Farewell to Summer

Catalunya's national day (also the anniversary of Chile's 1973 coup and that other incident in America) is over for another year. Notable in Barcelona for stalls selling nationalist t-shirts and people with bad dreadlocks wrapping themselves in flags. (And yes I am aware there is a bit more to it than that, but to the untrained eye..) Everyone is heading back to school, and it's safe to say summer is nearly over.

Highlights were meeting my new nephew and finally understandng why everyone goes so silly when a baby is born. If they are even slightly related to you, you automatically think they are the greatest person you've ever met (even though they spend their entire time eating, sleeping and pooing). I also went to Slovenia which was full of beautiful scenery, nice people and food, and ageing Thai ladyboys...(well just the one, but it was still a surprise). I also worked in Venice, which was good fun. Once again I was baffled as to why people always bang on about 'Italian style'. It is possibly the least stylish nation I've ever been to bar Australia, unless you consider pastel jeans, cropped leapord print leather jackets and masks cool.

I've also decided (again) to give up air travel as much as I can after a bad experience involving my luggage going missing (still not recovered). After causing a scene at Venice airport, we were allowed into a giant room to look at the hundreds of other lost bags (it smelt quite bad, God knows what was festering in there), including one marked' bridal gown'. So next time you are being frisked and asked to remove your shoes in a 3 hour security queue at Gatwick, don't let it make you feel any safer. As one woman admitted to us 'most of the staff don't know what they are doing'. Anyway, losing your luggage is a good way to streamline your wardrobe, and saves you a trip to the charity shop.

Oh yeh, and one of my teeth had to be taken out. It was a baby tooth, and seeing as it's been the last summer of my 20s, I'm taking it as a sign that my childhood really has come to an end. I have a gap in my teeth at the moment which is making me lisp like a real spaniard.