran com els de Nord Amèrica i no estic segur com puc ficar un gall dindi a dintre, quan l'he localitzat un.  Espero que la botiga a la cantonada em pot ajudar.  Creus els dits, si us plau.

I'll have to go to BCN in search of cranberry sauce, ingredients for my mother's stuffing (and email her for the recipe) and a squash, if I can find one.  The Bouqueria should if anywhere, they claim to sell everything.  We'll see.  Hauré d'anar a BCN per la salsa de cranberry potser es diu nabiu agre?  També hauré de trobar els ingredients per el stuffing, el que posis a dintre el gall dindi quan el cuinis i una carbassa, però vull un tipus que no és gaire típica d'aquí.  espero que ho pugui trobar.  La Boqueria hauria de portar-les, diuen que venen de tot.  Mirarem.

If it is too short notice, we'll see if we can pull together a different crowd and see what happens, but the rowing crowd are a whole lot of fun and pretty casual, so that would be fantastic if we could.  Si hem aprés la decisió amb massa poca antelació, mirarem si podem trobar un altre grup d'amics, però el grup de remar són molt divertits i força informals, seria fantástic si puguin venir i em sembla que no els molestaria si els convidem amb tan poc noticia.

Followed by an obligatory walk to digest, but maybe they don't know that you're supposed to eat yourself into a stupor.  Maybe we won't tell them that part and we can skip it.  Desprès de menjar, evidentment, haurem de fer el passeig obligatori per la digestió, però els catalans no saben que hauran de menjar fins que no trobin bé.  Potser no els explicarem i no cal fer-ho.  No?

Well, yesterday went pretty darned well overall.  First a dentist appointment, I will admit that doesn't sound promising, but as my teeth are apparently cleaner than they were last time (?!?!?!?!?!?) and so don't need any cleaning done on them.  That was good.
Mira, ahir va anar força bé, al final.  Primer, una cita amb la dentista, haig de admetre que això no sonar molt com un bon començament pel dia, però que les meves dents, diu ella, són més nets que l'ultima vegada que la vaig veure, una cosa que no entenc, no cal que facin higiene ni fer res més, va quedar bé, no?

Then I got another job, definitely good.  Llavors, vaig guanyar una altre feina, definitivament, bé.

Went to BCN; always fabulous, have to go more often! Vaig anar a BCN; sempre fabulós, haig d'anar-hi més sovint.

Lunch with the family and a walk in the mountains with Youngest and the dog....followed by a pair of great classes and hanging out again with Youngest, then PAINTING!!!!  Vaig dinar amb la meva família, vaig anar a passejar als muntanyes amb la Petita i en Chuck.....desprès un parell de classes divertides, passava temps amb la Petita un altre cop i finalment?  PINTANT!!!

Ahhh, what a lovely day.  Quin dia més bon.

Today hasn't been to shabby either, went for the first run in ages, took it easy and it was fun, did my Catalan intercanvi.  How do you say that in English, a friend here and I are trading language lessons, I help him with English, and he me with Catalan.  Today was Catalan day, good grief, when he's paying attention I make a LOT of mistakes.  So many that sometimes I lost track of what I was trying to say amidst the corrections!
Avui no ha anat tant malament tampoc.  He anat a fer footing, que no he fet per molt de temps, i ha anat força bé.  No he intentat de fer molt, i ho he disfruitat molt.  També he fet el meu intercanvi de català, amb un amic, li ajudo amb anglès i a mi, m'ajuda amb català. Avui, hem fet català.  Deu n'hi do, quan està vigilant, faig MOLTES falles.  Tan que a vegades, oblido que estava intentant de dir!

Still, it was funny and very useful.  No vull dir que era malament, era molt divertit i molt útil.

Again, lunch with the folks at home, a briefer walk with Youngest and the dog, another couple of good classes, and then Harry Potter 4, the movie that is....a quick Skype with Eldest and Friday wound up pretty marvelously too!  Un altre cop, he dinat a casa amb la família, un passeig molt breu amb la Petita i el gos, un altre parell de classes bones, i finalment, Harry Potter 4, el peli evidentment.

Now I have to get him to check my writing from time to time.  I live in fear.  I may well use the write ups from here, since I have to do them anyway.  Ara haig de demanar-li de corregir el que escric, a vegades.  Tinc una mica de pànic!  Probablement utilitzo el que escric aquí...perquè ho haig de fer en qualsevol cas.

OH, and the next excursion?  We're sleeping in tents in the mountains, I have to say that I am SO excited.  Wonder if we're bringing stoves?  OH!  I la pròxima excursió?  Dormirem en tendes en les muntanyes, haig de dir, estic molt emocionada.  Hem de portar - com és diu?  Una cosa per cuinar....de butà o alguna cosa així.

I've got another job! Ja tinc un altre feina!!

This year's schedule left me with every night full, and every day free, nice in it's way, but if you've got a kid in school, no so much.  You see, as she gets home, I more or less go out and then come back quite late. Such is the life of a language teacher.

El meu horari aquest any m'ha deixat amb cada nit omplit i cada dia lliure.  No està mal, si no tens nens al cole.  En aquest casa, no tan fantàstic.  Mira, quan la meva filla torna a casa, més o menys, jo me'n vaig, i torno molt tard.  És la vida típica d'un mestre d'idiomes.

In the quest for more daytime hours, I have been sending my resume around, and it has paid off!  A new school, I am the only teacher other than the owner.  The pay is very good indeed, my boss, very young and very enthusiastic and hopefully it will grow to more hours, which would be great.

Per buscar més hores, he enviat el meu currículum per amunt i avall, i valia la pena!  Tinc treball en una acadèmia nova, sóc l'única mestre amb la propretària.  Em pagarà bé, la meva cap és molt jova i té molta entusiasme i espero que les hores de treball aniria expandint, serià molt bé. 

All I need now is a bike to get there.  Sadly my beloved Stumpjumper, which I held in my hands a mere week and a half ago, is in Canada, so I have to get another one here.  Looking forward to a little bike commuting!  Especially since most of it will be along the beach.  Sweet sweet sweet.  Remind me to pack my suit!

Ara, tot que necessito és un bici per anar-hi.  La meva bicicleta, una Stumpjumper, que m'encanta i que vaig tenir en els meus mans fa només una setmana i mig, és en Canadà, llavors haig de buscar un per aquí.  A mi em ve molt de gust anar amb bicicleta!  Especialment perquè la ruta que faré va per la platja.  Quuuueeeeee  béééeéééééé!  Haig de recordar de portar la meva banyador!!!

Elections, Un eleció

Artur Mas, the head of the Generalitat, the Catalan nation (!) has called for elections.
Artur Mas, el cap del Generalitat, la nació català (!) ha dit que tindrem eleccions aquesta novembre.

In Quebec, when they wanted to separate, they held a referendum. Twice.  Because, you see, they were allowed to. Nowhere in the Spanish constitution does it state that Catalonia can hold a legally binding referendum, so.....now we have elections.  En Quebec, quan van voler sortir de Canada, van fer referèndums.  Dos vegades.  Perquè, que sàpigues, era legal.  Aquí, ni un part del constitució Español diu que les regions poden sort ni poden tenir un referèndum que tingui vistiplau.

Mas, as most of you know, went to speak with Rajoy (the (quite right wing head of Spain) asking for some fiscal changes and some more independence.  He got a big brushed off.  A single definitive no.
En Mas, com sabeu si heu llegit una mica els diaris, va anar a parlar amb en Rajoy (el cap, ben dret, d'España) demanant canvis del sistema fiscal i més independència.  Li va donar una botifarra, més o menys.

So.  He went, cap in hand, to make a request.  It is disallowed singularly and simply.  On returning home, he really could not tell the million + people who came to the demonstration that, well, sorry.  We're done now, they said no.
Llavors, va anar, pregant.  Diuen que no i no i no, simplement.  Quan va tornar a casa i no pot simplement explicar a més de milions de persones que, llastima però tema tancada.

Not an option.  No és una opció.

So they've called elections, the only legally binding and democratic way to have a referendum. To receive the mandate to move to independence.  I would be very surprised if there isn't a strong call for separation.  Now we're on to the next step.
Llavors, tindrem eleccions, l'única manera que sigui legal i democràtic per fer un tipus de referèndum, per tenir una mandat per independència.  Estic ben segura que tindran un majoritat per la independència.  Ja fem el següent pas.

Someone here is trying to get me to take out Spanish citizenship so that I can vote yes to independence. Un altre amic aquí pensar que hagi de buscar nacionalidad Español que pugui votar sí per independència!

Ironic, no? Una mica irònic, no?

Horse riding. Muntant cavalls.

A friend here used to be a really really big horse rider, and still has a lot of contacts within the local horse world, which we know almost nothing about.  We know a few people, but little more.
Un dels nostres amics aquí feia temps, passava molt de temps muntant cavalls i fent cursos.  Encara coneix molta gent en aquest mon, que no sabem ningú nosaltres.  O quasi ningú.

Anyway, our buddy invited Youngest and the Man and I to go riding!  He used to teach and all.  Youngest was more than ecstatic.  Glee might be about right.
El nostre amic va convidar la Petita i l'Home a jo d'anar a muntar cavalls.  Va ensenyar fer-ho i tot.  La Petita era molt més que contenta.....

We went off today.  Youngest did pretty well indeed, I did fine, nothing stellar, but nothing bad either.  The man got up - I had to leave and go to work - and he reports no natural talent at all, but it was fascinating and he can see why people would enjoy doing it.
Hem anat avui.  La petita ho ha fet força bé, jo, mira, ni bé ni malament i l'Home?  He hagut de marxar per anar a treballar i no li he vist molt, però diu que no té cap facilitat, però era fascinant i pot entendre perquè gent li encanta fer-ho.

Now youngest is (of course) asking for lessons. Evidentment, la Petita vol fer classes.

We'll see, but maybe, just maybe, we can scrape that together. Hem de mirar, però potser...potser....podem organitzar-lo.

It would be lovely to have access to a horse and to be able to take it riding up in the mountains, but that ain't an option.  Estic d'acord amb l'Home, seria molt genial tenir accés d'un cavall, que pugui muntar i anar al muntanya, però no és un possibilitat.

4' 33"

Last night I went off to the meeting of the local 'grup de música'.  The theme for this week was music from the 20th c.  I was excited.  They tend to listen to a lot of baroque music, which I find gets a little old, but more modern stuff I prefer.

Normally everyone has to bring a bit of music to play for the group - has to is a little strong, but that's the idea.  I usually have some difficulty with this, partially as we don't have a TON of music here, but also because I am not the hugest music afficionado, and so find myself a little limited from time to time.

This time, however, I had an idea.

Last night we performed.  I played the tuba, alongside another tuba player, we had a cello, a few violins, a piano, a harmonica, a couple of drummers and a bassoon.

We played, a slightly (very) abridged version of John Cage's 4' and 33".




We were most impressive, it was great fun, and nobody coughed!

Time to get organised. L'hora per organitzant-me

OK, enough already, time to post something and stop meandering around in small sleepy circles.

What has been up?  Non-sleep, until this weekend.  I was just sort of waking up and not able to get back to sleep at, say 2:30 am.  NOT WELCOME.  Then this weekend the local hiking group?  We went hiking, indeed we went up a mountain!

It was a great weekend.  We started it off with a Via Ferrada, I'd never heard of this before, but it is kind of like rock climbing, but for people who have NO IDEA.  There is a cable bolted to the face virtually all the way along, with a ring about every 2 meters, more if it is quite horizontal.  In addition, in any place where the climbing is more technical and requires more skill and/or climbing shoes rather than hiking boots, there are rebar loops bolted into the wall.  A bit odd, but kinda cool too.

Climbing purists out there are simply DYING at the thought of it, but you know what?  It was fun.  All you need is a harness and a double tether, it is super safe and you don't have to use the metal any more than necessary.  That said, many of the people in the group used very little contact with the rock and mostly worked their way along holding onto the wire.....I tried not to, though with my super-slippery hiking boots on, there were moments where the bolts for the wire were necessary, as were the metal supports.  If you zoom into the photo below you can JUST see the metal wires.

Then a drive to the next spot, a cultural moment visiting an ancient church, then on to the cars' final destination, a quick lunch, and a hike to the refugi where we were spending the night.    That was only 4.7 km, with a mere 470 m or climbing, but done at elevation, we started at 1850 and ended at 2,300 meters (about 7,000 ft).  As this girl has hung at sea level for months and done almost no exercise for AGES....this was a nice little jaunt.  Pretty too.

Good dinner, good crowd, I almost went for a swim in an alpine lake....I wandered off, stripped down, and waded in.  You know when water is so cold it hurts?  Well, it hurt.  That's cool though, normally, you get used to that (ie. numb) and then it's OK.  Not this time.  It kept hurting.  I got out, cause sometimes when you do that, you get used to the idea and when you get in again, it doesn't hurt.  Hmmmm, not so much.  Still hurt.  And I was by myself, in a spot specially selected for privacy as I didn't have a suit.  This little guy was OK though:

Decided a swim in those conditions fell under the unnecessarily stupid category and waded in and splashed water all over myself to sort of rinse off and to sorta-kinda swim/get wet.

Following day, the big climb.  I have to admit, I didn't find the mountain attractive.  Menacing would probably be a better word.  All rock and verticality.

Nevertheless, we went on.  We started with a group of 15, 7 or whom didn't want to do the peak and started off along the loop we had to do...then we were 8.  We went up and up and up, we were climbing stuff that required your hands to get up, which was OK,  a little more exposed than I was completely happy with, but good.

We got to the crest, and the other two women with us decided to hang out in the sun and out of the wind, and then we were 6, who clambered up to the peak.  I will admit that this was a little more exposed and risky than I was totally happy with, entirely do-able, but an error would have lead to pain.  Back down to the saddle where we'd left our knapsacks, and three turned back for the refugi and the shorter walk down at this point, and we were 5.  Walking FAST!  Eventually we met up with the other 7 and ambled on through the rest of the walk...there were some very tough little kids in that group.  Most impressive!  Highest point, 8,930 ft or 2,721 m.

Running from bottom left to middle right is the ridge we went along, though we actually walked through the grassy stuff below it on a path. Looks more vertical than it was.  This is the view from the peak, and the two women are waiting most of the way back.  This is the view from the peak.  You see what I mean about it's kind of crunchy demeanor?

This is the view from where the two women sat with the peak in the background:

The ridge on the left is the crest we walked along, we are at the saddle where we left the knapsacks at this point.   The actual peak is around behind the corner of the point at the front.

As we walked on around - for a total of about 15K - we say more alpine lakes

And we saw horses at the end!

Then the long drive home, after a chat with some Dutch military reservists who were out hiking and a quick drink and a sandwich.

Slept very well both nights, I have to say.

Addled

This year's travel back to Spain has left me particularly addled, slow to get organised and odd feeling.  This may have to do with having left Eldest behind in Canada to finish high school.

Either way, I have had a full night's sleep (Hallelujah)  and I am feeling a little more with it.  Though this is going to be a mono-lingual post, cause sometimes that's all I can manage.

Some notes.  Leaving a daughter behind, is hard.  The economic situation here?  It's really bad.  really.  It is astonishing how much Catalan I've lost, though it is nice to feel it coming back too.  The independence movement here?  fascinating.  There will likely be more blog posts about it.  Sorry if that bores you.

Got to get back to running

Going hiking this weekend though!!!!!  YEAH!

Going into BCN today with the man.....got to get going.

Hope you have a great one,

O

Arrived in Catalunya

Soooo sleepy.  More later.

Update, les notícies

Here's the latest,

Eldest:  Happy, likes her classes, joined a club, and is looking at another tomorrow.  All good by and large.  Waiting to get in with her Grandparents too.

Youngest:  Also happy as far as I know, and has gone to gymnastics after school and loved it.

The Man:  wonder that he is, he has located almost all of Youngest's textbooks (very nearly a miracle, you in NA who get the books loaned from the school have. no. idea. what a good thing this is.  He has also gone rowing, and I am sure is delighted.

Me:  I would like to point out to anyone running storage operations that leaving the floor outside the storage unit unimaginably dirty is not going to make your clients happy, nor is parking a forklift in front of the unit restricting access, nor placing the unit where trucks have to come in and out regularly.  NOT a happy camper yesterday on that front.

Chuck: ?  I have heard little, so it is probably good.  He probably figures that we all fly in crates, like he does.  As a result he probably is imagining that the Man and Youngest have forgotten Eldest and I and we are endlessly circling on some luggage conveyer belt somewhere, waiting to get off!  

Today, frantically trying to finish the to-do list!  Or at least most of it.

Hope you have a good one,

Cheers,

O

The Avengers

Eldest and I went off to see the Avengers today, and it was ....  explosive!!!

No, really, it was good fun, and certainly kept the action in action movie.

I just would like to mention that 3D glasses kinda make me dizzy from time to time, and I have to take them off and watch the fluzziness for a bit.  Though that may have also been the microsecond shot editing and the weird and circling shots that contributed to that.

Good flick.

Today is the National day in Catalunya,

and today there will be HUGE demonstrations.

Here's why.





And for more depth, here's more

Let's hope it's peaceful.

My dog doesn't like the car, see! El meu gos no li agrada la cotxa, mira.

Kids can get a little bored too.  Les nenes poden ser una mica avorrides també

'ho sheets

Buying sheets is way more complicated than it should EVER be.  I went off to buy sheets for Eldest, she likes dark coloured ones.

Comprant llençols esta molt més complicat que caldria ser.  Vaig anara a comprar-les per la Gran, ella li agrada que siguin fosques.

Look what I got though:  Mira que vaig comprar!

Yup, turns out they're sateen which I had never heard of before...as in 'ho sheets.  And that nice navy blue?  Looking kinda black at home.
Al final, que no he fixat, ni mai sentit, són 'sateen' que vol dir que reflexen.  I aquest blau?  Sembla negre aquí a casa.

I'll be trying to return those today.  Les tornaré avui si puc.

Rattlers, un tipus de serp que fa soroll

We saw lots....Youngest and I saw one on the trail and three in the water, the man however saw the biggest one, and a bear - though there are only photos of the big snake.

Vam veure molts, la Petita i jo vam veure un al camí i tres nadant, l'Home va veure el més gran, i un os, però només tenim fotos dels serp

About a meter.

all well

Basically a good day at school for Eldest, and the Man and Youngest successfully anchored and un-anchored as a team!  Now, those thunderstorms just have to away from them.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Got off the boat last night, Eldest has gone off to the first day of school.  Fingers crossed.

Vam sortir de la barca ahir a la nit, la Gran ha anat al primer dia de cole aquest matí.  Dits creuats.