Casa Rosales

Casa Rosales

Sunday 16 June 2013

The Cherry Orchard

Last week, as I read that the UK was having its first heatwave for absolutely ages, we were enduring the relatively chilly temperatures of about 17 degrees. As I dug out my thicker clothes and took my cardigan with me when I ventured out, I was put in mind of the old saying : 'Cast ne'er a clout til May is out', which made some sense to me when I lived in the notoriously fickle-weathered Pennine area of Yorkshire.

But here in Spain, there is a similar - nay even more prudent - saying - 'Hasta el 40 Mayo, no quites el sayo' - which means, 'until the 40th of May, don't take your coat off'.

Well, that makes it around the 9th or 10th June and it was pretty spot on.



This week, we've had temperatures of 36 degrees.
It's nearly killed off some of our new plants, which, because they went in rather late this year, haven't yet got themselves quite established.
We're holding out hope but there are a couple of trees that don't look too good.








I've had a week of feeling well below par myself, starting out with some sort of stomach bug which left me with chronic backache and a very stiff neck - though I'm really not sure how these two things are related. We are really lucky here in Alcala to have a wonderful masseuse at hand for all things painful. She's a most lovely English woman, married to a Dutchman, with many years experience in providing specialised treatment - often for sports injuries and to some pretty high-ranking sportsmen - when she lived in Majorca. (Go figure who.) She gave me some treatment yesterday and I felt so much better afterwards - I may have to go again next week too....

And I've been not 'bloglovin' recently. I've been concentrating on preparing students for their exams - indeed, those of them doing the Cambridge syllabus have now done the exams and I've no more classes with them. I've had some sleepless nights worrying (without any real reason) that if they don't pass it will be all my fault, though the other teacher and I have a pretty clear idea as to how it will go for each of them. But I'm obsessing a bit as my contact with them comes to an end.

I would have loved to have spent the last week of term having fun but tradition at the Academy has it that all the classes do exams in the last week. My youngest group have theirs on Monday and then, on their last day, after the first 20 minutes, their parents come in to see me to get their results and for me to give them their marks. I'd much rather sing songs and play games with them but they'll all be fine with the exam and we have all had a lot of fun this year - and goodness me, I'm very proud of them!

And on Friday - when the school term ends - a whole group of students taking the Trinity Syllabus have their Oral exam. What an end to the year. I'm very hopeful that some of them will get really good results and the nice thing is that we will know by the end of the day, which of them have passed. This  has been a lovely syllabus to teach, but as this is the first time the Academy has offered it - and the first time that Toni and I have taught it - there has been an enormous amount of work for us to do to ensure we've got it right. We still have a mountain of paperwork to complete before the end of Wednesday - so I have been a bit preoccupied. So much so that I've hardly read any blogs - so apologies if I've missed any of your lovely posts.

Now then, this post was going to be about our wonderful neighbour, Sergio. I wonder if I've already gone on too much about other things to start with him now? Especially as it's half-past midnight. Oh, what the heck - I'm here and I'm typing and the children are upstairs watching 'The Fellowship of the Ring' - again - and FR is working on the other computer.

Sergio lives just a little further along the road from our house, with his aged parents. He is the fount of all knowledge and I am so very glad we have got to know him.

Our relationship began early on - he walks his three handsome and huge dogs every day and passes all around the village, thus getting to know all the gossip. He has small pieces of land in various different places around the village, which seems the usual thing around here, so he pops up unexpectedly in front of us on nearly all our walks.

He calls us up to insist we come for a walk just now because the light is perfect to appreciate the views. He dragged FR off to buy tomato and pepper plants to put on his land as we'd decided not to plant on our land this year (lack of water and fencing - the latter a problem as the sheep and goats pass over our land - they've already eaten the potatoes we planted there!) He made the children go and pick wild strawberries the other day.




He is wonderful to talk to because he knows so much - I've found myself having conversations with him about things from archery (he has a hunting bow) to vets (he knows them all and which are the best). He is also full of advice - from cars to chorizo - even which dog food provides the best consistency of dog poo...!

My vocabulary has increased remarkably since I met Sergio.


Last week, he took FR and the children off to pick cherries from his cherry field - I say field as it isn't an orchard in that quintessentially 'English' orchard way - though I guess orchard would do really.
This year has been dreadful for the cherries as there was a late frost and so there is not a lot of fruit. He told us this week that it's not worth harvesting them for sale, so we should go and take what we want.






So this evening, we did just that.

We filled our bags and ate cherries from the branches.

It was clear that there was a problem this year as some trees had no fruit at all - but the odd one or two was laden and delicious.








It was no surprise when Sergio suddenly turned up on his motorbike. He told us the cherries would be even better in a couple of days but that it was due to rain on Tuesday and if it did, then the cherries would be ruined.

I wouldn't argue with Sergio - he's always right. I should have asked him if it was a cherry orchard, I guess. I will do that.









18 comments:

  1. With all that's been going on with the exams I'm glad you could still get your priorities right and go to pick cherries....and what a generous man Sergio is.

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    1. I think I was beginning to lose the perspective - I almost didn't go. But glad I did - we have loads...hmmm, some cherry conserve is calling!
      Sergio is an absolute star! He's just great.
      Axxx

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  2. Glad you found time to blog, Sergio sounds a treat.

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    1. I've been off bloggin' to be truthful, but as Sergio came roaring up the hill on his bike, it suddenly came to me. I shouldn't have waffled at the start because I could have told you lots more about him. And will!
      Axxx

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  3. Our heat wave came to an end... I had the wood burner going again last night!
    Sx

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    1. Oh dear...if it's any consolation, we put ours on whenever the temperature drops below 18 here. The house has such thick walls, it can really feel chilly inside even when it's warm out.
      Fingers crossed that wasn't 'it' for you.
      Axxx

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  4. That Sergio looks quite a handsome fellow and very knowledgeable too........and he let you harvest his cherries, a nice friend to have I think.

    I can understand you may be feeling a little nervous at the moment Annie, with all your students sitting their exams...........I home educated my youngest two, and exam time was gut wrenching to say the least.............I'm sure they'll all do you proud.

    Hope you feel better after your massage.........I think I could do with something like that at the moment......this viral infection has certainly taken its toll.
    Kim xx

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    1. I know Sergio is a good chap because my gruff old boot of a husband has all the time in the world for him. That's really saying something!
      Until late evening on Friday, I think I shall be on tenterhooks! I hope I do them proud too and that they find their interview familiar and comfortable.
      I felt great after the massage on Friday but I do believe another one would make me feel even better - give it a go, Kim. It's awful feeling under the weather. (Oops, didn't mean to mention the weather...)
      Axxx

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  5. When you mentioned your paperwork it gave me flash backs to how at this time of year our dining-room table used to be piled high.Our next door neighbour said she had never seen so much paper!

    Your neighbour sounds interesting.I feel there will be more adventures to follow--i hope so.

    Feel better soon Annie. x Maria

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    1. Yes, Maria, I have a huge pile of papers but yesterday, I was able to sit out in the sunshine and check things, so not too onerous.
      Our neighbour is a gem - and could fill a blog on his own with all the things that happen to him!
      Thank you...I am feeling much better and looking forward to the children being at home over the summer. We all need a rest from routine.
      Axxx

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  6. Will you please come "home" to England immediately! We need caring, dedicated teachers like you - AND you still say "fount" and not "font" like nearly everyone else. Perfection!

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    1. So glad to have pleased you, Nilly, with my 'fount'. It's how I say it and always have but hadn't really given it much thought until now. Apparently, the two words are interchangeable.
      I could do a whole post on the things people say that irritate me. I think at long last my children now know that it is a sin punishable by a screaming harridan of a mother to say 'I must of' - even if they know it's incorrect and would never write it thus. I can't bear to hear it and would without hesitation whip round and correct a complete stranger even if they were behind me on a bus.
      (I do make the odd mistake or three myself - keep finding some howlers in old blog posts!)
      As for coming 'home' - I am home now. :-)
      Axxx

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  7. We could all do with a Sergio in our lives. What a treasure. Your bug sounds very much like the one I had last month. Not pleasant, but hopefully like mine, it will soon go. Hope you feel better.

    Just looking at your reply to a comment above, and we share the same pet hate "I must of"...aaargh. And I have to stop myself constantly correcting people in case I offend. Actually, I am dismayed at the poor spelling and grammar on Facebook. In fact, more shocked than dismayed. It's dreadful. And another pet hate...people who insist in writing "text speak". OK acceptable for text messages to keep down costs and space, but they insist in writing it everywhere else. So irritating. Hmm...I'll shut up now :-)

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    1. Sergio is a real star, Ayak, a treasure indeed - though not without his comic side! Another post, perhaps. Bug has now departed and I am feeling fine again, thanks, and I do hope you are too.

      I am much better now I live in Spain and don't correct people every 5 seconds, but I'd become quite unbearable for some of my team members with my constant corrections when I lived in the UK. Now, I'm much more conscious of not expressing myself in perfect Spanish! But, I don't (can't) do text speak but if I could, like you, I would only use them in their place!
      Axxx

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  8. Yes, you are home now.... looking at your reply to nilly's comment.

    Anxieties over your responsibilities to your students, frustrations about a system that doesn't let you play and celebrate with your students when you want to....and having a Sergio to be your "fount" sounds like being properly engaged, involved and passionate about your here and now life, It also sounds like you being passionate about continuing to learn ( now there's a phrase...life long learning) for the life that you have and want to develop. That's what its all about Annie, and we are going to talk this all through over a few glasses of wine !

    This is a perfect post, and sums you up perfectly. Get more pies made woman !!!! and then share and enjoy them with your beautiful family and friends, and good luck for results day. Jxxxxxxx

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    1. I have read, marked and am inwardly digesting your wise words, Janice. They are music to my ears. Thank you. And cheers!
      Axxx

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  9. None of this post is waffle, Annie, just another lovely glimpse of family and personal life being lived in your little corner of the world. Anxieties about your students, walks with your characterful new neighbour, revelling in making the best of the chrry harvest - it's all so interesting and expressive of you and your view of life.

    Fingers crossed for the results on Friday and here's to a peaceful and enjoyable first summer in your new home.

    PS I do hope we see a few cherries on our trees this year when we get to France. Last year's harvest just didn't happen. :-(

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    1. Thank you Perpetua. I'm getting some really good feedback from some of my students on how their oral exam has gone, so the anxiety levels are reducing somewhat. And I made a wonderful cherry pie - and will make more, perhaps to share with Sergio, though the Spanish don't usually go in for pies...
      Thank you so much for the good wishes and crossed fingers - I shall do the same for your cherries as there is almost nothing better than fresh cherries, is there?
      Axxx

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