KARETHE LINAAE
New Year in January has always felt completely wrong to me. It is cold and dark and does not signify the natural beginning of anything. Certainly not a time when one are supposed to reinvent oneself and become a new and better person. Thankfully, for those of us who need a couple of tries before…
When I went out this morning to hang up laundry in the communal garden, the grass was still frozen. Yet, the sun was already pulling humidity from the ground, creating a sense of walking on a fine layer of mist. There is such a sacred peace about at this hour. The workers have left their…
Since we arrived here in November, we have been looking for a way to give back to the community that has welcomed us so kindly. We have always volunteered, so when we heard about a network of environmental volunteers who help replant and clean up Ronda and its surroundings, we signed up immediately. Today was…
Costa del sol is the sunny coastline along the Mediterranean in the Spanish south. It embraces the coastal towns and communities of Malaga province. These traditional white fishing villages with their favourable sub-tropic climate were ‘discovered’ by international tourism is the 1950’s and have never been the same since. According to unofficial sources there might…
These days, when I come to my furniture restoration class, the teacher slaps her arms around her body saying ‘Qué frío!’ (What a cold!) People in our town say that Ronda has no spring. They claim we go straight from winter to summer. Everything is relative of course and I tell them that compared with…
Whether they are dusted in snow, covered in clouds or bathed in sun, the mountains around Ronda are nothing but spectacular. From our city, one can easily reach the Serrania de Ronda and the Sierra de las Nieves, some of Andalucias most picturesque hiking areas. We have been yearning to explore these mountain chains and…
I have made breads since I was a teenager – the majority hard as hockey pucks, and tasting as if I used tree-pulp and shredded bark to make the dough. I pity my son for all those uneatable loaves and not to mentioned his wheat-free birthday cakes, but I am trying to make amends by…
There are butchers and then there are butchers and when it comes to Spain, these are a veritable institution in their own right. Sadly, when it comes to my own place of birth, butchers are dying breeds. Not because Norwegians necessarily eat less meat, but because supermarkets have taken over where neighbourhood stores and local…
The other morning, on his way to his wood carving class, Jaime took this picture, looking out on the fields as one enters the old town. Every day the view is different. It doesn’t matter if it is rainy, foggy or stormy, Ronda is as they say un ciudad soñada, a city of dreams. Or…
Next week we have been in Spain for 3 months – a quarter of a year. Somehow it feels much longer, as though our life in Vancouver happened decades back. Maybe it is because we moved to a part of the world where I was brought up and where we both have family. Or maybe…