veg!

Yesterday I had some carrots from my finca. They weren't very big but they were mine, considering how late I was in getting any to germinate they were prety good. I haven't tried the leeks yet, they are still small but growing so I am hopeful for next year, next year I will also keep my Spring Onions going into the winter, if I can, if not I will have them indoors as well.

All done!

Finally I am prepared for winter! I went to the Police and made sure that my address is correct on my Residencia, they said it didn't matter but something made a difference for, when I asked for permission to burn they accepted my NIE and new my address and Finca number. So now I have burned all the bracken roots. Hopefully this is the last time I will need to burn as most garden rubbish can go for compost. I have also dug over the fincas and moved the gooseberry bush and some raspberries up to the orchard. I have had a delivery of wood and stacked it carefully in the garage, which now has a new door and floor.

I have had another plumbing crisis, this time it was pipes not drains. The result is that I now have a new stopcock in the house, this is very reassuring as, before, I was completely unable to turn off the water at the mains. Every cloud has a silver lining! We have had a week of beautiful weather but today the clouds have come in again.

Autumn 2011

Finally it has rained, we have had a week of heavy rain and strong winds. Yesterday I phoned for permission to burn but I didn't get it, she refused because I don't have a DNI! I told her I had no problem last year but to no avail. I was told to go to O Barco, that's rubbish, anyway I phoned the Forestry people and they have to come and check, what a load of nonsense for a small quantitiy of garden rubbish.
I've virtually cleared my finca now, I just need to get rid of my rubbish so I can dig over the top huerto and transplant my gooseberry and some raspberries.

more fires!

I spoke too soon about there not being so many fires, there have been several recently. There seem to be lots today, though not sure if the lower ones aren't all part of the same fire, the upper part of the hill seems to be completely burnt away. The smoke coming from lots of places lower down is probably the same fire that has spread through the undergrowth.

The smoky look at the top is another fire in the distance.

This may be another fire or part of the same one on the lower hill but I walked through these woods yesterday. I'm glad it was yesterday not today.

The weather is still very warm during the day, my leeks are growing. If the weather stays warm for a few more weeks I may end up with some leeks that are usable.

fires!

There have not been so many fires this year but I could smell smoke when I opened the window this morning and there is quite a big fire in the distance. I walked up passed the helocipter base just as this helicopter came in to land, not sure what it was doing as it didn't turn off its engine and took off again shortly afterwards.
The weather has been very hot the past few days but it is turning cooler again.
My leeks survived the move so I just hope they grow a bit now, I've given up trying to keep up with the tomatoes they're just rotting on the plants now.

leeks and things

I've planted out my leeks, hopefully they will survive and do something, the carrots are looking quite healthy. I've cut back my courgette again, it is over running everywhere, not as out of hand as one that is growing up the side or the road!

It rained a bit over the weekend but it is going to get warm again now, so I'll have to keep watering.

The lorry driver came back and said that he would deal directly with the window guy, hopefully he does, I've lost his phone number so I'll give it a couple of weeks then pass by again.

September

August finished much as it started, badly! A lorry, collecting big rubbish, tried to back down past my house and bashed my galeria, I'm now having to sort out a quote for the repair. It's a run around, I have lost the phone number of the firm that did the windows so I will have to drive back to Caldelas, and the guy driving the lorry told me to sort it out with the town hall but apparently it's his lorry, not theirs.

I am completely inundated with tomatoes, I can't keep up at all, I'm going to be eating a lot of Gazpacho I think. The other day Paco, one of my neighbours, told me I was mad! I'm not sure why but it's bugging me, I'm pissed off at the moment, the first time I haven't been happy in the village.

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.

leeks!

It's incredible, the leeks that I sowed last week have germinated!
All those that I sowed outside did nothing. I suspect that the ground outside was too dry though I did water them every day. I'll watch the carrots carefully now, I'm trying to keep them well damp.
Everything else is doing well, my Gardeners Delight are keeping me in tomatoes and soon I will be overwhelmed by all of them.
Being away in the Spring was not too serious!

The birds re-appeared as soon as the weather improved, I don't know where they were hiding, they'll be going properly any time now.

fruit and veg!

I now have had my first tomatoes and my lettuce are ready to start. The plums are ripe as well, I think they are earlier this year, though it may be that I am here and I know they are Green gages so I'm not expecting them to change colour!
I've sown some more carrots in my top plot and some leeks indoors, I'll see how it goes this time.

Finished digging!

At last I have finished digging up the roots of the ferns. I don't for one minute think I have got them all but I've got a lot!

Now I have piles of fern roots and grass bulbs ready for burning in the autumn. The pile at the very end will be my compost heap. Now I just have to find a way of using this plot advantageously and of keeping on top of the weeds. Below is the root of a plum tree that I have also removed.

The House Martins that had disappeared last Sunday suddenly re-appeared today,there were about 40, sitting on the wires and milling around, then they suddenly disappeared again. Very starnge!

The weather is very strange for July, it's like it has been most of the year, a day or two of sunshine then cloudy for a few; not much rain though, so I'm still having to water the vegetables.
I've had my first courgettes and the first leaves off my lettuce. There are loads of green tomatoes and the pepper are flowering. If August and September have better weather than July then I will have salads at the right time.

The birds!

Yesterday I suddenly noticed a silence, it was quite uncanny, then I realised that the birds had gone! During the summer we have House Martins, usually until August, I think, but they have gone. The weather has been unseasonably cool and I suspect they have been conned into thinking it was time to go. Usually they sit on the electricity wires for a few days, planning the move but this time there was very little planning, just a sudden silence. I hope the latest broods were strong enough for the long journey!

wild animals

Today I saw, what I am sure must be, a snake. It was smooth, orange with a black line down either side, small, about 20-25 cms in length and 1cm in width. It moved like a snake and dissapeared into the soil where I had been digging. I can find nothing that resembles it either on line or in my books but, as usual my camera was not to hand. I have previuosly seen a Slowworm in my garden but this was not the same. I have absolutely no idea how to identify it. It was very frightened of me!

Early summer continued!

I saw my neighbours garlic yesterday, they are enormous, at least twice the size of mine. My onions aren't doing very well either so I think next year I will plant them much later. I have given up on the idea of carrots and leeks for this year and try again next year, those I will have to sow earlier. I should not have been away in spring, not the right time at all, even my lettuce aren't happy this year, I have a few but they are reluctant. The weather has been very, very dry I wonder if I am watering enough.

early summer

I have picked the last of my raspberries today. I have had a dish full every day for about 3 weeks, and I've put some in the freezer, so I have done well. I have also been eating cherries for about 2 weeks now, and freezed a lot, and there are still plenty about. I was given cherries from 3 different sources last weekend, I ended up with 4 kilos.
My lettuces have started to sprout. No sign of carrots or leeks, I think I have sown them too late this year, it has been very warm and dry. I think I should have watered my onions more as well. Things to remember for next year!
I have pulled up my garlic, apparently they need to be up by the end of June, I think some of my onions need pulling too. I have plety of potatoes, some still in the ground and plenty in the house, I also planted a few more yesterday, they should take me into autumn.
It has not rained all month and this weekend is very, very hot.

The wild gladiolus that I saw last week has been beheaded, I think the deer around here have a penchant for pretty flowers!

end of spring, end of orchids!

I went for a walk the other day and found that the area where the orchids grow had been completely flattened, apparently they want to do some kind of competition there next week for the Feast ofSan Juan.

They left just one pretty flower close by, and there is only one that I can see, a Wild Gladiolus, I think.

There was a Pygmy Shrew in my garden the other day, unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me. At first I thought it was some baby as it was so small, but such small babies are normally without fur and sitting in their nests. don't suppose I'll be lucky enough to see it again but it was so cute, and not at all frightened of me, it stayed close by for ages whilst I worked.

End of spring!

Monday 13th June

Over the weekend one of my neighbours, with the plot next to mine, decided to irrigate her plot, she has access to the spring, she wanted water to reach the bottom of her plot, it did! It was a raging torrent that drowned the area where I had planted seeds.

The seeds didn't look to b doing much but they've been washed away now. So I've dug up the potatoes and sown some more seeds, hopefully something will happen.

8th June

Everything is much earlier this year. I had about a dozen cherries on my new cherry tree but the birds have eaten them! There are plenty of trees around with loads and I have been offered some by a friend. I tried one the other day and they seem nearly ready. I should have lots more plums this year as well.

What the birds left!

My spring onions are now coming through. I have sown carrots, leeks and parsnips so I'll see how they do. I've sown them in a patch of ground lent to me by Paco. today I found that a neighbour has cleared his patch and thrown all the rubbish over my patch,I admit there is nothing to see but it should be obviuos that someone has cleared the area for planting.

My tomatoes and the patch I've sown carrots and leeks in.

I have picked my first raspberries, first strawberries and my gooseberries, there aren't many gooseberries as someone knocked off the branch that had the most, still, for the first year it's not bad. My tomatoes are showing the first fruit and I have already had my first new potatoes, so all in all it is doing well. The only dissapointment is the lettuce, I think my first sowing probably got well walked over as Paco was showing everyone how well my tomatoes were doing! The latest sowing is still doing nothing, I think, maybe, a new seed packet is required.

Spring again!

I have been away for 2 months, not really a good time to go but I went anyway. I put my tomatoes and peppers out under plastic bottles and one of my neightbours said he would look after them. He did a good job, the tomatoes are impressive. The peppers died but they were very tiny and they are tender.

One of my neighbours has given me some new peppers and a courgette. my lettuce and spring onions have done mothing so I have had to sow again.

The area that I dug over to sow carrots and leeks is covered in grasses so I have had to dig that over again.

The top garden is the worse, the grass was as tall as me and hs completely over grown everything. I have started cutting it back and have weeded the strawberries, potatoes and grapes so that they can breathe.

This is the field I have to walk through!

This was after I had cut back a lot but it gives an idea of the height of the grass. Even my astro-turf had weeds growing through it!

still February

The weather took a turn for the worse and we had a few days of snow, but now it is improving again. I drove down to Ourense on Monday, the countryside looks positively autumnal here, between, the bracken and the dead leaves still on the oak trees, but closer to Ourense the hills are all yellow as the Mimosa is in flower, very spring like.

Spring!!

Actually it isn't spring but it feels like it! I have been pruning my fruit trees, they haven't been pruned for years so they have branches growing more than 20 feet into the air with the result that I can't pick the fruit.

These are the pear trees now!

The young plum trees, hopefully I will get some fruit from these this year.

I have also planted some strawberry plants here as well so I hope I will have a fruitful summer.

death

There have been 2 deaths related to the village this year, so far! One was a lady of 103 who wasn't residing in the village when she died, the other was Tina's husband so I discovered something about local customs. The coffin was 'on show' in the Chapel of Rest before the funeral and it is the custom for the family to be there and to accept condolences from friends and neighbours. The funeral was yesterday afternoon. First there was a Requiem Mass then the interment. The priest said the mass as if he had a train to catch, I found it neither prayerful nor helpful as a termination of someones life.

I have been thinking a lot about my funeral arrangements. The compnay I have my house and car insurance with keep 'encouraging' me to take out their insurance to pay for the fueral costs! I have had a look at it and didn't feel it was very useful so I had already planned to go to the Undertakers on monday, whilst my car is being serviced, to talk about funerals here. I am very aware that I am a long way from my sons, and as they don't speak spanish, they will have problems making arrangements if I die here. Yesterday's funeral really focused my mind on what I don't want!

I do think some kind of service is important, for those left behind, as a kind of closure ceremony, but I would rather that my nearest and dearest had a wake and remembered my life rather than my death. This is now something that I will discuss with my sons whilst I am still sound in mind and body.

January 2011

I have bought and planted 6 vines and a gooseberry bush. It will be interesting to see how this works. I think I have probably bought too many vines, I will probably be overwhelmed with grapes. It will make a change from pears! I still have pears left and they are still in good condition. It is a very good pear tree.

My vegetable patch now has onions and garlic in it as well. The weather is very mild at the moment so I hope they don't sprout too early. My gardening books are english so I am planting when things are on sale here, I guess if they are being sold it must be the right time to plant! No one else seems to have planted anything so who knows?