The first week back at lectures is always a bit of a drag, never mind when it's hot and sunny outside. It took a few days to get back into the swing of it, but luckily Rosy and I had a trip to Madrid to plan, which occupied our thoughts during the dull classes. We spent the time outside lectures sunbathing in the park, or on the sofa watching films. The Spanish people were just beginning to reflect some signs of the summery weather in their clothing; the winter coats were disappearing, and occasionally there was a flash of arm or leg as someone braved shorts or a T-shirt. They were mostly still far too overdressed for the weather; we were in skirts and strappy tops. But the older generation didn't seem to approve; while we ... read more

It's a cold and grey Sunday afternoon, quite a change from the last few weeks of beautiful summer weather, but nevertheless we've been having a lovely day. We all find that Sundays can be 'dead' days - because nothing's open, nothing's going on and we don't always get together leaving Sundays for boring things like work and cleaning - essential things, but not necessarily fun ones. And even when you've done those jobs the hours can still stretch out before you endlessly. So we decided to change things, and yesterday, we went to the supermarket to get things to make a roast dinner so that we could have a lovely meal together today. It all went pretty smoothly - we started cooking at 1pm after a nice lie-in, and had a lovely meal with plenty of ... read more

The weather this week has been incredible - I don't think there has been a day where it has not reached at least 22 degrees C. A shopping trip has been necessary today to get flipflops, a summer skirt and a couple of light tops, because all my summer clothes are still at home in Britain, and the heat is just too much to be wearing shoes, jeans and jumpers. I spent a very contented day on Friday sitting in the park and reading a book in the sun, and it was clearly my day, because when I got there, i found the oppurtunity I have been waiting for: I finally got some photos of the peacocks who live in the park. I've heard them often, and seen them a couple of times, but this time, ... read more

Right, it's got to be a quick one, as I'm sitting here typing fast, hoping that my laptop battery doesn't run out because the power's gone in the flat this morning, I don't know why, but it's a pain as I'd just put a load of washing on. No-one else is up yet, and as it's a Sunday I don't really want to call my landlord, but if it goes on for muh longer, I think I'll have to. Anyway, yesterday was amazing, because Carnaval finally hit Oviedo. The week-long celebrations for Mardi Gras travel around the country, with parades and festivities popping up in different cities each day. The excitement has been growing all week, with children dressed up and people taking random days off. But yesterday was the big day. After spending the morning ... read more

So the time has come: tomorrow I'm leaving Perpignan for good, with a whole load of mixed feelings! I've been back here for two weeks following the Christmas holidays, in order to sit the January exams. The first week was more or less exam-packed, leaving little time for anything else, but the second week has been much more of a whirlwind of packing, doing lots of 'last...' things and generally tying up loose ends and saying goodbyes. Oh and another exam, just for good measure. And as sod's law would predict, we've found some gems tucked away in this small city, which we wish we'd dscovered earlier. One such place is the appropriately named Cosy Club. After months of whishing we could find a nice little place for a drink and a chat, we finally found ... read more