Cheerier news

Just wanted to pop by and tell you what fun Lynne and I had in Almeria for my birthday - hotel was lovely as you can see from the photos, our original room only had a shower so after a quick chat with the reception telling them it was my birthday they moved us into an executive room - huge bed and a lovely lovely bath with lashings of hot water- dont think ive been quite as smiley on a photo before, sorry if its put you off your dinner. ( Blame Lynne, she said I had to blog it) But we celebrated in true Spanish style- out at 10 and home at 2.30am. Almeria is a lovely city,wide open avenues with some v nice shops plus a historic centre with a maze of  little streets - very Moorish, and a huge castle on top of the hill.
 As we were going out we came upon a pre Easter procession- real Catholic theatre with candles, priest intoning prayers and incense burners surrounding a bier being carried by 12 men - all very atmospheric around the old town - so I may not be here for Semana Santa ( Easter) but I had a little taster. There's always next year for the full experience.

So I am now in my last week here, lots of mixed emotions as I'm sure you can imagine but I am looking forward to seeing all my friends again, to my little trip on the way to the ferry and to what the next phase of my life will bring- one thing I am sure of- it wont be dull.

So will pop by again with pics from the trip north if I have internet but before I go I would just like to thank everyone for all the kind and loving messages I have received since the last blog- I do feel truly blessed.

Bye for now

Mojacean sunset

Well, its been a long time since I last posted - as you can see we are not only blessed with lovely sunrises here we also have amazing sunsets, this photo is courtesy of Lynne, taken from her back door! Although the photo is fab it really doesnt do the colours justice so imagine this plus a bit more colour - nature is amazing isnt it?

January and February are quiet months here as in most places in our hemisphere - it was Andalucia day a few weeks ago - all the towns celebrate in their own way- in the old town there was the largest paella you could imagine - all free of course, it fed over 300 people, and as we were blessed with lovely sunshine everyone was out enjoying themselves. It was due to start at 2.30pm, so being familiar with the fact that nothing starts on time in Spain, Lynne and I arrived around 3pm to discover that the paella was nearly finished and we had missed the flamenco - hmm, just proves there's always an exception. But we met some very nice English people thanks to Dermot and had a very pleasant time.

Many of you will know that life has been quite difficult for me recently, Kye suddenly became very poorly and despite a great vet and good treatment it became clear after a couple of weeks that the prognosis wasn't good. After much heart searching I said my final goodbye to him last Friday. I was so lucky that Lynne was here - she has been an absolute star, supporting me all the way through. So life's not the same but it does goes on, just differently. I am so grateful that it happened whilst we were here and not on the road- I do have lots of blessings to count.

But it does mean that i have changed my plans and will be coming straight back to the uk, arriving in a couple of weeks. Have booked a ferry from Northern Spain and have planned myself a little trip on the way staying in some lovely looking little Spanish hotels; so Janes Big Adventure isnt over yet, not by a long chalk! Just moving into the sidings for a while to retrench and then will be off again.

My good news is that on Friday I officially become a jubilados- (thats Spanish for a senior citizen) - yep I turn 62 and will be drawing my pension - hurrah!! To celebrate Lynne and I are off to Almeria for the night, staying in a lovely hotel right in the centre, near the night life and shops, but best of all the room has a bath - how blissful will that be after all these months.

And on that note I will sign off - hopefully will pop back if I have good photos from my trip up north - if not, see you in September when I will be back on the road- still a lot to explore out there - Hasta luego.x

Just a quick hello

Just thought I'd pop into your inboxes, seems a while since I posted anything. The above is a shot of the old town - gives you the idea. All is well here- I do hope you are all coping with the horrid weather and that noone has sustained any real damage- sounds horrendous and I am so glad that I am out of it and even gladder that I'm not having to do the early morning dog walks.
Its been mixed weather here, did have some rain which I think the farmers were very grateful for- the main winter issue is the wind- does get mighty fierce especially at night, was fairly continuous for a couple of weeks but now seems to be mainly the afternoons and nights. The mountains are starting to green up and wild flowers are starting to show- the almond blossom is out in more sheltered areas and looks very pretty- orange blossom starts towards the end of next month.

Life has just been tiddling along, been out for a couple of trips, one down into the Capo di Gata which is just how it looks in the photos- little tiny hidden coves and lots of mountains- runs down as far as Almeria. As you get towards Almeria you start seeing the polygreenhouses- they cover acres of land in the valley, from the air it can be mistaken for  the sea it  and obviously provides jobs for migrant workers - and whilst the lack of health and safety was a pleasure at Lubrin it takes on a different perspective when you see them walking along the top of the tunnels spraying chemicals without protective gear.

But now spring is in the air so the maps are coming out and plans are afoot to get back on the road. So will be leaving here towards the end of March and heading back to the Uk for the summer to earn some money. Plan is to head west to Cadiz and then slowly make my way back up to the Pyrenees and then back through France, taking a couple of months. Have arranged a quick trip back to Sussex in early March as I have some business to take care of, Kye will be staying with Sherry and her dog Emmie so he'll be in safe hands. Unfortunately it is a bit of an in an out trip so there wont be time to do much visiting but will look forward to a tour of pals in the summer. And then who knows? Must say I am starting to wonder why anyone would stay in the UK for the winter if they dont have to..... Guess lots of you are feeling that way after this year - I do hope that it improves soon, surely it can't go on for much longer??

Anyway- thats my lot for today, will be back when I have some news, till then hasta luego

Lubrin Bread Festival

Hello All
Been a while since I posted but had no real news to share - Life has just been going along very nicely thank you, with mainly sunny days- we have had some cloudy and rainy periods but the weather tends to change quite quickly and we're back to blue skies. And talking of blue skies- Lynne and Tony returned a week ago and boy! are they glad to be back in amongst the palm trees- Lynne especially because she had spent most of her time in Peckham and it would be hard to find two more contrasting environments. And it is lovely to have them back especially as I have new places and bars to show them.

I think I have already told you about Sue, my next door but one neighbour- she has been here for quite a few  years so is familiar with what happens where - on Monday she suddenly remembered it was the Bread festival in Lubrin so off we hurried. Lubrin is a typical Spanish small town way up in the mountains about an hour or so from here- not that far but the roads are very windy and narrow.
When we got there I was totally bowled over- it was all happening, the place was packed- little narrow streets leading from the very large and imposing church to a typical Spanish square- the flags were out, the band was playing ( not because we were there you understand) and the beer was flowing too in some quarters.
The festival is in honour of San Sebastian but what makes it unique is that they celebrate by throwing bread rings onto the crowds as they pass along the streets - it is total mayhem while everyone tries to catch as many as they can- people are pushing and shoving, leaping into the air, shoving with elbows- this is serious stuff; I tell you  if Spain wants to build a good rugby team ( is there a national team??) there are more than enough contenders in this area. But we weren't going to miss out in all the fun so in we went and did quite well considering it was our first attempt though as you can see from the photo we've still got a long way to go.

But it was such fun, following the procession (if you look carefully you can see a very long loaf all the way up the back of the statue) marching along to the band and generally joining in with everything that was happening- a real experience. The town continues to party till well into the night but we decided to leave them to it and go and have a peaceful tapas lunch on the way home. And why bread? well, it started after the war - the town survived, the people felt prosperous so they showed this by throwing bread.
And do you know one of the best bits? No health and safety, no hard hats ( and I can tell you from experience it does hurt when you get hit), only two very causal looking guardia, kids running in and out - fantastico!

So thats all for today, hasta luego!

So look what I got for being a good girl! Sadly I had to give them back. So a belated Feliz Anu Nuevo to you all - hope that everyone is coping with the horrid weather you are having, hopefully the end is in sight for you and it will improve.
All going well - really enjoyed the Three Kings events - the photo is of the Mojacar Kings before they started the parade- unfortunately the photos aren't clear enough to show the float but it was all good fun, the town band was very good and all the kids were really excited and having a great time- they throw sweets as they go and you have to be really careful as they throw them with some force- supposed to be good luck if you catch them, chance of losing an eye if you don't! The other photo is from New Years eve so as you can see we all survived the 12 grapes ( trick is to take small ones), once again fun was had by all - lady in the middle is Sue, next door but one neighbour- good fun.
So since then much of the same except have been doing a bit of exploring around the local area with either Dermot or Sherry - the mountains are stunning once you get away from the coast and there are some great little towns tucked up in them. The picnic is on hold until Lynne and Tony get back which wont be long now as Lynne wanted to see the area so it will be great to have her with us.

So think thats all for now - hope everyone is keeping well- talk soon.
Jx

oh yes- Kye is fully recovered thankfully

St Stephens Day

 So the next day dawned- beautiful weather - always the way isnt it? But as planned met a few friends for lunch at a great place on the beach- Hola Ola- very Spanish, great food and good prices. I treated myself to a Tanqueray and schweppes ( 5e's) but that's what you pay for a Larias and cheap tonic so reckoned I was worth it! Left to right is Jenni, Dermot ( guess you'll all have the magnifying glasses out) and Sherry. It was the first time that Jenni and Sherry had met so we excused Dermot after a couple of hours as  his eyes were beginning to glaze- we were still at it a couple of hours later!

So, as you can see my festive period passed very happily which I hope was the same for you all.
Since then both Kye and I have been a bit under the weather - I contacted a horrid cold from goodness who knows where and he contacted a parasitic infection - hes absolutely fine in himself but you just don't want to know whats been coming out of his bum- all I can say is that I have found a great vet and am very glad that I dont have carpets!! He is currently enjoying a diet of rice with chicken, white fish, cottage cheese or eggs- harrumph!

So next on the agenda is New Years eve and then the run up to the 3 Kings so will be back. Its unlikely to be before January 1st so I would like to wish you all a heartfelt Happy New Year and may 2104 bring you all you wish for.

Bye for now.
Jane x

Christmas Eve afternoon!!

 Who would have believed that after this lovely afternoon we would have had the worst gales for years and in fact on that very morning the earth moved for me -no, nothing to do with Dermot ( have you guessed he hasnt got the blog address?) but an earthquake which measured 3 on the Richter scale. Okay not very big but it was my first. And actually it was the noise that woke me - thought someone had dropped a gas cylinder just outside the house- the epicentre was in Carboneras, a town about 20K's along the coast. So obviously no damage and none form the gales unike the poor people who lost power and water.

I had a lovely day at the markets and then was invited to celebrate Christmas Eve in the village, joined Dermot to spend the evening with his Spanish friends - they live in the most fantastic apartment - a little wooden front door that belies what it behind it- like the Tardis, just jaw dropping. So a lovely evening was had by all, I drove and still enjoyed myself so that says a lot! I also learned quite a bit about current Spanish politics - enough to make your hair curl, just be grateful for Cameron et al is all I can say- may be the subject of a blog in the New Year.

Sadly Christmas day dawned cold, grey, wet and very windy - not the sort of day for a picnic (though I do have vivid memories of going on picnics in just such weather when I was a girl) - and I really didnt fancy driving along the coastal road - one strong gust and we would be over so the decision was made to defer to another day.
But still had a happy day- Sherry and I spent the day together, ate the picnic lunch, braved the elements when we took the dogs down to the beach then I settled down to watch Call the Midwife with millions of others. And not a paper hat in sight - hurrah!!