Rocking Your World 2020: Week 3

Hi everyone. I had a lovely week last week with my eldest son Jim and his wife Jo. I even managed to get a nice photo of them together which is a rare event as they are both camera shy. Jim is a vicar and likes to keep a low profile so he doesn't use social media but doesn't mind me adding him on this post.

At the same time he also took a fairly decent one of Chris and I which also doesn't happen very often as it is usually me who is behind the camera.

They have only visited us twice before and came in January so Jim could see how important the Three Kings Fiesta (or Epiphany) is in Spain. So on the evening of 5th January we took them down to Garrucha where there were lots of people crowded along the promenade, waiting for the kings to arrive on a fishing boat. Garrucha is a fishing village (town now really), so the harbour is a focal point for them. We managed to find a spot along the rail on the upper level, and eventually a little boat made its way across the harbour mouth to anchor below us. 

Amid cheering, and the usual loud music, each king disembarked and transferred onto a well-decorated float, along with an entourage of children and adults all in bright costumes. We watched each one come up the slip road from the port to start the parade around the main streets of Garrucha. Here comes the first float featuring a large camel.

In this picture you can see a stack of white sacks all around the King's throne. They are all filled with small boiled sweets and wrapped jellies, which the king, and the children throw as they travel round the parade route. Some families stand with upside-down umbrellas to catch as many as they can and I have seen them carrying shopping bags filled with them.

Jo has fibromyalgia and cannot walk too far at a time, so we decided to leave the crowded streets of Garrucha and head back to our village. On the way I caught Jo having a silly moment with a lit up snowman. I am sure half the population of Garrucha have never seen real snow, but it still features in many of their Christmas decorations.

We got back to Los Gallardos just in time to see the last of the children receive their gifts from the Three Kings in the big marque in the centre of the village.

The medieval market around the central plaza was having a trial run before the big event the next day, so we wandered around there for a bit and stopped to watch some 'exotic dancers'.

The next day was bright and sunny, as it so often is for this Fiesta. We made sure we were out in good time to see the arrival of the kings from three directions, when they meet up and decide to go to King Herod to inquire about the new baby. I passed the time waiting, by taking photos of our long shadows!

They were joined by a group of children all in bright costumes, and the ladies of the village choir, also in costume.

Then we went down to the plaza where Herod's 'Palace' was built, and watched the reenactment of the story there. 

On the car park, opposite the plaza there was already a log fire lit under the huge pan where free food is prepared for anyone who wants it. It is usually migas which is not our favourite, so we decided to buy other food for our lunch from one of the stalls. (Migas is basically flour and salt added to boiling water and oil so it clumps together and is then chopped up into rough crumble. Then garlic cloves, small sausages, choritzo etc are added and it is served with bread and usually raw broad beans though this year it was cherry tomatoes instead).

We stopped to watch another, or maybe the same, dancer, and the yellow silky cloth she was waving around shone like gold in the sun, and was very effective.

When we felt it was time for lunch, the two men chose the wraps of doner kebab meat from the Morroccan stall, while Jo and I queued up for 'patata completo', and it certainly was complete. Apart from being the biggest jacket potato I have ever seen, it came with no less than ten toppings - tomato sauce, a lot of mayonnaise, chopped ham, grated carrot, grated beetroot, tuna, sweet corn, sliced olives, grated Parmesan cheese, and a fistful of totally unnecessary bread rings! And all that for just 5€. It was very good, but Jo and I could easily have shared one.

When they first arrived, Paco quickly found he had a new friend. Neither Jim nor Jo are really 'dog people', and Kim soon understood that he needed to come to me if he wanted any fuss, but they have four cats at the vicarage, and Jim straightway found Paco's love of cuddles suited him just fine. This photo amused me, because although I know the slogan on the back of his shirt is the name of a band he likes, it seemed totally at odds with the little cat sitting on his shoulder!

One day Jo and I were out at the back railings trying to video all the little birds that constantly fly over the green zone behind our house. I looked across at the tall pine trees in the next road and I saw one starling perched on the tip of each branch, just like candles on a Christmas tree. In fact the whole tree was full of them, and every now and then they all took off together, flew round a few times and landed back in the tree. I hope you can see them in the picture. Try clicking on it for a larger view.

We had several nice little outings while they were with us, including a morning at Mojacar Pueblo and  walks along the marina, as well as visiting our local watering holes, but mostly we sat out on the porch, enjoying the warm sunshine, chatting and relaxing.  Jo brought her crochet with her, so we sat together working on our projects, while the men talked computers etc. Life as a vicar can be very demanding, and you don't get a lot of personal time, so it was good for them to have no phone calls etc. The week soon passed and on Saturday we drove them back to the airport.

So Sunday was a bit flat for us and I suggested we had a little trip out as it was yet another sunny day. So we drove along the coast to a little fishing village called Villaricos. It is close to where we rented a flat when we first came out here, and we used to go to it quite often then, but it is many years since our last visit. On Sundays there is a very popular street market which was much bigger than I remember, and was heaving with people.

We each treated ourselves to something from the clothing stalls, and then we walked out the other side of the market to the water front. The beach itself is not special, being mostly grey shale, but it is all quite pituresque, ending at a small marina of private yatchs, and views along the coast towards Garrucha, and behind us, the entrance to a small fishing harbour.

We sat outside a bar on the marina for a drink and then set off back to the car. But it was such a nice day that we decided to stop on the way home for a menu del día, and found a place with a big, sunny patio where we enjoyed a very pleasant meal.

The rest of the week has been mostly spent getting the extra bedding and towels washed and dried before the weather changes, and doing the tidying up that didn't really get done when the Christmas decorations came down on 8th. But I did spend one afternoon chopping vegetables.

You have probably guessed I was preparing to make piccalilli. So many folk have requested it, so I thought I would start the new year with something useful. It is this preparation that takes the time. I make a piccalilli that is designed to be spread in a sandwich as well as eaten with meat and cheese, so the vegetables have to be chopped more finely than for the traditional style pickle. Then it is salted and left over night. The next day it is thoroughly rinsed and left to drain (as above), while I mix up a potent brew of flour and spices - mustard, ginger, turmeric and curry powder. It is quite a bowlful which is mixed with spirit vinegar and boiled together in a big pan until it is thick.

It is not an unpleasant smell but it does waft through the house, and the steam from it makes my eyes water. Next the drained vegetables are added and it is all cooked up together for just two minutes before it is bottled and sealed.

It looks quite pretty in the pan, but I have no photos of the bottles as half of them were sold at my sewing group the next day. The rest will go up to my sales table in the church hall on Sunday.

I must admit I prefer the smell coming from my preserving pan yesterday. This time I was using it to make the new season's marmalade. 

The bitter oranges are only available in January and early February, and a friend from sewing, who has a tree of them in her garden, brought me a big bag full on Wednesday. There was enough to make two of my double batches, and they need using once they are picked so I worked at it all day and by evening I had 39 jars of pure gold ready to sell on Sunday and on through the year. She has promised me another bag of them next Wednesday so I hope I will get the same amount made again, and then I will need enough for one batch of my darker recipe with thick cut peel.

And that is my week, so I am finishing with a picture that caught my eye when my friend Margie posted it on our church's Facebook page. I thought it was so unusual.

Who or what do you think it is?

Margie's caption read "The truth of what and who we are is always there, it just depends how you look at something! Sometimes we have to look again."

While you are pondering that one, I will link up with Rocking Your World and Annie's Friday Smiles. Thank you to those who popped over last week. I am sorry I did not return the favour, but this week I have more time and will definitely get to everyone.

P.S. For those who couldn't see it, try looking at the picture from this perspective.

Is that better?