Autumn

Season of mists...etc.

From my study I've got a good view of the local landmark hill - Martin Gil. And some days before we left the village, he didn´t so much have his hat on as have a scarf round his (thickish) neck.

The valley does look particularly charming as the winter sets in.


I'm glad we are above the clouds. Down by the river the mist lingers, and at night, it can sometimes feel a bit like Glasgow in December...

Martins

The house martins are pretty much gone now except for a few transients en route from further north, but I was lucky enough to get a picture of the last one in the village as it stocked up on some last minute supplies of food...


...before later heading off into the sunset...

or rather at right angles to it. At least they know where they are going...

Summer excitement

With all the hot, sunny weather this summer, the campo was extremely dry and liable to easily catch fire. And it did. We've had three major fires one of which was very close to La Jara and the village.

If the size of the blaze warrants it, helicopters are used. They carry water in large buckets slung underneath, which is then dumped on the fire.


The buckets are filled at the local swimming pool. All the people at the pool have to get out and leave the immediate area and everything gets closed up or tied down to prevent it being blown away by the draught from the rotors.


At one point, there were three helicopters circling in a relay, taking turns to fetch and carry water to the blaze.

Kids love to dress up

If you are in the village at the Feria or at Christmas or at Carnival (or whenever there is an excuse, really) people get dressed up, especially the kids...both little...at the Feria...

and large...at Carnival...

Feria features

For those of you who found the walk up the hill a bit of a slog, the Feria also featured a neat way of nipping up and down to the station....


and of course we had our Queen of the Feria - and a Mister Jimera, but I won´t show him as it wasn´t me...

The Feria

Back in August we had the four day feria with processions and dancing and various events.
The feria is ostensibly in honour of the patron saint La Virgen de la Salud, so there are serious processions....



and....fancy dress parties....

The weather

If you are curious to know what the weather is like here, then you can find out by going to the Spanish Met Agency site

http://www.aemet.es/en/eltiempo/prediccion/localidades?p=29

Click on welcome at the top right if your Spanish isn´t up to it, then select Malaga province and Jimera de Libar from the drop down menu in location (municipalidad)

At the moment it's raining....

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The music

We have a music night where Don plays and I play and sing, and everyone else is free to contribute if they are not too overwhelmed...believe me, it is more fun than it looks..!
(Well, for me anyway...)

Different Beaches

The difference between Spanish beaches and Scottish ones is that the Scottish ones can look more tropical.
Note the word "look"...

On Bolonia Beach

It is currently raining today, so to cheer myself up here's a photo taken a couple of weeks ago on the Costa de la Luz, south of Cadiz. Here cattle roam the grass near the beach while people can choose to visit roman ruins, skinny dip, or just sit at the chiringuito and have a drink.

Flowers

Here are some pictures of flowers to hopefully brighten up your day.









Some Margaritas, the white from the campo, the blue from our terrace.
















And the first flowers from our clematis

Easter in Jimera

Semana Santa is not so elaborate in Jimera. The largest trono seems tiny compared to those in Sevilla, needing only six people to carry it, but it still weighs a fair bit.











The kids also have a trono...

Semana Santa

We went to Sevilla during Easter week, and saw some processions, which feature some great music from brass bands, and large floats called tronos.


















The tronos can be particularly detailed and sculptural.They can also be heavy, weighing several tons, and are carried by squads of up to 60 costaleros. The processions can take up to an hour to pass by and involve thousands of participants.
.

La Jara

The flowers in bloom just now are various species of broom and the rock rose (Cistus) which is known here as La Jara.

It grows, as the name suggests, in some uninviting places, such as at around 2500 feet above sea level on the hill above the village.

Walking in the Serrania

The day after we got back, Jess and I went a walk up the hill behind the village. There are great views over to the next town, Cortes de la Frontera.

Spring and Autumn are the best times to walk - the summer months are too hot except for an hour or two in the early morning. We are looking forward to all the spring flowers which are just coming into bloom.

Different Birds

The most spectacular and impressive sight in the Serrania is to see a griffin vulture flying close by. Only then can you appreciate the sheer size of them. I'm not sure what's the biggest bird in london. Maybe a heron - I've seen one fly over the garden - or a swan.

But vultures (and eagles) are a frequent sight in Jimera, especially further out into the more rocky areas, where they soar on the updrafts and thermals created by the terrain.

Where we are in London, this is the closest thing to a vulture - a sculpture in the Horniman Gardens.

Different flowers

As we are in London just now, we are having to put up with reports from Jimera saying how beautiful the almond blossom is. And how all the spring flowers are emerging. One of the joys of being in Andalusia in the early months of the year is to walk out of the village and wander among the flowers in the campo.







However, we can console ourselves with the snow drops in the garden or a walk up to the Horniman Museum, where the crocuses and blossom compensate to some extent - though it will be good to get back to Spain and see a real extravaganza!

September Course Now Full

Thanks to everyone who was interested in coming in September. We are now oversubscribed, but no doubt there will be another CdR at some point, so keep watching. In the meantime we shall keep you informed of what's happening in Jimera and round about.

If you didn't get to come then look on the bright side - you won't have to suffer the vertigo-inducing view from the Alameda in Ronda...

Oranges and Lemons

Juan Manuel, the owner of Casa Taramas, where Don stays, has written to say that there are oranges on the lemon tree in the patio. Most of the time there are lemons, the oranges coming early, so we don't see them.(I should add that there is nothing miraculous about it - the lemon tree has a orange grafted on to it.)
In the next picture you can see a bunch of lemons coming through. Though it does look a bit magical...
And below, a picture of the patio, just as a reminder of how pleasant a spot it is.

Poems by Helen Mort

The French For Death

I trampled ants for kicks on the quay at Dieppe, dawdling
by the desk where they wouldn’t take yes for an answer;
yes, it was our name and spelled just so –
we shook our heads at Moor and Maud and Morden,
dad traced phonetics in Oldham’s finest guttural.

Rope swung from the captain’s fist
and flayed the water. I saw him shudder, troubled
by a shift of air or a vision of our crossing: glower of thunder,
the lurch and buckle of the ferry, a thick Alsatian
with a face like Cerberus ushering us in to port

and I looked him in the eye, popped my bubblegum,
a child from the underworld in red sandals
and a t-shirt made by Disney, not yet ashamed
by that curt syllable, locked, cold to the tongue,
its hush of the morgue, not yet the girl

who takes the worst route home
pauses at the splayed mouths of alleyways
and looks straight past you as we kiss, as if to pick out
small behind your left shoulder, the spindle of a shipwreck,
prow to a far country.

From the Alameda Gardens

Another misty Winter day in Ronda, looking south west towards Jimera, which is totally obscured by cloud. We should have a course in January, when there are so many contrasting days, with mist, cloud, sun, but unfortunately rain as well, and no guarantee which we would get.

CdR 2008

We are now in 2008 and Jimera had its usual crowd in the square for the bells at New Year and again on the evening of the 5th of January - King's Day - when the three wise men came to the village bearing gifts for the children.
Our gift, such as it is, should make some of you happy.

CdR 2008 will run from 1st to 7th September, with Don as tutor.

There will be 8 places, some of which are pre-allocated to those who lost out last time. If you are interested, email us.