Friends

All the time we have lived here, I have gone out of the way to invite people to come and stay. They rarely do, and of course I know at the time that, that will most likely be the case. I am not the most scintillating of company at the best of times and spending holiday time with even close friends can be fraught with potential pitfalls.

 If you are one of the people who has been invited  please don´t think that the invitation is less than genuine, we would truly love to see you. I just want you know that I understand, really I do.

What I don´t want to happen is that you would be put off coming to Galicia. When people do come they are almost always surprised, in a good way. There is a gentle beauty here, the rain makes it green, there is miles of coastline and thousands of beaches. I could go on but I would rather you came and saw for yourself.

The weather here is inclined to be changeable though and weather forecasts are apt to be changeable as well.  When a friend did stay with us recently we decided to brave an unpromising forecast and hit the beach. It turned into a glorious spring day and so we headed for Cathedral beach, a popular tourist spot that we have never visited ( Our preference is normally for quieter less well known beaches of which there are many)

 There was a definite breeze when we arrived especially at the sea front, it did warm up later and we ended up carrying as many clothes as we were wearing.

 We walked along the coastal path, of which there is miles, rather than sit on the beach. And then meandered along the coast road in the car stopping on the way for lunch, coffee and a bit more walking.

I am determined that we will have more days like it this year.

Rainy season, Amazon, and preparations for the Christmas market.

We always have a rainy season here, and it´s a common joke that it lasts for 9 months of the year. In reality though November is often pretty wet, this year though the rain has started a bit early and has left us with  a dozen jobs that really need attention outside, including firewood which we are only halfway to chopping and storing. It doesn´t do to bank on normal weather patterns when in truth there is no such thing as normal.

Steve has just gone to collect an Amazon parcel from town, we have never been able to persuade them to deliver to the house, in fact they insist that the house doesn´t exist. We have tried persuasion and threats all to no avail, so off we go into town to rendezvous with with delivery drivers in cafes and car parks, somehow it rather defeats the object of internet shopping. The right thing to do would be not shop on Amazon, but they are so useful we have never been able to hold out for long. Such is modern life I guess, but all the same I am grateful don't  do that much shopping, internet or otherwise.

Our washing machine broke down at the weekend, yet another link to the commercial world. The repair man is coming tomorrow, simple life or no I am not wanting to wash everything by hand.

I am having a stall once again at the Christmas Market of a friend, I rarely sell much, and it is always cold but we generally have a good time. It is kind of a tradition now. Normally I take way too much stuff so this time I plan on taking cowls only in lots of different colours . We will see how they do.

The walnuts are going down though I have to confess to being slightly fed up of putting walnuts in everything. Any way all last years are out of the barn now and in the pantry so I shouldn't forget them.

Bad weather- Good fun

The problem, and occasionally the the joy, of living in a temperate climate is that we have long periods of unremittingly dismal weather. When we are on our own I don't find this a massive problem, it gives me topic of conversion that I can indulge in with my neighbours ( Galicians talk about the weather almost as often as we brits do) and I can happily stay indoors with some sewing or knitting and maybe a book. I feel sorry for helpers though as most work is outside, there is not much sightseeing to be done and the house, part finished and with no central heating is only warm in small patches.


Our holiday weekend was pretty much a wash out, but due to the Spanish capacity for having a good time whatever the  external circumstances, very enjoyable. Today being the day before the start of lent, (Shrove tuesday in the UK)  is Carnival here an altogether more crazy time where pub-crawls in fancy dress dominate the calendar.

There is always galician traditional music

The weekend saw the annual carnival event in a nearby town namely a bone  fair. here's how it goes, A couple of large tents are erected in the centre of town one attached to a stage for bands.

Why worry about the rain just put up a large tent

During the morning and afternoon the tents are a market place where one can buy a whole range of goods including the aforementioned bones and various pig pig parts.

 At lunch time all the restaurants offer a set menu, pig bone soup followed by pig ribs with potatoes followed by pancakes. In the evening there is music and a pig bone BBQ in the tents with of course a supply of local wine.

The weather forecast says we are due some fine weather soon, I hope so because I need to work in the garden. having home grown veg through the summer is now essential to our budget.