If there'd been a World Cup for sitting, Spain would have won it. It's a daily activity and it is taken almost to an art form. The best thing about sitting, is the practising.
Every Andulcían pueblo has its old benches with the old guys sitting there. Busy doing nothing, but doing it in company.
I have no idea what brought out this extra burst of sitting activity in Colmenar this week - perhaps the fact that the road opposite them was being re-surfaced? Or perhaps it was the day after Spain was knocked out of the football World Cup and it was a chance to sit in glum silence together.
The beaches along southern Spain are of course ideal for sitting. This woman was soaking up the sun's rays on a remote beach.
San Juan is the night of pagan rituals, cleansing our sins by washing our feet in the sea at midnight, and jumping over fires (last year’s blog “Pagan Night” went viral as it was re-blogged by a couple of widely-followed pagan e-newsletters!). These two lads stayed long after the midnight excitement, letting their fire slowly die down, and watching the waves lapping in as the hordes of people quietly drifted away.
Málaga's sea wall between the port and the Malagueta beach offers a picturesque spot to sit. From a distance it is impossible to tell - a proposal? a break-up? or just deciding what to do next?
Back in the pueblos the men continue to sit. These two can be found most days in the main square in Colmenar. They get quite heated in their debates. For these two, political debate over local and national events is their daily oxygen.
Photo of the Month or perhaps Photo of the Year for me is this lovely snatched shot by Jess Lewis of Riogordo in the nearby village of Frigiliana. It epitomises life in Spain. He is, literally, the picture of contentment. It's the old age we would all wish for.
(You can book a holiday staying in Riogordo and touring Andalucía with SpanishDetours which is run by Jess and her husband Shane).
© Tamara Essex 2014
THIS WEEK'S LANGUAGE POINT:
Still learning conditionals in class, we have been practising giving advice. For some reason we were discussing the parents of a wayward teenager.
Deberían ponerle limites - They should set limits for him.
Les recomiendo que le pongan limites - I recommend to them that they set limits for him.
Si fuera yo, le pondría limites - If it were me, I would set limits for him.
Debes ponerle limites - You should set limits for him (this is much stronger).