Spanish patio

SL: Al volver a España, nos enfrentamos al patio de luces español.
JU: Los 40 grados filtran su luz por las rendijas de las persianas.
SL: The purpose of this study was to examine the level of gossiping exchange with 32 Spanish housewives of this particular patio de luces.
JU: Hanging the wet white cotton sheets to the clothesline, several faces appeared peeping through the windows.
SL: Somos los nuevos vecinos.

veranete español

SL: Here we are, in Xpain, in our second week of adaptation to the environment.
JU: A few events in detail:

1- Spanish TV: We didn't watch the telebasura these weeks, which seems to be in its heyday after the death of one of the most famous and creepy divas, "La Jurado"... but no doubt we will be unable to avoid watching it at some point.

2- After qualifying top of their Group in the 2006 World Cup, Spain lost 3-1 to France in the first series. National disappointment and a great relief for us.

3- This week sees the start of the famous Fiesta de San Fermín (the festival which sees hundreds of Iberian fellows and several boozy foreigners legging it in front of dozens of angry bulls throughout the city of Pamplona). The first day, this guy from NYC made it into the hospital for the rest of the fiestas. We were in a bar, watching the news, among the hilarious jokes of the locals. Poor guy.

4- Mr. Ratzinger, now Roman Pope, hit the Spanish costa in Valencia, trying to back some so-called family values. Mr Zapatero did not attend Sunday's mass, which for a Spanish Prime Minister is not small potatoes (as the British say, don't you love those idioms...).

JU: Well, so far we survive in the middle of the Iberian summer.
SL: ...which is not small potatoes.