It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.
But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.
There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.
Alan Cohen
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Exciting Life of an Ex-Pat

Got up late.
Took a walk ...   sunny and warm.
Stopped at  cafe for coffee and scones... tasty.
Sat outside in the shade ... nice.
Picked up cherries and plums at the market.... ripe and juicy.
Walked home...slowly.
Read book..boring.
Went online .. took nap.
Order  dinner to be delivered.
Walk over to Ice Cream shop ...

Monday, January 30, 2012

Monday .. Look at This Blog !

Gilles Vidal !
the photography !! the Panoramic View of Paris from the Eiffel Tower !!
What's not to love ?
Look at his Still Photography .. Jean Rochfort .. I love that mans face !
Enjoy ~

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Thinking about Trees

I have been thinking a lot about trees lately.
We walk through parks full of the most fantastic trees.
Great huge things , some vaguely familiar, some not at all.
Plane trees were planted here long ago  and they always remind me of Paris.

We have a Plane tree outside our living room window.
Up high up in the branches where we can look out at a small bird or a noisy parrot , for a while lately, it was the Mama Dove. Taking a break from egg sitting.
Then when  the babies hatched and grew larger, she would take a break and sit in the tree, relaxing, while the babies sat there like little downy bald guys ,wobbling around in the nest.
They babies learned to fly.
Now they are gone.
But I still see doves in the tree and wonder if they are our recent balcony tenants.

We walk through the parks and see one tree with huge magnolias , great white waxy flowers, the air is full of sweet scents.
There are trees that have flowers that resemble large pink lilies, these attract hummingbirds in the late afternoon.
We have trees that are shaped like umbrellas, children hide from each other , playing in the park, under these trees.

And then there are the Ombu trees, the size of a large house.
This has to be the tree that Swiss Family Robinson lived in.
I have not seen a tree larger than this anywhere .. simply amazing and I see them all the time.. and I am always awe struck.

What if we leave here ?
What if we go live somewhere else ?
I know how I will mourn the absence of the lovely people here ... but the trees !
I will miss the trees.
Would having my own trees make it better ?
Would having an apple tree be solace ?
What if I hung a swing in my own tree, would that make me feel better ?

As I said, I have been thinking a lot about trees lately.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Another #^@&ing Beautiful Day

What a day ! Not a cloud in sight.
Dry, comfortable to walk for miles and forget that you are dehydrated and might collapse any minute if you don't stop for a drink or better yet, ice cream !

It was a bit too hot for the majority of the people in town, well, if you don't count tourists who are suitably dressed with hats and walking shoes and backpacks and maps and cameras and make me want to sit down and rest just looking at them !

We walk in the shade.
We manage to stay cool-ish and not burned to a crisp .. well... mostly.
I have one too many freckles from the past few days and my hair is turning a very scary white.
Even my eyebrows are bleaching out .. too bad the freckles don't bleach out .
I will look like whats-his-name .. Edgar Winter .. remember him ?

I took my camera and we wandered around a neighbourhood that is interesting, a long walk but full of things we want to go back and see more of .. not to mention a street of mostly Antique shops and Curio shops and Art Galleries.
The Sofitel Hotel and some nice cafes are there too.

Yesterdays protestors left some notes for some people .. this one was on a nice old building that had just finished painting and cleaning their entire facade this past year ..
Tomorrow, I think a nice museum or Cultural Center with air-conditioning is a good idea.

*Regarding the title .. if you  saw the film, White Mischief, you might remember Sarah Miles and what she said in the morning... getting out of bed, opening the shutters and looking out at the day ..

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Not a Bad Day

Yesterday - apparently it was Demonstration Day  .
Why the Evita Moviemiento people thought it worth blocking a street and the police found it more interesting to watch, was never made clear.
They made quite a bit of noise, gathered slowly, chanted and sang a bit and then , thanks to the Riot Police and PDF (Federal Police) ... they marched from that side of the street to the other.
Today we saw the results of this little gathering.
A beautiful architectural gem of a building, Belle Epoque style, covered in graffiti.
A big 1930's apartment building that had just undergone a large renovation and painting of it's exterior, covered in graffiti.
The graffiti was addressed to David Cameron, somehow I don't think he will see it .
But the people who live in that building, who spent money getting it fixed up, will see it every day.

My solution to this is .. the police should do more than watch.
And the graffiti people should be rounded up and made to clean the buildings. Not just those that they messed up but wherever there is graffiti, let there be a "chain-gang" of wrong-doers who have to clean them.

Okay, I am off my pulpit now.

The weather finally cooled off a bit. Storms in the night. The sort that allow you to sleep like a baby.
The sort of sleep that you never heard the thunder, never noticed the lightening but woke to no need for an air conditioner. Lovely.

We did some errands , stopped at an old favorite cafe for coffee, walked back through one of my all time favorite neighborhoods then home through the  parks.

All in all, not a bad day.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

This and That & A Recipe

Today was truly a day of This and That.
We had storms in the night, the day was not quite as terribly hot.
There was a nice breeze blowing so walking on the shady side of the street, we were able to get some errands run and not suffer sunstroke.


No matter what I do, freckles appear an hour later and there are spots that are pink, no matter how much sunblock I wear.
Argentine sun .. it is special.

We took a little walk that turned into a very long walk, picking up goodies from the bakery , powdered sugar  croissants, fresh loaves of bread, a few "sables" which seem to be mainly made from sugar and butter, crisp and melt in your mouth sort of cookie/things.

Then on the way home, who could resist Volta ? ( ice cream) .. certainly not one of us !
So we picked up a kilo of  lemon sorbet, chocolate suiza , strawberry sorbet.
Sugar overload ?
Noooooo .... you must learn to build your tolerance ... by taking small "doses" several times a day ..
It might seem like work but it pays off.

Then we waited for our Computer Wizard to show up and figure out where my thousand plus photographs have been hidden.
While we waited, we listened to the crowds gathering.
Apparently, someone bussed in loads of people who had nothing better to do today than be in our neighborhood, with flags and things that made noise.
Mostly that would be Cherry Bomb sorts of fireworks .. you know, no pretty sparkles, just a bone shattering bomb exploding sound.
Charming, in a residential neighborhood with babies and children as well as old folks like me.

They waved their flags around , gathered in a great crowd, while someone ( not an official) closed off one of the streets so they could gather in comfort, let those silly cars find another way..

This is what you get for living near an Embassy.
An Embassy for a country that the Argentines are not happy with at this time.
An Embassy that was well protected and probably didn't hear a thing, no , that was for the ordinary people who live here and just want some peace and quiet while they eat their ice cream !

So the Wizard showed up and found my photos.
I still don't know where to send them when I download so the photo showing on here will be limited for a while, I am afraid..he has been sent a message- h e l p .

Dinner is over and I think I hear people chanting ... oh Lordy .. not again.

Dinner:

Couscous with Chicken, Tomatoes and Greek Olives .


Make regular couscous with broth instead of water ..
Chop up some tomatoes.
Dice some red onion.
Dice some greek/black olives.


Saute chicken cutlets in olive oil with a bit of Masala seasoning ( anything spicy is good) and let cool.
Dice . Add to couscous.


Toss everything with a bit of Caesar salad dressing ( you can choose what you would like.. I wanted something less oily and more creamy) and serve in a warm pita bread.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Monday .. Look at This Blog !

I have gone into a new phase.. the old/current one is Photography.
So of course, I have a Tumblr blog and over 1,000 photos and what else ?
Oh yes, iPhoto and my computer have decided to lock me out.

A frantic email was sent to the Wizard and we just have to sit back and hope he can fix it right away - like Tomorrow !

So while browsing through other blogs that have photos that work .. I found   the style files .

Well , the style files is on my blog list but in her files is this ... Celebrity Homes .. so go take a look at that one too, after you  spend hours browsing through the rooms of homes of the rich, famous and well decorated.
But first, Go take a look .. at the Style Files 




Tell me how you liked it ..

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Keeping up appearances


You may have noticed that the blog has changed a bit in appearance. 
This is due to Blogger letting me re-design and return to  what
Notes From A Broad originally looked like.. blog-wise. 
Hope you enjoy it.

We're having a Heat Wave ... again

I seem to remember writing about a Heat Wave last summer.
Hmmmm, does this mean that every summer I think we are having Heat Waves and it is really just a typical Buenos Aires summer ? for 4 years now ?
Every day is in the 90's, which for the city dwellers out there, you know how much hotter that can feel,  than a 90 º day out in the country.
Or even where there are trees and grass.
Although, here, there are parks full of trees and grass, all kinda dry and yellow .. we aren't getting rain either.
I worry for the cows.
Yes, the cows.
There are thousands of cattle and a lot of horses  that live out in the countryside and they need water and they need shade and if they are anything like me ( hey! you never know !) they must be suffering.
I put fresh water in a little container out on the balcony...
I want my little baby doves to at least have cool water while they huddle in the shade of a plant, on a balcony that faces the afternoon sun.
Every day I am shocked that we don't have 2 little fried doves out there .. although one hasn't been seen for a few days.
It is either better at hiding from me than the other or it has gone .. hopefully flew somewhere cooler.

So as in every city I have lived in, when the weather is too hot or too cold, where do you go ?
A Mall or a Cinema .. in our case, they go together so there have been a few days of window shopping combined with sitting in a freezing cold cinema.

I bought a hat .
Once upon a time in a land far away,  I looked good in most hats.
Here, I almost don't care how I look, as long as it covers my head.
I have developed a fear of bad things that happen to a persons skin.
I have had them already, but people I know are getting worse than what I had so I am more aware than I wish ..
Now, I pull that hat down as far as it will go, to the point where my eyesight is impaired and I make sure I am hanging on to my husbands arm and we stroll in the sun.

That nice looking guy and that woman with the hat pulled down to her chin.




source : photolibre

Saturday, January 21, 2012

The People Here

So .. I have,  for some reason, lost but not really, my photos .. all of my  iPhotos.
At least 1,000 photos are being withheld from me ... hidden and I am not allowed to get in and find them.
Updating the computer only made some things better and made others annoying and I still cannot open my iPhotos.

So my blog will be photo-less except for the times I use someone else's.
Yes, I am sad.

Now ... About Living in Buenos Aires.

We have been here for almost 5 years now.
I have still not adjusted to the seasons .. being backwards and all .. you know, like right now it is  Summer here.

But I love it here.
I love the people.
I love the city and the places ...  and the people.
I love the way the people here have good manners .. you know, the old fashioned sort,  like asking you how you are , then waiting for an answer.
They say hello, how are you and they say goodbye ..
The men are  ... what was that old fashioned word ? Chivalrous ..
Yep, they hold doors for you, they pick up something if it gets dropped, they call you Señora and they are polite ..
They also make no secret of admiring you and yet, they don't yell rude things from afar, they don't make rude faces and they hold doors for you.
(I can walk past a construction site and not a single embarrassing comment  is yelled from the workers..)

The Ladies .. they rule.
La Señora rules her house, her children and (sorry guys) her husband.

I love watching the ladies when they are out shopping, sometimes  with a maid ..  they tell the cashier their address and leave, groceries to be delivered later.
I love watching them in the parks, sometimes a couple of grandmothers, sitting , chatting with friends, giggling like the girls they used to be.
I love the way they are with their children and grandchildren and I love the way their families treat them.
Respect and Love abounds.

I often say that the one thing that never changes here is my love for the people, who make Buenos Aires what it is.
Of course, you can run into someone who doesn't make you smile and feel all warm and tender towards them , but those ( for me) are few and far between.

I think the root of it is  .... They still care here.
They still have those manners and behaviours that we were taught, way long time ago .. that too many people/ places are lacking now.
I imagine someone who has lived here all their lives and has nothing to compare, looks at me like I am crazy for thinking this way.
But I think those who do travel and come back here, home ... know exactly what I am talking about.

We were walking down the street not long ago, when a Porter said hello.
Then he asked about our dog.
Where was he ?  ... we told him.
He was so sympathetic and so kind and sad , recounting how it looked each day to see Tate go by, with his jaunty walk.
The porter copied the way Tate would walk, we agreed, Tate was like a Person.
It was so touching, so kind and sweet that he spoke of our sweet Pup as if he were a person that we all miss, but then again, it was not really surprising... I expect nothing less from the people here.

If we ever leave here, I will miss so many things and places, sights and sounds, but most of all, I will miss the people here.

Yesterday is history. 
Tomorrow is a mystery.
And today ? Today is a gift.


Alice Morse Earle

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Some whine ?

When the sun is so strong and so hot that   you can feel the freckles popping out and you know your nose is getting a bit too pink, thinking of far away places where it is Winter and at least cooler than 90ºF helps me ... just a little.

I think,  at least with my mind busy with  Where is it nice and cool ? keeps me from voicing my discomfort and sounding like a whiner.
Okay , nothing will help it, I sound like a whiner when it is so hot and the sun is baking me down.
This is the image I have tried to keep in mind when I need to put myself into another place ..mentally at least. (photo taken by Billy Currie )

We decided to walk and take photos .
Then we decided to find a place that had gotten some  good reviews for their empanadas, so we ended up walking miles ... in the hot sun ... ( anyone feeling sorry for me yet ?)

I know , talking to the rest of the world ( except the Other part of the Southern Hemisphere) is not going to get me a lot of sympathy.
I hear it is a bit cold and damp where you live.
Sorry.

Now back to my whine.

We had walked so far, that there was no turning back,  so I stopped in the shade and took some photos and then .. as we walked, we found the place !
Immediately ordering a slice of a Fugazetta Relleno. ( Stuffed pizza )
As my Aunt Jean would say ... Lawsy !
It was very tasty, maybe better with less onions but it definitely was a tasty dish to set before ... us .
There was no way I was cooking today so we brought home all sorts of empanadas and that will be dinner.

My arteries will have to take it up with me later, I think for all the miles I walk every day, they should still be fairly happy.
And if not, after tonight, I doubt I will want to see any cheese for at least a month.

The heat spell seems to be lasting ...
Instead of hoping for it to break overnight, I now hope it breaks in a month.
But being January, I have a feeling it will be March before I can quit whining.
Yes, be glad you don't live with me ..

Keep in mind .. if the winter cold, snow, wet, damp, ice gets you down, you can contact me.
I will listen to you and sympathise and memorise every word that describes what it is like to be in serious cold again.
So go ahead, if you need me, I am here ..

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Changes

Things are changing .
I hate change sometimes, don't you ?
I mean, things were fine the way they were .
Everyone was content .. now there are 2 when there used to be 3 .. it is taking quite a bit of getting used to.
The street we live on was a one way street when we moved into our home.
Then they changed it to both ways.

There are huge parks nearby .. perfect for walking a Pup who enjoyed his little bit of lolling in the grass, sniffing every single leaf and twig and meeting other pups.

We enjoyed sitting on the huge marble benches placed in perfect spots in the shade of huge old trees.

Across the street, the park continues on with sculptures, another with statues and rolling hills and one with a playground and small reservoir for daddies to play with model boats on weekends.

In another direction, there is a shopping area, restaurants and hotels and more wonderful parks.. which until yesterday were green and serene and clean.

Today they are enclosed in tall yellow metal fencing and bulldozers and earth moving equipment have moved in and a new Subway Station and tunnel have begun.

So thankfully, we cannot see it from our windows and we hear nothing,  but Pups parks are going through a bit of change.

Libertador

You know how I talk about the big Avenue near our home ?
This is it. Libertador.
Where the parks are all lined up on both sides of the street, where certain Pups spent many hours each day, sniffing, exploring, lolling.
We chose our home because it was (1) what we were looking for in style (2) felt right (3) close to the parks for the Pup.
He and we certainly got our moneys worth ! At any time of day or year, the parks are there in all their glory.
Summer is amazing, I can't quit taking photos of how green they are.
Spring is fantastic, with the streets lined with purple Jacarandas.
Autumn is the way it should be, blissfully cooler after the last of the hot summer months and leaves drying and falling and looking much like Autumn in the Northern Hemsiphere.
Winter, there are still Evergreens and Palm trees and noisy parrots and bundled up in a coat and scarf, we still enjoy the parks.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Monday .. Look at This Blog !


Mai Tais Picture Book

Thanks to cigalechanta, I have been introduced to a new blog.
I need a new blog to read, like a hole in the head but I cannot stop reading this one and enjoying all the photos. The fact that there is Paris and jewelry and nice handbags doesn't put me off either ~
Why, I might even learn how to manage my scarves now !

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Sunday in Buenos Aires

Sundays here are the same as there ... wherever we have lived..
Sundays are basically the same.
You get up late, drink too much coffee, wander around longer than usual in your night clothes, then decide that it is too ( choose one ) hot, cold, damp, busy, crowded, dull to do anything but go for a walk.

So we headed out for a walk, camera in hand, no particular place or destination in mind.
Of course, we automatically turn towards the parks, where for the past 4 1/2 years we would go with Pup ... at least 4 times a day ..
Not counting all the times we went there with him to just play or do as we did today,walk to a favorite cafe, through the parks ..
To sit outside in the not too hot sunshine,with a Bloody Mary and a big dish of roasted potatoes .. not french fries but roasted.
Dee-licious.

Then we walked through the neighborhood where the Mayor lives ( I am so jealous, Señor Macri!) and took photos ..
Tonight, Señor Quiero Mas will take care of dinner and we will watch the Golden Globes.
A lovely Sunday ... in Buenos Aires.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Friday Photo

Every time we go to the supermarket, we walk past this building.
Every time we walk past this building, I wish I knew someone who lives there so I could see what it is like inside. It is , indeed, a Grande Edificio !


Wednesday, January 11, 2012

All's well that ends well.

Mama Dove has returned to her nest.
All's well that ends well.

Little Dove


About 2 summers ago, I noticed one of the plants on my kitchen window box was looking messy.
I didn't give it much thought at first until I saw the impatien next to it was getting messy too.
Tiny thin pieces of sticks, twigs, leaves etc were appearing , seemingly out of the blue.
Which, in a way, that is what was happening ... the doves were flying in with the pieces they needed for a nice cushy nest in an out of the way spot for their new babies nursery.
I was thrilled.
This was my first up close and personal view of nests from beginning to end.
I allowed the sacrifice of the impatien plant, I closed the shade and did not open it until they left.
Yes, I peeped out there often and eventually, Mama Dove became used to it and just gave me The Eye.
Eventually, bald wormlike babies grew fuzz, then little feathers, then left ... just like that, here one day, gone the next.
They never even said goodbye~
About a month ago, we noticed little bits and pieces of twigs on the corner of our balcony, at the front of our building .. the balcony to this room.
It is over the street, several floors up and there are decorative iron railings but nothing solid that might keep , oh, say a baby dove from tumbling off while learning to fly.
I had my worries.
Time has gone by and there was the day we discovered 2 tiny perfect eggs.
I moved some of the plants around so I could see better without going near the nest.
Mama dove sat on the nest day and night.
I worried she would starve.

Then one day when she flew away for a bit of time, we discovered 2 tiny bare naked little dove babies.
I made sure the plants were just so around the nest so there would be plenty of privacy but I could see out there without disturbing anyone.
The plants have been thirsty, they are not getting watered with such regularity now.

Yesterday, big storms were forecast.
It has been ridiculously hot and airless.
I worried that the babies would die of heat stroke .. or mama dove would faint from the heat.
She flew away in the late afternoon, I moved my big jade plant so that the wind might not blow the little babies, now covered with yellow fluff, off the balcony while she was gone.

I kept checking, mama dove had not returned as of dark.
I worried.

This morning, Mama dove is not there.
I can only see one baby.
It went from one side of the nest to the middle and is just huddled there waiting.

This Living with Nature thing is not so great, if you ask me.
How am I going to feed that baby ?
Can I hire a bird to teach it to fly ?

They say people who live in apartment buildings are separated from Nature , that people who live in houses on the ground enjoy that aspect of life better.
"They", haven't lived in an apartment in Argentina !


Monday, January 9, 2012

Hot


It is 98º F or 36.8 º C

In other words, it is ridiculously hot and airless and uncomfortable outdoors.
We have a dove nesting on one of our balconies.
There are 2 babies that I worry will fry out in the sun.
There is no shade there.
The least I could do is put fresh water out there for the mama dove so she doesn't drop over dead from the heat.
Do birds do that ?
I wanted to make a little awning out of something but my husband told me I was just upsetting her, fussing around out there .. sigh ~ I think she appreciates the thought though.

No one is out walking around unless they are (1) working (2) crazy (3) ex-pats going to the market.
We could do as our neighbors do and order it by phone or shop, then come home and have it delivered ... but why do something so easy ?

We walk to the market ( which is at least, well air-conditioned ) and shop and carry it home.
Halfway home, the bags suddenly become twice as heavy and one of us begins to whine.
Whines that involve numerous mentions of people doing this for us, phoning in orders, deliveries and then they sort of go off topic into the realm of trips to Bariloche and wouldn't it be nice to be in Upstate NY right about now.

One of us blames it all on Ravings from Heat Exhaustion.
The other is patient , kind and good and keeps his mouth shut.
Reason # 5,546,978 on the list of why I love him .

Tonight there will be no cooking .. I might be sliding into mental feebleness but even I know better than to attempt to cook and or clean up in this heat.
A sandwich will do nicely.
We bought a rotisserie chicken, all roasted brown and juicy.
Some tomatoes from the produce market and some loaves from the French Patisserie and we are good to go.
Dessert will be a Budin made by some nice person at the store. ( picture bread pudding soaked in dulce de leche , all caramel-ly tasting ) and of course, a nice bowl of ice cream picked up this morning .. Chocolate Suisse and Orange Sorbet ..

It might be hot but we can still eat well.
Then a movie on cable .. Even with a new cineplex just blocks from our home, I am not walking in the heat to see a movie. Not when they come to my house .

Tomorrow .. there are doctors appointments and important things to do and I am guessing that is when the heat will break and we will have some good old Buenos Aires Thunderstorms.
They do Thunderstorms really well here.
Big thunder. Big lightening. Heavy rainfall that causes all the gutters to flood over on the sidewalks, no one can step off a curb and sometimes hail.
There are cars still driving around with dents all over them from the last hail storm.

Then the lower streets will flood, traffic will back up and happy days, they will get to honk their horns some more.
See, even bad weather and traffic has it's upside.

Hasta mañana ~




Monday .. Look at This Blog !



I just discovered him and I am crazy for his photos !
Go look, see if you go crazy too.


Saturday, January 7, 2012

Luck


So, what do you do on a sunny Summer day in Buenos Aires ?
And if you are lucky ... you win ~

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Cafe con leche, por favor

Although this little boy is telling you about a problem I have ,
I can tell you that we are never very far away from caffeine, here in Buenos Aires.
Oh, yes, for the lucky ones who party at night and don't need much sleep and those who actually require sleep and sadly must get up early in the mornings, drinking coffee here is part of a regular day .. from the moment you wake up.

After your morning coffee, you get dressed and go out ..
Shopping, banking, errands, lunch with friends, did I say shopping ?
there is always something to do .
But you can't really do it properly until you stop at a cafe and have a nice cup of coffee.
They almost always give you a little cookie or something with your coffee.
Some cafes will give you a tiny glass of orange juice ( sometimes fresh squeezed!)..
Then you go on with your errands, get your business done , stop for a coffee while you decide what you want to get for dinner or should you eat out.

Later in the day, a stop at a favorite cafe is the norm, visiting with our friend who owns the cafe, practicing reading Spanish , browsing the magazines he keeps, the Clarin newspaper and listening to Piaf .
(He likes French music .. so do we .. we are muy contenta )

Now it is late in the day .. a day that sadly no longer is broken up with Pup walks and Pup meals, we just keep going until we and the caffeine run out.
Then we go home ..
I am always surprised that I go to sleep at all.
Some nights I am awake until 2 or 3 ...
I would rather I was out dancing but sometimes I am just lying there, listening to my husband sleeping, thinking about this and that ... wishing I were sleeping.
Then I blame the caffeine and swear, no more.

The next day I am so tired , I have a few more cups of coffee.
Then we take a walk and see a new cafe ... we stop for coffee ... and so goes the day ~

I will have a cafe con leche , muchas gracias ~

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Summer Delights

If we are going to have Christmas and New Years in Summer, it might as well be colorful, no?
Everywhere you look, there are flowers. Beginning with the purple Jacarandas in Spring, the city blossoms in every park, balconies, terraces and unexpected spots too.
Lucky me, my husband enjoys having lots of fresh flowers in the house as much as I do.
And lucky me, he likes to surprise me with a bouquet now and then also.
The flower lady that we go to, can be relied on for the freshest flowers and the best selection.
I still don't know what some of them are called ... in English or in Spanish, but they are beautiful, nonetheless. Not bad for January, is it ?

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Everything is Fine...but your Spanish needs work


I went to bed last night with pains ..
I woke with them.
I got scared.
We went to see the good doctors at our hospital.
You know, in the US, we would have seen our doctor.
He would have referred me to a specialist.
He would have sent me to a hospital for tests.
They would have gotten back to the doctor with the results.
He would have made an appointment for me to come in and hear the results.

I saw a doctor, she sent me downstairs to get the Sonogram.
I came back up to her office with the results, she sent me to the cafe for coffee .. half an hour later I was told nothing is wrong.
Actually, Better - Everything is Fine.
Everything is where it is supposed to be.
There is nothing there that is not supposed to be there .
I have medicine to take and then it will be just a memory.

The nice side effect of rushing to the doctor in a panic, is that I found out that a lot of other parts of me are in perfectly good shape too.

Everything is Fine.

( if there is something that could be considered not-so-fine it would be my Spanish.
The doctor speaks a little, understood more.
The echocardiographer spoke perfect English ... lucky lucky me !

The results were told to me in Spanish- you would understand them in any language.. but
I have to learn to speak and understand more Español !
I have to start conversing with my husband .. only in Spanish.. it will be a very limited conversation we will be having .. it is going to be very quiet around here . )
Living in Argentina

Living in Argentina

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sunset in Buenos Aires

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