Drinks Are On Me!

No, I didn't win big on the lottery, unfortunately. As a matter of fact, I haven't played since Christmas even though one of my friends tried to give away 10 euros that she thought she owed someone for lottery. Once a month as many of us as possible get together for lunch and a good old chinwag in a bar-restaurant round the corner. They offer 2 menus - one for 9 euros and the other for 15. I always have the 9-euro one because the more expensive menu includes mostly seafood. Both are good value, with drinks and dessert or coffee included. So there we were ready to eat the six of us. Chris was getting ready to fill everyone's wine glass when the bottle jumped out of her hand and a good deal of the liquid got me on my left sleeve and leg with a few drops on the tablecloth and some on the floor. When wine is dribbled on the table, it's considered good luck in Spain. I don't know about most of a bottle being thrown at a person, except that it wasn't too obvious (I hope) that I was wearing wine-soaked clothes. By the time we left it had mostly dried anyway, and this is why I say drinks on me! And Chris didn't pour any more wine!

Our crazy February is finally behind us. I'm the only one who thinks February drags I suppose. This past week has been freezing. On Wednesday and Thursday it snowed in Madrid. It didn't stick either of the two days. I was wishing though that I'd got out and taken a couple of photos of the Plaza de Toros in the snow. Thursday I was out in it as I had an appointment to get my hair cut. By the time I went out the snow wasn't so pretty. I wore 3 layers under my coat, because my friend Jenny had told me the last time she was there they hadn't put the heating on. We go to the same hairdresser's. I'm happy to say I didn't get cold in the hairdresser's and they had a small radiator on. Outside was a different story. I fought with my umbrella to get it up. The wind wanted to rip it out of my hands. Then I fought to close the doggone thing. So far March has been mild. What is it they say about March? Comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion, or vice versa? Whatever it may be, winter still has something to say I reckon.

In other posts, I mentioned that there is a house full of squatters just round the corner from where I live. They've already set the house on fire once. On Friday when I left class with my friend Cielo and the mother of one of my students, we both smelled smoke and I was convinced that the squatters had started another fire. No, it was much closer to their house. It was coming from the abandoned house next door. The windows had been boarded up, and there was a hole in one of the boards and the door was open a crack. Smoke was pouring out of both places. I don't imagine the house was on fire, but that those inside had made a fire in the fireplace whose chimney was probably blocked from disuse. Cielo told her husband to telephone the police. I had to leave, so I don't know what happened. Guess I'll find out on Wednesday. Bet they're still in the house though. Now there's only one old house to be occupied on this street.

At the beginning of the new year, I never said anything about resolutions so as not to disappoint myself. I am happy that I'm a non-smoker though because I saw people outside in the freezing cold just to have a cigarette this past week. Instead I've decided to de-clutter as much as possible yet again and use my crock pot more. I found a couple of things that had got lost in my bathroom last weekend, which I gave to my friend the wine spiller, and made a chicken dish in the crock pot. This weekend I've made soup beans, and they are soup beans with lots of water! I'll take some of the water and make an actual soup I think. Nothing like starting the week with lunch already made!

And this is me for another week. Hope everyone's week is a good one. This photo is my grand reserve of wine, three of the bottles being gifts.