From 'La Mole' to Penge

It's great to have a Monday off, although it's depressing to think that it's the last public holiday before Christmas.

Today my head is already in Spain, despite still having have 3 days at the office with a project to complete.

This is what I'm planning to read on the beach:


I'll probably be so absorbed in reading that maybe I won't even notice all the naked men on the beach! Well, perhaps not...

In the last couple of weeks I've been itching to book a holiday for February/March (as bobalone knows, since we discussed it at length over dinner).
Despite the winter being rather mild in London, what we miss here is the light and the sun.
Winter with its very short days can be a depressing affair, and I find it helps to have something to look forward to.

After taking the 4 short breaks planned for the rest of this year, I'll still be left with 2 weeks of annual leave. According to company rules, I'm allowed to carry them forward and take them before the end of March with my line manager's approval.

My line manager has been on holiday while the British Airways sale was on.
There were some tempting offers for flights to the US, and I quite fancied seeing Arizona in winter or sunning myself in Palm Springs or treating ourselves to Bette Midler's show in Vegas on my birthday.

I could have booked it as I'm sure that I would have had my time off approved but on the other hand, the idea of having to go through U.S. immigration again curbed my enthusiasms, especially as I'm still smarting when I think of last year. *sigh*

Out of curiosity, I looked at the Homeland Security website and found a press release from 2004 that made me laugh (bitterly).

"I expect professionalism and courtesy to be the hallmark of every CBP Officer. It is my goal that all visitors and traveling U.S. citizens see the CBP uniform as a symbol of our Nation's great strength, ideals, and liberty," said Commissioner Bonner.

"We pledge to cordially greet and welcome you to the United States. We pledge to treat you with courtesy, dignity, and respect. "

Nothing but words. I am still angry at the discrimination and at the rudeness, and have never liked the assumption that every alien is a threat unless proven otherwise. 

That memory certainly makes the Mediterranean even more appealing! (plus the BA sale is now over anyway).

Finally, 2 weeks after getting home from our holiday, I'm posting about the last day.

The pictures are not too good as the dust accumulated on the sensor meant that they had more spots than your average teenager. Oh well!

We liked Cannes: we had a nice little walk on the promenade and then walked up to the old town

Then we headed to Grasse where we visited one of the perfume factories. 



The last stop, before heading back to Cagnes-sur-Mer was the beautiful, bastioned village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence where they certainly took heed of the "man does live by bread alone" maxim and every shop doesn't sell food but art.


The following morning a short drive to Nice airport, and a few hours later we were back home, poorer but with lots of lovely memories!

After months of looking forward to it (we booked the trip in January!), finally it's time to leave for Sitges tomorrow.
(For those of you - if any - who have never heard of the place, Sitges is a delightful and rather picturesque sea resort in Catalonia, about 30 minutes from Barcelona; during the summer months it's taken over by gay people from all over Europe and beyond.)

 
It'll be our 3rd time there, and this time we are going with our dearest friends David and Richard. We are renting an apartment in town, a stone's throw from the Bears bar and El Horno, and not planning to do much apart from spending time naked on the beach (Platja des Balmins) reading, looking at the "fauna" and floating/frolicking in the sea. 
There's also a bear event  from Tuesday onwards, and I (we?) may go to the foam party at the sauna as I've never been to one, and I am debating whether the "Excursion to play PAINTBALL + Swimming pool + Lunch" could be fun (but it may be sold out).
Perhaps one day we'll go to Montserrat but will make sure it's not Tuesday as it is the Catalan National Holiday and with the Virgin of Montserrat being the saint patron and a symbol of the country, it'll be be busy up there.

I may post a few pictures of clematis taken in the garden later this evening if I have time, but I don't think I'll be writing much in the next 7 days.
Take care, you all!