Once the pressure was off with the book, I collapsed in a bit of a heap. Since August, I’ve had two days off sick, but apart from that, the only day I haven’t worked on the book was Christmas day, and I was cooking for a good bit of that. And for the last week, I’ve been ignoring the housework almost completely. So Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday were spent catching…
Traditional roof with a space to view the port. These days, Santa Cruz de la Palma is a bit of a backwater. But three hundred years ago, it was the third biggest port in the Spanish Empire. Almost every ship traveling from Spain to the Americas stopped here. In the 19th century, it was still a major port, and many of the inhabitants waited anxiously for a ship bringing their…
I’m extremely lucky with my friends. As soon as the printers said I’d have to get the book to them by Friday, the cavalry came over the hill. The friend who’s been checking my translation kicked into high gear. the friend who’d polishing the Spanish worked right through the bank holiday – about 12 hours, I think. And the friend who’s doing the layout almost kept pace with the other…
The island’s government, the Cabildo, have been extremely helpful with my book, “A Breathtaking Window on the Universe”. Now, pretty please, they’d like copies of the Spanish edition in time for the Fitur tourism fair in Madrid at the end of January. I’ve talked to the printers, and that means they need the book delivered to them this week. Eek! I’m going to be far too busy for blog posts…
Gaspar visiting Santa Cruz de la Palma Although Father Christmas does visit Spanish children, he’s a new arrival. Traditionally the presents arrive on the morning of January 6th, when the three kings visit baby Jesus. (The sales don’t normally start this early, because Christmas isn’t over here.) And on the evening of the 5th, their majesties ride in procession through most of the major towns and villages in Spain. In…
New year is a big thing in Spain. Many people dress up – I mean really dress up, as though they were going to the opera at Covent Garden. Traditionally, lots of people eat out, although I suspect there’ll be less of that this year. At midnight, people traditionally eat one grape for each “boing” of the clock. If you manage all twelve on schedule, it’s supposed to bring good…