It was a week at work, but in a different way. We had a departmental “day out” to talk long-term strategy (and to have a good time in the process, of course). And the photo club at the office started a project to create a book showing the personalities of our colleagues (and ourselves). And my daughter turned 23 during the week.
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The cactus bloom I showed last week was now a wilted, sad version of its previous self:
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But life goes on–the children of the cactus bloomed almost as soon as the mother’s flower had wilted:
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On Monday we had our department day out. The purpose of such activities is to get out of the office to talk about longer term projects and to bond. Our setting was the Volvo Ocean Race restaurant in the harbour. The area is near the city’s main beach but is quite empty much of the time, except when there is a cruise ship in town:
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Some of the local people walk their dogs here, in a safe, car-free environment, albeit lacking in greenery:
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His master’s shadow:
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While the rest of us are having the morning coffee, Stephanie and Tamara make the last preparations:
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It was the usual format with people divided into groups that were tasked with coming up with ideas in a structured way:
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Gyta and Blanca:
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Ideas:
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Lunch break on the terrace:
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Back to walking Cheeta–two morning views from the park:
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On Wednesday, our office photo club Lightbox began a project that we have been planning for a couple of months. The idea is to invite colleagues to a studio for portrait sessions during which they express their personalities in the way they choose. We recruit volunteers by setting up posters like this around the office, and now we had the first “victims” in front of the camera. This lady is into reading and history:
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The studio is normally used for webinars. It is Pierre’s kingdom. Here he changes the backdrop to accommodate the clothing choice of the next person to be photographed:
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Getting things ready for Ana:
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Ana is into knitting and other similar handicrafts:
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Christophe, our main photographer, reviews the images on the fly:
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Our next sitter was Caroline who is passionate about padel and various other sports:
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Wednesday was Monica’s 23rd birthday, and we went for lunch at Moments. She started the meal with a nice gin & tonic:
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I stuck to good German beer; one of the things I like about Moments is their excellent beer selection, an area where many Spanish restaurants are lacking. Their bread is also amazingly good:
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The birds are interested too:
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After lunch, Monica got a few small presents:
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In the afternoon, I went back to the office to work another couple of hours. My wife asked me to pick up a birthcake for Monica at a vegan bakery in the centre. It so happens that one of my favourite beer shops is in the same area. They stock a wide range of craft beers from Spain, here from the Tyris brewery in Valencia. As is the case in other countries, some of the names are fanciful bordering on stupid, but the contents of the bottle is often excellent:
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But this is the Holy Trinity of beer:
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This is the cake I got for Monica at Tres Semillas, a bakery which is 100% vegan:
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Another duo of dog walk pictures, smiley posters outside the bakery where I buy the morning baguettes:
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The rest of the blog is from Saturday’s bike ride in the mountains.
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A selfie at the Puerto de la Carrasqueta, altitude 1020 meters (I live at sea level):
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The view from the pass. I usually rest there for 5 minutes or so; the typical activities include taking a leak, eating a banana, drinking some water and talking to other cyclists one may encounter there:
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On the way home, I stopped in the centre of Jijona, the turrón capital of the world. This is the main street of the town:
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A man looking wistfully at a motorcycle–maybe thinking of his youth?
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The side streets are steep:
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An old turrón factory, now a shop:
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I bought a savoury pastry (empanada con pisto) at this bakery, fuel for the remaining 25 km to get home:
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I ate on a bench next to this lady, and then cycled home: