Gary L

Yep 100°+ here and hellish humidity. 002 refuses to pee when we take her out 😱

Green with envy. Rhubarb doesn’t exist here, sadly. Another visit to the Guardia Civil and completed paperwork for bank insurance claim. No queue and a charming, sympathetic officer. 👮

Definitely a chapter of two distinct halves, to say the least. Fear I might have nightmares tonight 😱

And I thought wiener dogs were scary……

Please note, folks, I said I need a FREE ticket. More details: suitable box, excellent flight, and meeting stars afterwards. Could the guy with the running makeup help me? Not sure I would go if he were in the box!

Just about to start cooking lunch here and I espy a new @lomax61 chp. I hope Paco isn’t hungry! 🤤 Later: ”Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.” Yep! 👍 very much so. And now to the kitchen 🧑‍🍳

Or as a wiener dog……

Congrats @drsawzall on reaching 68,000 points, or whatever they are called! 👏

Oh yes. I’m in Valencia with an amazing opera house and a very receptive public. Sir Mark Elder is new director but I’m not a fan of this year’s programme. Need to get a free flight to NYC to see I Puritani. 🤩

Dawn is the dream friend. I love her! And Hortensia, the lady who does with an aristocratic name. I had to smile as it also means hydrangea in Spanish. Not sure if “Hydrangea would do a clean up” has the same ring! As ever, a fab chp. Thank you, Robert. BTW I also love your opera reviews and writings.

I think that it is a sign of the quality of Andy’s writing that has provoked an interesting discussion. Very thought-provoking. Well done @andy cannon! You are a very welcome contributor here! I so agree with you, Peter. As a professional medieval historian I dared to disagree with an “academic” non-fiction piece on this site, which was, in my opinion, imposing a gay/queer agenda on a society 2,000 yrs ago. I wrote in measured, Oxonian prose. My goodness, the reply was vitriolic. I was to gather and accept my role in the persecution and killing of centuries of gays. I blocked the person to never have to read his pseudo intellectual comments again. To read here a measured, wise comment has restored my faith. Thank you. I thought it was perhaps only me.

My goodness, that’s 17°c. Our central heating kicks in at that even if we don’t have the timer on. Have to say, though, I quite fancy that. It’s 23.00 here in Spain and it’s 80°F with air con on all day. We turn it off at night and more or less cope with ceiling fan. This week the max temps are going to be around 95°-100°F. It’s the first August we have spent entirely in Valencia in 20 hrs. We head to France and UK in September…. With the wiener dogs 😱

Painfully exquisite.

Just found out I’ve been scammed for 1000USD on a holiday booking. Great. Card cancelled, but the hotel replied to my request for confirmation so tardily that the payment went through to a UK (😱) account for what was a reservation not payment in a Spanish hotel. Tomorrow off to Guardia Civil, then bank but outlook is grim. So last two days of luxury at the end of our road trip to UK and France will have to be cancelled…. 😭

Thank you, Mark, that means a great deal.

OMG how awful. Hoping for a swift recovery. Forget about GA fun and games. His health is paramount. 🤗

From an Iraqi friend: in a NON-STICK saucepan, one cup of rinsed, washed, rinsed and washed, rinsed and washed, etc. basmati, one cup of water, one tablespoon of olive oil, saffron sachet, a teaspoon of salt ( or less in today’s world). Bring to boil. Immediately start to lower heat bit by bit so it never boils too much. When done the rice is cooked tip out onto a plate. There will be crispy “overdone” rice at the bottom. Those in the know fight for this part. I add a bit more water for cowardice sake…. Nadia is an amazing cook.

@Summerabbacat has the most vivid imagination of all readers here! A crack!

A delightful start to Monday! Gray is going from strength to strength. This is gradually becoming my favourite of the author’s stories. Thank you @Robert Hugill!

Thanks. The story, feelings-wise is autobiographical. The incident was invented. After 20 colonoscopies I’m used to the “icky” aspect. Xx

Okay, living in Valencia, many families have this paella every Sunday. Once a month is enough for me. The classic paella consists of chicken and rabbit first fried in the paella (that’s actually the name of the cooking pan); then add wide runner beans, a local crop, fry a bit more and add grated tomato, local of course; next add water/stock up to the screws and boil for 10 min; check for seasoning and add rice grown just south of the city and butter beans, again local. Cook until all liquid absorbed and rice cooked (tricky for a Brit to get right at first) and for the last five minutes put loads of fresh rosemary over the top (stolen from nearby field). You must NEVER stir once the rice is added so that the bottom of the rice gets crispy and slightly burned, even. You can also do a seafood version or vegetarian. If you are a heretic from Alicante you can mix seafood and chicken. An abomination according to my Valencian significant other! Oh and if you like snails, chicken feet and other horrors, these are also acceptable….. but not in my kitchen. I await other menus. BTW, Chris’ dessert affair looked to die for….

Love the story but plead for chapters to be joined together for longer reads.

Wonderful.

A snack lunch in Valencia…..