How Mondays (ought to) roll in Barcelona

Having one of those rare Mondays when I feel on the ball.

Lily came into our bed some time in the night and since she didn't kick or roll, she was permitted to stay. At 8 the alarm went off and we let it do that a few more times. I can drop Lily off at and pick her up from her daycare whenever I want, but I used to stress about getting her there as close to 9 as possible. We now have a 'between 9 and 10 at the latest' policy, although she generally gets there by 9:20.

Anyway, the three of us had oatmeal and whizzed through the rest of the morning routine, I dropped Lil at school then went off to the market with my trusty canvas shopping bag from England. The walk from school through the sunny old streets to the market at 9:20 is one of my favorite things, period. The fruit/veg stand I go to in the market is run by a man, wife and his sister. We're now at the stage in our vendor/client relationship that if there is no line of old biddies waiting their turns, we chat for a while. Today I had a nice long talk with the wife who had many reassuring thing to say about not letting Catalans or children get me down.

From there, I took the bag of produce home, grabbed my shopping trolley (the big bag with wheels that old Mexican ladies use in Chicago) and went to the supermarket to load up on water, juice and milk, stopping on the way to leave a load of laundry with the wash lady down the road, since our STUPID washing machine has broken again. I've sent an email to the agency indicating it were high time we get a new one up in here.

Back home, phone Telefónica to contract a new service in which I can make unlimited phone calls from our home phone to mobile phones for 4 euros a month, research People Agency, a modelling agency I'm taking Lily to later this week (read more later, I promise we won't turn her strange), warm up homemade chicken soup and eat it with lots of buttery crusty bread.

Go pick up laundry. Have loooong chat in building foyer with my nextdoor neighbor Paco. Return home and hang wet clothes out to dry.

Make tea.

Write blog.

Now will do a couple hours of work for Oxford House, then make Lily's snacks, go pick her up, go to the park with the swings, pick up my blood test results from doctor (just routine stuff, folks), and swing by the library.

How I do LOVE that I can walk everywhere. All of these things above, within 10 minutes walk. Ah.