Striding Out

The weather is just perfect now. Not too hot, but sunny. A fresh breeze that is energising and carries with it the glorious honeyed scent of almond blossom. It's almost a year since we moved ourselves into our new home - it seems both much longer ago and yet just a moment ago.




It's perfect weather for sitting outside reading the last Harry Potter novel.













Perfect for watching the full moon rise over the hill in the evening. (Even if photographing it is still a challenge!)

And having Pippin means a lot of lovely walks - twice a day - and I do most of them, so I'm very grateful the weather has been so good!



Today, I took two willing assistants and we decided to head for a pretty mound on a hill at a walkable distance away. It's visible in the middle of the picture.....

...and here it is close up. Very pretty, full of almond trees in blossom and a little 'oasis' of colour in amongst all the olives.

Setting Off....Ruy in slightly the wrong direction.

Arrived at the summit - time for a drink!

We passed several bee hives - wonder where we might find the honey...

We could see our house and so zoomed in - looks different from this angle - and I'm imagining a swimming pool where the trampoline is. Could be rather nice one day!

We were actually quite a distance away...ours is the house in the middle of the picture.

And doesn't Pip look healthy, happy and handsome.

We had another lovely walk this evening in another direction - but I forgot the camera. It's been one of those beautiful weekends that has seemed longer than usual, with more sunny moments and time to enjoy each other's company. Hope your's has been too.

I'm working up to another Annieversary post - not quite sure how it will look but I have another few days to think about it.

Annieversaries...

March is the month of many of my own 'annieversaries' ...these are personal and important dates for me. And the pun is too good to resist!

At the beginning of the month, I realised I was coming up to the first of my 'Annieversaries' - my Wednesday morning Spanish Conversation class. I hold this with a group of English people who are keen to improve their Spanish, but who simply couldn't cope with the grammar-driven method often used by Spaniards to teach their language. Many had tried lots of different classes and given up - only to give another one a go a few months later and give up again. Most have some basic level of Spanish and many have a very wide vocabulary but lack confidence in putting it all together.
In my class - which is confessedly NOT a teaching class - I aim to help people with specific conversation requirements...things they can use with neighbours, at the market, in the bar, at a restaurant - and they have the chance to practice without embarrassment. It's not a large group - probably seven or so at the most and although I have had some 'drop-outs' for various reasons, including financial, health and returning to the UK, I am delighted to say that many of my class have stuck with me for quite some time - and Tony has missed only ONE class in all the three years we've been meeting!! Time to celebrate, I felt. So last Wednesday morning, I took in some splendid little cakes and biscuits and some fresh orange juice and bottle of Cava...and we celebrated in style (well, in plastic cups, but hey, it was lovely!)

I do hope we can continue this class - where our conversation wanders from the roots of English, to places to visit, to how to say 'I'm dying to go the loo', to condolences and good wishes - for another three years!
Thank you all for making Wednesday mornings such a pleasure and for remember at least some of the new words and phrases I try to teach you! You know who you are!!


Another little 'Annieversary' was actually an FR and Annie anniversary. On the 10 March - also the day of a good friend's birthday, which could be part of the reason why I remember it so well - we met! It was at a band reheasal in Bradford. FR had recently moved to Leeds and was studying at the Leeds College of Music. He met a flute player there who brought him along to the reheasal. I remember it as though it were yesterday. He was sitting in a big overcoat, looking half-frozen and studying his music, counting to himself (in English, I noted) even though he was clearly NOT English. I thought he was Italian. And I couldn't keep my eyes off him...though, unfortunately for me, he was directly in front of a trombone player, who thought I was looking at him and who was returning my 'interest' - that took a little sorting out later!

At the break in the rehearsal, I went to speak to the interesting-looking stranger - and I wasn't the only one! I was really surprised to discover he was Spanish as I didn't think the Spanish travelled much to the north of England...and they don't usually. I remembered that I had done a Spanish 'O' level whilst in the Sixth Form but sadly, could only remember two words, neither which were great conversation starters. (One was mantequilla, which is butter and the other was zapatos, which means shoes...) However, FR was keen to speak English and at the end of the rehearsal, a friend and I 'kidnapped' him and took him back to my flat where we spent an hilarious evening listening to FR's stories and thoughts in his enthusiastic and ambitious but still flawed English! I particularly remember him graphically describing how Beethoven's 9th Symphony made him think of Beethoven riding on a chariot pulled by six black whores....It was a powerful image and as I asked him why black whores, I realised he actually meant 'horsES'. Plurals can be tricky!

17 days later, he moved into my flat and we have been together now for 18 years. Feels like longer sometimes, but when I think of that very first day, I always laugh!


And as we move into the middle of March, one year ago, we got the keys to Casa Rosales! It wasn't officially ours and we didn't move in until the end of March but it was this time a year ago, that FR and I came over with our car loaded up with pictures, a bookcase and a sofa and began to establish ourselves here in our home. I love Annieversaries when they're so full of joy and happiness.

The only cloud on the horizon - the only Annieversary that I won't really celebrate this month -  is that it marks the return of our lovely friends, the Greers, to the UK - to David's native Scotland. We saw the New Year in with them, they helped us move here, they are there when we've needed them and I shall miss them dreadfully. Work here is sporadic and unreliable and when you still have mortgages to pay, it can make every day more difficult than it should be. Despite giving it their very, very best shot - and Sam has certainly done that - they are leaving Alcala la Real and their beautiful home here (with the best view in town) to take up 'proper' jobs again. I can't begin to imagine quite how much I shall miss them and Sam in particular. To find a really good friend is always special but to find one in one's chosen spot is really good fortune...I wish them all the luck in the world - we all do.

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Pippin has spent a month with us and is now about 11 weeks old - during which time he has doubled in size and weight....

Pippin little...

Pippin after two weeks...

Pippin this morning...

We're able to take him out on walks now as he's had all his injections. This morning was glorious and I took the camera with me to capture the beginnings of Spring in Villalobos.

And I discovered that Pippin would like to go swimming...he was straight in the stream! He's proving a very headstrong pup and is taking up a lot of my energy and time! He is wonderful at 'Sit' - but pretty rubbish at everything else, preferring to run away than to come here; to force his way back inside when I say 'out'; and to chew every plant pot and plant he can find when he IS outside and to bite all the children's feet and trousers and anything else that he can get his teeth into....I'm working on him. This time next year - when it's Annieversary time again - he'll be a credit to me. (Oh, I DO hope so!)

Any special events for you this month?

February 'Fotofest'

I promised photos so without further ado - please let me share some of the lovely sights of February's Carnaval in Alcala la Real (plus a couple of snaps of Pippin.)

Romy as tomato... looking utterly edible.

In the main square waiting to start the parade around the streets.

As well as fruit and veg, there were spiders...

And elves...this is one of my little pupils....looks like butter wouldn't melt....

There were pizza chefs - Romy's old classmates from Alonso de Alcala primary

One of my students from last year - I saw lots of them and got a
good many hugs, which was lovely!

There was a sparkly band...

Little mice and kittens - cutest things you've ever seen.

How gorgeous!

Houses big and small...

An amazing turn out from the disabled group - countries of the world -

So much work has gone in to these costumes...

And from the Residential Home, there were gnomes....

Some of them clearly had no idea what was going on, whilst other were having a great time....

And even had toadstool umbrellas!

And here come the fruit and veg again....

No rain, plenty sunshine and a lovely - if slightly smaller than usual - parade. Not all the children came out, which was a shame for some of them. But they made a lovely cheerful sight after the rather miserable month. The main Carnaval procession is tomorrow evening. We might just pop along and have a look!

And now for a few Pippin photos.

He's difficult to capture sometimes....

The camera straps are a chewing opportunity...

Or he whizzes past so quickly, I miss him (great tail, though!)

He can get one ear up .... cute, eh?

And he's a great flowerpot stealer...

He'll fit his cage perfectly....SOON!!

He was chewing the wheelbarrow planter...he was!

And he practises being very handsome.

And tomorrow, it's the 1st of March and Spring is on its way! I never like February much, makes me crave hibernation, but now, I feel ready for the long walks that Pippin will surely need! Just one more injection and a microchip needed. 

Hope those of you who have had it up to you know where with snow and wind and rain find a little sunshine coming your way from now on.

Here's to Spring.

Don't rain on my parade...

Here in Alcala la Real, it's Carnaval time. Or should be. It should have been on Friday. It didn't happen

In previous years, when Romy was at Alonso de Alcala, a Primary school just 200 metres from where she is now, we parents were given a theme, a costume design and sort of had to get on with it. Usually, things turned out pretty well - most years, the sun shines on Carnaval.

This year, in her new school, an intrepid teacher has made the costumes. Romy is a tomato. We should have seen all the primary schools parading through the streets on Friday but guess what - it rained on Friday! Thursday was glorious sunshine - and indeed, Saturday and Sunday were glorious too. How unfair we cried.

Anyway, now, the parade will be on Tuesday and the weather forecast looks OK. I am looking forward to seeing the costumes and hope I recognise my little tomato as she passes in a parade of fruit and veg.

On Friday evenings, I give an English class to two lovely little girls - Rocio and Lucia, I've been teaching them since last summer and they are wonderful - we sing and read stories most weeks but now that I teach them in their house, over the year the lesson has turned into more of a craft session in English as both they (and their mother) and keen and clever makers of things. We have a great time - making things like Christmas cards, advent calendars, Valentine cards, treasure maps, and sometimes we do a bit of Zentangling. The hour and a half flies by and we all enjoy ourselves. Sometimes, Romy comes too and she came with me this week as I thought we could make Carnival masks using some plain ones we've had at home for ages.

It was quite an inspired idea and we had a wonderful time.

Rocio has a Chinese costume so made a very simple mask to top off her outfit.













Lucia is a Princess in a blue dress and decided to be an 'Ice Princess' with some lovely snowflakes drawn for her by Rocio.













Romy decided she wanted more of a Venician mask but you can't quite see the lovely colours and highlights in this picture - it was a super one.

Rocio and Lucia

They did beautiful jobs and had great fun posing in them afterwards - as yet without their full costumes....we didn't have time to put those on.

Lucia and Romy

The only problem with them is that they make your face very hot after a little while!

Rocio and Romy

All three little posers.
Interesting that they do all look different even though the masks are all exactly the same....

On a completely different subject - with friends, we did some tangling at A Little Bit of Britain this morning. This is the fifth time we've met now and there is real progress being made and a couple of people have said that they are really feeling a benefit from doing it. I'm delighted to share my passion for this lovely craft. Here is a rather blurry picture of some of the tangles we were doing today.

 I think they look wonderful, even though we didn't all have quite enough time to finish off today. There are some lovely examples of how we all interpret the tangles differently. I am now thinking longingly of a proper Zentangle course for myself....how wonderful would that be? (Pretty unlikely to be honest too!)

And more of Pippin in another post. He's doing fine - dreadful nipper, wonderfully clean, sitting on command, starving hungry all the time - and growing!! Next set of photos I think I shall be able to demonstrate this last fact! We're just off now to the vets for his second injections - looking forward to taking him out for proper walks soon!

At the risk of...

being a puppy bore, here are some more photos of Pippin. He's only been with us a week today but it does feel as though he's been here for much longer. He's settled in beautifully - sleeps all night without making either a mess or a fuss; he's happy and responsive and now starting to be a bit naughty - enjoys nipping us on the back of our legs if we don't pay him attention and not coming when we call him...I'm working on it!
It's quite a full-on occupation to establish the right routines and make sure he gets a good mixture of stimulation, affection, attention and real play and it's no wonder I feel quite tired as I'm doing most of it. The children and FR are doing a bit here and there but it would seem I'm the only one who's never too busy to put Pippin first. (Do I sound like I'm complaining? I'm not, I love it and I love him!)

Here he is - I can see already how he's growing in length. He is going to be quite big, I think. I can't wait for him to have all his injections so we can go out for walks - though I do hope the weather is due to improve when we get to that stage! It's yeuky and rainy right now - it was sunny on Saturday and felt like Spring all of a sudden. I am so looking forward to our long sunny days again....

Here he is...I'm sure I'll have more and different things to talk about again one day soon.

It's a hard life!

New paws

A couple of weeks ago, I got a phone call to say that a couple in the next village had found a stray dog with her four puppies - were we interested? At the time, I was still in that place where I felt I ought to be thinking about another dog but it was still too painful to action. Not the time.

But then, last week, a photograph of the puppies was posted on the window of the local British shop - and I was smitten...not spurred to action but definitely smitten. On Thursday evening, one of my students came into class all excited because her parents had just brought home a puppy and that it had come from an English woman. Later that night, I wondered whether it could possibly be from the same litter that I was interested in...and if one had gone, what if they'd ALL gone... I called them the next day. And certainly, the evening before, a Spanish couple had taken one of the dogs...I won't know until Thursday whether my student and I are now related via our puppies - because yes, we went along on Friday and picked out our new puppy!

The couple who have been looking after the puppies have done a sterling job and our little chap arrived smelling sweet, beautifully groomed, well fed and
He's currently called Pippin - we did the usual extended discussion between Friday and last night - when we picked him up - trying to decide on the right name. We had everything from Hubble, to Pancho, to Tike, to Leo, to Floyd - none of which got the majority vote. Pippin pleased most and the children have begged me not to change it again! So Pippin he is.

An absolute poppet - he seems to have settled in beautifully and is just now asleep in his temporary home - a cardboard box. I'm off to collect a crate - though where it will go, I am not sure!!










It's as if a great weight has been lifted. It was absolutely the right thing to do and the right time to do it.


Welcome Pippin - born around the time Darwin went  - we are glad there is this link.

And the header photo on my blog stays for a little longer I think.