Summer has landed!

I was only in the UK for 10 days but the change from Spring to Spanish Summer has taken place while I was away.

So, we are back to the days of working before 10am and after 6pm, back to the days where the dogs don't want to walk more than 50 metres without a drink and no more than 100m before turning back.

All the greenery of the fields is rapidly baking brown, the flowers and grasses withering almost as you look at them. This is so reminiscant of our drives through Caifornia. Our first visit was in April, when all the hills were heavy green and the trees full of colour. Our second trip was in September, and I remember we commented on how baked everything looked. When we arrived at our friend's house we mentioned how brown the hillsides were compared to our first vist, and we were quickly corrected, not brown - GOLDEN! California is, after all, the Golden State.

So, our mountains are now golden except for the green leaves and nut husks of the almond trees. This year is strange for the Almond trees. The long, wet winter has not been good for the nuts as a lot of the blossom did not set. Whether this is because the wet weather kept the insects from pollenating them or whether it's because the wet caused the blooms to go mouldy before the nuts had set, I'm not sure but it is sad to see so many trees without any nuts, or only on a few branches. By now each branch should be ladened with nuts. For those reliant on the crop it will be a bad year.

It is also a bad year for the wild mushrooms. Oddly because we didn't get enough rain when it was needed!

And so, it will be interesting to see what does grow this year - I know it certainly isn't going to be my rhubarb. I have now tried 2 sets of seeds, cared for them daily. Neil remembered to water all my little pots while I was away and I have lovely new rose buds on both plants, on one stem I have 5 buds but rhubarb? Nada!

My trip to England was very enjoyable. Instead of the usual mad dash I got time to spend with people. I had time to wander around the shops, not looking for anything in particular but just enjoying the familiarity of them. I took every opportunity for a coffee break so I could indulge in a huge, frothy Cappucino and Blueberry muffin neither of which we can get here locally. Unfortunately, while I was away Neil pulled his back, big style and was in a lot of discomfort and pain. Ridiculously, after all the hard work we have done over the past few months, he pulled it doing nothing more than picking something up of the floor while cleaning up after the dogs. It was difficult being so far awy from him knowing he was having trouble moving about BUT he had a cast iron excuse for the housework not being done for my return.

So, my first day back in Spain was spent doing the cleaning, laundery, bathing the dogs (who definitely smelled of dog when I got back) and food shopping to re-stock the cupboards.

And so life returns to normal.