Still here!

As we head towards the end of another month I've been sorting out photos etc and thought I'd do a quick update.

A trip to UK in May to visit one side of the family,  followed by a trip in June to catch up with the other side.  Both times good weather although there was a huge downpour one evening during my June trip, when the rain poured down the road.  Trips to gardens and garden centres where I found plants that we have in our garden here..

A shady place to sit..

now that looks like a good idea based on this weeks weather that we have just had.  Hot, yes we can do,  but hot and very humid we find just draining!   As soon as the sun comes up and the temperature outside reaches the inside temperature, then doors, windows and shutters are all closed.  Yes the house is dark,  but it feels very cool.  Yesterday we retreated indoors and put the fans on to get a coolish breeze blowing around.  Outside it was 35 in the shade but humidity of 50+%  - normally it's very dry.  Today better,  humidity low again and "only" 33 degrees.

At the end of June we went to Motril Air Show as we did last year,  this year the highlight of the show was a Eurofighter.  We stopped for a tostada con tomate y queso (toasted baguette with tomato and cheese) sort of an early lunch / late elevenses at a chiringuito (beach bar) at the end of the beach where we'd parked,  then walked along to the main event....

A video John took of the Eurofighter doing it's amazing stuff....we didn't stay after that, as not much more can make you go 'wow'!

And now 3 weeks into July,  it's hot, it's dry, the main water deposit is only filling about a third over night which is more than enough for us to fill our storage tanks for the land on our 2 weekly cycle,  but for others with more land.....maybe not.  We are trying to keep the vegetables going although the cherry tomatoes have already given up producing anything and the leaves are dying.  Today we noticed an almond tree that has gone brown and crunchy and they don't even need regular watering.

This hot weather takes it out of the dogs,  Monty in particular is noticeably slower and we don't walk as far.  We are out by 7am,  don't go in the evening any more,  but he will be 13 this November which is a ripe old age for a dog.  Pip?  Well, she is younger and has more energy but slows to wait for Monty.  Our walk that once took us 30 minutes now takes 50 or more.  Old age,  hey,  it comes to us all eventually. 

When we moved into this house,  there were 4 grapevines between the gate and the house which during the summer months provided us with a wonderful shady pathway.  But over the years,  despite advice from the locals on pruning and watering, the vines have not grown as much,  so less leaves means less shade and we haven't had a decent bunch of grapes for about 6 or 7 years.  Last year we decided it would be the last time we pruned and watered - unless of course the vines did something spectacular.  Which they did not.  So at the end of the year we cut them down,  dug out the roots,  took apart the frames,  dug out their concrete feet and filled in all the holes.  It's a lot quicker and easier to write it than it was to do it!  All except one vine which was so close to the terrace that we just cut it off at ground level rather than try to dig it out.

And of course it is growing.  And growing.  Huge leaves,  no grapes this year but we're going to give it a year or so to see what it can do.  It has gone from a shoot up to the top of the terrace and is now heading along the arch.

Another plant that is enjoying this hot weather is one of John's cactus' / cacti that live on the dining room window sill.  The first flower for this cactus in 3 years...

There is a cactus under the flower - honestly!