As the dawn on a new year breaks it’s a good time to reflect on the past 12 months. 2011 has been unforgettable in so many ways. There were ups and downs, of course (it is the mountains after all…..ha ha!), but experiences in the Sierra Nevada and Patagonia have shown me some insights I [...]
Annoying isn’t it when a huge operation like Flickr can’t get validating embed code for your website or blog slideshow? Anyway after half a day’s fiddling this post will show you how to change the code to pass validation. This is not my usual sort of post and I’m not a professional programmer (just an [...]
Our leonberger, Bruno lost his brave fight against cancer today. In the last 3 days he deteriorated rapidly. After amputation and 2 chemotherapy sessions the vet told us today that the tumors had metastasized. In order that he didn’t suffer, we had no alternative. We shall miss our big-hearted, noble Bruno. There will not be [...]
Sometimes it takes a great effort to leave the comfort of one’s home and head for the cold, icy peaks. Some hardship though, is always rewarded by the mountains. Although we have passed it several times we had never thought to spend a night at the ruins of the relatively unknown Cebollar Refugio, located at 2500m [...]
If youve never tried snowshoeing, you should! When the fresh snow lies thick on the hillsides of the Alpujarras and Sierra Nevada head for the upper pine forests and have some fun! There is no finer place to enjoy a day’s snowshoeing after recent snowfall than above Puente Palo in the pine forests of the [...]
June may seem a long way away now but this video brings back all the fun of the fiestas. “Noche de San Juan en Lanjarón” and the world famous water run. Catch it maybe next year.
There’s a first time for everything. A few days ago we helped our neighbour from up the hill, David, prepare his grapes. Picking, sorting, crushing, sieving and bottling. Hard work if you are not used to it. Our hands and clothing were sticky with juice much to the liking of teh local wasp community. An interesting experience [...]
Came across this little guy sat on an old tree branch yesterday above Lanjaron in the Alpujarras. Cute aint he? Dont ask me for the type, sex or even latin name. I dont have a clue. He’s just an OWL! click to enlarge
September is that time when the warm and cold fronts merge and form very violent storms. The spanish call this phenomenon, ”Gota Fria”. We are well used to them after living here for 8 years, however they are always a spectacular event. It is common for golf ball sized hailstones to fall and torrential rain. We made [...]
A small team of birding enthusiasts, based in Lanjaron, are passionate about the area and its birdlife. They offer guided Birdwatching Tours tours in 4×4 transport, in small groups, to ensure you get the best the region can provide. There is always something fantastic to view! Depending on local bird activity you might be taken [...]