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Poppies in the almond field
I think poppies are the flowers that make everyone smile. The colour, heads nodding in the breeze. They are so cheerful.5 to remember la amapola – poppy la sonrisa – smile la cabeza – head meciendo/a –...
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Beautiful beautiful higo
A friend who is visiting us at the moment showed us his collection of photographs from a holiday last autumn in South Africa. And there, unmistakeably, was the pink-flowering higo del mar. Also known...
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A plague of white fly
I have just finished the most disgusting task: pruning the oleanders [and we have hundreds] to get rid of the residue of dead white fly. We have been plagued this summer with white fly, something we...
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Orange globes
The last trees to flower and bear baby fruit are the pomegranates. Their flowers are bright orange, their tiny fruit are orange globes. The splash of colour is welcome in the valley which is gradually...
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The right vintage?
The elderly Spaniard who lived in this house until his death ten years or so ago grew grapes and made wine. Some of his vines survived the re-construction works by the subsequent owners, the people we...
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Freshly-picked salad
The three fresh elements of this salad were picked and prepared immediately, we ate them for lunch 10 minutes after picking. And we could tell the difference. I swear that this simple mixture of...
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The Spanish way of making-do
There’s something thrifty about the rural Spanish people we live amongst that reminds me of my parents’ generation who grew up in World War Two and learned how to make-do, how to do without, how to...
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Pretty sunset
Temperatures here lately have soared above 40 degrees C so we have gone into full Spanish mode: up early to get the gardening jobs done in the cool of the early morning, then sheltering inside our cool...
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The sound of… an oriole in the plum tree*
* with apologies to Chris Stewart Our terrace hangs on the edge of the hillside, near to us are three fruit trees – one plum, two fig – and directly in front is a huge spreading walnut tree. The local...
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Watch… early morning sun and breeze in the big walnut tree
This is my favourite time of day, before breakfast, sitting on the terrace with a cup of tea, looking south and watching the sun creep its way around the valley from the east. The sun, the shadows, the...
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