Ah another rainy day... lovely!

Y otro dia de lluvia....encantador!

We bought our bedframe, bedside tables, lamps, mattress and matress pad in Ikea this weekend. Now our bedroom has a minimalist-Oriental ambience, simple and easy. While we were in Ikea we found these wonderful blackout blinds (pictured above): Roller blind TUPPLUR, 100% black-out, thanks to the acrylic-coated cotton fabric. Can be cut to desired width. Can be fixed to the ceiling or the wall. In dark blue, beige and grey. We've calculated that covering the two windows in our bedroom we would be spending around £50. We'll go to Ikea next weekend again to get the blinds! Now what is amazing is that we went to a local blinds shop and were quoted £400 for the same type of material and blinds. So this story comes with a double conclusion : 1) It pays to shop around. 2)To those little 'alternative' types who preach supporting small local shops against big chains, I would tell them to stuff £350 worth of blinds up their asses. This is exactly the amount of money I am saving by NOT shopping at a small local shop. Yeeeha!



Este fin de semana fuimos a Ikea y compramos la nueva cama, mesitas de noche, lamparas, colchon y colchoncillo. Tiene un aire oriental-minimalista, simple y sencillo. Y cuando estabamos en Ikea vimos estas persianas de la foto de arriba: Estor TUPPLUR. 100% opacidad a la luz gracias al tejido de algodón con superficie acrílica. Se puede cortar al ancho deseado. Se puede colgar del techo o de una pared. En azul marino, beige y gris. Hemos calculado que, para cubrir las dos ventanas de nuestro dormitorio, gastaremos unas £50. Asi que iremos otra vez a Ikea el proximo fin de semana! La historia no se acaba aqui... hace un par de semanas fuimos a una tienda de nuestra ciudad para preguntar precios de persianas/estores. Nos hicieron un presupuesto de £400 por dos estores del mismo material que el que ofrece Ikea. Asi que esta historia termina con dos bonitas moralejas : 1) Hay que visitar varias tiendas antes de comprar y 2) A esos tipejos 'alternativos'que nos machacan la importancia de comprar en las tiendas del barrio para ayudar al pequenio comercio, yo les digo que se metan por donde les quepa un par de persianas por valor de £350. Esta es exactamente la cantidad que me ahorro al NO COMPRAR en un pequenio comercio local. Ahi os lo dejo...


The weather today:
Sunny
14°
Wind 6 moderate
Pressure 1009
Humidity 62%
UV Index 1
Pollution 2

Another little tool which has radically changed my life! The potato peeler! Because you see, before the discovery of the potato peeler, I didn't peel potatoes. My mum's tool 'par excellence' is the knife. She could have earned her life in a circus as a knife throwing genius. She uses the knife as a professional killer. I tried using a knife. The potato was reduced to a dwarfish size. Or I almost amputated my hands. As I only have two of them, I thought it was better to forget about peeling potatoes. Now, however, I happily peel anythign you put in front of me! And what is a potato peeler? A potato peeler is a metal blade attached to a metal, plastic or wooden handle that is used for peeling vegetables, usually potatoes, but you can also use it with carrots, green beans, apples..anything you need to peel! As you can see from the photos above, there are different types of potato peeler. They look similar, but one is superb and the other one is crap. I found the first one in New Zealand, land of wonders. The metal blade swivels, that is what it makes the peeler so easy to use. The second one I found it in the UK. The blade does not swivel at all. And it is crap. Buy the first model, if you can. It will change your life, just as it has changed mine! Oh and this story comes with a little nice conclusion : You may spend years and years thinking your mum is a domestic goddess and you are just simply useless. But one day, you will know more and better than your mum!


Otra pequenia herramienta que ha cambiado radicalmente mi vida! El pela-patatas!! Porque, vereis...antes de descubrir el pela-patatas, yo no pelaba patatas. Mi madre siempre usaba el cuchillo. Podria haberse ganado la vida en un circo como tiradora de cuchillos. Mi madre usa el cuchillo como una asesina profesional. En cambio yo...cuando probe a usarlo, los resultados fueron de pelicula de terror. O bien las patatas quedaban reducidas a tamanio enanito o bien me amputaba las manos. Y como solo tengo dos manos, decidi no volver a pelar nunca mas una patata. Ahora, sin embargo, pelo patatas y pelo todo lo que me pongais por delante, con rapidez y profesionalidad. Y que es un pela-patatas? Basicamente, es una hoja metalica pegada a un mango de metal, plastico o madera que se usa para pelar vegetales, usualmente patatas, pero que tambien es usado para pelar zanahorias, judias verdes, manzanas...cualquier fruta o verdura que querais pelar! Como podeis ver en las fotos de arriba, hay varios modelos. Los de las fotos se parecen, pero hay un mundo de diferencia entre los dos. Uno es una maravilla. El otro es una mierda. Encontre el primero en Nueva Zelanda, tierra de maravillas. La hoja metalica se mueve de lado a lado, y es lo que hace que sea tan facil de usar. El segundo lo encontre en Inglaterra. La hoja metalica no se mueve. Y es horrible de usar. Comprad el primer modelo, si podeis. Cambiara vuestra vida, exactamente igual a como ha cambiado la mia! Ademas, esta historia viene con moraleja : Puedes pasarte la vida creyendo que tu madre es una autoridad en temas domesticos y tu un/a simple inutil, pero llegara un dia en que tu sabras mas que tu madre.


The weather today:
Light Rain
11C
UV Index: 1 Low
Wind: From the West at 10 mph
Dew Point: 8C
Humidity: 82%
Visibility: 6 miles
Barometer: 993.9 mb

I think we have finally found the bedframe we were looking for...Kodal bedframe from Ikea , as pictured above. Seems simple, doesn't it? You would think this bedframe would be easy to find, available in most furniture shops. Well, it was not. We only found it in Ikea. There was a wooden, more expensive version in Habitat, but we are happy enough with Ikea's cheaper version. Which means a visit to Ikea to check if the bedframe is as good in real life than it is in the Ikea brochure online.


Me parece que ya hemos encontrado la base de cama que buscabamos... el modelo Kodal de Ikea . Parece de lo mas sencillita, no? Un tipo de cama que encontrarias en cualquier tienda de muebles, no? Pues no. Solo la hemos encontrado en Ikea. Habia una version en madera, mas cara, en Habitat, pero nos conformamos con la version baratita de Ikea, somos asi de sencillos! Lo que quiere decir que ahora nos toca ir a Ikea este fin de semana, a ver si la cama es lo que parece en realidad porque hasta ahora solo la hemos visto 'virtualmente'en el catalogo online de Ikea.


The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
13C
UV Index: 1 Low
Wind: From the Southwest at 10 mph
Dew Point: 6C
Humidity: 63%
Visibility: 6 miles
Barometer: 994.9 mb

A week ago we discovered something that has totally changed our lives forever! We discovered...the steamer! (pictured above). Now vegetables taste wonderful and we just stuff ourselves with greens for dinner every night. It is incredibly easy. Just peel and cut (if needed) your vegetables, put them in the steamer, fill in the thank with water -we normally use the 40 minute cooking time- and that's it! In 40 minutes you will have lovely steamed vegetables. Give it a try, you will never go back to tasteless boiled vegetables!! And what's more, if you hated vegetables..from now on, you will simply love them!


Hace una semana descubrimos algo que ha cambiado por completo nuestras vidas! Descubrimos...la cocina al vapor (foto de arriba). Desde entonces, las verduras saben de maravilla y nos hartamos de ellas cada dia para cenar. Y es tan sencillo! Pelad y cortad las verduras (si es necesario). Colocadlas en la maquinita. Llenad el tanque de agua. Nosotros usamos la coccion a 40 minutos. En 40 minutos, tendreis deliciosas verduras cocinadas al vapor, sin problemas. Probadlo, os aseguro que nunca mas querreis volver a comer verdura hervida con agua. Es mas, si no os gustaba la verdura..ahora os encantara!


The weather today:
Cloudy
14C
UV Index: 1 Low
Wind: From the East at 12 mph
Dew Point: 13C
Humidity: 96%
Visibility: 2 miles
Barometer: 1,003.4 mb

I was strolling down Commercial Road this afternoon when I saw that the French market had been also moved there, plus the usual Food market we get every Thursday and Friday. The French stalls were selling cheese, sausages, pastries, foie-gras, crepes..and one of them was selling Spanish paella (rice+additions, basically). They had two options, vegetable paella and chicken paella. Not my favourite, the seafood paella, but even so, I was very tempted to buy a ration...although I had already had my sandwiches for lunch! It smelled delicious! Anyway, there were two English students having a look at the food. One of them suggested they may have 'that French food' for lunch. The second student replied : " I've never eaten this in my life, I don't even know what it is. Let's go to McDonalds". Jeeezz! Here we have a staggering example of rebellious and modern youth! I bet there won't be any revolution in the future with types like this!


Iba caminando por la Calle Comercial este mediodia cuando vi que, ademas del tipico mercadillo de fruta y verdura que ponen cada jueves y viernes hoy habia, ademas, un mercado frances. Los puestos franceses vendian embutidos, quesos, foie-gras, croissants, crepes..y uno de ellos tambien vendia paella! Tenian dos opciones, paella de verduras o paella de pollo. Lastima que no tenian paella de marisco, mi preferida. Y aun asi, el olorcillo era tan tentador que casi voy y me compro una racion, olvidando que me habia zampado 2 sandwiches hacia bien poco. Bueno, pues ahi estaba yo, haciendoseme la boca agua delante del puesto de paella, cuando oigo a dos estudiantes (ingleses) hablando a mi lado. Uno le pregunto al otro que le parecia comprar un par de raciones para almorzar. El segundo estudiante le contesto : "No he comido de eso en mi vida, y no se que es (arroz, inutil, pense yo!!). Vamos a McDonalds". Toma yaaaa! Vaya un ejemplo de juventud rebelde y moderna! Con tipos asi, no me extrania que las cosas no cambien!


The weather today:
Cloudy
UV Index: 1 Low
Wind: From the Northeast at 15 mph
Dew Point: 10°C
Humidity: 68%
Visibility: 10 miles
Barometer: 1,016.6 mb

Now that I finally have five minutes to post in the blog...now my mind has gone blank blank blank I don't have anything to say! It must be the stress...the enrolments, the new committees... I am especially scared of the Research Ethics Committee. After attending just one meeting, I am 100% sure it will be one of those committees where people talk talk talk for hours hours hours and then there's lots of paperwork for this humble person to deal with for the rest of the week. Why is it that each year I get involved in more and more committees? As if I had not clearly said I hate them all! Maybe I should have followed the opposite strategy. Maybe I should have said I love them all and then I would have been expelled from all of them??


Ahora que por fin he conseguido tener cinco minutos libres para postear en el blog...ahora me he quedado en blanco y no se que decir! Sera el stress... las matriculaciones, los nuevos comites... el que da mas miedo es el de investigacion etica. Despues de asistir a la primera reunion, esta clarisimo que se va a perpetuar como uno de esos comites donde los miembros hablan dale que te pego durante horas y horas y luego hay un monton de trabajo extra para mi persona. Por que sera que cada anio me caen mas comites? Como si no hubiera dejado bien claro que los odio! Quiza tendria que haber seguido la estrategia opuesta. Decir que me encantan, para que me echaran de todos?


The weather today:
Cloudy and Sunny
15C
UV Index: 1 Low
Wind: From the Southwest at 9 mph
Dew Point: 11C
Humidity: 73%
Visibility: Unlimited
Barometer: 1,015.9 mb

Oh shit! I was having a bad day. Then I read the newspaper and it got worse! What the hell is this!!!??? Duran Duran release their new album today after a 25 year silence (with the original members). And I think they might as well kept the silence for another 25 years. Nobody is missing them! Right, maybe I should try to find something positive about it. Weeeeelll...for instance, I am 100% sure Spandau Ballet will not come back. They have been hating each other's guts for years and nothing has changed, as I saw recently on tv. That's something to feel happy about!


Eramos pocos y pario la burra. No querias arroz? Pues dos tazas! Ya tenia un dia bastante malo y solo me ha faltado leer el periodico para empeorarlo. Duran Duran lanzan su nuevo album tras 25 anios de silencio (con los miembros originales). Y digo yo, ya se podian haber quedado otros 25 anios mas en silencio, que nadie les ha echado en falta! Por otro lado, quiza tendria que verle su lado positivo. Por ejemplo, los que seguro seguro seguro que no van a volver son los Spandau Ballet , que se pelearon a muerte hace anios y, por lo que vi hace unos meses en television, siguen sin hablarse. Algo es algo.


The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy and Windy
16C
UV Index: 1 Low
Wind: From the Southwest at 30 mph
Dew Point: 13C
Humidity: 81%
Visibility: 10 miles
Barometer: 1,006.8 mb

And here you have some more...better this than telling you the shitty day I'm having today!


Y aqui van unas cuantas mas.... mejor esto que contaros el dia de mierda que estoy teniendo!!
'prick'=polla en ingles; fart=pedo; juicy pussy=conejito jugoso; shit(o)=mierda






The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
15C
UV Index: 2 Low
Wind: From the West at 15 mph
Dew Point: 11C
Humidity: 78%
Visibility: 7 miles
Barometer: 1,006.8 mb

Creating the name of a product is not that easy... sometimes, you'd better not export internationally...see below!
Dar nombre a un producto no es nada facil... a veces, es mejor no exportar a mercados internacionales...para muestra, un boton!
('cock' y 'dick' se traducen como 'polla','picha'- pene, en ingles)







The weather today:
Cloudy
14C
UV Index: 0 Low
Wind: From the Southwest at 1 mph
Dew Point: 13C
Humidity: 92%
Visibility: 7 miles
Barometer: 1,016.9 mb