Friday, August 28, 2015

Our Summer Vacation

Part 1

The beach?  The mountains?  A spa?  Nope, not us. Having recovered all that stone - let´s build a retaining wall.  Nothing like it to make you appreciate actual masons.







Current plans are to backfill wth rotting wood from the woodpile, compost, soil, cardboard and eventually create raised beds.  Thinking about posts for some espaliered dwarf fruit trees.  Eventally, there wll be a gate between the barn and the wall.

And next up.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Melide la nuit


Pueblos all over Spain have local fiestas in August, and Melide is no exception.  There is an entire week of bands, orchestras, concerts, games and gatherings.  So, we resolved to go out one evening to see what was going on.



We started in the wine district, which had some very appealing terrazas, one covered in a robust kiwi.



Then we went to a new restaurant, admiring the decorations on the way.


We had a grelo and shrimp scramble to start, then raxo and salad.  It was both tasty and reasonably priced.


By the time we finished, the first orchestra was winding down on the smaller stage.  We wanted to see the main act Panorama, which is famous throughout Galicia, but after 20 minutes of merengue and cumbia we called it good and moved on.

We walked back to the car through the games and rides.  Shooting galleries were popular, but expensive at 3 euros a shot.  V wanted to try the bumper cars, but didn´t want to wait in the line.



 


And then I saw this, which will give me nightmares until next year.  Has Stephen King written a Spongebob novel yet? Some kid disappears forever into the gaping maw of an inflatable cartoon character etc., etc. Clearly I´m too old for fiestas.

Saturday, August 15, 2015

...As the gentle rain from heaven


No, I´m not talking about the Perseids meteor shower.  Rain!



I swear I could hear the landscape sigh with relief.




Everything is bejewelled and bedazzled.


Earlier, I made a stab at elderflower cordial, using Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall´s recipe.  Something about elderflower cordial or champagne or whathaveyou sounds so utterly civilized.  Lifted straight from a Jane Austen novel.  So the brew looked good and smelled fresh and floral.  Initial taste was good, if a bit too sweet, with a zingy lemon beginning, but finished wth a definite musky aftertaste not unreminiscent of used sweat socks.  My Darcy of a drink turned out to be a Wickham.  We´ll see if the fruit fares better.



Colors and textures seem more dramatic.  But focus softer and more romantic. Even the puddles are inviting.  Lovely.

Friday, August 7, 2015

Well found


Spent a morning digging around where the buried well was supposed to be, and, miracle of miracles, found it.  Now I suppose we have to find someone to see 1)  is there water 2) is it any good and 3) how deep it is.


This has taken on a new urgency given the ongoing drought.  Still no appreciable rain.  Prospects are dire for the corn, wheat and potato crops this year.  So it´s just as well that I haven´t made any progress to date on the veg patch.

The weedy mound of infill removed, the pasture is in a lamentable state.  Frankly, I despair. And the sward was once so beautiful.


There is a new, unidentified weed.  Not many, so I refrained from cutting.


When V got back, we went about prettying up the patio and planted some pots and bought a barbecue grill or churrasqueiro as they´re called here.





Now that we´re nearing the local fiestas and V has some time off we hope we have some time to enjoy them.