Getting cooler...

Cold but sunny today,  ok if you're outside doing something and good enough to dry the washing but not warm enough to sit in,  John took his cup of tea outside after lunch but didn't stay out long,  I'm not sure what got cold first - him or the tea.   And when I asked if he was coming out for a walk this afternoon he didn't seem to think it was quite what he wanted to do.   Of course Monty and Pip thought it was a wonderful idea and leapt and bounced while I got a woollie on and my boots and we set off for the stream that runs below el Golco.

The clouds had started to gather by then,  these were off to the west of us,  space ship clouds usually mean big winds high up.

Out of sight of Montenegro the path starts to curve round the hillside and dip down to the river where there are lots of poplars - álamo - all changing colour now.  On down to the stream which seems to be running deeper than last time we went,  the banks seem more cut away and there are huge clumps of reeds growing by the sides.  We haven't had any heavy rain since the 3rd week of September but a lot of water will have passed through on it's way down from the mountains so that's probably caused the deeper sides.  We did manage to get down to a shallow edge though,  paddling for Pip and wallowing for Monty.

We lit the first fire of the winter the night before last,  the mornings have been getting much chillier and over the last week the temperatures have dropped a degree or so each day,  this morning it was only 4.7 on the terrace and we haven't reached double figures during the day for 3 or 4 days now.  Luckily the sun has been shining,  and shines in the lounge and dining room windows all day which helps keep the house warm.  But by sunset - time to light up.

We were lucky enough to be given - or rather we could take the wood if we did the work - all the eucalyptus wood when Miguel wanted his tree cut down this summer.  I expected it to dry out quickly which it seems to have done,  but also to then be very lightweight and to burn quickly,  unlike olive and almond which are very dense and burn slowly.  But we've used it the last couple of nights and haven't used any more chunks than we normally would.  Which is a pleasant surprise as it means it'll last longer than expected.  We do have almond and olive logs as well,  but they are all at the bottom of the wood pile,  our intention was to mix the woods but somehow that didn't happen. 

I found the website for the Sierra Nevada ski station again yesterday and looked at the webcams.  Not surprisingly there is snow up there,  here's the link to the main page,  and from there you can find lots of info about the place.  Maps of the ski runs,  weather forecast - cold -  and on the webcam page is a short video of the area. 

Enjoy.