Amarillo

Forget the Peter Kay song, Amarillo (said am-a-rio) means yellow in Spanish, and amarillo is deffinitely the colour of March in Spain. After a day of bending over boxes so big I can't reach the bottom of them, by teatime yesterday I felt the need to stretch in a different direction, so I took myself off for a walk around the outskirts of the village, and everywhere I went, it was yellow. The fields in this photo are covered with the harsh yellow of wild crysanthemums and marguerites, which are so beautiful close up, and they are offset by the more acidic yellow of the oxalis which thrives everywhere. It carpets the ground under the citrus trees and pops out of every crack and crevise in the pavements. Then there is the usual coltsfoot type of daisies, various 'pea' flowers like the ones we used to call 'egg and bacon' as children, and on the scrub land there are masses of small mounds that ressemble heather except that the flowers are yellow. Soon it will be the turn of the broom which is smothered with buds and just the first few of its flowers. Trees aren't exempt from yellow fever either. Gone is all the pretty almond blossom only to be replaced by mimosa in great abundance. We went back to the flat on Tuesday and I took a photo from our verandah of a neighbouring house where every tree in the garden was dripping with fluffy yellow balls. And they don't only grow in gardens; the roads are lined with mimosa bushes and trees, so you have to wonder where all the trees have gone that were covered in pink blossom when we went away! Even the lemon trees play their part in the colour scheme. Oranges need to be picked or they fall and rot, but lemons can stay on the tree until they are needed, even when the blossom forms for the next crop, so there are plenty of them, still to be seen. I took photos of the flowers, but there were too many to show them all so I have made up a composite collage picture of some of them.As for the unpacking, it is progressing well. I have opened all the boxes though some will not actually be emptied yet. For instance, my Flower fairy collectors plates will remain safely in their bubble wrap until we are ready to hang them. I have to say, I did a good job with the packing. There are no breakages so far. I have kept all the bubble wrap for future use. I'll advertise the packing cartons on the Arboleas forum next week, and anyone who wants them can have a box of bubble wrap as well. I think I must have used half a tree's worth of kitchen roll as well, but I have smoothed it all out and put it in a box. I won't need to buy any for the next few months, but at least it won't be wasted. I spent today sorting out the kitchen and larder, and surprisingly most things have found a home. It will be the spare bedroom next before our first visitors arrive. Now I'm off to cook tea. Such a nuisance having to stop for food, but I guess we have to do it!