A day of heart

I moved upstairs and suddenly everything is all right. I am so influenced by my environment: elevated by beauty, depressed by ugliness. My Libran colours. My room upstairs is small with 2 beds in it. Just enough room for a yoga mat on the floor. A small bathroom. And a window in each concrete wall. 3 windows. Looking out onto mountains, sky, palm trees and sea. Again, I am just under the roof. The wind blows up here and I do not need to use the standing fan. On a balcony nearby, a woman coos to her baby.

I went to swim this morning. It is Sunday and many Nicaraguans have come from the city for a day at the beach. I sit in the shade with a friendly woman. She has brought her son and neighbour´s daughter and her mentally disabled sister from Granada for the day. They came on the local bus. They will leave by 2 pm so as to grab a moment in San Jorge to swim in the lake before heading home.The son tells me he is a lottery ticket vendor in Granada. When I ask him if he lives with his mum, he proudly tells me that he is married and lives with his wife. They are expecting a baby very soon. His mother tells me that her daughter in law is delicate so they did not dare bring her today. She is to stay quiet until the delivery. They know it is a girl and seem very happy.

Despite resting in the shade, my brief time in the water has left me hot and burnt. This with SPF 30 sunscreen.

I then went to the market, had a fish taco, a papaya licuado and then bought the makings for supper. The bakery is just around the corner. Open till 9 at night. Looks tempting. They make good cakes and squares here.

So I sit in the public square. Children run around. Their parents sit on benches.The wind blows. I spent 2 hours this afternoon reading a romance novel I found at the hotel. In honour of Valentines Day which I thought was today. Pretty cheesy stuff. Now to practise my Spanish verbs.