Friday Smiles 2023# Week 29

If last week was a quiet one, then this week has been even quieter - if you discount the noise of the fiesta just behind our house. The second heat wave swept in and yesterday was even hotter than last week with our shady thermometer showing 45º. Although it is always hot in the summer here, we are not used to being confined to the house, and I find it quite frustrating. But it also makes me very sleepy so I have been siesta-ring in the afternoons. I usually start reading my Kindle but it doesn't take long for my eyes to close!

Our son Tom is staying with us but this week he is 'working from home', so he has set up his own mini office in the sitting room, with a fan blowing full blast on him, and he seems to have got quite a bit of work done. Next week he is officially on holiday and will no doubt hope to get to the beach in the evenings. As soon as he finishes work for the day he jumps in the pool and yesterday the water was 35º on the surface and 31 at the deepest point. We have never recorded such temperatures since we came here.

We spent very little time at the fiesta this year, though when we did go round to the plaza it seemed to be as busy as usual. We enjoyed watching some of the children dancing on the first evening. I was pleased to see that the one little boy in the group had managed to stay with them for another year, though I did wonder whether it was under duress. He didn't really look as though he was enjoying it much!

We like to see all the lights which are erected across the streets and  to see all the bunting and lights above the plaza.

The next night we went over to see the last few races on horses, in the street alongside the plaza. It was very hot for the horses but they behaved well and even lined up while the crowd applauded. Behind them you can see some of the young girls in their pretty fiesta dresses, who sit at the side and reward the winners of each race. Every bit of that sand is cleared, and the street is open as usual by the next morning.

It was very crowded so we only stayed for a little while but we sat down long enough to enjoy a mojito, my usual fiesta treat, and they were really nice ones this year. Chris didn't really have two on the go; one of them is mine!

Sunday was the last night, and as we were all very hot again, we didn't go out until quite late. After the mass on the plaza, the statue of the Virgen del Carmen is paraded up though the village, accompanied by the local band and the clanging of the church bell. Then all the folk from the mass collect the flower offerings they laid around her for the mass, and follow her up to put them in the church. 

We decided to meet them half-way up at the Town Hall. This is an important moment in the procession when everything falls silent. Then the statue is carried up to the doors of the Town Hall. The doors of the top veranda open and the Mayor (centre) and his team come out and throw copious bags of rose petals onto the statue. Then the mayor shouts out things like "Viva la Virgen del Carmen! "Viva Los Gallardos", and to each call the crowd calls back "Viva". Then there is lots of clapping and cheering and the procession continues up to the church.

There is a small plaza outside the church where the men stand, still holding the statue on its throne, (very heavy), and the band plays, then while the church bell continues to clang, there is a display of fireworks. Mostly out here we only get volleys of rockets which make a lot of noise but no pretty lights, but at the end of the fiesta there is a really good firework display. I always think it is like we enjoyed with the children years ago because they are all random. There is no patterns or setting them to music, just one beautiful star burst after another.

After a final loud explosion, the band plays the National Anthem while the men holding the statue dance with her, swaying from side to side, and then lower her to carry her back in to the church. I have uploaded a short very 'amateur' video onto Youtube of this which you can find here.

We have had plenty of birds and insects coming to our fountains and the pool for much needed water this week. Sadly some of the insects get 'water-logged' and can't escape from the pool. It was too late to save this pretty little darter from drowning, and there was another one in there today, and when we swim at night, the light attracts a lot of moths. If I can, I fish them out and leave them to dry on the edge but a lot drown too.

I'll end here with a very pretty  sunset that I spotted on Tuesday. I have used it as a new header for Facebook and on here.

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