#510 Pelota

Nice mural on the side a local Pelota court.
Pelota is like a game of squash - but bigger.
Bigger racquets, bigger balls, but only three side walls to the court.

#509 Shorts Weather

#508 early 220

Up to 1994 on my 220 memoir.

Click here to view http://early220.blogspot.com

#507 Pantry

#506

#505 Reading

New books - Christmas presents and recent Amazon purchases:
By happenstance two by the same author, Muriel Barbery. I enjoyed them both.
*The* Kerouac book to add to my Kerouac collection.
I'm a fan of Murakami so that's all right.
Keith Richards' Life was an impulse purchase - it's very long.
Your Creative Writing Masterclass, so I know when to dot the i's and cross the t's.

#504 My new Blog

Click this:
http://early220.blogspot.com

#503 Stock Taking

#502 La Grande Boucle

I bought this book about the history of the Tour de France on-line from FNAC in France for 40€ - I could have bought it from the US where it was priced in hundreds of dollars.  !

#501 Riceland

Rough road and black trees.
Between Castells de Castells and Val d'Ebo.

Out in the Paddy Fields of Pego.
This where they grow the rice for paella.
The best is called La Bomba (it's the Bomb!).

#500 Chasing Legends

500th post!
Downloaded then watched a tv programme called Chasing Legends, mostly about Mark Cavendish and his HTC highroad team in the Tour de France. It was good.

#499 A la recherche du temps perdu

I'm starting to write a memoir covering the first 7 years of 220 Magazine, about 90 issues in all.

#498 7 Portes BCN

Seven of us went to lunch at 7 Portes restaurant in Barcelona. On the way we passed another restaurant serving tapas with a top of the list item "Snout Pig Fried" - we didn't stop as we were already booked in for paella at 7 Portes . . . . pity.

Six Lillies (Jin's pic)

7 Portes house white

# 497 Chilli Variations

Ancxo 3/10
Kashmiri 3-4/10
Smokey Cxipole 5/10
Aji Amarillo 6/10
Birdseye 8/10
Naga Ghost 10++/10

#496 Pub Lunching

The Red House, Marsh Benham, Nr Newbury, Berkshire

Mick, Jas, Me, Lorraine, Kev 

#495 Christmas Light

Chez Ferris.

#494 Tapas

Hungry in Barcelona?
May I recommend La Vinateria  Del Call for top tapas.

#493 Kitchen Stuff.

I went mad and spent a fortune buying some new Joseph Hoffmann cutlery, from the David Mellor shop in Chelsea, to make up for the pieces that have gone missing over the years.

Where do they go to these missing knives and forks? Do they get swept up and scraped into the rubbish bin with the chicken bones and lost forever.  Do they become souvenirs for our visitors that have dined with us over the last 25 years. Have they escaped from the dishwasher and are hiding somewhere behind the sink (a place that I wouldn't dream of examining) . . . . . . . ?

Also, our stock of Portuguese recycled wine glasses came to an all time low. After a couple of hours interwebbing I found a manufacturer, La Mediterránea in Spain, and as luck would have it not far away, in a little village called L'Olleria.

So we took ourselves for a day out; on the way a light lunch at a friend's restaurant in Rugat and then a tour of the factory shop and outlet store. We came away with some bowls and new glasses for a mere 2,50€ each :-)

PS 
I found in the David Mellor box, by mistake, that an extra knife has been sent, now I've gained a piece of cutlery! - If you're American you might say "Go figure".

I don't know whether to send it back, the cost of postage would be quite a bit and then there would be the hassle of being recompensed. Plus, it might get the packer into trouble. So for the moment I've got a knife which I don't really want - perhaps I'll have to buy another fork to keep it company.

#492 Speeding

#491 What Stock?

What is it?

It's a block of frozen stock. I'm going to let it thaw it in a sieve lined with a cheese cloth. What drips through is a perfect Consommé.

And for that extra je ne sais quoi I'm then infusing it with Jasmin Tea.
Parfait!

#490 Our Olives

Or more precisely Sally's Olives as she went and helped prune the trees, then later went back and helped harvest the olives and brought a bucket full home; then went through the process of soaking in several changes of spring water and finally bottled the lot in thyme infused brine.

Should be ready next year!

#489 Beside the Sea Side

#488 Gym.

My man Arturo is setting me some fierce exercises in his gym.
I'll be his size soon . . . . . . .  :-)

#487 . . . . . . . . .

#486 Sardines & Onions

A little Onion Soup.
Five big Sardines.

#485 Film Review

I just watched a film called Holy Motors. It's a French surreal / bizarre / black avante garde sort of film. Yes it was strange! A man is driven around Paris in a stretched limo. Every now and then he gets out and is metamorphosed into a weird or mad person, he acts out a scene, most of which are rather gruesome, then gets back in the limo. That's it.

The sets or scenes together with the cinematography is excellent. Very moody and believable. Oh, Kylie Minogue is in it and she sings a song (bizarre eh?). Only one real complaint it was too long (nearly 2 hours) and I got a bit bored with the freakyness towards the end.

#484 Grub

A small salad and a selection of cheeses.
(French Brie, a soft Spanish Goats cheese and Swiss Gruyere with some Romanian Gherkins).

#483 Books of Words

Three new books from Amazon all with words in them.

#482 Rock Star

My satellite tv man is a guitar rock star!

#481 and it's not even haloween

#480 Pepper for Breakfast

Some people put sugar on their Co-Co Pops,
I like black pepper on my Ham and Cheese.

#479 Jack Kerouak

pic from google images.

I just watched the first hour of On the Road a film of the book by Jack Kerouac. I didn't think much of it :-(

I've read On the Road and enjoyed it so much that I've re-read it more than once. I've also read some of Kerouac's other books like Doctor Sax, The Dharma Bums and  Big Sur.

But this film didn't do it for me.
Books - Yes.
Film - No.

#478 About 50 years ago

#477 Our Sea

If you were here and turned around you would be able to see our house.

#476 Hawaii Ironman Triathlon

13th October is Ironman World Championship day in Hawaii.

In 1987 I was there and I bought a pair of socks from the Ironman shop and I've still got them (unused). Plus a cap that came in the goody bag.

Collectors Items?

#475 Look Mum, Low Carb!

Duck & Beans
Chicken Stir Fry
Mackerel
Big Salad

#474 80's

This is my last souvenir from the Eighties (apart from my JPG suit).

I used to go back and forth most every week across the channel to Normandy collecting butter and cheese for resale in England. I imported a lot of special bakers cheese from a dairy in Montebourg and have wonderful memories of the Directeur, a Monsieur Couchoud, who would treat our whole family, when we all visited, to the most magnificent four hour lunches.

Sadly he has passed away and so has the dairy, it's now a rubbish recycling factory - and my Montebourg ash tray is a bit chipped too!

#473 Another Puncture!

#472 Peas

I've gradually changed to a "Paleolithic" diet. 
Very few foods that start with P in Spanish; 
Pan, Pasta, Pizza, Postre, Patatas. 

Although I do consume Pescado y Pimienta. 
Phew! :-)

#471 Look - Single Speed!

I've built a bike from bits from my spares box - except for the second-hand pedals for which I paid Cicles Extrem 1€. They wanted to give them to me for nothing but I insisted on paying (they are a shop after all).