July 16th - 31st 2006
Written by Geoff Forster
A lovely day we're up early.
I'm going to put the first coat of paint on the side of the house before the sun gets round there.
'Mota de Oro' our little Spanish cat.
By the time I'd scraped and prepared the wall for painting the sun had angled round enough to instantly blind you if you looked up.
I'm going to have to get up very early to paint this wall.
I listened to the cricket and watched the start and end of the French Grand Prix. In between we sat on the sun terrace drinking 'Vino Tinto de Verano', which is a long summer drink made with approximately 1/3 red wine, 2/3 soda water and we like to add a splash of lime cordial.
There are a few variations from bar to bar and from area to area.
We walked Rosie and Domingo into the campo. Then we fed them their seed mix.
Benarrabá looked beautiful with the late afternoon sunshine shining on the pueblo.
Back home Jane watered all the plants and we enjoyed the evening with another vino tinto ...
A lovely morning, we overslept after watching late movies. So no painting was done. Mañana.
We're going to Ronda late this afternoon. There's a big function on in one of the hotels. Lot's of important people from Málaga. Antonio Ramos asked us to go he is a venenciador. We're not sure if he's just doing the wine pouring or if he's doing the catering for the entire function. He wants us to take photo's. We're going to be well looked after ...
Back from Ronda at 23:30h. We set off at 16:00h so we spent 7½ hours out.
If I'd done the blog when we returned it would have been 18 rated. I don't think I've ever sworn in the blog yet but I was boiling.
We drove to Ronda. This is the view from a mirador just outside Ronda.
We parked in Calle Benarrabá.
We crossed the plaza in the Barrio San Francisco.
We walked up to the Jardin de la Muralla, where the function was to be held.
We finally got an answer at the door. Antonio wasn't there. The owner hadn't been told we were coming to take photographs. We explained why we were there.
We looked around the garden, it was very beautiful.
We sat with the owner José Maria and chatted about his garden. He seemed impressed that we knew the names of so many of his plants.
While we were sitting a beautiful butterfly kept landing on the table.
I had my camera ready after the second time and got this photograph of it on José Maria's knee.
José Maria seemed to be a very calm, relaxed in his beautiful garden and he made us feel very welcome. A lovely man.
This is a view of Ronda from the garden.
We enjoyed the garden and talking with José Maria.
We were really thirsty temperatures were in the high 90'sF, if not higher.
We walked to Bar El Cante and sat outside under the parasols.
We walked down to Bar Capri near the Puente Nueva.
This is Miguel. Miguel comes from Alpandeire.
We always enjoy a beer in Bar Capri.
We walked to the bridge and looked down. You have to do this in Ronda even if you've been here a hundred times before!
It's quite a drop. Very scary. I thought the scaffolding was bad.
How do they paint the houses, hotels and restaurants that are built on top of the gorge?
We walked back to the Jardin de la Muralla.
Antonio was there now. We took photographs as the tables, watched ham being carved, food prepared, beer and beverages put on ice and the tables set up.
We were there until 20:30h. taking photographs.
It was still hot.
This was a huge pot of St Miguel beer on ice.
We sat and watched a waiter give his girlfriend a free beer.
She drank it in front of us.
We'd had enough. We'd been there for hours and were thirsty and hungry. We had to go into Ronda to Da Vinci's pizza restaurante to get something to eat.
We enjoyed our pizza. Da Vinci's lived up to it's reputation as an excellent pizza restaurante.
I took this photo of the traffic on the Puente Nueva.
We walked back to the Jardin de la Muralla. The guests had arrived and the food was being served.
We watched them eat and drink. We took some photographs of Antonio Ramos filling wine glasses from a barrel.
We wanted to photograph the guests enjoying themselves and to do a webpage on www.benarraba.com. Antonio said not to photograph the guests.
I was annoyed, we'd driven to Ronda at our own expense, been photographing the gardens and catering for 5½ hours. In 100°F temperatures we hadn't been offered a beer of even a sliver of ham that we'd watched being cut.
The day cost us 80€ in petrol, restaurant and bar bills. We'd rushed feeding the donkeys and been out the house for 7½ hours.
Now I guess I'm expected to do a free webpage with all the photographs of the tables and catering equipment.
I let Antonio know I wasn't happy. He said he'd been busy. which was true.
The problem is that if you're running a catering company, all that you do is snap your fingers and say to a waiter "Look after these people, they've driven here in good will, at there own expense to give me free publicity. Make sure they have drinks and a plate of f#!~ing jamon"
Oh well ... we had a good time in Ronda as usual,
I only swore once which was pretty good.
Terrible problems with Iberbanda meant I couldn't upload the blog.
We're up at 07:00h to paint the side of the house. Thankfully it is overcast and a little cooler.
I got a first coat on.
I couldn't upload the blog because of Iberbanda. Sorry.
We went to see the donkeys. They are well.
A very quiet day in and around the house.
We sat on the sun terrace, enjoying the view and just relaxing.
Finally it has happened. Juans mare has had her foal.
Here it is just a few hours old.
We went to the campo to feed and walk the donkeys.
Later we sat for a few hours outside the bars in Calle Pósito.
A lovely evening with perfect temperatures.
The bars have tables outside. We listened to some Flamenco music and chatted to friends.
I'm up early putting another coat of paint on the side of he house.
I may put another on tomorrow. We want to get the scaffolding down before our next guests arrive on Saturday.
We went to see Rosie and Domingo. They look good. Rosie's coat is improving all the time. She's quite a pretty little burra.
Juans foal is female which is good as they are worth more.
We went out for tapas in Bar Andrés Sánchez, beautiful montaditos with a hint of garlic. Excellent.
A bit of a bar crawl and we got in six hours later!
Hot summer days and nights, you can't stay in all the time!
Up too late to put another coat of paint on. It's a hot day.
We've been to the campo to top Rosie and Domingo's water barrel up.
They get through a lot of water. We'll go over again later with more.
We fed them their seed mixture.
Here's Jane with Rosie.
Domingo.
We had a walk around the pueblo. We called in every bar for a quick beer before going home to cook a beautiful dish of organic pork tenderloin and a mix of fresh veg.
We had an early night. We're up early tomorrow to clean the apartment.
Up before dawn and I get a third coat of paint on the wall before the scorching sun gets round the side of the house.
Jane has cleaned the apartment.
We have taken more water up to the donkeys. We also give them a mixed seed and pellet supplement.
On the way to Algatocín to do some shopping we noticed a flock of around ten Ravens. Also the wires above Benarrabá were full of Bee-Eaters. We had some Bee Eaters around the village from April last year. This year they must have bred elsewhere but have returned with their young to feed above the village. The sound they make is unique and wonderful. They are also one of the prettiest European birds.
Jane's pulled a back muscle carrying the water for the donkeys. The containers are far too heavy for her.
I'm waiting for the Lillestrom v Newcastle United game. We must win or draw at least 1-1 which would force extra time. It's important for us to get into the UEFA Cup.
Our guests Claudia and Stuart arrived. They are from Newcastle. They arrived at half time which was very decent of them. Stuart is a big football fan and was pleased to hear we were winning 0-2.
Claudia and Stuart loved the apartment and told us they plan to visit Sevilla and Granada during their stay.
Newcastle United went on to win 0-3 in a relatively easy win.
We've also signed Damien Duff from Chelsea. So a good day for 'Toon' fans.
It was a warm evening. We waited until the temperatures fell a little before we cooked another pork dish with tenderloin, which we'd marinated overnight in garlic and white wine.
Later we watched a movie. About a female FBI agent.
We're up early. Jane's back is a little better.
We're off to Gaucín to get some money from the cash point there.
We'll take more water up for the donkeys.
On the way to Gaucín we passed the Bee Eaters. Here's another shot of one. Probably not as good as yesterdays but it shows their colours in brighter light.
It was a very clear day. At this time of year it is often a little hazy looking across the valley, but today there was none.
we stopped at a newly built mirador (viewing point / lay by) in between Benarrabá and Gaucín.
This is the Sierra de Crestellina taken through the pines.
Nearby were some newly stripped Cork Oaks. They are a lovely cinnamon colour when first stripped. By autumn they turn a deep maroon. If they get wet they glow a fantastic cherry red. It takes nine years for the cork to grow back to a thickness, so it can be re harvested.
Please don't buy wine with screw tops or plastic corks. This industry is so important to this area and the forests are magnificent. They would be lost if the industry collapses and there is a big threat that this could happen.
This is Gibraltar taken using 10x zoom. Usually I have to enhance the photo to remove haze, but not today.
A slightly wider angle showing Gibraltar and the Rif mountains of Morocco behind.
We were just leaving when Jane spotted this Dragonfly like insect. Possibly a Damselfly? It was a couple of inches long and very beautiful.
Back in Benarrabá, we're having a quiet day around the house.
We drove to take more water to the donkeys.
There are some wonderful trees on the land where they live.
Including an absolutely huge pine tree.
Jane decided to take some photo's.
It has fantastic bark.
We think the holes may be caused by insects.
Finally as close as is possible with our camera.
This is a green acorn developing on a Holm Oak.
They are great food for pigs, which are a specialty of the area.
This is an Olive. They are picked in winter.
We fed Rosie and Domingo. Then sat with them for a while.
Later we drove back to Benarrabá and went to Café Bar Guayacán.
Flora was busy cooking tapas. Good news!
She gave us some warm potato and peppers which were fantastic. But the best was her pork in salsa which was a real treat. Succulent pieces of pork cooked to perfection in a special almond sauce. We also had a Serranito, which is a slice of pork fillet, a cooked green pepper, a slice of ham served together in a toasted roll.
Back home we had a quick siesta.
Now we have to water the plants. No hosepipe ban here, but if you miss a day you may start to lose your plants.
Jane is up at 6am! I rolled over and left her to do some early morning e-mails.
Later we went to feed Rosie and Domingo.
More tree photo experiments.
This photograph makes Domingo look a lot smaller than he really is.
We went to Gaucín to buy some donkey food.
We also posted some letters.
We saw Mike and Anne from the UK outside a cafe. We'd met them a few times before earlier this year. We all enjoyed a coffee in the sun.
Whilst we were sitting outside the street café we saw Chris Scotford. Hopefully we'll see Chris and his wife Carol again soon, it's been a while..
We arranged to meet Anne and Mike twenty minutes later in Café Bar Guayacán, Benarrabá. Knowledge that Flora had been cooking was too big a temptation.
We had a huge plateful of pork pieces in special salsa.
We also had a slice of breaded pork fillet (lomo) in a toasted bun, each.
Here are Mike and Anne post tapas in the beautiful plaza in Benarrabá.
We said goodbye and wished them a good flight home, they leave this evening.
Well either see Anne quite shortly or both Anne and Mike later in October.
Back home we had some of Jane's homemade Gazpacho.
We're enjoying the summer heat.
Ice cold gazpacho tastes better the hotter that you are.
Later we went back down to Café Bar Guayacán. We enjoyed a few ice cold beers with lots of our Spanish friends.
I'm up early. No Iberbanda connection again.
The air is cooler early in the morning, so we throw open all the windows, until the sun shines on them. When we promptly shut them and draw the curtains. Temperatures are in the low 90's°F/33°C in the shade, which is quite bearable. By opening and closing doors and windows at the right time you can keep inside temperatures well below this.
We're off out ...
We've been to see Rosie and Domingo. Jane took these photographs of them looking very bright and cheerful as they munch their way through the dry grass along the edge of the camino.
We saw Sebastián. Sebastián is a lovely man. He's always smiling and happy. He gives us lots of dry grasses and sweet peas that he clears off his land. The donkeys love it. Here I am carrying a load of it from his Finca down the camino to the land where we keep Rosie and Domingo. Its not too far, dry straw can weigh quite a lot!
We fed Rosie and Domingo their seed supplement. Put more water in their barrel and then put some water for Juans pig.
We gave Sebastián a lift back to Benarrabá. Sebastián owns 'Ginger Cat'. This cat is so friendly. It purrs so much and meows all the time. It drives Domingo crazy with its none stop crying. Jane loves it ...
We'd asked Sebastián if it was for sale. He said it was kept for keeping rats and mice away from his finca.
Today Sebastián joked that he'd swap the cat for a donkey. We laughed. I said I'll swap it for a bottle of Whisky or Anis. Sebastian said Whiskey was better! So a deal was done. We shook hands! Which seals a deal in Spain. We now own 'Ginger Cat'!
A campo cat for a litre bottle of whiskey ... crazy English!
Four cats, three dogs, two donkeys.
Donations for our animal centre would be welcome! ;-)
Then we can buy more!
We're up and out really early.
Dawn in the mountains is a very beautiful time.
We surprised Rosie and Domingo with a very early visit.
The sun was just rising over the mountains and was streaming at a sharp angle through the Olive grove.
Here's a sleepy looking Rosie.
Benarrabá bathes in the early morning light.
It was a magical hour. We'll have to start getting up and out at this time more often.
Jane has started to clear out boxes full of things that we brought from the UK but never unpacked, so don't really need. Not a lot was being thrown out as it all turned out to have sentimental value ...
We went out for tapas to Bar Andrés Sánchez. A beautiful bowl of Salmorejo de carne. Benarrabá's famous pork dish. Followed by two montaditos. We washed it down with a nice Crianza 2002 Andrés was serving as the house Rioja.
We called in to see Dami. Later we went back to Andrés. We had a good chat with friends Jenine and her husband Miguel.
A good afternoon. The sun was beating down, the streets were quiet as we walked home. Siesta time ...
A quiet evening in just talking and using the computer.
We're up and out early again. We walked Rosie and Domingo.
We had a day away from the bars. A trip to Algatocín and the Super Genal was the highlight of the day. So not a very exciting blog.
We are planning a few trips out and about to some new villages.
I listened to the cricket. A strange days play in the first day of the Second test match against Pakistan. England look to be in a very strong position. Although that doesn't mean a lot with this team. Have they got enough killer instinct to press home their advantage?
Cooking at this time of year is to be avoided where possible!
Our neighbours eat after 23:00h. Temperatures drop around this time making it bearable to have a few pots and pans going.
Our kitchen is mostly underground so is reasonably consistent in temperature. We cooked a macaroni cheese and drank lots of ice cold spring water.
We watched "Murder in Mind". A series of one off dramas. The ones that we've seen have been very good.
Another hot day here in Andalucía.
We've been busy around the house.
Donkeys have been fed and watered.
We've been to Algatocín again to buy food and drink for the weekend.
I've been listening to the cricket whilst Jane was on eBay ...
Just before the tea interval. The dogs needed walking so I took them up the track.
On the way back I met Juan and David with his donkey.
Juan was hoping to get his mare pregnant. She's just had a foal. I was surprised it was possible whilst she was feeding the foal but I don't know much about horses. She wasn't keen on the donkey, so no mules are predicted to be born next year.
Here's David's donkey.
Jane came out to see the burro.
Here's Juan's mare with her foal. I guess the male donkey was too threatening to the foal to allow them to mate.
We walked to see the donkeys. We gave them a surprise extra feed.
The donkeys had their food then came and stood next to us as we sat watching the sun light up the Sierra Bermeja with an orange glow.
We sat and watched the sun drop over the mountains and walked back up the track to Benarrabá in the twilight. We stopped to watch some bats catching flies above the Arroyo.
We're up at dawn. We're going to see Rosie and Domingo.
We stopped at the natural spring to fill our water bottles up.
The early morning sun was streaming through this Eucalyptus.
Spot the Nuthatch.
Our neighbour and friend José Antonio had kindly thrown a lot of fresh green grasses over the fence for the donkeys. So when we arrived they were happily munching this rare treat of succulent green food.
It must have come from around José Antonio's water deposit.
Sebastian, another friend, often gives us dried grasses to give to the donkeys. Today I got a huge pile.
Domingo again.
We took two containers of water up to the land for Juan's pig.
Here's Jane bringing the empty containers back.
A good morning. The donkeys are happy, lots of food and water. The pigs happy. We're happy ... except we haven't seen 'Ginger Cat' since we agreed with Sebastian to buy him. He seems to have disappeared. Hopefully he'll turn up soon, as we have some antibiotics we want to give him for his cough and chest infection.
I'm listening to the test match, all I need now is for England to bowl out Pakistan and Newcastle United to beat PSV Eindhoven in a friendly this afternoon.
We went out for tapas. In Café Bar Guayacán, Flora cooked us Montaditos. Jane had chicken in sauce whilst I had spicy Gambas al pil pil.
We went down to Bar Andrés Sánchez and Bar Barroso.
It's good to get out during the afternoon.
Back home.
Oh well ... England won the cricket, but Newcastle United were beaten 2-3. At least it was just a friendly.
We spent a great evening in talking and watching some TV.
The weather just gets better!. High temperatures and low humidity, perfect.
We had a lazy morning, on the computer but not really doing a lot.
Jane is still cleaning and throwing things out.
I watched the German GP.
Then we went to see Rosie and Domingo.
We sat with them for a while.
This is a large wild Olive tree.
Here's Jane sitting in the dappled shade. Near the donkeys tack tree.
The path through the Olive grove.
It was a fantastic afternoon. The mountain breeze always helps. We sat under the trees and after the donkeys had eaten they came and stood next to us, they love the attention.
Here's the photo of Domingo as promised..
Another absolutely brilliant day. The sun is shining down. It is hot but not sticky.
Our guests Claudia and Stuart have decided to spend a few nights in Granada and then go down to Málaga.
Jane has been doing some washing, we went on the sun terrace to watch it dry! We took a couple of ice cold beers with us.
This bug was taking in the view.
A strange but cool looking bug.
We went to sit with the donkeys.
Here's Jane with a very friendly and affectionate Domingo.
They like rolling in the dust.
Domingo under an Olive tree.
Domingo laughing?
Domingo seems to get his photo taken more often than Rosie.
Here's little Rosie.
We spent a couple of hours with the burros before coming back to Benarrabá.
We went to Cafe Bar Guayacán to see Yoly. Here's Jane, Yolanda and Antonio.
Later we were walking around the village when Antonio invited us in an old townhouse his family own. It is in need of restoration but there is a wonderful garden at the back with this beautiful moorish well.
There was also a fantastic stair. A lot of work and money would be needed but it could be something very special.
A good evening out in the village. We sat in the street outside Dami's bar. There was a lovely breeze blowing and everyone was out enjoying themselves. A little later we sat outside Bar Andrés Sánchez.