The main event of the third week of May was my daughter’s 30th birthday, a milestone that makes both of us feel old (all relatively speaking, of course). As with my wife’s birthday back in March, I was requested to produce a curry meal for Monica and her guests, so I spent many hours in the kitchen–preparing an Indian dinner of several courses for 12 people does take some time. But it was worth it.
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But the week started with the first blossoming of my late mother’s Magic Cactus, a sure sign that summer is coming. As usual, I monitored the miracle every day, starting with the appearance of the still closed flowers on Saturday preceding the week:
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The flowers opened during the night, and this is the sight that greeted me on Sunday morning:
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Monday morning, still glorious:
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By Tuesday morning, the flowers show signs of wilting. The Miracle of the Cactus is a short-lived phenomenon:
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Morning light on our enclosed front porch:
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Morning light on a car in the street:
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As usual, I went to 100 Montaditos during the week, enjoying my pint and the sights:
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People enjoy the beach in different ways:
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Playing with doggie:
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Saturday was my daughter’s birthday. I had taken Friday off to prepare as much of the Indian food in advance as practicable, so on Saturday morning I had time for my usual bike ride. I passed this road with some improvised decorations which I found amusing:
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An almost empty A31 motorway:
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Two of the cats in Verdegás:
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I came back from the ride and finished preparing the food. Around 2 p.m., Monica’s friends started arriving. They gathered around our kitchen terrace, enjoying some snacks and drinks while waiting to be called to the table:
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Then it was time to sit down at the big table we had set up outside, and dig into the curries:
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My wife’s contribution to the food was Monica’s birthday cake:
And so ended a nice week.