February 23rd - 28th 2007
Written by Geoff Forster
We spent the day working.
We walked to the donkeys. A lovely walk in the late afternoon.
They are both fit and well.
In the evening we went to Gaucín. It's the Gaucín carnival. We arrived at around 22:00h. and found out that we were a little early. Advertised start times in Spain still catch us out. They mean very little.
We went in 'Mike the Bikes' bar. We had a coffee before walking up to the Conventa where the festivities were due to take place.
Nothing much was happening at the Conventa.
A street stall was selling sweets, the stage was set up for the band.
A few kids were hanging around.
We guessed it would be at least midnight before it started so we headed home.
Back home we watched 'The Cube' and part of the sequel 'The Cube Hypercube'.
Another lovely day.
We walked out to see the donkeys.
A lovely walk. We won't put photo's because we're doing the same walk day after day.
In the evening we worked and then watched the end of 'The Cube Hypercube' before watching 'The Da Vinci Code' starring Tom Hanks. Having recently read the book, the film is fairly true to the story. Although like most films which have been adapted for the big screen from books, the book is better.
Sorry, no photo's it's been a busy time. I'm a few days behind.
I worked all morning before the Newcastle United game. We lost 1-0 to Wigan. A really poor result.
We went to Gaucín for the carnival. There was a show in the Conventa.
It seemed to be a few amateur groups doing song and dance routines.
There seemed to be a competition between the old boy's of the village for the silliest hat.
We walked up to Alphonso's bar near the Nanta animal feed store.
We met Ray and Margaret enjoying a beer outside.
We joined them for a chat and a coffeee.
We said adios to Ray and Margaret and went back down towards the Conventa.
The skies were getting darker. It looked as if we might get some rain later in the evening.
The female group had been superceded by a group of lads wearing blond Elvis type wigs.
It was time to go ... the excitement was too much.
We worked again until the early morning.
Another lovely day. The sun is shining, the skies are blue. We're cleaning and painting.
Spring cleaning the apartment.
We're pleased it's a such a beautiful day because friends Martin and Davina Green are bringing Davina's parents, Dennis and Pat to visit Benarrabá.
Martin and Davina from Scarborough, stayed with us in the apartment last year. Dennis and Pat like to spend a week in Torremolinos during the English Winter.
They came up to the house at around midday.
This is Martin Green.
Jane and Davina.
It was good to meet Dennis and Pat, who were impressed by the views.
Dennis and Pat invited us to join them for dinner tonight at the Restaurante Kábilas. Which will be lovely.
A busy day. More friends Chris and Gilly Band are over from Jersey. They have a holiday home in Estación de Cortes. We arranged to meet them in Café Bar Guayacán.
It was good to see them again.
Chris is a keen angler. He'd been fishing in the nearby Rio Guadiaro, where he'd been successfully pulling out some good sized Barbel.
He then, with the help of a friends cat who distracted him managed to catch his own finger. A size four hook right into the finger tip. It had gone in deep, passed the barb, so it wouldn't come out. A trip to the nearby health centre in Algatocín. Where the doctor anaesthetised the finger, before pushing the hook through. He then cut off the barb and then pulled the hook back out.
Ouch.
We enjoyed a good chat and caught up with what Chris and Gilly had been up to.
Their son Josh is a keen Table Tennis player and represents Jersey. Chris is heavily involved in running the Jersey TTA. Josh did well in international ranking competition recently.
We said goodbye to Chris and Gilly. We walked to the plaza as it was such a lovely afternoon.
The cross on top of the pretty Ermita in the Benarrabá plaza. The moon was just in the right place ...
Press F11 to see full pic. Then F11 again to get back the toolbars.
Benarrabá has one of the prettiest plaza's in the area. Lined with orange trees.
We drove to Gaucín.
I wanted to take some photographs of the streets for a Gaucín website we're designing.
The design is done now we're starting to add content.
This is the eroded face of a water spout, One of six in the old fuente.
The Gaucín Plaza is being repaved. We hope the fountain isn't repaired with more concrete as is often the case with old castles.
We went to The Restaurante Kábilas for a lovely meal with Martin, Davina, Dennis and Pat.
Davina wasn't feeling too well. We hope you're that you're better now Davina xxx.
It was good chatting to Dennis. He has had quite a life. Sailing around the world in the merchant navy.
This is Dennis and Pat.
A good night.
Back home we watched 'She's the One' starring John Mahoney, Edward Burns, Jennifer Aniston and Cameron Diaz. A relationship film. Entertaining, funny ...
The weathers good again. We spent the day working on the computers.
We did have a break mid-afternoon to walk out to see the donkeys.
They came plodding up the steep hill to see us.
Domingo likes his food.
So does Rosie. She's convinced we have more in the bag and wouldn't let us sit down.
The wild flowers continue to emerge and more and more are coming into bloom.
This is Chickweed. I think it is a variety called 'Mouse Eared'.
This shrub is coming into flower.
A woody open bush growing to around two metres.
It has yellow pea type flowers.
Lavender grows wild along the paths and hillsides.
Most are flowering now and the bees love it.
We worked all evening until well after midnight.
When we watched 'Love Actually' starring Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley and a host of other big stars.
An absolute scorcher. Día de Andalucía, a Bank Holiday in the area.
We walked to see the donkeys.
The Border Collies love the puddles which are getting very muddy.
A lovely e-mail from an Australian girl (12) Chelsea Sprott from North Queensland.
Great name. Although Newcastle Sprott would have been better ...
Chelsea loves Border Collies and kindly wrote to us saying she liked our photographs.
So here are some of the dogs having fun today in a mud hole. Especially for Chelsea.
Jake.
Jake's mother Sally.
Jake's like the donkeys. He likes rolling around. He kicks his legs in the air, he's a happy good natured dog.
Sally again.
Finally one of old Ferdy.
Jane enjoying the sunshine. It was so hot that she was walking in the shade if she got chance!
We met Peter and Clarissa with their friends and family, looking at a trail of processionary caterpillars. Pet owners please be warned, there are a lot of these caterpillars about at the moment.
Jane did well to spot this large lizard lying on a log.
It's the biggest lizard we've seen in the area.
I think it may be a different species to the ones which we usually see in the village and campo.
It was around 20-25 centimetres long.
Back home we worked until midnight
We watched part of 'The Hours' starring Nicole Kidman in her Oscar Winning role as Virginia Woolf. Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore.