HOW WE CUT THE GRASS AT FINCA AL-MANZIL........

FINALLY, AT LONG LAST..........

Rather a long break.......but we have been busy. On Christmas Eve the dining room extension in the cortijo was finally finished......that is the builders left after the last swipe of the trowel leaving walls and ceiling saturated with the 100s of litres of water necessary for the building process. It has taken 2 months for the walls to dry out sufficiently for painting and another month for me to paint doors, cupboards and arrange the room around the long dining table.

An added bonus is that above the dining room there is now a wonderful roof terrace leading off the upstairs bedroom of the cortijo with the most beautiful views of the mountain and across the trees to Cornalvo.

Also some added book shelf space as we have separated the sitting room with tall doors bought in a junk shop set into an extended wall of books. At last I may be able to lay my hand on exactly the right information in exactly th e right book.......thank goodness internet has not taken the place of my beloved books.

Books in progress..........still lots of gaps for the books being brought up from the barn and of course the constant new editions

Besides being busy, busy in the house we have been taking long walks with the dogs in the splendid Spring weather. At the moment the white and yellow broom is drenching the air with a very heady scent, the slopes of the whole finca are swathed in yellow and white, really gorgeous. The fig trees are just coming into their first delicate leaves with tiny figs beginning to swell.

Animals are all well, no new foals this year. Roxy and Zeru are 6 months old now, getting lanky and more adventurous but continue to delight us with their antics, they are now micro -chipped which is apparently obligatory.

We have had our first b & b guests and dinner parties in the dining room so it is well and truly inaugurated and seems to work well especially as there is now access to the back terrace without having to go through the sitting room. I think the focus of the house will be more defined for Summer/ Winter use with the kitchen/ dining room/ terrace being more used in Summer and the porch/kitchen/ dining room and sitting room more used in Winter.

By the way we have some huge clay wine tinajas for sale, about 1.60 tall , about 60 years old and in perfect condition, also 40m2 of granite flag stones which you can see here in situ...........sadly this house is going to be renovated by the owner and this apparently means ripping up the traditional passage way floor which was always laid with strong granite flags as there was constant traffic of donkey laden with produce destined for the bodega in the cellar or the lofts for grain, olive oil and jamons. Shame because this is a wonderful house in Montanchez and it will now be lost in an avalanche of shiny modern tiles and ornate fixtures and fittings....que pena!!

Please enquire if interested in purchasing tinajas or flags.

Spring at the finca

HELLO AGAIN AFTER A VERY LONG BREAK.........CALL IT HIBERNATION..........

Last time I was talking about the delights of lighting the first fires of autumn and now we are thinking what a relief it will be forget the kindling collection, the log splitting, and the endless ash distribution. But the alternating seasons are part of the pleasure of living in Extremadura . Spring is an explosion of colour, scent and vibrant green growth. Still not much rain but the first tiny wildflowers stitched with exquisite artistry amongst the fresh green grass are a daily delight. Not so delightful are the local asparagus pickers who were used to the finca being uninhabited , they stumble over our shaky stone walls in pursuit of the first tender green shoots of the wild asparagus or sprue as it is know in England, they are welcome , the asparagus shoots elude me but if only they would enter by a gate and not over the wall, maybe part of the fun?
The daffodil bulbs which I thought were a good idea blossomed but looked rather artificial in comparison to the tiny ochre bells that magically sprang up around them. The Star of Bethlehem flowers appear over night in in perfect little clusters, the first ephemeral miniature irises blooming from bare earth just for a day. White Campion is sprawling amongst the tightly curled fern buds. The most spectacular effect in the sierra right now is the white broom, exploding in pyrotechnic profusion all over our finca, splendid fronds of tiny snow white blossoms dripping in luxurious abandon, followed by a week or two later by the yellow broom which also seems particularly radiant this year. The scent from the broom is intoxicating and seems to sum up Spring!! As you can see I am not too hot on Latin botanical names, suggestions welcome. However, I find the common names rather amusing, the Common Mullein which shoots up its tall spike of yellow flowers from curious furry, glaucous leaves was also know as Quakers rouge, apparently imparting a glow onto puritan faces. I tried this but I think it is the friction rather than any ruddy component of the plant. Also know as the Candlewick plant as, unbelievably, the fine furry filaments of the plant were scraped off and made into candlewicks ….hmm. Anyway it’s an interesting plant, takes ages to develop but is now in its prime. Soon the first signs of the vividly named bluey- purple Vipers Bugloss will start to appear, in combination with the white of Camomile and the yellow of Wild Marigold it’s a sight to see. The holm and cork oaks are also contributing to the general aspect of exploding life, the long tassels of blossom are weighing down the branches and a damn nuisance if they fall on any paved area as they are packed with enough tannin to tint everything they touch with a deep, dark brown stain, must just keep thinking of all those embryo acorns which will feed our horses and donkeys throughout next autumn and winter.
Bird life on the finca is always interesting but particularly so now, even for me, I appreciate nature in a Romantic, airy fairy manner, certainly not at all scientifically. The Eagle Owl is calling quite early, from about 5p.m. with its deep thrilling hoots, the Cuckoo has started in earnest but is not yet driving us mad, last year they went on until the end of May. Flocks of Azure winged Magpies flash brilliantly through the oaks, zany Hoopoes always in pairs, House Martins, millions of Sparrows and Tits, lovely glossy Blackbirds and countless other small birds which I am unable to name but would no doubt send tremors of delight through the heart of any true bird watcher.
Our greatest celebration of Spring was born on 18th February, a most beautiful and sturdy colt from our mare Nadia, we have called him Larios, the national gin of Spain, mother's ruin never the less, I am afraid to say that Larius is the result of a rather unorthodox relationship between Nadia and her previous offspring Haré, fortunately little Larios seems unafflicted by this disgrace as you can see in the photos.........do hope he is not harbouring some deep mental affliction but so far he is gentle and trusting. Curiously Fatboy, a gelding previously shunned by all (shamefully he had to hang out with the donkeys) is now the accepted role model for Larios, his father/brother Haré is now the outsider and of course Nadia is still the big boss of everyone except the donkeys , Ferrari and Willy who do their own thing and are a devoted couple despite Willy's toyboy status as he is several years younger than the still delectable snow white Ferrari, named for her speedy little trot. We call these dramas "The saddle soap".........next episode coming up.