Letsgoloolala with Lily Anne
Getting acquainted with El Gato
If anyone thinks I have a whole house here to myself think again! I am house –sharing with Salvador, the family cat. I have yet to see him proffer a trophy bird or mouse. His main raison d’être seems to be a rapid escape on to the main road. This means that any time I leave the house by the only exit to the street an elaborate preparation to deceive commences in earnest. He skilfully moves position to a strategic spot. By day his favourite place is the window sill in my bedroom from which he can observe every passerby. The bars however and the carefully meshed space prevent any physical contact with the outside world. I commence my strategy by rolling a ball through to the back of the house where I have left out some cat cuisine, usually a tempting jellied pâté. I have to time my exit to the second. That’s after I have gathered my sunglasses, my sun cream, my to do list, my travel tickets, my money card, my phone and most importantly my keys to the house. We both make a run for it at the same instant. Sometimes I end up with a delay of five minutes locating him usually under a parked car and five more bribing him back through the front door. As a last resort I carry him in, well aware that his nails are a lot sharper than mine. I have noted that although he responds to his name he refuses to discuss his seed and breed, tell me how many were in his family of origin or disclose his age. It’s not as though I’m about to go out to buy him some clothes though he could do with some rainwear in this current mid May change of climate. The torrential rain, thunder and lightning leave us with little choice but to get to know each other better.
Strange noises in the night…
Speaking of lightening – I am intrigued with all the strange noises by day and by night. By day I hear the digging up of the pavement outside the bar across the road, not to be confused with the type of archaeological excavations I’ve viewed with awe at the wonder of Valencia Antiqua 138BC. I hear people sing spontaneously as they walk along the street- parents are allowed to sing here if they wish to. Other noises not familiar in Kilkenny are the fireworks, set off on public streets on days of First Communions or weddings. These are small change compared with the mascletas that I witnessed on El Dia del Virgen in Plaza Ajuntamiento on 12 May. They are pure dynamite! When I texted Vicente he put me in the picture. I got the seat closest to the action and waited patiently. The large open plaza specially designed for this purpose boasts of no monuments.
There is also the tradition of bell ringing now done automatically from various churches. It’s quite pleasant I think, but then I’m not planning siestas. The bells begin at 8am and finish at 22hrs.Locally here in Aldaia the strange sound in the middle of the night is the rubbish truck. The house I am living in is a coach house dating back to the 18th century. I guess there were many strange noises of late arrivals in the middle of the night.
*Check out doc. on campanas by Vicente Devis