Since Wednesday....

We have finally ventured out via the remade track to Yegen and on down to El Ejido to stock up the freezers and shelves with meat and tinned goods. First we went down with Monty and Pip to Yator to empty both cars into one; dog biscuits, beer and coke - strange mixture of things to have! Then we dropped everything off here, plus the dogs and went back out to stock up. Yator to Montenegro via Mecina and Yegen is an extra 15kms - direct from here down is only 2kms! The track is in reasonably good condition considering how it was after the rains. There is only one wet, squidgy area that I didn't like driving over, it's much easier to go uphill than down! So now we are as normal for the winter, the Polo in Yator and the 4x4 here so we have options.

This weekend was fiesta San Sebastian in Yator. We walked down on Saturday morning for the lunchtime do - looked a bit odd really as we were both in jeans and walking boots but our top halves were super smart. J in a blazer, shirt, tie and waistcoat and me in a black and cream fine wool top and pearls! We took trousers and shoes and high heels for me and got changed at a friends house. About 4pm we changed back and came home. A bit slower on the return journey though, something to do with the wine I think!

Sundays forecast wasn't good and we didn't fancy walking home after the wine in the rain, so stayed here yesterday. But by 2pm the promised rain hadn't come so I took Pip and Monty out orange picking, not that they're much help! Got 31 off the tree, loads more to come but they don't all ripen at the same time. First I grated the peel and have it drying on a baking tray to store later for cakes, biscuits and figgy pudding, then squeezed them - 2 litres of juice in the fridge.

There were lots of lemons down on the ground, about a dozen windfalls, so I have started to grate the peel from them before using them. That's drying as well. We have a vase of narcissi on the dining table, they have been blooming for about 3 weeks and we have enough to cut for the house as well as plenty in flower outside. So when you open the kitchen door, there is a gorgeous fruity, flowery smell.

The 3rd lot of broad beans and peas went in this morning, the first beans are flowering already. I also picked 5 strawberries! And there are more flowers and some ripening too. Even some of this years runners/small plants have flowers.

But right now it's raining again- a steady drizzle coming down, so not sure if there will be much of the collapsing track left tomorrow. It hasn't got much worse, just sinking slowly down, down, down. Still no sign of the digger to repair it and it won't come while the ground is wet. (Just looked out of the window - it's rain not drizzle!)

Tomorrow off to the vet with Pip to have her stitches out, should have gone today but she did something while out this morning, I didn't see what, she and Monty were running ahead of me and there was a yelping and she was hobbling on 3 legs. Probably pulled something running or stopped too quickly and twisted something. Who knows, but she's ok now. I didn't want to set off with a hobbling pup who might not be able to walk down to the car and it didn't seem worth going the long way round in the other car. He's a very laid back vet so going tomorrow won't be a problem.