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 OUR
REGULAR NEWS FEATURE FROM
 SUNNY SPAIN |
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June 2010 |
and remember, to
find any diary month from our Newsletter, just click
DIARY DAYS IN SPAIN
... read on ... |
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Well
the month certainly lived up to the old soubriquet of “blazing
June” with temperatures inexorably rising as we head towards
summer.
The weathermen have forecast a hotter than average
summer for this region which could bode well or ill dependent
upon your viewpoint. |
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Of
course, the weather has had its affect upon the population
especially the ex pats and further to my comments last month we
now have the British female dressed in all her finery for the
warm spell. |
The best way of typifying this metamorphosis is
to refer to the 50/50 club which requires its members to be over
50 years of age (although this can be waived for younger
qualifiers)
and a minimum of 50 inches around the hips.
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 If we
start from the top the essential garment seems to be a strappy
top so as to expose your, perhaps recently acquired, tattoos to
all and sundry.
It seems there is a competition on the way to
find the first lady with the whole of the Bayeux Tapestry on her
person.
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Moving down to the nether regions the essential
garment seems to be skin tight lycra cycling shorts down to the
knee ensuring that every bulge and dimple is shown to full
effect.
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Top this off with a baseball cap and there you have it
– This season's haute couture!
(Don't mention personal
hygiene!) |
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Here on
the home front we do not subscribe to these trends and call me
old fashioned but I refuse to go shopping or down into the
pueblo wearing sports kit. I favour lightweight cotton trousers
with a light cotton or linen shirt. |
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SVELTE LADY !
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Susan and her friend
Maggie (both svelte ladies of “a certain age”) may well wear
shorts and a bikini top during the day, but never in the pueblo;
but in the evening change into diaphanous light cotton frocks
available locally for the horrendous price of 5 Euros on the
market.
See picture
Total ensemble 10 Euros
(that includes jewellery) |
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You
might have gathered that everything is changeable now what with
having two to three baths or showers a day and probably changing
clothes each time well - we can´t let the side down old boy can
we? - What would the natives think? Actually the natives would
probably think we dress quite normally and in similar clothes to
themselves. |
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The
heat has certainly brought the flowers out, which following the
damp winter are extremely profuse.
The Silk Tree has been
in blossom with its beautiful scent especially in the morning
and evening... |
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and this year it has been particularly noticeable
that the Oleander blossom has been stronger scented and I catch
a distinct whiff of almonds in the air. Perhaps this means
that the poisonous nature of the plant comes from prussic acid.
I must find out...
Meantime click [link]
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The
grapes are running riot and need pruning about twice a week
although we only really grow them for decoration but the fruit
is a welcome bonus.
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Pruning
seems to be the number one gardening task at the moment with a
good metre or so coming off the bamboo most, of which it has put
on over the winter. |
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The Plumbago was severely cut back at the
end of May but has now burst forth into another bout of
flowering. |
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 Sue cut
back our herbs last month
and hung the first crop out to dry
ready for
herbes de Provence
over the winter.
The Pomegranates
have now finished flowering and the fruit is being formed.
Strangely this year our most productive tree isn’t and our least
productive tree is!. Position does seem extremely important in
this climate. |
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Garden
work really has to be completed by 9 a.m. as it is simply too
hot as the day marches on.
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This also means that this is very
much the reading season especially in the afternoons,
...which call
to mind Noel Coward´s famous song Mad Dogs and English Men.
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I have recently read Bill Bryson´s new book “At Home”, which is
not perhaps the amusing travelogue one might expect from the
author but instead is a fascinating history of family
life; I heartily recommend it.
For this, and my other book reviews shortly, see my new web page
~
Mike's Reads
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The ”Red
Sparrows” are performing their morning aerobatics each morning
at about 7.30 a.m. which we assume is the time that the insects
take to the wing. |
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We haven’t been too badly afflicted by flies so
far this year probably due to the fact that its too darned hot!
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However we can´t escape from our resident “Bomber”, as we
call the large metallic black
Carpenter Bee, which
is in residence every year.
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Of course, I don't imagine for one
minute that it is the same bee, but it’s nice to think that it
runs in the family.
For those not familiar with the Carpenter
bee they are very large solitary bees who fly very slowly and
are as thick as three lavatory seats. |
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They seem particularly
fond of our Morning Glory, which bends alarmingly when they
land, making a bumble bee look like a mini in comparison.
They
are very entertaining and we would never dream of swatting one.
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The fact that summer has arrived is indicated by a further
two factors:-
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The
snails have all gone into aestivation and decorate the stems of
wild plants in the neighbourhood
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My car, where I leave the climate control set at
21 degrees all year round, is now no longer a cosy little warm
cocoon as it was during the winter
but is now a beautiful cool refrigerated unit.
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It always amazes me how the perceived comfort
factor affects us. |
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This
winter's weather conditions have very much favoured the olive
crop although this is something of a double edged sword as an
abundance of fruit naturally brings a reduction in price – to
the producer anyway. Whether we will see any benefit to the
ultimate consumer remains to be seen.
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Important events this month saw Britain soaring to last place in
the Eurovision song contest once again and of course, the World
Cup has started.
I can think already of the ideal repository
for the blasted Zuzuvelas, can’t you?
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Well I for one will not be watching due to my
lack of interest in soccer, but even if I were a devotee of the
sport I would give it a miss on the grounds of these annoying
horns!
At least at the end of the month we had a few
days respite with the beginning of Wimbledon where there are no
primitive instruments to distract.
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In our
local seaside resort of Mojacar the season as usual has started
with the
Moors and Christians Festival ...
with all the jollification that that entails.
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Unfortunately the town suffered its first wild fire of the year,
albeit it wasn't a big one, affecting just 3 hectares of the
countryside but costing the life of one British resident who was
out “fire fighting” when he suffered a heart attack.
Very sad. Houses can always be repaired but
lives cannot.
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see my new page... |
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Mike's Book
Reads |
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Sue says
remember to click
for more in her
Spanish Garden:
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REMEMBER! To find
a DIARY MONTH from our Newsletter,
just click
DIARY DAYS IN SPAIN
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And
see more recipes at
MIKE'S TAPAS BAR |
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©
PLUS
keep looking ...
2006