Summer activities

Since I have so much free time on my hands now, I'm trying to get my act together and send a package to Australia via seamail, so it arrives more or less when we do. Unfortunately, I hate packing so my days are spent procrastinating.

Here are some things I've done to date:

La Hoguera, las fiestas de San Juan: To celebrate the summer solstice, some friends and I went and burned things near the Plaza de Toros. You have to bring an old item of clothing, a list of ten things you want for the coming year and a list of ten things you want to disappear in the coming year and then you throw them into the massive bonfire. It's a tradition that harks from witch-burning days (in the past they used to burn witches instead of clothes and pieces of paper).

Monasterio de Santa María de Toloño: Last Saturday, a few friends, Beza and I climbed to the top of a small mountain to see the ruins of a monastery built in the 9th Century. My arse was sore the next day from the uphill climb but it was worth it. We had morning tea at the top but it was pretty chilly so we soon came down. There's a well the monks dug that used to serve as a fridge. In Winter it would fill up with snow and they'd bury food in the snow to keep it from going off. Because it's so high up, the snow wouldn't melt until well after Spring.

Muñeca: A friend of ours went to another city to work for a few days and left his dog with us. We had lots of fun together, the dog and I. We went for three walks a day, we went to have morning tea with Beza and we sunbaked and had many a siesta together on the sofa in our patio. When she went home I felt very empty and alone.

Jewellery and yoga classes: I signed up for three-week courses in jewellery making and yoga. I'm into my second week and I'm quite enjoying it. Yesterday in the jewellery class, we made brooches using Chinese knots. Since I'd already learnt Chinese knotting, it was pretty easy for me but the teacher ran around from one student to another screaming 'Undo that knot! No, you knot with the left string, not the right! What have you done? It's so basic- you knot from the left to the right, and now, the right to the left, and now a half knot!' I thought she was going to weep with frustration.

(I told my dad I was doing jewellery classes and he laughed and asked 'Why do you want to be a jury?')

Nephew's birthday party: Beza's nephew turned four and to celebrate, his parents threw together a gathering. I had more fun than expected- it wasn't like a birthday party in Australia, with organised games, a cake and the parents watching their kids with eagle eyes and complimenting each others' brats while secretly thinking 'my child has better developed motor skills than yours.' Basically, there was a table with food, where the adults congregated and the kids were thrown in a pile together and left to their own devices. That's the kind of kiddy party I like.