it was fall in your head

Okay so I thought up the post title, in present tense, a week ago when it was still getting up to 20°C highs and I was laughing at the madrileños in their parkas and boots. Of course I never got around to filling in the body that day. What with my busy schedule and all... (*sarcasm*)

Anyway, here we are on the 2nd day of real fall after some nasty winds from a storm named Becky or something and I'm planning on making ZBCs (zucchini bread cupcakes) this afternoon to warm up the kitchen & the tummy.

Though the sun seems to be out at the moment and the dawg keeps coming to sit and stare at me (non-responsive as usual when I ask her "What???"), so.... maybe we should go out early for our afternoon walk (we normally go after 3 on my days off work).

Speaking of long walks, I must be sure to take photos next time we go to our new favourite park. (I know, we have so many, who can keep up!) It's called La Dehesa de la villa and it's very woody (wonderfully aromatic pine!) and natural and HUGE! It's very old and was apparently originally part of some royal pastoral land or something.

We've even started letting G off the leash there for little spurts. Of course she gets super-excited and doesn't listen (in her defense, she did see a squirrel for only the 2nd time in her life) so we're hesitant, me mainly because she's gotten worse (growly & nippy) with kids lately. She (understandably, I say) doesn't trust 'em, due to some past experiences and the numerous bratty Spanish kids always trying to poke her and whatnot. And of course there is always a chance of kids in a park. Though frankly the two times we've been, Alain & are are very surprised at how empty the Dehesa is.

What else? Oh, I guess I could ramble on a bit about the few social activities we've had/are planning.

Last week I was excited to have the opportunity to wear the fabulous high-heeled John Fleuvog shoes I bought in Vancouver in May. (Hey, most of my clothes jeans are secondhand and duller than hell. It's nice to dress up once in a blue moon!) We and the embassy's two other newbies were invited to the Big Cheese's official residence for dinner.

Alas, it was nothing exciting really. The risotto was good but the rest of the food not so impressive (and plus someone forgot to inform the chef about my dietary preferences so I had to push lamb chops around my plate, all the while hearing a line from the Simpson's in my head: "I thought you luuu-uhh-uhh-ved me" from the same episode as the famous "You don't make friends with salad" song.) The chief himself is always charming and I think I adore his wife but I didn't get all that much of a chance to chat one-on-one with her.

C'mon get up, NOW we're going.

Aside from that, tomorrow night we have a jazz concert to go to (ok, not super-thrilled but... I will nonetheless put on my Bellevues again) and then Friday we're seeing a Michel Tremblay play! We've been to the theatre several times already, as it is SO afordable here, and I guess we show a bit of favouritism towards stuff from home. A month ago we saw Wajdi Mouawad's Incendies, which I super recommend. The acting was stunning and the story is wrenching. If you can't catch the play, I think the movie's due out in Canada soon.

So, now it's time for G and me to get out of the house. Don't know where we'll go, Madrid is a ghost town once again today as it's a holiday (for most people, ie., not Alain) in honour of the city's virginal patron saint, and i specify virginal because apparently she's not the only one &mdash patron saint i mean.

Hasta luego amigos.