This is my dear dad's diary, not mine. I hope he doesn't mind I read some of the pages. There are so many interesting stories told in it!

I came across it when I was tidying his desk. He's so absent-minded that he probably forgot it in a drawer and now he can't remember where it is. 

My dad is a very kind person. He loves reading, writing and listening to the radio. He's over ninety now so he has got a lot of amazing experiences in his life. He was an officer in the army, so he lived in different cities when he was younger. 

I love listening to him telling anecdotes and important moments of his life.

1st September 1950

First day at Military Academy in Zaragoza

Dear diary,

Yesterday was my firt day at the Military Academy. I can't say it was a good day because I got very bad news. A colleague told me that we had to ride horses and jump obstacles. I was scared! Later, after thinking about it, I thought it wasn't a problem. I could learn like the rest of my partners. 

I can do it!

12th October 1957

Valencia flood

You know what? Something terrible happened in Valencia last week. During a 3-day cold drop, heavy rain fell in the city and the Túria river overflowed. My friend Antonio is from Chelva and he told me about it.

In Valencia, there was torrential rainfall from the 12th to the 14th October. The Turia overflowed, discharging up to 300,000,000 cubic metres of water into the city.  The new bridges and areas to the north of the river, suffered severe damage. Some streets were under 5 metres of water.  The city was left without water, gas and electricity  Around 5,800 homes were destroyed, leaving lots of families homeless. At least eighty-one people died.

I feel so sorry for my friend. I think he must be very sad and worried about his family there.

18th February 1975

Meeting Paco de Lucía

By Cornel Putan - Paco de Lucia, CC BY 2.0

Did you know that I like music a lot? 

Last Sunday I met the great guitarist and composer Paco de Lucía! Believe it or not, I was talking to him after his concert in the Teatro Real of Madrid. He was amazing!

Paco de Lucía was a master of contrast, playing flamenco with jazz influences. My favorite composition was Entre dos aguas. His collaborations with other foreign guitarists in the late 1970s gave him popularity outside his native Spain.

He was from Algeciras but he told me that he loved coming to Seville to visit his friends.