Biking & Baking in Las Alpujarras

Today we are just chilling (in this weather??!) as our inner clocks are completely out of sync and the whole village is awake during the night and sleeping by day!  Blame the heat and the fiestas!  I believe it was 32 degrees in Granada at 2am and certainly driving back from Salobrena at that time was an open window event.  I think I was asleep by about 3am and Steve an hour or so later, so now he's crashed out on the sofa with a fan blowing and it's only 2pm!  Later on we might go down to Ferreirola to see/hear the local choir and a visiting English one to some singing in the Plaza outside the church.  Two nights ago they were in the cemetery, singing a couple of pieces for  those who die in the summer and are quickly buried, without any particular ceremony.  About 50 people were there and it was an interesting midnight moment to say the least.

Last night was tango night so I abandoned Steve for the arms of other men :) and did a bit of footwork a la Buenos Aires.  Having just acquired a wicked pair of shoes (black with emerald green heels) I thought I ought to give them an airing.  There are some spectaculalry good dancers around so I always go home thinking I could have done better  - cleaner lines, more precise feet, more elegance...but they say it takes 10 years for a man to learn his part and 5 or 6 for a woman, so I have a while to go yet.

On the foodie front, I have made some tomato puree for the freezer as we are now getting inundated with the delicious stuff, and trying my hand at a summer pudding made with raseberries and blackberries, all from the land.  We have no blackcurrants or redcurrants but the taste can be enhanced with some mulberry jelly.  I may have to have several 'goes' before it's right.  Anyone got any tips?

We sampled some delicious home-made tinto de varano with our neighbours the other evening: 2 or 3 big ice cubes, 1/2 glass home-made  red wine, topped up with Fanta lemonade and a slice of fresh lemon.  Very refreshing and very inebriating after the second glass!  I think now is a good time to try making it again, before a siesta....

Have a look at today's front page on www.crossfit.com and see my son laying down a fast time on a bit of Spanish mountain!

How could I resist?  The offer of going on another ride was too good to turn down, so this time 3 of us set out from Bubion with Raphael (HorseTreks) on a shorter 3 hour trek around the mountain as far as Capilleria and back, mostly on a shepherd's path with splendid views - so long as you didn't look down!  My horse Lola was full of spirit but manageable and Raphael passed on some good tips about going steeply uphill (rise in the stirrups, grab the mane as far forward as you can with one hand etc) and to always ride with one hand only on the reins.  But he seemed to have confidence in my skills since he let me lead the ride much of the way, and we all had a splendid 'gallop' (controlled canter really) on a good stretch of wider unmade road.  My legs were much more tired afterwards as Lola needed proper grip and the saddle was leather without any soft sheepskin.  But we had a great time - 45 euros for this one - and I would recommend Raphael for anyone who wants more than just a trek.  He is organising a 4 day ride in early September  to Trevelez, Berchules etc with tents if you're interested.

We are worlds away from city violence and protests...the main issues here in the village are:

* have we got everyone geared up for the fiesta and will the electricity work for the music

* will the local choir come and sing on Saturday at the right moment

* how many people should we invite back to the house for lunch  etc etc

and now - should Steve go to Mugello, Italy for the 90 year Moto Guzzi celebrations in mid-September?  Such a difficult decision to take!  Especially when he needs their help to get his paperwork sorted out for Spanish registration!  I think he should go - I am doing all this tango/horse stuff so it would only be fair...and he can spend hours touring the factory and discussing technical issues with other enthusiasts.

Have I passed on our chorizo/garbanzo/onion recipe?  Dead easy, always delicious, best eaten as it cools down or completely cold, so it's good for parties and after riding!  For 2-4 people, you just need a long chorizo picante sausage, a large onion and 2 jars of garbanzos.  Slice and fry the onion until soft and golden, add the skinned, finely sliced chorizo and stir around until a darker gold and the chorizo has oozed out a lot of its fat (but not too crisp!).  Meanwhile, rinse through the garbanzos in cold water , drain and place in a good-sized serving dish.  Drain the onions/chorizo into an old newspaper (getting rid of the fat),  then add to the garbanzos.  Stir together then add (tasting as you go) about 4 tbs of good olive oil and 2 tbs of sherry vinegar and a little salt.  When you're happy with the overall taste, give everyone a bowl and a spoon, pour a glass of wine and tuck in!  Or you can be very traditional and just have spoons, put the serving dish in the middle of the table and eat it direct.  Really delicious.

Yesterday 3 of us went from Trevelez on horseback to the first of the Siete Lagunas, at the foot of Mulhacen and 3000m above sea level.  What a great day out!  Our leader, Antonio and his young nephew Xavi were taking some camping equipment up there as well, so we had a pack horse (ridden without a saddle and barely a bridle by Xavi), and 4 lovely strong horses - plus lunch of course.  It's a gruelling ride (or walk) all uphill, but the beautiful waterfalls, green pastures and eventually the lake, more than make up for it.  Some steep and perilous moments, but the horses knew exactly what they were doing and picked their way with great care.  Antonio reckons you can see Morocco on a clear day, but yesterday was cloudy up there (even some spots of rain) so we could only see over the Contraviesa and towards the sea.  We had all brought an extra layer of clothing and needed it after 2,500m.  A thermos of hot water for tea/coffee was the only thing missing from our saddlebags!

By the time I got home at about 19.30 I was knackered!  In bed and fast asleep by 22.30!  But the old bones and bottom had lasted quite well, no doubt due to the comfortable sheepskin layer on the saddle and the fact that my horse Liebre (hare) was so gentle.  I recommend this Ruta de Caballos to anyone wanting a day or 1/2 day out.  Antonio is a local Trevelez man, very pleasant though he has no English, and they are his own horses.  70 euros each for 8 hrs inclluding lunch is a fair price.  His mobile no is  619 03 18 21 for anyone interested, with his stables at the Barrio Alto just round the corner from the bar up there.

What next I wonder?  Tango in Pitres tomorrow night...music , music, music...