Saturday 7 May 2011

AZUCENA con TABACHIN

Azucena  con Tabachin has been written in large black felt tip pen on the cork board in the kitchen. It rang a bell.
 
'Why is that up there' I asked.
 
'It suddenly popped into my 'ead. Do you remember it?'

' Um! '

'Cuernavaca?'

'Of course...Simone's house. Doesn't it sound exotic? Think of some more.'

'What about the apartment in Mexico City?'

'Pitagoras...' and together..."Tercero piso.'

'The flat in Majorca?' he asked.

'Calle Elcano. what about in Caan?'

'Rue des Jacobins. And in ze Alpes des Provence. How could you forgot Le Pres des poiriers.'

I  was now in the groove and shouted out...' Montreal?'

'13, Coolbreeze.' he came back with, quick as you like.

'Not so exotic...'

'In Pointe Claire.'

'That's better. Barcelona?'

'Diputacion Tresentos vente tres.'

'Brilliant...any more? Remember, we have to have lived there.'

'Pension Layatana, in Barcelona. Remember ze Patron?'

'His dirty apron and the cigarette he kept in his mouth that always had two inches of ash hovering? And we always had an orange for desert but they were so sour we kept them in our room and used them to juggle with and you did that trick where you threw one in the air and bounced it off your biceps. And the lights were off all day till 5pm but we didn't care because it was siesta time. And you had Spanish lessons from some old fellow who only made you repeat ' Le pluma' over and over until you fired him and relied on dear old Jaime to teach you. There is a story for every address, isn't there?' I pondered for a moment, then I said.
'Addresses like Morris Avenue, St. Georges Terrace, Castle Street and Canterbury Road don't have the same ring, do they?'

'Per'aps not, but zey also have a story. Zey are like chapter 'eadings.'

'Hmmmn! Methinks you are right my old codger. I'll make a note.


20 comments:

  1. Oh you are so exotic!! and what a life you have lived.....more stories please!

    ReplyDelete
  2. great post ma!!
    but l am dead certain it was 14 coolbreeze ave?????


    saz x

    ReplyDelete
  3. I don't envy many people, but I do envy YOU.

    More, please

    ReplyDelete
  4. The thought of all that moving house has left me gobsmacked! But intrigued... :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well you have the next few posts lined up then. One for each house that you have lived in.
    Looking forward to reading them.
    Maggie X

    Nuts in May

    ReplyDelete
  6. The exotic is to remember the detailed addresses as well as the stories. I have traveled and lived in other areas...but cannot remember those kind of details!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Libby: Thank you and yes, although it is only now that realise it. Living it was so hard sometimes.

    Saz: Yes, I believe you're right, but then you always had the memory of an Elephant. XX

    Lo: Gosh, well that's never happened before. Perhaps I'm using quite a smidgen of authors licence.

    Jinksy: In most of the exotic locations we were in rented accommodation so that moving on only meant packing our luggage.

    Maggie May: I am quite tempted, although a lot of these places have already cropped up and with the lost posts - well not lost, just out of order in a safe place - it is hard to remember what has been done.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is the wonderful thing about reading....you can see your life through other's experiences. I love reading about all the wonderful places you have been. You really are living a blessed life!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am fascinated by all the addresses. Yet best of all is the game you two can share.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey! You're right about stories for each address ... but do the less exotic addresses only have dull stories??

    Hope you're having a great weekend!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am looking forward to hear more about those addresses! ;-)

    You made me count "my" addresses, for the first time ever, I might add.
    A dozen. 7 of my own, 5 after I married. Unless I forget one (at first count I remembered only 9).

    ReplyDelete
  12. Tabor: You will find as you grow older, that although yesterday is a mystery that requires deep concentration, you will remember all the tiny details of yesteryear. Even down to the plastic covered furniture in the apartment on the third floor in Pitagoras Mexico City in '59.

    Leave it to Davis: Thank you. Blessed life? Yes, I guess it has been. A bit too quiet now though.

    Gaelyn: Thank you so much for your continued support. And you are so right...it is a good game, and I wonder...is it a reward for a long married life?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Merisi: Bless you and thank you. I have just done a count...22...but JP's recall is better than mine so I might have missed some.
    Too many or not enough. Ooops, I've just remembered three more.

    ReplyDelete
  14. What wonderful names to remember and I bet your memories of them are special too. I look forward to hearing about them one by one.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank you for the post. I was thinking of playing Name That Address with my husband but we've only lived in 2 of 6 so he wouldn't have much chance of matching memories. Still, we talk about places we lived so maybe it's possible... I look forward to more.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love the banter between you and this man of yours, you capture it so well, and you both make such a delightful pair! Ahh, those wonderful far flung places, and so many cherished, shared memories. What a life you live!

    ReplyDelete
  17. oh the stories i am sure you can tell....

    ReplyDelete
  18. Whenever I read your husband's voice, I hear Maurice Chevalier in my head. 8-)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow! That are a lot of different addresses...
    I envy people like you!
    I've lived in the same house ever since I was born - I'm only 22 and have time to change it, but take my grandpa for example: 82 and his address only changed twice: First when the street was renamed and the second time when the ZIP Codes where changed into 5 digit numbers!

    ReplyDelete
  20. You are an endless treasure chest of adventure! The only houses we lived in with names were Casa Valverde here, Orchard Cottage both in England and now in Jefferson...love the idea of naming your home!
    hugs
    Sandi

    ReplyDelete