Heat, humidity and hola!

New season is getting well of to a decent start. The pundits sound up beat and fans seems to be enjoying the sunshine as well as the football.  Here we are having an even bigger heatwave temperatures yesterday hitting a nice 39 just perfect for a a wee cycle up Mont Juïc. So here we go the latest, and first for season 2013-14, Paella and Bovril from Raith's cup game against Queen's Park. A comfortable 6-0 victory for the Rovers saw them gain a wee trip along the road to Dunfermline in the next round.

Enjoy this portion of P n B

SUPPORT YOUR TEAMS MATCHDAY PROGRAMME!





Barcelona is like a cauldron of soup at the moment. The humidity is boosting the temperature from a comfortable 31 degrees to a sweltering 39 plus. Doors are wide open and windows are never closed, anything to get a wee bit of a draught going! Even after several years here a Scotswoman just melts in this heat. I suppose it serves me right, a few weeks ago I was complaining about the terrible wet, grey and cold down-pours that were plaguing the months of May and June. As the football season closes down for the "summer" my Saturdays are empty and normally I would fill these football free hours with tan-topping beach time. Not this year, I was to be without sunshine as well as Stark's Park!

Scottish football wrapped up a few weeks earlier than La Liga and with a few things going to the wire, on and off the field, in the lower leagues my football fix was well satisfied for news and for a wee watch on the tele. We also had the Confederations Cup to keep the late night viewing on a football theme. I have to admit that when Rovers season finished I was worried I would have no sport to watch in the few weeks leading up to the World swimming championships, being held here in Barcelona and the world Athletics championships in Moscow. "Ye of little faith" my boyfriend said, "there is never a summer without some sporting spectacular" and he is right. With that we decided to buy tickets to see some of #BCN2013 World Swimming. Unfortunately my budget could not stretch to the top end, über expensive, for only one of the disciplines, tickets but we could get discounted entradas for the final night of the swimming. All I needed now was my Scotland flag to arrive on time so that it can be waved.

Of course with the tournament being held in Barcelona, local and national media coverage is pretty wide. The now new standard of on demand, multi-camera on-line viewing meant that for a little while Catalan television had to move away from Camp Nou and concentrate on things more aqua based.

 Sadly one of the biggest Barça story's was to be the club lossing their manager. Unfortunately Tito Vilanova has to continue his battle with the throat cancer that seen him miss a part of last season. He is currently undergoing treatment and all at FC Barcelona, fans and directors a like have shown him nothing but backing and support as I sure we all do.

This meant that with only a few days to go till it all kicks off again, "who would manage the greatest club?"  With all the big names either retired or plying their trade with the other world's greatest clubs, most locals thought that their club would be without a manager for a wee while at least. However as I was watching the picturesque scenes from Barcelona's Olympic diving pool my coverage was disturbed for a press conference............. Oh this is a big news story!

Gerardo Daniel Martino, Tata, was being unveiled as the new manager of the Camp Nou club. As I was just out of the door to go to work I did not catch the full press conference but heard a few of the journalists ask the usual, what do you think of Barcelona, how do you rate Messi, will you learn to speak Catalan; the questions were coming thick and fast. I had to dash to work but I was sure my afternoon's students would give me the details I needed .........like "who is this guy?"

Alas no, most of them seemed as clueless as me to who this new Argentinian manager was or his credentials. The Catalans are not so up to date on the ex Paraguayan manager, who faced Spain in the World Cup. Thank goodness now we have Internet and all it's useful information and question-answering abilities, and it is amazing what you stumble across! In my search for snippets about Scottish football I discover that Gabriel Rojo de la Vega Piccolo, who
played for Spanish side Rayo Vallecano's B side last season was going to Firhill.
Maybe it is time to move back to Scotland and give some Spanish lessons to our manager, "una gol por favor!"