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Unexpected Musical Treat in the Park

Yesterday my friend Alejandro and I went for a walk around Plaza Francia. It’s a park just five minutes from me, where in normal times there is an artesan fair every weekend of the year. Sadly, of course, it has been missing for the past six months, and it’s kind of sad to see the park without it.

But there was a nice surprise. As we approached the part where the fair usually is, we heard applause, and as we got closer we found it was a choir standing in a socially distanced circle. We arrived just in time for this:

It was just enough to remind us of what we always say — in Buenos Aires anything can happen at any time! Fortunately, this was a nice thing — which we need these days.

Today I’m hoping to be back in the area to meet my friends Venetia and Liz, although the weather is kind of iffy. Fingers crossed the rain holds off.

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Lovely Outing with Friends to Garden Centre

Yesterday was a lovely, sunny day and I spent it with Cecilia and Venetia. We first went to a nursery near Venetia’s place, called Vivero Mario. As you can see from these photos, it’s a big place

Next time I go I’ll take some photos of the actual plants!!

This well was one of several pieces decorated with broken tile mozaic. I did some of this years ago, and this made me think I’ll make a note for next winter to do it again!

I bought some saucers for my pots and a couple of hangers. Unfortunately those didn’t work on my railing, so I’ll have to get a bit creative on how to hang them. I bought some white miniature roses (which I love), some purple petunias and — wait for it — a cherry tomato plant! It actually has one tiny little green tomato on it now, so I have great hopes. There were a couple of other things I’d like, but I couldn’t carry them, so I think I’ll go back next week.

We went to lunch after the nursery, and then Cecilia left us for another appointment while Venetia and I came back here to my place. I had five very old geraniums on my bedroom window ledge, which I think hadn’t been repotted in … well maybe ever. The pots were so rotted they were held together by soil that was as hard as concrete. I’m surprised the poor things hadn’t given up.

But Venetia repotted them all and gave them some nice new soil, and told them they would feel much better now. They certainly looked better — I think I heard them singing last night!

It’s too sunny to take balcony photos right now as there are too many shadows, but I’ll do some later and again next time I go to Mario’s.

If my brother Bruce is reading this, he will be shaking his head in amazement, as I’ve always said he got the gardening gene from my Mum and I wasn’t interested in gardening. And now, here I am talking about plants and repotting like an old hand — I feel a new enthusiasm coming on!

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The final result

Here’s the red table as it looks now. Painting it with spray paint was an adventure. I did it in the little passage from my kitchen to my laundry room, because there’s a big window there I could open. I taped a plastic drop sheet on the walls and underfoot and I thought I had it covered. Hah! I underestimated the distance that fine mist from the aerosol would travel, and I ended up with a pale pink blush all over the kitchen floor! I had to swab the whole deck. Not to mention my own hands and feet — I had to buy a new pair of slippers.

Next morning I realized the legs needed a second coat (the table legs, not mine!) but I was reluctant to spray more. So had the brilliant (!) idea to cover a plastic cup with a plastic bag, punch a hole in it and spray enough paint in it to dip a brush. Sounded good in theory, but whatever is in that can melted the plastic cup! Having gone thus far, I just ploughed on and painted the legs, dripping paint on the laundry room floor as well as my hands.

I then left my apartment and went straight to the paint shop on the corner, my hands covered in red paint so that I looked as if I’d just committed a dastardly crime. When the guy asked how he could help me, I just help up my hands and said, “Do you have anything for this?” Fortunately, he did, and now all is well.

Note to self: no more painting furniture. Actually, no more painting. Next time, call in a professional!

I think it was worth it though, don’t you?

 

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New Project

I bought a small table on the weekend to go between my two armchairs, both inside and when I go out on the balcony. I need something to put my glass of wine one! I like the funky legs on this one.

I’ve been binge watching some old interior design shows on YouTube, particularly two Canadian ones, Sarah Richardson’s series and Colin & Justin’s Home Heist.

Just as when I watched the originals on telly in Canada, my head is now full of ideas I’d like to do in my apartment.

I realized that my lovely red couch is definitely the focal point of the living room, but there’s no more red to balance it and pull the room together. So …. this morning bought this:

I’ll post another photo of the table when it’s red!

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I’ll be a gardener yet!

My mother was a keen gardener all her life, and my brother definitely inherited her green thumb. I’ve never been that enthusiastic, though, not even with house plants. When I moved into this apartment a year and a half ago (is it really that long?) there were plants on the balcony and window ledges. My cleaning lady really looked after them more than I did, and since she hasn’t been here since the pandemic began … well, you can imagine. They didn’t weather the winter very well.

However, when I realized I was wasting the potential, I enlisted the help of Venetia, who is a very enthusiastic gardener. She helped me clean out the pots and repot some of the poor things that were badly pot bound. I’ve been watering and feeding them regularly and they have responded. I might even be starting to understand the excitement of watching them grow. Here are a few photos, and I’ll post some more when the bulbs blossom.

This is just part of the balcony. I like how the palm tree in the courtyard is just high enough to almost become part of the garden!

Kalanchoe

Kalanchoe

The first plant is on the kitchen windowledge. There’s a wee passage running from the kitchen to the laundry room with windows all along. That’s where the other plants are.

The kitchen windows face into a yard between buildings, so there’s very little sun. But these green ones seem to do well in the shade and brighten up a rather dull outlook.

I actually managed to repot a plant this week all by myself, without Venetia’s help! I’m not quite at the stage where I love getting my hands in the dirt, but you never know, I might get there yet!

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Lovely Early Spring Afternoon

Today was one of those days when you could just feel spring in the air. Beautiful blue sky and sunshine, warm temperature, and people enjoying the park. If you can overlook the masks, which are kind of becoming invisible by now, it almost looked as if we were back to normal.

I ended my walk with a glass of red wine at La Parolacchia, because my favourite La Biela was full. A glass of wine at La Biela costs 110 pesos, but at this place there was a high service charge on top of a high price, and the whole thing cost 425 pesos. OK, I know it’s only $8 Cdn, but it’s high for here, and I won’t be going back there any time soon!

Like other places, they have “touchless menu”, so I really have to remember to download the QR code app.

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French Toast Fiesta!

A couple of weeks ago, one of my friends posted a photo on Whatsapp of a delicious, healthy lunch she had made, and then someone else posted another healthy dish. So I admitted a bit sheepishly that I was having French toast!

Much to my surprise, several of them said they loved French toast and they hadn’t had it for years. I’m not quite sure how this happened, but before I knew it I had agreed to have them over here for a French toast brunch!

Today was the day. There were six of us altogether, so we could kind of socially distance, and it was lots of fun.

I served it Canadian style, with blueberries, strawberries and whipped cream. I had just a little bit of genuine Quebec maple syrup left from the bottle I brought from Canada, so that made it doubly special. We were going to have mimosas with the toast, but as it turned out, they all eschewed the orange juice in favour of straight champagne! Here are some happy photos, thanks as always to Venetia.

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Happy Dance Today!

After over seven months without gas or hot water, both came on today — I’m doing a happy dance!

I didn’t even know it had happened. I was washing some strawberries and suddenly the water warmed up. I rushed around all the other taps in the apartment and lo and behold there was hot water in them all.

My landlady had an electric shower installed for me way back in January when it happened, so at least I had a hot shower, but everything else was cold. She is sending an electrician on Monday to take it out and put my lovely rain shower back in. I’m so excited!

It’s amazing how we adapt to things, but it’s lovely when they return to normal. A friend said to me that Buenos Aires is always teaching us ways to be grateful, and maybe that’s true.

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My New Book — Published on a Whim!

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but every Friday since lockdown began I’ve met online with four friends and fellow writers. We take turns at bringing prompts, from which we all have ten minutes to write a story. We do one fiction and one non-fiction exercise every week. It’s fun, mentally stimulating and one good thing that’s come out of the pandemic.

Well, a couple of weeks ago I was browsing on Amazon for something completely different, when I came upon a book of writing prompts. I realized this is exactly what we do on Friday nights, and it’s a great way to get rid of writer’s block or just do some writing practice. So, on the spur of the moment, I decided to write my own prompt book — and here it is!

It’s available in both print and ebook forms on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Amazon.co.uk. If you are a writer, please check it out. If you know a writer, I’d appreciate your telling them about my book.

And now, back to some serious writing!