The Borja's

Xativa recently had a celebratory weekend of the Borja Family. (For those that don't know, the Borja family had two members which became Popes - so very influential.)

There were two full days of activities, based on the medievel theme. Although similar to the market that is held in Concentaina in November, this was much more fun, with lots of other things going on.

There were two acting troupes, moving around constantly, providing lots of street performances. At one point, I was accosted by a couple claiming to be 200 years old, that gave me the secret of eternal youth! (More about that in another post)

There was a man walking around, being followed by a small gaggle of geese. They were so funny, the way they waddled around behing him. He had a horn, which he blew occasionally, and the crowds made way for him. Behind was another man chasing up any stragglers. The best bit was when he ran... all of the geese ran after him.

There were two troops of soldiers, similar to the cavaliers and roundheads, that performed mock battles in the main avenue. (A small section of the avenue was sealed off, and straw laid out to simulate an ancient town.) There were some very large bulls to stroke and a fabulous display of falconry too.

Later on, we saw a troupe of banner wavers performing, which was very colourful. Near to the cathederal some actors were performing on some steps, but we got there towards the end, so we couldn't really follow it.

As usual, the market stalls were wonderful, with a fabulous selection of crafts and foods. We spent about 3 hours there and had a lovely time. Can't wait for next year.

Next Job

Once the rain finally finishes, Ed is going to clad the wall of the house.

Here, houses don't have damp proof courses, but usually have a lower coating of bricks or tiles to prevent any bad weather penetration. Our tiles were originally the same as on the floor - the s-shaped paving tiles.

They were taken off some time ago, and we now have some lovely stone to clad the walls. When the sun shines in the right direction, they sparkle with minerals, looking very luxurious. They are actually the same stones that were used for the main steps in the garden, as well as some of the other garden decorations. This will blend the whole house and garden together beautifully.

If there is enough left over, Ed plans to clad the front flower bed too.

It's all coming together nicely.

Tease

Max has finally started to retrieve tennis balls (only when it suits him) but he still won't hand them over when he brings them back.

Recently, we gave Paddy a new ball, but when Max realised it was a new one, he went after it too, so Paddy didn't have it for very long. However, little did Max know, that I actually had more than one new one, so, while he was fiercely hanging on to it, I had another new one for Paddy!

For Paddy, the best part is runing up and down the garden, but for Max, the best part is playing 'dodge'.

Very funny - both of them.

Still Waiting

Still waiting for summer that is.

England may have basked in a glorious Easter, but here in Spain, it was a washout. As was pretty much every weekend since then.

Ed has a job lined up for a Saturday, but the chap came one Thursday and said, due to the rain and the subsequent soft ground, he would rather wait until another time. Ed totally agreed (working on wet ground is not the best idea, if it can be avoided). Unfortunately, it has rained almost every weekend since then.

We have had a couple of lovely warm days (28 degrees+) but nothing of any duration. Last night, I was woken again by the rain at about 5am. Still, looking on the internet this morning, I see that there is none forecast for the next 10 days.

Has summer finally arrived?

Blue Moon

Whenever there is a full moon here, we know about it!

As we have no street lights and only a few houses around, at night time, it is genuinely dark. We need a torch to go to the pub, otherwise it is a slow and slightly dangerous walk back home. However, when the moon is full, it is better than street lighting, as the whole valley is lit up.

This can be quite disconcerting if you happen to get up during the night. one glance out of the windows leaves you checking all of the light switches, to see which floodlights have been accidently left on overnight!

Unfortunately, this year, when the Perseid Meteor shower is due to strike (12/13 August) it will be a full moon again, so there's not much chance of seeing many shooting stars. I guess I'll have to wait until 2012 for the full effect!

The Return of Hissing Sid

Late one evening, I could hear both dogs barking in the back garden. They seemed to be very static (ie, not racing around the garden), so I assumed that they were right at the bottom of the garden, perhaps barking at Ursula's animals.

After a little while, Ed called me. Grabbing the camera, I went out, and there were both dogs, in the middle of the garden, barking at something on the floor. It could only be a snake - anything else would have run off.

Sure enough, it was another adult ladder snake. Ed got a metal rod, and carefully persuaded it to go into next door's garden, as they would not be back until the weekend, by which time it would have moved on again. However, the snake had different ideas, and it took a long time to get it to go. Once it got to the wall, it kept trying to come back into our garden, instead of into the next one.

After all this time only seeing them at a distance, I can't believe that we have had 2 inside a month. I'm still not brave enough to touch them though... maybe next time?

Cake Mistake

With all the hype about these new silicon baking tins, I thought it was about time I got some. In Marks & Spencer, a loaf tin was £7, so Mum and I bought two from the Pound shop. (Guess how much they were - £1!)

Back in Spain, I noticed that there were a couple of bananas in the fruit bowl, a little past their best - time to make a banana cake. I quickly made one, then poured the mixture into the loaf tin. Disaster! The tin was so flexible, the sides simply bulged out with the weight of the mix.

Oh well. I baked the cake, which came out perfectly cooked, but a very strange shape! Instead of a long loaf shape, it was almost round, but with corners on it! However, the cake came out of the mould perfectly, so I was actually impressed. Short learning curve - from now on, when I make a cake mixure, I will have to distribute the same amount between 2 cake tins, so that they look like they are meant to.