The Boy and The Coconut Tree

If there were ever anyone who has thoroughly tested the idiom "the grass is always greener" it has to be me. I have jumped over more fences into more gardens in the past 22 years than I care to count. I am not even sure why! It started in 1992 or so when university ended as did the cozy cocoon like life I had with my friends. It ended abruptly on a June morning in 1992 as my Dad woke me from my sleep. I was asleep on the sofa in my tuxedo, hungover. It had been the last night of university, the Summer Ball,  The summer ball with Penny, Kirsteen and Mathew it was fantastic. We all sat in a park and watched the sunrise, the first day of our new, adult, post graduate lives. I remember the drive home, 5 hours of hangover hell, I was so sad. I realized life was never going to be the same and I have spent the past 22 years looking for something like it, a security blanket, an adult life I can feel comfortable with. I've never really found it. One of my students is a ...

July has been a lovely mix of sunshine, thunder storms and visits from friends and though there are no more scheduled visits for July I am sure the lovely summer will continue. I go to the beach quite often, certainly a lot more than I did when I lived in England and almost as often as I did when I lived in Sydney, Barcelona has so many beaches and on Sunday I was persuaded to go to the gay beach, Mar Bella playa, which is a little further away from the centre and a world away from Seaburn beach where I spent many a childhood summer. It is mixed in so many ways, young old, fat, thin, gym toned and deep fat fried, gay and straight. There are areas which seem to be dedicated to these different groups. We sat on the edge of the area populated with the beautiful people, they looked too beautiful and critical for our liking. I was sat between a group of German nudists and a Spanish man who had so many piercings that he looked like a small scrapyard, personally it wasn't a pretty s...

Greetings from Barcelona on the San Juan holiday. Last night was crazy. It is a night of fireworks and bonfires and cakes called Cocas.   Cocas De San Juan Here the idea of health and safety takes a backseat, kids as young as 3 were running around with fireworks in our street, setting off rockets and standing right next to them. I suspect the local A&Es were busy last night and I love fireworks but every time one of those kids let off a firework I cringed, as an uncle and teacher I dreaded what could happen as the parents stood around drinking beer looking on. Maybe I am too British about it, too boring but fireworks are wonderful to watch but even as an adult I would not feel comfortable handling them. The fireworks were going off until 3am at least and from 5 floors up the view was spectacular and from that distance I wouldn't see if any of the kids had their fingers blown off etc though I did hear a few screams and couldn't tell if they were of delight or pai...

Whatever Sicily conjures up in your mind at first should be discarded, tired cliches, Hollywood movies and stereotypes can be thrown away with last nights ragu. I visited Sicily this weekend, 4 days, 3 nights, 3 cities with one of my oldest friends (17 years and counting) Rebecca.  Our selfie on the bus from Palermo to Catania. We only decided to go in March so I had nothing in mind apart from Mount Etna and I didn't read up anything on Sicily apart from the bus and train schedules and the flight details. I knew Rebecca would read the Lonely Planet guide from cover to cover and would be able to quote it at me if necessary and I was right, she did and found most of the good places we ate at. The view over Palermo from our hotel Teatro Massimo One of the many markets in Palermo We flew to Palermo and spent our first night in the city. It is great, old, big, busy, horrible traffic, great food, great buildings, great people. I think everyone there is a...

I wrote this months ago when I was teaching a lovely lady called Rosa. She was born blind and also has autism but was one of my most lively students. I waited until my classes with her ended before publishing this. High on a hill, far above the centre of Barcelona sits Rosa, Rosa sits in eternal darkness yet her life is as full of light as anyone. Rosa loves god and she believes he loves her. Rosa sees things we cannot see. Rosa refuses to walk with a stick or with a guide dog, she relies on her other senses and the kindness of the good people of Barcelona. If only I could do the same. Rosa loves music, she loves the Carpenters and their songs of love and broken hearts, feelings Rosa may never experience. Rosa was my student for 7 months until it was decided for her that she was too stressed to have lessons. I learnt more from Rosa than she did from me. A Saint Jordi Rose for Rosa Rosa still loves a god that allowed her to be born blind and allowed her brother to be blind and...