Butterfly Effect

Dad ended up staying most of last week at my house here in Madrid as a real life volcano refugee. The chaos scored me a free trip to the seaside as I went as far as San Sebastian with him on his mega train trip home

cafe fridays

Analogue Future

A shot from the Rastro I took ages ago on my Mum's MINOLTA. I just got the film back today - completely forgot how exciting it is !

midnight diners

limelight

more on a theme

"Authentic Materials"

In the EFL classroom with Edward Carpenter

Spain

Walking out in the west of Madrid . Click to make big

Volcano

One stranded Dad takes hotel room in Madrid. Included in the room = free minibar! Stranded Dad has now moved to house of supporting son (in part exchange for the minibar products)

te echo de menos

Scalextric

late shift

they work

A student's advice on what to do if you are new in town: 'the night is very important'

i work

Wiping off the dust

Birthdays

Today Karen, my parents' friend from uni, celebrated her birthday with Spanish friends in an English style, by cooking an enormous curry eaten out in the garden with the amazing backdrop of the Sierra de Guadamarra. Men with moustaches sung, ladies danced, the sun shined, kids climbed trees, and a little dog kept trying to steal everyone's food. Great way to forget about Monday

warm air at night

Reina de Sofia from my room

Turn up the blue, would you?

Check out the ubiquitous squid

Business Time

Catching a couple of minutes of vitamin D before class

La Cancha

Candid shot from basketball

Digital

One day this week we turned on the TV to find a message telling us that the analogue TV signal had been switched off in all of Spain, for good. This wasn't really a surprise as we'd had the digital box sat on the sofa for a good few weeks waiting for somebody to muster the energy to plug it in. The time had come. Now we have 36 channels! Showing such delights as dubbed American infomercials touting realistic plastic fly-fishing bait, or, as in the above picture, a pen that removes scratches from your car "whilst saving money". That's this Christmas sorted at least.

Expat Life

Supplies arrive

Welcome to the Suburbs

Pay Day = Train trip out of town to middle-of-nowhere shopping centre.
Purchased: Rollerblades, a frisbee, and a basketball.
Hoping for: Better weather

Dan & Paul

Saying goodbye to old friends

People

pajaro y cielo

Taken on a daytrip to Alcala de Henares. These huge storks (?) more or less ran the town

the unlucky ones

No beaches or coast. Only a tiny drying up river. But somehow the seafood is always excellent. Where am I? MADRID you fool !

Photo taken by Dan