Biking & Baking in Las Alpujarras

A  good time to get into the kitchen garden (huerto or huerta) and put in the parsnips, beetroot and, soon, the onions.  Our habas (broad beans) are doing well and already in flower, also the winter lettuces...and it looks as though the imported Bramley apple and Cox have survived well.  Lots of green shoots appearing.  Also our baby almond trees are shedding their blossom in favour of tiny nuts and the nectarine is alive!!  I When it is a bit overcast, it's perfect for gardening.  Instead of sweltering under a hot sun, one can work up one's own warmth just by using the spade and a dibber.

We have lots of seeds (a Xmas present) so it is more a case of 'where shall we put these?' than anything else.  We have a rotational plan and although we will not bother with potatoes this year, we are giving a few new veggies a go...celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes, maybe some more herbs, fennel...it's all going to be linked to water availability as usual so we have plenty of little tubes running like snakes across the land.  I've also put in a white rambling rose near the fence, a blue periwinkle, and the 2 white lilac trees are in leaf, so  it's not all practicality.  Aesthetics matter too.

On another note, Steve bought some condensed milk so he could use the can for a new mountain stove.  Which means that I am checking out condensed milk recipes...I bet some of you just get a spoon and eat it au naturel... next time I will post something delicious here.  Perhaps a dish that I can assemble for mountain walking before  I leave home - unless it weighs too much of course!  Everything has to be ultralite and super efficient these days, if one is going to scale the 3000m plus heights! :)

If you're an orchid seeker, take a walk out of Tablones (near Orgiva) towards Los Cigarrones and watch where you put your feet!  Right there on the path are the most exquisite little purple-tinged bee orchids ( designed by Nature to  look and smell like a female bee to trick male long-horned bees into pollinating them).  This shortish walk, named Ruta de la Acebuche, is a real pleasure and must be done soon to take advantage of  the spring flowers and lower temperatures.  Not so good in the burning heat of high summer! And be prepared for a soem confusing routes if you come back a different way...but it's less than 2km so not particularly strenuous and young children would love it too.

The men have gone up the mountain for a 'one nighter', equipped with bivvy bags and, in Charles case (rucksack) enough brandy and wine to ensure a good night's sleep no matter what the temperature!  So the ladies have walked and talked and I am now 'resting' with a glass of Tempranillo, a tapas of mortadela on ciabatta bread, Eric Clapton and 'Cocaine' on the CD player and an Atalbeitar almond cake baking in the oven.  We think we might eat at Las Piedras Ventanas in Trevelez when the men return - recommended by some Spanish acquaintenances - but home-made cake might also restore the lost calories! 
 

Is it just me, or has the weather turned a corner into Spring?  There's a warmth in the air even after the sun has gone and I heard crickets tonight.  My Egyptian grasshopper has departed after several weeks of hibernation on the terrazza and some of the geraniums are recovering from the cold.  On the huerta too we have evidence of new green growth (even on the nectarine, raspberries and redcurrant) and the birds are singing with joy as the day ends...maybe their inner clocks are leaping forward too!

Oh and bye the way, I meant 7th decade in the last post, not 70th!!!:)

What a busy weekend! The Granada Festival of Tango, 6 Nations Rugby on TV, St Patrick's Day, Mother's Day - and then that little walk that we had today!

The weekend began in the sunshine of Pitres market on Friday, buying some plants (red cyclamens, a white hydrangea ...then a delicious curry supper with our friends in Mecina. Saturday took me to Granada to dance tango out in the open air near the Cathedral, a really splendid event for dancers and spectators alike...then a race back to Mecina for two of us to put on a little tango display in the Mora Luna bar to celebrate St Patrick/St Patricia - and we hadn't really eaten all day, so the red wine was a bit of a shock to the system!

Well done to Wales on the rugby (and to England for coming second) and though we commiserated with Scotland, we all raised a glass to Italy's achievement. All done for another year.

The highlight of the weekend was today's walk, when 4 of us (all around or near 60 years old) drove high above Padre Eterno and then made our way on foot up 1200m to Cerillo Redondo, a 3000m peak above Orgiva/Canar. There is a very steep section on the last leg, of about 800m ascent over 2km (think about it...) and when you hit the ridge and get the full force of the inevitable wind, you don't want to linger there too long! But you can see the wonderful, lonely Caballo, the ridge across to snow-streaked Veleta, Mulhacen and La Alcazaba and a 360 degree panorama of the coast, sierras and little towns. Well worth the effort! If you have a shot at it, take extra clothing for the altitude/wind, be tenacious about finding the paths and sticking to that grind uphill, and don't forget your packed lunch! This is a 7-8 hour round trip! The sun was almost setting as we reached the car.

And when we got home, after tapas and a drink with our friends, there was a Mother's Day email from one of my sons (the other will remember tomorrow...:), a warm fire hastily lit and, in a minute, a hot bath. All this climbing! 3000m is 9000ft!! Not bad in one's 70th decade!

We've done a few more walks and the temperatures are slowly climbing...perhaps time to get on with planning a bike  trip across to Cadiz and Aracena...shall we go for the MotoGP or just take a holiday?  All our lightweight climbing gear will come in useful stowed in the topbox as well.

We've finished our little granero annexe so I shall be putting it on the 'property to rent' part of this website very soon, with some pics.  It will only be available for a max of 5 nights stay and a max of 4 people (really only suitable  for 1 or 2), and ideally we'd like walking/biking/active people.  Self-catering, very simple but modern!

If you want to do a pancake party for some kids (adult kids or younger!), can I recommend the following basic recipe:  6 eggs, 1 litre full-fat milk, 500 grams plain flour, 3 tbsp cooking oil.  Whisk eggs & milk, add the flour & milk and process until smooth.  Set aside in a cool place for at least an hour, then spread thinly into a hot, oiled pan, turning as necessary to cook both sides.  Serve as savoury with cheese or flaked salmon or anything else you fancy, or sweet  with sugar & lemon, syrup or honey, fruit and cream....

I'll have to change the name of this Blog to 'Walking, Biking & occasionally Baking...' as we seem to be using shank's pony at the moment and heading for the hills most weekends.  Today we headed up to La Cebadilla and then on up the eastern flank of the valley (Rio Naute) to about 2000m.  We had a good chat with the local shepherd about the lack  of rain, the dangers of the mountains and his boredom just watching his flock!  We were not bored...a picnic by the river and some hearty uphill marching into the snow kept us occupied.  In places we were up to our knees in snow and had to watch out for hidden acequias, but otherwise a stimulating walk.  As usual, the shorts,Tshirts and occasional fleeces of the chaps seemed far too minimal...I was happy in baselayers, leggings, fleece, bodywarmer and at times a lightweight wind-resistant jacket!  As soon as you stop or move into the shade, or a breeze gets up, you need another layer. 

A 6 hour round trip at our leisurely pace...easily done in less if you're keen and wonderful views of Veleta and Mulhacen. We saw those wonderful 'flying saucer' clouds as we drove home - do they portend rain? - and a rising, waxing moon. 

Today we thought we'd get the VFR out and go for a spin down to the coast....our friends from Glasgow are settling themsleves into Frigiliana for a while so it seemed like a good opportunity to go and say hello.  On with the merino wool base layers (thank you LIDL Norwich for 50% price reduction several years ago), textile jackets (Halvarsson), leather trousers (various), boots (Harley in my case) and helmets (Arai for Steve, only the best...) and other bits and pieces, and off we went.  Spain is a big country but it always seems even more vast when you're on 2 wheels and breathing it in without being shut in a box.  There was some new snow up above Capileira but the roads were nicely washed clean by the rain lower down.  Apart from a few bumpy spots where old landslips  have affected the tarmac surface, these are good roads for biking with plenty of tight curves and technical challenges for enthusiasts.  And for elderly folk like us....but the VFR delas with it all, no problem.

The optimum temperature range for us on the bike is 12-20 C, and I think we were well inside the lower range by the time we got to Frigiliana, just right.  We stopped at the ferreteria to see if we could buy some cleats for tying back the cords on our window blinds and discovered that abragadera means 'jubilee clip', so the online dictionary is wrong...anyone know the right translation?  Then we met up with our friends and had a good look round the old part of town and the campo up behind.  Some good walking to be had up in them thar hills we reckon!  How nice to see them again, what a great pair!

On the way home we avoided being carved up on a roundabout by an enthusiastic young man in his Audi (he did get through on the inside but we took him out immediately afterwards), stopped to see if we could help a stranded motorist who turned out to be non-Spanish and whose first thought was 'did we have a light for her cigarette' (no, we gave up long ago but did she want a push-start?) and finally got into the warmth of home about 9pm.  His Highness is now snoozing on the sofa and I'm thinking about another cup of tea...a good day out!

I have been told that there are thieves working in this area (Granada/Almeria/Malaga) who offer you a smell of some wondrous new perfume that they are selling, but it actually contains ether!  This will make you dizzy or pass out altogether, and they can then rob you at leisure.  Be careful in secluded places if you are offered anything like this, by men or women, and keep your distance!  This information came from a reliable Spanish source and I have no reason to doubt it.  Pass it on to anyone you know living out here.