Back to earth…

I’m back home in Spain after my few days back home in Norn Iron…if you see what I mean! I loved every minute I spent with Laurie and the children, it wasn’t nearly long enough so I think I need to plan a few long weekends if the flight prices are right. The only downside was that of course I didn’t manage to see so many of my lovely friends, but I know they’ll understand that when time is so short Laurie and the children have to take priority. Strangely enough, I did bump into a couple of people I haven’t seen for ages. First of all, in Dunnes, of all places, I bumped into an old school friend from such a long time ago, Helena. I always loved her name and when I told her that she laughed and said she’d never known!

The other friend I met was at the airport waiting to board the flight back to Spain. Vera and I worked together for quite a few years – she is the very definition of”The Wise Woman” and an absolute joy to know. We spent the flight chatting and catching up on news about our families and friends, and I hope we’ll now stay in touch.

I managed to miss my best friend Wendy altogether this trip – while I was in Norn Iron she and her husband Ivan were at their apartment in Fuengirola. We’ve been best friends for 68 years so are hardly likely to fall out, and we’ll be able to catch up very soon – thank goodness for video calling!

One of the things I noticed when I was home was how green everything is – it’s not for nothing Ireland is called the Emerald Isle. I seem to forget every time how much the rain matters to plants and trees. Over here, Murcia is one of the driest areas in Spain so we don’t have the luxury of deciduous trees. And they are indeed a luxury – being able to watch how they change throughout the seasons is a real privilege. Over here we live in an area filled with pine trees, they are great at helping to prevent soil erosion (says the one who got a miserable “F” in her geography A-level!) and they have their own beauty, but they never change during the year. We usually go over to Norn Iron in the late spring and late autumn every year and my goodness the colours of those trees would take your breath away. I took a couple of photos of the grounds of my Dad’s old school, looking lovely!

I got back from Norn Iron a week too early to see the famed Northern lights, and we are too far south here to see anything so I had to rely on photos from my daughter to see what it was like. One thing I did do, which I really wanted, was to go to the viewing point at Magheracross, where some of the best views along the Causeway Coast can be found. There are some fabulous photos available online to look at if those of you outside Norn Iron have never been. However, here’s my fabulous actual photo taken the morning I was having to leave for the airport, please try not to laugh!

Cracking photo, don’t you agree?! That fog was so thick we almost lost ourselves! We had an ice cream while looking out at nothing at all, but….three small ice creams and a brownie came to almost £18 – I am quite glad to get back to “normal” prices here in Spain!

We haven’t been out and about too much since I got back from Norn Iron – the husband had a pulled tendon/ligament in his foot which meant he wasn’t too mobile. Unfortunately it also meant he hadn’t been able to do as much round the house as he’d have liked when I was away either! What we’re busy doing at the minute is framing loads of pictures and actually getting them up on walls. We have lots of interesting pictures to hang – some bought on our travels, some of family from years ago, and some new ones we just really liked the look of. I used the Google ordering service to buy some copies of photos I’ve taken so we’ve been busy hunting for a variety of frames to suit them. Some have been framed by a friend of ours, Alberto, who owns a photo framing shop in Fortuna. He has produced some really lovely finishes for our more important pictures and paintings. Other frames we have sourced from a great wee shop called Action. For those in Norn Iron, it’s a bit like a slightly more up-market B&M, with a wide range of household necessities. They also have a brilliant selection of art and craft materials. We were there last week looking for specific frames and and also came away with yet another haul of acrylic and watercolour paints. It looks like our art studio upstairs is going to be overflowing with enough paints and brushes to open our own shop soon!

Where we have been to recently is a lovely bar/restaurant called La Taberna, in a little hamlet called Encebras. Fridays are special days for those who like fish and chips or, as the offerings are fondly called, whale and chips! The portions are huge, and the restaurant is always busy with lots of events, including regular live music.

The restaurant is run by the lovely Ann and her husband Ray, and are ably assisted by Jo who is the speediest waitress around! The food is absolutely delicious, and the outdoor seating in the little square is so picturesque. Inside there is also a snug with an enormous fire for the colder days. We really enjoy the food there and will frequently be back for more.

Another word now about the water situation here. We are all aware of the lack of water generally across Spain due to the minimal rainfall – some areas are suffering much worse than others. For example, in the area in Almeria where we used to live, the topping up or filling of swimming pools is now prohibited, and households are limited to using a maximum of 200 litres of water per person, per day. The situaltion is only going to get worse as the real heat of the summer kicks in. Here in Murcia, as yet there are no water restrictions. The Fortuna area is famous for its spa and underground resources, so we are very lucky so far. We are careful about preserving water here – no over-flushing of toilets, no running the tap while brushing teeth, washing machine and dishwasher set to the shortest and most economic cyles. However, I am still SO frustrated by the fact that whenever any of our neighbours is running their taps or hose, we only get a trickle of water to our house on up the hill. The Romans were in this area along, long time ago and were able to make water flow uphill so why on earth can’t the local water service put i some kind of decent pump?! The water flows to a wee tiny amount if anything, not what you need in the shower or when the washing machine or dishwasher is on. I wrote to the service provider about it and, as expected, got no reply, but the water has been flowing freely since then, long may it continue! Let’s now hope Murcia doesn’t have to implement restrictions as severe as those in Almeria province. Next week we shall be taking the winter pool cover off to see what the water quality and volume is like in the pool, and hopefully we’ll be able to clean the pool and top it up, especially as the forecast next week is showing temperatures of over 30C, just the weather needed for a wee dip in the pool!

I really miss the shopping experience at home compared to here. When I was over I bought new bedding in Dunelm, a king-size duvet cover set which is gorgeous and so soft. I did manage to bring it back with me on the flight as I had brought precious little over there so had a big case, an cabin bag and a very handy long under-seat bag which held everything without being overweight. I’d flown over with Ryanair, luggage very, very well below the allowed weight. I flew back with Easyjet – their standard hold baggage allowance is 23 kgs but for another few pounds I had upped it to 32 kgs which made all the difference! Half of Marks and Spencer food hall treats ended up coming back with me! I’ve since ordered another duvet set from Dunelm, who sent it to Laurie’s house, and she has posted it on to us. Total cost for the king-size duvet set plus postage was £26 (£12 for the bedding and £14 for postage!) so it was well worth it. I just can’t source items of that soft quality here at those prices.

We have a new addition to our upstairs en-suite bathroom – Steven. We bought him is a lovely wee shop full of different surprises, in a town called Gata de Gorgos. It is just something a bit different, and definitely something you don’t see every day in a bathroom! When you pull the string his wings flap up and down – I love him! If you don’t know why he’s called Steven, just think of it with his last name, Seagull. Oh alright, forget it!

My lovely hibiscus bush was starting to come under attack by teenie wee creepy black flies, so I have treated it with Fairy Liquid – other dishwashing liquids are available! Just put some in a bowl of cold water, flaff it up well with your hand, and put the foamy bubbled directly onto the flowers and leaves. Works a treat – all the creepy things are gone and my plant is looking much happier again.

Incidentally, washing up liquid is great for clearing away wasps from the house. We make up a solution of one part liquid to four parts water, then spray it all along the roofs and under the tiles. I makesure there are no wasp’s nests anywhere – they’re easy to spot and easy to knock down and burn, then we are more or less wasp-free all summer. We were previously quoted well over €300 to spray our roofs to keep the wasps away – I’m glad we found the washing-up liquid trick to get rid of them as there are far fewer chemicals in it and it has saved us a lot of money.

I had another go at making soda farls today. I’ve had help in the way of recipes and encouragement from Charmaine, Gloria and Tony, but the flipping things always ended up raw in the middle and black on the outside. I decided I wasn’t going to be beaten so followed a recipe to the dot and…the resulting mixture was so liquid I could have made soda pancakes from it. I cut down quite a lot on the buttermilk for the second try, kept the gas as low as I could get it without it blowing out and cooked the things for 8 minutes each side. And….success! Just had a big slice with home-made lemon curd and it is delicious! I think I need to try it with some raspberry jam now and see if it’s as good….*

Currently listening to Don Mescall, “Innocent Run”. Absolutely love this album.

Currently reading Noah Gordon, “The Physician”, for the nth time, the best book I have ever read.

Websites to look at:

http://www.gagdonkey.net just for the fun of it!

https://tranquilstays8.godaddysites.com/

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