Sunday 30 May 2010

Day 2 – Nerja

What a pretty little town/village. Full of little white pristine cottages covered in gloriously coloured bougainvillea, from the palest pink to the deepest purple and occasionally a soft tangerine colour.

It was a fiesta day, the towns people were escorting a statue from the church in the main square up to some caves on the outskirts of town.

Most  of the locals were dressed in traditional Spanish clothes, the men wore braces and had a red neckerchief around their necks and, unusually, caps on their heads. some of the women were dressed the same – not sure why.

 

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The children were beautifully dressed as you can see.

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The girls and ladies wore flamboyant dresses of every colour and pattern you could imagine. All were very tight skimming over their hips then falling in a cascade of frills. some down to the ground but many were shorter – to the calf. They had traditional dancing shores on their feet or espadrilles and they all walked, danced, sang behind a cart or van which carried the smaller children and no doubt their lunch and liquid refreshments! In fact many seemed very merry soon after leaving the church!

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We discovered on the way home just how far they had to walk – several miles up hill to the caves where they celebrated with a BBQ and more dancing and singing.

We found our friends favourite bar – Cochrane's, set down a narrow little road off the square beautiful  decorated with different coloured pebbles.

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The bar overlooked the sea and was very pleasant.

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We had a good walk around the town and sat in the square enjoying a beer and people watching.Then we made our way slowly up the narrow streets back to the car. I did stop and buy Phe a Spanish dress and flower for her hair- pink ( of course) and white. In the shop there was a small yellow bird, no idea what it was, happily walking around on the counter and then being lovingly stroked by the owner. When Lynne spotted it she jumped and was out of the shop like lightening. i had no idea she was afraid of birds.

Back home to pre dinner drinks ( except for Mike) and a dinner of pork medallions on a cream sauce a la Barry. Very nice.

MAY 13TH WILL WE WON’T WE?

Fly off to Spain tomorrow.

Yes, our flight is due to leave Exeter at 10.a.m. tomorrow for Malaga but it is looking more & more doubtful.

According to the News Spanish airports are affected by the volcanic ash cloud although we, in the U.K. are clear.

I must confess to being a little disappointed not least because we have paid for our accommodation but safety must come first and our trip is not important.

What does surprise me is that contacting the airport and the  airline is not easy and no provision appears to have been made for extra staff to answer queries or to open the phone lines any earlier. We cannot phone before 8 a.m. which is difficult as we must leave home before then.

For the first time we have hired a taxi  to and from the airport just in case we do get to Spain but coming home  is delayed. Incurring extra car parking costs is unnecessary. A happy find actually as it is cheaper to get a taxi than pay for two weeks parking. Bonus.

So, we wait, I won’t be packing until later tonight, just in case, but if we don’t go – we don’t. Many more people will have their plans disrupted with huge impact on their lives whereas, we will just have our holiday delayed.

In the great scheme of things, nothing more than a minor irritation.

Our friend Lynne was delayed in Australia and eventually got home after a 46 hour journey via Singapore &  Frankfurt ,where she had an 8 hour wait, on her own.

No, I’m not complaining – honest!

Thursday morning, still no news so we tried to be positive and made all the last minute arrangements.

Taxi turned up on time and we had a pleasant trip to the airport without any holdups at Kingskerswell as there normally is. It was looking too good.

Arrived in departures, no hiccups and were on our plane by 10.10a.m. only a few minutes late. Quite a bumpy ride up through the clouds but very fast and arrived right on time. Luggage waiting when we got to the carousel and friends waiting to whisk us away to Torrox.

Weather not brilliant, overcast and a few spots of rain on the windscreen but we were here so no longer worried about the volcano.

Nice flat, 2 beds, 2 bathrooms and a large balcony overlooking the sea on the side.

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Next day was dry and sunny but sooooooooooo windy, The washing blew over on the balcony and we certainly would not be eating al fresco.

We drove up into the hills to Old Torrox. A mass of white buildings set in the lea of the mountains. Then up on to ???? where we walked around the village, full everywhere you looked with pots and flowers stunning.

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We came across a fantastic cemetery where  the coffins are placed on top of each other to form a wall. each one has a dedication written on it and all were covered with brightly coloured artificial flowers.

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I was not sure whether I should take photos, would it be offensive to anyone I wondered? However, no one was around so I did and here they are. It must be marvellous to be so loved and honoured but your family in this way.

As we were leaving the wind, which was already very strong, became even stronger, screaming through the trees and creating a dust cloud which blew directly in our faces.  The spirits had not liked their pictures taken – sorry.

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Right up in the mountains it was very Frio – Brrr to say the least so we had lunch inside a traditional Spanish restaurant.

We ordered a mixture of Tapas which was cheese, olives, mackerel, prawns,ham and anchovies with fresh crusty bread. We ordered a side of chips which was huge and thoroughly enjoyed this impromptu meal.

Back down to the coast past beautiful wild flowers hugging the rocks, purple and pink and yellow daisy like flowers. Guess who for got her camera?

Dinner was a pick and mix of cheese and ham and salad, I was very hungry and made a pig of myself with the olives.

After quite a busy day Lynne and I went off to bed whilst the boys poured themselves a whisky or two,Three.Four …………… you get the idea.

They got very loud, laughing and playing Barry’s iplayer and then there was an enormous crash. That’s the damage deposit gone I thought.

Eventually Mike appeared. Very unsteady on his feet and giggling.

He staggered to the wall, which held him up whilst he took his clothes off and then collapsed into bed.Within seconds he was snoring and I turned over to go to sleep. Then all hell broke loose, he woke up choking, gonna be sick he says so I run to the kitchen – no bowls or buckets so I picked up the carrier bags. He was sitting on the side of the bed swaying quite dangerously when I placed the bag in his lap.

Three hours later it finally stopped and after his umpteenth apology he fell asleep. That was after I had stripped the cover off the duvet, the pillowcases off the pillows and the sheets off the bed. All plonked in the bath to soak. Washed the floor, moved the rug and fell into my bed. 4.05 A.M. GREAT!

Here endeth the first day.

 

Saturday 29 May 2010

Pink Saturday – Happy 2nd. Birthday

Just returned from holiday last night I received an email from Beverley regarding this weekend’s birthday celebrations.

Hope I am not too late to participate – here is my tribute to Beverley 

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Happy Birthday Everyone

Love

JJ

Now go and check out other participants at

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Monday 10 May 2010

Angel Trumpets

In answer to many who asked what these flowers are -

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I believe they are commonly known as Angel Trumpets.

Here is the description from Wikipedia.

Brugmansia are large shrubs or small trees, reaching heights of 3–11 m, with tan, slightly rough bark.

The leaves are alternate, generally large, 10–30 cm long and 4–18 cm broad, with an entire or coarsely toothed margin, and are covered with fine hairs.

The name Angel's Trumpet refers to the large, very dramatic, pendulous trumpet-shaped flowers, 14–50 cm to 20 inches long and 10–35 cm across at the wide end. They are white, yellow, pink, orange or red, and have a delicate, attractive scent with light, lemony overtones, most noticeable in early evening. Flowers may be single or double.

[edit] Toxicity

All parts of Brugmansia plants contain dangerous levels of poison and may be fatal if ingested by humans or animals, including livestock and pets. Contact with the eyes can cause pupil diliation (mydriasis) or unequal pupil size (anisocoria).[3] Some municipalities prohibit the purchase, sale, or cultivation of Brugmansia plants

 

We found them in the mountain area in the Costa Blanca growing behind a stone wall. As you can see, they were very large compared with my friends hand

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none of us realised that they sare extremely poisonous – luckily no ill effects.

If you Google them you will see some stunning different coloured ones.

Sunday 9 May 2010

More Flowers of Spain

As promised last week I have searched my albums for more Spanish flowers.

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A little bar up in the mountains.

Do you speaker de English Senor? Yea wot d'yer want?

 

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hoping you liked these photos too.

I will not be here for a few weeks as we are off to the Costa Del Sol so I hope to have more Spanish flowers for you when I return.

Click on this link to see more of natures beauty.

http://flowersfromtoday.blogspot.com/

TODAY'S FLOWERS TEAM

LUIZ SANTILLI JR. - DENISE IN VIRGINIA - LAERTE PUPO - VALKYRIEN

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Saturday 8 May 2010

Friendship

 

Sunday lunch went well I know

Relaxed, chilled out were we

The beer & wine enhanced our mood

And everyone was merry.

 

The weather kind, no wind or rain

A perfect day to dine

Al fresco on the deck with friends

And share our thoughts, t’was fine.

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We talked of things that make us glad

Our kids, grandchildren too

And also those, which make us sad

As only friends can do.

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We care for those we’ve known so long

We understand each other

We laugh and cry, our spirits soar

With joy for one another.

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Tis time to go, our friends then said,

We’ve had a lovely day.

 

Good food & company can’t be beat

But, we must be on our way.

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A lovely day was had by all

Even the sun shone bright

How wonderful such simple things

Can make our lives just right.

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Tuesday 4 May 2010

A day in the life of – little old me

I'm not sure about the guys, most of those I know just never ever see a mess but I, especially when not feeling my best, see all the jobs which need doing.

Yesterday after a week of bronchitis I thought I would give the sitting room a quick dust. Well, that was until I looked in the office - O.M.G. not been tidied or cleaned for weeks and weeks as I rarely use it now I have a laptop.

Our house guest had been using it, Toby uses the PC and Phoebe's dolls cot, pushchair, pram, high chair etc. etc had been piled in there and all the pictures I took down when decorating were in a heap in a corner.

With a big intake of breath I started, first putting all the frames in a big cardboard box which I got from the loft after a hike up the stairs. Found the biggest blackest spider under the frames - dead thank goodness, probably choked on the dust.

Cleaned out that corner and put box plus frames back.Rattan chair placed carefully in front to hide said frames.

In the opposite corner of the office were more pictures and frames which joined the others leaving another corner to clean . Another graveyard - this time full of woodlice. Table pulled out, down on hands and knees to thoroughly clean the floor and then a sit down was needed.

Dragging myself back into the room I decided to move Phoebe's stuff but before I could I had to make room for it in a cupboard.

Over to the cupboard......throw out spares for the Dyson which went to the tip months ago - try and sell those I think to myself. Call Mike for assistance and he removes unwanted items to the utility room.

Remember this for later.

Cupboard now has some spare capacity so all Phoebe's stuff joins her toys in the cupboard apart form the high-chair. Another sit down.

Back to the office, tidy all my artwork, brushes, paint, easel and paper which leaves me loads of room to put some empty baskets. They are empty - but not for long I guess.

Clean the surfaces, empty the overflowing bins, throw out old telephone directories ( no less than 5) and dust the book case.

Now huffing & puffing so loud that Mike offers to hoover when I've finished I take another little rest and a well deserved cup of tea. These are the times I really miss a ciggy but hey, it's 18 months since I stopped smoking and I feel so much better for it - don't I? NO!

One more trip into the office to move the TV onto the now bare looking table, close all the doors on the cupboards, clean the window sill and then stand back and admire the  final effect.

Looks great, I think but it won't last long - better take a photo or two for posterity and here they are.001

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JJ

PS - what have I done today apart from look after Phe? ...........nothing.00 

What will I do tomorrow? The Utility room?

Sunday 2 May 2010

Flowers of Spain

We go to Spain at least once a year and the variety of flowers is amazing.

Here are just a few

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As I don’t know the name of all these I will leave you just to enjoy them.

Plenty more to show you if you come back next week.

Have a wonderful Sunday with Today's Flowers

Click on this link to see more of natures beauty.

http://flowersfromtoday.blogspot.com/

TODAY'S FLOWERS TEAM

LUIZ SANTILLI JR. - DENISE IN VIRGINIA - LAERTE PUPO - VALKYRIEN