Rocking Your World: Week 6

I have spent ages trying to get my lovely sky photo to fit as a new header, and finally I think I have managed it. The new blogger doesn't made any of these things very easy does it? However it is sorted out now, so let's look at the happier moments from this week.

I decided to have another walk on Sunday, and this time I walked the streets that cut across Huerta Nueva, an urbanisation just across the main road from the village. It comes under our Town Hall, so I wasn't breaking the rules by going there. However there are quite a few cases of the virus over there, so I didn't go into the urbanisation - just stayed on the perimeter street. There was a lovely view across the campo, of the sun trying to break through, and the Cabrera mountains rising dark behind it. It was good to get a little fresh air and exercise, even if it was a relatively short walk.

Sorry to Facebook friends who have already seen this, but I have to share another photo of my hyacinths. Now all six stems are in flower and it is so beautiful, and the smell is divine. It is a fine balancing act to keep it upright, but it is giving me a lot of pleasure for now.

And while on the subject of flowers, this week I asked Chris to cut the oleander outside my craft room window, down to be level with the top of the railings. There is about a meter and a half of land beyond our railings that is officially a part of our property, but it is a steep drop down into the green-zone, so it is not safe to get over there to plant anything, but we do try to keep anything that grows naturally there in check. I think the previous owners sometimes threw unwanted garden cuttings etc, over  there, as do we when it is something we can't really dispose of any other way. And we have been know to toss a plant over that appears to be dead. But we know that nothing dies easily out here, so when we throw it over, without actually planting it, we are still giving it a second chance, and occasionally something appears a year or two later. One such plant is the aeonium, which has rosettes of green or red glossy leaves, and in Spring sends up a long stem with a wide cone of yellow daisy-type flowers. There are two plants that get hidden by the oleander bush for much of the year, so when we cut this back, I was really pleased to find  several cones of yellow flowers. I had to lean over the railings to get a picture of them. I would love to have a better plant of this, in a more visible position, but I have tried several times, and they do not do well in a pot, and as you know, I have very little other plantable land.

Some mornings you wake up full of good intentions to be busy in the kitchen. On Tuesday I decided to make some bread, so I mixed up a dough and left it to rise. It was a bit chillier first thing so I had to protect it from the draught and give it a little longer than usual. While I was waiting for our dinner to cook, I knocked back the dough and formed it into two small loaves, and again covered it and left it to rise. Well after lunch I came down here to finish off a card I was making, and then I had a long video call with my sister which was lovely. Soon it was time to go and feed the animals, and there in the kitchen I found my two loaves, which I had completely forgotten about. I needed it for our tea so I put the oven on rapid heat and soon they were cooking nicely. They had risen so much that I expected the bread to be full of air holes, but instead it was a lovely even texture, light and soft, and possibly one of the best batches of bread I have ever made. And it was delicious eaten warm for our tea, and lasted well for a couple more days. The moral of this, I must be more patient and give my dough longer to rise than I normally do, and the results will be worth the wait. Here are the pillows of dough. I forgot to take another picture when it had cooked.

Wednesday was another fruitful morning in the kitchen because I decided to clean my oven. I confess this is something that I don't do half often enough and it was in 'a bit of a state'. I asked Chris to come and help me remove the inner glass door so I could clean between the two layers. It was quite a mission but he managed it in the end, and then knowing how useless my hands can be at putting any pressure on things, he took over the cleaning of it and did a much better job than I would have done. Meanwhile I cleaned inside the oven and polished up the shelves. Between us we did a great job. I don't think it has looked so good since the day it was installed as a part of my new kitchen. The door is so clean you can see inside, and and see my reflection in it!

You have often heard me getting all excited because one of my 'squishy parcels' had arrived. These were invariably filled with lovely new yarn for another crochet project. I have depended on an excellent wool company in UK who always sent my order within a week, and always it was in an organza bag, inside a cushion of plastic - hence the squishy-ness! Sadly buying from UK is no longer a viable solution for us post Brexit, as higher postage, taxes and import duties can double the cost of your purchase. The majority of wool etc that I can buy locally, comes from China and it quite a bit harsher than I am used to. You also need to buy everything you want and a little extra 'just in case', because there is no guarantee they will have the same make or colour if you go back for more. However there are some wool shops in the larger cities that have a wider range to choose from, and although they too may be paying import duties etc, at least they are added to the price they are asking before we order, so we don't get any extra nasty surprises. So when I wanted to buy a special yarn I spent a long time browsing Spanish sites and eventually found somewhere that had what I wanted. The order came quickly but there was no squishy parcel this time. Instead it arrived in a rather fun bright red box with this decoration.

The company name - Las Tijeras Magicas, means  - The Magic Scissors. Inside there was a delivery note and taped to the top corner was a charm, a tiny pair of scissors. They are about 2cm long. I thought it was quite a nice touch.

The yarn itself is lovely. It has a nice feel. It is special because it is mainly polyester with 20% cotton and 20% silk. It is slightly uneven in the weave, so may be a bit difficult to crochet with until I get the feel of it. I am hoping to make a cardigan, ready for next winter!

I am also going to continue making the squares for my blanket. Doing large pieces like the back of a cardigan, can get a bit boring so I like to have something different to do when I need a change.

This hasn't been an easy week as numbers of virus cases soar in our area. We peaked at 83 cases on Thursday in our village, and each day we are now hearing about our friends who have it, including a couple who have died. So I am making a real effort to focus on the positive things like flowers, activities etc that have made me happy. The sunshine has helped, and I have been able to sit on a warm porch and lose myself in a book on several afternoons.

I have enjoyed video chats with several of the boys. It is good to be able to keep in touch with them this way.
And, of course I love watching the evening sky. This week we had this happy moment (again apologies to Facebook friends who have seen it already). These are lenticular clouds and they form as smooth, oval shapes that look like a childhood rendition of a flying saucer. Sometimes they come in many layers, but this week it was just a couple, but I loved them.

I sat and watched them change, as the lovely skies never last for long out here, but even as they darkened and joined together they were still very beautiful.

And with that I will link up with Rocking Your World and Annie's Friday Smiles.

I don't usually post any funnies at the end, though I enjoy seeing the ones other folk post. Chris says I have a poor sense of humour because I often can't see why things he posts are funny! But occasionally something really tickles me, like this picture I spotted this week. (I don't know whether they are an international company, but just in case they are not, Marigolds are the most commonly used make of rubber gloves sold in UK).

Keep smiling everyone.