Friday Smiles 2023: Week 20

I bet you didn't expect to see this as my first photo of the week. It is not my picture, but one taken from our local news feed, and the place is Lorca, just a 20 minute drive down the motorway from us. It was taken on Sunday and it didn't actually snow on Sunday but they did have the mother of all hail storms which caused chaos on the main road.

Meanwhile, we did have a few heavy thunder storms and there was a grumbling in the hills all around us, but not too much rain, (and no hail stones!). Apparently there is a deep band of cold air sweeping through Europe and we are expecting weeks of cloudy days, intermittant storms, and much lower temperatures, maybe right through until mid-June. But we are not really complaining because in between the storms we get some lovely bursts of sunshine, and it certainly isn't cold - just colder than the insanely high temperatures we had last month. And for sure we really need the rain.

After a wet Friday night, Saturday dawned overcast and drizzly which was rather sad as it was the Fiesta for St Isidro, the patron saint of the agricultural workers and fishermen. But if Spain  is having a fiesta they are not daunted by the rain, so by mid-morning we heard the village band playing as they marched up the street to the church where there was a special mass.

Fortunately, by lunch time, the sun was out again and as folk came out of the church they formed a procession to walk up to the sports centre just across the rambla at the top of the village. This year the main cart, bearing a figurine of the Saint, was pulled by a very handsome matching pair of mules. Just look at those huge ears!

There were several more carts all prepared by families of local agricultural workers, and the parade ended with their lovely, and much loved horses, waiting outside the church for their turn to set off.

Chris and I drove up to the sports centre for see their arrival. We sat on the wall to wait for them and even managed a rare selfie of us both while we waited.

Eventually we saw them making their slow ramble down the steep road that crosses the rambla, through the tunnel under the main road, and out onto the final climb up to the centre. I found a spot to stand and take photos and here are some of the carts that came by.

Finally the last of the horses made it up the slope and were led to a shaded area to have a drink.

I do love to see the chidren all dressed up, and this little group were shown on the village Facebook page. Their families were obviously happy to have them posted on social media so I borrowed them to show on here.

Each family that had made a 'float', were given a box containing a ham, wine and cheese etc, presented by the mayor and his assistants.

Traditionally the general public bring a picnic and gather in family groups in the area provided for this, but this year they were discouraged from using the on-site barbecues because everywhere is so dry.

But as well as the food brought from home, there is a giant paella cooked during the morning and handed out in huge portions, free of charge, to anyone who chooses to join the queue. When we went up there the vat was filled with a mustardy yellow liquid in which mussels, octopus, tiny sausages and other such things were cooking. One man was adding lots of salt while another was continually stirring with a long ladle. It didn't look particularly appetising at this point.

On the table beside them there were five large boxes of rice to be added as soon the temperature was right.

We are not great fans of paella, though the San Isidro one, is one of the best ones I have tried, but on this occasion we decided not to wait for it to finish cooking, as the black clouds were again gathering and I had a long line of washing out that I knew would be dry, so we went home and had our own lunch once the washing was safely in. But here is  a picture from the news feed of the finished pan and they do make it look really nice. I am sure it was all eaten and enjoyed before the rains came again.

On Monday I felt the need to try and walk a little so I went over to the bank and the bread shop. As I took a short cut home across the muddy car park I saw a big puddle that hadn't yet drained away, and it was crowded with a great flock of house martins, easily recognised by their bright, white rumps. They were drinking, or gathering wet mud to build up their nests, but they all took off as I approached them. I waited for a while, but only one little soul was brave enough to return, and he didn't seem to mind me watching him at all.

Having sucessfully sorted out our corner fountain, Chris turned his attention to the water feature inside the fly-free porch. He got it cleaned out and working a bit, though both fountains need new pumps and we will look into getting them soon. I also went to the garden centre and bought a couple of plants to give the feature a bit of life. I bought a pink geranium, a green fern and a trailing succulent.

Here they are in place on the feature, with my bright red crown of thorns just at the side.

Yesterday I had an appointment at an office in Almeria, with an open time of 9.00-13.00. We decided to aim for the earliest we could to avoid too much waiting around so I set my alarm for 7.00 and was up just in time to catch this lovely sunrise.

As we drove along the motorway towards Almeria, the road was lined with broom bushes. It was everywhere and made a lovely sight with its bright colour.

In some areas it had spread right across the campo making a sea of gold. The photos are not too good as I took them through the car window, and on the motorway there is little chance to slow down to take photos.

It was a good trip. We barely had to wait at all, and once our business was completed we stopped at the large shopping mall where we park the car, and had a wander. Chris bought me a very nice summer dress and a smart Tee-shirt for himself. We looked around the supermarket which is at least four times larger than the largest one near us, and picked up a couple of treats that we wouldn't normally be able to buy, and we were home again by lunch time.

And that is about it for this week. So I will make sure this is ready to publish in the morning and link up with Annie's Friday Smiles.