Towns in Summer

Flowerbed (Stradford-Upon-Avon) and Birmingham City Centre in July this year.

AROUSING PICTURES (The O2 Arena London)

Google for...some of these writers. Love defeats Wars.

Kitty Skewell, A.S.Byatt, Paulo Coelho, Y.Kawabata, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Ian McEwan, John Banville or even Truman Capote. And of course,Almudena Grandes and/or Juan José Millás.


If their novels have not been burned into film scripts, the better for your excitement.


I ran of out of words after my UK summer holidays. Needed to read and think everything over. And now what? Too many words that will some of these days become just a simple thing, as usual: a picture and some single-colored vowels and consonants.

Pictures of many summer British towns, Dublin and Paris will have to wait. Is there anybody in a hurry? Fly over me.

El Ejido

Well, I didn't make up my mind until two weeks before the concert but, finally I did and there we went me and four members of my family, a 4h drive from Valencia to Almeria to visit an unusual town called El Ejido (greenhouse land rather). The Stones had failed to play there last year and they had to include this leg in there A Bigger Bang European Tour. Neither the football stadium nor its surroundings were as glamourous as Madrid's, San Sebastián's or Barcelona's, but business is business and so is pleasure, and the old rockers devoted themselves to entertain us as if they were playing at the O2 Arena in London. And they succeeded indeed. It was great to see them play some songs just with the basic set of drums, 2 guitars, 1 base guitar, keyboards and singer. A short 2h-concert with Mick Jagger showing a voice more powerful and finer than ever. It was only rock and roll, but we liked it, quoting one of their anthems. Ruby Tuestay was the only slower moment we lived. Pure energy in the old contemporary way.

The picture by Francisco Bonilla has been borrowed from EL PAIS. COM. Many thanks.

Alonso & Hamilton

This could be a good weekend for Spanish sports in England (July 7-8), as three of the country’s leading athletes battle for glory on British turf. On Saturday, French Open champion Rafa Nadal will fight for a spot in Sunday’s Wimbledon final. Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso will have to push himself to the limit to fend off Ferrari’s onslaught and the inspired driving of current leader Lewis Hamilton in Sunday’s British Grand Prix. In London, 40 Spaniards will get on their bikes for the start of the Tour de France. Óscar Pereiro will be among them. Are you a goggle-box addict? Prove it now.

Naked Neighbour's Watch

Monologue on the grey guy in green:

Fine.
If you tell me who you are and what you were doing while the picture was being taken, I'll let you know some of my ex-girlfriends' e-mails.

Otherwise, keep being a pseudo-expressionist nothing.
You look all-right dressed in green, don't you?
By the way, blonds have more fun.

And now, there's one for you:
What's the difference between a sitting duck and a sitting cock?
Answer 1: Many.
Answer 2: Both have wings (!)
Answer 3: I can't answer silly questions.
Answer 4: You're wasting my time and it's up to me. I pity myself.
Answer 5: Sarkozy. (What?)

March Paris

Some of you know I lived and taught in Paris, yeah, 'the city of light and love and good food and world people and freedom and everything else'. A picture-come-back (or whatever) was a need and it finally took place just on the verge of spring. Not many flowers around yet, quite a lot of unexpected rain spells and above all, a unique town. Extraordinarily beautiful, sensual, suggestive...romantic. From London it's just an unexpensive 2.50h trip on a chunnel direct train. From Spain take a most comfortable Talgo train and sleep the night away while crossing France before you take a shower and then breakfast.

BENICOLET

Some friends and acquaintances of mine keep asking me whether I am ashamed of the small village I live in. They wonder this because I have published pictures among which they miss Benicolet. Well, in spite of being a rather peaceful and somewhat idyllic place, surrounded by orange tree groves, vineyards, olive trees and pines, it is not easy to find breathtaking images to show to the world outside. Anyway, there you have one taken from its north-eastern side.

LLUÍS LLACH'S LAST CONCERT EVER

Our dearest singer-songwriter has decided to enjoy life differently and after touring for the last time for over one year, he performed in Verges, his native town, on the 25th March. It was a beautiful concert, musically richer and more contemporary than ever, but unfortunately the last one he will ever do.

Hear you soon on soundtracks, Lluís. Cheers and thanks a lot for your devotion to so many things and people.

Gorgeous Eclipse

IS THERE


ANY(BODY), (OR SOUL)...


OUT


THERE?

NEW YEAR REALLY?

Where do you com from?

Irak? China? Italy? When did you celebrate your new year? What for? Any New Year's Resolutions?

Any naked people pictures this blog is waiting for? (Hi there, Benigànim Full Monty)

God Bless You, whoever He or She is.

GIRLS AND BOYS, THE ROLLING STONES

Ladies and Gentlemen,

THERE WE WERE, THERE WE ARE, THERE WE WILL BE.

I hope you don't mind.

(Shut up if you do).