Latitude: More than a music festival

Entering the festival site

OK! Where did this week go? Finally, here it's the promised post about Latitude! Because I know you've all been impatiently waiting for it!

Latitude's organizers market the event as "More than a music festival", and that's exactly what it is. Of course, music is a big part of it an it is part of what makes the festivals' atmosphere so attractive. They have great acts and many people come exclusively to see them. They have, after all, five music arenas, but there is so much more to see and do outside these areas: theatre, cabaret, literary talks, comedy, film, radio, a knitting surgery...

Knitting surgery

This is my favourite thing about Latitude. The amount of interesting shows, and the variety of it. You can watch a theatre play, then move to the Comedy tent to see an act, go and watch a short film in the Film and Music Arena before heading to the Literary Saloon for a debate on the future of the book and finally going to the main music stage to see Pet Shop Boys. There is so much happening that acts have to really try hard to captivate their audience. With so many other interesting things going at the same time, they can't afford to lose audience interest. And they very rarely disappoint.

Overview of the fields

The downside is that it'd be impossible to see everything you've planned to see. Inevitably your favourite things happen at the same time, or something is running late and ruins your schedule, or you forget about them in between all the other acts. The upside? If you let go of your schedule, you are very likely to find an unexpected gem, a new singer or writer you hadn't heard about!

It's funny how some people do their research before they go, grab a timetable as soon as they get there and then follow a plan all weekend, and others just drift from place to place looking for something they may like. Some simply camp in their favourite tent and spend a whole morning, a day, or even a weekend there. I'd love to say I'm one of the spontaneous ones, but I did lots of planning and research before I went, so I knew what I wanted to see. I did however allow for some free time and ended up discovering great surprises... the inspiring and slightly scary debate on climate change that took place in the Music and Film Arena, the absolutely brilliant and funny Jessica Delfino in the Comedy tent and the very young and very talented Ruby and her Whorses on the Poetry Arena.

Outside the poetry tent

Another thing I love about Latitude is that many of the people that perform over the weekend do it more than once and in different arenas. These artists are very difficult to classify, some appear in the Comedy tent first and the Poetry one later, or read their poetry and then sing in one of the music arenas. I love how there is music everywhere, even in the literary tent some of the acts manage to include music during their set. For me, great artists are those that express themselves in lots of different ways, that use many subjects and different tools, that simply follow their inspiration and let it guide them to the right media. On a personal level, this makes me realize that it doesn't matter that I don't know "what to do with my life", that maybe I'm meant to have more than one calling. That it's OK to want to write, take photos, make collages, that I can actually express myself through words and images whenever necessary. That I don't have to choose.

Outside the Literary tent

Going from tent to tent is so inspiring, there are so many ideas floating in the air, so many interesting people either performing or attending (sometimes both!), so many new things to learn, books to read, websites to check out, bands to listen to... It's impossible not to come back inspired to write that book, start that research project, or experiment with your blog... And I'm going to do all of those in the coming months! So wait and see!

But before, I want to tell you about some of my favourites from the weekend.

Comedy tent:
Mark Thomas: Ah, he should probably be the oficial ARWP comedian.
Shappi Khorsandi: Iranian-born, her family moved to England escaping the regime. She makes fun of politics, death threats, and race and can express better than anyone what it's like to belong in two different places, to be a foreigner at home... always with a laugh.

Theatre
The theatre was seriously good. This tent was the first and the last that we visited at the weekend. We started with Is everyone OK? a play by the group Nabokov about being 30 and wondering "How did I get here?" (so appropriate!!) and finished watching an incredibly funny account of sudden loss of dignities. Check the Bush Theatre website for more. And if you have experienced a sudden loss of dignity, let them know! They may include your story in their next show!

Is everyone OK? by Nabokov

Literary Arena and Literary Salon
They had great writers at the Literary Arena, but what I really enjoyed was the Literary Salon, where there were debates on the future of the book, workshops on how to play outdoors or how to talk to strangers with The School of Life and talks about writing for the BBC. Well, you all know how much I like taking courses and workshops so as you can imagine I spent a great deal of time here. Also they had sofas!

A very tired me at the Literary Salon on the Sunday

In here, I was reminded that we should sit sill from time to time, let our mind wander, because than when the best ideas happen, and that we shouldn't let the fact that we are amateurs stop us from doing something. So what if my photos aren't perfect? I enjoy taking them and that's enough for now.

Film and Music Arena:
My favourite thing was Richard DeDomenici talking about plagiarism. Has everything been done? he asked, and although his presentation, tracking down the roots of many famous works in music and art seemed to say that yes, everything has indeed been done before, he ended up reminding us that there are new ideas around and it's up to us to find them! We also saw a fascinating debate on climate change. We were urged to make drastic changes to our lifestyles before it's too late, to commit ourselves with real action and to pressure our Governments to make a commitment to change in the Copenhagen Climate Conference in December. See where your country stands here.

Music
All my favourite ladies were there (OK, Zooey Deschanel wasn't) I was already looking forward to both Bat for Lashes and Regina Spektor. It was the second time I saw Bat for Lashes live and she has grown and improved so much in two years. Regina was incredibly sweet, and she has such a strong and light sound at the same time, it was incredble watch her play the piano. The surprise of the Festival was Grace Jones who I didn't really know as any more than a famous name. She is an amazing diva and gave her everything to the public.

Grace Jones making a grand entrance

Also, The Doves were amazing, I'm not really a fan but there were great live and really engaged the public. Thom Yorke, of Radiohead, did an exclusive solo gig on Sunday morning, a mellow set that was perfect for a quiet Sunday morning. I also discovered and loved Sky Larkin. And The Pretenders! OMG, I heard I'll stand by you live!!!

Ufff, sorry for the long post. If you got here, thanks for reading!! I can't stop talking about it! And I can't wait for next year's Latitude!

Latitude teaser

I have to tell you all about the fantastic weekend we had at Latitude! There was music, of course, but there was also theatre, literary talks, comedy acts, film and play! I'll be back later with a proper post. For now, I'll leave you with a photo of the main stage before the fun began!

PS. Thanks so much for your comments on the unveiling and my 12 months of being 30.  I feel I'm opening up a bit more in the blog and your support is very important! You rock!

PPS. I came back from Latiude full of inspiration and ideas, some of which affect this blog, so as they say, watch this space...

Corner view: The unveiling...

You've seen bits of me before... like my feet (and beautiful yellow shoes) and the back of my head...

You've seen me hiding behind a camera or my sunglasses....

For this week's corner view, we're all unveiling...

Nice to meet you! If we're in Spain, I'll give you two kisses; if we're in South America, it'll be only one kiss on the cheek; and if we're in England, there'll be a handshake, unless you want to prove you are cool and hip, in which case, we go back to the two kisses.

Corner view is organized by lovely Jane (go and see her unveiling) and there are more corner view unveilings going on here:

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad, caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, virgina, april, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymama, amanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, susi, jodi, lily, gillian, jeanette, athena, pienduzz, latisha, clairette, kelleyn

In wonderland

There was a garden.

There were flamingo-looking umbrellas.  

There were tea mugs...

.... and some very tempting tea cakes. 

Oxford transformed itself into Wonderland to celebrate Alice's day on Saturday. There were celebrations all over town, and we chose to have a picnic in the Botanical Gardens, and watched a representation of the story.

I'm feeling a strong urge to read the book again, and I can't wait to see what Tim Burton makes of the classic. It looks wonderfully scary!

I'm officially 30!!!!

I'm officially 30!!!! I was born at 11.20 on a Sunday, 17th of June in 1979. If you follow me on Twitter, you'd know that birthday celebrations started on Saturday, with a fabulous party that boyfriend organized for me (as if I needed any more proof that he's the best boyfriend in the world!). Lots of people came, including some surprise visits from Spain. There was a BBQ, a masseur, cupcakes, chocolate fountains, good weather, and lots and lots of presents! I had a fantastic time, but I'm still recovering, so today will be spent lazying around, walking around the river in Oxford and if it doesn't rain, we'll have a nice picnic outside. I was organized enough to get the week off from work and am having a great staycation at home!



I'm expecting maturity to kick in any moment now. I'll be all grown up, I'll know what I'm doing with my life and I'll suddenly discover what I want and how to get it! That's how it works, right? RIGHT?

In the meantime, I'm worrying because I haven't finished the book for the Hermit Book Club yet, and I have to pack for Blog Camp! I'm incredibly excited!!!!!!!!! So I won't be here much until next week, but I'll be over at those blogs. Come and visit us there!

Welcome the other me

Some of you would have realized that I was maintaining two blogs (actually, it's four blogs, but that's another story). I was struggling to update both of them, but, most importantly, I was also struggling to remember why I ever thought I needed that many. Oh, I know there was a reason that made perfect sense at the beginning. But no more. Some of those things, and Cuttings on a blog, especially, seemed to have lost their initial reason to exist. I was beginning to feel a bit schizophrenic, and worse, dishonest, about having both. Initially, Some of those things was going to be more serious, I wanted to post about my favourite things and those included books and films. Cuttings on a blog would be more visual, lighter, and more fun! So I'd be talking about the film The Class there, and about Confessions of a Shopaholic here. Because, yes, I saw both and enjoyed both.
I'm a gemini, you see, and although I'm not sure I believe in horoscopes, I definitely see two sides of myself. There is one, who reads (or tries to read) the right books and watches the right films, and the other one, who reads Vogue and every other fashion and lifestyle magazine that Borders stocks, as well as being interested in fashion, and other beautiful things, and who can be quite silly.
I like this about myself, but over the years, some of my friends have struggled with it. Depending on where or how I'd meet them, they would be surprised, confused and almost annoyed when they saw a glimpse of the other me. And so, in many ways, I got used to compartmentalize myself. Of course, my real friends know both sides of me (in fact, all sides of me!) and simply think I'm crazy. So, welcome to crazy me! If you scroll down, you'd find new post, the ones that I posted in Some of those things, and that I managed to import into Cuttings on a blog (for once, Blogger was very helpful!) a mix of everything that I like and inspires me, from serious books to silly films, because I'm made of all and some those things.
You can also find the Spanish me aquí.

This week...

I finished Revolutionary Road (the book: it's still haunting me) and watched Revolutionary Road (the movie: disappointing, despite Kate and Leonardo).

I started Norwegian Wood and Murakami got me thinking already: “If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” And looking for an image of the book cover, I found this cool mosaic on The MG Harris blog.
I received my Toast Catalogue. It's as beautiful as ever. Jon was working from home when it arrived and he sent me an email: "You got a magazine, it has a tomato on the front page, so it must be about food." Bless.

This weekend, there's going to be some changes around here...

This week...

I have been practising for my first belly dancing performance. It's TONIGHT!

I went to the cinema to watch two very different films: The Class is a must-see. I know people say that about a lot of films, but I truly think that this story about a teacher in a difficult school in the suburbs of Paris can teach us all something... or at least make us think. Confessions of a Shopaholic is not a must-see, but it's a very funny comedy based on the Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series, which I still prefer.

I'm still unravelling myself and this week, we have been thinking about our favourite things. It's really amazing how all those important things are very rarely expensive acquisitions. All the important things that I own are very simple presents or memories from the people I love. And looking through the photos that other people in the course have posted, we all feel the same.

I tried to spent less time at my computer... but wasn't entirely succesful.

Disconnect

After a year traveling in South America J and I decided we did not want to own a TV. We simply realized that whenever we happened to have one at the place we were staying while traveling, we'd spend more time inside the room, basically flicking from one channel to the next. So, we never got a TV when we came back and, amazingly (or maybe not) we have not missed it at all. Although (confession) we do watch Heroes, and I watch Gossip Girl, on the Internet.
The problem is that we've found new ways of wasting our time. Instead of flicking from channel to channel, we spend our time on the Internet, link, link, link from one page to the next. And we're not even doing this together anymore. Before, we at least had to watch the same channel, now it's each of us with our own laptop, sitting together but doing our own thing. I read beautiful blogs, J reads about the latest gadget.
Of course, we get more from the Internet that we ever did from TV. I can't begin to explain how much inspiration I find in the blogs that I read, how many amazing people I've met, how many new projects, ideas, plans I have since I started reading blogs.
The problem is that I don't have time to carry out any of these. And so, I keep reading, jotting down, creating something in my head, but never doing anything in real life (you know, the life outside the blogoesphere). I end up questioning myself, why don't I have time to do the things that other seem to do effortlessly? And it's only in some rare moments that I realize that nobody has time to do everything. Some of the blogs I read are written by people posting about their businesses, or who have made blogging part of their career, or spend more time at home than I do (it's just depressing how much time I spend in the office). Of course, there are a few that are simply amazing and do indeed find time for everything. Or maybe they just MAKE time. Maybe, they turn off their computers once in a while and actually tackle that knitting project they started, or do something with the card making kit they got a while ago, or read the pile of books that will soon have to go back to the library, or decide to stick the cuttings they've been collecting for weeks in their journal.
And that's what I'm going to do as well. I'm disconnecting. Not completely, but I'll be turning off my computer two evenings a week. Of course, on the other days, I'll just have to try harder to keep up with all the blogs I love.
Right... I'm off to read... a book!

This is part of the disconnect challenge, over at The Inspired Room.

Photo from Cabbages and Roses

This week...

I have been thinking about spring! Yes! It's on its way!
He estado pensando en la primavera, que ya llega.


I have been spending lots of time (but not enough) practising my belly dancing routine. I'm performing (in a group) for my very first time next Friday! I'm nervous but, at the same time really looking forward to it!
He estado ensayando para mi primera actuación como parte de mi clase de baile de danza del vientre. Estoy nerviosa, pero al mismo tiempo, me apetece mucho.



I have finally finished reading The catcher in the rye.
Por fin me he terminado El guardián entre el centeno.

Prints, Patterns and Patina - a workshop with Martin Bergström

I have booked myself a place in this workshop at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London.
He reservado un lugar para esta clase.

I'm still unravelling myself. I wasn't very inspired by my camera this week, though. But this post has made me want to take my camera out again.
Todavía estoy haciendo el curso de Unravelling. No me he sentido muy inspirada por mi cámara esta semana, pero este post me hace querer usarla de nuevo.

Photos by B, The book cover archive, Mikael Schulz (via Fashion and Textile Museum website)

Congratulations, Pe!

I have always liked Penélope Cruz. I remember my two projects for my Website design course at University all those years ago were "Spain in the Oscars" and "Penelope Cruz". Very appropriate for today!

She deserves this because she's still taking risks with her acting, and still working in Europe despite the Hollywood glamour. Because she didn' t get an Oscar for Volver, and because she's one of the few good things in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Siempre me ha gustado Penélope Cruz. Recuerdo que mis dos proyectos para la clase de Diseño de páginas web que tuve en la Universidad fueron “España en los Oscars” y “Penélope Cruz”. ¡Muy apropiado para hoy!
Se merece este Oscar porque todavía se arriesga con sus películas, y trabaja en Europa, a pesar de que no tiene el glamour de Hollywood. Porque no se lo llevó por Volver, y porque es una de las pocas cosas que merece la pena de Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Portfolio working

I've found my calling!!!!!! Or shall I say callingS?
I've already said that coming back after a year traveling was much harder than I ever imagined. Of course, I knew I’d have to readjust, but I kept reassuring myself than it would be fine… after all, I was happy before I went. I didn’t realize how much I had changed, how, in experiencing so many different cultures and people (locals and travelers), I had started to think that we all have to find OUR way to be happy.
Working is of course, a big part of our lives (unless you win the lottery, something I'm working on!), so how happy we are in the work place does make a difference. I do like my job as an editor in a big educational publishing house, but I cannot bear thinking that I’m going to be doing the same thing for 30 more years. Of course, freelancing is an option, but I don’t feel comfortable with no fixed income, either. And so I was getting restless, angry at myself, beating myself for not being "normal", always getting bored of everything so easily, ungrateful, when so many people are losing their jobs...
Until I found an article in a magazine (I forget which one) about portfolio working! 'Portfolio working' basically means having several jobs or sources of income, either it being two part time jobs, one part time job and some freelance work, freelance in several different areas, having your own business and working part time at the same time... it is a working life tailored to your other life, you know, the important one.
This is now my medium term goal, building a portfolio of jobs. Writing and editing are always going to be a big part of my personal and professional life… but I’ll complement them with other things, that I've done in the past or that I want to explore. Right now, I’m excited about teaching, translating and magazine writing again, and I'm looking forward to explore stationary, textiles, bookbinding, photography… I only need to find a way to bring them all together.
Crazy? My mother certainly thinks so...
To find more about portfolio working, go here and here.

This Valentine weekend...

I spent some quality time with J. We made a pact not to use our computers all day Saturday! Instead, we

• watched films: Pretty Woman (I had forgotten how good it is, even now), and The Princess Bride (which, unbelievably, J had never watched before!)
• cooked, or actually J cooked some delicious beef wellingtons and chocolate pudding for me
• baked croissants and pain au chocolat
• spent some time in the garden, since, for the first time in months, it wasn't freezing
• I printed out and cut out my I love you more than blank hearts and put them all around the house for him to see
  

On Sunday, we visited some friends who had a baby while we were away in South America last year. He was very cute and all smiles!

Este fin de semana, para celebrar el día de San Valentín, J y yo hicimos un pacto: no usar el ordenador durante el sábado. En vez de eso:

• Vimos películas: Pretty Woman (todavía me gusta, después de todo estos años), y La Princesa Prometida (que, inexplicablemente, J nunca había visto)
• Cocinamos, o mejor dicho J concinó para mi, porque la cocina no es lo mío
• Hicimos croissanes, con chocolate y pasas
• Salimos al jardín, ya que or primera vez en muchos meses, no estaba helando y te podías sentar afuera con una manta
• Imprimí los mensajes que había mandado al blog de I love you more than blank y los puse por la casa para que J los encontrara.
  

El domingo, fuimos a visitar a unos amigos, que tuvieron un bebé, mientras estábamos en Sudamérica el año pasado. ¡Era precioso y no paraba de sonreir!

Photo @ Flickr

Are you saying I love you today?

I'm saying I love you with breakfast in bed for J and a walk in the Oxford meadow.

¿Le dirás Te quiero a alguien hoy? Yo voy a decirle Te quiero a J con un desayuno en la cama y un paseo alrededor del río en Oxford.

Mugs @ Bailey doesn't bark

Back to reality

Volver al trabajo después de un año viajando no es tan fácil como parece. La rutina te atrapa, todo se te hace difícil y el cansancio, físico pero sobre todo mental, te paraliza. Así me he sentido yo durante las dos semanas que llevo de vuelta. Por fortuna, en las tardes libres me he dedicado a cosas entretenidas que me han hecho este tiempo más llevadero.

Going back to work after a year traveling is not as easy as it seems. The routine grabs you, leaves you breathless, everything is more difficult than it should be and the extreme tiredness, not only physical but mental, doesn't give you a rest. At least, that's how I've been feeling during the couple of weeks I've been back. So I've been trying to use my spare time to do things that cheer me up and are not very challenging.

Estas son algunas:
These are some of them:

Clases de danza del vientre
Belly dancing classes

Películas románticas y facilonas: Mamma Mia es mi nueva favorita, y Mean Girls puede parecer profunda dependiendo del estado en que te encuentres.

Chick flicks: Mamma Mia is my new favourite, and Mean Girls seems strangely deep when you are tired.


Retomar mi series preferidas. Ahora que he decidido que la televisión es una pérdida de tiempo, veo las series cuando salen en DVD o en Internet. En este momento, mis favoritas, sin ninguna duda, son las segundas temporadas de Gossip Girl y Heroes.

Catch up on my favourite TV series. Now that I'm not watching TV I watch my favourite series on DVD or on the Internet. My definite favourites at the moment are the second seasons of Gossip Girl and Heroes.

Para seguir adelante con mis resoluciones de año nuevo, me he apuntado a un curso de corte y confección y a otro de joyería.
I'm trying not to forget my New year's resolution, so I've enrolled in a dressmaking course and a jewelery one.

Escucho sin parar esta canción de La Oreja de Van Gogh, que siempre, siempre, me pone contenta.

I listen to this song by the Spanish Group La Oreja de Van Gogh that never fails to cheer me up.

Y así, me voy acostumbrando a estar de vuelta.
And so, I'm getting used to being back.

Make it what you want

La guía cultural de The Guardian del sábado incluía un artículo sobre Poster Boy (El chico del póster), un artista que desarrolla su arte en los pósters del metro de Nueva York. Con la sencilla técnica de usar y pegar, cambia el mensaje y la esencia de los anuncios de las paredes. Me encanta lo que hace, pero sobre todo, me encanta su explicación de porqué lo hace: ¨La idea es tomar lo que te rodea y convertirlo en lo que tú quieres que sea.¨ ¿No es eso lo que pretendemos hacer también nosotros con nuestros proyectos de decoración, nuestras fotos, nuestras manualidades? Para mí, ese es también, el único camino posible hacia la felicidad, tomar lo que tienes y convertirlo en lo que quieres.

I read an article in The Guide's Guardian on Saturday about Poster Boy, who changes the adverts and posters in the NYC underground, with the simple technice of cutting and pasting. I love what he does , but I also love his reason to do it: "The idea of taking your environment into your own hands and making it what you want." Isn't that what we all do with our decor projects, photos, and crafts? It is also the only way to happiness for me, take what you have and make it what you want.

Photo from Poster boy's gallery at Flickr.

Simple wardrobe

He creado este conjunto en Polyvore (me lo paso pipa en esa página). Está inspirado en la ropa que más estoy usando últimamente. No me había dado cuenta de que usaba el gris tan a menudo. Supongo que he decidido simplificar mi armario. Siempre he tenido mucha ropa, de muchos colores y diferentes estilos. Para resumir, muchas prendas que no coordinaban unas con otras. Asi que la decisión de cada mañana sobre qué ponerme se hacía cada vez más difícil. Pero este año, tengo taaaaantas cosas que hacer (¿Habéis visto todas mis resoluciones de Año nuevo?), que no voy a tener tiempo para eso. La otra razón es que este año no tengo dinero para comprarme ropa de temporada, así que mejor me limito a prendas básicas pero con estilo (espero...). Ahora que lo pienso, puede que todo el gris también tenga que ver con el hecho de que estoy de vuelta en la gris Inglaterra...

I made this set in Polyvore some days ago (Polyvore is so much fun!). It's inspired by the pieces of my wardrobe that I'm using the most at the moment. I didn't realize how much grey I was wearing! I suppose I've decided that I need to simplify my wardrobe. It's always been full of colour, different styles and generally lots of clothes that don't go together, so deciding what to wear was always really hard. I have soooo much to do this year (I mean, look at all my New Year's resolutions) that I simply don't have time for this anymore. The other reason is that I don't have money for many clothes this season, so I'm playing it safe with timeless style (I hope). Thinking about it, maybe all the grey has also got something to do with me being back in rainy, dark England...

New Year´s resolution: Sewing and knitting

Hace un tiempo, yo sabía coser y hacer punto (después de todo, fui a un colegio de monjas) y me apetece retomar estas actividades. Empezaré con algo fácil, la socorrida bufandita para las sobrinitas de mi novio, y a ver qué pasa. Además, cuando estuve en Buenos Aires hace unos meses, hice un curso de bisutería y me encantaría seguir trabajando en eso. Todo esto me va a ayudar a cumplir otro de mis propósitos, el de dejar de comprar ropa y accesorios baratos que luego no me pongo (los haré yo o renovaré los que ya tengo).

There was a time when I knew how to sew and knit... I'm determined to start making things again, so I'll start with something small and easy (a scarf for my two baby nieces!). Also, when I was in Buenos Aires some months ago, I did a course on jewelery making, and I'd like to keep on experimenting with that. All this would hopefully also help me with another fashion-related resolution to stop buying cheap clothes (I'll customize the ones I already have!).

New Year´s resolution: Decorating my own house

¡Parece que el 2009 puede ser el año en que por fin me compre una casa! Así que tengo que empezar a pensar en la decoración. Estamos pensando en comprar piezas sencillas de color blanco y gris, con algún toque de negro. Esa será la base para luego ir añadiendo otros colores. Vamos a ir despacio, claro, comprando y haciendo lo imprescindible al principio, para después ir añadiendo cosas que encontremos y nos gusten. ¡Qué emoción!

It seems 2009 may be the year when I become a house owner! So I have to start thinking about decorating my new place! Fun! We are thinking of getting basic furniture in black and white, as a base for different colours. This will be an ongoing process, of course, as at the beginning, we'll only be able to afford the most basic stuff, and then, over the years we'll start adding things we find and like. I´m very excited!

New Year´s resolution: Photography

He disfrutado mucho de hacer fotografías durante nuestro tiempo en Sudamérica. No solo fotografías para el recuerdo, sino esas fotografías que captan la vida, los momentos, los lugares... la belleza de la imagen a través del objetivo. Así que este año quiero explorar el mundo de la fotografía, aprender más sobre este arte y empezar a mirar el mundo con otros ojos.

During our time in South America, I have really enjoyed taking photographs. Not only for the memories, but because of the beauty of capturing life, small moments, special places... with a camera. This year I want to explore photography, learn more about this art and start looking at things through the lens.