Spring in Spain

After the excitement of Altea it was back to Casas Nuevas.

On my drive back I popped into IKEA on my way past and bought a small patio set for the front garden. When we are here in the winter it is only possible to sit out for food or a drink in the daytime, the sun is on the front from about 10 till 3pm. The back of the house gets limited sun and once it goes down about 6-7pm sitting outside is not possible.  IKEA in Murcia is like a training exercise for a long distance walk, it takes forever before you get to the bit where you can pick up the things you want, unless there is a shortcut that I haven’t found.  Two folding wooden chairs and table purchased.  Chris had warned me that the weather was a bit wild and it was a windy drive back. There had been power cuts in Pliego and our internet was off, Chris had been to the shop and they said they would ring to arrange to sort it out. I got back about 3pm and Chris had the house all clean and tidy and we had a lovely steak meal together.

Friday and Chris was up and out early driving to San Javier airport to pick up his friend Alan who fancied a bit of winter sun and to photograph the almond blossom.  I rang the office about the internet and got the whole story about the problems with the power etc.We had a tapas lunch in Bar Teresa and good catch up with Alan. He and his wife Linda had just returned from a month long cruise from South Africa to Singapore which included a safari, so lots of good wildlife shots. It is six nations time and one of the joys of having free view is that I can watch the rugby. The England game was a tale of two halves and Alan watched the first half and then couldn’t believe that England had won, SWING LOW!! 

Saturday and I went into Mula to the market but it was freezing cold, about 6 degrees and as I came out of Aldi there was a flurry of snow. Chris and Alan had gone walking and they had encountered a real snow shower. The almond blossom weren’t too keen on the cold either so photo opportunities were limited. With the log burner going it was nice and cosy for the other two rugby games.

Sunday morning it was bright and warmer and no sign of snow. We needed more wood and Paco said he would deliver a tonne of very dry wood at 10am. He dumped it straight onto the road and Chris and Alan spent several hours moving it inside. Alan is an engineer and we have named the wood pile “the Barton” such is the magnificence of the design.

The "Barton"

 Meanwhile I was sorting out stuff in the kitchen and making vegetarian lasagne for Monday. The new table and chairs were put to good use for a couple of well deserved beers. We decided to eat in the salon (the Spanish for a celebration eatery) and had a delicious meal.

For starter we had embutido (a delicious plate of cold meats), mussels and cod croquetas; which were so nice we had to have a second helping. The salad was very simple but good, quartered gem lettuces with delicious anchovies on top.  For main course we had succulent goat, served with potatoes and little fried green peppers. Dessert was flan de cafe and cold rice pudding followed by coffee. We managed to drink 3 bottles of wine, 2 of which are a delicious wine from Jumilla called Juan Gill. By local standards it is expensive, 12 Euros a bottle, but it is so smooth. It is 10.40 to buy at the vineyard so the mark up is not great. After hard work, food and wine a siesta was in order after which the boys went for a chat in the bar.

Monday Chris and Alan went up into the Sierra Espuna park to see the ice houses, they were well wrapped up when they left the house and there was snow on the ground where they walked. I took the van into Mula and went again to the internet shop and it was as if I was telling her the problems for the very first time. She said she would ring the technicians but she also gave me their number. About an hour after I got home they were at the house, and fixed the problem in no time. The antenna in Mula had snapped due to the very high winds. 

Tuesday we had plans, I was going to Mula for my hair appointment and the boys were going to walk the waterway and I would pick them up in Pliego on my way home. The rain didn’t look very inviting so plan B, after my hair cut, let’s go to Cehegin. It has a lovely old town with narrow streets winding up to a square at the top but it looks less good when it is raining. We planned lunch but Tuesday was not a good day to find food in Cehegin. 

Lunching ay Casa Paca

We went to Casa Paca near Mula; always a good bet and had menu del dia for 30 Euros for the three of us. I had soup, fish and rice pudding but the boys had a big plate of paella for starter followed by meat and a very rich pudding called “tocino del cielo” which translates to bacon of the sky. It is from Jerez where they make sherry and used to use egg whites to clear the sherry and therefore had loads of egg yolks and not wanting to waste them they went into a very rich dessert.

Wednesday and Alan was back off to the UK without much sun and probably two weeks too early for good photos of the almond blossom.  Chris came back from the airport looking pretty rough and went to bed for a few hours. He had a dose of cold/flu with a thick head and sinus pain, so the magic flu powder was administered!! I got up to date with some stuff in the house and started thinking about what to do in Paris in September. Chris continued to feel rough on Thursday but we had a very lazy day in the house as it poured with rain all day. I got a bit of Paris planning done and Chris booked a flight to Porto, in Portugal, for September as he is planning to walk the Camino Portuguesa from Porto to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Friday we went to the market in Pliego and Chris managed eventually to get his haircut in Mula, the guy in Pliego was doing appointments only!! After I dropped him off I got stuck in traffic, it was the children’s Carnival parade. The volume was so loud from the speakers it was vibrating the car. My plans to go to the other side of town were thwarted so I had a beer and tapa in the main square and watched the parade. 

If you want loud music you need big speakers!!

Look Alan almond blossom!!

Chris was still feeling ropey on Saturday and I was worried that our night away might be in jeopardy. After several hours sleep and more flu medicine he rallied round. We stayed at La Mariposa, in Gebas, which is a hotel that does adventure activities. It is run by an English family and they do music nights. So for 100 Euros we had dinner, a Rod Stewart tribute act, overnight stay, breakfast and then Sunday lunch. There were only 14 people but it was a good night and the weather was grand so we walked up the valley behind the hotel for a couple of hours before lunch on Sunday. All in all a grand time and my legs were a bit stiff with all of the dancing!!