RECENTLY READ an article on happiness that discusses the work of Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychologist at the University of California, Riverside, and the author of The How of Happiness. According to her findings, roughly 50 percent of happiness is determined by genes (i.e., completely out of our control), roughly 10 percent is determined by circumstance
THIS WEEKEND had moments of bliss: there was the tennis, insanely beautiful weather, glasses of wine at old favourite places, and most of all, time to spend together; these moments, however, were punctuated by pure dreadfulness. At some point last week, must have somehow caught what had thought was an innocuous (albeit poorly timed) summer cold, but in actuality turned out to be a most unpleasant chest infection...
THIS WEEKEND BEGAN a little early, with oysters and cava on Thursday afternoon in celebration of recent accomplishments and of summertime. There would also be lunch at a new Greek restaurant in the old town, cocktails at a place favoured by the locals (a very smart crowd it was) that’s always lively and hasn’t changed its quirky décor since 1957 ...
THE MARCH FESTIVAL is over and the city has descended into a quiet, pleasant lull, the kind that happens in the changing of seasons. Things are slowly beginning to get back to normal again, if only for a little while, for this week is another long weekend, and not long after that, there is the cava & wine festival, which we’re certainly looking forward to.
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…
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.
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 ...
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.
