tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255998362012-02-16T13:08:10.364+01:00Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.comBlogger4311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-582932999048278842011-12-03T17:58:00.000+01:002011-12-03T17:59:04.212+01:00

Pangur BanI and Pangur Ban, my cat,'Tis a like task we are at;Hunting mice is his delight,Hunting words I sit all night.Better far than praise of men'Tis to sit with book and pen;Pangur bears me no ill will;He, too, plies his simple skill.'Tis a merry thing to seeAt our task how glad are we,When at home we sit and findEntertainment to our mind.Oftentimes a mouse will strayInto the hero Pangur's

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-33429559646732101562011-12-01T00:04:00.005+01:002011-12-01T09:29:00.074+01:00

See what I can do once I scrap the deadline pressure - meet the deadline! Yay! I went to bed at 5, went off to work at 49,132, with 868 words left to write. Tonight: 50,475. I rest my laptop.I am so chuffed with myself!

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-65374666006129991432011-11-19T11:20:00.003+01:002011-11-19T11:57:35.985+01:00

OK, I give up! I've hardly moved from this laptop in two weekends and on two public holidays; I've twice been up until 4.30 in the morning;I've written before work and after work; and this week, when after work it's been sleep or die, I've written twelve 12 A4 pages on trains and in underground stations between schools. I don't know what 12 A4 pages will add to my registered word count of 20,711

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-16389788387606879592011-10-29T14:06:00.002+02:002011-10-29T15:11:28.669+02:00

My husband is about to embark on a piece of lunacy, and I think I'm going to join him.It's NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month - brought to us by the Office of Letters and Light ( at http://www.nanowrimo.org/ )I have a full-time job which I am unsuccessfully trying to keep within bounds so that I can have a part-time life with my very nice husband. And I've got a full-time novel which I am

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-37622278691085179182011-09-04T19:44:00.002+02:002011-09-04T19:48:41.889+02:00

155 squares!

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-41803265123280158682011-08-22T14:46:00.006+02:002011-08-22T17:09:57.338+02:00

I was doing a Google Image Search this morning. (I love Google Images!), when, among the images I expected for my key word, I saw one that perturbed me. It was a picture of a very young girl, her long hair brushed to cover yet reveal her naked upper body, looking at the camera with all the wrong sort of knowledge in her expression and demeanour. I really didn't like it, partly because another

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-84349713903939416132011-08-22T11:41:00.002+02:002011-08-22T12:37:51.358+02:00

It rained last night! The first drops fell as the Pope was walking down the red carpet to catch his plane back to Rome after JMJ, or WYD, if you'd like that in English! (Also available in 12 other languages.). However, it (the rain! the rain! Do keep up!) then held off for hours. The clouds gathered. The wind rose. And rose. Enough to blow the potted lemon tree over, so that I had to move it to a

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-46209150457327222262011-08-21T14:36:00.008+02:002011-08-21T17:05:49.123+02:00

I've been sitting in this exact same place for days. It's too hot to move. It's also too hot to stay still, but I'm trying not to run the air conditioning all the time. Not all the time... Anyway, the crochet is coming on a treat. There's a lot to be said for embarking on a big, repetitive project when you're a relative beginner. Turning a ball of yellow yarn into forty flower centres, and then

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-48789049090361791612011-08-20T10:56:00.002+02:002011-08-20T11:16:35.571+02:00

Just to show I haven't gone off and slashed my wrists, here's one of those lists of what we can do to limit our personal (negative) impact on the planet, and an evaluation of a 2007 list commissioned by the UK's Environment Agency . There's a PDF at the top of Leo Hickman's article to the original (very pretty and upbeat) report, which I can't upload directly. Still,

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-39235761276299133652011-08-15T10:07:00.008+02:002011-08-15T19:09:17.279+02:00

I pass my days in a small happy activity, developing a humble practical skill that can be used to make things of great beauty and charm; working towards pleasure in a handmade comfort. I pass my days watching stems rise and leaves uncurl; blossoms unfurl, glimmer, fade and fall; pods emerge, lengthen and fatten. I think of summer herbs, winter salad, water conservation, mulch and compost;

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-70846011606132867092011-08-13T16:06:00.002+02:002011-08-13T16:08:25.703+02:00

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-20769129203565135262011-08-13T10:41:00.005+02:002011-08-13T11:05:07.091+02:00

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-57289010925846094492011-08-13T09:17:00.005+02:002011-08-13T10:06:06.397+02:00

We invited some friends round towatch the sun go down. A nice, relaxing end to the week.They arrived just in time for the lightning. We decided to sit out and enjoy the show with our summer cocktails and Keef's home-made tortilla chips and salsa. The wind and light rain on our skin were such a relief after three days and nights of sultry heat (34º the night before, and not a breath of air moving

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-24116340492923591032011-08-11T22:29:00.003+02:002011-08-12T01:12:38.840+02:00

I know it's a bit late, but even so. Both of us thought we heard the call to prayer this evening, and looked round to see the sun three-quarters of the way over the horizon, so perhaps we did. Iftar - time to break fast. But we're out of earshot of the big mosque in Tetuán. We were out of earshot when we lived in Tetuán! And also, although the first impression was islamic (in the same way that

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-5730403226007526692011-08-10T14:49:00.005+02:002011-08-10T19:02:22.919+02:00

Mid-to-high 30s. Too hot for the hammock (from fab indulgence shop TIGER, - Think IKEA round the corner, and without the furniture. Lots of practical, pleasurable, inexpensive Scandiwegian bits and bobs, like stripey hammocks (oh yes...!) and small, narrow-spouted, light-weight lime green plastic elephant-shaped watering cans........Yup. Got one of those, too.) And the basil's not keen. Then

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-76109424159425711612011-08-07T20:17:00.002+02:002011-08-07T20:27:52.518+02:00

First there was the fried egg on the left. Then, the nuggets in the middle. Then the fried egg on the right. (Beautiful, yes?)Then there was mass-production. By George, I think she's got it.And as the sun begins its descent into the West, (which means it's cool enough to go out) I am quietly chuffed to bits.30 down, just 214 to go...

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-8305293133624620672011-08-07T12:16:00.009+02:002011-08-07T14:08:48.959+02:00

I misunderstood an instruction, so instead of doing clusters of stitches, I did cluster stitches, and got these incredibly bulky flowers. Flipped over, they could be anemones, or coral. They remind me of the Order of the Garter, or the badge on Sergeant Dixon's helmet (Dock Green - when I was little!) It doesn't help that I made them before I figured out the correct way to do a starting circle,

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-91375584230738857832011-08-04T10:53:00.010+02:002011-08-07T13:54:09.938+02:00

You see the magenta outline around the lightning forks? And the dark purple clouds? OK. Now try and picture a shade of purple between those two colours - reddish, not bluish - and that's the colour of the yarn I used for my pansies. Can I capture it with my camera? Nope. Indoors, outdoors, morning, afternoon, increasingly random jabbings at -2 something to +1.7 something, assorted light settings,

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-55848227248514924952011-08-03T12:43:00.006+02:002011-08-07T13:54:37.970+02:00

I can crochet! I mean, I've got the hang of it again, having learnt last winter, and done nothing since. I made these yesterday, sitting outside with a whole series of cups of tea, hooking (and unhooking), and hooking (and unhooking) and......... until - Ta daah!OK, crocheted primroses may not be your cup of tea. (I'm not entirely sure they're mine...) but I think the yarn works very well for

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-87097933451450211812011-07-31T22:33:00.006+02:002011-07-31T23:31:23.739+02:00

I nearly forgot. On our way back from a walk today, we reached our parish church as the mass ended, and a few minutes later, some Ecuadorian members of the congregation came out of the parish hall, and danced, while everyone else looked on. July 31st is the feast of San Ignacío de Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. Maybe there are lots of Jesuits in Ecuador? I don't know, but the women looked

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-2183843510033423032011-07-31T09:46:00.014+02:002011-07-31T22:14:11.219+02:00

I've got this notion: dappled shade. That's what we're going to have. Also beautiful growing things: healthy, handsome, aromatic, delicious! Terrace as paradise. I learnt from Paul Fleischman's Seedfolks that the word paradise came into English, via Old Persian and Greek, from the older Avestan (Eastern Iranian language) para daesa, or pairidaêza, meaning walled garden - from which the Spanish

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-6561559322967202602011-07-31T08:09:00.005+02:002011-07-31T09:46:47.888+02:00

Our patch of skyIt may not be a beautiful view, but it's comfortable - our neighbourhood, as seen from our eyrie. It's very peaceful up here. And when we go down, this is a long-established barrio, with a mixture of traditional old brick casitas and mid-rise apartment buildings from every decade since, and more in progress. (Note cranes.) There are parks and playgrounds, an indoor market, a

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-72972472109317629942011-07-30T18:05:00.007+02:002011-07-31T00:25:52.801+02:00

I wrote the short version of The Golden Goose for 6-10 year-olds, but it caught the fancy of the older ones, so this is the extended version, as performed by 6-13 year-olds last summer. The notes are largely the same as in the shorter version.Two takes on a classic fairy tale, one set inside the other. The Prologue is set in the palace, where various characters are trying to make the princess

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-41685914478519633302011-07-30T16:49:00.003+02:002011-07-30T20:21:38.768+02:00

A classic fairy tale. It's in the narrative present, with lots of contractions as I think the short lines provide an opportunity to drill contractions and weak forms painlessly. However, if you want more of an old-fashioned, fairytale feel, you could go back to the full forms! Note subtle use of adjectives! There's a section on acrostics in Writing With Children, by Jackie Reilly and Vanessa

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-9336020843461560682011-07-29T20:42:00.009+02:002011-07-30T20:22:15.830+02:00

This is a heavily edited dramatisation I did for an EFL summer camp last year, of Tightrope, by Gillian Cross, who also wrote The Demon Headmaster books.The kids' parents had signed them up for a summer scheme at a language school, not one of the English courses we offer, so there had to be a balance between the human needs of kids on holiday (being with their friends, variety, interest,

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-21875251151337513192011-07-28T18:53:00.019+02:002011-07-29T01:24:16.041+02:00

Well,January: got promoted. Responsible for maintaining & developing our service in a state school. Love it: supporting other teachers as well as teaching. Spanish still terrible but improving because I see parents on a daily basis on the primary/junior site, and have to manage somehow. Parents generally very tolerant and supportive as I chew up and spit out their language, probably because they

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-76453241745309615542011-05-15T14:24:00.000+02:002011-05-15T14:26:28.902+02:00

The opening sequence. So familiar. Love it.

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-57244733732407183542011-04-16T21:30:00.003+02:002011-04-16T22:05:40.371+02:00

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-42697923901772203412011-04-02T18:47:00.001+02:002011-04-02T18:55:54.728+02:00

and the real thing

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-49626953927457331082011-03-29T00:04:00.003+02:002011-03-29T00:13:37.903+02:00

Happy Anniversary to Us. Tra la!

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-5367173100517014972011-03-06T09:53:00.003+01:002011-03-06T11:05:36.612+01:00

"The science confirms what we know in our hearts." Daniel PinkLa motivación intrinseca - autonomía, maestría y propósito - contra zanahorias y palos.

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-11943756300122453802011-02-13T15:45:00.008+01:002011-02-13T17:46:55.485+01:00

A few weeks ago, I needed the script of Arthur Miller's The Crucible in a hurry, and when I drew a blank in the bookshops, I went looking for it online. Web-savvy friends pointed me in the right direction, and I found what I needed, but along the way I came across a recorded performance at Audible.com, a subsidiary of Amazon. I wasn't sure I'd actually use a subscription, but I went for the free

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-19769374424670018102011-02-05T17:58:00.009+01:002011-02-13T17:53:02.595+01:00

On Monday, I was on the bus, and thinking about phoning my darling son. We were passing a park, when I saw a whopping magpie strutting on the grass, with a few friends. Given that a) you don't often see more than a couple of magpies at a time, presumably because you can't get that much ego into a small space, and b) I like the rhyme, I counted them: 6 for gold. Good sign! The bus moved on, and

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-79554957955870907022011-01-29T19:42:00.010+01:002011-01-31T22:27:34.431+01:00

Today I went in search of very special paper goods: a Frida Kahlo paper doll book, and some Charley Harper stationery.First stop, El Papel Protagonista. The what? Well papel can mean role, as well as paper, and protagonista, well, you know...And for those who really like to know these things, I give you the Diccionario Espasa concise inglés-español © 2000 Espasa Calpe:papel sustantivo masculino 1

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-61772592249371130402011-01-28T02:40:00.004+01:002011-02-01T20:22:55.822+01:00

También la lluvia

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-653552161618852132011-01-27T02:05:00.004+01:002011-01-31T22:30:04.810+01:00

I'm tired this week. Good, relaxing, tuned out weekend - dinner with friends, a couple of small special exhibitions, sleeping in til 11 Saturday and Sunday. Woke refreshed on Monday morning. 8pm Monday, dead person impression. What?Tuesday. Non-stop. Good, satisfying non-stop. Colleague became absolute favourite colleague of all time by putting a counter-coma cup of tea in front of me at 7pm so I

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-74358061386086287372011-01-23T16:43:00.010+01:002011-01-31T22:31:50.446+01:00

A friend posted this link on Facebook: Memo to ecovores: It’s cheaper being greenListen up, locavores, opportunivores, dumpster-diving fermentation fetishists, and Dave Matthews Band fans: A great many of us live by the same ecologically sound principles that you do. We, however, are not doing so because we nurture an abiding desire to "create choices" for ourselves or to "live intentionally." We

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-34438679497892469282011-01-23T01:44:00.006+01:002011-01-31T22:32:41.603+01:00

The Word Down near the bottom of the crossed-out list of things you have to do today, between "green thread"and "broccoli" you findthat you have penciled "sunlight." Resting on the page, the wordis as beautiful, it touches youas if you had a friend and sunlight were a presenthe had sent you from some place distantas this morning -- to cheer you up, and to remind you that,among your duties,

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-345384929215958642011-01-22T13:42:00.016+01:002011-02-01T22:39:26.351+01:00

Not a wish, but a fact. ¡Qué bien!Now then, Fate, God & Mammon, though not necessarily in that order.Part the FirstLast year was... interesting... For me, pivotal, I think. I'm a slow study, but I usually get there eventually. And now, I'd say I'm there. First year of rest of life. This year should be... interesting... !Last year? Seven or eight months of sorrow, worry, frustration, anger and

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-68059118963066915242010-12-15T20:51:00.004+01:002010-12-15T22:17:16.906+01:00

I came across this on Facebook.And I decided to share it, and leave a comment. Which stretched to 422 words. Which is a little over what FB comment fields can accommodate.So here I go again. Grr.Sixth-formers trying to hold on to the possibility of a university education. These people are smart enough to recognise that they're being lined up to be Britain's Lost Generation. Let's see, now... So

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-33748546014846256312010-10-23T07:59:00.008+02:002011-02-01T23:46:16.380+01:00

LO QUE ME GUSTAlino lana hilo sedamas o menos sea que seade tal palo tal astillaalbericoque almohadillasacapuntas maravillasgolondrina lavavajillasamapola albahacaazucena waka wakasol y sombra, peral hozalcachofa albornoznuez moscado mariposaguapa mono mas hermosaruiseñor frambuesa cardo¡madre! ¡tio! dar un bledooropelo gorriónterciopelo algodónpoco fresquito algo chiquitito pastorcito muy bonito

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-44320286043775728042010-10-16T13:33:00.002+02:002011-01-31T22:33:17.151+01:00

One for my little brother.Find Chris Wood's site and album here.And he's playing Bristol.27 Nov 2010Chris WoodColston Hall13 Colston Street, BRISTOL, BS1 5AR.0117 9223686www.colstonhall.org'nuff sed.Oh, alright then: Flawless.

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-24228705203613699842010-10-16T04:37:00.002+02:002011-02-02T00:33:20.839+01:00

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-85353620796359149272010-10-12T14:55:00.003+02:002011-02-02T00:17:24.555+01:00

They are not dead,Who leave us this great heritage of remembering joy.They still live in our hearts,In the happiness we knew, in the dreams we shared.They still breathe,In the lingering fragrance, windblown, from their favourite flowers.They still smile in the moonlight’s silver,And laugh in the sunlight’s sparking gold.They still speak in the echoes of the words we’ve heard them say again and

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-635449566406263572010-09-19T20:14:00.007+02:002011-01-30T14:22:01.856+01:00

Been there. Done that. Not dead. Who'dathunkit?Hard going at times, I probably ran a third of the route, and walked the rest, I've got a sore bit where my keys rubbed in my pocket, and my thigh muscles now only work going up stairs, not down, but I had such a good time! Sir Sir James had emailed me directions for meeting up, round the corner from La Latina Metro at 12.30. There were 23 of us

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-9196156238042487032010-09-19T09:23:00.009+02:002011-02-01T23:05:24.967+01:00

Mother and baby (me!) in the middle of nowhere. Winterton 1958Us again, with every amenity..and this is what she was listening to between feeds, nappies and walks. "Voice of the Xtaby" Salmonby Road, 1962?Lesley, William, Justin, NoelleFylingdales, 1973 ish. Where are Justin & Lynn?No idea, but I remember the jumper.Christmas (I assume from the hats, but what's with the vinegar bottle?!) 1974-ish

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-32543633210795002422010-09-18T14:35:00.008+02:002011-02-01T23:16:53.259+01:00

I am so popular at work. I walk in, and people stop what they're doing to beam at me and ask, "Got any pies?" Because my legendary Husband Who Cooks has become The Pie Man. (a.k.a. Piethagorus. I kid you not.)It started on Monday.So, is he making his pies?Yup. Porkpiessteak&kidneypieschicken&hampiesapplepiesbeefpasties(oh,andScotcheggs).Ooh! Apple pies?Yeah, and they're gorgeous, sharp and sweet,

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-3198993416859245222010-09-18T12:40:00.005+02:002011-02-02T00:05:06.603+01:00

Not me, this. Something nasty snuck into my blog from the host site, causing Google to flash up an ¡¡¡ADVERTENCIA!!! (er... alert...)if you tried to access it.Being a technophobe (a.k.a. normal human being; esp. f.; esp. of mature years) and also a complete wimp when it comes to interpreting an English language help page, never mind a Spanish one, I did the obvious, and dumped the host that has

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-26572917124940566012010-09-16T15:20:00.008+02:002011-01-30T14:21:11.899+01:00

I'm really tired this week, so I'm not sure I'm up for this, but I've got the details about Sunday's Madrid Hash House Harriers' run, which starts at 12.30; giving me two lie-ins to recharge the batteries. Not being very fit, I needed some reassurance as to likely distance and duration, and found it in MH3's advice for 'hares' (the people who lay the trail for the 'hounds').Variety is the spice

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-49279318729455746682010-09-14T16:25:00.001+02:002011-01-30T14:27:03.513+01:00

In some of my wilder moments, I've thought about joining the Hash House Harriers.As autumn approaches and I can count my visits to the gym on more than one hand, these wilder moments are becoming more frequent.So I went on the MH3 Madrid Hash House Harriers' site to find out more. I was doing fine, until I watched this video...... Over-ending? Doing Down-Downs? Ulp!!!!Of course, these guys are

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-52598581653671058902010-09-04T13:03:00.008+02:002011-02-13T17:49:50.833+01:00

A friend - a New Zealander who has lived for decades in Spain and Turkey, and become fluent in three languages (¡Pués! ¿Donde está mi Aprende Gramatica Y Vocabulario?) - is reading The Forty Rules of Love, by Elif Shafak, and recommended this talk as an introduction to a remarkable writer. Presumably to keep me occupied until she's finished, and lends me her copy. Now resident in a third country

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-19755165889591784462010-09-04T10:38:00.002+02:002011-02-02T00:05:30.119+01:00

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-66953757760974778152010-09-04T09:09:00.006+02:002011-02-01T23:55:30.996+01:00

Every year, I see posters for Noches de Ramadan - a series of free concerts towards the end of Ramadan, organised by Casa Arabe. Last night we got our act together and went to one.Gates opened at 9 o'clock on an outdoor tennis court in the Parque Casino de la Reina in Lavapiés, for a 10 o'clock concert by Oum, a singer whose music draws on her Moroccan roots, plus soul, funk, disco, fusion,

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-23837271317400593872010-07-10T16:08:00.007+02:002011-01-31T23:12:33.470+01:00

Skulking in our flat because it's 36C out there, I accidentally clicked on this video. If you don't like Vivaldi, you can always mute it and watch. Digital Impressionism.And next comes Summer, but not from Wintermood, who only gives us Vivaldi's Three Seasons.Ferenc Cakó is a Hungarian artist who specialises in animation with sand. Unfortunately, links to his website and other sites are broken,

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-6197489481519237252010-06-04T10:28:00.003+02:002011-02-01T23:30:08.540+01:00

Friday June 4th 2010 Yesterday felt like the first day of summer. I’ve had the window open at night for weeks, but on Tuesday the air was so warm and still that it felt like a fourth wall outside the window, so now we sleep – or try to – with the blind raised and the curtain tented to encourage any stray draught into the bedroom. Wednesday was a hot one, 33˚, and every Metro station smelt of

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-38707332145663394062010-01-11T00:32:00.002+01:002010-01-11T00:45:41.072+01:00

August? August?! I knew it had been a while, but..... August?! Must have been having fun!OK. New year. New start.................. the triumph of hope over experience........Feliz año a todos.

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-33097481675162083242009-08-02T13:24:00.007+02:002011-01-31T22:55:26.878+01:00

I miss our terrace. And the finca dream. But how many of us get to run away to the countryside anyway? What to do when the future - both personal and for the majority - is city life?This was in May's National Geographic: Up on the Roof By Verlyn KlinkenborgPhotographs by Diane Cook and Len JenshelA lofty idea is blossoming in cities around the world, where acres of potential green space lie

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-15823973090571073812009-05-02T14:11:00.006+02:002011-02-01T22:35:58.233+01:00

Back in 2004, my very dear friend Karamah gave me Carol Phillipson's Cross-stitch Designs from India for my birthday. This is a delicious book, full of patterns derived from Indian textiles, metalwork, leatherwork and architecture, from art, and even from travelling theatre. No, I haven't made anything from it yet, but since we moved into our new flat, which has space to do stuff, space to store

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-60426756927743603252009-05-01T21:07:00.001+02:002011-01-30T14:36:53.698+01:00

It's no good. I miss my yellow duckie.

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-8706257083321420362009-02-22T22:57:00.006+01:002011-02-02T00:33:47.039+01:00

Remember "Podemos!" the prophetic cry of the Spanish national football team (and almost every Spaniard and newly arrived foreigner...) last year? It translates as "We CAN!" (Some bloke in the US took his cue from Spain, and look where it got him.....) El País has done a feature on the desires and prospects of adults with special needs, after Izaskun Buelta, a young woman with Down's Syndrome, put

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-74552957145147788002009-02-15T22:34:00.010+01:002011-01-31T21:53:31.356+01:00

In April 2008, the Fundación Cultura de Paz, Foundation for a Culture of Peace organised an international meeting at the Monastery of Motserrat, just outside Barcelonia, to discuss the role of religion in the building of peace.Reuters photo: (L-R) Mohammad Khatami, former Iranian President and President of the Foundation for Dialogue Among Civilisations, Spaniard Federico Mayor Zaragoza,

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-27802494669542885372009-02-15T18:50:00.008+01:002011-02-01T23:22:55.608+01:00

A small group of us got together yesterday - at last - to sing madrigals. We had a lovely time,but I don't know much about music history and theory, so today I thought I'd look up madrigals, and try once more to get my head round the terms polyphony and monophony. We're talking Wikipedia time again. OK. Now I know what a madrigal is, but the other two terms just won't stick. I expect, though,

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-90052978096135382052009-02-15T18:45:00.004+01:002011-02-01T22:36:19.608+01:00

I keep coming across craftspeople who sell their work on Etsy. I can do Amazon, but get very nervous about Ebay, and have never tried it. And Etsy? No clue. Pie in the sky.I found this today: Ahhhhh. Now I get it.

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-36446839147166916002009-02-09T18:03:00.011+01:002011-02-02T00:28:23.001+01:00

Now there was a time when they used to say that behind every - "great man", there had to be a - "great woman", but in these times of change you know that it's no longer true, so we're coming out of the kitchen, (This is a good thing, as otherwise my beloved couldn't get in there, and I would get totally fed up of a diet of fried egg butties - Even though I make excellent fried egg butties.) '

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-946943288202444152009-02-08T05:23:00.005+01:002011-02-02T00:20:19.533+01:00

I ask him for his own assessment of his political weaknesses. He mulls it over."Sometimes I can be brash, and I can charge into things without thinking..." He smiles. "And I've had some incredibly good results! There's a quote from Lincoln: 'I've long since come to realise that a man with few vices has few virtues.' I think we have everything we need to be incredibly successful."I can't help

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-64405748082835411962009-01-31T23:59:00.007+01:002011-02-02T00:15:31.615+01:00

Paul Kaye 'A dark fog has enveloped us'When a rocket killed his mother-in-law in Israel, actor Paul Kaye was appalled by the celebrations in Gaza. Six months on, he feels a different kind of despairAt Shuli's funeral last May, her son Jonathon, my brother-in-law, gave a speech. "Where are the doves?" he asked. "What is this land worth without someone with a vision? Nothing. Without doves it

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-91748807819913750252009-01-24T14:56:00.005+01:002011-02-01T23:58:15.188+01:00

Interesting to see how an impressionist goes about his work.When we lived in England, Rory Bremner was king of the impressionists. Here's John Culshaw - new to me, but he's been around since the good old days of Spitting Image.

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-39437340878918646732009-01-20T20:16:00.006+01:002011-02-02T00:20:42.666+01:00

Barack Obama has been sworn in as the 44th US president. Here is his inauguration speech in full.My fellow citizens:I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and co-operation he has shown throughout this

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-90958558311425281422009-01-15T21:26:00.009+01:002011-02-01T23:38:36.703+01:00

1Long, long ago, the Semites lived in the not-yet-Middle-East. 2And then Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren....... Oh, and, by the way, Isaac also begat Esau. In fact Esau and Jacob were twins, and Esau, as the elder, should have inherited all Dad's (and Grandad's) worldly goods, prestige, divine approval, and some really good footnotes in Genesis,

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-55771002582154089002009-01-15T21:15:00.008+01:002011-02-01T23:39:00.274+01:00

P.S. Quick! Let's wipe 'em out before January 20th......... Over to you, Jon.

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-68290431549746132612009-01-15T20:49:00.004+01:002011-01-30T14:53:08.423+01:00

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-84866026606543964612008-12-31T17:44:00.004+01:002011-02-02T00:05:58.452+01:00

I’ve had a wonderfully musical year this year. First there was the searching and yearning for a choir to join.Then there was finding it, but not being able to join, but going to listen to colleagues’ bands.Then there was meeting a fellow music lover with similar tastes (i.e. We both like singing!)- She knows lots of stuff, and I know very little, but neither of us ever seems to get bored with

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-16726933547050050542008-12-31T15:57:00.007+01:002011-02-02T00:06:18.174+01:00

My romance with the music of North Africa began some twenty years or so ago, when I first heard a recording by Toumani Diabate, the Malian kora player (and prince, according to the blurb on the cassette I bought). I was enchanted. I don’t know what led me to his music, though back then I was listening to Ry Cooder, Peter Gabriel, and Paul Simon’s Graceland album which featured Ladysmith Black

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-59909875715744952332008-12-31T10:39:00.003+01:002011-02-02T00:06:47.208+01:00

Summertime (Paris Combo) - Angelique Kidjo FIFA 2007 - Angque Kidjo - Wele Wele - FIFA07 Lonlon [Ravels Bolero] - Angelique KidjoAngelique Kidjo EPK - Angelique Kidjo

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-39313030143047829162008-12-30T13:03:00.004+01:002011-02-01T21:00:56.280+01:00

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-45069230332872745792008-11-13T21:27:00.003+01:002011-02-02T00:34:03.630+01:00

Human Rights

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-40796193393980286182008-11-05T23:04:00.006+01:002011-02-01T23:30:39.353+01:00

I don't know when I last felt so thrilled by an election result. Thrilled!"There will be setbacks and false starts. The government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face, and I will listen to you - especially when we disagree." OK.

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-54366777158437115952008-10-26T22:40:00.005+01:002011-02-01T23:58:39.196+01:00

In the Telegraph online: Alaska's largest newspaper has endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for the White House, saying it would be too risky to put the state's Republican governor Sarah Palin just "one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world."and in this staff blog, Iain Toomey agrees, more on grounds of character than experience:In Christine Toomey's profile of Sarah Palin there

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-85195674428590757682008-10-06T20:50:00.006+02:002011-02-01T23:05:57.013+01:00

So we were talking to my dad on Skype, and he was asking about the former Nuestra Señora de Telecomunicaciones - now Madrid Ayuntamiento HQ, which he's seen in pics and -I think - on Google Earth; and Habibi said, "Why don't we take the laptop on the terrace, and show your dad the View?" So we did.Because we have the Technology.And he was green and pink with envy.There you are, Dad, in Madrid,

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-59446704868921563162008-09-30T23:22:00.006+02:002011-02-01T23:31:12.684+01:00

I did my audition for the Coro de Mujeres de Entredós (women's chorus - soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto) - a dauntingly large turn-out for half a dozen places, and I got in! I am thrilled to bits. I've wanted to join this chorus for so long, bought a CD, been to a concert, practised songs from both - and now I'm in!Entredós is a women's centre with a social, cultural and political agenda.There's

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-38036312475968971152008-09-29T18:14:00.004+02:002011-02-01T21:53:42.504+01:00

Paseo del Prado, Saturday morning'Tres meses de invierno'And it's still only September!

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-35465489191071577712008-09-28T10:27:00.006+02:002011-02-01T22:23:12.737+01:00

Guys,If your new Spanish girlfriend ever uses these words to cancel a date, let your sympathy be genuine, not a blind to frantic mental shrieks of 'Too much information!' and a resolution to refile the poor girl under 'E' (for Eeeewwwwwwww!!!!) in your addressbook just as soon as she puts the phone down.She's got a cold.On the other hand, if she rings to tell you she's enstreñida....... oh for

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-59435155349350178922008-09-28T07:30:00.006+02:002011-02-02T00:18:55.981+01:00

Soy profe de inglés, y como profe, se bien que para tener exito en otra lengua, todos los días se necesita hablar, escuchar, leer y escribir. Solo un poco - pero todos los días, o, por los menos, tan frecuentemente que posible. ¡Poco y a menudo! Es un buen consejo, y cuando yo lo de a mis alumnos (¡con grande sonrisa!) ellos suspiran y asenten con la cabeza...... ¡Ai! Qué lío.....Pero no practico

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-66590280056763851652008-09-27T18:08:00.008+02:002011-02-01T22:39:49.181+01:00

The other night, I wandered onto the website of Tamar Mogendorff. Go see! Inspired by her birdies, I've been playing with felt, and having a wonderful time. I'm not satisfied with the upturned tail or the pot belly, so of course I'll have to make another one. I enjoyed playing with the position of the black bead and scrap of yellow felt to get not just the position of the eye, but also -

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-19948058250967066892008-09-25T13:07:00.010+02:002011-01-31T21:45:30.486+01:00

I once got an email from a Nigerian widow who had learnt that I was a wonderful person and was therefore sure that my compassion and good sense would extend to helping her move her late husband's megaNairas* from his secret cash cache, via my bank account, to somewhere else where they could be Put To Good Use for the Benefit of the Deserving (widows, presumably), thus evading the grasping claws

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-59089541003756936882008-09-23T18:29:00.011+02:002011-02-01T22:38:55.669+01:00

Last week, when I was Deeply Fed Up, I went looking for blogs to cheer myself up. Molly Chicken (away with the fairies - it's quieter there.) did it for me. I want to live next door to this woman, not least for our similar take on the important things in life, although I would not lend her my Dyson. If I had one.This afternoon, having been restored to my normal (and I use the term loosely)

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-74082823385675530762008-09-21T22:25:00.012+02:002011-02-01T20:23:25.738+01:00

My first job, in the shade on a warm Monday afternoon, was to pick the Cabbage White eggs and caterpillars off the cauliflower seedlings. Having once seen my beautiful nasturtiums (Did you know nasturtiums were brassicas? Neither did I!) devastated by these gourmands, I had no qualms. All I had to do was deposit them in this plastic container, and shake it from time to time, because otherwise the

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-90434272378400415862008-09-21T14:57:00.008+02:002011-02-01T23:20:35.200+01:00

Country cousins, corn and beans do well together. Planted side by side, the beans climb through the corn and up the stakes like a green trellis, and everything ripens in its own good time, tra la! But there has to be a catch, and here it is.Trailing Bindweed may be a prosaic name, but it succinctly indicates the social habits of the pretty Columbine, all delicate pink and white skirts and

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-48767728345514963812008-09-21T14:21:00.005+02:002011-02-01T20:25:19.101+01:00

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-22959078516003278122008-09-20T12:25:00.006+02:002011-02-01T23:46:42.227+01:00

Ask my husband, he'll tell you. That's kind, tolerant and probably slightly terrified husband who looks after me a treat, by the way. This is no tale of sorry misunderstood wife, lonely and unappreciated.Picture a dog chasing its tail - a happy image. Picture a guinea pig chasing its tail: hmm, girth to length ratio, shortness of tail, narrow field of vision - less happy. Guinea pigs, in my

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-47215189680392304472008-09-07T21:56:00.017+02:002011-02-02T23:27:24.873+01:00

This was my third visit to the Museo Sorolla. I fell in love with Sorolla's work - that's Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida - when I happened on an exhibition in Granada a couple of years ago, and I don't know how it could have taken me a year to visit this special place. Yes I do: unsocial hours. I'm hoping for a better timetable in my second year!The first room - lots of family paintings. This is his

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-88946243033836717012008-09-07T21:45:00.004+02:002011-02-01T20:26:47.966+01:00

Possibly the most handsome street in Madrid.There's so much more to see - but I need morning light to do the other side of the road - and a break in traffic for other bits.

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-57239283861607553392008-09-06T16:21:00.008+02:002011-02-01T22:58:33.232+01:00

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-62996822277063360252008-09-06T16:15:00.005+02:002011-02-01T21:54:04.725+01:00

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-66093536953274230522008-09-06T16:06:00.005+02:002011-02-01T21:54:29.830+01:00

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-38375424185040910622008-09-05T08:10:00.013+02:002011-02-01T21:55:53.567+01:00

Most of my life has followed the rhythms of the academic year, which has always meant a new beginning in September. In Dubai, we'd be back at work in the final days of August, but the kids didn't come back til September, and that was what mattered.I remember being in England one summer, as August rolled into September, staying I think with my brother and his family when they lived near

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-27060701723696698672008-09-04T22:27:00.008+02:002011-02-01T23:53:08.496+01:00

And the reason for the one woman blog fest is that I am on holiday for a month, so I've got time to catch up, and pin down my memories afore they disappear.And because I'm going to be away for the next fortnight, WWOOFing again!That's tootling off to be a Willing Worker on an Organic Farm - I get country life and board and lodging, and my hosts get cheap enthusiastic labour. As long as everyone's

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-69340585910427153362008-09-04T22:11:00.007+02:002011-01-31T23:14:25.281+01:00

Who are they? Where can you see them?

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-85331382446663150972008-09-04T20:21:00.016+02:002011-01-31T23:15:03.533+01:00

This is another catch-up - from May 4th - when we came across a part of Retiro we'd never seen before - and another example of the gleaming thread of surrealism woven into the fabric of Spanish culture.-0-At first, it's simply a very handsome municipal garden; but what's that on the right, just beyond the tidy lawn, the extravagantly curvilinear pansy border, and rather restrained topiary?O.K....

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25599836.post-45547280497791687922008-09-04T10:09:00.023+02:002011-02-01T20:28:41.414+01:00

It was only yesterday that I realised I'd never posted our day out in Aranjuez in June. Too busy doing to write. Of course, Habibi is more organised! So here we go.We walked down from the Moorish style railway station - shades of Toledo - along tree-lined roads, stopping at a corner cafe bar for a break, and then rounded said corner to find we were almost there. The palace of Aranjuez used to be

Mama Duckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10073869820209508894noreply@blogger.com0