Viveiro
A small town on the north coast in the province of Lugo, Viveiro has a population of under 20,000, but this number trebles when holiday-makers hot-foot it there for the…
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November 2, 2026
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Neighbours
Thirty two degrees is far above the norm for September and I'm sleeping with the shutters half way down and the windows wide open. The mosquitoes are tearing me up.…
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October 19, 2026
Vaca flaca – then and now
Vaca Flaca, skinny cow (also the name of a clothes shop I frequented in 90's Madrid), has been subject to a substantial re-org. The bathroom, single bed and balcony are…
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September 19, 2026
Something about a silk purse and a pig’s ear
The doorstep plant collection, carefully curated over four years by way of hardiness (the survivors of long periods of absence and neglect) has been reorganised by my neighbour, prior to…
April 20, 2026
Rain in Spain
Thirty five years after studying Spanish at university and the same numbers of years being pretty sure that this corner of Spain with its Celtic connections and dense, green landscape…
February 17, 2026
All change
Four years in and the house isn’t looking a whole lot different to 2021, though it smells a lot better. I’ve painted, plastered (leaving that to the experts in future),…
November 18, 2025
Sober in Spain
At first glance, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Galicians drink all day. The cafes are full from 8am til 10pm, much later for the bars, and tables are littered…
November 12, 2025
DIY
There are but a few problems here that haven't been tackled with a neighbour and a step ladder. Roof tiles blow off: Juan is up the ladder into the small…
September 29, 2025
Al interior
Time spent in Galicia centred on the coast for the first years: the tiny tower in Estribela, trips to Vigo and Pontevedra, a boyfriend in Bueu. Horizons widened when I…
September 29, 2025
Flying solo
I’m trying my damnedest to rekindle the language I studied 30+ years ago. There’s a vague memory of stumbling through a Spanish oral exam and a less vague one of…
September 13, 2025