Looking back on 2024, a wonderful year at the finca

 So many good memories, a great summer with returning clients, new clients and lots of time for family get togethers at the cortijo. 

In October my sister Vicky and I went to London to visit our brother and family newly installed in Putney after 10 years in Korea. Was a fab week , lots of visits to old haunts like Tate Britain and the V&A.      

I had a great 2 night visit to Somerset to see a very dear friend, included a visit to the exquiste 12th century manor house Lytes Cary with its fascinating apothacary gardens. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/somerset/lytes-cary-manor     

    

 Back in London we walked and walked, talked and talked, used the river buses to visit an array of different places and became hooked on Uber rides to get us to more obscure corners. We enjoyed some memorable pubs and restaurants including Miya's new venture in putney for delish and healthy Korean feasts https://www.instagram.com/miyaskoreankitchen/  

Back in Montanchez for continuing good weather in the autumn, some great hikes and visits to previously unknown places, even after 20 years. 

Now into the new year we are working on maintenance, the painter is restoring our interiors and we are tidying up the gardens around the houses and pool. A good crop of kumquats this year, now preserved as marmalde. And the cork harvest revealing gorgeous burnt sienna under the stripped bark.

Made a video for promoting the finca sale which is a bit stalled, lots of interest but too many time wasters. It's fine, in the meantime the business is having a boom and we continue to living in this beautiful place which inspires creativity and delight. Retirement might have to wait a bit longer. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZdNZRxpeyU 

After a very long pause......a glorious walk in the sierra.

Here we are again!  We have been busy but life at the finca has been a little disturbed from the usual tranquility. Distracted me from blogging. 

First of all, last October we thought we had a buyer for the finca and welcomed this with some ambivalence but mostly looking forward to a new project in Andalucia and saying a long affectionate goodbye to the finca as contracts were not to be exchanged until Septmeber 2024. After wasting several months and much energy on these buyers, sadly they prooved to be totally unreliable and ultimately unsuitable for being the new owners of our precious finca so just as well.We learnt a lesson for future negotiations, it really is all about the bottom line when buying and selling property.

 Now back in full swing with an amazingly busy start to the year and continuing with maximum occupation, many old clients have stayed again, so heart warming!

 Another little setback was breaking my ankle on a walk in the sierra, that was in February. After excellent care from the surgeons at the new hospital in Caceres, our local doctor and Manfred I am almost back to normal. Each day I take a slightly longer walk. The magnificent spring is still going on. Since February the flowers and birds have been the best we have known in 20 years. Nightingales still singing all night, Cuckoos still very active and Eagle Owls have been hooting at dusk for the last few weeks. 

Today I went on the Castañar walk for the first time in 3 months, all by myself,  really heavenly! The chestnuts in full leaf creating a deep green shade, beams of sun filtering through. Views fabulous, dramatic lighting with today's huge clouds in a moody blue sky. Did not meet one person, just the black piglets, they are always curious and friendly. The circular walk is 3.5 kms, that's 5000 steps according to my pedometre, this makes me very happy, a few months ago I couldn't even take one step. Feel full of energy and good feeling for the future! Viva!!