Flora and Fauna

We are blessed with blasts of heat from the sun every day at present, which is a joy.

It has been blowy though, and our friends who have a house around the corner from us, (and who are inevitably in England), have had the cacti on their terraces whipped by the wind, which comes straight off the sea there. The result has been shattered pots ,compost strewn on the tiles, and the prickly arms of the cactus broken.

We went to peruse the mess the other day, as they kindly said that we could take any that we liked, to `re-home` them, on our more sheltered , sunny terrace.

We are thrilled to say we have rescued two which are now trimmed, replanted and fed , and fingers crossed they will flourish. They are tall and straight, and are sunning themselves nicely as they reach for the sky, framed by the mountains that form an almost film-set quality to the terraces behind our house.

It was very amusing transporting them here. Joselin and Antonio came to the rescue, helped by Andrew and our dog Harry. The cactus were loaded onto a set of wheels borrowed from the bar, Antonio sat in Joselin`s van, with his feet dangling out of the back , propping up the cactus on wheels, as it was driven and slowly dragged by the van through the village street, doors open ,(the wrong way I might add too). Then the same again with the second one.

This is one of the things that I love about this village. People are so keen to help and are so kind. And whilst the plants were being lifted out of our friends` property, an old man passed by, and was telling me how there used to be a mule, a pig, a goat, hens and rabbits kept in shelters on the terrace ,where their swimming pool is now. Love it.

Spring is starting to happen here. Around the village, in between the rows of produce flourishing in the campo, and in the scrub at the sides of the roads, are carpets of wild yellow flowers in abundance, ( Bermuda Buttercup), so pretty.

And nothing says Spring, like Almond Blossom, which are a dazzling element of the landscape here in Andalucia at this time of year. You don’t have to go far to spy the craggy black branches holding clouds of blossom.

Outside our front door, I noticed today, the first few flowers of the amazing flowering Bauhania Orchid Trees which line the road. They are a sight to behold with their exotic white flowers with bright pink insets, a perfect contrast against the bluest of skies.

On another note, and I know I am coming late to the party, but I am, (at last) reading The Return , by Victoria Hislop.

For those of you who love all things Spanish, it`s a dream of a book. It is atmospheric and captivating, set in Granada where the streets resonate with secrets and flamenco music. Set initially in the present , it flashes back to an extraordinary tale of Spain`s devastating civil war.

I have been sitting in the sun devouring it. Bliss.