Aba’s Blog

… A mate sent me this recently. Have a watch. I defy you not to crack up laughing as much as I did. Stay with it, you won’t be sorry.

It’s one way to liven up that daily commute.

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Just back from another fabulous week walking in Aracena, Spain with the fab women Lottsa Women Walking and 6 lovely lassies from Leeds. Started off in Galaroza for 3 nights and did a couple of really gorgeous walks.

The best was yet to come with 4 nights at the wonderfully idyllic Molino Rio Alajar. More fabulous walking and a riot of colour provided by the profusion of spring flowers.

Did the same holiday a couple of years back and knew a return visit was on the cards very soon. I was not disappointed!

Ju and Rosie from Lottsa Women laid on well thought out walks at a nicely relaxed pace in excellent company.

Lots of stops for views, photography and eating. Once we got to Molino Rio and they took over the cooking as well - what can I say, delicious home cooked feasts every night accompanied by just the right amount of alcohol!

The weather was good to us, particularly during the latter half of the week so there was plenty of opportunity to soak up the rays. As ever, all over too quickly but at least I have lots more pics to serve as wonderful reminder of a fantastic week.

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Well the 23rd London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival was another real treat. As much for the social occasion that it was as the actual films.

Favourite films for me were: Milk - story of the murdered inspirationsl Gay activist Harvey Milk; Dreams Deferred - The Saskia Gunn Film Project - moving documentary of a young woman murdered because of her sexuality; Society a soap centred around 6 women in South Africa; Noah’s Arc Jumpin the Broom - hilarious, looking forward to getting the DVD so I can watch it all over again;

Roll on next spring so we can do it all over again…

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March 8th, International Women’s Day has come round again. We deserve a special day so Happy Day to women everywhere!

I spent the previous day, Saturday communing with loadsa women at the Million Women Rise Rally. Unfortunately didn’t make it to the march itself this year but the rally was great. Fantastic to see lots of women out loud and visible, hear inspiring speeches and be part of such an important event.

Fortunately the women over at the F Word did a great job of capturing the spirit of the march so it was almost like being there albeit after the fact:

Big up to the event organisers, all the women that attended, and all those that would’ve but couldn’t for whatever reason.

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We don’t seem to cope very well with the snow here in the big smoke. No buses, trains mostly buggered and as for the tube, well…

But the snow was quite purtee. Well done to the brave (or should that be bonkers) ones that cycled - I was not one of them.

Lunch break in the park was an idea that lots of others seems to have too and it was nice to see all the snow people about and folk having fun. Bad luck if you threw a sicky and you were caught on camera and your boss sees ya!

Ooh I do believe this is our head of marketing skiving off!

And what have we here… The local yout dem bunking off skool and hanging out round their favourite tree?

And perhaps this is some of their teachers setting a good example…

And if this is you, I won’t tell if you don’t

Tomorrow is another day. More snow allegedly on the way.

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Winter has well and truly arrived over the last few weeks. So into hibernation mode. Fortunately plenty to keep one entertained indoors so I’ve been getting into rewatching the wire - AKA the best cop series that’s EVER been on TV.

Here’s a sampler from the first series in case you’ve not yet had the pleasure:

Plenty more clips on YouTube.

However, much as I love The Wire, I’d much rather be where I was this time last year…

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Went on another fabulous walking holiday in Spain, this time to the Alpujarras  mountain range just south of Granada.

Capileira and the Mesa Hostal Poqueira was  our base for lots of great walks. Took things easy on day one with a short 6-7 Km circular walk to Cebadilla via Bubion.

Next day saw a slightly longer but equally beautiful walk from Capeleira taking in some of the other whitewashed mountain villages in the area - Capilleria, Pitres, Mecina, Mecinia, Fondales and Busquistar.

Day 3 we walked from Capileira to Pampaneira (the “bottom village” - as in bottom of the hill) and back via Bubion. Had a fantastic dinner at the Estacion 4 restaurant in Bubion in the evening.

The next day we had a day off walking and instead drove into Trevelez over the mountains down a dirt track just outside the top end of Capileira. Spent a very pleasant evening in Ferreirola taking in a stunning sunset.

A storm in the night and the next morning we woke to snow on the mountains above Capileira. We got a lift up to Casa del Simone and had a cold but stunningly beautiful walk around the mountain via Cebedilla and back up to Capileira.  A long walk, the last hour or so in the pouring rain, the hot chocolates back at the ranch were very welcome as were the several beers over dinner.

The last day of walking took us from Capileira via Ferreirola and Pajulia Arabic baths over the Contraversia mountains. A fairly strenuous walk uphill a lot of the way rewarded us with stunning views of the Sierra Nevada mountain range opposite and in the distance the Sierra Tejeda and Mount Maroma where I’ve been on a previous visit.

Lots of good walks done in great company and all over way too quickly as usual. I have to say one of the most fascinating places on the trip was this great little Bodega in Capileira. A positive treasure trove of interesting stuff and a nice place for a beer.

More pics in my Alpujarras 08 gallery.

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Well it’s been a mighty long time since I last blogged just seem to have got out of the habit. Or perhaps not much interesting enough has happened or… maybe I’ve been so busy getting out there having fun I just haven’t got round to it. Still now winter and the long dark nights have well and truly arrived, perhaps I will do better.

I was starting to believe it would never happen but in the end the builder did finally leave the building (- well sorta still some “snagging” issues to sort out but hopefully won’t be too long til I can wave that final goodbye…).

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Been doing some long awaited home improvements over the last couple of weeks. Why does everything take 3 times as long as you think it’s going to?

A word to the wise… expected the unexpected and be in for the long haul.

Sure it will look lovely when it’s finished… In the mean time just about managing to resist the urge to pull out the remains of my rapidly thinning hair and dreaming of the day when I get my life back.

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You can tell it’s summer in London - festival season and lots of good stuff happening on the South Bank along the river. It’s just been Refugee Week and another great festival, “Celebrating Sanctuary” laid on courtesy of Coin Street Community Builders.

A fantastic day of great music, poetry, dance, yummy food celebrated in the great company of London’s wonderfully diverse community.

There was loads of great stuff but my favourites had to be Congolese band Kasai Masai who got everyone up and dancing to their lively pounding Soukous.

Shortly followed by Mukka with their foot stomping Romanian rythmns.

Including some awesome accordion playing by this guy:

The noisy Noisettes rocked the South Bank with some ear splitting sounds. As an ex (and not particularly accomplished) bass player myself, I have untold admiration for anyone who can sing and play the bass at the same time… If you can do it whilst looking as utterly fabulous as Shingai Shoniwa all the better!

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