Friday Smiles 2022: Week 20

So I will start with the sad bit to get that out of the way. As many of you will have already seen on Facebook, yesterday we said Goodbye to our lovely Foxy. She has been with us for thirteen happy years, and it was our last act of kindness to her, to let her go. I know this post is about the happy times from this week, but my blog started as a diary for my family to keep in touch with us when we moved over here, so sometimes it includes some slightly less happy news. But Foxy had a good life, and we are happy that she is no longer struggling, and every time I see this picture of her, I will be smiling.

And so to the rest of our week. On Saturday it was an important day in the village as it was the fiesta of San Isidro. He is the second most important saint for the people here, second only to Virgen de la Carmen, who's fiesta we celebrate in July, and he is the patron saint of agricultural workers and fishermen. The fiesta always starts with the band marching around the streets playing thier rousing tunes, followed by a Mass at the church. Then a float carrying a statue of the Saint leads a parade out of the village, and up to the sports centre. (This is known as a Romeria or country walk). Here families sit around the picnic area under the shade of the trees, or by the stadium bar, singing and eating, and generally enjoying family time together.

This year the aim was to make it special as it has been cancelled for the last two years, so as well as the traditional cart carrying the Saint, there was a competition for the best float in the parade, decorated within the theme of the fiesta.

We waited until near the end of the parade to make our way up to the sports centre and we got caught behind a lot of horses and riders. These are from the 'gypsy community' who keep their horses in the rambla at the side of the village. They love their horses and keep them looking so good, and they ride very errect and proudly. We followed them through the tunnel that goes under the motorway, and on up the hill.

There we saw the floats in the competition. Here is just one of them, decorated quite simply with flowers, sun hats (an essential for those who work in the fields all day), fans and bread and vegetables.

I liked this one, with its scene of a little family of field workers, and the older girl riding on her little pony.

Up at the stadium we came to the main cart carring the statue of Saint Isidro. This used to be a simple open cart pulled by a donkey, and only decorated with a few palm fronds and a loaf of bread, but this year it was much more elaborate.There were sculptures of a pair of oxen, as well as other items around his feet, plus flags and lanterns, and this year it was again pulled by a big mule, and not the tractor that has been used in recent years.

Up on the top triangle we saw some prizes being given to the winning floats. This one was a big family affair. I love the little girls in their flowery skirts and head scarves

As is usual at this fiesta there was a big paella in the making, ready to be served to all comers much later. We did not stay for it this year as it was very hot for sitting around, and we did not want to leave the dogs alone for too long.

On our way up to the stadium we saw this patch of bright yellow so I stopped to take a photo. It is broom, and there are bushes of it all over the campo. Also it is fighting for supremecy with the pink and white oleanders all along the central reservation of the motorway. It is a gorgeous splash of colour.

The garden is continuing to do well too. We have lots of tiny red roses opening on the climbing tower, and our two hydrangeas are covered in heads of pink flowers.

And another little surrprise this week was finding this amarylis out by the back sink. I went out with some washing, and spotted it there. It is the bulb that flowers so well two Christmasses ago. I have a habit of just putting potted bulbs that have finished flowering, out by the sink and just leaving them there, not expecting them to do anything again. But all our rain through March and April, and the warmer weather, had woken this one up and it has even produced two flowers. It is now indoors and being tended with care!

We have had a busy week in the garden. Chris has been painting walls, and we took delivery of a set of ratten furniture, plus three large planters, a fountain/bird bath, and a big parasol. It is all a work in progress right now so I will save photos for next week.

One evening we went over to the ferrateria to buy more painting supplies and then continued down to Mojacar sea front and stopped for a drink at one of our favourite places. I have not been to Dolce Vita for a long time, and new people are now running it. It has been tidied up, and the patios that were almost washed away by the storm in 2012, have been rebuilt and widened. It was very pleasant to sit there with a cool drink, and just listen to gentle waves breaking on the gravelly beach below.

As you can see, it is the season to trim all the palms and work men are busy doing so all along the sea front. They are very skilled and agile, and shin up the tallest palm trees to cut off the dead fronds, as well as tidying these smaller ones.

And I will leave you today with a picture of Tango being very cute as usual. He has decided that as we have not yet put anything on the lower shelf of the new TV table, then he will comandeer it for his bed. The face is grumpy as ever, but he is purring contentedly all the same.

And with that I will link up with Annie's Friday Smiles.