Christmas 2020

Christmas 2020 was great!

It was lovely and quiet and consisted of very little bar relaxing, eating, watching movies and a little swim on Christmas Day.

Unfortunately my phone died so I only have photos that I had uploaded to social media - but they give a small sampling of how Christmas was.

Christmas Day Swim in Spain

A few days before Christmas we decided we would go for a Christmas Day swim. In fairness if there are swimmers getting in to the cold waters of the Irish sea at the Forty Foot there should be no excuse for us not to do it in the somewhat warmer waters of Malaga. It's also been something that I always said I would like to do on just about Christmas that I was in Key West for. But for one reason or other I never did it.

So this Christmas day, I packed a flask of coffee and put some Baileys Irish Cream Liquor in a hip flask and went to the sea for a swim along with a large bar of Cadburys Dairy Milk for afterwards, 

Cold Water

I won't lie the water was fairly cold but as we were getting out I said "let's get back in for a minute" and we did go back in, and it was fun, and it made me shout out loud and feel ALIVE!!!

Chilled out Christmas

After our swim we enjoyed a walk on Calle Larios with Bones to enjoy the Christmas lights and then went home to enjoy some cheese, charcuterie (Hello Iberian Ham!) and some Christmas Canapes. I made bacon wrapped dates on the bbq which were divine......and then I melted a little blue cheese over them which made them even better!!! I enjoyed these so very much with a mimosa and Christmas music, just a lovely combo!

We followed all of this food later with a surf and turf dinner - but a few brussels sprouts managed to sneak on to the plate too!

On the day after Christmas on St Stephens Day I was volunteering in the Charity Shop again so I headed off for there first thing while Ciaran went off for a coffee in town and a little walk with the dog. We then got up to very little really bar sitting in the sun and doing a little Spanish lesson on our phone. However later that evening after dinner we had a great time partaking in the DLR Library online quiz. We finished mid table after making a few too many silly mistakes on some questions, I had put the details up on Facebook so one Facebook friend in Washington DC signed up and joined in the fun along with another Facebook friend playing along with her family in Dublin. We all finished up near each other but here in Spain we had fun keeping an eye on where they were in relation to us during the quiz. I also kept an eye on my good friend and work colleague who went on to top the leaderboard out of 93 participants and win the quiz!  Good for him!!!

And now it is a case of looking forward to 2021 and a better new year......which I am unbelievable thankful for as it can't be any worse than 2020!!!

It's Christmas week in Spain......and it is oh so quiet

 A quiet Christmas 2020

It's been an unusual year and it is turning in to an unusual Christmas. All over the world people are not having the Christmas that they probably expected at the beginning of 2020. But as we all know as Covid took hold all our plans for big events and holidays fell to the wayside.

Literally in the last 24 hours, many people in the UK have had the rug pulled from underneath them as a new fast spreading strain of covid has caused lots of countries to close their borders to travellers from the UK. This probably has most impact on Irish people as many live and work in the UK but had intended to get home for Christmas...but now unfortunately this is not to be.

For my family there has been some changes to Christmas celebrations this year with my younger sister in The Netherlands cancelling her plans to travel home while my twin sister in USA and me in Spain, never even seriously considered travelling back to Ireland given the unfolding situation over the past year. And so it will be a quiet day in my parents house with just my younger sister travelling from Galway to stay with them. My sister works in IT so has been working remotely even before Covid, so it is very safe for her to visit with my parents. And they will then go to my older sisters house for Christmas dinner with her family. 

A quiet safe Christmas for all of the family and hopefully then we can all see each other next Christmas time in 2021.

For the two of us here in Malaga we have been having a quiet time enjoying such things as the lights on Larios and taking the dog for walks in the city in the mild weather. It's been blissful but at times does not feel like it is Christmas. 

On Saturday I went for a "Christmas Lunch" with two of my colleagues from the Charity Shop that I volunteer in. I really enjoyed this and I have to say it felt very normal.

Christmas Plans

We've also been planning what we would like to get up to and what we want to eat on Christmas day - let's just say given the year we have had my number 1 plan is to start the day with a mimosa so tomorrow I will go buy a bottle of proseco and some orange juice!

Yesterday we stopped off for a coffee in nice spot on Calle Larios. We had a lovely time, chatting away and people watching. I love these small pleasures in life!

Feliz Navidad to y'all and stay well!!

Well being with "Ground"

Well being

Spa specialist Peigin Crowley has just launched her range of wellbeing products that I can only describe as A-mazing! They are made in small batches in County Cork in Ireland and are mainly vegan and organic. They are now available from Brown Thomas and I think are perfect presents for those hard to buy for people this Christmas.

Body Oil

The two products that I have started using are the sleep body oil and the face balm. I have very dry skin on my legs that tends to get way worse once the colder weather sets in. However, my dry skin is completely gone now after using the body oil after having a shower. It's incredible stuff, smells fantastic but not overly oily and a little goes a long way. I also use a little bit of it when I get ready for bed - I just rub a little over my chest and shoulders and I find that the lavender really helps me have a restful sleep (or as printed on the bottle "codladh" which is the irish word for Sleep).

Face Balm

The other product that I am using is a face balm that is lime and blackseed flavor. I adore anything with lime and this is just gorgeous and it certainly makes me feel alive or "beo" as also printed on the packaging. Check out the image of the little wooden spatula that comes with the balm - how adorable! The balm is semi sold but it melts quickly when warmed and rubbed on the skin. I've been using the balm on my forehead where I have particularly dry skin. Works like a charm and smells so good!

These are gorgeous Irish products. The packaging is beautiful and there are little details that make it really special - again, look at that little wooden spatula with the balm.....seriously cute!! 

Check out the Brown Thomas site for further details and Ground products.

Read the full story about the range here on the Ground website.

Sunday Funday in Spain!

Sunday in Malaga

What a super day here in Malaga. It's a holiday weekend here in Spain so there is a great buzz around the place along with the Sabor a Malaga Festival being on.

We were up early and headed out in to what could only be described as "fresh" weather to play padel tennis. I really enjoyed it, playing mixed games where you move up a court when you win your game and down a court if you lose. We started out on the bottom court (that's just the luck of the draw) and made our way up to the top court and then ended back in the middle court by the end of the whole session. 

Sabor a Malaga (Taste of Malaga)

After the padel we cycled home for a quick shower and took the dog for a walk where we meandered down to the Sabor a Malaga festival. There was a queue (in order to ensure that the place was not crowded and everyone could be socially distanced) in the the main area where there was a large tented stage area with food demos and entertainment taking place so we left this area and took a walk down where there were lots of vendors in small huts selling their products.

A taste of Malaga - Chestnuts!

We had our first taste of chestnuts when we stopped off at one of the many chestnut selling stands that are found all over the city at this time of the year. I had been wanting to taste these the first time that I saw one of these stalls pop up and today was the perfect day as it was quite chilly and felt very Christmassy. 

So chestnuts taste interesting, kind of nutty I would say. I definitely liked them and am sure I will get them again over the holiday season :-)

Art life in Malaga

 Art Life Malaga

We had a busy time last week here in Malaga with all of the PIGSY goings on. The first "happening" was the opening of his Online Exhibition "Seven Spanish Angels" which was presented by DesignYard Gallery in Dublin. It's a strange world we are living in where we are accessing so many events online. It certainly was a unique experience to be involved with an online exhibition of art but it still had the same excitement as a regular exhibition when word came in on Friday evening that a painting had sold, followed by three more on Saturday! Read more about the exhibition here.

Art Exhibition in La Casa Amarilla, Malaga

And then on Friday there was more art fun with the opening of  "Piña y más allá" at La Casa Amarilla Gallery in Malaga City Centre. PIGSY was part of this Group Exhibition along with an amazing line up of other talented artists from both Spain and beyond.

Muy Fragil

The artwork PIGSY submitted for the show was titled "The Situation is Muy Fragil" which I think is fairly apt given the times we are in!

Normality 

With both a physical and virtual element to this exhibition it is showcasing some excellent work by artists involved in the art scene in Malaga and I felt truly happy to be able to visit and see art in the flesh. It felt normal......as I said above it is a strange world we are living in and I grasp every piece of normality that I can with all of my might.

"Seven Spanish Angels" by PIGSY

Here's PIGSY's online exhibition video which I hope brings you some pleasure - particularly if you are in an area where art is not being shown due to Covid restrictions or if you are staying safe at home.

All the best to you, stay safe and well......

Nostalgia and shopping

Nostalgia

After yesterday's Morris Minor blog I was feeling very nostalgic. Then when we went about Malaga city today to do a few chores, I began to feel even more nostalgia.

The first place we had to stop off was at the old school Cristaleria to collect a painting that Ciaran had left in to there to be framed for an upcoming exhibition in La Casa Amarilla Gallery where his studio is based.

We collected the  the painting (which we were both so pleased with - the framers did a brilliant job) and after dropping it off at his studio we then continued on our way.

Traditional Spanish Handicrafts

Ciaran spotted a small leather shop and given that he had mentioned he needed a belt just this morning he said he would go in and see if they had one. I said I would follow him across the road after I had a good look in the most fabulous shop window that we were standing at. Here's the pics - I hope you enjoy looking just as much as I did (apols for the glare of the glass)

All of these handmade pieces of children's and baby's clothing were so beautiful and it gave me a feeling of nostalgia as the window display was reminiscent of draperies that used to exist in towns all over Ireland. These looked very upmarket and due to their handcrafted nature had quite a high price - the main Communion dress was over 400 euro.

Belt Shop

And then it was over to the belt shop for me to find Ciaran waiting for his belt to be punched with some extra holes along with a buckle being attached (what great service). A lovely brown leather belt for 7 euro which he immediately put on after paying!

All of these little shops sure make shopping fun, and when wandering about doing chores there is always something extra to be found - it reminds me of simpler times in Ireland!

PIGSY art news 

Speaking of Ciaran, there is a lot going on with his artwork. DesignYard are holding an online exhibition of work created here in Malaga when we left Dublin after lockdown. Titled "Seven Spanish Angels" - you can read about it here.

And he was featured in the Sur in English Newspaper today!

Here's a video of the art works that are in the DesignYard virtual showcase

And after this event the next thing for PIGSY is a group exhibition leading up to Christmas in La Casa Amarilla......more to follow on this later.

Thanks as always for reading my blog, stay safe and enjoy The Late Late Toy Show if you are watching it later!!  

I will be watching....just for the nostalgia, of course ;-)

The Morris Minor

The Family Car

I saw a video on twitter that sparked a major memory of something minor (that's a clue!) in my childhood.

The video was from a 1970's television broadcast of a story about Christmas tree theft in Ireland (seemingly this was a big thing at the time(!), but don't worry the Gardai in Rathfarnham were on the case). In any case the thief in the piece of film hopped over a wall in to a forest, and cut down a tree and threw it back over the wall. He then proceeded to shove the tree in to his car and drive away.

So you might wonder what was the memory that was sparked by that particular piece of film....and before you say it, I can assure you that my parents always bought their tree from the local shop!

Well the car that the Christmas tree thief made his get away in was a Morris Minor and when I saw it I was taken right back to the 1980's when we had an old black Morris Minor with what I remember were wine coloured leather seats.

Crank it up

One of the things that I remember about the car was that when it wouldn't start, my Dad would put some type of crank in the front of the car and would get it going that way - yes it was of that vintage!!

So after recalling about the crank I went looking for a video and I found this one below which shows a "cold start". The car in the video seems very similar to the one that we had and brings me right back to my childhood, sitting in the car shivering on cold Winter days while Dad cranked the car.......and then we waited for it to warm up so it would drive......while we got later and later for school!

The end of the Morris

What I also remember about this car was its eventually demise.

After doing the weekly shop in Superquinn, Blanchardstown we left the car park to go out on the main road. There was a slight hill down to the roadway, and half way down the hill the axel on the car broke. The car dropped on the side where the wheel was no longer working and we kind of skidded down on to the main road with sparks flying! All very dramatic.

I can't remember the specifics of how we got home but I think Dad parked up the car and when we got home he called a friend who owned a mechanics garage close by and arranged to have it taken up to there. Unfortunately the economics didn't work out on the repair so the car was disposed of and that was the end of the Morris Minor. 

I think there are still some photos of the car floating around in albums at home. It looked great pictured in front of my parent's 1930's house.

At the time that it was our family car I think I felt self conscious in it (I was about 10 I think) and would have preferred to have had a modern car but now I look back fondly on the old Morris Minor.

Coffee time

Tassimo Coffee Machine

When I bought my coffee machine back when I arrived in Spain I was given two 10 euro off coupons. The first one could be used straightaway while the second one could only be used from the 1st of November.

My coffee supply was beginning to dwindle down to the last box so I made my second order of a batch of coffee 2 days ago online.

And look what promptly was delivered to my apartment today!

Bulk buying

I've never been the type or person that ordered things like coffee in bulk online. But it makes sense when a) you have a money off coupon and b) you are going to have to buy it anyway as you drink it. Stocking up in bulk means you never run out so it makes sense!

Hot Chocolate

In this order I put in for a few hot chocolates to have over the Christmas time while watching Christmas movies.....though at this time the weather is still probably too warm to be thinking of things like hot chocolate!

The coffee machine originally cost 40 euro but with the money off coupons against the coffee it was actually only 20 euro. A bargain, I reckon!

Time flies.....

Where does the time go to?!

Sometimes I wonder how we got anything done back in Ireland while working full time. Here in Malaga I make a plan to do something and before I get it done the day is nearly over.....and then suddenly the week is over! Part of the issue is that things tend to take a little longer here than back in Ireland and additionally Covid restrictions are causing things to get done slower. We are having issues with our bank account so I went there this morning. Even though it is about a minute's walk from apartment I think I was gone about an hour in total. I was dealing with 3 people in the bank in my pigeon Spanish and my issue still isn't sorted!!!  Manana it seems!

Volunteer Work

On Saturday I started volunteering in the local Charity shop. I did 4 hours from 10am until 2pm. The time went fast but boy my head was in a spin when I left. So much Spanish was spoken all around me and it was difficult to process. I worked alongside a lovely lady who didn't speak any English and I helped her do the window display. It was a lot of fun!

We redressed 4 mannequins in Autumn looks and then I put some accessories (scarves, belts & necklaces) on display in the window alongside. 

I think working as a volunteer and meeting people will be very helpful for my Spanish.

Birthday!

I also celebrated my birthday since my last blog. I had a lovely chilled out day and received the most fabulous present - my favourite art work from a photographic exhibition that we attended at La Casa Amarilla. See here!

Black Friday + Cyber Monday

I was reminded by my mother on my birthday that it was 6 weeks to Christmas Eve. With that in mind, I'm happy to share a code for 10% off Pigsy art mugs on his website as an Early Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sale.  Use code: PIGSYBF20

Miercoles en Malaga!

Breakfast in the city

Today we started out with a chilled out walk to the Roman ruins in the city. We stopped off in La Canasta Bakery on the way  and bought a warm cheese & ham croissant to share for breakfast. I had packed a flask of coffee and two cups (Pigsy mugs of course!) so we sat on a bench and enjoyed the surroundings while eating and drinking in the sun. It was beyond nice and probably a luxury because we won't be able to do it when the tourists return to town as this area is normally thronged with people.

After our breakfast al fresco we then sauntered back home with Ciaran going on ahead to the apartment while I stopped off in the shops for some water and cheese. When I got home, Ciaran was working away on the computer so I did some social media work.

Speak & Learn

At 11.45am we then quickly got in to some Spanish online tutorials and did them until about 12.45pm before we went to our 1st Wednesday Group Spanish lesson. It is with the same teacher from Speak & Learn that we do the class on Tuesday with. Today we could do face to face because the location where it was on is open during the day before the Covid restrictions set in at 6pm. 

No Piqui, Malaga

Our Spanish lesson was on in a cafe called "No Piqui" which I had been interested in visiting having seen it on some of our walks around town. Both Ciaran and I thought it had a Californian hipster vibe to it with the menu having salads, burgers and burritos on it.

It was great to have a face to face lesson and I think with a second one every week it will really help us get somewhere with learning the language.  Fingers crossed!!

The hunt for bagels!

What you miss....

It's funny how you miss little things that you are used to at home. I wouldn't have thought that Ciaran was big in to tea but when he heard that my mother was sending me a package he asked if she would also send some Barry's tea, as I had mentioned in a previous blog. since it arrived he has been happily enjoying a cup or two every day.

Bagels

Other than the tea, for him he also is missing a bagel which he was a fan of for breakfast from time to time with bacon and a fried egg. So after having seen bagels on offer in Julia Bakery we went on a search for a bag of them to have at home and maybe to put a few in the freezer. But it was no joy for bagels (not even in Lidl) they were not to be found.

Malt Vinegar

The other item that we both had a hankering for was for malt vinegar to put on chips. We had been enjoying steak cooked on the barbeque along with chips that we got from a restaurant across the road. The chips had salt on them but no vinegar. And so after hunting for malt vinegar we had to do with a substitute that I found a hack for on the internet. White wine vinegar mixed with a little balsamic vinegar makes for a perfectly fine vinegar for chips. Who knew!

So other than missing a few items like the above we are very happy here in Spain.

However, change is afoot. The net is closing in on Covid and new restrictions have just been put in place for the next two weeks.

Curfew

All non-essential businesses and restaurants have to be closed by 6pm and there is a curfew from 10pm until 7am. This really won't affect us much. The gallery that Ciaran's studio is has given him a letter to go to and from the gallery for work and I will probably do shopping during the day and be in before 6pm anyway. Even though the curfew doesn't start until 10pm.  I think this change will do something to assist in bringing Covid cases down as it will stop all of the boisterous evening socializing on the streets of Malaga.  

Online Classes

One big change the restrictions has brought for us is that our Spanish class had moved online for the next two weeks. The class was being given in a small boutique hotel and it has now closed for two weeks so until it reopens we are online on Zoom. We had our first class today and it was intensive. I found it tough online. It certainly challenged me - but if it was easy I probably wouldn't be learning more than I currently know. But as I said before progress is hard......and slow in regard to my language learning.

PIGSY Merchandise

And so life goes on here in Malaga. I'm still working away on Pigsy's art website and all of his digital marketing. Along with that his merchandise has come in and is selling well. 

I'm really pleased how well the Pigsy cap came out. Another thing I'm really pleased with is the result of the recent US election. To celebrate this Pigsy has specially released 46 (yes just 46!) enamel cups printed with his original artwork "Phoenix Rising" - it's a truly inspiring piece of art and it gives me a lot of hope for the future!  

I love my morning coffee so much in my Pigsy mug!! It really is the little things that make me very happy :-) 

Just a perfect day in Malaga

Museo Jorge Rando 

We had been wanting to visit the Jorge Rando Museum since we arrived. It was closed until now for what we now know was renovations (we had thought it was closed due to Covid).

Anyway we saw in the Sur in English that it reopened last week so we made plans to visit yesterday.

It is a short walk away from our apartment (less than 10 minutes) but was in an area that we had not visited before. We really liked the feel of the area and had coffee and a small bocadillo in a cafe near the museum while waiting for it to open at 10am. It was sunny at 9.30am and when we arrived at the museum our temperature was checked. Mine was high - just under 38 degrees! I had to explain that I had been sitting in the sun and I was warm with a sweatshirt on!

It's a phenomenally attractive museum with a courtyward out the back that is clad in corten steel. The art is very impressive and even though there is a lot to see it is not overwhelming. We plan to return again.

While out in the courtyard, Ciaran got a call from a friend who was going to be in Malaga (he recently moved to San Pedro) and was wondering if we were available to meet for a tapas - which of course we were.

So when we returned home from the museum we had another coffee at home and did an online Spanish class before Ciaran went to the studio with Bones to meet our friends and show them his studio.

He then dropped the dog home to the apartment and we then all went to Casa Lola for a little lunch of tapas. Ciaran and I shared a Russian Salad and I had a glass of wine with Ciaran having 2 cana's of beer.

And then later at 4pm we went on to our Speak and Learn Spanish lesson in the Hotel Anahita in the Populus Cafe in their hotel. Phew it was a tough one!

Following the Spanish class we both went our separate ways again with Ciaran heading back to the studio and me returning to the apartment to do some PIGSY work.

Dinner was early enough about 8.30pm and we watched the new version of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca which has just come out on Netflix. Really enjoyed it - Lily James was captivating as the second Mrs De Winter. 

I should also mention the cute little fish market we happened upon near the Museo Jorge Rando. It looked old a bit rough and ready but very authentic

All in all a fantastic day in Malaga!

Package from Ireland

How sweet is my mother to send me a lovely package here in Spain!

Filled with lots of nice things including a t-shirt for Ciaran and also Barry's Tea Bags as he requested! She also sent me a full outfit (amazing how it all fitted in the below) - a skirt from River Island along with a top and a light cardigan. She also sent me face mask (sign of the times) with a beautiful cherry blossom print on it.

And look at this cute wine glass cloth! It was included in the package - a gift from my aunt. It has print of places in Ireland. She said it was to remind me of Ireland - which it does! It put a smile on my face and I took this pic of it from my  balcony, and sent it to her by What's App to say thanks :-)  

"Phoenix Rising" Enamel Mug

"Phoenix Rising" Art Mug by PIGSY 

Love this!

My PIGSY art mug arrived! Can you tell how much I love it?!

Art Merchandise by PIGSY

As well as working hard in the studio and creating lots of original artwork, PIGSY has been working on an "Art Wear" range of art merchandise which was launched a few days ago.

I immediately ordered a few items from the range including a very cool enamel mug. Printed with an original art work called "Phoenix Rising" which was created by Pigsy during lockdown in Ireland in March 2020.

Enamel Art Mug

The "Phoenix Rising" mug is enamel, kind of hipster and the absolute perfect size.

I've dropped and broken lots of mugs over the years so I really like the fact that that this one is enamel - I reckon it is practically unbreakable and perfect for having a cocktail out in the garden. In fact I think this cup would be the perfect substitute for serving a "Moscow Mule" if you can't lay your hands on a copper mug!! 

Given the hard wearing nature of the material it is made of, it is more environmentally friendly than plastic cups which overtime can degrade or they can shatter. This one can be flung in a bag and aside from getting dinged you don't have to worry about it breaking.

It would have been ideal to take with me on past sailing trips when I travelled to the Caribbean and around the Greek Isles and other places over the last few years. I'm not sure if there are any sailing trip opportunities for me in the near future but if I do get near a yacht anytime soon I will take this mug!!

This mug was actually a limited edition (by special request of me!) so if this is the one you would really like, drop a line to pigsy.art@gmail.com and he should be able to work something out for you!

Oh and given that this would make the perfect gift for any coffee or art lover in your life........remember that Christmas is coming ;-) 

Every day is a school day!

Lots of learning going on here in Malaga between sport and language

I signed up for Padel lessons which is a lot of fun. I'm really enjoying learning this new skill and occasionally I am picking up a new Spanish word or two which is a bonus! (Hello "Saltar") 

In regards to learning Spanish, progress is slow. We started out for the first month doing online tutorials and are are now taking lessons with Speak and Learn which are very helpful. The lessons are stimulating, Clara our teacher is excellent, and they invigorate our self directed online language learning.

However, this morning in Starbucks I felt like I finally knew a little bit of Spanish where I ordered our two coffee and then said they were for drinking at the restaurant when the barista asked if they were for here or to takeaway. And then with Covid there is no sugar out on display so again I found that I could respond when I was asked if I wanted sugar. Job done, 2 coffees en Espanol! 

In the latest PIGSY art news, he was interviewed by Nicole King on her Marbella Now TV show and it broadcast yesterday evening.