Rocking Your World 2015: Week 13

Here we are at week 13 already, that´s a quarter of the way through the year! How did that happen so fast? And although 13 may be unlucky for some, I am having a good week because my son (number 4) and his partner are out here for a week´s holiday. They are both dog-lovers, but you may remember me mentioning them back in November when their 18 year old Labrador died, leaving a big hole in their home. They have not been out here since we had Kim, who is now two years old, so I was looking forward to introducing them. Kim seemed to recognise a kindred spirit, and in no time he was cuddling up to Jonathan like he´d known him all his life.

Meanwhile, Ella was enjoying some late afternoon sun while Arwen did her best to reach her hair through the railings on my craft room window.

Their first few days here were the last few days of our very unsettled weather, but it was still warmer than UK, and between the heavy showers we had some lovely bursts of sunshine. And since then it has been warm and sunny for most of the day.

It has been a lazy week, with plenty of hours sitting outside chatting, eating and drinking. Isn´t that what holidays are all about? They have borrowed our car and gone off to explore a bit for themselves, but mostly we have just enjoyed catching up on one another´s news.

Jonathan is the son who had surgery to repair a badly broken nose just after Christmas. It looks much better now, straighter and well shaped. Unfortunately his ability to breath through it has not improved yet. They did tell him to allow about four weeks for it to settle down, but it is nearly twice that now and it is still causing him problems, so he is waiting to see what they say at his next follow appointment at the end of April.

Last night we went to the local bar to be a team in the weekly pub quiz. We are notoriously bad at this but it is a fun night, so we went along for a laugh. And guess what? We actually won! It has never happened before and probably never will again but we were pleased with ourselves anyway.

My garden is looking lovely. The cooler weather means that my daffodils are still in flower and they have been the cause of a lot of comments in person and on Facebook. The other British folk around here say they have never seen them in this region before.

But this week I have a very Spanish flower to show you. It is a succulent plant that used to be in the back yard until the dogs - puppies then - decided it tasted good, and kept eating it or uprooting it from its pot! I rescued a small piece that was still intact and planted it in a new pot and put it in the front garden, where until now, it has done absolutely nothing. But this week it has suddenly broken into flower and it is beautiful.

The flowers are a very deep, bright,  orangey-yellow, and now it has started, it should go on producing them for several weeks. So it was worth me salvaging it after all.

On Wednesday I went to my usual house group in the afternoon. This means about a thirty minute drive inland, and a bit up into the foothills, so it tends to be a little cooler. On the way back I drew in to a small rest area so I could look at the sky for a while. There is very open terrain so there is a good view across the campo to the distant mountains where some very impressive cloud formations were hovering.

On the way I noticed some new snow on the highest peak, but by my return the clouds had come low enough to obscure it.

Just across to my left the palm trees were swaying in the wind, and a new bank of storm clouds were being blown in. I reckon it was pretty wet for anyone up on the mountain side.

But then I turned through 180º and looked behind me and it was a completely different view. It is hard to image two such diverse scenes taken from the one position.

This certainly is a land of contrasts!

Other things to be grateful for this week: 

A warm fire and cosy room to sit in for the evenings and share some family time.

My visitors this week are vegetarians which takes me a bit out of my comfort zone, and it is almost impossible to find a vegetarian option on a menu around here, but I have managed to find enough different meals to feed them, with no major disasters!

A lovely long walk on the campo with the dogs - so much easier when there are two more willing pairs of hands to hold the leads - and it was great to see the dogs run and enjoy themselves.

I have been asked to be guest designer on a challenge blog in May, because I was a winner last month. It is a challenge but an honour too. No doubt you will hear more about that nearer the time.

There are still three and half more days with Jonathan and Ella before we take them to the airport next Tuesday, and the forecast is for good weather right through ´til then. So plenty more opportunities to sit in the sun and enjoy their company.

An interesting time last night when we just stood and studied the stars. They were so bright that even the street lighting didn´t detract from them.

Although the clouds were broken in the evenings, there was not enough sun for any really good sunsets, but I did take this picture one teatime because it was so striking.

Now I shall quickly link up with Annie´s Friday Smiles and Virginia at Celtic House, and get back outside to see what our plans are for the rest of today.

Rocking your world 2015: Week 12

Hello again folks. I don´t have so very much to write about this week, but first I have a real gem to share with you. I was at a friends house one afternoon this week, with a group of others, and we got to chatting about recipes (as you do!). My friend offered to lend me a little recipe book that she had bought at a second-hand stall. It was very old, and had been compiled by a group of ladies to raise funds for their cause. I copied a few nice sounding recipes from it to try sometime, but at the back there were a few "Hints and Tips", and in among them I found this.

How times have changed!!

Last week I told you about a rather strange fiesta in our village which took place this year on a truly scorching day. We were so lucky as it was a day for picnics and sitting outside with friends. Well, the next day the weather turned and it has been getting progressively colder and wetter ever since! I can´t remember when we last had a full week of rain, and it isn´t due to stop until the middle of next week! My son is coming out on holiday with his partner on Monday, so I am really hoping it picks up soon so they get to see some sunshine while they are here.

One good thing about the cold weather is that my daffodils are still blooming. In fact there are several more flowers now, and a second type with smaller flowers and more yellow trumpets, are now appearing among the others.

We thought we had finished with the fire now, and I had moved on from my winter clothes to my "between seasons" wardrobe, but I am back in trousers and long sleeves this week. I went into the sitting room just now where Chris was watching rugby on the television, and there were three dogs laid down in front of the fire,...

...Paco and Luna on one chair...

...and Tango over on the other one!

They all looked very comfortable, and not inclined to move for a while. They are probably in the best place too, because I can here thunder rolling around the hills. We have had to throw covers everywhere so they don´t make the furniture dirty. Last night we had what the locals refer to as "the red rain", which is when it bring with it the red sand from the dessert, so today everywhere has a thick layer of wet red mud on it, and the animals tread it all over the room.

Arwen doesn´t come down to that room. She doesn´t like company and still stays in my craft room most of the time. But just occasionally she adopts a different place. This week she was cross with me because I kept moving her to use my silhouette machine, so she decided to take root on the mat in our bathroom. She still has her full winter coat and she looks like a big furry caterpillar when she lays like this. Her hair is matting underneath now and she needs her twice-yearly shave, but I am waiting for it to get a little bit warmer for her. She gets uncomfortable and will be a much happier girly when it has all been shaved off.

Yesterday I went down to Mojacar Playa for a specialist shop down there, and I stopped to walk along the edge of the beach for a while. It was damp and grey but I find it quite exciting, and I like walking into the wind. I only had my phone with me but I stopped to take a picture of the sea.

It all looked a bit bleak, but I love it when the sea is lively, and I could stand and watch the waves breaking for ages.

Looking behind me the view was not so good. The low cloud hid all the lovely mountains which have houses dotted all the way up. I bet there wasn´t much of a view from them that morning.

Although I enjoyed my little walk, knowing I could soon be home when I had had enough, I felt very sorry for the holiday-makers, trying to pull light-weight jackets around them as they marched along the sea front, probably looking for a warm bar where they could sit for yet another cup of coffee. I am sure they hadn´t bargained on a whole week of rain when they saved up for their week away in sunny Spain!

Today was not much better. We certainly didn´t get even a tiny glimpse of the eclipse this morning. But it was the day of my coffee morning at my friends house, so I was up early. That was lucky as I had to hose all the sand off the car before I could drive away, or I wouldn´t have been able to see where I was going. Despite the weather we had a really good turn out. I was too busy to take photos, but I did get one of a few folk who sat down just long enough to enjoy their coffee before they went around the stalls again. It is not a very good photo but I like it because they all look happy.

I did well on my stall taking 65€ which was excellent for a function like that. Most of it was from selling marmalade, jam and pickles, but I did sell some craft items too. Most of my little ducks and chickens sold. They are all cosies holding a cream egg. I shall make a few more of those for my Gallarte sale over the Easter weekend.

I also sold this owl basket that I made this week. It was a pattern from the internet that I really wanted to try. It was crocheted with three strands of chunky wool which made it a very sturdy basket, but it was tough to hold and work, especially as the damp weather has made all my knuckles swell up and ache. But I think he is lovely, and I shall try to make another one in a different colour this week.

My word, the rain is really coming down now! We don´t have gutters on our houses, so when it rains hard it just falls off the roof and spouts at all the corners and it sounds like a waterfall. Normally we would just be grateful to see some rain filling all the reservoirs, and watering the gardens, before the long hot summer that we should be getting quite soon. We are lucky enough to have a warm(ish), dry house where we can all get cosy, and the rain is important in an agricultural community. I just want our son to see the sun next week.

But there is still plenty to be grateful for. 

Today I was very grateful to our friend Tony who came out with his jump leads and got my car going when the battery died! He even followed me home to make sure I didn´t stall on the way.

I was also grateful to our mechanic friend Andy who came out this afternoon and brought a new battery for us. In a village with no public transport at all, we really miss the car when it is off the road for any reason. But now I can drive into Turre tomorrow and buy some wool to tackle another owl basket over the weekend.

The storm is getting closer and I need to shut down the computer so I will quickly link up with Annie´s Friday Smiles, and Virginia at Celtic House, and hopefully I will be able to get to visit you all tomorrow.