Quince harvest........

Most of our fruit trees have yielded some fruits this year which we have either eaten as they are, such as the peaches, apples and nisperos , or I have made some preserves with them, but when we picked the quinces I was not sure what to do with them.

After some research it seemed the most obvious thing was to make Quince jelly or marmalade, or even membrillo which is a paste that the Spanish make and then eat it with manchego cheese. However, I finally found a recipe for Ratafia, which is a quince based liqueur.

It originates from the 17th Century, when it appears that quince was a very popular fruit from which they made all manner of things, but the liqueur appealed to me.

After a couple of hours of peeling, grating and juice squeezing and then mixing with an equal measure of brandy, some cinnamon stick, sugar and cloves….I have a bottle of Ratafia of Quince which I hope will be ready for Christmas and/or New Year…can’t wait!!!

Repairs and Maintenance…

After a very busy summer of bookings….thank you all very much…..it is necessary to overhaul the Aciano apartment to keep it up to the high standard we aim to achieve.

As this past week we have had no bookings and the weather has finally produced some of the much needed rain, we decided that now was a good time to decorate and do any minor repairs that are needed.

Painting the high ceilings is no mean feat when you are only 5ft nothing, but today it is all done. As you can see from the piccie, after stripping and painting the kitchen and bathroom, everything from the bedroom area is carefully stacked into the kitchen area, leaving a clear room so that nothing is missed (or spoilt!!).

One improvement we are making is to install a shower door, as opposed to the shower curtain, to contain the water better in the shower tray, now that the water pressure is much stronger since the installation of the pump and water softener.

One more day of thoroughly cleaning everything and putting it all back into place and we are once again ready for business!

Mother nature works best alone......

Last year we made an attempt at growing melons but were not too successful. Some people said we did not water enough, some said we watered too much…!!

This year we decided not to bother, especially as they are as cheap as chips on the market or in the shops anyway.

On investigation of our plot today, checking to see if everything was ok after five consecutive days of heavy rain, I was down by the irrigation deposito next to the reed bed and was very surprised to find not one but three good sized, healthy looking melons growing there.

As they are right next to the compost heap, I can only imagine that they grew either from some seeds discarded there from some melons we had purchased or from the original plants that I threw there in disgust.

The lesson learnt from this is obviously don’t pay any attention to the produce you are trying to grow….just let nature take it’s course!!

Mutley’s Page?...

We have just said goodbye to our guests, A and T, who have been here for just over a week. Although the weather was a bit damp at times, (which is good for our plants but a bit of a downer for them) they seem to have seen more of the local area in a week than we have in the three or so years we have been here.

Now, we have just read the entry in the guest book, and put it onto the testimonial page,(un-edited and in it’s entirety) and well, really, it appears that Little Mutley is getting a bit big for her boots, as the entry was addressed to her, and NO, we are not adding a separate page on the website just for her, as has been suggested by some.

Thanks to A and T, and indeed all our guests to date, who have seemed to enjoy their stay here, appreciated the facilities we offer and enjoyed the stunning scenery and rustic charm of this area.

Water mystery...

Yesterday, whilst on my usual post and water trip, I got quite a surprise. Armed with my water containers I stood in front of Fuente de Arriba which is in Plaza Virgen de los Dolores and saw that it had been totally bricked up and several candles along with an ‘RIP’ notice blaming the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall).

As regular readers will be aware, we, as a village, have had several problems with water since the AVE was constructed and the natural water supply to the village was severed. After that water tankers were used 24/7 to ferry water from Agua Torcal to the village until 2 new wells were drilled, in a hope of resuming a constant water supply to the village. These, unfortunately, did not prove efficient and, of late, tankers could be seen ferrying the water once again.

As for an explanation as to why the Fuente de Arriba is now blocked up, no-one seemed to really know, although there are obviously many suspicions and/or assumptions. The Alfonso mentioned in the accusatory grafitti beneath the candles, is the Village Mayor, who, unfortunately, was not available for comment.

Watch this page …we will find out more!!

Up at last.....

We are now in a position to expose to the world our new shiny gates.

Tania has been busy these last few days slapping the paint on, those with a keen eye may be able to see that on the gates is written Finca La Mariposa which has been picked out in Gold Paint.

Now all that is left is for us to save up lots of pennies and buy the fencing wire and chain link, we will then be safe from the marauding Goats and Sheep that wander by and come down the drive and eat our plants….

Grand Entrance...

Anyone calling on us here at Finca La Mariposa will now see our new landmark as they approach.

The next stage of works prior to fencing has been finished; it is the new pillars and wall at the entrance to the Finca.

We decided that although the new gates (to be fitted soon) have the name of the Finca on them, it might be nice to have something on the wall as well.

We thought maybe a tiled name plaque, or iron decoration, in the end we decided to give it a go at building in a brick butterfly.

We are quite pleased with how it has turned out and helps to make us readily identifiable to new visitors.

La Tarjeta Sanitaria Europea

Recently we read a report stating that as of April 1st 2008 ‘any UK Nationals who either live in Spain and make Spanish Social Security contributions, or live in Spain while receiving a state pension or long term incapacity benefit from the UK’, are liable to be considered as a private patient and be charged for any treatment if taken ill while visiting UK.

Although we are not quite ancient enough to be receiving our pensions yet, Steve does of course pay Social Security contributions because he is employed by a Spanish company, so we have now had to apply for a la Tarjeta Sanitaria Europea (European Health Insurance card). The cards are free but have to be renewed annually.

I understand that the UK National Health is very short of funds and cannot therefore be expected to subsidise foreigners who have never paid any contributions but I cannot help feeling a tad slighted as between us we have made at least 60 years worth of contributions and might still be expected to pay for any treatment if we were to be taken ill in the UK while visiting.

In any event, we have applied for and received our new cards from the Social security office in Antequera so hopefully we will be fully covered for any treatment that we might need.

Madam Mutley…..

As mentioned in the previous entry, our Saturday evening meal was disturbed by a call from a very pleasant lady, telling us that she had got our number from Mutley’s collar. She and her family were having a meal in our local restaurant (Nescania) which is located at the foot of our track.

Apparently Mutley had ventured down there and after being chased out repeatedly by the waiter, was befriended by the family and she was basically being spoilt rotten by being given food by them, we called in on our return to the village, and found her happily sitting on the woman’s lap having a lovely time, we reclaimed her and she even got a Taxi ride home with us… we did wonder where she might dine the following evening…..

It is probably the fault of previous guests, who have spoilt her rotten, giving her breakfasts, putting goodies on the BBQ, and other little treats, yes, you know who you are!!!!!! But, it did make us smile never the less.

Feria Frolics…

This weekend we decided to give Antequera Feria a look. Saturday evening we ventured into town, and after a pleasant meal (interrupted by an unwelcome phonecall… but that’s another story) we strolled down to the Feria ground.

There were the stallholders selling the usual fairground goodies, you know the stuff, costs a little, lasts for a few minutes before it stops working or breaks completely, but the kids seem to love it all anyway. Then there are the food stalls where you can get anything from an ice cream, to a corn on the cob, with lots of variants in between.

A little further on are the kiddies rides, then you get to the big kids stuff, with faster, taller rides and of course the bumper cars. Near to the end are the covered bars and food halls, laid out in their huge air-conditioned marquees, with the stage at the farthest end with seating for hundreds of eager fans of the flamenco music and dancing, which incidentally I am not… needless to say, we left prior to the music starting up.

To Toros or not to Toros….

That was the question this week.

Antequera has its Feria (Fair) this week and one part of the activities is the holding of the Bull fighting in the Plaza De Toros.

We have not, as yet, been to one, and although we do not think we would enjoy the bulls being killed, we felt that we should perhaps go to one giving us an informed opinion.

I attended the Ticket Office and asked in my best, but still poor Spanish, as to the cost of a ticket.

This is not at all a simple task as there are obviously different seating areas, some near the blood splattering action and others further away, and then there are seats in the sun, partial shade or full shade. Another price variance is whether you visit on a fight involving horsemen, as this is dearer as well. In the end I decided to take away a price list, as pictured, and ponder our decision.

We thought the best evening for us would be Viernes (Friday), and sitting in the shade. The price, anywhere between 60€ and 100€ each.

We have therefore decided to give it a miss, as we feel it’s a bit pricey, about an average day’s pay per ticket seems a bit steep to us, especially as we may not like it and leave before the end. Maybe we will treat ourselves to a nice meal in the restaurant in the bowels of the bull ring instead….perhaps a nice steak.

Aren’t they doing well …..!!!

The British that is in Beijing!!

Apparently the British Triathlon Team came here to Andalucia for their final preparations for the Olympic games. They practised in Antequera, a mere half an hour from here at Finca la Mariposa, back in July, choosing this area for its hills, terrain, food and climate .

The team cycled up to El Torcal twice and hoped to be able to return here after robbing the Spanish favourites of the gold medal. Unfortunately it did not quite work out that way as neither managed a medal, with Germany winning the mens and Australia winning the ladies.

What - no bubbles??...

No, no bubbles today as it it maintenance time.Every four months, or sooner if needed, the spa gets emptied, the ioniser gets replaced, the filter jet washed and all surfaces get a thorough clean and polish. Obviously it is maintained on a daily basis but once in a while it has a complete overhaul to ensure it performs at it’s best for both our and our guests enjoyment.

Unfortunately, it will have to stay empty for a day or two as Paco, our friendly water delivery man, is very busy and will not be able to deliver here till at least tomorrow, and then it take another 24hours for it to reach the correct temperature.

Isn’t it fascinating to see all those jets that normally just give you that perfect massage...

Tania’s Little Helper...

This morning it was the day after the night before!!!

Which meant a big clean up but we were fortunate in that we had a bit of help.

During our work, Tania heard a noise coming from the BBQ, on closer inspection; we saw an offspring of the ‘Meat Muncher’ featured previously, eating the remnants on the burnt charcoal and under the tray itself.

He was a lot smaller, being only about 6 inches long, with the same markings as ‘meat muncher’, but he soon darted off when he realised he was rumbled….

Get Together...

Saturday(16th), we finally held our much promised BBQ for the guys at work.

2 years ago, or more, during conversations about all the work we were doing about the place, it was suggested that a BBQ would be a good idea so that they could have a nose and see how we had progressed.

The BBQ area itself is at the side of the steps that lead up to the Jacuzzi deck, and with over 20 guests, we decided to block out this weekend as we felt it would not be fair for paying visitors to have their peace and quiet disturbed.

The picture shows some of the family members of co-workers frolicking in and around the pool; the Jacuzzi was a popular venue as well, with nearly as much water out of it as in!!! All in all, a great time was had by all, but a lot of work on our part will probably mean it being a one off, if we have any sense….

Free Press....

Those of you with a keen eye may already have noticed that we have a new page on this site. Due to comments from visiting guests, we have now added a Testimonial page.

However, we are a bit different (yes we know but please….) in that the page will list all entries in our Guest Book in their entirety, without omission or editing.

This will mean that any prospective visitors will be able to read the entries previous guests have entered and their comments about us, and the surrounding area “Warts and all”, whether it is good or bad, so that it gives a fair uncensored view from our visitors. We also feel that any comments whether good or bad are our only way to improve our ‘Product’, which we feel, however, is second to none.

Summer fun...

Yes it’s that time of year again, the infamous Feria!!

As mentioned before, every self respecting town in Andalucia has a Feria in either July or August, lasting either a long week end or a whole week long.

Here, in Abdalajis it began in earnest on Thursday with the traditional three rockets being lit to announce the beginning.

Games and competitions for the younger residents and singing, dancing, eating and yes.. mucho vino for the older residents, there was also a large fun fair for everyone to enjoy.

We joined in the festivities on Saturday evening but had to admit defeat quite early, not like last year when we managed to last till 8 am.

We must be getting old!!!

Tinder Dry.....

At the moment here the ground is very dry, as we have not had rain for, well, as long as we can remember.

On the motorways the overhead information signs are warning about the .Alto riesgo de incendios which is high fire risk.

It came as no surprise therefore when this fire started about 1km further up our track.

It was started by a combine harvester bringing down a power cable, the spark set off a field fire, that when blown by the wind enveloped the garden of the house next door to it causing extensive damage. Fortunately no loss of life or damage to the house, due mainly to the quick response here by the fire service, and in particular by the helicopter crews that were soon on the scene, firstly dropping off fire fighters and then dashing off for water which after a short time halted the blaze.

We were grateful that the wind was blowing away from us, up the hill, as below where the fire started it was all cereal fields pretty much all the way to us….

Lazy Lizard....

After several partial sightings we have finally been able to catch a picture of the Meat Muncher

Something has been eating Mutley’s meat for some time now, and every time we have approached we have heard something do’in a runner. On one occasion we came across it curled up in the food bowl asleep, but as usual no camera was to hand.

We are glad to report that we have a very greedy Lizard who lives in the wood shed and helps itself to any food Mutley does not eat straightaway.

At the moment it is frightened of our approach and probably will remain so, so it is only fleeting glimpses but it is nice to see it anyway. We have larger ones that live near the bottom of the drive in the dry rock walls but again you do not see much of them, but they help to keep the smaller insects at bay.

normal service resumed....

We have decided that one of the things that would benefit us, and indeed visitors to Finca La Mariposa would be a higher water pressure. So normal service has been resumed with yet more construction work on a store in which to put a pump.

Our showers work fine in normal circumstances, but when our 10,000 litre water deposit gets a bit low, we have noticed they are a lot lower in the pressure of water spraying out. There is a point when a pump would be beneficial.

With this in mind, we have applied for, and got, permission to build a storeroom for the purpose of housing the pump, and by making it a bit larger to house tools and our new rotavator.

The rumours around the valley here, are that we are to have the much awaited piped town water this year, direct to us, which apart from being more convenient, would also save us a small fortune. One other rumour, is that many of the tracks up from the village will be concreted this year by August, with the rest to follow next year…. watch this space as they say!!

Flight news...

Ryanair have announced yet more flights into Malaga.

Visitors to this area can now fly in from East Midlands Airport, with routes from Edinburgh in September, and Glasgow in October to follow.

And for ‘us’ Spanish there is a new route by Delta Airways direct into New York, which is the first for some 4 or so years, at the moment four flights a week are planned, but more will come on line if demand requires.

Donde Dusty?

Bad news this week, Dusty went on one of his wanderings with Mum Mutley , but failed to return.

We searched the surrounding areas but could not see him. There have, in recent weeks been quite a few dogs that have gone missing or found poisoned.

Mutley is now moping around the place, as she is now alone, having lost both the pups. We shall miss his antics about here, as he was a little bit on the mischievous side, but very friendly, we will probably get a companion for Mutley, but not till we are fully fenced in.

Pedal Power

Today, 25th May, is Dia de La Bicicleta in Malaga. In its honour we decided to drag our mountain bikes out of the shed and give them a little clean up. Now, shall we go along and join in ?

The plan is to start at El Corte Ingles (which is a huge department store in the centre of Malaga) at 10.30 this morning and travel through the city centre streets, finishing some 11 kms later at about midday at the Paseo De Parque

On second thoughts I think we shall stay here,and exercise on the Steamer chairs in the Sun….

Fruit in abundance...

For the past week I have been trying to clear all the weeds, especially those around our many fruit trees. Thankless task….. as I know that they will reappear, probably even bigger.

Our fruit trees seem to be doing quite well this year. We have already eaten the peaches off one peach tree, the other one promises to produce several more in the very near future.

The lovely sweet nisperos are all eaten too whereas the apple and pear trees are showing several small fruits which we will have to be patient for,

The cherry and plum tress are all looking very green and healthy, but show no signs of any fruit yet.

The quince trees also seem to be bearing several fruits, although I am not 100% sure what I’ll do with them !!

As can be seen in the piccie, the Granada (Pomegranite) trees are now coming into blossom!! I had never seen this tree growing before so I was amazed at the beautiful flower on it. These trees were planted in memory of my Mum, as she acquired quite a liking for them in the last couple of years of her life. The Granada is actually the national fruit of Spain so I am quite hopeful that they will do well.

Blooming Arches....

One of the things about living here is that certain things need replacing after a period of time.

We had, for some time now, been trying to support our 4 arches that had started to fall apart as they had basically just rusted away. They were cheap ones we brought with us from the UK, you know the sort that comes in a box, and slot and screw together.

Drastic action was called for. We had a chat with our friendly iron worker, Juan, in the village, the same friendly man who had made our gates, railings and bbq, and persuaded him to make some more from more solid material.

Some many weeks later,(Manana effect) we took delivery, and for the last two weekends we have been replacing them very gently so as not to break the climbing plants too much. In the picture can be seen one of them near to the Jacuzzi area, which seems to have survived the ordeal quite well, with the beautiful purple flowers of the bougainvillea and the delicate white blooms of the Jasmine.

Romeria...take two....

After rest and recuperation, the pilgrimage was ready for the next stage which was to take the cross back up the Sierra de Abdalajis.

Therefore,on Sunday morning, after a couple of hours of preparing food for our BBQ, we found a reasonably flat area on the mountain to wait for their arrival.

As can be seen in the piccie, two bulls drew the carriage with the cross up the mountain and it was placed in the centre of the arena and all the other decorated wagons parked around it and the partying began!

We bbq'd and partied with them and caught up with acquaintances whom we had not seen for a while and a good time was had by all. Many of the younger Spaniards gave us some splendid displays of Flamenco.

At about 6 pm some of the stronger lads carried the cross back to the Ermita del Santo Cristo where it will sit till Romeria 2009, but the festivities carried on till dark. What a weekend...

Romeria 2008

It's that time of year again - Romeria. Once again, on the Thursday evening, music could be heard from the Sierra de Abdalajis mountain range as the Cross was carefully carried down from the Ermita del Santo Cristo de la Sierra, the tiny church which is situated half way up the mountain.

It was paraded through the narrow streets of the pueblo before setting off to Malaga, hopefully to return on Saturday evening.

We made plans to visit our friend's house, which is on the Carretera de la Joya, as we expected the Cross and it's followers to pass by there on their way back from their pilgrimage on Saturday evening.

We were not dissappointed, as at about 7.30pm, we heard music. We all rushed up the track from their house to greet and wave to the weary travellers.

In all there were 39 decorated wagons, fully laden with passengers, along with several horses and their riders as well as many who were on foot.

We cheered them on as they made their last few kilometres down the track to the village, where they would rest, recouperate and party afetr their long journey.

What a load of tools……

This weekend was the 39th Feria De Maquinaria Agricola in Antequera.

There were over 50 exhibitors and Grupo Moscoso was one of them, as can be seen in the picture, we set up our cabin with the pools displayed behind.

Amongst the items in the Feria was a display by the ‘woodsculpters’ sponsored by Stihl, where guys wielding chainsaws cut out sculptures from tree trunks, and also competed against the clock to fell trees with axes.

There was the opportunity to test drive the new Mini Clubman, and of course partake of a drink or two, as all the stalls have their own free bars to lure you in. The only downer was the weather, which, for most of the three days, decided it would supply high winds and heavy rain.

If, however, you were in the market for a tractor or two, a rotovator, a Swimming pool or even a prefab house this was the place to visit.

We did drop by for a while but headed off for shelter from the elements and a bit of lunch……..

Water Progress....

Whilst in the village today I met Luisa, who works for the A4estates agency, and she very excitedly explained to me that I should go to the Ayuntamiento as more progress was being made with the supply of water to our area, La Horca.

Having quickly popped back home to collect what I thought would be relevant paperwork for an application of a supply of water, I duly presented myself at the Town hall, hoping to learn a bit more.

We are quite excited about the prospect of having mains water, as for one, it will hopefully work out a lot cheaper than having a monthly delivery and for two, I will not have to keep such a watchful eye on our levels in the deposito in case we run out!

We are, however, realistic enough to realise that a major works of this type is not going to happen as pronto as they say – we have only been waiting 3 years already!!

As it turned out, all they wanted was our name and our plot number on La Horca. I obviously asked the question – when? - and was told that firstly they had to collect all the names and plot numbers requiring water and only then would they give a start date – sometime this decade maybe???

Tribute to Industry...

For the past few weeks, when in Antequera, I have seen men working on the roundabout as you enter the Poligono Industrial, and wondered what they were doing.

All is now revealed; they have been installing an old water wheel. Apparently it is a 19th Century water wheel which belonged to an old textile factory from La Juanona in La Ribera de la Villa and has been installed at the entrance to the Industrial Estate to pay tribute to the industries in Antequera.

A local company, Hermanos Acedo, have the job of installing it and it is being paid for by the Town Hall and the Industrial Estate Owners Association.

Now I will have to keep an eye on it whenever I am that way to see if it is going to actually work or merely be a static monument !!!

Abundant crop.....

Having spent the whole weekend digging up and burning weeds the size of trees, it was a pleasure to be in the garden and actually pick something that was meant to be there!

The rain we had last week, (yes it does rain here too sometimes in Andalucia despite Steve’s constant jibes at the weather in the UK) followed by the gorgeous sunny weather (sorry) we have had since, has definitely bought on our crop of habas (broad beans).

I only picked a fraction of them yesterday (as can be seen in piccie) to pod, blanche and freeze. The remainder I will pick today, some to give to friends (maybe in exchange for something that they have an abundance of) and the others I plan using in some very tasty sounding recipes that I have found.

I think today ‘Spicy broad bean fritters with lemon minted yoghurt’ courtesy of Jamie Oliver, will be on the menu….