Couchsurfing with the Diabetes Fairy

Well, it’s another chilly but sunny day in Asturias. The day got off to a very slow start after a nice little lie-in. Frankly, it’s a relief because…don’t let on…but I’ve been sneaking out at night and going to bingo at the local church hall with Bloden’s neighbour, Josefina. She’s just been diagnosed with Type 2, but wasn’t particularly surprised because Type 2 doesn’t just run in her family, it sprints apparently! And that’s having lived her whole life eating a traditional diet of legumes, fruits and vegetables from her own garden, home-processed meat (they kill their pig on Christmas Day around these parts…Merry Christmas, Mr Porky!) and being physically active all day long. She let me try on her ‘madreñes’ (Asturian clogs) which she wears out and about in the village – you can’t get any more traditional than that!

Yesterday afternoon at Bloden’s work was great fun. How many people can say they get paid to play games, sing songs and encourage children to colour in nicely? And the end result is ever so pretty, don’t you think?

Asturian Gas Warning: these children don’t half love the traditional Asturian diet of white beans, lentils, chick peas and the like, and it gives them a healthy, rosy glow. (Asturias must be a much safer place to live since they brought in the smoking ban).

¡Oye, oye! It’s me, in the lemon tree. That’s Spanish for ‘hey you’, by the way – I picked it up in class yesterday.

Bloden’s sent me into the garden to pick some lemons. It seems we’re going to a Mexican night tomorrow at a friends’ house. She’s been asked to bring a pudding, so she’s trying out a recipe for Mexican fruit salad, with chilli and salt! As you can see it’s a lovely autumn evening, so I think I’ll relax and take my time. I’ve just realised that I’m becoming dia-lingual with all this travelling. In fact, let me give all you less-well-travelled beings a quick English to Spanish dia-lesson: ‘diabetes’, that’s easy, it’s ‘diabetes’ in Spanish; oh yes, and ‘glucose’ is ‘glucosa’; and ‘hypo’ is ‘hipo’…oh no! that’s ‘hiccups’ in Spanish…‘hypo’ is ‘bajón’. I’m practically fluent, I tell you. Look, they even have the ‘Dummies’ books in Spanish!

In fact, I think I’ll get an early night…”Diabetes for Dummies” should help send me off…see you bright and early tomorrow! DFx