Els amics de L'Avenc han publicat un Diari de Natura!. Un diari maquíssim i sense any fixe. El podem usar l'any que vulguem. Conté textes, fotografies i dibuixos sobre la relació entre l'home i la natura, mostrant que pot haver una relació propera i més directa. És un llibre ple de sensibilitat i bon gust. Us l'aconsello!

Tardor a la fageda

4 meravellosos dies al bell mig de la fageda d'en Jordà, a Mas Palleu, una magnífica casa rural acabada d'obrir i portada amb molta atenció per la Roser Pararols.



Un cel blau cobalt ens ha acompanyat cada dia tot passejant per la bonica fageda. Colors tardorencs, castanyes, panellets i jocs de taula amb en Jorge, la Mar i família.

Els tons dels verds i els grocs, els iogurts de la cooperativa, i el silenci de la nit ens han prooprcionat uns dies veritablement terapèutics, guaridors de l'estrès que portem sempre dins.

BubbleShare: Share photos - Thanksgivingtime!

Taga

Edmund Hillary and friends.

Last Saturday we climbed up the Taga, a well-known mountain for low-profile mountaineers like me. We went together with the the Fontanals, the Llopart and the Navarro family from school. And the boys and the girls... wow! They really had a very good time! For me, satisfaction came from reaching the summit and as much as that, fom seeing my daughter and her friends laughing and playing all full of beans. That gives you strength to carry on, indeed (you see, I'm getting sentimental... time to go).
And a couple of extra pics from home... well, from Emma at home!

This album is powered by BubbleShare - Add to my blog

Why so fast?

Back to work. It's been a wondeful time. Beach, hills and daughters!
After 10 days in Llançà, where our Clara and Mònica learnt to dance in front of an audience (and I learnt to hide away).



First days on the beach for Emma. No fear! sitting by the waterline and splashing on the rocking waves like a little mermaid.



After a few days at my in laws, we headed for Collsacabra, and we stayed for 9 days at the beautiful house of l'Avenc, run by Belinda and her husband Quim.



It's been an unforgettable experience. 9 quiet days surrounded by nature, good warm people and vultures above us... books and games, nothing else... and nothing else we needed indeed.

Visit l'Avenc if you have the chance. You won't regret it, and I would also recommend you to read Matthew (Belinda's brother) Parris' book "A Castle in Spain", telling the story of how l'Avenc originated and later it was purchased by this friendly and charming family. Belinda and her 81- year-old mother are both English teachers.



Here are some pics from these wonderful summer holidays:

This album is powered by BubbleShare - Add to my blog

Future or present?

This cartoon is just a way to see how we teachers have to change our scope on our job!

New hopes... welcome aboard!

Today, Josep, Pepón and Ricard will start their own company... Triple Mortal. We hope to start a new scenario in our lives, something parallel to what we have been doing so far. Even though your life can be as sweet as a cake, sometimes you need some extra topping. This is the time!



Good journey, mates, and thanks!

BfB

BfB!!
Back from break! We've just landed in El Prat Airport from Fiumicino in Rome. What a wonderful experience!! (Not the flight). I had never been to Rome before, and I must confess that it has snared me with its combination of light, water and decadence.. The children had a lot of fun together ...and so had we! Good atmosphere, lots of pizza and pasta (the cheapest way to eat there) This city breathes out history. Have a look at the pictures if you like. They are just a pick. Thanks to my fellow travellers (Berenguer, Mora and Ortiz families) for the wonderful time we have shared!

This album is powered by
BubbleShare
- Add to my blog

Stage1: Segovia

Back from stage 1!!
Lots of children. Good temperature (thin coat at night, sleeping under your sheets). Lots of places to see: castles, palaces, gardens... and very nice people we've met. Best regards to M. Carmen, Carlos, Alberto, Jesús, Carmen, Bárbara, Joan Carles, Loli, Lara, Hugo, Javier, Luisa, Celia, Jorge and Javier Jr. We've had a very good time up there. It's been good to relax and to drowse through the afternoon, and read a good book (hard as it is during the year). Now it's a week's work at the office and then off to La Cerdanya. Anna seems to feel better about her pregnancy. Our third offspring seems to start behaving properly.
Here's a bubbleshare for you if you want to have a look. The swimming pool shower was freezing!


This album is powered by
BubbleShare
- Add to my blog

Bye for now!

Steep climb, indeed!

We did it!
A nice bunch of people (a big hug for Albert, Amàlia, Antonio, Glòria, Jorge & Lluís) got together last weekend to climb the Canigó, one of the sacred mountains of the catalans. The first stages were really pleasant, flowing streams and meadows, birds singing, and Antonio making fun. As we got to the "Tartera" (scree in English)... oh, that was tough!! Stepping on rocks and sliding pebbles makes the climb really exhausting. There was Glòria going up the slope like a goat (very good, Glòria). Right at the end of the tartera we sat for a snack to gain some strength, and there was the final climb. A steep path of rock where you had to hold on big boulders and rocks with both hands in order to get some control and go up to the top.
When I finally got to the sumit, Antonio, Glòria, Jorge and Lluís were already there... with another pack of 15 more people barbecueing some sausages together with their 6-7-year old children!! That was depressing: The children were wearing rubber sandals,and I was there with my boots and half fainted! It turned out that they had climbed from the other side, on a much gentler slope.
After Amàlia and Albert got to the top (that was a very brave climb... congratulations, Amàlia), we had something to eat and took some pictures (aren't we cute?).

Bork

This album is powered by
BubbleShare
- Add to my blog

We began the descent, much harder than we expected. The view of the empty fall in front of you made you think carefully where to put your hands and feet, but it was fun, believe me.
We got to the starting point completely exhausted, but very happy after having achieved our goal.
The stakes were high, the aim was tough, but the company paid for everything. It has been a real pleasure to meet such nice people as Albert, Glòria and Lluís (the others were old acquaintances). I want to thank Jorge for putting us together on this wonderful excursion.
Today is monday... my legs are a bit stiff, but my memories are splendid!
It's worth having a look at the pics, they are nice!

Local heroes

We always tend to see our heroes as strong, famous people... remarkable actors or actresses, singers, sportspeople, or even politicians!( I don't believe people see us teachers as heroes, do they?).
Real heroes live around the corner... in our neighbourhood, in our school, or next to our office table.
This is my first local hero in the series: Àlex, my neighbour. he plays football, and at the end of the season he's been appointed best colleague in the team. Congratulations, Àlex! Fairplay is as important as championships.

So... there I was

Yesterday, it was the time for Emmylou's concert in Barcelona. She was together with an english guy... I think his name was Knopfler, or something like that. He was fantastic as well, but that's not the point here. She played and sang like an angel, and at 59, she moves like she did years ago.
I was there together with my lifetime friend Jorge (the guy with the specs in the pictures), he was the one who introduced me to Emmylou's music. Thanks, Jorge!
Her music and her songs sound like heaven, and I felt like heaven! by the end of the concert, she sang "From Boulder to Bimingham", that made me feel younger, about twenty years, more or less.
I don't know if I will ever see her again, but yesterday's concert will be permanently fresh in my memory... a part of the soundtrack of my life.
I've pasted a BubbleShare presentation in large size, I hope the guys at blogger won't go mad at it, but she deserves it!!
I love you girl!!

This album is powered by
BubbleShare
- Add to my blog

Here's the second!

2 hours of nerve-wrecking wait. No voice at all in the end. Eyes wide open, mouth gaping, sweat. We finally got to the end of the match one goal ahead, which was scored just 10 minutes before the end. The game was tight and difficult. Arsenal scored in the first half after having their goallie sent out. That left a 10 aginst 11 match which wasn't easy at all. When many of us thought that the cup would be lost, Eto'o and Belleti moved the balance for Barça in just 4 minutes. Unbelievable!!
Second European Champions Cup, and the feeling that the team has a promising future ahead. How far will they get?

Just feelings

No pictures, no links... just feelings. Tonight Barça are playing their Champions League Final in Paris against Arsenal. I'll be watching it at a friend's together with a bunch of people and Clara, my eldest daughter (she does like football, indeed!). If they win, the blog will have a colourful post tomorrow. If they lose, never mind, there much more important things in life than a simple football match... but this isn't a simple one, by no means! Funny how we tend to be mesmerized by such vacuous things.

Two very outstanding people. If you ever met them, it would be difficult to find two adjectives to describe them out of: sympathetic, friendly, helpful, humble, honest, hard-working, cultivated, resourceful, sociable... and others. Here's a little homage to them, Toni and Mercè.

Beware!!

I've just sent an invitation to visit this blog. Don't be afraid to leave your imprint! The only thing that could happen was that I could set Mònica loose... she's wild!!