Pic update

Song of the day: “Grenade” by Bruno Mars. Embarrassingly I am still a sucker for romantic songs. Hah.

So another weekend over and done with, right? Lots has happened, and just because of that I’m going to do a bit of a picture blog to boot.
I got several folks to pose for me, and since a couple of them have their own sites, I figure I do some networking and help them out by posting their links right here for y’all to see.

First Lynn, who organizes the market. So pretty, but terribly shy. Like me she prefers to be behind the camera, rather than in front of it. First she only wanted to be on it with cousin Ed, but then I explained that I really wanted a portrait, at which points she got all self conscious. So we laughed some, talked a bit, and then, in a moment of relaxation I shot this one.

It shows off her splendid smile, eh? If I ever get her to pose properly, I’m going to do her more justice, though.

Then there is this lady, who I’d really would have liked to make a portrait off, but when I explained what I wanted, she was adamant that I couldn’t do a facial shot, only of her with her products, and her cause.
So hereby…

And the link to her cause. http://mujeresenlasveredas.blogspot.com.es/ Apparently it is some sort of effort by (mostly) women who head on up in the mountains to open up old paths for hikers, and re-educate them about the flora and fauna of the area, and letting folks find pleasure in walking the paths that folks walked for necessity in the past. Sounds like fun, and if I actually had time for such things, I’d probably join up occasionally. Hah.

Then there is Monty Monteros who sings Spanish flamencos, some pop and basically entertains the folks at Funny beach, always ready with this big grin. Here’s a pic.

He didn’t mind posing at all. Makes all too clear why his chosen profession is performing, right? Being able to pose without a prob is an excellent talent then. Hah.
And his link is. http://www.montymontero.com so if you’re in need of an entertainer at a party, or some such in the Marbella area, he’s the one you have to contact.

Alright, enough advertising. I picked several of the portraits of the market for the Photoblog, but some will do splendid over here. So here we go.

The stand:

One of our fellow stand holders, who was kind enough to pose for me. Maria Carmen

So kind always, and talking a mile a minute, whether I understand her or not. Hah. I took a rather great pic of her mum, who’s in her nineties, nearly completely blind, but proud as a fiddle that she’s allowed to go along to the market. She really enjoys it, and gotall aflutter when I asked her to pose. She’ll be going up on the photoblog, so you’ll see soon.

Also this cutie, the kid of a young couple who were nice enough to let me take a pic or two. She was smiling soooooo sweetly.

Market wise the day was a bust. The only thing that saved our earnings was an order for three yoga mats at the end of the day, which need to be delivered two weeks from yesterday…which is fine. We’ll be there anyway. If I understood it right, the guy wanted them for the loft playroom he has for his grandchildren, which they are perfect for, naturally. Hah.

Did get some writing done, and some reading. Had planned on a dip, but didn’t go for it since it turned out that the weather was turning. Twice during the course of the day, a strange fog came rolling in from the sea. A Stephen King moment waiting to happen, I tell ya. Hah. Had some nice chats, and the day passed fast as you please. Was friggin’ starving at the end, an oftentimes occurrence these past few days…which reminds me that I should still mention Saturday.

I slept terribly. I mean it. I was out like a light, woke up at five and then was unable to fall back to sleep. Grrrr. Added to that, when I came up it turned out that grandpa was sick and wasn’t able to do any of the preparations he usually does. Like bake pancakes. Meaning no breakfast, and what’s worse, I had not time to make anything for lunch either. Meaning I was starving twice in a row. *sigh* (Poor Sammie)

I also had shots of the other the market but it’s getting late so I’m not going to put them up. Let’s just say I took some really nice shots, a few of which were these. LOL
The rest I’m keeping for the photo blog. *winks*

Our neighbors.

Very well…had low sales there, which is partly due to the fact that the weather was just too nice for people to bother with the market when the sea was only a few hundred yards away. *sigh* Didn’t mean that I didn’t have some nice chats with folks, or that mom and little brother turned up with the money purse I forgot in the mess of the morning.

Afterward we did have to do a pick up, and then, once home, there was the potato veggie salad to put together…which wasn’t half as nice as big brother’s mac & cheese that was waiting for us when we got home after seven in the afternoon yesterday. Hah.

A bit of good news for today was that tenant finally agreed to let me help her onto the toilet. Yep. The first time in months, which is one step on the way back to recovery, at least. Went really well, meaning that I can actually help her more if she keeps it up, freeing some of caregiver’s time now that Sally needs so much help…Sally being terribly confused still, mixing up locations from the past, events, not to mention things that haven’t actually happened at all, just in her head. It is rather disturbing. If she gets any worse, we’re going to have to make sure that the gates are locked, or else she might head out thinking she needs to be somewhere. A scary thought, what with the busy road up there.

Today was a busy one, once more. You know, right, the chores, the dogs (had to take Sitabah back to the vet, and Tadaika too, who had a swollen toe, which we feared was broken). Knight II’s ear is on the mend, but he’s making a pest of himself by constantly trying to get rid of his cone collar, the sneaky eejit. He was bleeding somewhat fierce yesterday. Definite plusses of the day would be that I managed to wrap my teeth around a small piece of meat (good Sammie) and practiced my Spanish.

Well, this is it for me today. Time to start getting ready for bed.

34 and counting

Song of the day: “Amazing Grace” by the Maverick choir. Didn’t see that one coming, did ya? Never think that my brain can’t come up with a proper ear worm. Hah.

Alright then, Saturday…drawing a complete blank for a moment here. Darn it. I’m going to have to grab my diary…
Okay, we’re in business.
Dreamed of Ireland. Yep, now I remember. Gawd, I was in a really nice and green place somewhere in the southwest. There was this big old homestead and I was walking through the woods, which was rather amazing…not to mention beautiful. I was really regretful of waking up.

Well, I got up regardless, of course, and started on the day doing such mundane stuff as laundry, feeding the dogs, and then editing, of course. Didn’t go bad either, finished it (at the end of the day) with only 12 pages to go.

Did some work on the kitchen, hauled rocks down there, along with bricks and concrete blocks before starting on some masonry. Added more to the wall. Changed my mind on one side and am going to make it concrete, rather than halfway with glass on top. No use putting I glass if there’s a closet and fridge in front of it.
Added to the edge, poured some more concrete there and then had to go out to check on the new job location.

Tiny, yet quaint little house in the middle of the village. You could totally do something with it if ya put in a little time and effort. As to the job, it will be doable. Wall scraping, painting and then a general cleanup. I’m going to ask if it’s okay if I take pictures for the blog. Hah.

On the business side of things, mom and the sibs have bought a van for their markets, so that means that Cousin Ed and I can use the Land Rover in the future, which is way better. Yay. Personally I find buying a van in this economy, and with the markets slowly bleeding dry, a dangerous risk, but then, it is not my risk to take, but theirs. They saved up, made a decision and went for it. Their company, their choice. For them, I definitely hope it works out.

Cooking yesterday involved leftovers of the day before, one a crust with mozzarella on top, grilled. A rather wonderful dish, actually.

So that brings us to today.
Had to get up at six this morning. My dogs didn’t much agree with that, but thankfully weren’t too noisy in their disapproval. *sigh* Didn’t much feel like breakfast, so I just nibbled on some serial, hooked up the wagon and left.
Arrived at the market on time (only drove wrong once) and quickly got to unloading. Not a particularly pleasant day, weather-wise. Loads of winds, even there in town (more so at home, apparently) which made the day a busy one while we tried to keep track of everything that was inclined to blow off at the least provocation. Didn’t park the car there today, by the way, seeing as cousin Ed had to go to some sort of charity thing today to see if she could arrange help for Sally.
Personally I walked through most of the market. Bought a nice stack of glasses for bargain prices, along with a really sturdy cooking pan with a proper size for big meals. I would say it’s hotel size and has a long single handle, which is handy when you’re cooking. Managed to haggle on the price (I have no shame these days) and brought it down from fifteen to ten. Not bad. Also bought myself a pashmina for my birthday tomorrow…well today, actually, it’s past midnight. Hah. 34 years and counting.
Talked with only a few people. Unlike Funny Beach this is not the type of market where folks stand together and talk. Basically it’s the difference of a small town market and a chain-supermaket. The first is cozy, the second impersonal.
The general consensus amidst market folks is that the markets are bleeding to death, which is a shame. It doesn’t help that most of ‘m started out as being run by market holders, only to have been shoved aside by town hall wanting to have the dough and the control. *sigh*
Pity.
As to selling. Sold a mini dog bed of 10 bucks, which basically makes up the “rent” of our spot, a doll and that’s it. Hah. The guy who bought the bed was a nice one. I don’t think he actually needed one, but he had a Beagle (loved it to pieces) and when he heard how many dogs we have, he insisted on buying something.
Also talked to a nice lady who’s in a bit of a fix because she is moving back to Austria and can’t take her dog along. She’s looking for a new home. She asked if I might know of someone. *sigh* Poor doggy.
Another nice girl was the stand holder across from us. We bitched a bit about how folks find everything to expensive, despite the fact that her stuff wasn’t second hand, and the stuff I had wasn’t factory-made. I get the haggling, I really do. Heck, I do it myself. But I also understand the frustration of the stand holders who are trying to make a living. This girl ended up buying a tiny Winnie the Pooh elephant. She couldn’t resist, since she was a sucker for elephants. Despite the fact that it wasn’t really for sale separately, we have a whole Winnie the Pooh set going after all, I let her have it for a buck. Hah.
From noon I was on my own, but since nothing else got sold after that, it wasn’t all that big a problem.
Cousin Ed returned before the end of the market so we could load up together and head back on home. What with the wind blowing, the decision to head onto the highway wasn’t the smartest idea, that little wagon swayed like mad, so we got off again ASAP. Arrived home after three, unloaded and made supper of pumpkin. Soup.

Considering big brother had a dentist appointment today, he picked up some bread on the way back, which worked well with the pumpkin soup later in the evening.
At the end of the afternoon it was time for us to head out for a donation…dog veggies. A store sorts through what it can’t use at the end of the day, and most of the time we can take home a load that goes well for the dogs.

That done we got home, had supper, and managed about one page in the edit before it was time to write the blog. Meaning that this is the end of this one, and I’m going to hit the sack. Yay.

Fun diversity

Song of the day: “Payphone” by Maroon 5. Funny song. Not really deep, or anything, but what else can you expect of an earworm.

It’s a good thing I wrote 6 pages yesterday, and another four the day before that, because my focus today appears to be flying all over the place. I’ve been trying to start on this friggin’ blog for more than an hour, and yet I’ve only managed these two small paragraphs. *sigh* Have a total of 237 pages, yay!

Right. Let’s get to it.
For the most part the day before yesterday, and yesterday, were pretty much par for the course. There was the writing bit…am at the moment in the middle of a rather intense scene set in 1936 in pre-war Paris. It is a rather sad piece of grand hopes and dreams being nipped in the butt. I got all teary, and since the plan is to write the scene to the climax today, I’m thinking I’m going to be unable to keep my eyes dry. *sigh*
It’s a good thing that this book will be all about the drama, ‘cause otherwise I’d be in trouble. Hah.

There was gardening, of course, which involved yanking out vines, weeds and whatnot to discover hiding beets and such, not to mention knee-high grass. Yikes. I was itchy all over afterward. Totally needed a dip thereafter. At the moment bed-time is a bit of a problem for me. I just can’t seem to manage to get there before one in the morning (shoot over it by at least an hour, sometimes two) meaning that getting up at my usual time is more than a little troublesome. I’m going to have to do something about that because I don’t like it. Mornings are extremely nice, and I would like to keep them.

Cutting dog food, naturally. I’m practicing speed with the cutting, which was interesting since I was about a millimeter away from chopping off the tip of my finger. Yeah, yeah, I know. I was definitely not the smartest of the litter with a stunt like that, but I promise I’ll be more careful in the future. I mean really, I managed to do the veggies in less than 20 minutes. That’s worth some risk, right? Hah.

I’ve taken to feeding Knight II extra in the evenings, because let’s face it, Mr anorexic is a horrible eater and refuses to take more than the absolute minimum with any meal meaning he’s going to get two stuffed down his throat. Silly dog.

So let’s discuss the market. Yep, it was that day of the week again (ergo my reason for being late with the blog) and we arrived about ten minutes late because we left late. No matter, though we managed to unload fast enough (an hour and a half) and were putting the final touches to our stand. Sold two bags in the first fifteen minutes of the market’s start to some nice Italian girls who made a sport of haggling a five Euro discount because they took two. Hah. They were nice about it, so I didn’t mind all that much.

There was loads of interest throughout the evening, clearly the regular Spanish customers are back, meaning that there was an interesting mélange of foreigners and locals alike. Lotsa Russians today, along with a somewhat depressed-looking young Russian mother, who loved the snugglies, but couldn’t talk her partner into buying one for her. Poor thing was all disappointed, and I just kept holding my breath while I watched her walk around with that tiny little baby, so fragile, as she made her way through a boisterous crowd. So dangerous.
Not only Russians, but also Italians, French, Germans and Israelis. So much diversity, it makes it fascinating to watch.

Woman kept lingering over the purses, fondling the fur, leather and fabrics with obvious affection, and a French woman almost buying one, if only the shoulder band had been a little shorter. *sigh* I should have taken a sewing set. Could have solved that problem easily.

There was a Scottish mom of two who loved the carrier bags for dogs. When I asked, she explained that she had a yorkie mix at home, and she seriously pondered a colorful red and yellow bag, before muttering something about “next time” before moving on…while throwing glances back.

Also a British couple showed some real interest in a dog carrier bag. They kept coming back, and looking at it, turning it over as the woman explained that she has two Chihuahuas and a yorkie that she would like a bag where she can carry all three of them at the same time.
She ended up with a Tika Art card and the promise of sending an email with sizes and instructions. We’ll see how that goes. Nice couple, though.

There was a couple of Spanish ladies interested in the light blue dog beds, who said they’d be back near closing time. Another woman who said the same thing, but they didn’t actually come bye until we were done packing and already on our way. Hah. No problem, waved cheerily at each other and I’m left to wonder if any of them will be back next week.

An American lady was fascinated by one of the quilts done in bright blue hues. She came back three times in total, until finally digging into her wallet and finding that she was 25 bucks short. If it had been ten, I would have let her and her son have it, but 25 is a lot, and is also not my choice. The prices are low compared to the hours of work that are put in it.

Lots of interest in my tie dye again, though no sales. A few close calls, though. Not that close counts, of course. What’s that saying again? “Close is like a lingerie shop without a window”. Still don’t know what that means, but what the heck, you get my meaning, right?

The photographer was walking around again, but he has definitely giving up on us and no longer asks if he can take our picture. Success. Didn’t chat with him last night (bet he was looking for easier prey, hah) but watched him have people pose this way and that, while urging them into more obvious poses of “displaying” their merchandise. I do have to say that folks don’t mind being photographed these days. In fact, most seem to revel in it. Makes me feel like the last shy person around. Hah.

All in all, it was a fascinating evening of watching folks go bye and seeing the responses to rich fabrics. (Isn't diversity grand?) Didn’t get home ‘till one thirty, and by the time I’d greeted the dogs, changed clothes, jotted down notes in my diary, and got ready for bed time, it was after two in the morning. *sigh*

Well, all done. Better see if I can get some serious writing done still.

Some near disasters

Song of the day: “Wide awake” by…hold your breath, Katy Perry. Seriously, what’s it with my head having earworms of singers I don’t even like all that much. Luckily the song is not a bad one.

Well, I have to keep this short because if all goes well I have to go up to load up the car with Cousin Ed so we can leave for the market in Malaga. If we can manage to get there (the Land Rover is giving us fits) it is going to be an interesting evening, because the temps are, at this very moment 100 +. Yep. Every bit of movement causes a burst of sweat to break out, so slow movements are key for the day……

Okay, change in plans. Didn’t manage to write yesterday’s blog. By the time I started writing, big brother and mom came home from a quick trip into town that turned out to be longer than expected, because basically they couldn’t get the car up the mountain. Shaite. And that while cousin Ed and I still had to load up for the market. Grrr.

So anyway, I called the mechanic, and he told me that the injector must have gotten worse, and that we’ll just have to do the repair sooner than planned, darn it. Still, I had a job to do, so we loaded up the car regardless and set out toward Marbella, through the back road, because I didn’t want to risk the beach road with all its traffic. We made it, just barely, going as fast as possible at what was mostly a downward slope. Gained enough speed at those to get up the two inclines that we encountered (thank gawd I know that road well) and then, in the sweltering heat of at least 100 degrees, we drove down toward Marbella where the temps dropped a solid eight degrees. It was wonderful, it was bliss, and gradually the breeze dried the mm thick sheen of sweat on my skin. Yay!

We arrived only fifteen minutes late, and started setting up (sweating all over again) as planned. Had to do some serious footwork with the car in order to get it up to the car-park afterward, but managed. Everything was set up about an hour later, and the patrons started to arrive.

The photographer was there again, and he did ask to take a picture again (don’t worry, I’m pretty sure he does that with practically anyone, hah) but I still wasn’t comfortable enough. There was this moment where I was leaning against this old fashioned lantern, and suddenly I saw him at a distance lining up a photograph. Silly but my first instinct was to push away from the lantern and move out of the shot. He later assured me he wouldn’t take a picture unless I agreed with it, so I’m going to stop worrying. Heck there actually might be a day that I won’t tense up when the guy comes walking past. Hah.

I did settle on a nice “market outfit” yesterday. I had on a warm brown peasant skirt with white cotton lace at the bottom, topped by a sleeveless white top, warm brown floppy hat, and dangly earrings. I mean seriously, I don’t get all that much opportunities to dress remotely nice, so I am definitely using these days to have some “outfit” fun. Heck, my white sneakers underneath (definitely need my insoles when I’m on my feet for that amount of time) didn’t even detract from the image. The only downside was that I was wearing a turquoise bikini top under the white, which shone through. I thought it clashed with the brown, but what the heck, it’s a beach joint. Hah.

Had a few chats, recognized a few face from last week. Not the nice Hungarian women, guess they didn’t find it worth it. Neither was the unemployed Spanish woman, which was a pity. On the other hand, there was this nice Spanish lady who made jewelry, across from us, and beside her two young women with piles of wonderful second hand clothes. Hah. As a plus, unlike the last time, we got two big spotlights set specifically on our merchandise, so it looked splendid. No spectacular sales, but we made expenses at least. Yay.

As to the experiment I’ve been working on the past week (did some tie dye clothes) there was quite a bit of interest, and I even sold one shirt. It was the best one too, it had a circle in the center that went all the way through, back to front, and gawd, if it had been my size, I’d have kept it myself. Hah.

Now, the way back…it was fascinating. Since I have gotten a bit used to the present problem of the Land Rover, I thought it better I drive back as well. Managed to get up the incline (Funny Beach is off the highway with a hair pin road) with little trouble, but I did need to shift to low gear at the end, because my poor baby just refused to get up there. Annoyed some of the other sellers, but what the heck. Then, at the ramp of the highway, it turned out that it was the busiest moment of the day, with traffic zooming past at top speed. Oh my gawd, waited a solid three minutes before there was a gap big enough that I dared risking to get on, and when I did, I barely managed to gather enough speed to get on. There were two cars, coming up behind me fast, and they honked furiously while storming past. Jeez. Friggin’ scary!

Drove home having serious dialogue with the car, keeping her going at a steady clip, the rev just a bit over the top to keep her pulling, and just keeping our fingers crossed that there would be no traffic jams. There weren’t and after about five miles the highway cleared of traffic, giving us a clear road all the way to the mountain. That’s when the fun started. Managed about one third of the way in two, then had to shift back to one, and came to a standstill at the steepest part, right under the village. Gawd. I had to put the car into low gear, and even then I could only shift to two to keep her moving. Which was even scarier than the highway, because a car came up behind us, going a solid fifty and braking less than a yard behind our butt. Jeez! Made it up the mountain going 4 mph at most, and when we did, I pulled over for a deep breath and to put it back into normal gear. Rather than go over the village, we went through (no steep inclines there) and made it home (slowly) but without incident.

Big brother was waiting for us with food, and after a few minutes on the internet to unwind, it was time for bed at the three in the morning. It was an adventure, I’ll say that much.

As for the day and stuff before the market incidents…
The day before yesterday really was a quiet day, with writing, a trip to town to drop of the Opel so the radiator could be flushed (luckily the Opel is now done, meaning that we can drop the Land Rover off without lacking transportation) and then down to the basin terrace to write. Not a lot of pages (four and a half at most) but a good scene nonetheless. The characters finally got chatty, which was good since it’s two old girlfriends who know each other well. And boy were they chatty, they were still talking yesterday when, after ironing some clothes, I finally got to a couple of hours of writing (managed another three pages then).

No cooking in the past couple of days, which is stupid. With my deficiencies I really should skip on hot meals with lotsa veggies, but seriously, who’s got the time? I sure don’t.

There were the normal chores. The laundry, preparing and feeding dog food. Harvesting, watering, and of course weeding. Hah. There were dogs to pet (aka looking for ticks), dogs to soothe (Fortuyn and Groovy got into a fight, leaving the first with a nice cut in his neck) and more looking for ticks. If all goes as planned, we’re doing a tick bath again today, because it’s just getting to be ridiculous again. The other day I got eight of those big suckers between Arthur’s toes, for crying out loud. And Adma. We took like thirty small ticks OUT of her ears.

Well, I better get to it know, still lots to do before the day is through. Luckily it is not nearly as warm today as it was yesterday. In fact, right now it is actually quite pleasant. I will be needing to head into town later on (dropping off the Land Rover and all) but other than that, I’m not planning much of anything today, other than writing, that is. Gotta go.