JANUARY IS OFTEN thought to be a bleak month, despite its positioning as the first in a brand new year. In fact, the first working Monday in January is referred to as ‘Divorce Monday’ in Britain, for the influx of divorce inquiries lawyers receive on that day. Bills from the holiday season, new year’s resolutions, time to reflect — all play a part. I even read about one woman who called her lawyer on Christmas day after finding a receipt from her husband for a diamond Rolex that never turned up under the tree. It was apparently meant for his mistress. In the event that you and your love made it through Divorce Monday, there’s more to overcome, for the third Monday of the new year is ‘Blue Monday’, for its reputation of being the most depressing day of the year. And this year, that day is today. Of course, here in sunny Spain, the only thing blue are those famous Mediterranean skies…
SUNDAY MAY HAVE BEEN our last summery day, and one that was spent in golden sunshine on still-leafy terraces. The very next day, it seemed to have turned autumn overnight, with crisp leaves falling and blustery winds creating mini duststorms filled with swirling leaves. The clocks have turned back and we’re ready. Tall leather boots and cashmere carves have replaced billowy dresses and espadrilles and the evenings have turned dark before we’ve even made it home. Autumn is a time for reflection, a time that leads to the end of another year, which always makes us a little wistful, that is, until the excitement of a brand new to begin again sets in.
IT IS BRIGHT AND CHILLY today, and we’re spending some time catching up on work at a café. We’re seated at the window with the winter sun shining through, sipping our cortados watching the world go by through the glass, elderly ladies in long camel coats and men in suits in a hurry. The emails have been piling up and there are too many things on our to-do lists to keep track of, but soon it will be the holidays and time off for a little while. Time for collecting ourselves and our thoughts and to reflect on the year gone by; time for midday glasses of cava and oysters at our favourite place at the mercado and for musing about the places we’ll travel to in the new year. There are new projects and plans for the year to come, but for now, we’re dreaming through these last lingering days of the year.
A FEW WEEKS AGO we watched the rather insane film Ingrid Goes West (2017), a comedy about an unhinged social media stalker who moves who to LA and insinuates herself into the life of an Instagram star. If you’re Instagram-obsessed, then you’ll definitely find it entertaining, even if it is perhaps a little disturbing at times. We’re experiencing an unusual cold spell here this week (it’s a chilly 13°C at the moment), making us feel like hibernating, cosy indoors by candlelight and filled with anticipation for the holidays…
OUR BEAUTIFUL NEIGHBOURHOOD has officially (and sadly) become gentrified. It began with a mom & pop card shop that shut down about two years ago, run by literally a mom & pop, she who squeezed my shoulder affectionally while telling me that "card" is "tarjeta" in Spanish once. Soon after, an upscale French cookware boutique opened, followed by a well-known British home décor shop. But, the most telling event occurred when a quirky mom & pop home store that had been operating for 75 years moved out of the neighbourhood, and in its place ...
