Blooper Reel: 2019

31.12.19 — Madrid

This time last year, I launched the first edition of my Blooper Reel posts, and I noted how I hoped that it would become an annual series. Well, good news to past me, as I’m here with the second instalment, recapping some funny moments and unseen moments from the last twelve months! After another year of travels and other shenanigans in Spain, let’s not dilly nor dally as we dive straight in with the first month of the year…

January

Day Tripping

The year began and I was still back in England, which meant the occasional day trip out with my parents. My mum, however, didn’t seem keen on me taking photos of lovely windows that I’d seen along the way…

The Web Coding Marathon

After wrapping up my new website design, it was time to spend a few weeks surrounded by sketches and code in order to code my first full WordPress website – the very one you’re on right now!

The walls of my room are covered in coding notes.

Bread

The festive period is all about overeating, and there’s really no greater pleasure in the world than a good loaf of bread with some good butter. This was my meal one night…

An Overdramatic Patient

Just before my big move back to Spain, I had a minor operation on my toe, which really didn’t affect me all that much. I did take the opportunity, however, to over-exaggerate the amount of rest I needed and the delicacy of my foot, insisting that I should always have it raised as though I’d had a leg operation or something…

Pickle for Tuppence

One of the last photos I took before leaving Burnley was of something which you could only see in the UK – mini pots of pickle for just two pence!

February

A Lie Down

The start of February brought with it my first day back in Madrid! Whilst running some errands in the city centre before my first day at work, I discovered some swanky new furniture on the renovated Gran Vía, and was sure to make good and proper use of it.

They Know What I Like

My first day back in the Erretres office saw me gifted with a very suitable present: a big bar of chocolate. They sure know me well!

I eat a large bar of chocolate in the office.

Dining on the Floor

With Bogar moving into a new flat, there wasn’t even a table to eat on whilst I helped him out with his move, and so we wound up buying in some Chinese food and having a feast on the floor of his new place.

My Turn to Move Flats

Soon thereafter I moved in to my new place, and it wasn’t long before I was measuring out the space to see what kind of sofa I could fit into the space…

Sticks on my floor mark out the position of my sofa.

March

Is My Spanish That Bad?

Something seems to be off as I always say “Ollie” and get handed a receipt reading “Ori”. Okay.

Office Life

After settling back into the daily routine for a month, it was business as usual for me and Luis in the office.

Me and Luis salute the camera in the office.

My Favourite Place

After moving into my new flat, my new bed soon became my favourite place in the whole of Madrid, with the lovely lighting making the sheets look even more inviting…

Seems Legit

I’m not so sure if I’d be that keen on getting the part if I was to be confronted by this jail-like mini door when heading for my casting…

A sign marked "casting" on a small iron door.

April

Paint Me Like One of Your French Girls

A preview trip to the new Erretres office provided the rare opportunity to take some stupid photos on the dry pool bed…

I lie on the dry pool bed of the Erretres office.

Filter City

During the big move to the new office, Helena and I decided we’d rather play around with Instagram filters than shift heavy boxes…

Me and Elena through a face-deforming filter.

I am a Meme

After some stupid Instagram stories I posted in Portuguese became popular on a Facebook group in Brazil, I soon found myself being made into memes…

A screenshot of me laughing with a subtitle in Portuguese.

A Birthday Trip

As a little birthday treat, my colleagues took me to another of my favourite places: Mercadona, a low-cost supermarket. Whilst there, I naturally had to pick up a great British birthday tradition: cake.

May

A Rare Bath

I had a great time attending Soyoung and Pablo’s wedding in Valencia, but I was also sure to make the most of the presence of a bath!

Ironing Queen

This trip also saw me act as mother, as I found myself ironing Helena’s dress a mere hour or so before the beginning of the ceremony. As last minute at it was, I’ve never ironed with such a nice view!

An ironing board set up on a terrace overlooking the sea.

Feed the Birds, Tuppence a Bag

May was also the month of visits, with my parents being some of the first to come over. Whilst on a picnic in Retiro, we were joined by some peckish little birds, and my dad did his best to entice them into a nibble of his sandwich.

My dad tries to feed a bird by the lake.

Dirty Kebab

After heading to the concerts of San Isidro with Bogar, there was nothing for it but to grab a kebab to soak up some of the many beers that had been consumed.

The Making Of

I took one of my favourite photos of the year in Tenerife, which was a shot of the sunset seen from above the clouds upon one of the slopes of El Tiede, the island’s volcano. Camila sent me a photo of me taking said photo…

I take a photo of the sunset in Tenerife.

Lady of the House

When the three Cake Club girls came to visit, they all stopped by my office to check out our new pad, and I wound up leaning out of the window of one of the meeting rooms in order to welcome them in.

Questionable Selfies

Whilst at the office, many questionable selfies were taken, with the one below being one of the most acceptable…

Another Photo Shoot

Em and Lincoln also came over to visit in May, and a lovely sunset and backdrop in Retiro meant that yet another photoshoot ensued…

June

Outtakes with Ellie

When Ellie visited, I was often instructed to take photos of her in front of this pretty monument or that, but it’s some of the outtakes which I like the most. Here’s a couple: one from our sunset evening and the other from a bout of snacking and napping down by the lake.

Ellie sorts her hair as the sun sets in Madrid.

Ellie eats a croissant by the lake in Madrid.

A Glimpse of Home

During one of my visits down to Murcia, I found this wall of British snacks and treats, but somehow managed to resist the urge to buy the lot…

A collection of bags of British snacks and chocolates.

The Best Mockup

Borja at work has always been famed for his mockup skills, and the one I posted of me jumping off the balcony in the office is one of my favourites. There was a second, however, in which my “big head” was somewhat exaggerated – enjoy the work in progress and the outcome below…

A faked photo of me with a huge head jumping off a balcony at the office.

July

Sommerkirchweih

This ridiculously long name is that of the beer festival which I attended with Luisa and family this summer, and from which there are way too many hilarious photos to choose from. Find a few below…

A selfie with sequins and a flower in my hair.

The Smith family, Steven, and me at the beer festival in Germany.

Me and Luisa in our coats ready for the beer festival.

Old Ollie

I didn’t quite like this glimpse into the future as the infamous ageing app was tried out on everyone in the office…

A glimpse into what I might look like when older.

Stealing Sunglasses

Drinking on a school night? Never. Well, if you drink with your colleagues, it doesn’t count. Here’s a photo of me and María after I stole her glasses for a while.

August

Magnetic Piercings

During the summer heatwave at work, it occurred to us that we could use the magnets for attaching sketches to the wall as stand-in piercings too. What innovation.

A selfie of me with magnets for earrings.

An Interesting Cinema Snack

Usually people snack on popcorn when at the cinema, but not if Bogar has anything to do with it. When we sat down to watch the Lion King, he produced two boxes of tequeños (Venezuelan cheese sticks) from his bag. Deliciously unconventional!

September

The Poultry Massacre

At some point I took the plunge and decided to cook my first ever whole chicken. All was going rather well until it came time to dissect the cooked chicken, whereupon I realised I had no idea what I was doing…

Chicken pieces lie all over the counter of my kitchen.

Old Ladies of the Metro

After what I am assuming was yet another IKEA trip, me and Bogar wound up taking more selfies in the window of the empty (I hope) metro train…

Me and Bogar in the reflection of a window on the metro.

Yet More Plants

As if the constant IKEA trips weren’t enough, I also started splashing out on the lovely plants from my local flower shop. Here’s my excited face after having just picked up another…

I am excited to have bought a new plant.

Hello Hedgehog

Whilst on the bus to work one morning, I noticed that this little hedgehog had appeared on one of the bus stops. I’m not sure why it was there, but I am happy that it was.

A photo of a hedgehog is attached to a bus stop with a ribbon.

October

An Ugly Eater

During one of my pizza dates with Elena, she took plenty of photos of me enjoying my dish, but not all of them made it – for obvious reasons…

Oops

During our “Goodbye to Summer” party at work, I had an accident whilst trying to open a bottle of beer, leading to some nasty cuts in my hand. The ensuing drama wound up with Luis, Sergio, and Marco accompanying me home, where we took this lovely selfie after I’d bandaged myself up…

A Useful Mirror

I simply had to to take another selfie in this super useful mirror that can be found on the wall of the toilets in my office.

The top of my head in a high mirror at work.

November

Old-Time G&Ts

One evening, me and Luis wound up having a gin and tonic in one of our haunts from years back: El Café del Rey! This little spot was located just behind our old office, and I’ve many memories of lunching there with the team.

King for the Day

At one point, and as part of her regular little gift packages from England, my mum sent over an inflatable crown. Not sure what to do with it, I took it to work, where it’s still making the rounds to this day!

Pinchos for Days

When Thuy stopped by Madrid for a few days, we went out for some Basque food to catch up. One of the highlights was this bao-style dish, which contained a whole crab!

December

The Big Breakdown

When our car broke down on the side of the motorway on our way to Manchester, I was reminded by my safety-conscious sister that we should move away from the car without delay. Once the tow truck showed up, however, I was free to take a selfie by the wet and cold roadside.

British Haute Cuisine

Whilst back in England for Christmas, there was no way I could leave without trying one of the grossest foods that we have: the battered sausage!

And so we conclude the second instalment documenting some of the highs and lows of this great year of 2019. A year of new adventures and familiar faces with my return to Spain, it’s been yet another amazing year spent with some incredible people.

This evening I shall count down the hours until 2020 in my flat, as I’m now nearing 25 and feeling more and more like an old lady every single day! I wish everyone a happy and prosperous year, and can only hope that everyone is welcoming the new decade with as much excitement as I am!

The Arrival of Autumn

07.12.19 — Madrid

With work becoming busier as we head into the festive period – something which has struck us all as quite strange, as things usually begin to quieten down during the winter months – I’ve been dedicating most of my spare time to chilling out and recovering at home. I did, of course, have a wild trip back to England thrown in the middle, but other than this, it’s been a rather rather tranquil time!

Because of this, this blog post is much more of a visual diary rather than an account of anything particularly interesting. This isn’t to say that I didn’t get up to anything, however, as I had a lovely catch up with María from work over some vegan burgers, and have also spent plenty of time cooking and cleaning at home.

A street in the northern neighbourhoods of Madrid.

My little trips around the city and the daily commute to the office have allowed me to observe the lovely colours of autumn as we moved into November (and now December?! How has that happened?). I’ve collected a few of these photos below, so enjoy the little visual diary of this Spanish autumn!

Yellow leaves are lit up by the morning sun.

Sunlight enters through a window at work.

The trees outside Atocha Train Station in Madrid are bright red.

Street signs under autumn trees in the morning sun.

The facade of the Ministry of Agriculture in Madrid is lit by the evening sun.

As we are now (somehow) already one week into December, I should really update you all on my Christmas holiday plans. I’ll be back in England for ten days over the festive period, but I’ll be back in Madrid to welcome in the New Year, and so I have spent a whopping 3.50€ on decorating my flat for the yuletide…

My palm plant covered in fairy lights casting multicoloured shadows.

Presenting my budget Christmas tree!

A Non-Stop Visit Home

27.11.19 — Burnley

First thing’s first: hello there again! If you checked my site over the last couple of days, you may have been greeted by a rather terrifying security message, but I assure you that there’s nothing to be worried about – I just forgot to update some security settings. I’m now back online, and just in time to tell you about my latest crazy weekend…

As the title suggests, just last weekend I made a whistle-stop trip to England, during which I packed as much as I could into a mere 36 hours. After leaving the office at 3pm, I nipped by my house to pack (I am a very relaxed traveller these days), and then headed straight for the airport for 6pm in order to catch my 8pm flight.

Landing in England around 10pm, I didn’t waste a minute in leaving the terminal and searching for my parents, who kindly drove over to Manchester to pick me up. The car journey back to Burnley provided a good chance to catch up for a while, as we arrived at home so late that after just an hour of chatting over a drink we all headed for bed.

The next morning, I was up bright and early and hitching a lift down to Burnley Town Centre in order to get my haircut at my 9am appointment. I chatted for a while to my hairdresser, finally had my mop chopped, and then headed into town to sort out some issues with my bank and then for a quick reunion with Amber and Jess!

An old phone box in Burnley on a wet, cloudy day.

Burnley was as grey and damp as it always is.

The three of us were reunited in Little Barista, a lovely independent coffee shop in the town centre, and had a rousing chat over some festive hot chocolate and herbal tea. This was the first of many catchups which was to be cut too short, however, as I soon had to be driven back home by Jess in order to re-pack (yes, already) my bags and head out for lunch with my parents.

Lunch really couldn’t have been at any other place than JJ’s, an unsuspecting canteen at the side of a rural road which serves up some of the best classic British dishes going. I was soon devouring some of their infamous homemade steak puddings, complete with chips, mushy peas, and plenty of salt and vinegar! The meal was delicious as ever, and served as as a fitting but somewhat premature farewell to my parents, as they dropped me off at Danni’s house for the next part of my speedy adventure…

I couldn’t go wrong with a weekend full of good food, old friends, and meeting new dogs.

Whilst being reunited with Danni, I was also introduced to her new dog, Lottie, who didn’t take a shining to me but was gorgeous nonetheless. We caught up at her house whilst awaiting the arrival of Abi, whose birthday present we had all prepared – a customised bottle of vodka! When she showed up and received said gift, it was soon evident that it would be joining the three of us as we headed on to our next destination: Leeds!

Once in Leeds, me and Danni checked into the hotel we’d booked, sneaking Abi in as a cheeky extra guest for the night. Dropping our stuff off and buying some drinks for later, the three of us then (eventually) managed to catch a taxi up to Belgrave Music Hall, one of my favourite haunts from my uni days and one of the finest purveyors of pizza, burgers, and chips in all the land.

Me, Abi and Danni have a beer in Belgrave.

After some drinks and burgers accompanied with a huge tray of delicious “session fries” (chips topped with pancetta, pickled jalapeños, and a whole host of other tasty delights), me and Danni had to set off at quite a pace: we’d a concert to get to!

The concert in question was Sigrid, who I’ve been a fan of since stumbling across her on Spotify earlier this year. We did end up arriving quite late and hence had to take up our position at the very back of the stalls, but we had a great time anyway, jiving along to a host of her best hits.

Sigrid performs at the O2 Academy, Leeds.

During the concert, Abi had headed back to the hotel to get ready and bring us back some drinks, and we were then reunited in the streets of Leeds to head out on the town! After an impromptu photo session in Victoria Quarter, we headed on down to Call Lane and some old uni haunts, as well as some new clubs that I’d never been to before.

As the three of us are getting old and wizened, the night didn’t go on for too long, and we were soon back at the hotel and waiting for our food delivery. This delivery, it turns out, was not to be, and so we were left stranded and food-less, a solution to which I found in marching myself back to the train station and picking up a McDonalds for the three of us.

I tried my hand at a spot of festive photo-bombing.

Danni stands under an illuminated reindeer antler decoration, whilst I crouch on the floor nearby.

The next morning, we all woke up surprisingly fresh, although I had a suspicion that my clear head could easily make way for a lingering hangover later that Sunday. There wasn’t much time for contemplation, however, as I’d to be up, showered, dressed, and at Layne’s Espresso for brunch with Luisa, Rhea, Em, and Lincoln by 11:30am. I really didn’t stop during this trip!

Adding to the weekend’s food woes, I received a message from Rhea whilst en route to Layne’s to inform me that she and Luisa were already there, but that the place was packed and that I should probably have booked a table in advance. Panicking, I was saved when the two of them rang another local spot in a moment of quick thinking, and I promptly informed Em and Lincoln that the location had changed. Hurrah, breakfast was saved!

The reunion thus took place at Wapentake, a lovely and relatively new little bar that I’d never been in before, but which served us all a delicious slap-up breakfast. By this point my head was beginning to pound, and so I ordered a Bloody Mary to go with my full English, a choice I soon regretted as I was reminded just how spicy they can be…

Me, Rhea, Luisa, Em, and Lincoln have breakfast at Wapentake.

I had a lovely chat with the four of them over breakfast, with the whole group letting each other know what they’d been up to and how adult and work life was panning out for them. All good things must come to an end, though, and alas I eventually had to leave for Leeds Train Station and head back to Manchester for my return flight.

A stop on the Leeds to Manchester Airport line.

As you’ve probably noticed from the sheer speed through which I have run through all of my activities, I was absolutely knackered after cramming three cities and a shedload of events into a mere day and a half. Needless to say, I dozed off a while on the flight back, but even so this week I feel like I am still recovering from the exhaustion!

It was all worth it though, as I had an absolutely fabulous time, and I’m now just looking forward to this coming weekend of total relaxation at home. I’ll certainly need it too, as this week at work we’re super busy with lots of exciting new projects coming in. More on that to come!

Caudete on Film

14.11.19 — Caudete

As the winter chill begins to bite here in Madrid, it’s time to think of warmer summer days, days which were spent in Caudete de las Fuentes, Valencia. If you’re an avid reader, you may remember the week over summer that I spent with Rodrigo exploring his grandparents’ hometown and setting up a lighting show in the patio of their old house.

Three months after said shenanigans, I finally got round to having some rolls of film developed, which led to the post “Tenerife on Film” as a follow-up to my post detailing my trip to Tenerife even earlier in summer. In this quick post I shall do the same, sharing the few noteworthy snaps from my visit to Caudete de las Fuentes.

A film photo of sunlight setting on roofs and a church.

A film photo of Roberto setting up a speaker system.

A film photo of the courtyard of an old house.

As the messy, harsh look of a full flash and film camera remind me of days spent with disposable cameras as a child, I naturally took the majority of these photos at night. Our evenings in Caudete, as detailed in the main blog post, were spent listening to a range of music and snacking on bread, cured meats, and cheese.

The last photo on the reel was really rather eerie, showing the darkened figure of a man emerging from a run-down looking edifice. It was, in reality, a sneak shot that I took of Roberto as he emerged from the outdoor shower room.

With that, I round of this admittedly very short post. It reminds me of my first blog posts, where I used to write rather little in comparison to my often essay-length blog posts of recent. The shortness of this blog post is also due to the business of my work life and the therefore lacklustre state of my social life as of recent, but with a trip over to England coming up just next week, I’m sure that’s soon to change!

A Sunday Getaway

01.11.19 — Madrid

After a lot of working hard and playing hard, last weekend I decided that I needed to escape the noise of the city, and so made a little getaway to the mountains of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. I’ve been there a few times before, and I love the quiet surroundings and the small-town feel. It kind of reminds me of Sintra, a lovely town outside Lisbon that me and Ellie visited during our holiday together a couple of years ago.

The autumn colours only served to make El Escorial more beautiful.

The autumn colours tint the trees of El Escorial.

Yellow trees line a path in El Escorial.

I always enjoy a trip wandering around the town and it’s impressive 16th-century monastery, but the rather steep climb up to the centre of the town from the train station is always a bit of killer! I decided to take it very easy, meandering up at my jolly old pace in between a spattering of racing cyclists who looked like they were having a hard time!

Looking over the courtyard of the monastery in El Escorial.

Upon arrival, my first stop was at a little local lunch spot, one that I have made a habit of visiting since the first time I ever visited. I had a wonderful time the first time I visited the little bar, with gorgeous local dishes and a hilarious chat with the three generations of daughters who run the place. Every time I re-visit, I’m sure to update them on the events and happenings in my life, and this time was no different!

I spent a good time wandering the undulating streets of the hillside town.

After I had been fed to bursting with plate after plate of delicious dishes, I went for a wander around the town and the outside of the monastery in order to digest some of the food. I decided not to wander through the gardens, as I didn’t want to arrive back in Madrid too late, but wound up missing my train and so had to have another drink at another bar (huge shame, I know).

The King's Courtyard in the monastery in El Escorial, Madrid.

Walking back down the line of yellow trees in El Escorial.

The plan to get back to my flat in time for an early night didn’t work out as expected, and I found myself walking back from the train station in pitch blackness after the change in hour the night before. It was worth the short evening for the chance to make an escape, however, as being a country boy I do need to see greenery even now and then!