Weekend Friday Favourites

I hope you’re having a fun weekend. After over a week of grey skies, storm winds and a few rainy days this weekend been cloudy sunny. There’s always a big storm that changes the season so I’m hoping the temps start to get more spring like next week. It’s climate change and pay back for a sunny mild winter.

A short and sweet Weekend Friday Favourites this week. Things that have made me smile or caught my eye recently. 

Cristalljoia. AKA The Crystal Shop

I have to ban myself or limit trips to Cristalljoia a small crystal shop near El Borne as I’m always coming back with tumble stones. I discovered it’s previous location a few years ago and it’s a great place to get crystal cheaper than online. You know the buy this combo of crystals and stones to promote this costing a fortune. I can pick up bracelets from there ranging for €4 to €25, tumble stones from €2. Obviously they sell the more expensive €100+ stones but it’s great if you love crystals and don’t want to spend a lot. Which you do as tumble stones add up! I’m good I only go when I start thinking about the shop for a few days. I walk in and a crystal I’ve never seen there before shouts NAT over here! The times I go in just because without thinking no stone. I should go more just because. 

A friend for Christmas gave me a necklace I’d never have chosen for myself and kicked me off wanting to wear necklaces again. I usually don’t like things around my neck, to quote Ludacris in Stand Up ‘It feels like a midget is hanging from my necklace’ (great song to workout to!). I hardly noticed I was wearing it. I have my eye on a Missoma necklace but as I’m still not sure about necklaces vs price vs will I wear it, I decided to get some cheaper ones so to speak to try them out. My first thought was the crystal shop! These 2 caught my eye, blue quartz and selenite, both €4 each! They share a chain, gold plated silver that was €18. Cheaper then trying out Missoma straight away and if I don’t wear them often they can live with my other crystals. A long winded way of saying check out your local crystal shop if you love crystals but don’t want to spend online prices.

Sant Jordi Rose

Sant Jordi or Saint George is the patron saint of Catalunya. He’s also the patron saint of England, but we do sh*t celebrating it. Here in Catalunya every 23rd April, girls receive a single rose, guys receive a book in return. Almost on every corner there’s rose stand and 2 weeks leading up supermarkets promote books. Most years the cats ‘buy’ me one. This year my gym gave out free roses for all the female members. P (not a cat!) got a magazine this year. I’ms sure tourists think it’s Valentines day as wherever you look girls are carrying roses. I think few guys get books in return. It’s a similar thing to 1st May in France. All the girls get a small bouquet of lily of valley or similar flowers.

Elephants Zoo Barcelona

I found out this week from Barcelona Zoo’s Instagram Animal caretaker account, @cuidadorszoobcn that 2 of the elephants are former circus performers. Since arriving around 10 years (both are 45-49 years old), the issues they came with, head bobbing, mistrust of people, aggressiveness are almost gone to keepers and their Ellie matriarch. So many people say the head bobbing was caused by the zoo and it should be boycotted. Barcelona Zoo’s looks after it’s animals and this is proof. Link here. 

Storm Waves

Diving Ducks!

Bumble BeesAre out and about after waking from their winter hibernation!

Internet Finds

I decided a month or 2 ago to spend less time on my phone, so all BBC again. It’s great not having lost wasted 5, 10, 15 minutes on crap. I have my days where I’m on my phone more and notice I don’t get as much done. I’m even watching less YouTube. The shock! 

Dog rescued 220km from Thai coast by rig workers. BBC News

Stonehenge: DNA reveals origin fo builders. BBC News

An unlikely feud between beekeepers and Mennonites simmer in Mexico. Nat Geo

A Bulgarian vulture’s odyssey into Yemeni war zone. BBC News. Local militia thought his tracker was transmitting secrets to rebel Houthis. With the confusion over recovery to fly home. What got me about the article is those that have barely enough to eat themselves are giving him food to aid his recovery. A light in dark times. 

Bees living on Notre-Dame cathedral roof survive blaze. BBC News

Gorillas post of Selfie tied DR Congo anti-poaching unit. BBC News. Virunga National Park IG has all the info too! 

Letter from Africa. The art of drawing your address in The Gambia. BBC News

What’s been making you smile or caught your eye recently? Please share in the comments below. Have a great week! I can’t believe my b’day month starts this week!