Ever Changing Landscapes . . .

. . . at both the macro and micro levels. The obvious macro-change is that I am in Helios Café around the block from our Barcelona home. My normal Sunday 16:00 hours flight here from Cairo was not running so I had to take the 03:30 hrs alternative which meant leaving our flat at midnight. It's not to be recommended! I was basically in my jammies lying on our bed dozing at 11 pm after dinner out when I had to rouse myself to transfer to the airport and go through the whole check in procedure with double security machine inspections which delivered me to the departure area (still) three hours before departure. Fitful sleep on board preceded my landing in Rome a little before 7am and then, after a cappuccino in my favourite place, the final segment brought me into a sunny Barcelona at 11 am and to my front door at 12 noon . . . only to find the front door lock jammed!

Anyway, got through that one with the help of the neighbours and, after a shower, I headed here for five hours of essential preparation for the roller-coaster week that lies ahead.

At a micro level, Helios Café has new table tops and a kitchen area in the corner ready to serve lunches. The man in shot is the most avid reader of every newspaper that the place provides for its customers. By avid, I mean every word of every line of every column of every page of every newspaper from the general ones to the specialist sport publications. He knows where all the unread ones are distributed around the café and is eagle-like in putting his talons into them as soon as they break free from cover!

Now in Mum's Hotel Place relaxing a little, catching up on blip and reading the local press myself . . . such a mess politically here.