30 Jun 2008

SPAIN EURO CHAMPION!!!

I missed the match -I was working- but I know Julian was up in KL at 4am local watching it!






España reina en Europa
La selección española se ha proclamado Campeona de Europa 44 años después tras vencer a Alemania (1-0). Fernando Torres marcó el único gol del partido, que dominaron claramente los hombres de Luis Aragonés. Villa con 4 tantos máximo goleador, Casillas mejor portero. España se lleva todos los premios tras hacer un campeonato perfecto.



I am reading the Spanish press online and it is sad to see that in the online forums all comments are about being catalan or being spanish... all because there were celebrations in Barcelona which some say it is because Barcelona is no longer catalan and others say that the celebrations were in fact minimal... who cares... all politics, nothing about sport and brotherhood.
I am Catalan, but also Spanish. I regret the Spanish people who do not respect the Catalan Culture and I also regret the Catalan people who despise Spain and all Spanish. Get a life!


27 Jun 2008

FELIZ CUMPLE JONE!

Happy Birthday to Jone... celebrating in her garden.... with Noé and Sergi... (is it love??)


24 Jun 2008

COCA

La COCA de Sant Joan, tradició a Catalunya cada 23 de Juny, per la Revetlla o Nit del Foc.
Jo em pensava que aquest any ni coca ni cava ni festa, però el meu estimat Vicens me n´ha portada una!!! Gràcies Vicens!!!


La COCA de San Juan, tradición catalana cada 23 de Junio por la verbena de San Juan. Pues en Londres como que ya me hacía la idea que de coca nada, puesto que aquí todo son egg cremes y twix y kitkats... Pero mi amigo Vicens me la ha traido por sorpresa! El pobre se ha venido a casa a pasar la noche, en tránsito, y me ha sorprendido con una!






IT MADE MY DAY when Vicens, who came for the night, brought me this COCA directly from Spain! In Catalonia, on the 23rd of June, we celebrate Saint John´s day. Tradition dictates that we all eat the COCA with cava, it is sweet bread with cream and pine nuts and fruit all over.
During this night huge bonfires are built and we have fireworks all night long. It is in fact the shortest night of the year, and you are supposed to party til sunrise. It is the furthest day from Christmas which in the past meant it is evil and witches night, that´s why the bonfires and fireworks take place, to actually scare all the bad spirits off.

Thank you Vicens for the lovely surprise, it was totally not expected! Well, thanks to your mum because I am sure it was her who bought it! Love you lots and come through London as many times as you like... je je!

22 Jun 2008

THE GHOST HOUSE NEXT DOOR

This is a Victorian house next to home... it is abandoned. The council wants to knock it down and it´s a real shame.... I sneaked in.. on plain daylight... too scary to do it at night! All doors were locked though so I couldn´t get in.






through one of the back windows I could see a piano and an old bycicle in the shed... I can´t help thinking about the happy times playing music around the piano or the happy times riding the bycicle.... how were those happy times? what happened? where are they gone? and who lived there? or who was ever born there?.... where are they now? ...

20 Jun 2008

COMPTONS and MORE PICS FROM SITGES




Uptown in Soho for a beer... or two?

Met Marco, which was another M.O.

I thought we weren´t having them anymore!

Will have to go back!



we in England don´t have a drinking problem!






777777777777777888888888888888



AND due to some asking for more... in reality I have no more pics of our great times in London with Julián, in Sant Salvador, in Barcelona and in Sitges...


me tanned at home...

our favourite taxi driver having a meal at El Berro in BCN...


meet Ramón -with the beard- and John, on the left... our new friends in Sitges....

on the way to the beach in Sitges... we met Nico there with his boyf.

last night in Barcelona... happy hour at New Chaps... with... Jose, Eugenio, Gaspar, Jordi...

Julián help!

19 Jun 2008

DIVINA DE LA MUERTE MOVING HOUSE!



On monday I helped my friend Isabel to move house. She is moving closer to me so I can´t wait for the parties!


Isabel se ha mudado. Ha dejado el centro londinense por una barriada más perférica y más cerca de donde vivo yo... cuándo será la primera fiesta?


15 Jun 2008

ALISON - JAY´s CHARITY DO!



Meet Alison. Today I have been to a party. My friend Alison sang in it with her band and a few people from work were also there and we all had a very good time. The party was organised by Alison to raise money to help out Jay. Jay had an accident at work and he is now in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Alison raised 4000 pounds!! It was very emotional for all. It is amazing to see that there are still a few selfless people who go to great lenghts for a good cause and to help others. Hats off for Alison. You are one of a kind!

Os presento a Alison. Hoy he estado en una fiesta. Alison ha cantado junto con su banda. Éramos unos cuantos del trabajo. La fiesta era para colectar dinero para Jay. Jay tuvo un accidente en el trabajo y se ha quedado en silla de ruedas de por vida. La fiesta fue un éxito y Alison consiguió 4000 libras! Fue todo muy emocional y a más de uno se le salieron las lágrimas. Es realmente increible ver que todavía existen personas que no son nada egoístas y consiguen hazañas como ésta. Tengo mucho respeto para personas como Alison. Eres única!


p.s. if you need a band for your parties in London, I can get you in touch with Alison!!

14 Jun 2008

BACK



lovely evening back in London on the river Thames

SITGES - SANT SALVADOR - CUMPLE DE´N JORDI


Sitges.... who hasn´t been???




views from the terrace at the flat in Sant Salvador. Who wants to come???





mmm... Julián cooked paella!!! who hasn´t tried it??





perfect shopping: ensaimadas, donuts and bollycaos! You´d have to be spanish to understand.






FELIÇ CUMPLE, JORDI!!!




Waikiki beach... as it´s known: one of the best nudist hidden little beaches on the mediterranean spanish coast, very near Sant Salvador, just north of Tarragona. It´s a long 20 min walk to the beach, unreachable by car! Very quiet and clean...

30 May 2008

BA486-30MAY


on our way to BCN, with Isabel, who was also going to see her family and boyf and Saverio, returning from his english course... Julián so serious.... too much to drink maybe??
de camino a BCN, con Isabel, que también iba a visitar familia y amigos y Saverio, que volvía de su cursillo de Inglés... me no speak inglese... spaghetti or tagliatelle... ciao ciao!!!
y Julián con carilla de whiskey whiskey!

29 May 2008

FAREWELLS


FAREWELL to VAL, after 35 years of hard work. One day it will be me or you retiring from our jobs! Make the most of it.




FAREWELL to STEPH. Breast of luck in your new adventure in Australia! I´m coming soon to see you!


and FAREWELL to David and Julian.. we are going to BARCELONA tomorrow for 10 days and not sure will have access to update the blog, but keep watching!

25 May 2008

SUNDAY ROAST and TED´s PLACE



Sevillanas in Regent Street... spanish party in London.
461 couples dancing to beat the world guinness record.
Se batió el récord guiness de parejas bailando sevillanas en la calle:





el récord de belleza no se batió.... o si?




Sunday Roast... here with long lost friends Joan and Saverio...

Sunday Roast... comida de domingo en un pub tradicional de Inglaterra.
Roast Beef with all the trimmings... o sea, carne con patatas... no fritas.








Una copa en Ted´s Place... Julian´s lucky night?

23 May 2008

GEKO, OUT IN SOHO AND BREAKFAST WITH LES TERESINES S.A.



This is Geko, directly from KL... Gràcies Pilar!!!



















Jone, having cider...











aquí con Jone y con Juan...

















And Champagne breakfast watching Teresines...

21 May 2008

EUROVISION 2008

BOAZ MAUDA
Israel, 12 points!

20 May 2008

AU-PAIR, SOMALIA and JULIÁN IS ON HIS WAY!

My friend Nikki is looking for an Au-pair. I tought Au-paring was a thing of the past, back when we all foreigners came to the UK to study english, but NO! It is still very much going on!

Basically you become part of a family and you look after the kids while the parents are at work. Accomodation and food is all catered for and you get some pocket money to spend on your free time!

Sooo.. if you can think or know of someone interested in spending the summer, 9 months or a whole year in Horsham, very near London, please drop me a line dtorra@yahoo.com or a comment in here and I´ll forward you the details.




Mi amiga Nikki está buscando un Au-pair. Yo pensé que esto ya se había pasado de moda, que era cosa de aquellos tiempos cuando éramos jóvenes y veniamos a Inglaterra a aprender Inglés, pero NO, todavía sigue! Pues si sabéis o conocéis a alguien que quiera pasar el verano, nueve meses o un año entero viviendo en Horsham, al lado de Londres, formando parte de una familia, decídmelo por email dtorra@yahoo.com y os pongo en contacto! Es una buena oportunidad para aprender el Inglés. No hay que pagar ni alquileres ni comida y de paso te ganas un mini-sueldo para tus gastos en tus ratos libres. Ideal!





Today I met CALVIN, he lives in the UK but he is from Somalia. so, my question is, what do we know about Somalia?

Somalia is located in the Horn of Africa with the Gulf of Aden to the north and the Indian Ocean to the east. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, and Kenya to the southwest. The capital is Mogadishu. It gained independence back in the sixties from British and Italian colonizers, but it has never been at peace. Somali is the national language with Arabic widely spoken due ties with the Arab World and english, italian also, but less and less. 2008 estimates population at 10 million. The southern half of the country, with the bulk of the population, as of November 2007, is unstable, following the 2006 Civil War between the Transitional Government and the Islamic Courts Union.

Conflict broke out between the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (or "ARPCT") and a militia loyal to the I.C.U., seeking to institute Sharia law in Somalia. Social law changes, such as the forbidding of chewing khat, (khat contains an amphetamine-like stimulant which causes excitement and euphoria) and even the prohibition against watching movies and football in public, were part of moves by the ICU to change behaviours and impose strict social morals.





AND

on a happier note, JULIAN is soon boarding the plane to come to London!!!

JULIAN... a bottle of Jack Daniel´s will be nice.... thank you!

10 May 2008

BARÇA 6 VALÈNCIA 0



Went with Jordi to the Nou Camp to see Barça playing against València. We have lost the spanish league but that was a good match with a 6-0!


Barça - València... hem perdut la lliga però déu n´hi do quina golejada! En directe al Nou Camp.


KL - BIDARA CONDO





Missing Bidara!


Sebastian y Susana


Sebastian and Susana are married and live in KL and have great jobs.

Next month they leave everything behind and move to Spain to live in the mountains!

Best of luck to you two in your new life! Susana keep us posted with your blog!

Sebastian y Susana lo dejan todo para regresar a España. Que envidia! es lo que me sale del corazón. Susana mucha suerte y mantenednos al día con tu blog!