A quick trip to Sheffield

I have a quick trip back to Sheffield this week, so nothing to post for a week or so, but please add me to your 'Follow' list or subscribe to the RSS Feed at the bottom of the page so you won't miss any of my new posts once I'm back in Spain.

How is nature doing?

The red sheen across the hills has gone, now the best of the poppies have died and it has been replaced by a hue of lilac with these lovely flowers.

The bellota's (mountain oaks) have finally got their catkin's on before the acorns start to grow

and surprisingly, we have a fabulous crop of scottish thistles.

The almonds are growing nicely and it looks like our crop may not be as bad as we were expecting after the very long cold, wet winter.

We still have some flowers that have not opened yet and so I still have some surprises to come.

I have started clearing a small patch for my vegetables,

and we'll see whether I can grow some lettuce, radish, carrots and tomatoes here and keep the rabbits off them. I am still trying to get my rhubarb to start, but so far there is no sign although all my herbs are growing nicely so we should soon have fresh parsley, dill, chives, basil and thyme to cook with.

And, although half of the drainpipes are neatly stacked,

we still have the runaways to bring back up the hill and stack properly.

But they can wait!

How many holes left to dig?

Having finished the fencing round the paddock....

(not bad for amateurs!)

.... this weekend saw us start on the less steep hill down the track to the double gate. Of course, the slope is not an even slope and so we are having to dig some holes 2 feet deep and are having to build others up because the ground is already too low.

We decided we would dig all the holes on Saturday ready for concreting on Sunday.What we hadn't accounted for was just how tough the hole digging would be.

The holes around the paddock were relatively easy to dig, the area hasn't been used as a pathway and although there were plenty of rocks to move, it wasn't too difficult.

If we thought the edge of the track down to the Rambla would be the same, we were sadly misled.

The house we live in is built on the original footprint of an older house that fell into ruin. This was bulldozed and the area cleared for our house to be built.

What we now know is where they bulldozed the rubble to - over the edge and on to the track below. Then they ran a tractor over it to settle it and this....

is what we were digging up! The double gates at the bottom also needed digging out so they would open and the rubble from the hillside we cleared used to level the lower section of the track.

After 3 hours of digging my lower back started to complain, but as you do, I ignored it and carried on to get the job done.

Later that night, I could hardly move. If I sat down, I couldn't get up, picking the dog bowls up to feed them was a task in itself and getting comfortable sitting, standing or laying down anywhere was an impossibility.

When we awoke on Sunday morning, Neil was worse then me. He could hardly move and in a lot of pain. We had overdone it and the cementing would not be getting done.

A soak in the hot tub, a number of ice packs and a quiet day (we watched all 3 DVD's of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which I haven't seen for some time). ...seems to have been a great help, I can at least move with relatively little pain. Neil is less comfortable but has gone to golf on the basis it will either help loosen his back OR, he'll not be able to move for the rest of the week!

So, we are 'hopefully' going to be fit enough to do the cementing tomorrow BUT we do have to take the wheel barrow full of cement up and down 3 slopes and that may prove to be one slope too many!

I always knew this was going to be a big job, but it's getting bigger every time we do a bit.

But, it is looking really good!

How to keep flies out of your house.....apparently!

Living in the country, in the mountains and in a foreign country is all a learning experience for us. Having come from an English city existence, the Spanish wilderness is a constant wonderment.

But we take it all in, trying to show as little surprise or shock as we can, car eating mice excepted.

And so it should have been no major concern to me when I took big car in for a service earlier this week to find, hanging over the counter where you book cars in, 3 very large, clear, plastic bags full of water.

I pondered these for a few moments but really could not decide why these were there and so I had to find out. In my very best Spanish I asked: 'are these here to punish the people who couldn't pay their bills?'.

'No', laughed the lady behind the counter, 'they are for the flies!'

OK, got me on that one.

'How are they for the flies?' I continued.

'Well, it stops them coming into the office' was the response.

OK. The high level flying flies, maybe - but there was a gap of at least 3 feet between the bottom of the bags and the counter. Surely, any fly with half a mind would just fly lower.

So, I carried on. 'How do they stop the flies coming in?'

'Well, when they fly up to the bags, they see their reflection in the bag, but it's many times bigger so they think there are really big flies inside and so they stay out' she explained.

'Really?'

'Oh yes!'

So, I needn't have spent over €2,000 on all the flyscreens. €1 worth of plastic bags and a bottle of water would have sorted the problem - apparently.

Nice try, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Unwanted visitors.

A couple of nights ago, we had a fabulous clear sky and a million stars twinkling, so I was tempted to sit outside for a while and gaze. People keep telling me how many shooting stars we see up here due to the clarity of the skies because of the absence of any street lights, house lights and any other type of lights, but so far I haven't seen any. Maybe if I sat for a while I would see my first.

As I sat I became aware of a scratching noise close by. I know we have mice living near the house and they don't worry me so I started to listen closely to see whether I could work out where they were.

As my hearing focused in, I realised that the scratching was coming from inside the bonnet of my car! Now, I have a pact with the mice, the same as I do with spiders: I don't have a problem with them PROVIDING they remain outside the house. That ruling stretches to include my car.

I called to Neil to come and listen, just to make sure I was hearing right, and he agreed - the noises were definitely coming from under the bonnet.

I ran over to the car and hammered on the bonnet making enough noise to wake the dead in the hope I would frighten the mice away. As we listened, the scratching stopped but the entire valley was suddenly filled by every dog in the area howling and barking at this sudden noise that had woken them all from their slumbers.

We waited a little longer and still heard no more scratching so I started the car up and moved him away from the front of the house, where there are mouse holes.

The following morning I went down to our local store that sells fertilisers, poisons etc and explained in my best Spanish that I had mice that were eating my car. I expected a response, but not the one I got. 'Claro! Vives en el Campo'. Of course, you live in the Campo.

What I thought to be an unusual event turns out to be perfectly normal and well known by most people, just not us. They are known for nibbling through cables and can lead to some very expensive repairs. He showed me some pale blue tablets and told me I needed to put several under the bonnet in nooks and crannies where they woudln't fall out and the mice would nibble them and, then he stopped talking and simply stroked his finger across his throat signifying my mouse problem would be no more.

Back at the house we did as instructed and also pushed a tablet down each of the mouse holes in the hope that we could combat the attack.

2 days later we took our big car in for a service, only to be told that the mice had been in there too, but so far only nibbled at items of insulation rather than cables or other rather important items. So, having put more blue tablets around the engine we hope we have controlled the situation and will make sure to check the tablets from time to time and replace as necessary.

Whatever next?

Duplicate post deleted.

Quick update on the 'bang on the head'.

Firstly, thank you to everyone who has shown such concern over my little misfortune with the lump hammer, I am pleased to report the lump hammer is fine and has been back at work today.

As for my head, well, I do consider myself to have got off very lightly. After a couple of days rest I have been able to resume fencing duties. Apart from localised pain if I touch the top of my head, which I try not to do, I have no apparent after effects at all. I am still unable to brush my hair properly and I will probably have to deal with a twin crown from now on, but overall I count myself incredibly lucky to have had such little discomfort from what could have been quite a nasty accident.

The real casualty in all of this are my work gloves, they have not recovered from being washed to remove the blood and are, sadly, destined for the bin.

I consider it a small price to pay!

Jasper and the Rabbit.

Jasper, Fred, Poppy, & Baloo live on the next hill. They are large and boisterous and wonderfully friendly, which is just as well, as this week we were looking after them while their owners were in the UK for a couple of days. Jasper and Fred are large Spaniels with a huge appetite for hunting out any mice and rabbits that may have crossed their territory. Jasper is slightly smaller than a lion, although he’s the same sandy colour with a husky type tail curled over onto his back and Poppy, well, Poppy is from the bins at Km 17, where she was rescued from a life wandering the Campo. Poppy looks like a greyhound with hair, she has incredibly long legs and is so skinny you would be forgiven for thinking she still wanders the Campo looking for her next meal.

Normally, they spend their days hurtling around after each other or battling for space on the settee next to which ever person will sit still long enough to give them hugs and strokes. Our house is so calm with our 2 pups compared to the house on the hill. Chaos is the norm where J, F, B & P are concerned.

They also have another dog staying at the moment, Reina. She is a cross Labrador/Alsatian who needs a home desperately. Reina craves attention and when she gets you close she wraps her paws around your legs to stop you leaving. She will only eat her food if she can feel you against her, the minute you try to leave, she leaps up to the door and bars your way out. Getting away from Reina is a skill all on its own.

The 5 dogs were staying in the kennels at the back of the house while their owners were away and I had my list of instructions. The kennels are proper boarding kennels, plenty of room and an exercise yard. Fred and Jasper share, Poppy and Baloo share and Reina is on her own with a kennel area between as she is not terrifically friendly with other dogs. My instructions were clear, do not walk Reina past any of the kennels with other dogs in and do not walk other dogs past the kennel that Reina was in. It felt like the Mensa test of getting the fox and the chickens across the river in a boat.

Over the 3 days chaos was kept to a minimum, as was the damage. One pot containing a large Yucca plant was overturned by Jasper and Fred in the efforts to track down the latest rodent smells. Fortunately, the pot didn’t break and I could scoop everything back into the pot and put it back in place, hoping the Yucca will survive. Both Jasper and Fred seemed to prefer drinking from the pool by standing on the 3^rd step, and then going digging in the undergrowth, so I was pleased they were not staying in the house as I really didn’t want to be bathing them every time I went near.

Poppy was desperate to join the others on their hunts but I daren’t let her off the lead as, unlike Fred & Jasper, I was not at all confident she would come back to me when it was time to go back in the kennel. She had to make do with the exercise area, once Reina was safely back in her kennel.

Dinner time on day one was the highlight. Having got all the bowls ready I took Reina her food and brought the others up to the house. Fred and Jasper had a quick detour into the undergrowth but were soon on the doorstep, knowing that dinner would soon be served. I let them into the house and brought Baloo and Poppy in and put the bowls down. Poppy eats at such speed that she is normally finished before any of the others have finished their first mouthful. On this occasion I noticed that not only had Jasper not had is first mouthful, he wasn’t at his dish. I lifted his dish back onto the counter and went in search. I finally found him sat on the settee looking incredibly proud, with a young rabbit hanging dead in his mouth. This was his trophy from the undergrowth. This was not a gift for me, he had no intention of parting with it – even for a dish of dog biscuits. It was going to take some careful planning to separate the dog from the rabbit.

First, I needed to get Jasper outside and away from the other dogs. I reasoned that this way, if I could get him to drop the rabbit I would be spared the worry of one of the others making an attempt on it. I closed my eyes to the large, open staring eyes of the bunny as its head lolled lifelessly, and managed to clip a lead onto Jasper’s collar. As I called him to go outside he came without hesitation.

I figured it would be better to be in an enclosed space, somewhere Jasper would feel comfortable. I was sure that his intention was retrieval and that he didn’t have any ideas to make this small furry creature ‘dish of the day’. We walked in silence down to the kennel area where I accompanied him into his sleeping area. Jasper sat in his bed, looking at me as if to say ‘what now?’ bunny still dangling. It became a staring match and I was determined I would not be the first to break down. Finally, Jasper bent his head and released the bunny onto his bed, so gentle it was almost as if he showed the bunny some reverence. I waited a few seconds and then leant across to stroke Jasper, hoping I would be able to catch hold of his collar quick enough to stop him stooping to pick up bunny again, but I was too slow and by the time I had hold of his collar, Jasper once again had hold of bunny and all three of us were back to playing our staring game again.

Several more minutes passed before he once again, lay the bunny gently down. This time I was ready. As he brought his head back up I grabbed his collar and pulled him out of the kennel leaving bunny resting peacefully in Jasper’s bed.

Finally separated from Bunny, Jasper decided to eat his dinner and while he ate I returned to the kennel to remove bunny. I would like to say I gave him a decent burial but I’m afraid I can’t. Bunny was unceremoniously flung over the 6 foot wire fence onto the wilds of the Campo, there to be a ready meal for whatever animal happened by. Bunny lay in the scrub, lifeless eyes staring back at me from a distance of no more than 4 feet – I never was any good at throwing. As a school girl I was only ever given a javelin and a discus once, then it was decided I was better at the running events than the throwing ones. Nothing had changed, I still couldn’t throw.

Hard Hat Required.

Any ex-pat living in Spain will tell you that the 'Health & Safety' measures in the UK are seriously missing here in Spain. The more rural you get, the further they get from any H&S manual.

And so, H&S on a home building site is pretty much non-existent and it's easy to fall into the same mind set.

We're doing fencing. We're not up ladders. We're not using sharp tools. We're just doing fencing.

So why am I typing this whilst wearing some very fetching new head gear?

Well,

Before we totally enclose the paddock (as I refer to it) we needed to shift about 50 large plastic drainage pipes which have been left here since the house was built, someone really over-ordered! The plan was to put 2 large metal posts at the bottom of the next hill and stack these pipes between the hill and the posts. If we moved them now, we could just roll them down the hill, in another couple of days we would be man-handling 4 metres of drainpipe through a single gate while balancing on a steep slope. Moving them today seemed like a good idea.

The pipes haven't moved for almost 2 years so we knew there would be 'things' living in them and we would be about to evict some very cross little animals, especially as we would be working through the day and many of them could be nocturnal.

Once we had donned big boots and large gloves we set about making as much noise on the drainpipes as we could with a big stick to try and scare whatever was in them, out.

Then we began moving them. There was trails of debris falling out of the pipes as they were dragged across the lumps and bumps of the paddock, left from previous years ploughing. Bits of old straw nests, empty almond nut shells and the occasional signs of animal droppings.

After we were about halfway through moving them, I suddenly saw my first evictee, a lovely little bunny. He scampered out of the end of one of the pipes and up the hill into the overgrown Cacti near the ruined 'Nave'. I left him to settle and carried on moving the pipes when suddenly, Neil called to say we needed a longer post at one end, the stack of pipes had reached the top. As I walked over to see, I suddenly saw the whole pile of drainpipes break free from their restraints and cascade down the hill, thankfully to be trapped on the trunks of Almond trees growing on the lower level.

I shall not repeat the words that came forth from my husband's mouth, but it was clear that he was not happy!

That was the start of a day, destined to get worse.

We climbed back up to the house where all the building 'stuff' is stored and chose some longer metal posts to use for storing the drainpipes. Posts and hammer in hand, we set off to repeat the mornings work.

As these posts were 2 metres long, Neil had to climb up the hill to be able to hammer them in, so he asked me to hold the posts in place while he clambered up a near vertical slope, bits of loose rock, plant debris and the remnants of last years fallen almonds showering down on top of me. It should have been a warning.

He started to hammer in the first post with the lump hammer, and I could see the line on the post where we had marked how deep it needed to go, getting nearer and nearer to the ground, when all of a sudden.............

....... my hands left the post and flew to hold the top of my head. Wow, it hurt. I clung on to my head, screaming in pain. Neil flew down the hillside to me, shouting for me to keep still.

He reached me in seconds and threw his arms round me. He lifted my hands and uttered a few words, ' Keep your hands pressed on hard, back to the house, quick. It's bleeding'. The head of the lump hammer had come off the handle and hit me on the head!

Of course it was bleeding!

He almost had to push me up the 2 steep slopes to the house. The dogs had heard my screams and come down to see what was wrong, but I didn't have time to stop. By the time I got halfway up I couldn't breath. It appears I cannot scream, sob and breath ALL at the same time.

Eventually, we got back to the house and Neil went into action mode. Towels, ice pack and a glass of water with painkiller were brought and I allowed him to remove my hands to review the damage. Practical thoughts ran through my head. We have no phone at the house because of the satellite mess up and the mobile phones don't work here. Our neighbour was in the UK so we had no-one nearby to call. Our health cover ran out last month and I haven't sorted anything out yet because in 2 years neither if us has needed a doctor. Meanwhile Neil was sorting out my new headgear. A damp cloth, an ice pack and a pretty scarf to hold it all in place.

Gradually, I calmed down. Although the hammer head was heavy (1kg of steel) I knew it had only caught me a glancing blow, it could have been a lot worse. Neil asked if I wanted to go to hospital but I said not, I wanted to wait a little while to see if the bleeding would stop and we could see how bad the cut was. I wanted to be left to sit quietly for a while.

Neil was shaken up by what had happened, even though it was an accident, he felt responsible. Now I was sat quietly, he didn't have anything to do, the panic set in. I told him I was fine and just needed a few minutes.

10 minutes later we removed the ice pack and could see that I had been very lucky, if such a phrase could be applied to being hit on the head with a lump hammer! It hadn't cut my head, more grazed it and the bleeding had almost stopped although by now, my hair was thick and matted with blood. I put the ice and towel back on my head and rested my head back against the chair while Neil removed my boots - there would be no more work today.

Several hours later, I am perfectly fine. I managed to hang my head upside down in the shower and run lots of warm water over my hair to remove the blood. I doubt I will be able to brush my hair properly for a few days as the top of my head is very sore to touch, but otherwise is fine. The lump hammer will be repaired for future use and I have added 'Hard Hat' to my shopping list. I know I had a very lucky escape and it could have been so much worse.

I am now hoping that when I go back to the paddock today, the fairies have been and stacked all the drainpipes away, but somehow I think my luck will fall short of that happening.