The past 2 days were at times frightening because of the force winds that were hitting us and the house on top of the hill. But that was quickly forgotten once we opened the window shutters and saw the sun shining abundantly. I went outside as soon as I finished my exercises and was lucky … Read more
This is the house where we stay. Beautifully reconstructed in Andalucian style and tastefully decorated. But again the secret of the picture is in what you can not see. Last night we spent our first night here. And, oh what a night it was. People who live here have never before experienced such a heavy … Read more
Canillas de Aceituno is a small ‘white’ village about 15 kilometers from the Mar mediterráneo. Since it’s a clear day today I can see the sea from the house where we now live. Canillas is a typical Andalucian village. Small steep streets where only one car can drive through at a time. Sometimes they are … Read more
Yesterday’s picture made me even more convinced it really was about time I went to a hairdresser. Even in the Netherlands I postponed going because usually, I am not happy with the way they cut my hair. And now it was even more difficult of course since I don’t know any hairdressers over here. But … Read more
If ever someone tells me Spanish is easy – as a lot of Spaniards do – I think I am going to hit him or her. Spanish is not easy at all. Learning vocabulary is just doing your best, but the fact that Spanish has 3 different ways of the past tense, makes it really, … Read more
What is different In the Netherlands, our lives were a bit more separated than here in Spain. Tom did the shopping. He had to go to Amsterdam on a regular basis. He visited his friends.I visited my friends. Had walks with some of them or lunches together. Over here we have much more activities we … Read more
The way some waiters, shopkeepers, and other on-clients-dependent workers treat their potential customers over here keeps amazing me. The woman sat on the terrace and ordered a drink while asking for the menu. The waiter snapped at her that lunch didn’t start until 1 o’clock. I guess she was hungry so understandably she canceled her … Read more
We like bananas. Plátanos, they are called in Spain. You can find them in every supermarket or fruit and vegetable shop. Which both can be found in abundance in even the smallest village. Most bananas you buy come either from the Canarias or from Central or South America. But the bananas in this picture grow in … Read more
What stayed the same If you move to another place you always take yourself with you. Including your annoyances. In the Netherlands, we had a metal roof and a neighbor with an apple tree. In the fall the birds would pick on the apples which would fall on our metal roof with an enormous bang, … Read more
In the A58 south of our former village stands an old, big tree in between the tracks of the highway. This tree does have space around it, although it is getting tricky by now with the roots spreading out and its big crown. At the beginning of ‘our’ dead-end road, there is also a tree … Read more