MEDELLIN CASTLE IN JANUARY MIST BUT WITH ALMOND TREE IN FULL BLOOM

BIZARRE FIESTA IN ACEUCHE-BEAUTIES AND THE BEASTS

On January 20th the feast of San Sebastian is celebrated in the small rural community of Aceuche in the Caceres province. The image of the saint is carried from the church of San Sebastian and taken around the village on a float, he is rather fetchingly bound to a real orange tree loaded with fruit, his usual rather campy pose with long suffering uplifted eyes is well in evidence, strangely this image is not pierced with arrows. So far so usual............but the extraordinary elements of this fiesta are the carantoñas, wild creatures clad in goat skin with hideous masks dripping in masculine fertility symbols; horns, tusks, red hot chili peppers!  They brandish little thorny branches from the wild olive trees, aceuches. They run around chasing the girls but are rather encumbered, it takes 3 people to dress each carantoña. In other words another pagan festival disguised as a Christian saint's day. A festival to drive out the winter and welcome the spring with suitable fertility symbolism, much fun and joy.
 A really unique fiesta in Extremadura and well worth a visit to welcome the spring once again...........the storks are coming back and there is almond blossom budding.

 

MYSTERIOUS MISTY MOUNTAIN

Finca al-manzil, the sierra in early morning mist just as the sun comes over the peaks.
A stunning effect as the light bounces off the gold and green foilage among the massive rock formations.

FELIZ NAVIDAD! HAPPY CHRISTMAS !

My 2015 painting now hanging in the sitting room at the cortijo, it's a huge one. This year my winter project will be a series of smaller paintings, perhaps with more Moroccan influences, we are planning a January trip..........

Let's all hope for a great 2016 with peace, goodwill and understanding in our world.  

Our thanks and Christmas greetings to our wonderful family, friends and of course all the people who have stayed with us at Finca al-manzil over the last 10 years ............xxxxx Pippa and Manfred

WINTER MODE AT THE BARN OF FINCA AL-MANZIL

 The new  Danish stove is really fab, it has a patented control that saves 40% of  logs and lights up like a dream with constant warmth.  The bedroom upstairs is positively sybaritic.

Wood pile on the go............lots of dry holm oak.

A WALK THROUGH THE DEHESA TO VISIT BOTIJA MOLINO ON THE TAMUJA RIVER

Botija is a small village buried in the deep peace of the Extremadura countryside. It is surrounded by dehesa, rich grazing land for Iberic pigs, cows and sheep.
We walked along an ancient path to an 18th century mill complex recently restored.
There has been no rain for weeks so the Tamuja river was very dry, just some isolated stretches of water, no water running through the mill but we will return after some rain to see the dramatic rocks surrounding the mill forming a cascade as the water falls from the millpond back to the course of the river.

Manfred went ahead to deal with these cows, they went running off but those horns looked rather alarming.
On the way back we crossed an ancient stone bridge only just wide enough for a small cart.

Lots of pigs in the woods devouring the acorns, enjoying the sun and taking a wallow in mud pools. Delightful life until the day of the matanza and transformation into wonderful jamon .

A CELEBRATION OF AUTUMN

The chestnut woods are just at that magical moment between green and gold. The chestnuts have been harvested and roasted or preserved for use in delicious recipes throughout the winter.
It's now that a walk through the ancient chestnut woods of Montanchez is especially exhilarating, today was the day!

AFTERNOON WALK TOWARDS MONTANCHEZ

Another gorgeous day in the middle of November. Our afternoon walks are usually up the camino in front of the finca and maybe detouring through the woods on the way back.

Even though we have done the walk hundreds of times it never gets boring, depending on the time of the year there is always something new to observe.

Always love seeing the view of the cortijo surrounded by trees with the vast view of the olive groves in the background.

The dogs love every moment and difficult to disappoint them if we are not walking the whole way to Montanchez but only up to the point where the castle appears.

Sometimes we take a short cut back through the wonderful woods and olive grove on the high part of the finca.