Our daily bread

The beautification of Panorama continues apace. We have brand new bus shelter (see below) and this moderately imposing mayolica tile sign at the Tempisque entrance to the colonia. Most of my neighbours have by now convinced themselves that they voted for Dr Vivar instead of that Asensio woman.

Panorama is just far enough from the Calzada to make going in to town to get a pound of tomatoes a bit of a schlep. Fortunately a number of lazy options are available.

Many of life's necessities in fact come knocking. There are the fish men who pass down our street on alternate Mondays and the fruit and veg picop which turns up on (most) Wednesdays. Every night at 8:30 the panadero announces the arrival of his rickety estate car with a burst of sharp bocinazos.

But perhaps most handy of all is our local shopkeeper's willingness to take custom orders on the eve of market days — V has been known to order un pavo or two this way.

For some items one just can't avoid the trek into town. I'm not sure I could survive here for long without Doña Luisa's bread for example. I've also come across a couple of other bakeries I'd like the recommend. The first is to be found on the Avenida el Desengaño, opposite the Club de los Leones, and is notable for its superior-quality cachos, lenguas, rayaditas, tostados and ciabata-style rolls. (The one just round the corner on the northern side of the Parque San Sebastián is cheaper, and helpfully named Panadería, but not quite as good!)

The other one bakes excellent speciality breads with added ingredients such as sun-dried tomato and thyme and can a be found a couple of blocks south of the Tanque de la Union, on 2a Avenida Sur.