Happy Christmas!

Christmas is nearly here,  our decorations are up,  we've done another final shop - this time for fresh fruit and vegetables.   The local markets are fortnightly,  in Cádiar on the 3rd and 18th of the month,  Ugíjar  market is on the 5th and the 20th so we went into Ugíjar yesterday. 

Glacé fruits and turrón by the ton!   Turrón is a bit like nougat,  can be soft or hard or chewy.  This is from Wikipedia...   Turrón, torró, torrone, turrone, torrão, turon or nougat is a confection, typically made of honey, sugar, and egg white, with toasted almonds or other nuts, and usually shaped into either a rectangular tablet or a round cake...

 More pots and pans and kitchen gadgets than you'll  ever need.

Chickens cooking on a rotisserie,  we call them yellow chickens as they are soaked in mild spices.  Next to the chicken man is Lorenzo, who has a churros and chocolate stall.  And yes,  we did stop for some.

Surprisingly not overly sweet but very rich chocolate for dunking your churros in.  Yum.
( A churro, sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut, is a fried-dough pastry—predominantly choux—based snack. Churros are popular in Spain, France, the Philippines, Portugal, Ibero-America and the United States - from Wikipedia again)  

More doughnut than choux we think,  sometimes sugary as well.  This is not the time to worry about your waistline!

Ugíjar church....

 Sweets anyone??

 Dried figs,  walnuts and glacé fruits.

 Anyone like olives?  Great assortment here plus pickled gherkins and garlic.

At the front,  bacalao - salt cod - and sardines.  And to the left, are sacks and sacks of dried beans and flours.

 Round the corner to the flower seller, 

 The square facing 'chickens and churros' is undergoing a mega makeover,  new lighting, paving, flower beds and such like. 

 Ugíjar church again...

 Fancy street light on the way down to the newly built Ayuntamiento (town hall)

 The window on the back wall of the Ayuntamiento.

 Love them or hate them,  caquis are everywhere at the moment.  Probably best known as Persimmon or Sharon fruit.  We tried them - once - when we first came here but I found them too gloopy in texture and sweet.  Antonio just cut  the top off the caqui and gave it to us  with a teaspoon to eat direct from the fruit,  that's how soft they were. 

Christmas decorations on our terrace with sunset in the background.  

 A pine-branch arch is opposite the front door,  and white lights hanging from the grape vine go  to the gate.

  Santa hats  hanging from the rejas or window bars.

And that's it for now,  ¡Feliz Navidad!  to you all.  I may be back before the end of the year,  but  if not,  then  ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!  as well.