Andalucid Again

Summer in southern spain: a survivor's guide

Ask anyone around here - it's been a long hot summer.  From mid-July until last Friday, daytime highs rarely dipped below 35ºC (95ºF) and all too often hit 40ºC+ (104ºF). Anyone seen the movie 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'? I lived to tell the tale thanks to...

Dips in the pool - forcing my overheated limbs down the dusty track in blinding sunlight took some effort. But as soon as I slipped into the blue shell of the Los Piedaos pool and the cool water slipped past me, I was rewarded.  The pool is fringed with white oleander that smells of marzipan and honey, and clear water rushes out of the friendly lion's mouth. I shall miss him.

Sometimes I'd try the big pool at Puerta de la Alpujarra chalet centre next door. Often at lunchtime I had it all to myself, surrounded by whispering trees and with the mighty grey Sierra Lujar to gaze at as I counted off the lengths. The routine never varied - swim, sunbathe, absorb coffee, water, ciggies and Spanish on my i-Pod. Dreamy.

Iced tea - in the States this can involve a lot of sugar and sometimes exotic flavours. We take ours straight - chilled Yorkshire tea over lots of ice and a slice of lemon. Great alternative to the zombifying blend of alcohol and sunshine.

Afternoon siesta - Every afternoon around 3 pm I swore I wouldn't, then I did. An hour on the sofa with some easy reading and 20 minutes' sleep was vital.  Even if I did wake up grumpy and grunty...

Going underground - too hot to talk; too hot to cook; too hot to go out or have friends in. We simply lay low and watched far too much TV. I recommend it.

I hope your summer was as lazy and pleasant as mine. What are your top tips for surviving the sweaty season in Granada region? Let me know so I can add to my list!

New Year's Dissolutions

New Year's Eve can get me down.  I usually spend some time during the day making lists, each item beginning with 'No...'.  No chocolate, no cheese, no chips, no crisps....(do all fun foods begin with 'c'?) This is followed by a year plan, a timetable for each week, a 'To Do' list for each day.  And then I try to figure out how I can escape from all the rules I've created.

So this year I'm trying something different. In no particular order, this is my Top 10 list of simple pleasures, things I plan to do more of in 2012:

1. Winter morning walks with the mutts along our herby hillside paths, and the sun rising over the Sierra Lujar

2. Getting scarlet shellac nails done at Natalya's salon in Lanjarón

3. Wash, blow dry and Spanish conversation practice at Vanessa's salon opposite La Caixa bank in Lanjarón - all for under €10!

4. Best coffee in town and bite-size apple danish at Denebla (aka Café Arpy), while reading 'Mujer Hoy'

5. An afternoon at the Hammam, the traditional Arab baths in Granada.  Not the one in Santa Ana, the newer one in C/San Miguel Bajo

6. Dinner with old friends at Bar Health in Lanjarón. 

7. Tea and a ciggie on the stone bench down at the lily pond, watching the sun set behind the cypress trees on the hill.

8. Emma Kirkby's Renaissance and baroque songs while I'm getting dressed

9. Spanish Renaissance music and songs by Jordi Savall and Hesperion XX1 - delicious to drive to!

10. Fred making supper, the woodstove glowing and a favourite thriller on TV

What about you?  What do you want to do more of in 2012?  Whatever it is, if it's legal, decent, honest and truthful, I wish you more of it in the coming year!  Feliz año! 

PS: This is Fred's Rich Fruit Cake - flavoured with orange and lemon picked an hour before from the terraces around Los P.  His first culinary hit of the new year!

 

Custodians of 'The Faithful'

 
We hadn't long been living in Lanjarón when we were introduced to David and Shujata Dry to do an article about their home and estate for an outsize glossy property magazine.  As we left, I remember saying to Fred: 'Imagine living here.  Imagine calling this place home.'  Six years later, life is giving us the opportunity to live out that daydream.  A few weeks ago, we became the latest custodians of Los Piedaos ('The Faithful'), and we still can't quite believe it.

The estate (or finca) lies on a tree-covered ridge, in the centre of the main valley of Las Alpujarras, south of Granada, between Orgiva and Lanjarón. For millions of years, the whole valley was a huge lake. The red clay around the finca gave the adjoining village its name of Las Barreras, 'the clay pits'.  Originally, there were six casitas, or farm workers' cottages; three of them were restored by David and his then wife Dot as self-catering holiday cottages.  

There's a magical feeling about these old casitas. A soft light comes into them, whispering of older, simpler lives. The faint scent of last winter's woodsmoke lingers. They invite you to long shady afternoon siestas and supper under the stars...

But enough dreaming for now. A few weeks ago, we were responsible for one house, one dog and a few plants on the roof. Now we're caring for Los Piedaos itself, several gardens, four casitas and their ever-changing inhabitants.  And several furry sitting tenants.  Bonnie and Max are would-be border collies (affectionately renamed The Inglorius Basterds and entirely biscuit-operated); while Cielo, Katmandu and Isobel appear to be cats. (All freely available to give your holiday casita that homely touch).

Coming to live in the campo after six years in the heart of town is like stepping out into Spain all over again.  I'll try and share our adventures as we trip over them!