Final morning: Spain to Cambridge

House is packed up and the lovely ones are still sleeping. I’m emoting all over my keyboard.

What an amazing time we’ve had. It’s been the opportunity of a lifetime and we’ve seized it. Six weeks in green and blue, bathed in sunshine. I have a strong sense of being reconnected with nature: the sea, the beach, the mountains, the waterfalls and lush gorges. Watching the green oranges turn. Whizzing past miles of olive trees (though they tell me there’s not many here). I never knew Spain could be so juicy like this – my previous experiences have been of the blazing South or the parched plains but here really are where the lungs are.

 

And my, what food! Who knew that a combination of pork, salt and oil could be so varied and delicious? And seafood served as a fresh, zingy, delight, far from the French way with cream. Galician octopus, gambas al alliolli, steamed mussels, calamari done six ways. I’m full yet energetic. I’ve drunk too much cold red wine.

And here is Spanish, as it should be. We met a British couple yesterday and it was nice to swap stories but I’ve loved six weeks of listening to the ribbons of Spanish – those threads are punctuated with words I know, words I understand, and more of neither. But it’s slower than it seemed when I arrived, which is a victory.

More personally, it’s been precious family time. Not just with Prev and C but with our other families who gave up time and distance for a couple of weeks of toddler and sunshine while we worked. Those memories are already so special – watching my mum and dad giggle at C's antics and playing shops and work and doctors and dentists and cafes and whatever other game with ever-changing rules FOR HOURS. Watching my in-laws drive off for the day with adventurous spirits and return with stories of fun and nurture.

Our work has taken a hit, no doubt. It’s been more part-time than our professional selves would like but it’s clear it’s been worth it. I’ve got a fair bit done, made some exciting plans and written a couple of proposals. It’s been a busy time for my Spanish collaborator, which means we’ve not spent huge amounts of time working together. But we’ve made some progress with a couple of projects, and laid down foundations for the next few weeks. Most importantly, we’ve become better friends and got a better sense of each other’s working interests and aims. I hope this means we’ll work more closely in the future – I’ll certainly think of her in my future work. She’s an inspiration in many ways.

And today we fly to Cambridge for another six weeks of abnormality. Love and luck to my husband driving our business tank up through Spain, across Western France and back to his hometown.

I’d love to keep up our affair with Spain. Let’s watch Almodovar films and read tapas cookbooks. Let’s send C to Spanish classes and flamenco dancing. Let’s come back.