water again

The water cut was not nearly as serious as I had imagined. I thought we would have o wait until it rained properly but, in fact, it was re-started on Wednesday. It took 2 men from the council all day to get it all up and running but I now have better water pressure than before. I also have 3 unnecessary water containers! The village was up in arms, the water went off just before lunch on a Bank Holiday so it couldn't have been worse timed, they are now petitioning the Town Hall to have our water supply improved and updated.
I know there are areas of Spain with real water shortages but one doesn't expect Galicia to be one of them.

more reasons to hate August!

Now we have a water shortage, the water has been cut off in the village and we have to collect it in containers! You don't realise how you rely on tap water until you don't have it. There are altogether too many people here, almost every house occupied and many with 8-10 people in them, with that many people showering every day, maybe sometimes twice a day, and all the washing machines and dish washers doing a daily wash it is just too much. We have had almost no rain for months.
Still, it's a shame to wish the summer away but, only 2 more weeks!

village party

The party was great, I shouldn't be such a misanthrope. I was surrounded by people I know well and everyone I met was very friendly. The meal was a very big barbecue, for which, of course, special permission has to be sought, though being in the middle of a village of stone houses there was not much danger of fire. (There have been 3 very big fires in Orense this last week.) I was surprised that there was no salad to go with the meat, in a village like this, where everyone has too many lettuce and tomatoes it would hve been easy to provide, I would happily have provided tomatoes! Afterwards there was music and dancing in the square, we were charged €10 each for the evening, which really makes me wonder where the money goes for the villge Fiesta in July, the first time I was charged €80 and this year €30, but on both occasions there was nothing of note, just lots of fire crackers and some music!
I asked Tina about the tomatoes but it was not her, so God knows who thinks I need tomatoes, I can't give them back so I'll have to find a use for them, not easy when I am only just managing to keep up with my own. It must be a lesson to me to lock my front door when I go for a shower, I do try and remember.

August!

I hate August, all together too many people, mostly it's the young ones I hate but often the parents aren't much better. I don't think it's xenophobia, i suspect I would hate them if they were English, but maybe not!
The village is full of people, it is impossible to go out of the house without seeing a discarded bottle or can, there is broken glass everywhere, my Aunt always comments on how strange it is that young people can walk miles with a bottle of coke but the moment it is empty it becomes too heavy to carry and gets dropped, it was not something that bothered me unduly but it does now.

The kids run around the village at night, this has not bothered me as much this year as last year but they go to my garden area, this does bother me, I sent some packing last year. I have just discovered that they have collapsed my lounger, fortunately it was not seriously damaged but am sure they do not go onto other peoples land, maybe I'm becoming paranoid. I'm going to keep my garden furniture indoors in August in future, it's too hot to sit outside during the day anyway.

There is to be a 'street party' tonight, a village meal in the square, it is the first time there has been one since I've been here. I don't really want to go as I feel I don't know anyone at the moment; those I do know will be with their families, roll on tomorrow morning!

The birds! I keep thinking they've gone, but then they have another morning parliament, they all sit and chatter, it can't be much longer I think.

My courgette! It's enormous, would take up the whole of my plot, much bigger than the one I had last year, just as well Paco is not using the lower part of his plot beacause that is mostly where my courgette is.

I am inundated with vegetables now, trying to find ways of using tomatoes. I made a gazpacho yesterday with 1 kilo and I still had some big ones over, not to mention all the cherry tomatoes, then this morning I discovered 4 tomatoes on my stairs!! I suspect it was Tina, I've already told her I don't need any more, I think she thinks I only have cherry tomatoes and these are not judged to be of any use, in fact I have 3 varieties and they are all ripening.

more wild-life

When I went to move my boots today I found this tiny little mammal, I think it is the one I thought was a Pygmy Shrew, though it's possible it is some kind of mouse. A lot less timid than a mouse, I even managed to pick it up, though he wasn't very happy about that and leapt off my hand fairly quickly.

He/she is about 4cm long, with feet that looked more splayed than a mouse.

Then when I went for a walk I discovered some gentian, Marsh Gentian I think though it wasn't marshy. I found them on the edge of the old football pitch.

I also saw a bird taking her young for a walk! Like ducks do but not a duck I think, probably a game bird though I don't know what. She moved away too quickly for me to take a photo. I will definitely try to remember my camera each time I go out.