Author: Away From The Noise
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The Importance Of Companionship
I’ve just been listening to the Desert Island Discs podcast on BBC Radio 4 where 95-year old ex-Royal Navy test pilot Captain Eric Winkle-Brown was interviewed. Other than listening to an incredible man who lived through such key moments in history as attending the Berlin Olympics and taking part in the liberation of Belsen, he…
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The Tale Of The Supermarket Carol Singers
The Christmas Lights are being switched on in Granada tonight which will be fun to see and as the festive season approaches each year, I’m often reminded of a shopping trip to a supermarket in London a few years ago where I was greeted by two teenagers of about 15-16 years old who were belting out Christmas carols accapella…
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So What’s Next?
I started this blog in October, so at only a few weeks old of posting daily (including the transfer of a number of posts from a previous website I had) and since the end of the latest Blogging101 project, I thought I’d take stock of how things have gone. Firstly, I’d like to thank everybody who follows…
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How Your Phone Can Help You Know Where You’re Going
When did you last see someone walking down the street so engrossed in their phone that they either: – almost walked into you, somebody else or a lamppost? – actually walked into you, somebody else or a lamppost? The chances are that you have seen at least one of these things happen and probably not…
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What We Can Learn From Playing Tennis
While walking around recently, I noticed a boy of about 12 years old hitting a tennis ball against a wall with his tennis racket. Perhaps he was practising for a match or maybe he was just having fun. Either way, he didn’t have any friends around to impress so he was clearly motivated to do…
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Getting Away From the Noise (Quite Literally)
Ever been to a spa? Or had a massage? I like massages and sometimes write posts about them – read Learning How To Listen From A Masseur. I recently visited a spa for a massage and some much-needed tranquility. The steam room was lovely. The pool was warm too and the jacuzzi was quite fierce,…
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The Scent Of Nostalgia
While walking around town recently, a woman walked past me and just as she went by, a waft of perfume struck me and suddenly I was at university in a conversation class with a French teaching assistant called Nathalie who wore the same perfume by Issey Miyake. Just like that. No introduction. The last thing…
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How Can Hailstorms Help Us To Be Happier
The weather in Granada is usually pretty good, however a few weeks ago there was a hailstorm of almost biblical proportions, relatively speaking that is. It hadn’t properly rained here in months so hail, thunder, lightning and dark, dark skies were huge news! I popped into the nearest bar to hide from the elements and while I was…
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The Empty Bandstand
There’s a lovely area I often walk through in Granada called La Plaza Del Humilladero which is used as a public event space such as weekly markets, annual fairs and where many people simply go for a paseo or to walk their dogs. I especially like walking there early in the morning before the city…
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Stop And Take A Breath In Granada
I took the photo below today as I was walking around Granada. It’s one of my favourite places in the city – the Carrera de la Virgen. Often the focal point of local celebrations and processions, while today it was just a pretty, tree-lined avenue to walk down. We often get lost in the day-to-day…
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Decisions, Decisions
I’ve just taken my first ever Spanish exam. Been planning it for a while and am glad it’s finally over but I was struck by the fact that while I’m in my 40s, the other people taking their exam all looked like and probably were in their early 20s. Suddenly I was reminded of being a…
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Where Everybody Knows Your Name…
After seemingly years of spending time in anonymous (inter)national chain cafes, bars and restaurants, it’s such a pleasure having your favourite place where everybody knows your name – though admittedly, Jason often causes a few challenges for the Spanish tongue… It doesn’t matter whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner, tapas or just a coffee, the…
I Am Away From The Noise 