Jules gets by post-surgery

With a little help from the grabber...

The new arrival

So on Saturday morning Sofia and I went to the Mayhew Animal Home to pick up our new cat, who Sofia had chosen the Saturday before.

She is pure black and about a year old. Spent most of the weekend hiding behind the couch and the TV but is now much more confident - jumping onto the table even, while we were having dinner. 

Her previous name was Meer but Sofia has called her Emerald, on account of her striking green eyes. 

A busy Easter in Barcelona

We had a brilliant time in Barcelona this Easter, hitting the aquarium, the zoo and the beach, as well as Parc Guell (where we didn't get to see the mosaic lizard, much to Sofia's disappointment). Many of the attractions we visited just by bowling in when we first came to Barcelona in (ahem) 1999 are now the sort of thing you buy a timed ticket for online in advance, or queue around the block. Or perhaps that was just because it was Easter. 

Anyway, this holiday marked Will's transformation into a brave food warrior, which we are all very pleased about. He tried pimentos de padron and chorizo and salt and pepper baby squid, just to name a few of the delicacies on offer.

Lots more photos on flickr.