MORE Greetings from sunny Spain ...

Here in Almeria June proved to be an eventful month on a number of counts.

Kicking off the Fiesta season as always was the

 Moors and Christians festival 

at our local seaside resort of Mojacar

An all day and night event culminating in the invasion by sea of the Moors all participants being suitably dressed up for the occasion. 

It is perhaps too easy to forget the importance of the Moors in the preservation of learning and culture in Europe and most of their influence emanated from Andalusia (El Andalus) where the society was amazingly tolerant with Muslims, Christians and Jews living, working and studying side by side. 

As the weather heated up so did the flames of passion within the Spanish transport industry

  and fishing industry  

that went on strike in protest at fuel prices. 

One thing you have to admire the Latin nations for is that they really do know how to strike!  None of the British pussyfooting slow convoys to create inconvenience, Oh No, let´s have a b....y great road block!

  Unfortunately this also resulted in two fatalities during the protest.   Whilst for four days or so this was inconvenient the only people who panicked seemed to be the Brits who, knowing there was a four-day strike to take place, immediately started clearing out the supermarkets and stocking up for a four-month stoppage.  Super market shelves were swept clean and the shops even had to close in some cases although the local shops had no problem whatsoever.  Not that most Brits use the local shops, more fool them.

The flames were not just of passion, they were absolutely real in our Sierra Cabrera Mountains where fire destroyed around 120 hectares of bush land and forced the evacuation of at least two homes.  Although a serious event with water bombing helicopters and aircraft being deployed the fire was thankfully confined to the maquis albeit it did come within 100 yards of a pine forest before being completely extinguished.  

BUGS ! n things

has enjoyed the blossoming of

and we are being visited by

Egyptian Grasshoppers

which look a bit like locusts (relations) but with striped eyes, and although they don´t swarm these beautiful insects munch a lot so you don´t want too many in the garden. 

We have lived here for about 7 years now and occasionally have observed very large waspy things, which we assumed to be hornets.  This week however we have learned differently. 

I found one in the kitchen on a cabinet and shooed him out, Susan decided to investigate by moving the crockery in case he had a friend lurking.

Behind a pile of pots we discovered a nest about the size of a walnut which we scraped off the shelf and Susan´s curiosity lead her to cut it open................  IT WAS FULL OF SPIDERS in varying stages of development. 

This posed something of a conundrum so off we went to peruse our insects’ book and discovered that the creature was, in fact, a

 Thread Waisted Wasp  [link]

...which constructs its nest from mud

No wonder Spaniards tend to dine at or around midnight.  At 9 o clock in the evening you really cannot face food ... although this does not stop the British tourists in the holiday resorts sitting down to Roast Beef, Yorkshire puddings, vegetables and thick gravy.

 Just to round the day off.  

.

Sue says click for more in her

Spanish Garden:

RECIPE (TAPAS) FOR JUNE is

BERENJENAS GRATINADAS

(Aubergines au gratin)

REMEMBER! To find a DIARY MONTH from our Newsletter,  just click

DIARY DAYS IN SPAIN