First Storks - 2011

Friday we saw the first storks of the year. There was one sat on the church tower. No signs of any others yet, and needless to say we immediately mused about what time they normally return. Hence the heading of this blog post, so I can take a look back this time next year when we have one of our ".... well what time did they return last year" conversations.

Etiquette

Now that it is cooler, the undertable heaters are coming out, blankets being put over tables and people gathering round table in bars. We really don't know what the etiquette is and when we are at Pepe's, do we just go and snuggle up with a group of old men sat round one of the tables, do we sit on our own - or stand at the bar shivering forlornly?

This is a problem that we haven't had to face before as we haven't been to Pepe's much in the autumn or winter before, however we try to go a couple of times a week now, so we will have to decide what our strategy is going to be.

We are going to Pepe's once or twice a week for two reasons, firstly, it is good to get out and see people over the age of 12 and secondly we are currently on a drive to spend money in the village. So we are doing the majority of our shopping in the village and frequenting Pepe's. The aim is to spend at least what I earn from classes back in the village. It is pretty much acknowledged that the crisis is passing us by, and the reason for this is that the village is very much self-sufficient with it's own micro economy - what's earnt here is spent here. We realise that in order to support this, we shouldn't be going to Llerena to buy things we can buy here. We're considering a new stove and found that we can get one in the village for the same price that we could buy one for online, so hopefully we'll find we can get most of what we need.

It's the general election soon and this is being treated with absolutely remarkable apathy. The national parties don't get much support here, nor does it appear that they bother canvassing. There's no posters, leaflets or anything else that even vaguely suggests that there is an election pending. This is completely different to the fervor and excitement that surrounded the local elections.

Rocky Ride

I was a little disappointed to find that the surface of my favorite cycle route had been washed away in part during the heavy rain. While it was passable, it turned what was a pleasant pooter through the countryside into a navigation of rough rock. I couldn't do this on my new bike so I had to look for a new route. I thought I'd try the track to Bienvenida on the other side of the main road and was delighted to find that not only was it in good condition, but the surface has recently been scraped, and channels dug at either side for drainage. It is perfect for my new bike. However it is not such a pretty ride and I can't help thinking of Cary Grant in North by North West, as I cycle over a definite plain. If I ever see a crop spraying aeroplane I will probably throw myself on the floor.

Happily the cold and wet spell has moved on. On the day I bundled myself up like the mitchellin man it rained when I was cycling, and I soon discovered that none of my layers were waterproof and I risked getting waterlogged and sinking. So I headed home. But after that the weather was perfect for cycling.

We were supposed to be getting our identity cards renewed today, however I bought some books from Amazon for my class and they are supposed to be coming today -so hope we don't get asked for our cards over the next day or so...

The Intrepid Cyclist

I nailed Kate's feet to the ground to get this shot without any motion blur. As you may have guessed by her gear, it's not as warm as it has been and I suspect she'll be achieving quite a pace just to keep warm.

Rad Doodette

A real rad doodette in her sick cycle gear.

Word!!

Burglars Beware!

Here they are, the three big dogs alert and primed for action as ever.

I accidentally managed to crop Kate out of this shot - she was sat on the floor in the foreground. Don't worry, she had a soft dog bed to keep her off the hard tiled floor.

Hail

We had a massive hail storm on Thursday. I'm not sure what the weather conditions are that cause hail, however I've never experienced hail storms like the big ones we occasionally have here. The hail stones were several inches deep outside after the storm and Rosie and Bentley were playing in it like children in snow. There were still hail stones left the next day. We had a little water in the house, but this time it wasn't too bad. Obviously as we weren't expecting guests the next day...

Wilbur has been making us smile as he snuggles down on the sofa and now in an arm chair. It was very funny as first we say Bentley get onto the sofa. He was very wobbly and looked very uncomfortable (although now he is confidently growing into a sofa dog). And then we saw Wilbur looking at the sofa and next thing we knew he was on it! I wonder if perhaps Bentley had a few failed attempts that bought Wilburs attention to it. He quite happily lies there surrounded by cats and dogs which is a nice way to integrate him.

We took Rosie for a walk through the olive grove where there was a pond that she used to swim in. I think the combination of a dry summer and Rosie now being fully grown, meant that she ended up standing in the pond up to her knees rather than swimming. She very much enjoyed it, and happlily dried off by the time we got home. I'd love to take her to a river or sea so she could swim, however perhaps we'll just wait for a while and find her a pond near here for her to enjoy.

Lovely sunny day today, so a pasty ride could be on the cards....

Wilbur has discovered the sofa

And Tibia has discovered Wilbur.

After almost a year of living here with the sofa in the same position, on Friday morning Wilbur suddenly climbed up onto it and has barely left it since.