24 – A First Flurry of Visitors

September has always been my favourite month in Spain.  Best temperatures, kids back at school, a bit less crowded on the beaches.

Still working through a diary full of random commitments in the UK, I could only find a 16-day window to be in Colmenar.  But it was a packed 16 days! 

23 – Bricking It

My visitors don’t get a free ride, coming to stay with me.  There’s rent to be paid.  One brick, per person, per day.  Simple.

22 – Goats, Owls, and a Load of Tripe

Never let it be said that the humble goat has been left uncelebrated.  In the Axarquía village of Casabermeja, the goat gets its own fiesta, and it’s not just a one day affair, but a full three days for this fine animal.

21 – Paper, Scissors, Stone

I don’t think they’re doing it on purpose.  It feels like they are, but I really truly don’t think they are.  You must have experienced it?  You pass a neighbour or a stranger in the street, you both nod, and you grunt out a greeting.  “¡Hola!”, or perhaps “¡Buenos días!”, or sometimes just “¡Buenos!”.  And whichever you pick, 99% of the time they reply with a different one.  Why?  I refuse to believe it’s some sort of contrariness!

20 – Permission to Circulate, Sir!

Colmenar has a village population of well under 3,000 (with another 800 or so in the campo but on Colmenar’s register).  There are 12,695 cars registered in Colmenar.  Is there a course I’ve missed?  The one where you sit in one car with the window open, leaning out to simultaneously drive your second car, while checking your third and fourth cars in the mirror as you drive off?

19 – Defining “Home”

Well, blog number 7 “Going Home” http://bit.ly/Rf54ZP provoked a storm of debate on Eye on Spain www.eyeonspain.com  where the different views of many ex-pats and extranjeros, part-time and full-time in Spain, weighed in with their fascinating perspectives on what defines “home”. 

“Conejo Blanco” Photo Challenge 2 – Repetition

Ah what an interesting challenge Marianne has set us this month!  “Repetition”.  My first reaction on seeing the topic was one of panic.  Did I understand it?  Could I find anything that would fit?  A plan emerged, and my hopes were pinned onto a visit to take place the following Saturday.

18 – A Taste (or Two) of Honey

Avocado honey?  Sounds a bit odd.  Is it honey mixed with avocado?  Is it sweet or savoury?  No that’s silly – it’s honey made from pollen collected largely from the blossom of avocado trees. 

17 – The Almond Harvest (or: Ways to Ensure Your Neighbours Think You’re Mad number 67)

So Rafael has been working out in the campo, long hours, and finally it’s all paid off and he’s brought home the bacon.  Or rather, he’s brought home the almonds.  Thousands.  Hundreds of thousands.  And he appears to be storing them in his front room.

16 – Arriving Home

Arriving home.  Saying it aloud makes it more real.  Preparing for my first visitors.  The wi-fi works (wouldn’t get any visitors without that – my friends are a high-tech bunch demanding good connectivity!).  And there’s Spanish tv in the lounge, and English tv in my bedroom.  Maybe I need to get Jose back to swap the cables round?