We have had a good week out on the hillside and the results are scattered throughout the house: a mesh bag of walnuts in the storeroom, several kilos in their lovely hard shells, just waiting to go into cakes and bread; masses of chestnuts, taken straight from the tree and piled up in dishes and baskets; and over 100 sliced wild mushrooms drying on the terrace. These ones are called Slippery Jacks because of their brown caps, and though they may look a bit yucky, they’re great in soups and stews. Or once they’re dried you can nibble them like banana pieces. They pop up under pine trees after the rain and have pores, not gills, on the underside (but always check your mushrooms using a reliable book or other source before you eat them).
Tonight we’re going to a friend’s house for a party and taking Steve’s savoury olive and parmesan sticks (like cheese straws only better), some whole roasted cherry tomatoes (with olive oil and basil) and a couple of litres of cheap red vino. As the party is in the village we can stagger back whenever we choose and in whatever condition!!
The saga of getting the vehicles registered here continues…Steve managed to source a Yamaha headlight for 40 euros that would fit the Moto Guzzi, but now it turns out that the British V5 form is wrong and hasn’t got all the chassis numbers on it, so we are waiting on DVLA (as we still are for my car with a similar error). Funny how Britain always thinks it is so efficient but the facts don’t necessarily bear this out. So this morning we went down the mountain to Pampaneira on a ‘bald’ British-registered bike with the wrong headlight, no wing mirrors or all of its fairing - but it was a beautiful day and the roads were quiet, so we weren’t worrying.
Our other main priority concerns wood and tree felling. We have plenty of cut wood for the woodburner (estufa) this winter but will need to replace it eventually. One source is on a small piece of land that we own just outside the village. We need to bring down a huge dead chestnut and several smaller trees, avoiding the village electricity supply, the neighbour’s swimming pool, small almond trees - and ourselves of course! Steve is resourceful and has already gone about 30ft up the chestnut with ropes and straps, but this is going to be a challenge for sure. And no access for cherry-pickers, cranes or other machinery. Just him, a chainsaw, me on the belay and a few angry wasps…any professional arboriculturalists out there who want a free weekend in the countryside, meals included…??!
And yes, I do find joy here in Spain!!