March 19th 2008
Written by Geoff Forster
Wednesday March 19th 2008
Up at 06:00h.
Jane set off for work a little earlier than usual. It's La Linea market day and parking is tricky even very early in the morning.
It's dark when Jane leaves. At around 6:45 the pre-dawn glow appears above the Sierra Bermeja opposite.
By 6:50 Mercury rises. I try to photograph it with maximum zoom. This is the best shot I got. A little bit of wobble, but considering the distances involved and the fact that it was hand held, it's not too bad.
There were some strange looking clouds above Jubrique. 
I worked all morning and early afternoon. A lovely sunny day. However by the time I was ready to walk to the donkeys it was turning grey and rain clouds were gathering, it was forecast and I should have gone earlier. The dogs don't care about the weather, so in a similar spirit I set off with a rucksack full of seed mix. It stayed dry most of the way, a few short bursts of rain but nothing to seriously wet the campo or us.
The donkeys came to meet us at the gate. Domingo gave me an 'eehaw' which always makes me smile, no matter how many times I hear him. I feed them, pat them, tell them that they're good burros and set off back. Serious looking clouds are building up behind Mount Porón, I pick up the pace. It's not as hot now with the grey sky and a cooling wind coming from the low pressure front. I'm soaking with perspiration under the heavy raincoat and haversack, wishing that I'd left the coat at home, the heavens open and suddenly I'm changing my mind and reaching for my hat. It rained steadily for a while, great walking weather.
Jake decides to lie in some thick grey smelly mud near the spring. Not happy with the 'el perro estúpido' I get back to Benarrabá in what must be record time. Around 1:30mins there and back, including time feeding los burros buenos. I tie Jake outside to a rail. Let the other two dogs in, then in pouring rain I hose Jake down. Fortunately, because of the rain, no one was around to witness this bizarre event. (El Loco Inglés). I dry off the dogs then myself. It feels good after a shower and dry clothes.
I write the blog, Jane arrives back. She got soaked walking from Gibraltar to the car in La Linea and has driven home in wet clothes. She gambled (despite the weather forecast which we checked last night which correctly predicted the rain) on not taking her raincoat and umbrella. So Jane showers and dries off.
Then we cook macaroni cheese again. We enjoyed it so much the other night. It's a quick and easy fifteen minute meal with no peeling or preparation needed.
I feed the dogs and cats, before we watch most of 'Rancid' a much better film than 'Recon 2022 The Mezzo Incident'. Which was so bad, that burning and saving it is a waste of a good blank DVD. Wait and watch it (if you have to) in three years time at 4am on the Sci-Fi channel.
Which sadly brings me to the death of Arthur C. Clarke. A visionary scientist who's many ideas have helped give birth to the 'Space Age'. Writer of many excellent Sci-Fi books (2001: A Space Odyssey), theorist and inventor. Hopefully his contribution to the technical evolution of mankind will be remembered long into the future where his mind spent so much time.