Away in Spain

Transport yourself

2007-05-24T21:14:00.000+02:00

Please visit my new blog.... A way in Oxford

THE END

2007-05-24T21:01:00.000+02:00

DISCONTINUED

some leave some stay

2007-05-04T15:58:00.000+02:00

So the end of seven months loving and living in Spain. After four days of packing, the contents of Robs flat, deposit themselves in Javis new flat. I am photographed on the way to the airport, I don't know why im smiling because Im sad to be leaving the beautiful Asturias

cudilleru

2007-05-04T15:54:00.000+02:00

cudilleru

2007-05-04T15:44:00.000+02:00

A day out to a small fishing village, we walked through a tunnel with a river running by our feet ,we wandered slowly up the steep streets, and looked out to sea. Good job we had the most extravagant Asturian cake, filled with a creamy.. well sweet cream to nourish the tired explorers.

photo fit

2007-05-04T12:12:00.000+02:00

This is a scanned photo booth picture we took in Berlin.

London rehersal

2007-04-28T22:24:00.000+02:00

On my way back from Berlin I had two days of wandering around London like a tourist, later on Me and Lyall sat and had a glass of wine while Annie and her band 'Coy carp burger' practiced thier super dreamy show. Muy bien

box of jesus

2007-04-28T22:21:00.000+02:00

I took this picture in Alaxander plats Berlin on a Sunny Sunday. I like the preachers tool kit.

Exhibitionists

2007-04-26T18:21:00.000+02:00

The top picture is of the artists and organisors of Transparent at KKB Berlin.
And then two art enthusiasts Walter and Jordie (hope I spelt that right)

muy fragil

2007-04-25T23:26:00.000+02:00

this is how my recycled cardboard box turned out.

turistica

2007-04-25T23:22:00.000+02:00

As all the other tourists headed out for sightseeing, I went to the heart of any culture, their Do It Your self shop!

carton viaja

2007-04-25T23:10:00.000+02:00

I traveled to Berlin to show some work in a project space there in the Kunst klub Berlin Gallery
and along came a cardboard box as my fellow traveller.

vegie barbeque

2007-04-10T10:09:00.000+02:00

A walk ,some snacks and chats

2007-04-09T12:23:00.000+02:00

An afternoon trip to Salinas and then a cliff walk further west.

displays

2007-04-03T20:19:00.000+02:00

Its the Easter week and the local Catholic ornament shop has an elaborate display of Jesus, this being only one of about ten variations.
The second picture is of a menu board I saw outside a resturant, it seemed to serve every dish imaginable and the carved letters are realy impressive... someone had a fun winter project!

Laboral entertainment

2007-04-02T13:51:00.000+02:00

The thing to do when its realy raining.... now that the new Laboral centre has opened we went to the free bee weekend to give the space a test run. So the exhabition on now is all about digital/ machine art and there is some good interactive quriosities. There is a gaming floor which has many computerised digital games for all ages to get completely confused as to how they work or do they work! Some of the interactive pieces were already bust after day two, and alot of the exhibits were out of bounds unless the artist was there to give permission, which is a bit of a joke when the artist lives in America say or the U.K. So again quite alot of baffled audiance walking around this ginormouse space looking a bit lost. I had a good time and was glad to be in a play pen out of the rain.

Laboral centre

2007-04-02T13:34:00.000+02:00

So this week has just been so rainy I dont think ive left the house apart to go to the gym. As were moving in a month, ive been hoping it will dry up so I can go and collect some good strong boxes from the streets. As the weekend came around just as quick as the last one left we had an agenda to visit the exhabition space in the newly built Laboral centre and attend a seminar in the old renevated Franco building on the outskirts of Gijon. The complex was originally built as some kind of training centre to teach the youthnof Asturias practical skills to later benafit the northern economy. As you can see we were enjoying the funny murul in the cafe area, original chairs and tables from Franco time but covered over with new upholstry, it was like being stuck in some kind of Soviet boutique hotel.

sunday drivers

2007-03-27T16:27:00.000+02:00

We enjoyed a tour around the peninsula inbatween Aviles and Gijon, had a little walk and visited the sleepy harbour at Luanco.

Nice building

2007-03-27T16:16:00.000+02:00

I spent a couple of days walking around Gijon admiring the diverse architecture, its a scruffy seaside town with some lovely buildings and all in all a very flamboyant style whos hayday was in the 1930's/ 40's.

touring around

2007-03-27T16:02:00.000+02:00

Well I had a nice time in London but this blogg is about Spain and whats hot in Asturias so I will tell you. Theres a new cultural centre about to open in Gijon Universidad Laboral de Gijón its a huge complex and will have many exciting events in the future. We went there on Friday as guests of Bob and Plaid to see them perform as part of a two day festival. It was very cold in this big reconverted powerstation factory space, and the organisors set the stage up smack bang in the middle of a big pillar so the direct view was obstructed, not so clever as the festival was for video and music with big projections! Was entertaining all the same. For the fine visuals Bob creates are a pleasure to bestow on ones eyes.

AWL

2007-03-27T15:57:00.000+02:00

Ive been away in England so havent posted on my blogg for a while, so to celebrate my return here are some wigs in Rodrigo's hair shop.

bathers

2007-03-14T16:19:00.000+01:00

Ive been to Gijon twice this week as it is very sunny and warm.

sculpture

2007-03-14T16:16:00.000+01:00

This is a sculpture in Gijon with an empty bottle of beer.

un-hinged

2007-03-09T13:17:00.000+01:00

This is a chest of drawes im making for my up and comming exhabition in Berlin. It will be part of a set of bespoke 'one off' master crafted furniture set! I In my search for re-cycled cardboard and other bits, im finding it difficult to forrage these plastic handles. So if anyone happens to find sush a thing, usually attatched to a box which carried a D.V.D player or Hi Fi system, please send to me. It doesnt matter what colour or shape, more variety the better.
Be a sponsor to the arts!

dont eat me.

2007-03-08T18:27:00.000+01:00

It is prohibited to eat 'Pipas'... me

Bear trail

2007-03-07T13:25:00.000+01:00

week ago Me and a friend caught a bus to Proaza.
This is a cycle trail along a disused railway which follows a river up a long valley. Seb and I hired bikes for 9 euros and spent a few hours cycling. What we didnt realise was how much of an incline the path was on the way to Entrago, so on the way back we didnt have to peddle, just sit back and enjoy the scenery.
Seb took these pictures on his mobile phone.

our neighbourhood

2007-03-04T16:56:00.000+01:00

After the market we rambled around and had a coffee in a square near our house, it is very popular with the out of town visitors and at one point there was a pram jam. On our way back we saw some people dancing around the umbrella in the square at the back of our house. They were singing some kind of rhym, and each had a turn to add a verse or something like that, well it was very nice weather for it, 20 degrees.
this is a picture of Rob walking up our street, our Flat is the one with the lamp post outside, opposite is the diosin offices and living accomodation for retired priests.
making the most of the weather and the fine selection of cheese in our fridge we made a picnic and went to the park, after half an our it rained and thats a complete Asturian Sunday for you. Oh not forgetting the cakes for later.

Big rummage

2007-03-04T16:39:00.000+01:00

Today I went to the market in the park to look for some old postcards. I found many interesting postcards and a box of old photos from the 60's and 70's of this area. I recognised the specticles that were also being sold to be the ones worn by the lady in the photos and I wonder if the instant snap camera was the very on which took the pictures. I think someone must have just thrown all these memoirs out and some opportunist is recyling them for cash. Ive made a collage of my finds. Also I bought a funny booklet of printed pictures 1950's its like a story book but with random technicolour prints and no story.

Spring?

2007-02-28T19:08:00.000+01:00

Some lovely flowers are in bloom

adventure industrial scale

2007-02-28T10:38:00.000+01:00

Yesterday me and Seb tried to get to this coastal walk and beach near Aviles. However having got on the wrong train heading back to where we had come from, we then met a guy who we shared a taxi with. Only we were taken to the wrong side of the estaury. We ended up in this huge industrial docklands and walked around there instead and got lost. We then caught a train back to Aviles which only took 3 minuets.

kiosk

2007-02-27T18:31:00.000+01:00

This is a new kiosk in the Bus station, Oviedo. You can buy plants and flowers, for a high price.
So Javi when you return dont get a shock by the new stuff in here this your town.

Carnival

2007-02-27T18:26:00.000+01:00

We made an effort and dressed up for carnival. I am little miss riding hood, to my right is a zombie surgeon and to my left is a gnome? or something. We got alot of worried looks, I think now that maybe the 'tights' mask on my face was a little bit sinister. Later that evening we caught a taxi to Gijon 9in normal clothes) we went to Parque del Piles club and saw Stacy pullen
When we got back to Oviedo on Sunday the caos of the carnival from the night before was being swept up and sprayed clean with water.

days out

2007-02-27T17:41:00.000+01:00

I have a friend visiting so we went to Luanco on the coast. Being English we set out on a coastal walk in moderate rain. This grew heavier until Seb, Rob and myself were drenched, and turned back after an hour to shelter in this church, where you had to put some money into the meter and the lights came on to reviel splendid sparkly and gold everywhere. Ive never seen shanderlears in a church before. We sat and ate seafood in a Sideria, dripping wet and cold.

congratilations

2007-02-20T17:19:00.000+01:00

I promised to make a dedication to the 100th visitor,
So as the 100th visitor was annonamous I will say well done to Senyorita/ senor?
Maybe you are the star from my new favorite 'telenovel' Contra Viento y Marea. Mexican soap opera on T.V every night here in Spain. I thaught watching it might help my vocabularary but most of the time they are crying or saying 'Princesa' in amoungst the dramatic arguments etc! great! The woman holding the telephone is evil, the person in the middle who looks like a boy is actualy a woman in disguise in a plot to kill someone? and the three at the top are the 'Princesa and her two admirers who are brothers but arnt realy and dont know it!

rainy days

2007-02-17T19:58:00.000+01:00

As you can see I found a way to amuse myself while Rob read the newspaper. It has rained all day so we went to the gym which was completely empty, I went swimming. It is the biggest carnival in this area tonight, in the town of Aviles, but it is so wet I will save my party spirit for next week when it will be right outside my door.
Dont forget the compotition of the 100th visitor.....

gone

2007-02-12T18:36:00.000+01:00

Houses seem to dissapear here. I love the remnants of this house, the wallpaper is very durable.

Spire

2007-02-12T18:32:00.000+01:00

This is a church a few minuets up the road, I love the sixties design. It has a bell hanging in the coiled spire.

Prizes

2007-02-05T22:49:00.000+01:00

And now for a compatition!
yeh
whoever is the 100th visitor, on the apple counter...over there on the right hand side.
Be sure to write a coment in the coment box and I will make an entry dedicated to you!
what a prize, like winning the oscars only you dont have to wear a glitzy dress.

modern

2007-02-05T22:44:00.000+01:00

These are some wedding cake figurines I came across in an old chinsey shop. Covering all areas of the wedding market. nice modern view through an old fashoned shop window.

360

2007-02-05T19:18:00.000+01:00

This is the estuary of Villavicosa,l the wet lands which are the most important flooded meadows in the north of Spain, boasting a vast array of marine birds. unfortunately when you spin around there is a newly built motorway just 10 meters away. Guess you cant have new economy and cute ducks, swans, geese, herons, and more!

round diet

2007-02-02T11:32:00.000+01:00

I thaught it about time to feature a lovely tortilla for you all to admire. I am on a mission to learn how to cook a perfect one.

stand up and be counted

2007-01-29T19:14:00.000+01:00

As you can see I have added a hit counter to my very (mass) popular blog! I chose the apple design as it is appropriate to the Cider (sidra) reigon where I live. So send my link to your friends and then I can get a nice surprise and think i'm a web-mistress extraordinaire!

star ship enterprise

2007-01-28T19:55:00.000+01:00

There is a new confrence centre being built in Oviedo which looks like a cruise ship has docked in amoungst some tower blocks. I will watch its progress. Here are some 'Pipas' sunflower seeds, I bought from a vending machine because I like the drawing on the packet, and my name is pippa.

A loud alarm clock

2007-01-25T11:51:00.000+01:00

The rest of the regon is covered in snow and we can sigh a breath of relief because the Bears get to hybernate this year. We were woken at 6am with our windows rattling from the base boom of thunder to be followed by a hailstorm which filled our garden with a thick layer like snow. Lots of bright lightning and very loud thunder claps. All this made me burry myself even further under the pile of duvets. The storm lasted two hours and now Oviedo is coverd in hailstones.
Incase anyone was curious what our tiles look like in our 'kitch-en' heres a small portion of the pattern.

Hoodie

2007-01-24T18:49:00.000+01:00

Just when you were thinking I was living in an upmarket town, I went and did a getto montage.
I like the graffiti aroung here, it is less 'rude boy' and more cute doodle!
Here someone has caught my new Spanish style stomoch very well.

Video art and dinner

2007-01-22T15:39:00.000+01:00

We went to galleria espachio liquido in Gijon and saw an interesting video instillation by two artists from Asturias 'fiumfoto'. Then I prepared many different mezas as you can see all was eaten. My studio doubles up nicely as a dining room.

then the rain came down

2007-01-22T15:32:00.000+01:00

Here Rob is illustrating how the weather has been all upsidown here in Oviedo. What with a heatwave during January!

regenerate

2007-01-17T15:59:00.000+01:00

These are a couple of buildings in a street in Gijon (xixon) I like the graphics on one , and the deralict state of the grand building! The rest of the street has more historic structures but they are covered in scafolding.

Blowtops

2007-01-16T10:00:00.000+01:00

We went to a gig lastnight, The Blowtops from Buffalow N.W played, very theatrical rockerbilly sound with an edge of hammond organ. The singer spent most of the time in amoungst the audiance or rolling on the floor.
I didnt get a picture but heres a shot of a tacky shoe shop in town, the multi coloured cowboy boot emporium.

Making do

2007-01-15T16:50:00.000+01:00

Mostly I have been learning verbs and translating Jack and the bean stalk into Spainsh. Oh I visited a botanical garden in Gijon (xixon) which had some nice natural pools in the river with steps going down for the boijoise bohemians to swim during some time ago? I also played air hockey, pictured here with javi, who won every game. I liked the picture above the pool table in the games room.

post it note exhabition

2007-01-11T10:25:00.000+01:00

I was invited to make a piece of work for a group show in Istambul. The criteria was that it had to be on a post it note. My piece is a tribute to the brave journeymen who risk their lives in un-seaworthy, overcrowded fishing boats in hope to reach Europe from West Africa. The passage takes no less than two weeks and many die. The survivors who reach the Canaries are so glad to see a lighthouse and dry land, that the feer of being caught is outweighed by relief. Having reached the Canaries the African migrants are nursed by the Red Cross and then deported by the Spanish authorities. It is reported that a high percentage of thoes deported go home, raise funds to pay the smugglers and try again.

A little glimpse of Scotland

2007-01-05T12:08:00.000+01:00

We had a lovely time in Scotland and Sussex, now its the struggle to get back into some routine, not straight away because Spain has its three kings festivities on the 6th so more holidays until 8th January. Pictured above is a drive to Tongue estuary.

Away

2006-12-19T16:05:00.000+01:00

Away for Navidad!

not much happening

2006-12-18T18:01:00.000+01:00

The view over the hill from Oviedo looking south towards Leon.

A day indoors

2006-12-17T13:39:00.000+01:00

The rain has come back so a day indoors studying spanish. Lastnight my friend told me that the mine museum is only a simulation.... so we didnt travel 300m underground, the lift just took us about 20m under ground, where they had built a reconstruction of an old mine.
Instead of the nativity scene here is Nube again, cute.

Visits

2006-12-17T13:19:00.000+01:00

We have enjoyed having U.K friends over to visit, so another tour of the local eateries, one lunch we sat in a beautiful square flooded with sunshine, eating hearty asturian food. Now ive realised that the festivities have crept up on us, only four days until we visit Scotland and Brighton. Another visit we had was a donkey in the hills. Javi's family have a small holding a few minuets out of the city, with dogs and sheep and chickens and Nube the goverment sponsored donkey. She is a rare breed locol to these hills, a youngster and friendly. We fed her carrots and bread rolls. The view from the land is beautiful snow capped mountains and rolling green hills. Javis dad gave us some honey liqure to taste, very smooth and perfect for a winter afternoon. I think im going to to be a hill billy soon.

300 meters underground

2006-12-14T10:33:00.000+01:00

I started Spanish lessons this week at the adult comunity college for imagrants. Yesterday we had our first school excursion, a free trip to the museum of mining in Mires. We got to go in a noisy lift with no lights down 300 meters. It was cold down there but the air was fresh, I suppose it would have been fog/ dusty with coal back in the day. We walked for about 2 km, with a guide who had a micraphone attatched to one of thoes baby listening/ speaker devices inventive portable amplification I thought. I didnt understand much of what she said. My class is very amusing it is like a united nations meeting, the teacher says something then the Algerian woman asks the Morrocan woman what was said, they speak in french, then the camoroon guy says something in Spanaroon and everyone laughs because no one understands what he said! It goes on like this for two hours, we get there in the end. The teacher is very energetic. Other nationalities include Serrielionie, China, Russia, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Philipienes and Brazil.
The picture is of a few pupils with the Profesora in the centre.

Happy Birthday Rob

2006-12-12T10:41:00.000+01:00

You can link to the Satorialist http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/
And imagine that he took a picture of you
looking all street and what would he say
he loves the way you have matched the colour of your cords with your trainers, and realy lift the
outfit with the red gold and green.
Happy Birthday to you.
xx

Back to school

2006-12-11T18:05:00.000+01:00

Today I joined the community college for Spanish lessons, they all started three months ago so im a bit behind. Everone is very friendly and already have in jokes about the Africans being laid back.... as two pupils arriaved an hour late. I have homework to do and will be at school six hours per week, so I should improve some! This week we are going on a trip to visit the historic mines, Ide better learn the words 'HELP ive fallen down!'
No photo today so heres a bit of the epic nativity.

The dress code of fur

2006-12-10T17:56:00.000+01:00

I snapped this lady in her fur coat and leopard pattern trousers, her expression is quite fierce so I presume she absorbed some animalistic powers, the fur coat is a must have for the over 40's. On the theme of fur, here is the cat refuge in a courtyard of the old Cathederal, people feed them scraps and there is a tiny kitten.

A new park with pine

2006-12-10T17:47:00.000+01:00

A ray of hope and the weather has decided to be kind again, so we headed up the hill to a Roman-esque chapel. It overlooks Oviedo, we then walked through a parque Florida and had a winter picnic beside a pine forest and looked at the mountains from afar. We met an old local man who pointed out some walks we can go on to some village away from the city. We collected some pine branches and cones to make our own Christmas tree at home.

Rain report

2006-12-10T12:52:00.000+01:00

It has rained for days, at one point I was stood under a bus shelter as it hailed, so I jumper on the bus and went to the super shopping mall where I did a bit of indoor walking. That night it stopped raining a group of about thirty youthes came out to have a fight below our window.
Later that night we went a music gig, saw a Norwegin noise duet and a good band from Barcelona called Coconut.

A morning in Aviles

2006-12-08T13:00:00.000+01:00

We went to Aviles on the bus, it is Oviedo's ugly sister city with many factories and port industry. After walking around for and hour demotivated by lack of pritty plazas it seems that we just got lost on the wrong side of town. We found a beautiful park with black swans in the pond and some realy beautiful plazas and a funny fountain. We had morning tea in lovely bar with low ceilings and wooden beams and looked at the many photopraphs on the walls of open mic performances which is what the bar is obviously popular for. That afternoon in a gap in the rain me and Rob went for a jog in the park, surprisingly enjoyable.

A good stretch

2006-12-06T18:57:00.000+01:00

Last night we played twister with some friends, left with aquing muscles

Another public holiday

2006-12-06T18:15:00.000+01:00

Today I could see snow on the hills
nearby.Some marzipan sweets in the local cake place.
A scene from the nativity, with running water under the bridge.
For anyone that doest know, you can click on any of these pictures and view them a bit bigger.

Text

2006-12-05T18:53:00.000+01:00

Im getting annoyed with the layout of this blog I cant seem to put the text where I want it ever.
The picture below is a walk I went on. As you can see the clouds came in and today its a wash out. Here is a small part of the nativity. As well as a rather odd looking beast which is guarding over the large scale nativity, oh yes we have nativity overload here.
My friend who is from here said he would like to some day be able to enjoy things that are presented in this city because they are good and brillient, and not just because it is funny through irony.

Overlooking Oviedo

2006-12-05T18:41:00.000+01:00

My favorite hobby on a rainy day

2006-12-04T19:02:00.000+01:00

One of the warehouses in Madrid that stocks
all the 10 000 Chinese shops around Spain. here are some choice items which I just had to have. I like looking in these shops because they are so full of colour and cheer up and dull day.

A gyro ball, which is very effective, I especially
like the description that ' it will lead to a new
and magical world' lets wait and see.

Illuminations continued

2006-12-02T20:30:00.000+01:00

Illuminations

2006-12-02T20:20:00.000+01:00

The festive lights have been turned on and the outdoor nativity complex is open. I will post a close up everyday like an advent callender... without the tasty chocolate.
Im not so thrilled about the music they are playing from speakers hung up lamp posts. It is a bit too invasive and somehow makes me feel like im stuck in a bad crimbo film with sound track and all. Above is the best bit, an all moving (with rivers and automated figures shaking figs off trees) 3 D wonder.

life is a film set

2006-12-01T12:47:00.000+01:00

Since I arriaved here in Oviedo there has been a film crew on my doorstep. Im not sure what or who is making a film but they havent asked me to be in it yet.

For today the blog is pink for world Aids day.

The nativity under construction

2006-11-30T15:51:00.001+01:00

This is in the Cathederal Square round the corner from our flat. Week two of constructio.

Sunday ramble

2006-11-27T12:33:00.000+01:00

We wandered out of town up a hill and found great views, The rural small holdings are just fifteen minuets walk from our city flat. The pity is that there is huge urbinisation going on and these unflattering tower blocks are creekping ever closer to the mountains. We only took pictures of the good view.

A very flat walk

2006-11-26T12:59:00.000+01:00

The horse in the field greets all the walkers on this path,
a restored coal railway track. It runs 25km and follows a river. You pass through a number of tunnels which have automatic lights which turn on when you trigger the sensor.
In true Asturian style the weather closed in and we got very wet.

A red squirrel in the tree

2006-11-26T12:50:00.000+01:00

A friend for Heike

2006-11-26T12:39:00.000+01:00

After visiting the bears Paca and Tola, we went to a place called Entrado, and found this lovely horse, she had a prime spot, the football field at the foot of a mountain.

we went to visit the bears

2006-11-25T17:24:00.000+01:00

Ibe learnt to say b for v

2006-11-20T16:32:00.000+01:00

Some grafitti in the bus depo

I caught a bus to Leon, two hours through the mountains and we arriaved to a place I would describe as im batween Sobiet Russia and Baisingstoke. Freezing cold, everything was closed, 2pm on a Saturday. Ate our picnic with purple hands and suaght refuge in the contemporary art centre. Saved by the warmth, pitty about the art.

Masters at work

2006-11-17T17:18:00.000+01:00

This is my work in progress, my brain mappings which have evolved into 600 punching words to support my application for a masters in art. That said time for a culture break.

Facing the direction of all the smells

2006-11-13T12:01:00.000+01:00

A little dog waiting in the market

odd things from the shore

2006-11-12T12:44:00.000+01:00

Friday night and we thought we would have a leisurely snack in the local seafood joint.
What we didn't know was that this would soon turn into an episode of jungle challenge.
Being conscientious diners we ordered the dishes which were 'in season' being sea urchins (oricios here). I stood on one of these in Greece twelve years ago. Have you ever seen a squashed slug, multicoloured and squidgy! Well this is what I ate, little spoonfuls of goo, if you're lucky you don't get bits of crunchy shell in a mouthful too. Soldiering on, armed with a mug of beer we finished the mountain of horrors. Only to be presented with some kind of speciality of claws, these resembled something prehistoric, I passed on these, but Rob took up the challenge, they were succulant at least, as Rob got squirted in the face several times in his attempts to extract the 2cm of edible morsel. I won't be revisiting these dishes again.

King of spreads

2006-11-07T17:38:00.001+01:00

This is a sweet spread made from condensed milkand sugar. As peanutbutter costs around 3.50 euros this is the snackaroo standin. Any requests for a jar please contact me directly.

recorded at 16:30 in the shade

2006-11-06T17:07:00.000+01:00

nothing much to report

2006-11-05T21:14:00.000+01:00

So heres a building I walked past today, would be good to do some shadow puppet show at night here.

Alonso's balcony

2006-11-04T13:17:00.000+01:00

Backtracking a bit, to last Sunday when Oviedo became Alonso crazed. the formula one driver being from here came to thank his homegrown fans, well people had flown over from England especialy to see him wave from a bulcony. I avoided the area until the masses had dispersed to eateries for sunday snax and cider drinking. The Paveingstones had been washed down probably because the fans were so excited they collectively wet themselves. I like the reflections and the two kids dressed up in Sunday best.

When a Thursday feels like a Monday

2006-11-02T11:00:00.000+01:00

It was all Saints day yesterday or is that today, well it was some public holiday. Which meant the night before the kids were all partying late. I didnt sleep well because of all the noise. As everything was shut we ended up going to the Chinese supermarket, one of about six in
Oviedo. 'Super Bizare' as it is called, sells all sorts of wonderful plastic toys, kitch bric-a-brac
and usefull things like a toolbox for two euros. So anyone knowing me, I find this place like a treasure pot. Apparently the Oviedo local goverment made an agreement with the Chinese goverment which means that any Chinese buisness in the city does not have to pay taxes.

Backtrack to Saturday

2006-10-31T11:53:00.000+01:00

A cafe in Gijon, where we
escaped from the sea mist.
Later that evening
we went to a gig this is a
band called ACDD frommadrid,
they makeelectronic instuments
out of toys/hairdryeres etc.
Nice looking objects pitty they
dont know about harmonics or rythum.

weekend catchup

2006-10-30T17:56:00.000+01:00

Seb came to visit this weekend,
many cullinary delights. This is a wild mushroom we bought at the market, it was a bit mouldy looking
but tasted very good.
The temperature was 28 degrees so we waited until after lunch to climb the hill above the city to the big Jesus statue. Very rewarding view at the top,
watched the sun set then decended through a eucaliptice forest, to the sound of a loan bagpipe.
Only to find a thick mist had rolled in and captured Oviedo.

so sunny but the leaves still fall

2006-10-27T13:41:00.000+02:00

Yes its a lovely day and here is the first of many fountains you will be seing in this blog. Cast your eye above the water and you can just see the lovely pink house again.
So the leaves have nearly all fallan and the birds have been having a feast of the berries from this ivey plant.
Heres Rob sweeping.

Post dated

2006-10-25T13:17:00.000+02:00

Yesterday was work day so no blog distractions. Today is very sunny so I went for a walk to the winter park, where you can take a route into the mountains. This walkway is tarmacked and under a network of motorway spagetti for the first 20mins. It is populated with ambling old gents and packs of joggers. You can keep walking for about 30km to some villages. I went for 9000 steps, succesfully passed all the cake shops and came home to work out the washing machine, it has no icons or manual just numbers, so I will turn the dial watch to see when the spin mode is happening.

It is too sunny to be in

2006-10-23T14:34:00.000+02:00

This is the unvailing of my very own studio.
Having gone to art college and throughtout the time after graduating, I have never had a studio. I always had to work in my bedroom/ living space. So this is a momentous occasion and Im very possative great things will happen. For now it is just too sunny outside so excuse me while I eat my lunch and then bask in the sun.

Park ping pong

2006-10-22T14:17:00.000+02:00

Gazing into the distance
as another one of Robs flying
shots pings away. Parque Sanfransisco
has about twelve ping pong tables,
all of which were vacant, well it
was siesta time.

We went to the cathederal of homemaking

2006-10-20T18:54:00.001+02:00

The Prince of spain visited Oviedo today.
Theres two were dressed up and clutching
invitations, I like to think they were off to a
royal ball, why else would one dress all in
gold. We went to Ikea.

Today is furniture recycle day

2006-10-19T13:01:00.000+02:00

This is a stick (pre chewed)
of liquorice which a
ecology student gave to
me. very tasty,
chuck away your gum
snap off a bit of this

This is the step-ometer that
has enslaved me to walk 10 000
steps a day.

Now its raining, I am
venturing into my studio
no more excuses of
lacking a desk to work
watch this space

The Pink house

2006-10-18T16:51:00.000+02:00

This is a big pink house
it is on top of a hill in the city.
It looks like it is uninhabited.
I have come here to look at
the house and imagine
renovating it.
If you own this house
can I have it
Please

cascade of red

2006-10-17T12:17:00.000+02:00

This is the lovely autumnal view from my new bedroom,
and on this theme, Ive got a low grade flu thing.
So this blog is going to start out slow.

Totaled 19000 steps around one town

2006-10-15T23:29:00.000+02:00

Saturday afternoon in Gijon, having walked approxomitely 9000 steps window 'shoe' shopping, having failed in our forrige for lunch we enjoy a cuppa in the sun.

The auther

2006-10-14T11:31:00.000+02:00

Away-in-Spain

2006-10-13T18:05:00.000+02:00

Day three and I can count to thirty