I just heard on Saturday evening that my other grandmother, Grandma, my Dad’s mum, Lillian passed away peacefully and altogether unexpectedly in her sleep. She was 89 and to say she had a good innings would be an understatement. Nonetheless we are all pretty shocked and still coming to terms with our loss of a much-loved, fantastic, kind, generous person in our lives. I’ll attempt some kind of eulogy in these pages soon, but in the meantime, I just wanted to share what was going on.
Here’s Grandma last December haggling over gourmet cheeses in Taunton’s Saturday morning market:
Just a suggestion for next year’s Judea, have the 200 or so “elements of the security forces” dress up as Romans to add a more authentic touch to the procedings. As you’ll see from the photos, all you need is red and gold fabric and the brush from your kitchen broom… and it’ll make the arrests of public drunks even more watchable. (See the Informador’s version of events here.)
So it was quite an experience. First off, travel directions from Guadalajara: from Lazaro Cardenas, take the Carretera a Chapala, go about 3 km, to just after the bottom of the first hill, and turn off to the right at the San Martin de las Flores exit, cross the overpass, the railway and then go about 2 km and you’re there. Park, entrust your car to local 7-year-old entrepreneurs and wander through the impromptu market that’ll be bustling with people selling empanadas, chairs, relics, hats and refreshments until you get to the hill and wander up it. Bring walking shoes, sun tan lotion, and water. And a camara. And while you’re at it with your camera, make sure you’ve cleaned the lense or you’ll get home and realise every pinche photo has a smudge on it. Arse.
Anyroad, I got to the top of the hill at around 3ish, where the well-graffitied cross is and there’s a nice view but no shade, luckily they were selling sliced fruit up there so I sat down and watched the masses assemble while listening to Wait, Wait don’t tell me, the NPR news quiz on me iPaq.
By around 6pm the hill was packed, 100,000 people apparently, all jostling to see Jesus carrying his cross up the hill escorted by the aforementioned Romans and local TV camera crews. I had to stop several times on the way to the top to catch my breath, but fair play to Jesus, he managed it in one, very fast, climb. I’m not sure what happened when he got to the top. I thought there was going to be a full-on crucifixion, but I think that only happens in Venezuela or somewhere. I also left before Judas got hanged. I was more interested in taking photos of the crowds from the bottom of the hill. So all in all, I’m well glad I made it there. I think I was the only gringo there, I’m glad I didn’t wear shorts to make it even more obvious.
It’s every bit as quiet as last year. I took Atticus to buy the paper this morning and he didn’t even have any traffic to chase.
Anyroad, I’m going through my photos to enter them in Amour Fou’s “Cortosia de Amour Fou” competition. Rules here in Spanish. For the photography prize the theme is “anything to do with cinema”, and the prize is 2 weeks’ free rentals. So far there are no entries… Anyroad, I’ve been meaning for a while to take some shots around Gwod for a Hitchcock series, illustrating some of his most famous (and easiest to depict photographically) films; I’m looking for:
Some of the Spanish titles don’t quite coincide: North by Northwest = With Death at the Heels… fr’instance. And I so I’ll probably have a wander tomorrow completing the set. Also, if all goes well this avo I’ll join the throngs for the catholic goings on in San Martin de los Flores.
Watched Adios a Lenin, last night. Sita was initially sceptical as with my accent she thought it was going to be about the Beatles. Turned out to be a very good German film. Meanwhile, Amour Fou is projecting La Vida de Brian tonight, since it’s Easter… A fine choice of film if you ask me.
Also I learnt today it would take 38 odd cups of my favourite caffeine drink, Starbucks Grande Coffee, to kill me thanks to this helpful death-by-caffeine site (thanks StumbleUpon). Mathematicians may care to work out my weight from this. Please do not publish your findings in the comments section.
Seems like everyone’s gone or is going to the beach. Anyroad, not complaining, I’ve had my fair share of holidays of late. Still waiting for various projects to materialise. Next week should be busy if the people who’ve said they’ve stuff for me to do give me stuff…
So today I played a lot of Scrabble, getting back in the 1000s again. There’s a shake-up of the SOWPODS (UK/international -USA version) allowed words in a month or so so that’s going to throw me off for a bit if they mess with my 2-letter words. I’d like to put in a request for “Zot”, Sita assures me it’s the sound anteaters make and it must have been an oversight when they wrote the dictionary.
Also got inspired by a comment on this flowery photo saying that they look like Trollz so I did meself a photoshopped hybrid monstery thing:
And also I started buggering around with the e-commerce plugin for wordpress. Seems alright, i’m having some issues with permalinks and .htaccess, but nothing insurmountable. They hard part is thinking of products. Vaguely considering some framed photography with frames from Tonala. Very, very much in progress here don’t be surprised to see an illegible mess… And if things stay quiet this week, then I’ll be rejigging this blog page yet again, cos I can’t get it to display right in (accursed, plagues be upon it) IE 6.
Other stuff… Spanish phrase of the week, courtesy of the taxi driver from the airport: Una lluvia mojapendejos. A type of rain that only idiots* would get wet in. Ie. short and sweet.
* insert regional slang of choice here. Twunt for example…
So much to post about last week, so I’ll probably end up not writing anything so just in case, highlights included: putting the world to rights with Roberto, fine eats and DIY with Martin & Sally, painless tax filing with Sally’s accountant, catching up with lots of friends and family, Guelaguetza (sp?) oaxacan restaurant in central LA, Frolf with Matt (FRisbee goLF, although I’m told only newbies call it that as it sounds far too precious), red zinfandel comparative tasting with Meg, boozing with Liz, and hassle-free immigration and dog repatriation. and more I probably forgot. So that’s that for now, on to what inspired me to blog today.
Toilet repairs.
So the downstairs toilet wasn’t filling/flushing right, so I had to repeat the DIY shop experience I had in Santa Cruz a few years back when I went to buy a replacement part. I spent a few minutes explaining what I needed with hand gestures and everything, a flapper thing basically, and the bloke got what I was after. It’s called a flapper. Today I went to Santa Tere to a Tlapaleria (DIY shop, more common than the Spanish Spanish, Ferreteria) and had the same conversation in Spanish. Turns outs it’s called un Flapper. Things they never teach you at school…
Atticus is settling in. He’s going to be sleeping in my office to keep him from barking at the various sounds that occur during the night here (road sweepers, door-to-door salesmen, Ralphy Gutierrez, peripatetic mariachi bands, etc.) He met Juan, the water bloke today and barked away at him. (Bonafont’s just hiked the price up to 23 pesos a garafon and I think Atticus sensed that…) but I’ll forgive him anything after his exemplary behaviour on the plane and in the airports yesterday. As I wrote that he started barking up a storm again… ah well.
For proper blogging, there’s always M & D’s travelogue over at ChiliCatInLa.blogspot.com they’re in Oaxaca… And that’s all for today, glad to be back home again and looking forward to catching up with the Guanatos crowd and seeing all the semana santa shenanigans. Hasta pronto!
