Graffiti in Barcelona

Random day

Pushan (my traveling companion in the green shirt) and I just wandered yesterday. It was blissful to not rush or have a plan. 

Oh my! The tastes, smells, sounds - richness of people. I LOVE it!

Dusseldorf adventure

I am in Germany. Dusseldorf. At the airport. One of my flights was cancelled so I am rerouted through Germany...Munich, Dusseldorf, then to Barcelona. The guys are amazingly cute here. They dress beautifully. Scarves with a suit jacket or khaki pants with no socks and a two colour plaid shirt in soft colours. Everyone wears good, comfy, moulded-to-feet shoes.

I love the word Dusseldorf. From the air it looked very green and quaint. I may visit here one day.

Morning has broken.

Morning in Barcelona is quiet in the early hours, though it is a Saturday. Now, at 10:00 am or so, the cathedral's organ is expressing the voice of devotion. A woman who sounds loud, demanding and not terribly young is calling "Papa!". The birds chirping sound like barn swallows. I hear English spoken below and peak down from the little balcony and see two runners in what looks like North American running gear. Actually, I see a lot of tourists this morning. I think the Spaniards are still sleeping. They eat late starting at 9 pm and they partied long into the night.

When I woke this morning I thought how wonderful it is to be lying down. The problem with traveling is not being able to rest. To lie down and just put your feet up. I lay down on the yoga mat to do yoga. Ahhhh! Oh how stiff my back! Sitting is brutal for posture. I lay for a long time on my back with my knees bent and feet flat on the floor, just breathing. Just exhaling fully. It was hard at first and then slowly the breath appeared to deepen. This is one of the best ways to allow posture to sort itself out. And the breath too.

Hear is the view from the balcony of Arkupe apartments where I am staying for a few nights.

Last night of gardening

Couldn't do it!

I wanted to do some fertilizing  tonight but oh man! The Mosquitos! The size of flies! I got bit 4 times just taking photos. I  am leaving for Spain tomorrow and the garden is at it's best. I will miss the daily garden party. Yah, I know, no attachments!

Golden Lantern

Don and I are having supper at the Golden Lantern restaurant on Simpson Street. We are often at a time when we have the restaurant to ourselves. They should be packed. The owner is a good cook. And a happy one. He is from Hong Kong and says they are fussy eaters so you have to be a good cook.

Here we are eating General Tao chicken and beef with wide rice noodles (N4).

Absolutely tasty and spicy!

I feel good!

I feel grateful for the sun, summer, green trees, good soil, good friends, cool water,   and a bed for my body to rest.

Morning walk

This morning's walk along the creek. The route is routine but everything else is amazingly fresh and different.

Routine

I like routine and at the same time I dislike routine.
Routine gets things done. Everyday my schedule is different so I have a different schedule for every day of the week.  Saturdays, gathering days. Sundays, cooking days. Mondays, office and class days, and so on. I notice that if I keep to my intended schedule I get done what needs to be done without a lot of energy wasted. The word routine sounds boring. Routine. Ruuuu-teeeen. Makes me tired to say it. Krishnamurti always talked about order. That you must have order in your life. I think of order now as following through on what I set out to do. Commitment to my own decisions. Way easier said than done. Order. Integration. The gentle routines that I have set up work when I follow through. My morning routine of drinking lemon juice in water, meditation,  a bit of yoga or walk the dog, and then breakfast, starts my day. It allows me to have less routine later in the day. I feel I have done the most important thing - take care of myself. This week my working life routine is different so I need to be extra careful to not sleep in just because I can. I've noticed that my body loves to get up each morning at the same time. I like to go to bed early too. So, goodnight. It's past my bedtime.

Gathering

Saturdays are my gathering days. Yard sales. Groceries. Herbs for the garden.

These are my yard sale finds today..... A box of rolling pins and other kitchen items, skulls, and a really old and decrepit high chair!

My dad would be proud! 

Look how A&W is presenting their french fries. Made me smile :)

Frogs in the pool

Today, Grace came to the door and she gave me these bath gel frogs. Aren't they cute?
I even found them their own little pool. However, one or two of them will be in my bath tonight. It is fun to get such a surprise, for no reason at all. Thanks!

There is the most amazing soft glitter of rain this evening. Everything is pure green. The streets are bare. The people are quiet. No shouting. No music. No Bbq's. No lawnmowers. No chainsaw sounding weedwackers. I love it!

I walked the dog along McVicar's creek this afternoon. Right inside the inner city, folks were fishing. Another man sat on the old stone fence and ate a bbq chicken just hot from the Safeway around the corner. He washed it down with a quart of milk. Two men were having a brew and they played with Felix for a while. Felix wanted to pee on one man's leg and oh did they howl and slap their thighs. There is something so adventuresome anywhere around this older neighbourhood. I love where I live.

And most of all there is such joy from my garden!

Here I am

Well!

I have been away for a while. Writer's block me thinks!

I've been reading rather than writing. And gardening! There always seems to be so much to do in so little time in the spring. 

Spring is truly my favourite time of the year. It's about inspiration for me. I am inspired to grow things. To cook something new. To change furniture around. To air the house out. To air myself out.

Green therapy! Opening the heart. 

My favourite read right now (and still) is Richard Wagamese. One Native Life. It's a memoir. In each chapter he has a way of reaching out and touching my heart.

He inspired me to write my blog today.

Our house

This is how it is at our house these days.