The first full day of the Pauls and we are
all, with the signal exception of Toni, now in the first stages of recovery
after our fairly extensive sampling of the beverages of the area last night.
More importantly Toni’s examination has
revealed nothing to worry about and so his 30-hour fast before going to
hospital was worth it as no news is indeed good news.
The “doctors” in the house have consulted
and we all agree that Toni has some form of allergy and that he should have one
of the tests that his sister has to have on a regular basis. This is a continuing story.
The Family arrived yesterday and set about
making a barbecue which was later eaten with relish.
The Two Pauls distinguished themselves by
ingratiating themselves with the younger elements of The Family and cemented
their high reputation by giving said sprogs an Olympic t-shirt each. These were received with delight and
protestations that these young Catalans were now British! So much for nationalism! But at least they are going in the right
direction.
Today Irene is going to come for lunch or
dinner and the Pauls have committed themselves to in-depth tanning as their
goal for the day. It is truly amazing
how productive one can be in the summer when one tries.
Such dedication reminds me of my attitude
towards the sun - before I started to live in Castelldefels. Paul 1 is aiming for an off-beige look to
take back to Cardiff, while Paul Squared is rapidly turning an authentic brown. Both should look a different colour by the
time that they return to the land of sullen skies.
I am now conscious that it is the 16th
of August and I have done none (not one) of the major summer tasks that I set
myself. This is a salutary reminder to
myself to get on with it.
To be fair I have visited the library in
the centre of town; joined the library, and even found out that they are
prepared to accept donations of English books to add to their collection.
It is now a matter of getting myself in gear
and actually doing something about it.
Realistically, I will have to reduce my library by at least 25% to
facilitate the move to other accommodation.
Although this is not a short-term aim, it is nevertheless a real aim and
it must be done.
I have gone through (that is much too grand
and exhaustive a term to match reality) some of my books and I have amassed two
large supermarket bags of books which I am prepared to let slip from my
grasp. Admittedly most of them are
multiple copies of Shakespeare plays which were bought for the notes and
introductions rather than the texts themselves.
I did mention that many of the books were loosely “academic” or
“classic” but that didn’t seem to faze the librarians at all. We shall see.
And we shall see this summer. I
promise myself.
Lunch with Irene was a delight and the
Maratime did itself proud again – though the price has been increased by 50c;
unlike the rest of us who have had swingeing wages cuts those with money seem
to want more. Inflation continues to
increase and the government seems purpose bent on making the ordinary working
person poorer and poorer. Come September
when the rest of the tax increases come in to effect I think that we are going
to see some sort of concerted popular reaction.
Please!
The Pauls have now gone leaving a broken
blind and fridge in their wake, but a good time was had by all.
We sampled one of the ”gourmet” meals that
restaurants in the area have banded together to offer to customers. The one that the Pauls chose was in a Best
Western Hotel where the food has at least a mention in the Michelin Guide. It was excellent and a clear step above the
ordinary menu del dia.
We did do more than eat and drink and swim,
but I am buggered if I can remember what.
Normal service will be resumed in the next
few days. I hope.
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