Question – how can you lose a king-size duvet cover? Answer – live in a big house with too many rooms and too much stuff that hasn’t been sorted yet…see below. We have Ikea storage zippy bags under every bed, and we’ve looked in every one of those. No sign of it. I have another couple of spare ones but I want to put this particuar one on the bed today and anyway, I need to find the thing. So, no joy means get the current one through the washing machine, out on the line and back on the bed later. The joys of first world problems, eh?! At least we get the washing dry outside!
Our almond trees have all started coming into bloom and look fabulous. We have a dozen or so, scattered throughout the different levels of the garden but mostly a bit further down than the house, on the terraced section, below the walled garden. I’m not sure Peter is always too happy about having to water them but due to the serious lack of rain over the last year it’s vital to ensure they get a good drenching now and again. We have no water restrictions here at the minute, though the neighbouring regions of Valencia and Andalucia have begun to severely limit consumption. That means no car washing, no topping up of pools, and in Almeria province personal use is limited to 200 litres per person per day. Murcia city currently recycles around 98% of its waste water, which is a fantastic achievement! We are all very careful about not wasting such a precious resource. We never have baths, always showers, quick and water-saving. I use the washing machine and the dishwasher twice a week, it’s the most economical way financially as well as water-saving.
We have just come back from another couple of nights in Benidorm, at the same hotel we stayed in before Christmas, the Casual Pop Art Hotel….room 601, best room in the house! You’ll remember from a previous blog the room overlooks the Poniente beach and marina, great views!
We just felt like another little break, having been doing so much work on the house, and a change of scene gives a great boost. While we were there we drove up to Guadalest, which is one of the most visited villages in Spain, and no wonder. The reservoir there is absolutely breathtaking, you need to stop there for a while just to take in the view. You can see it’s rather too low at the minute so a fair amount of rain is needed soon for reservoirs and crops.
The village itself is very, very picturesque, all whitewashed shops and houses along little narrow streets. The main attraction is the Casa Orduña, now a museum, named after the family who lived there. It is really impressive, and is reached via a narrow path through the rock. It’s a bit of a climb, and between my arthritis and asthma, and the husband’s foot injury, it was like an outing of the elderly and infirm…but we got there!
Casa Orduña is a large house, furnished with the wealthy original family’s belongings, so you get a real sense of what it must have been like to have lived there.
Now here’s a thing. When we were in Guadalest, which is about 21kms from Benidorm, we met a lovely trio of cyclists from…Ahoghill, of all places! For those in Spain who aren’t aware of the significance of this, Ahoghill is a village near Ballymena, in County Antrim, which is where I lived and worked for many years.
The weather was very cold in Guadalest, they had cycled all the way from Benidorm, and it’s mainly uphill! Hearts like lions! Peter used to cycle in his younger and fitter days and took a great interest in their bikes. I have to say I am not usually a fan of cyclists as here in Spain they tend to go out in huge numbers of at least a dozen or more, hogging the road and never letting you overtake them. You can end up stuck for a long way never getting out of second or third gear. However, I’m very happy to make an exception for lovely chaps with “normal”. ie Norn Iron accents! So, Sean, Bill and Eamonn, here you are, fame at last! Small world indeed!
We did plenty of shopping while away on our wee break, but one of the things that always amazes – and horrifies me, is how easy it is to buy knives and guns in Spain, with specialist shops selling these everywhere. One of them, in Benidorm, had their shop front made from concrete to resemble wood. The amount of guns and knives they sell in there is fascinating, if also a bit scary!
Anyway here we are now back home and getting on with making this big house look presentable! We’ve been doing a bit more clearing out of “stuff” – I think we’re in danger of becoming hoarders unless we take drastic action! The deal usually is that when we buy something new or new to us, we try to let go of something we already have. So, the charity shops do well from us. We’ve also gathered quite a few things that we’re intending to sell, it might add a few more euros to the coffers for a bit of extra holiday money.
I have to admit to making most of my friends laugh at my attempts to make pancakes on the recent Shrove Tuesday. Absolutely pathetic – no matter how often I try, and what recipe and pan I use, my attempts are more than risible. If you want proof, here it is, folded up and flung on a plate, looking more like a dead chicken than an innocent pancake!
I can’t tell you how many failures I’ve had with these things, I’m considerably better at producing lovely soft and puffy flatbread, very tasty and works out perfectly every time. Add a bit of Northern Ireland butter and it’s really all you need!
Just a quick word to say “thank you”, before I sign off this time. I really appreciate the feedback from those of you who read this blog regularly, and I’m glad that most of you seem to generally find it informative and amusing. I’m always happy to hear people’s views, so if there’s anything you really like and would like to find out more about, or anything you really don’t like, let me know! I’ve had some lovely comments so far but I’m not averse to a bit of negative criticism as well, if need be. Final word then, to someone who commented on the blog and seemed to rather enjoy it. A friend showed me what s/he posted (not sure of the pronouns here!), glad they found it mostly enjoyable. However, I just need to give a wee gentle correction about a couple of things they said. Firstly, they seemed to think the husband had grown a few inches after I described him as being 6’3″ tall. Nope, we measured him again and he’s still very definitely 6’3″ tall! Also, the person queried our language skills as we were apparently not too competent in Spanish by the time we moved to Murcia? So, just to gently set the record straight, I obviously speak English, and can speak French and Spanish fairly well. Peter’s Spanish is better than mine and he also speaks French quite well. I used to be fluent in French but when you don’t use it you tend to lose it for a bit, but it’s coming back! My Spanish improved no end when the husband was so ill in hospital and I had to converse with the medical staff. I’m quite competent in Spanish, can easily hold conversations face to face and on the phone. I speak German, at basic conversational level, and I have a little Italian, as well as a bit of Latin. I’m also fluent in Ulster-Scots, which is a legitimately recognised language. So, there you have it, 6 languages, with varying degrees of skill, but always keen to learn more. I hope that sets the record straight for the person who didn’t realise it, always useful to be better informed and staying away from fake posts. If you want to know, just ask!
My life in Spain 