Wednesday 30 November 2011

In the Garden.........


Tithonia diversifolia


    

Mexican sunflower 
   

       ...... is a favourite common name for this majestic plant although it does have quite a few common names.


                                                                                 

 Occurring naturally in Mexico and Central America this non hardygiant of a sun flower  has escaped cultivation and become established in tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world.

It becomes shrub like very quickly and is considered  invasive in parts of Southern and Eastern Africa, Australia and many Pacific Islands.  

                                                                                        

  
It flowers spectacularly here in late summer at a height of 2 – 3 metres and continues flowering until the temperature drops too low.

One plant can easily grow to 5m and spread to 3.5m in it’s second year here on the Costa Tropical.


Still flowering at the end of November, it is taking up considerably more than its allotted space in the garden.
                               

Capileira - A village in La Alpujarra ......


Capileira

       ....... is the highest and most northerly of the three villages in the gorge of the Poqueira river in the La Alpujarra district of the province of Granada, in Spain.  Its altitude is officially recorded as 1436 metres, though there is a considerable altitude difference between the oldest part of the village, which is at the lower, southern end, and the highest part.
                                                                                                            

Although the Sierra Nevada Highway runs through Capileira and out across the Sierra Nevada mountains towards the city of Granada, motor traffic is no longer permitted to continue across the mountains; Capileira is therefore the highest village that public traffic can reach, although you can continue to a car park where the National park begins and the road is barred to normal traffic. The National Park runs a limited bus service on the now-closed road (reservations handled by office in the village) in summer. A track leads northwards from the village to the abandoned settlement of La Cebadilla, built to house the workers who developed the hydro-electric installation at the upper end of the Poqueira Gorge.














 Capileira has developed a significant tourist trade, acting as a centre for walking and for accessing the mountains especially Mulhacén, generally treated as a two-day climb from Capileira with an overnight stop at a mountain refuge en route. A bus route connects the village to Granada (via Lanjarón and Órgiva) and Alcútar (via Trevélez and Juviles); as of 2011 there were 3 services per day in each direction. The village has good facilities for visitors including a number of restaurants,a market on Tuesdays, hotels and apartment blocks, but retains a typical Alpujarran character especially away from the main road.


On Calle Mentidero is the village′s museum, the Museo Etnológico Pedro Antonio Alarcón, which has exhibits of local handicrafts and dress and a display on the 19th-century writer Alarcón, from Guadix, who published an account of the Alpujarras, Viaje a la Alpujarra. It′s open 11am-2.30pm Tuesday to Sunday.





                                                                            


 For the most outstanding views of the village and the Poqueira gorge, head north towards the river and you′ll come to the Eras de Aldeire, a series of old threshing floors that were used for wheat and barley. On the southeastern edge of the village is a viewpoint (mirador) from where you can see down the Poqueira valley to Bubión and Pampaneira and north to the Veleta peak.










At the top of the village is the best hotel in Capileira, the three-star Finca Los Llanos, with magnificent views from all of the rooms and apartments and from the attractive swimming pool. Just beyond Capileira is Cortijo Catifalarga (958 343 357), a stone guesthouse on a farm with fabulous views and occasional live music in its bar. There are also several basic accommodation options in the centre, including Mesón-Hostal Poqueira. There are good restaurants at all these hotels. If you′re vegetarian, eat at the Casa Ibero on Calle Parra.
For a truly away-from-it-all experience, you can stay in the mountain refuge beyond Capileira, the Refugio Poqueira (958 343 349). Located at 2,500m en route to Mulhacén peak, there are spectacular views of the Sierra Nevada and the Alpujarras.












If you want to hike up to Mulhacén you can take a bus from Capileira (in summer only) to the Mirador de Trevélez. From here (2,700m) you can climb up to the peak (3,479m) and down, in time to catch the return bus.
For tourist information, contact the village hall (ayuntamiento) on 958 763 051.

Sunday 27 November 2011

Lazy Sunday.........



The temperature outside registered 13 º  and me and the dogs, cosy in our beds, were in no hurry to get up and begin the day.   Himself is always an early riser and, when the early morning temperature drops sufficiently, is often up and has the stove alight before the rest of the household even considers thinking about rising.
No need for the stove to be alight today though.

 The day is full of promise.  Sun all the way and no winds to bring the cold breezes down from the snowy sierra or to bring the hot sandy air up from Africa.  

Herself is preparing a Moroccan Tagine recipe for a family lunch, well actually, it’s the man of the house doing the prepping.  Lucky chef!


Recipe:
1 lb stewing beef
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 tbs ras el hanout
1-2 tbs olive oil
1-2 tbs butter
good pinch saffron
2 large tomatoes, chopped
3 carrots, diced
2 green peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 - 1 cup prunes
2-3 tbs honey
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup red wine
salt, to taste

Slowly sauté onions on medium-low heat until they begin to caramelize.  Stir in Ras el Hanout spice blend.  Turn up heat to medium-high and add butter and saffron.  Brown meat well on both sides and add tomatoes and other vegetables.  Add broth, prunes and honey.  Add red wine and salt and let simmer for 1-2 hours, depending on using the Tajine and toughness of the meat.  Meat should melt in the mouth when done.

Serve with flat breads, rice, couscous or bulgur.

Enjoy!


After lunch, sitting comfortably on the sofas, talking laughing, the sun shining through the windows.  Where else would we want to be?










                                                   

Saturday 26 November 2011

In the Garden.........


Euphorbia tirucalli
  







      
   pencil cactus or aveloz
 
                        ..........is a dioecious succulent, cactus-like milky shrub eventually becoming a large tree, devoid of spines, to 10 m tall,  indigenous to Eastern & Southern Africa and used as a hedge in Brazil.  

The leaves are small and slender, up to 12 x 1.5 mm, rarely seen, as they fall very early.

The bracts are yellow and the flowers tiny, inconspicuous, and carried in clusters at the apex of the short branches or in the angles of branches.





It has a a rangy, open growth habit, and is more valued for its novelty than the beauty of its foliage.

Pencil cactus can be trimmed back if they become too large, but be careful to  prevent irritation from the milky sap.
It can easily grow into a 6-foot specimen planted in a large pot. 

As with all succulents, it’s better to let it dry out rather than risk over watering and rot.

Cortijo Azahar has a small pot grown specimen from a cutting taken not much more than a year ago. 





The family name Euphorbiaceae and genus name Euphorbia were named in honour of a Linnaean hero namely Euphorbus, first century physician to King Juba of Mauritania. He is believed to have used plants of this genus as medicine.

The species name tirucalli was given by Linnaeus in 1753 as this was the name used by the natives of Malabar, a region of southern India.

The rubber-hedge has been so widely cultivated that it is now difficult to say where it occurs naturally and where it has been introduced.

Early traders and sailors carried plants from South Africa to India and the Far East, and the fact that these have all flourished, gives us some idea of the incredible resilience of the plant.
     
 This is a stunning variety named 'Firesticks' which we have not yet been able to locate. 


 It lacks the chlorophyl of it's parent. The best colour is produced in winter.                      

Friday 25 November 2011

In the Garden........


Chorisia insignis




   cream/yellow/white silk flloss tree     

                         Flowering now in the garden is this lovely, young, drought tolerant tree originating from Southern Brazil and Argentina.  It begins flowering here in November  and continues until mid winter when the temperature falls too low and the leaves begin to drop.  The palmate leaves re-emerge in April.


Prominent spines cover the green/grey branches and trunk.




 The tree below is a large Chorisia Insignis that is located close to the "Plaza de la Marina" in Malaga, Spain.  At the base, this tree measures more than one meter in diameter.




  They are fairly common in the South of Spain along the Mediterranean coast, especially in Málaga. 
The reason that there are large specimens of tropical trees in Malaga is that there were several wealthy families in the city who owned shipping companies.
About 150-200 years ago, interest in Botany began to increase and these families had many different plants and trees brought back by their ships from tropical regions.
Most of these large family estates are now Public Parks and Gardens in Malaga.
                                              
Nearer to home, the 'Majeulo Garden' in Almuñecar, just a twenty minute drive west of Motril, is known for its hundreds of palms and exotic trees that were brought here from all over the world. 
Each tree has an identifying name plate with it's species and originating country.        




Wednesday 23 November 2011

Skiing and Snowboarding in the Sierra Nevada...


The ski season will commence on the 26th November. Snow fell last weekend and the snow cannons are currently working in full force to re-enforce and boost the exisiting cover in anticipation of a great start to the season

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=J9U3RIIeFDA

                Sierra Nevada defies many concepts associated with skiing. Located barely a stone's throw from the Mediterranean coast, it has practically guaranteed sunshine, the best Spring snow conditions in Europe, and is still reasonably priced compared to many of its European counterparts.

      Picture taken yesterday...      

As one of Europe's highest resorts it is (perhaps surprisingly) very snowsure and typically has a long season. Traditionally the season starts around the end of November running through to the end of April or even into the first week of May.
The longest season on record was the winter of 2008/9 which ran from the 15th November 2008 until the 17th May 2009.
Sierra Nevada literally means "Snowy Mountain Range", and it includes some of the highest peaks in Europe, not to mention the highest concentration of peaks over 3,000m in the country. The Mulhacen at 3,482m is the Iberian Peninsula's highest.
The ski terrain is majestically overlooked by the jagged glacier-formed Veleta peak, at 3,398m, Spain's third highest after Aneto (3,404m) in the Pyrenees.
From the top of the Veleta peak, skiers can see across the Mediterranean to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.




Overview
Resort Base Level
2100m
Top Station
3300m (Veleta peak 3398m)
Vertical Drop
1200m
Slope Orientation
NW & W
Pisted Runs
102.89 kilometres (inc. Snowboard Park) over 115 runs
Green Runs
16
Blue Runs
40
Red Runs
50
Black Runs
9
Longest Run
"El Aguila" - 6.18 kms
Cross Country Skiing
1 circuit. 4 kilometres
Number of Lifts
29 (2 Gondolas; 16 Chairlifts (6 Detachable); 2 T-bar drag lift; 8 Conveyer Belt, 1 rope drag)
Lift Opening Times
09.00 to 17.00 (Last lift up 16.45)
Total Lift Capacity
47,141 skiers per hour
No. of Ski Areas
6 (Veleta; Laguna De Las Yeguas; Borreguiles; Lomar de Dilar; Rio Monachil; Parador)
Snow Making
350 canons & 725 hydrants over 33 kms of piste on 32 runs.
Child Care
2 options: 1 - The "Snow Garden" in Borreguiles main ski area, 2 - The crèche at the base of Al-Andalus Gondola)
Night Skiing
Saturdays from 19.00 to 21.30hrs (subject to weather /snow conditions)
Freestyle Parks
1 with half-pipe, full range of jumps & rails plus a small lift. 1 Mini-Park with a small selection of ramps and rails.


Link to Piste Map
http://www.sierranevada.co.uk/images/stories/pistemap_big.jpg      




An important factor, which very few resorts can boast, is that you are practically guaranteed sunshine throughout your stay! Being so far south, the climate is superb for brushing up on the deepest ski tan you are likely to get anywhere! Visitors are consistently stunned at how the snow lasts during the typically deep-blue-skied and sun-blazoned days.







Tuesday 22 November 2011

5000 Sheep Passing Through Madrid...



Interesting news from Spain, on Sunday, October 30, 2011 

..........when Spanish shepherds led flocks of sheep through the streets of downtown Madrid in defense of ancient grazing, migration and droving rights threatened by urban sprawl and man-made frontiers.
Jesus Garzón, president of a shepherds council, said about 5,000 sheep and 60 head of cattle crossed the city to exercise the right to droving routes that existed before Madrid grew from a rural hamlet to the great capital it is today.
This practice, called transhumance  traditionally involved around one million animals, mainly sheep and cattle.




Transhumance  is an ancient tradition in which a shepherd paid 25 Maravedis, coins that were first printed in the 11th century, to be able to use the pedestrian path through the city.
The Shepherds Lamb Board was formed in the year 1273. 

The leader of the Board of Spanish shepherds, Jesus Garzón, says the herders have had the right to use the ancient path  for seasonal migration from the cooler highland pastures in summer to the warmer grazing areas in winter for more than 800 years but modern-day Madrid is in the way of two north-south routes.
 Madrid is currently split in two by the presence of the Puerta del Sol, the town square.

The sheep crossing has certainly become an interesting spectacle for tourists when visiting Madrid  in the Spring and Autumn.




                                                        

A-7/E15 Gorgoracha-Puntalon - Update


The Seaside Gazette
 Saturday, November 19, 2011

 The much-needed stretch of autovia between Gorgoracha and Puntalón was 75% complete when all work ground to a halt; the construction company Isolux Corsan had struck an unexpected strata of rock that would require a lot of extra funding to reroute the construction work.
In fact, the extra money needed would almost have been another 50% of the original budget, so the Government had no option other than to cancel the original contract with the company, find the extra funds and open a new contract  for bidding, which is what has happened. In the interim, almost two years has elapsed.
The original company won the bid again and with a budget of 39-million euros, will complete the section, starting from December and concluding next year.
As soon as the Gogoracha-Puntalón section is complete, the same company will commence work on the port, autovia connection.
This means that finally, all of the missing sections are active and working towards completion.
Despite the scare over the Taramay-Lobres section, opposition leaders and  business representatives had a tour of the section and confirmed that work continues up there – and is progressing well.
So when, according to the Central Government, will we be able to drive from the western boundary to the eastern boundary of the province, on the A-7? The answer is that motorists will be able to drive from the Málaga provincial boundary to Carchuna  before the end of next year, and then from Carchuna-Castell de Ferro and Polopos-Albuñol by summer 2013.

So, in conclusion, better late than never.  The ways things were going, never was becoming a possibility.
The regional opposition leader, Javier Arenas, was already proclaiming that his party would have to complete the A-7, but with this latest development and the actual government finding the funds from God knows where, the PP (Partido Popular - Centre Right, newly elected) can  sit back and witness the outgoing PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español)  place the A-7, where it passes through Costa Tropical and the A-44, down from Granada to the coast, in their trophies cabinet.

Monday 21 November 2011

In the Garden..........


Punica granatum

 
                              

 The Pomegranate

 .......is native to the region of Persia and the western Himalayan range, and has been cultivated in Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern India, Russia, and the Mediterranean region for several millennia.




 The ancient city of Granada in Spain was renamed after the fruit
 during the Moorish period.














Illustration by Otto Wilhelm Thomé, 1885




The Pomegranate is the Symbol of Granada and these symbols are found everywhere in Granada.
















Sunday 20 November 2011

The Rain in Spain......











Saturday afternoon was very grey and we rushed home from a friend's house just as the sky was getting darker than it should have been and the rain was beginning,  around 5.30pm.


 What a deluge... an amazing tropical rain storm unlike anything experienced in our time here.... thunder crashing around the hills, lightening lighting up the night sky..... and it went on and on and on......
all evening, no signal from the satellite, electricity permanently on the blink.  Quite thrilling really but eventually we gave it up and had an early night.





Awoke this morning to leaden skies, the sea and mountains almost non existent, obscured by the clouds and the drizzling last of the rain......well we hope we've seen the last of it for a while.
It isn't cold, just feels a little damp so himself has lit the wood burner to cheer us up and tomorrow, the  forecast is sun with a high of 20.  That's to look forward to.

Before that, it's the arrival of  daughter and son-in-law and Sunday Chicken Lunch to look forward to.


The Sierra Nevada 5 days ago   -    The Ski Station should be opening very soon.






Saturday 12 November 2011

In the Garden...........

Euphorbia milii






  Crown of Thorns 


Flowering now,  but actually almost never out of flower, this  beautiful succulent is an asset to any garden.
Originally from Madagascar, it's popularity has seen it growing as a house plant in less favourable climates.


Bright-green leaves grow along its thick, thorny stems. Lower leaves naturally fall off as the plant ages. If your plant gets too tall and leggy, you can prune it back by half its size in spring. This will cause it to branch out. New stems will grow from below where the pruning cuts were made, making this succulent bushy and full.
Its flowers are actually bracts that last for several weeks and are available in bright pink, red, white or yellow. Today's hybrids produce more -- even bigger -- flowers than ever before.
Crown of Thorns flower dependably when they get enough light. They're easy to grow and drought-tolerant, prefering slightly dry, sandy soil. This succulent stores water in its thick stems just like a cactus, so it can be watered less frequently than other house plants. If its leaves turn yellow and fall off, cut back on the watering.

Sunny, mild & still, today's temperature reached 23º.

Tuesday 8 November 2011

An October Journey........


After a week of preparation and interruptions and after packing the dogs off to the 'Seacrest Pet Hotel', we finally left home on Sunday 16th October around midday.

Himself drove some 2,600 miles in all. We managed five ferry crossings, all but the last as calm as a mill pond, visited family and friends in England and new family in Ireland where we were made thoroughly welcome and would have loved to have stayed longer and all in all had a perfectly wonderful safari.





















With hind sight though, we should have taken two or three days longer to complete the journey back from Ireland to Spain as we arrived home on Friday 5th November,  after picking up the dogs from their restful stay in Nerja,  utterly exhausted and we really needed far more time than we had allowed to be with our family and friends.




 Himself has drunk the Guiness where it tastes as it was meant to taste, we've enjoyed the home grown Aberdeen Angus steak and the tasty, floury fresh home farm  potatoes,  tasted the pocheen, savoured the 'heavy air' and wondered at the green of the fields and trees and the watery sun, the quiet and peace of the place and how it must have been to grow up there in Ireland.









I fell in love with our sturdy, cosy, compact, campervan  and could quite easily become an 'old age traveller'.  The nomadic life is extremely addictive.


 We have slept warmly and well in a private driveway level with the pavement when the night time temperature fell to 3º,   in a layby opposite a chicken and kebab shop, by the roadside in a newish housing area as well as on a very pretty, country campsite and on a not so pretty, seaside camp site.

Now, a few days later, we are ready to begin the journey all over again.....wishful thinking that is, I am sorry to say.


Back home...... it was back to work, cleaning downstairs after a family of seven who left the house on the same morning as us and left us with a mountain of washing too and then, we still have all the washing from the villa that there wasn't time to sort out before we left.   Meeting and Greeting yet another French couple I wondered where oh where have all our British holidaymakers been holidaying?   There havn't been many coming here this year.  Again this afternoon, at the villa, we are expecting to greet a couple coming from Brittany who are holidaying for a week here.
At least the sun is shining and the wind has dropped and the temperature rising again after all the rain that fell whilst we were away.

and so life goes on.........