It's Christmas Time

Friday 28 December

It is very easy to fall into the ways of the Spanish and the one, which for me, is not that too difficult to master is that of putting everything off to tomorrow. I was sitting on the sun terrace all day today in the lovely warm winter sunshine and thinking it really is about time I wrote something for the blog! Mind you, I said that yesterday and indeed the day before and I have to confess that we are all so relaxed here in the Campo that if we slowed down much more I swear in all probability we would stop all together.

The weather over the last week has been absolutely perfect, warm enough to sunbathe but not hot enough to get burnt. So we sit there eating, drinking, reading, listening to music whilst gently tanning ourselves to a golden brown. It is possible to have your breakfast on the terrace and sit on the sun lounger all day not going into the house till 5pm when it starts to get a bit cooler. We then sit in front of the log burning stove with a brandy watching the fire develop into a warm and pleasant glow radiating heat to the whole room. 

Before you all go for reaching for the bucket I can tell you we are having temperatures in the late 20’s and into the 30’s. It is a complete turn around from when we first arrived and is indeed very welcome indeed and has now become the norm.

We had a great time with Jo’s boyfriend Paul who came out with her on 17 Dec. We took them to El Torcal rocks near Antequere. Bill bless him offered to stay at the house for the afternoon and mind the fort, Campy only had 4 seat belts so we are unable to take 5. The rock formations are very high up at the top of the mountains and on the day we went we were unprepared for the low cloud base, cold and strong winds. We arrived at the Visitor Centre and had a job to open the door to Campy as it was so strong. There is only one thing to do in circumstances like this, Eat! We sat in the van eating our lunch and wondering what to do when suddenly the wind abated and the sun came out. We decided to risk the 40 minute walk and set off. It was really worth it, the weathered rock formations are amazing to see and unworldly (see photos).

Paul was in his element and at every opportunity he was off climbing rock stacks, jumping and doing all the things young men must do. Every time he jumped off something my back gave a twinge of pain in sympathy. Still, we kept losing him when he wondered off then finding him again and then losing him again but in the end we managed to finish the walk together and we got back into Campy really fulfilled at the fantastic things we had seen.

It was with sadness that we took Paul back to the airport the following day as we had got quite used to having him around. So much so that we were setting 5 place settings for days after. No matter, more for us...!

Christmas Eve was another lovely day, after we collected the turkey from the butcher Then went for a drive around lake Vinuela. We stopped at the villages of Los Romanes and Periana. We took lots of great photos. Later, after a buffet supper we settled down to watch “A Christmas Carol’

We had a lovely Christmas day. A bit dull and rainy. It was really strange having the family together in Spain for the first time but we all really loved it and will remember our first Christmas in a foreign country for ever. We are so grateful to Josie and Bill for coming out and sharing their time with us. We got up at our normal time 8.30ish and got dressed etc. Bucks Fizz and shortbread whilst we opened the gifts. Breakfast followed, croissants  with smoked salmon and scrambled egg, juice coffee and toast. In the morning we played Monopoly & Scrabble and relaxed with the fire and a bottle or two of something or other (can’t remember). 

Petra produced a magnificent Christmas - pate starter,  boned and stuffed turkey with lots of veg. Followed by flamed Xmas pud and brandy sauce. A lovely long, chatty family lunch.  In the evening we watched a film and enjoyed our stash of Xmas goodies.

Far be it from us to blow the trumpet of our daughter, but she who can do Rubik’s cube sat with a wooden puzzle called ‘the log pile” consisting of 10 pieces of wood with holes and dowels and systematically assembled them into a square. We had been trying to do this puzzle for weeks with no success. Nobody is now prepared to undo it so Carole and Richard it’s here waiting for you in the box.

Boxing day and the weather improved and saw us back on the terrace until it was time to go Viv and Mike’s. They had invited us along with several others for a their traditional late lunch of turkey with bubble and squeak. We started with drinks in their garden and then a guided tour of their amazing house in the village, 300 years old and much extended and improved by Mike and Viv. Puddings were made by Maggie (Pavlova) and Petra ( key lime pie, no surprise there)

We had a wonderful afternoon eating, drinking chatting and laughing. We finally left feeling full and merry. 

Thursday was very hot and sunny and we spent most of the day on the terrace. Josie cracked on with her coursework for a few hours and then she and Petra started a Wasgij jigsaw. Bliss. 

Family arrives for Christmas

Friday 14 December

A very special day today as Bill, Kevin’s Dad has arrived for his visit with us. He had a good flight and after a bit of a false start we found each other. It was great to see him. He is all settled into the house and even saw some sunshine this afternoon. However I think it was a bit of a shock to him how cold it can be in the night. Kev stoked the fire as fast as he could until we were sitting in shirt only. Dad was still rapped in 5 layers and his dressing gown.

Saturday 15 December,

We had a walk down to Riogordo, we were amazed at Bill’s stamina as he managed the walk very well indeed. Topped up with a few of Riogordo’s finest Ceverza (beer) he charged up the hill like a rat up a drainpipe. We had the afternoon at the house chatting eating and drinking. 

Sunday 16 December

Brunch, (full English) yum. It turned out that the water to the house had been turned off at the main stop cock at the bottom of the track. Kev had noticed that the water was not on as there is an outside tap what is connected to the mains. We still had water as the outside water tank holds 3000kg of water. It is not unusual for the water to suddenly stop and we have noticed it before but it has never been off for this length of time before. Mick kindly came out and sorted the problem with his ‘Manchester Spanner’ Thanks Mick. It looks like the man from the water board came to read the meter and decided that the place was empty and simply turned it off. You’d have thought he would have come to have a look before he did something so rash. Still all’s well that ends well.

We spent the afternoon sitting in the sunshine on the terrace. Things are starting to warm up!

Monday 17 December

Back to Malaga Airport again today, this time to collect Josie and Paul. Unfortunately, Campy only has 4 seat belts so we had to leave Dad at the house. All went well with the pick up and as agreed they were waiting for us as we drove up to arrivals. We got back late afternoon and enjoyed the rest of the day catching up. Lovely to have a house full for Xmas. Paella for dinner.

Tuesday 18 December

Wow what a great day we had today, The sun was out and warm from the start, we sat outside at the table having a leisurely breakfast. The rest of the day was spent relaxing on the terrace in perfect weather, hot, sunny and calm. We were able to sit till about 4.30pm when it started to cool off. No problem log burner on and a great late afternoon, Kev playing Cribbage with Dad and Petra and Jo making dinner.

Wednesday 19 December

Decided to take everyone to Malaga for the day. It was another nice day and we got up early to catch the 9am bus fro Riogordo. We spent the day sight seeing, shopping, Sherry at the bodega, eating Tapas, more shopping, coffee and getting the 3pm bus back. Everyone fell to sleep on the bus except Kev who is too tall for the seat and was wedged firmly in the seat unable to move.

In the evening we went to the ‘Old Mans Bar’ (Internet Bar) and met up with Sue and Mick for a meal. The food and meal were great and it was nice to catch up with Sue and Mick. The food was excellent and the atmosphere in the bar friendly if not a bit noisy towards the end. Sue and Mick also kindly gave us a bag of clementines fresh from the tree which we will really enjoy. Riogordo looked lovely tonight with all the Christmas lights on.

Trip to Gibraltar

Tuesday 11 December

It’s been a mixed week, first we went to Gibraltar on Friday and although up till then and indeed after the weather had been great, sunny and warm with a scattering of small clouds or even totally free of clouds, Friday the heavens opened and it tipped it down.

The journey started with a very early start 5.30am, up and ready to meet Sue and Mick down at the petrol station 6.30am. We also met for the first time Ruth who is a neighbour of Sue and Mick and we all set off for Puente Don Manuel to join the coach and the other travellers who like us were on a shopping quest for Christmas goodies.

The weather did not get any better and all the way to Gib it poured with rain and we often went through low cloud base. The coach driver was excellent and very smooth. We arrived at Gib at about 10.30am and we were soon through Customs. It is very unfortunate that UK and Spain can’t get the problem of jurisdiction over Gibraltar sorted out as it shows a rather sinister side of politics which does nothing but inconvenience the traveller. We had our passports checked (well if you can call an official walking from one end of the bus to the other with cursory glance a check!). We parked up in Morrison’s car park and we were let loose on the shops. 

It continued to tip it down with rain as we walked around M&S and BHS and the like when suddenly it stopped and someone turned up the heat as it started to get quite warm.  All you need when you are wet and warm from walking and going into shops. It was great to be able to converse with the shop keepers in English we had forgotten what it was like to be understood and to understand. We got some very reasonable alcohol 2x Glen Rothes £20 and 1x Bombay gin £10 and 1x Courvoisier brandy £20 all liters. Just as a point of reference, Famous Grouse was £6 a litre. Then we have fish and chips which were rubbish and not really worth a mention other than we hadn’t had fish ‘n’ chips for probably 6-8 months so we were looking forward to tucking into a nice but of fish especially as Gib is by the sea. No, the fish was obviously a bit rescued from the cat dunked in the oddest batter we had ever seen deep frozen and chucked in the microwave to finish. Crap really!

After lunch it was time to attack Morrison’s which we did in no time. It was great to see familiar brands but sad that we really couldn’t take full advantage of them as we were limited by space. The one big regret we had was not buying some Cheddar cheese. We saw the run out date on the package and saw that it ran out before Xmas so it would be of no use for our guests. We never thought we could have bought a pack and a loaf and had cheese on toast as a nice snack when we got home..!

We loaded all our goodies into the suitcase Sue and Mick had loaned us and put it in the hold of the coach then went back to Morrison’s for a final cup of tea. 3pm we were all set to head off back to Spain but first you have to go through the hoops of leaving one country and entering the other via passport control and customs for which we had to all get out of the coach collect together all our purchases and even empty the coach of things like coats etc. We left the coach on one side of the border carried all our stuff through the the gate and got on the coach on the Spanish side. Bonkers really!

The journey back was much like the journey there wet and miserable and by the time we arrived back it was dark and we were very tired. All in all it was a worthwhile trip only spoilt by the atrocious weather and the Customs debacle. We would definitely go again as you can pick up a few bargains - only if you pay cash don’t expect to get a receipt.

On Sunday we went out for a truly English experience - a British Sunday lunch. We met up with Sue & Mick, Ruth and Ken and headed off to Friends Bistro bar in Puente Don Manuel. We went via Los Romanes, a small village perched high above lake Vinuela with spectacular views. We had a thoroughly enjoyable lunch/afternoon. Lunch was 3 courses and although there was a choice of 3 different roasts we all opted for the roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. When the time came to choose puddings Kevin could not decide between cherry pie or apple pie. He opted for a small slice of each and set a trend. Everyone had a half and half pudding except Petra - not a fan of pastry.

We sat outside in the sunshine for coffee and drinks. It was a lovely warm day and so civilised to be sitting outside in December with Christmas trees and decorations all around.  Eventually we headed home, Sue and Mick stopped at their post box in Riogordo (they kindly let us have our mail sent there) and there was our first Christmas card - thank you Jan and Keith. 

On Monday we got to the bus stop in Riogordo in good time for the 09.00 bus. Everyone patiently waited and chatted until the bus arrived at 09.40. Whilst we were waiting we were very entertained by Spanish parking in the village centre. The pedestrian crossing seems to be a perfectly legitimate space to park. Also there is no need to pay any attention to the white lines marking out parking spaces, just leave the car where it happens to stop. We saw 2 lady drivers park in the road as all the parking spaces were full (including the pedestrian crossing) and leave their cars there to go shopping, obviously OK because they had put their hazard lights on. This soon meant that no traffic could get through so one of the drivers came out and moved her car, simply turned it round and stopped on the other side of the road and returned to the shop. 

We had a good morning shopping in Malaga and returned to Riogordo in the afternoon. 

Sun Rise at Riogordo

Quiet week in Rio

Tuesday 4 December

Not much to report this week as we have had a very quiet time, and loving it. The weather all week has been glorious and we have simply been for long walks in the mornings and retired to the sun terrace all afternoon. It continues to be very cold in the late afternoon, about 4pm where one simply has to put on a sweater...! 

Our Cat population has now increased to 8, yes Richard and Carole that’s 8 cats. We have somehow acquired three more very attractive adult cats a ginger and white, a black and white and a tortoiseshell. Clearly there is a bit of friction between the two groups but they seem to keep fairly well apart. The down side it the food in the hopper takes quite a hit every night and we are filling it up every 3rd day. Looks like we will be going to the shops very soon.

We also met the Goat man this week, he brought the herd down to the house to feed off the vegetation under the olive trees. Kevin had a short conversation with the owner Jose in which neither understood a single word the other said but it was cordial and both left feeling fulfilled and better acquainted.

Last Saturday we met up with Sue and Mick, it was nice to catch up again and we are looking forward to forthcoming trip to Gibraltar this Friday. Finally, we attended the Thursday quiz night and found to our horror that this week was the last week we shall see our quiz masters and fellow team mates Keith and Jenny as they are going back to the UK for Christmas. As we are utterly hopeless without them we are at a loss what to do. In any case the quiz night is taking a break for two weeks so we have a bit of a reprieve. Clearly we need to latch on to the ’Badgers’, last weeks winners.

Sam - First visitor

Wednesday 28 November

No time to update the blog lately because we have had our first visitor. Our good friend Sam from Steyning, West Sussex. Sam arrived on the Gatwick-Malaga Easy Jet on Sunday afternoon. After a turbulent flight she arrived with hand luggage only (very sensible). The hand luggage contained gifts of Tia Maria and the Sunday Times. Fantastic. Another treat was 2 episodes of ‘Strictly’ downloaded to Sam’s iPhone for Petra to watch. A true friend. 

We were able to sit out on the terrace in the afternoon on the sun-loungers. Sadly this was to be the only opportunity during Sam’s stay as the weather got cooler each day. We spent Sunday evening catching up on the gossip, eating and drinking.

Monday was cool but sunny and we decided to walk the Ruta de Tajos. The walk was very enjoyable with great views and we walked much further than our previous attempt at it. It’s a long walk and it took it’s toll on Sam’s hair. At this stage we discovered the true purpose of the iPhone. 

Not quite Steyning darling....!

Sam and Petra cooked paella on Monday evening, we used one of the recipe books at the house and we were very grateful that it suggested substituting snails with a few sprigs of Rosemary. It was very successful and we ate the lot.

On Tuesday we decided to take the bus to Malaga and hopped on at 10.00 am. It was cold in Riogordo and we were wrapped up in layers and regretting leaving our gloves in the house. Of course it was warmer in Malaga and we managed without the gloves. We had a good walk around, Sam posed for a photo on the street named after her and then had a coffee break before visiting the Cathedral. It’s a vast and very impressive building building. It’s known as the one armed lady because the southern tower was never completed, leaving it with only one completed tower. We stopped for a tapas lunch which we enjoyed sitting outside in the sunshine, the waiter shooing away a lady begging with a plastic cup.
We made a few purchases for supper including one made by Sam of the top quality cured ham off the bone in the market before getting the 3pm bus back to Riogordo. We didn’t want to miss that one as the next is 6pm and we needed to get back so that Petra could watch Strictly! We had a lovely evening grazing on our goodies from the market, the ham was delicious. 

Paella for dinner....yum!

It turns out Sam's husband's distant relative has a Street named after him. 

This morning Sam was up early making the tea before going for a walk to Riogordo returning with a huge poinsettia purchased in the market. Our first Christmas present, thank you. We had brunch before driving to the airport. Whilst Petra and Sam headed into ‘departures’ Kevin had attracted the attention of a couple of the airport policemen who were admiring the camper and have a good look inside, and why not? 

Sad to see Sam leave today but we headed back to Riogordo and spent the afternoon relaxing. 

Hill Walk to the north of house

Thursday 22 November

We had a lovely morning today, we decided it was high time we went for a walk to the rear of the house. We have seen the road from the house and watched in interest as cars and vans have chugged their way up the very steep hill. In light of this we travelled very light only taking a small bottle of water.

We set off about 10.45 and started the climb. Once we were past the now empty Turkey farm (not for long we think) we were rewarded with fantastic views of the mountains, valleys and properties on the way. There are some huge houses with views to die for. We kept climbing for what must have been 5km and eventually reached the top. We were again rewarded with the most stunning views. It was so peaceful and quiet, sunny and warm you could easily fall in love with the place and we can see why people would choose to live there. 

The route is in fact a recognised walk called the Ruta los Tajos (Route of the cliffs) and in total stretches 6.9km It ends at a very impressive volcanic plug range called Sierra Tejada, Sierra lanan and La Atalaya. We see this range from the back of the house and on the way back fro Velaz Malaga where we do our shopping. It is a very impressive sight to see and we will be going on this walk as often as we can.

Picture of Casa Perro Con Pan from up the hill to the rear of the property

Captains Supplemental

The Stray Dog

Following the dreadful storms we had on Friday and Saturday last week we awoke Sunday morning and thankfully, the storm had moved on. Not that it was a particularly nice morning but at least it wasn’t tipping down with rain. At about 11am were sitting at the table having our Brunch when we heard something sniffing at the door. When we opened the shutter we saw a large brown dog that we hadn’t seen before. He had probably smelt the cooking bacon and thought he would investigate.

Now, we’ve had dogs visit us on several occasions in the past and if they are left on their own they wonder on about their business and that’s that it they go home. However, once we had washed up and Kev went outside, the dog was still there. it came bounding over to him and proceeded to jump up and in a matter of seconds I needed a change of clothes. It then decided to throw up all over the terrace!

The Dog-

Was a large, aged, male, chocolate coloured Labrador. Physically, it was in good condition (not at all thin) but otherwise, it was in a bit of a state and was very unkempt. It had sore crusty eyes and had had mange or fleas at some time as it hair loss to it’s mussel. The most striking thing about the dog was it stunk very much indeed not only of wet dog but dirt and drooled a disgusting substance from its mouth. As it walked around the property it was accompanied by a swarm of large flies which landed on its back and made its scabby ears twitch.

Regardless of my past this was not a nice dog to be around and the last thing we wanted was to take responsibility for a dog no matter how bad it’s condition, besides there are a thousand dogs just like this one probably not that far from here and where does it stop. No those days are behind me and I feel I have done my bit.

Another issue is we already have 5 cats that we were not expecting to look after and we certainly didn’t want this poor stinking, drooling, scab ridden creature to stay a moment longer than was necessary. We decided to carry on ignoring it in the hope that it would go hungry and wonder back to its owner/ home. Not a chance, the sun came out and it made itself comfortable of the terrace drying itself off in the sun. It continued to vie for our attention but we continued to give it no notice all the rest of the day and in the evening after we locked the doors and it lay on the door mat in front of the front doors. It stayed there all night, we know this because as it turned over in the night it made the metal doors rattle which kept us awake most of the night! 

One thing we were very worried about was the wellbeing of the 5 cats, in the morning it was clear that none of them had been to the food hopper on the window ledge as no food had gone from it. As the cats are feral they wont let you get near them to them pick up so as long as the dog was there it was unlikely we would see them. Also, as one of the females is almost certainly pregnant, we didn’t want any stress for that cat. Finally, goodness only knows what diseases the dog is carrying. Anyway, for the time being the cats were keeping a very cautious distance. 

In the morning at first, there was no sign of the dog and we thought it must have gone home or moved on but as soon as I opened the door he came bounding around the corner and nearly knocked me over. He charged all over the terrace like a puppy and genuinely, it seamed, very happy indeed to see me. 

It had now been 24 hours since it’s arrival and the poor thing was searching for food. There was nothing for it but to give it some food which it eat veraciously. As it was clear this dog was not going anywhere we contacted Sue and Mick to ask for assistance in trying to find the owner. As we don’t speak a word of Spanish I don’t know what we would have done without their help. 

In the morning we walked down to Riogordo and was surprised to find that the dog followed us on our route. We got over half way to the village and looked around and found the dog was no longer with us and had disappeared. ‘Eureka’, we thought he must have found his bearings and wondered off home. We sat in the bar feeling quite relieved. We did email some photos of him to Sue for the local Facebook page in an attempt to find it’s owner. Unfortunately, our euphoria was short lived as when we arrived back at the house in the late afternoon the dog was loyally waiting for us on the terrace. Again was so pleased to see us. It was now clear that the dog was going nowhere and we assumed it must have been frightened half out of its wits by the thunder storm making a bolt for it getting lost somewhere on the way. 

In the afternoon I took the dog for a walk around the neighbours houses that were in and included the turkey farm. Obviously the language issue was a problem. Had  I been able to have a conversation I might have been able to get to the bottom of who's dog it was. Anyway it was all to no avail and no one knew who's dog it was and besides the dog had had enough of my company and wondered of with another dog. I knew he would be back. We fed him again and he spent the rest day on the terrace and he lay by side festering and trying to bite flies. Sue put us in touch Diane the local animal help contact. She came to look at the dog, she took some photo’s said she would try to find the owner.

It turns out that the dog had a smashing temperament and I feel sure it was a super loyal and friendly dog without a single morsel of aggression in it. You could tell it just wanted to serve its master. It is such a shame that he hadn't been looked after better in his old age. As we sat on our loungers the dog was plagued with flies and I sat swatting them for the dog which didn’t bat an eyelid he was quite happy to let me slap away. With every tap a cloud of dust arose from the creatures coat. It was difficult not to let your heart go out to the poor chap.  As we sat swatting flies something truly amazing happened involving two of the cats.

Two of the cats, a ginger and white and a very very timid black and white ventured to come up from their hole under the tree where they live to get some food. Not surprisingly, they must be getting very hungry indeed by now as they usually have unfettered access to as much food as they can eat. The ginger and white cat slowly walked across the terrace from the low wall opposite the food. It looking at the dog all the way up to the window and in full sight of the dog it jumped up to the metal window grates and the hopper on the window ledge. The black and white cat was having none of it and sat on the other side of the low wall from where the ginger and white one had come from. It sat cautiously watching what was going on but you could tell it was very scared. It has always been scared of its own shadow and will bolt at the slightest inclination. The dog, too long in the tooth to care, simply watched the goings on and took not the slightest interest in them.

After the ginger cat had eaten only a very small amount it jumped down and walked over to the black and white cat. Amazingly, it somehow persuaded it that it was safe to follow him and if he did follow him he could eat. He did this by walking in front of his friend and rubbing his whole length along the front of its chest under its chin and as it moved forward it wrapped its tail around its neck. It weaved its path all the way to the window. It was a truly wonderful thing to see and extraordinary that this young cat would be so concerned for his frightened little friend that he would go back to fetch him and encourage it follow him to food. Surely no friend could do more?

We had some good news on the phone in the afternoon that the owner was known and would be contacted to collect it. The evening came and there was no sign of the owner so we fed the dog again and as before the dog settled on the mat for the night. In the morning the dog was not to be seen and we hope that the owner somehow had come and collected his dog without telling us. In any case he has gone and that was a real relief.

Well not quite as at 13.30hrs and it appeared again large as life and twice a happy to see us. Goodness only knows where it had been but it would appear we still have a stray dog. We were a bit down about this as you can imagine and simply shut the door on the house and went to Riogordo. We ignored the dog and did not feed it again that day. We also ignored it again when we came back at 4pm and shut the door on it. Hopefully, if the owner collects it all well and good otherwise, it will have to be put into a pound very soon. 

The dog hung around us for several more days but in the end we got up one morning and it was gone. it didn’t appear all day which I have to say was a real relief to us both. We found out that at some time the owner had come and collected the dog. We have no idea when he came or who he is or where he lives. All we know is that he is a local. Any way that would appear to be the end of what has been a sorry saga for us and more importantly the dog. 

River walk

Tuesday 20 November

As it was a nice day we decided that we would walk down the ‘river walk’ at the bottom of Riogordo. The start of the walk is of course easy as we have a down hill walk into Riogordo. 

Before we started the walk properly, Petra wanted to post a couple of letters and we went to the Post Office for stamps. It became clear the girl in the office would not take the letters unless they had stamps on and after a while it became more clear that if we wanted stamps we would have to go and buy them at the shop next door and return the letters to her with the stamps attached. That’s what we did and got the stamps from the tobacconist and returned the now duly stamped envelopes to the Post Office. All in order she was now happy to take the letters from us.

The river walk was very interesting, and showed how much rain we had had over the last week. You could see where the roads had been undermined and where the run off had carved its way through the landscape. We saw one house that had a garden full of mud and stones. The river was still quite full and was a brown colour from the churning up of the mud. Most of the road was covered in mud from slides that had been bulldozed away. It really was a bit of a mess.

We carried on the walk and the views were spectacular. The river has over time gouged out quite a deep gorge and is quite steep in places. We walked for a few of miles and then decided to turn back ever mindful of the climb back to the house. When we arrived back in Riogordo we stopped at the corner bar and had a couple of beers and bacon rolls. We also met quite a few ex-pats and we had a nice chat about living in Riogordo.

Below- after the storm, view from the house

More rainy days..

Sunday 18 November

.....and woke up in the middle of a power cut. However it wasn’t long till the power came back on again and we enjoyed our first cup of tea in bed. The shower was interesting as no sooner had Kev lathered up his head than the electric went off again. nothing for it but to brass it out and in a few cold minutes the power came back on and he could carry on where he left off.

We really look forward to Sundays as Sunday is Brunch day. We have our breakfast and lunch at 11.00am and push the boat out with an egg and bacon meal. Petra cooked the Brunch while Kev cleaned out the fire and set it for tonight.

In the afternoon we went to the corner cafe and used the internet.

Saturday 17 November

We woke up a couple of times in the night to the sound of the rain doing it’s pelting down thing. I cannot express more equivocally, when it rains here it really does rain. It Hammered it down all morning with thunder and lightning and the electricity flickering on and off. When it rains like this the surrounding tracks become small rivers or it washes down from hills and rages over the roads undermining the tarmac and causing collapses. 

Driving back from Velez Malaga yesterday we saw the repair crew out repairing the road and a huge lorry dumping tons of boulders into a ditch they had dug. We also saw a massive gantry which was drilling 1m wide holes at the roads edge and filling them with concrete. Further the roads are subject to subsidence and you can see cracks in the road and a huge area that has simply sunk or started to slide down the hill.

We were not going out today and the weather simply got worse as did the thunder and lightning. No problem, out with the jigsaw and the afternoon was spent completing it and listening to Jeeves and Wooster on the iPod and player. 

At about 8pm we had an almighty power cut which lasted much longer than the few seconds we had experienced throughout the day. We ventured outside into total darkness as the whole valley was experiencing the the same thing. Nothing to do but wait it out. As it happens we don’t need a electricity for much in that we have our own light source if needed (candles) the heating is either gas of wood burning and we buy water for drinking so we have plenty of that. The only thing we need water for is the flushing of the loo and washing up and all that can wait. 

As it happened we sat in the candle light quite enjoying it. Petra read her book and Kev tried to distract her by talking to her. We both had a long drink of wine and brandy and who cares about the rest. We went to bed in the middle of another power cut....

Friday 16 November

We spent the morning and lunch time shopping day in Velas Malaga. Mercadona and Lidl. Nothing special about that other than it meant we had a typical English dinner. Salmon, New Potato's, Green Beans, Carrots and Parsley Sauce. followed by ‘Flan’ (Cream Caramel to us).

We also lit the wood burning fire for the first time. It really made a big difference to the feel of the house and made it feel lovely and warm and cosy. We sat in the lounge watching some of our music dvd’s all night and drinking the remainder of the wine.  

Thursday 15 November

Standing on the terrace this morning looking out down to the track below the house, Kev noticed a man riding by on a donkey. This is of course not unusual in Spain and in Riogordo we have seen a few. What made Kev smile was the man was wearing a ‘Donkey Jacket’ it looked the same as the ones we have in the UK but had florescent orange patches instead of black. Is the man aware of the irony of the situation or is the jacket called something completely different in Spain? Stupid observation of course but it was early and made him smile!! 

We hadn’t seen the cats this morning and it became clear why, all the dogs from the turkey farm had escaped and one of the cats the ‘skitty black and white’ one was sitting at the top of a tree looking down on the dogs barking their heads off. The dogs are not particularly bright as you would have thought as they have their new found freedom that they would be off....no and unfortunately not! Instead they spent the day on the outskirts of the farm and one has to wonder why they bothered to escape in the first place. We could hear the owner whistling them well into the evening, all to no avail. Still, as soon as they get hungry enough we are sure they will make their way back to incarceration and squalid life.

We were going to do the river walk today but the weather had turned cloudy again and although it was not raining it looked like it would. Instead we went to Riogordo and posted the packet to Kev’s Dad. The same man was there who dealt with us yesterday and seem to know exactly what we wanted, ‘rapido’ seem to be the buzz word of the moment and we were all set. Over to you Bill....

After sorting out the packet we sat in the corner cafe on the internet drinking coffee, beer and eating bacon rolls. The barman seems to be getting quite used to us now even though we can’t speak many words in Spanish spluttering out unintelligible words in total embarrassment. What makes it more difficult is the locals speak with their own dialect. It’s like being a foreigner who has come over to the UK for the first time having been taught Lymington English and having a conversation with a broad Glaswegian! The men at the bar have a hearty laugh when we order. We don’t care really as we seem to get what we order and hide behind the computer screen. Soon, we will not have to say a word as he will know exactly what we want as we walk through the door. Bring it on!!

Back at the house we had a really relaxed afternoon doing our own thing and doing what retired people do best, ‘not working’. In the late afternoon the sun came out and we sat on the terrace getting warm and drinking Gin and Tonic. We feel we are settling into the Spanish way of life now as we were going to do some food shopping this afternoon at Velez Malaga but in the end it was mañana and that was that. As it happens we have enough supplies to hold out for several more days if we choose, we have all we need and Riogordo can supply most things if needs must.

Quiz night again tonight and we did much better than last week finishing second and getting our entry fee back and turning a bit of profit to-boot. A good team effort from all.

The New Kev (Must get a hair cut!!)

Huelga....STRIKE!

Wednesday 14 November

Today we learnt the word for strike, Kev needed to sent a package to the UK to his Father and we needed to get to the Post Office for 10.30 when it opened. We both differed on what the opening times were, Kev thought it was 10.00 - 12.00 Petra 10.30 - 12.30. Either way we had plenty of time to amble down to Riogordo.

We are so lucky this week another brilliant day not a cloud in the sky and it looked set to last the whole day. As it was considerably warmer outside than in we had our breakfast sitting on the terrace bathed in full warming morning sunshine. It was really lovely. Even the dogs kept their traps shut. 

After we cleared away the breakfast things we made our to Riogordo down the now very familiar track past the harlequin gt Dane on the left and the three or is it four dogs in the house on the right all of which completely ignored us. It looks like familiarity breeds contempt in the dog world. Anyway, none of them could be bothered with us today. Even the two German Shepard dogs at the half way mark (usually good for an encounter) couldn’t be bothered. Into Riogordo we strolled.

We made our way to the post office which is situated next to the town hall and is in a corridor that also contains the tourist office and at the bottom a bar, the former we have never seen open despite repeated visits. Wouldn’t you know it the Post Office looked shut. We tried the door, definitely locked. We looked at the sign on the door and it turns out we were both wrong about the opening times. The sign said 08.30 - 10.30am as it was only 10.20am we were about to put it down to the Spanish way and perhaps the Post Office person had made it to the bar early when on the the three men mumbled what sounded like the man will be long presently. We waited.

Sure enough, in a few minutes the man arrived and opened the door the the Post Office. Kev presented the packet to be posted and the man read the address and then launched into a conversation that only he understood and handed back the packet. We explained that it needed to go today on speedy service and he said impossible. Manyana yes. Today no. He kept saying a word that we had no idea what it meant and Petra pulled out the dictionary. Apparently, Spain is on strike today and there is no post. Tomorrow yes today no. Luckily, the corner bar was over the road, after that escapade we both felt we needed a caffeine fix.

Refreshed we decided to take a walk to explore the lower part of the town and on to the river which is a recognised walk that we felt we should take a look at before committing to walk the whole route 10 miles. We needn’t have worried and the mile or so we did was beautiful and we vowed to do it in it’s entirety very soon. We walked back to the house a different route as we wanted to look at the far side of the town. It was worth it, very Spanish and interesting, a bit steep in places as you would expect but we are now getting quite accustomed to the ups and downs. 

One interesting point and on a personal note we went past a Pharmacy and we saw they had a fancy set of electronic scale for public use. This was the first set of scales we have seen since leaving the UK and Kev couldn’t resist getting on them. It was again worth the 50 cents as he has lost 1.5 stone and feels much better for it. Petra also went on and has also lost a couple of pounds so good news all around.

Back at the ranch the weather was beautiful still so out with the sun loungers and we sat in disbelief all afternoon in perfect temperatures sun bathing, reading and watching the goings on in the neighbourhood. Firstly there was the caterpillar tractor towing a water trailer with a spray at the back. It started spraying the olive grove around us. We do not know what the man was spraying out the back of the tank but our best guess is, it’s probably weed killer as we have had so much rain the hills around us are a beautiful green now. Shame really, but if left we doubt you would get amongst the trees in a couple of weeks. As it happened the tractor kept breaking down and every so often it would all go quiet and a metallic hammering would start. Then the tractor would start again and it would be on its way. In the end it all fell quiet and that would appear to be the end of the tractor......for now.

We also had a trio of lads on cross bikes who came along the track to the bottom of the house, we could hear them across the other side of the valley most of the afternoon. It really must be a great place to go ‘off roading’ around here. It didn’t bother us at all and it was interesting to hear their progress as the afternoon went on.

Another bit of good news it that it looks like the Turkey's at the farm behind us have gone to meet their maker. Not that we would wish bad on the poor creatures but clearly their time was up. The result is their is no clacking sound and the place has been cleaned out so no smell when the prevailing wind is in our direction. We are liking it hear more and more with every passing day. 

By 4.30pm it was starting to get a bit cool so we went indoors and Petra made one of her legendary curries.

A brilliant day, lets hope it continues. Oh and how nice it is not to have cleaned Campy and have 3 days without the rain, that makes it a double brilliant day.

Rain, Malaga and Sunshine

Tuesday 13 November

Surprise surprise, we woke to another fantastic day, not a cloud in the sky. This is the first time since we have been here that we have had two consecutive days without rain. Brilliant. It was warmer outside the house than in today so we had our breakfast on the terrace looking at the lovely views. The snow on top of the mountain all but gone.

We really needed to walk to Riogordo today as firstly we were becoming overwhelmed with rubbish and recycling and needed to make our way to the bins also we needed to update the blog which is exactly what we are doing now......


Monday 12 November

Well, the wind in the night certainly did the trick and we awoke to a perfect sunny day. Not sure if we have mentioned this but, when the shutters are shut the room is in TOTAL darkness. It could be brilliant sunshine or a nuclear flash over and you would never know it. This has so many advantages and we are sleeping till we naturally wake up. That is we sleep solidly all night possibly 10 hrs plus. It really is effective and we think if we ever have a house again in the UK we are going to get blackout blinds fitted.

Going outside it was warm and the sun hit our faces and it was good. It must have been really cold in the night as the mountains to the East were dusted in snow on their tops. It looked lovely. Thankfully it was only at the top and nowhere near us.

Anyway, we were like a couple of school kids the windows and doors were all thrown wide open and the washer was put to work. There is no point in doing washing here unless it is nice outside. Things simply don’t dry in the house overnight. We have no central heating or even an airing cupboard so nature has do the job or it doesn’t get done at all.

We took all the cushions and throws off the settees and let them all air in the brilliant sunshine. We have often wondered why when we walk down the streets we see people hanging things over the balcony, now we get it. The chairs were soon out for sunbathing and Kev set to on Campy giving her a clean. It is amazing how 2 weeks of rain can take the shine of a car. By the end of the day it was back to showroom condition. Even Petra got involved and cleaned the windows on the outside. She did look fantastic when finished (Campy that is).

We sat on the terrace all afternoon too lazy to go out & having tea and Panettone ( a pre Christmas treat). We really should have taken the rubbish and re-cycling down to the bins but when the sun is out at the house you really do not want to go anywhere else it is so lovely. 

We are learning that Riogordo really is a place of extremes and you need to grab the good days with both hands because if you blink you might miss them and that really would be a shame. We could so easily have jumped in the van and gone exploring but that wasn’t really what we wanted to do. We like the house and when the weather is like it was today why would we want to go anywhere else?

Anyway, we’re sure it’s going to rain again tonight because Kev cleaned Campy....

Sunday 11 November

True to form, if you have a nice day one day you can guarantee that there will be a price to pay the next. Today was payback big time. When we opened the shutters in the morning we were surprised to see for the first time that we had condensation on the windows. It was very dull and overcast. There was also low cloud base and of course it was raining. 

Nothing for it but to hunker down for the day and do some serious reading Petra is reading a book on a couple who buy a derelict farm house in Spain and Kev is reading Robinson Crusoe. We had the gas fire on most of the day to keep us warm. 

The rain continued on and off all day and as it wore on the wind got up. It increased in velocity as the day moved on until in the evening it was blowing a full gale and the windows and doors started rattling. The wind was blowing from the North and lying in bed we could hear the all sorts of bangs and rattles as the storm raged and the wind howled on. Petra wedged a piece of paper in the door to stop it from rattling. Kev just when to sleep.

Saturday 10 November

We awoke to a beautiful day today, as soon as we opened the shutters it was obvious the dark depressing clouds had dispersed and had been replaced with blue sky and sparse white clouds. Great!

We had our breakfast and by 10am we were ready for Sue and Mick to arrive to take us on a day out in Malaga. On arrival we all piled into Mick’s car and we were off. As we drove towards Malaga the weather just got better and better and by the time we arrived at the multistory it was lovely and warm.

Whilst chatting, Sue mentioned that there was a trip organised to Gibraltar on Dec 7th and perhaps we would like to go. Absolutely came the reply, and without further ado she whipped out her phone and no sooner said than done we were booked on the coach. Fantastic, only €10 each and apparently there is a Morrisons so its just in time for Xmas shopping. 

Mick and Sue are veterans of Spain and know Malaga like the back to their hands. First stop was a cafe for a caffeine fix. We went to a small but very pleasant plaza and settled in a street cafe sipping coffee. It was a very pleasant and relaxing start to our day.

After coffee we went on a walk around the shopping streets of Malaga and on to the high street. We saw lots of street performers including a man who was sitting down on an imaginary chair, the invisible man and a man who could paint you up a mountain scene on glass coaster quicker than you could get your wallet out. There were also quite a number of familiar shops even a C&A.

Next stop was a fresh produce market which was lovely to walk around it was very atmospheric and had recently been renovated. We tried some ham which we have seen before in the supermarket. It’s basically a whole leg of pork which has been hung, smoked and left for months to cure. The outside of the leg looks dirty and shriveled. The man behind the counter cut a bit to try, it was cut very thin and took some chewing but had a distinctive and pleasant taste. 

After this we were taken to a Bodega - a small bar with a collection of barrels behind the bar of local wines. The one we had was a sort of sherry, sweet and dark but very nice. The bar was very old and had lots of character including power cuts. No problem, a man got on a chair flicked the switch and we were back in business. One thing; the wine was very strong and from the first sip it sent a rush straight to your head. 

Fortified, we carried on looking around the city and made our way to the harbour area. This had had a huge amount of money spent on it and is a playground for the rich. Lots of bars and label shops here. We sat on a bench in the sun for a while, so good to feel the warmth of the sun again.

By now we were thinking of lunch so walked back towards the shopping centre through an avenue of trees and past the Cathedral, a momentous structure so big it was impossible to take a proper photo of with the space available. We settled on a street bar in another square under the shade of an umbrella and a bush. We were not there long when a pigeon  decided to join us and landed on the table wanting the nuts left by the previous occupants of the table and sent things flying.

We ordered Tapas and drinks and was waiting for it to arrive when a couple of men arrived opposite us and set up their busking equipment. A quick tune on the guitar and the singer was off with the other chap tapping on a box for percussion. I was all a bit loud and after the second man had been around with the hat the bar gave the signal to shove off, and thankfully they did. The Tapas then arrived and we sat having a lovely relaxed lunch.

It’s amazing how quickly time goes as it was soon 3pm and after settling the bill we made our way back to the car. Sue and Mick knowing that we are having quite a few visitors very kindly decided we should see the airport and took us there. So we should have no problems collecting people now.

Our sincere thanks to Mick and Sue for befriending us and taking us under their wing and taking us out for the day. We had an excellent time, had a good laugh with good company and loved Malaga. So a big cheers and thanks to them both.

The Fresh Produce Market

The Bodega

The Harbour Walk

The Cathedral 

Mick, Sue and Petra

Friday 9 November 

It’s a good job we went out yesterday as in the night the flood gates of heaven opened and we had more rain than you can shake a very big stick at. It woke us up a couple of times as it thundered down on the roof, window ledges, patio and covered table. It felt good to be warm and dry in our beds. 

When we woke in the morning it was 9am, still raining and it didn’t stop all today. There was some pathetic attempts at thunder and lightening but it really wasn’t worth the effort. We stayed in listening to our music, cleaning the house and doing the blog. We also down loaded Jeeves and Wooster on to the iPod so we have a bit of entertainment sorted out for later.

In the morning we had a visitor to the house, the huge harlequin Gt Dane from down the track. He brought with him his German Shepard cellmate to introduce him to the inconsiderate neighbours who disturbed his slumbers last night. When he saw us he gave a large and very deep woof, as if to say ‘that’s them’!!!.... as it was raining we decided not to go out and exchange pleasantries but watched in horror as it thumbed its teeth at us, turned its back and in an act of obvious incitement cocked its leg up against Campy’s offside rear bumper and relieved its oversized and overextended bladder. So that’s him off the christmas card list.

Thursday 8 November

We decided come hell or high water we were going out today. We’re getting a touch cabin fever and besides we are running out of food. As an example we have only spent €22 in local shops on food since we arrived and, what with the €15 for a gas bottle for the fire on the second day its been good for the wallet but not so for the soul. No, we need to shop.

Luckily, it didn’t rain in the night and it was a nice sunny today. A quick inspection of the track to determine if it was sound enough for Campy and we slowly set off. It does seem a bit wimpy not going out as and we feel like it but the van is heavy at 2.3 tons unladen and we don’t want to damage the track any more than we have to. The rain really has pounded the poor thing. We have been down a couple of times and given it a bit of support and fill in the bigger holes and give it a pat down with the spade.

We drove the 30 odd km to Velez Malaga over the mountains, we love this dramatic drive especially the return journey. Making our way under the motorway on the outskirts of the town we found the large out of town shopping centre. The main purpose of the trip was to get ourselves a iPod dock. All respect to Richard and Carol’s CD collection but we noticed even they had their own small iPod dock system so fair do’s

We looked in a couple of shops but settled on a Sony RDP-X200 Personal Audio Docking System €199. It’s quite extravagant really, we were going to spend half that amount but on hearing the difference in sound quality, we sort of convinced ourselves that our music collection was worth the extra.

The supermarket (next to the electrical shop) shop was a nightmare we had the trolly from Satan himself, which was stiff and once loaded the with water 5x 5 litre bottles for 65c each it was aching to get back to its maker and was creating merry hell. It was really difficult to find what we wanted in the shop and we ended up going back and forth crisscrossing the aisles all over the place. All this took quite a long time to sort and we were getting tired hungry and irritable. Sod the tissues - we were off. 

On the way home we stopped off at Lidl and in need of sustenance we trotted over to the near by McDonald's for lunch. This was also a bit of an extravagance but, the big mac calleth and it must be obeyed! Petra had a McPollo? (chicken in a bun to you and me). 

Lidl is fantastic in Spain much better than the British equivalent. The fruit and veg are great and because the place is a reasonable size you can easily find your way around, We decided to start stocking up the bar ready for when visitors come (30 bottles of Grand Reserve for an amazing €77 (£66 or £2.20 each)) We also got 36 bottles of beer €19.14 (£16.50) Bottle of Gin €9 this is the good stuff not the €3.98 stuff which doubles up a paint stripper or if pushed break fluid. 

Back home the weather was warm and sunny so we sat out for a while before it started to cool off and we attacked the mound of shopping needing to be put away. The iPod dock is awesome and we love it.

Thursday night is quiz night down in Riogordo. A group of expats get together in the bar and have a jolly time drinking and answering impossible questions. It started at 8.30pm and is (of course) the furthest point form the house and all down hill. It must be 1.5km to the pub and some of the hills are 10%. The way down is dark, very dark and we needed our torches initially find our way. As we were walking the sky suddenly flashed with lightening and rumbled and we knew what was coming.

We made it to the bar before the rain and once there we were given a warm welcome and introduced to Keith who kindly agreed to make our team into a threesome a godsend really as we were really rubbish at it. Quite embarrassingly so really. There were lot of questions on subjects like sport, Australia, 70’s and 80’s music etc we weren't much help to Keith but despite us, in the end we didn’t come last, we had a good time and we had the smallest team.... so we did ok.

Bearing in mind that we are usually all tucked up in bed by 9.30pm at the latest the 11.30pm walk up the endless road to bed was a tiring and hot one. It was strange walking the deserted streets of Riogordo which are now becoming so familiar. It all looked quite picturesque with the street lights on and the clock tower and civic buildings being illuminated which somehow disappear into the chaos during the daylight. As we walked up the track to the house it was black as black can be and deathly quiet, that was until we were copped by a dog and suddenly the whole valley erupted in unison. We saw our neighbours huge harlequin Gt Dane’s eyes flashing red in the torch light like the hound of the Baskervilles as he voiced his indignation at being disturbed from his slumber. For a while (roughly one nanosecond) we felt sorry for waking the dogs and possibly the owners but then again.....what goes around comes around! We arrived back at the house cussing why we hadn't take the van and had to sit for half and hour to compose ourselves and cool off. 

Upon reflection, and all in all, it’s been a good day today, Campy had a stretch of her pistons, the weather has been kind (sort of), we now have a quality music system and enough food and drink to last for weeks. We have all we need so let it rain as much as it likes. Blacker the sky’s the better....! Pa!

 We are going to slept well tonight.

Wednesday 7 November

Walked into Riogordo today and had our Spanish lesson. After we went to the corner cafe to catch up with the internet and had drinks with Sue. It was great to see her; more coffee, beer and bacon rolls. Weather today was fairly good it did rain but not as much of late. Other than that not a lot happened so nothing further to report.