Our Basque grandparents (Amatxi and Atautxi)

Friday, 11 May 2012 / Published in Basque Lifestyle
  Here is a picture of Amatxi and Atautxi, as I have always known them; the ‘grandparents’ who adopted me when I arrived in Ameztia 10 years ago and helped me to bring up Marion when she made an appearance 3 years’ later.   Amatxi  who taught Marion how to sow, how to make bread, how to

Life in the Baztan Valley

Tuesday, 14 February 2012 / Published in Basque Lifestyle, Baztan Valley
Baztan walks, culture and mythology are interwoven in the Baztan Valley
Here is a national Spanish TV documentary by RTVE about my and Marion’s life here in the Baztan Valley in the Spanish Basque Pyrenees. In this short documentary you will meet some of the friends and neighbours who have enriched our lives: Felipe, the miller from Amaiur, and Isidro, Amatxi and Atautxi from our neighbouring farm of Zubialdea in Ituren. Zubialdea is our second home

A Portrait of an English Mother in a Basque Pyrenean Sheep Shed. Autumn 2005

Friday, 15 April 2011 / Published in Basque Lifestyle, Bilingual Families, Wildlife of the Pyrenees
I dug this paragraph out from my writings years ago when Marion was just 1 year old and it reminds me of many of those tiny cultural differences that I suppose I now take for granted. We wake up reeking of the raw onion on the dressing table …..Amatxi’s solution for Marion’s cough. It works but we

Mermaids with Dangerous Combs! Lamiak con Peines Peligrosos

Thursday, 27 January 2011 / Published in Basque Culture and Tradition, Basque Mythology
The lamia on a coat of arms on a house in Oriegi
The Lamiak, easily compared to Greco-Roman nymphs, are creatures of Basque mythology who figure greatly in local toponyms, and are often found represented in the coats of arms of the large farmhouses of the area. According to legend, the Lamia is a mermaid-like creature with either bird-like feet or a fish’s tail who dwells in mountain springs

Gure Bazterrak

Wednesday, 19 January 2011 / Published in Basque music, The Basque Language
Spanish guitar ballads over dinner with Edorta
I have just found a video on You Tube that Vic put up a couple of years back – so thanks Vic. It shows Edorta, a friend of ours and professional cantautor singing what has become over the years something of a signature tune for us all on our Spanish language & Walking holidays and basque Cultural

Spanish Courses in Spain. One good reason to learn Spanish with the Basques!

Tuesday, 18 May 2010 / Published in Learning Spanish in Spain, The Basque Language
Basque feast in the square
    The Costas Spain is wonderfully diverse; not only do its foods and fiestas change tantalisingly from one region to the next but so too do its accents! So where best should you look for Spanish courses in Spain? The ´Costas’ can be struck off the list pretty quickly. They are so full of