|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
 DECEMBER NEWSLETTER |
 |
|
Sue says ...
 |
Merry Christmas
from us both ...
 |
|
click
for
Christmas Celebrations |
|
|
Sue says ...
|
|
|
 Sue says ... |
PLUS
Sue agrees with Mike ...
|
|
the rain in Spain does NOT lie mainly in the
plain !!!
|
|
|
 |
flooded garden |
|
|
|
|
Mike's
Almeria Up-date |
 |
|
|
|
|
We are attaching two
photos; a Christmas card for everyone, and a flooded
garden.
November was something of a curate´s egg from our point of
view. It started very enjoyably with nice weather
and Charles and Heather over from the States for
a week.
Christmas is just beginning to raise its head in Spanish shops
with lobsters, crayfish, king prawns and the like in abundance
as are many forms of the favourite Spanish sweet Turron
(nougat) . Unlike the Brits Christmas does not begin in August
in retail outlets. Our current occupation is keeping an eye on
British shops for the first Cadbury´s Cream Egg of 2008!
After they left we had a couple of days rain and the photograph
of our garden shows clearly that the rain in Spain does NOT lie
mainly in the plain.
After a few cloudy days we are back to blue skies
and sunshine but whilst the afternoon temperature is in the mid
20´s we pay for the clear sky with occasional early morning
frosts.
 As
you might imagine this means dressing in 'onion fashion' with
many layers to start the day,
these can then be peeled off as the day
progresses until about 4.30 when the sun dips behind the hills
and we start peeling the layers back on again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
This is a difficult time of year for menu
planning, cold enough for English style food for dinner but
lunch is still taken outside and is often a salad or tostada.
|
|
|
|
|
Which brings me on to this month's Tapa - -
the ubiquitous Tostada. |
which can be found at
my
Tapas bar
|
|
|
|
The
simple tostada is very much
the normal breakfast in Spain which leads on to Spanish eating
habits which are slightly unusual by anglo saxon standards.
First thing in the morning it is common to eat churros (deep
fried piped thick batter) dipped in a cup of hot chocolate.
This is not breakfast.
At 10 a.m. Spaniards take their breakfast which lasts for 1/2
hour. Normally eaten in a bar it is quite common to find that
your lawyer, accountant or Alcalde (Mayor) out of the office
because it is breakfast time. Given that they often don´t start
work until 10 a.m. this can be awkward.
Luncheon is taken from 2p.m. until 4 or 5 (including a siesta)
followed by a return to work until 8 p.m. then home to wash and
change before dinner which is served from 10 or 11 p.m. Indeed
many restaurants do not open until 9 or 10 p.m. (outside the
tourist areas that is)
We are happy enough with the general schedule but we cannot get
used to dinner as a midnight feast!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
...lets go back to my
Tapas bar
!!!
|
 |
Christmas Celebrations 2007 |
|
|
 |
|
REMEMBER! To find
a DIARY MONTH from our Newsletter,
just click
DIARY DAYS IN SPAIN
|
And
see more recipes at
MIKE'S TAPAS BAR |
|
|
|
|
|
|
©
2007 
PLUS
2006