I thought I'd do a lighthearted 'listicle' (!) today, to mark the fact that we Malaga residents are still in 'Phase 0' of the 0-4 stage Spanish quarantine de-escalation plan. Everyone anticipated the return of socially-distanced beer and coffee sipping on the sunny terraces of the Costa del Sol today, but alas the people at... Continue Reading →
Story No.1
I found this scrawled into my copy of Joyce's Dubliners (one of the books I'd liberated from storage last weekend). I was immediately intrigued, because I couldn't remember writing it. It's not so much a story as a vignette, and I'm afraid it's not quite up there with Joyce in terms of literary merit. Still... Continue Reading →
The Quarantine Diaries 20: Setting Free the Books
Sunday was Mother's Day in these parts. A different date to the UK, not sure why, but any excuse to 'pamper' myself...I thought I'd treat myself with a trip to the trastero (self-storage)...to look for my beloved books. A Difficult Separation In our last 'big' move, from Barcelona to Andalucia, I had unhappily become separated... Continue Reading →
Liebster Award
Thank you Andi, at diaryofagaydad.net for my nomination. If you haven't visited Andi's blog yet, I suggest you check it out: it's full of the fun antics of his five children. Always makes me smile, and helps me feel a bit less stressed when I get overloaded trying to homeschool my two. Andi has also... Continue Reading →
The Quarantine Diaries 19: The Secret of ‘Poopy Thomas’
The secret of 'Poopy Thomas' is a parenting secret. A guilty parenting secret. I'm sure as 'lockdown parents' we all have some parenting hacks. Maybe some of them we're not entirely proud of. And my parenting hack is 'Poopy Thomas.' Who is 'Poopy Thomas?' He is, in fact, Thomas the Tank Engine, but not as... Continue Reading →
The Quarantine Diaries 18: Shift your Attitude towards Gratitude
'Shift your attitude towards gratitude.' That's what my online yoga teacher, SaraBethYoga teaches in her fantastic online yoga videos. I highly recommend these to anyone who loves yoga or is interested in trying it out. She has videos for all levels and abilities in a variety of different styles. In current circumstances, I think it's... Continue Reading →
The Quarantine Diaries 17: Lockdown Playlist
In response to today's Discover Prompt, I'm going to outline a music playlist which helps to keep me sane and grounded during lockdown. I know lots of people have been making and sharing playlists with friends and family in an effort to keep cheerful and stay connected. This playlist is for my WordPress family, and... Continue Reading →
The Quarantine Diaries 16: Symbol of Hope
'Guiness' the Cat 'I LOVE Guiness, Mammy!' Not normally the words you want to hear from a two-year-old. But in this case, he was talking about a neighbourhood cat who we'd befriended a few days before lockdown started. Now the children have been let out on (reasonably) good behaviour, we went looking for Guiness last... Continue Reading →
City of Departed Dreams
Forget Paris, forget Venice, forget Rome... For me, the most romantic city in the world is Liverpool. Dreams of long-departed emigrants hang in the dockside air; ever expectant; awaiting transportation to the New World. I can almost hear their chatter on the docks. Maybe it's from the many visits to the Maritime Museum as a... Continue Reading →
The Quarantine Diaries 15: At Liberty!
In another post dedicated to my kids, Benji and Ollie, today I want to tell the story of their first trip out in six weeks. For six weeks they'd been hidden behind closed doors. I'd been looking forward to this moment since the Spanish Government announced the relaxation of lockdown restrictions last week. I actually... Continue Reading →