la vida tranquila

Well, it's Sunday already and our first week is drawing to an end. I have not much to tell, as one might have noted from the sparseness of my posts!

I spent the week trying to catch up on work in the mornings, after taking a long walk with A & G and making/having breakfast. Other than that, a focal point of our day is to help out A's padres (parents) with lunch preparations and clean-up, which is quite a production. lunch here is late (2 or 3 p.m.) and large and the padres don't like to eat out much, so every day there is slaving to be done in the tiny kitchen.

Actually, i should clarify that i rarely help them prepare their food, for wont of space (Alain does though) but i am in charge of whipping up my own vegetarian bits and also prefer to make separate veggies for A and I, as the padres do so love to overcook and overdress/salt theirs! they also seem to favour things I personally would avoid cooking in the summer (and these days, altogether), like roast chicken! Alain has returned to his meat-eating habits, if only to please his dad (both padres consume enough animal protein at lunch to feed 3 people, but no, I'm not judging, just fascinated).

Yesterday we did succeed in convincing them to let us take them out for lunch and 'dios mio' (my god), what a feast it was. We took the course menu that included several rounds of appetizers before the main course and it was way too much food, I couldn't move afterwards! Of course that was my own fault for feeling I had to eat and eat to alleviate the inevitable food waste from our table! I consumed at least half the huge salad and lots and lots of manchego while the rest of them worked on croquettes, fried calamari and jamon de Serrano. My main plate was a delicious seafood paella (an exception from my regular habits), which I made a respectable dent in, eating about 2/3rds. A's dad meanwhile wrapped half his humongous steak in a napkin for "Fraise" (he keeps forgetting G's name but I kind of like his alternate!), so at least it didn't end up in the garbage.

Anyway, apologies for going on about food... It's just such a big deal in this casa!

Aside from that, yesterday G-dog was seen by her first Spanish vet -- by the pool on his patio, that is! The son of a second cousin of A's mom, he advised us on a recurring irritation the poor perrita has on her privates. A very nice and interesting guy, he also volunteers at a chimpanzee refuge near here.

The only other thing I have to say is that I hope tonight downtown in the village of San Juan de Alicante -- where the padres' apt is located -- is quieter than last night. There were dogs barking, car music blaring, people talking loud on the street until 3 a.m. and I hardly slept! Although I just remembered it's the World Cup final tonight so if Spain wins I'll have to catch up on ZZZs on Monday night!