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First in South America. Then back to Europe. To France, the Alpes to enjoy the snow and now to where, I wonder...? To Spain!! Ole!
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Blog
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Sweltering in the city
When is autumn going to arrive? It has been far too hot for far too long. I am sweltering in the city, at a constant 35 degrees, both day and night. It is really not nice. At all. I am seriously thinking of taking up residence in the chiller section of the local supermarket.
Speaking of taking up residence, I am currently house-hunting, so pounding the streets in search of a new abode is certainly not a pleasant experience in these hot temperatures. I have been consuming litres and litres of water as there is not a great deal of shade on the streets, be it from trees or other buildings or awnings. Actually, having now I mention that, in the main shopping streets that have been pedestrianised, the council has strung up awnings over the road, from the top of one building to the one opposite, in order to create some relief from the relentless rays. It looks absolutely hideous but is actually quite effective and definitely makes a difference.
Except my house-hunting mission doesn't involve traipsing up and down those streets so it doesn't make much of a difference to me. Where is the autumn???
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Pollution, traffic, rubbish, noise...
After nearly two months in small provincial towns, in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do and nobody to talk to except scores and scores of hormonal and argumentative teenagers, I am finally back in the oasis of the capital and it is absolutely luvverly!
Admittedly, the weather was much more pleasant out in the sticks, a lot cooler, a nice breeze and even the odd thunderstorm to break the monotony of endless days of blazing sun and sky high temperatures but that does not beat being in the city. Here, the shops don't shut for siesta, hey, they are even open on Sundays, albeit when they decide to be open and not every Sunday. And there are more shops, more choice.
There are more things to do, cinemas, lots and lots more bars to frequent. There are lots more people, not limited to the ages of 15 and under, which is really quite horrible at times.
And above all, I don't have to do a darn thing!
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Post Data
And after all that capoeira I have ache. I can walk, just, but it hurts. Tis not fair, I did stretch lots.
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Eureka!
I have a new vocation in life! Instead of any of pursuing any of the careers that are open to me at this moment in my life a new, unforeseen path has jumped up and bitten me on the leg. I am going to teach capoeira! Despite having not practised it for 18 months, I let it be known to some children that I am teaching at the moment that I know capoeira. They begged and begged me to teach them it. And I gave in, thinking they were just curious and their interest would wane, especially seeing how useless I was. How wrong was I. I gave a class yesterday and they loved it and demanded more. So, today, tomorrow and the next day I will have to teach capoeira. Okay, teaching capoeira is not something I will pursue as a profession - perish the thought - but it´s quite fun and the kids seem to enjoy it. But, all the continued exertion makes me realise how dehydrated I am and also how unfit I am, not having done exercise for nearly 8 months. Oh, how I yearn to be back in the gym!
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Owwww!
It´s amazing what a bit of noise, pollution and traffic can do to you. I've just spent the weekend back in the big smoke and I feel so much better for it, I have so much more energy. I hate being stuck in the middle of nowhere - which is where I have been for the last two weeks - that I just had to get out and the best remedy seemed to be a trip to the capital city. And it seems to have had the desired effect. I can´t wait to get back there! On the way back I managed to fall backwards into a seat on the coach and have given myself a nasty, nasty bruise and accompanying bump on my knee. Thanks to the ice pack that I put on it the swelling has gone down somewhat, however, it is still a glorious tone reminiscent of summer berries. Very seasonal indeed.
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Food, very unglorious food!
For the last month and a half I have been eating food which is mostly recognisable as college food, you know, the mass catered stuff with little taste, over-cooked, either soggy or rock hard. For the first 3 weeks it was a shock to the system - the food was bad but bearable. I got used to it. And now, being in a different place, eating food made by a different cook, I am really rather wishing that I were back where I was before and eating the food there. The food right now is so bad that I am subsisting soley on cornflakes or Frosties in the morning and chips for lunch and dinner. It´s not exactly the most exciting diet but it sure beats the other ´food´ - and I use that word in the lightest possible sense. Take your pick from lettuce liberally doused in oil, non-descript meat that is fried and has the texture of a flip-flop and tuna with virtually everything - I hate tuna. Rare is the occasion that you will see vegetables - this is a country where fresh fruit and veg are cheap and plentiful - but if you do (blink and you miss them) they are soggy and swimming in a rather foul-tasting liquid. Okay, you may get a apple or peach for pudding but they are so dirty and muddy that they can only have come straight from the orchard. I know chips aren´t the healthiest option in the world but thank god that they are served up everyday here otherwise with the monstruosities that we are supposed to eat there would be nothing to eat at all.
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You little *****
It´s summer and the sun is shining. A lot. And I am rather a bright shade of red. Nope, I´m not sunburnt, not in the slightest (all down to the factor 40 sunblock I slap on everyday), but down to another aspect of my immediate environment. I am being besieged by flies. They are everywhere. And they are biting me. It is not nice. Rather, it is very itchy. They seem to have appeared over the weekend - coinciding with the return of hot weather, for example it was a balmy 37 degrees on Sunday. I don´t know whether it´s also because I´m staying near a river right now (probably a combination of the two) but arggggggggggggh! Where is that rolled up newspaper?!
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