Rain in Spain

Yes, it's here as well.  Flash floods, houses under water, cars washed away.....

El País newspaper has more on the story....

We haven't been out today so don't know what the river is like down in Yátor.

The only flooding we've seen has been our pool which has overflowed but is designed to overflow into the acequia.

Last winter was the driest for 60 or so years,  this summer has been extremely long and hot, the ground is very hard and dry and I don't think much of this rain will have soaked in.  Hence the flooding.  I suppose the next lot of rain will have a better chance as the ground should be more absorbent.

At last!

At last we've got some rain,  it's been forecast - along with high winds which we did get -  for the past few days but nothing came.  John said I missed yesterday's rain drops - think I blinked or something there were so few of them!  But today was another overcast start to the day and so when I went out this morning I made sure I had an umbrella with me.  Sure enough the minute I got out of the car the rain started, only drizzle but enough to need the umbrella.    It did get heavier but not for long.

However there  is more rain due this afternoon  - the clouds are way down low over the Contraviesa and above Mecina Bombaron and the forecast for tomorrow is wet too.  September is normally the start of the winter rains, although other years we haven't had any until October. 

And the latest rash news - it's gone!   3 days of twice daily Betnovate cream, 1 antihistamine and no dairy products,  no fish, no chocolate and no tomatoes has done the trick although I'm not sure which bit of that list has had the most impact.  I guess it's the Betnovate as I was taking the antihistamines anyway.  But it might have been kick-started by the injection as I felt a lot more myself by Monday evening.  Up till then I'd felt uncomfortable, like my skin was too small for me.  I don't know what was in the injection as I couldn't read the Doctors handwriting.  Nothing new there, then.  Probably the same where ever you live.

The land of no milk or honey :(

A quick and useful trip to the doctors this morning because the rash was no better,  in fact probably blotchier than ever around my neck and very tender feeling.  9.30 I arrived at the reception and asked to see a doctor.   The man - possibly a nurse or doctor from the urgencias - gave me an appointment for 1.15 this afternoon.   "Oh,  4 hours time"   thinking that's not too bad at least it's today and I've time to go home and do some stuff  before coming back.   "No,"   he said   "just go down to room 15 and he'll see you now."

Someone was in with the doctor,  another couple then went in,  and then another lady.  Thought to myself, this isn't quite 'he'll see you now' so when that lady came out up I jumped,  went into his office and said  "the man at reception said you'd see me straight away because of this......lifted my hair up away from my neck so he could see the full extent of the redness.

Out he went, sorry Paco, wait a few minutes more, I need to see to this lady.

So I got checked from head to toe,  he listened to my chest and back,  asked general health questions, including do I dye my hair :0  -  what?  no, never, it's naturally blonde -  he looked at the rash with a magnifying glass!  and said it's not a heat rash it's an allergy.

First - an injection to alleviate the discomfort,  more anti-histamines and  cortisone cream twice daily.

Second - diet.  For five days no milk, butter, cheese, yoghurt or cream.  No chocolate.  No fish or shellfish.  No tomatoes.  No honey.

Then I went back to reception for an appointment for the injection from the nurse.  Same as before, but a time of 12.15 but don't worry about that, just go down and she'll see you now.
Actually he came down with me and spoke to the nurse but even so 2 or 3 people went in before me.  And so like the first time, I jumped up a bit quicker that the next lady, said to the nurse that I needed an injection.....ah yes, come in.  Won't be a minute - to everyone still outside.

I was a bit longer than a minute, but that was because she looked at what I'd been prescribed and at my rash and chatted.  I didn't realise how much medical Spanish I knew!

Then down to the farmacia to collect the tablets and cream.  Back home at 11am.

So the next 5 days or so will be interesting.  If it is an allergy, why now after 55 years?  If everything clears up I'll have to start introducing things back into my diet slowly,  1 thing for a couple of days, then something else. Milk will be first, I do enjoy my large milky breakfast coffee.  Or maybe buy some soya milk, as that isn't dairy.  Chocolate I can live without, but the amount of tomatoes we get through in a week!  Pizza sauce, spaghetti bolognaise, chillis,  in sandwiches, on salads......Planning meals will be a bit more of a challenge.

 I've got my fingers crossed that this week will see some improvement.  Actually I'm hoping it will all clear up and leave me as I was.  And at least I can go back out in the sun as I've been avoiding it now for a couple of weeks. 

Hungry caterpillars.

On the footpath that goes to the fuente and deposito, there are two ash trees that the path goes in between.   This week the trees have been buzzing with bees or wasps,  not too certain which and I try not to get that close to them as I react very badly to wasp stings.

Yesterday morning I noticed that there were also lots - and I mean lots - of caterpillars munching their way through the leaves.  Some were dangling down on threads and I had to look really carefully where I was going to avoid getting them  in my hair.

This morning I took the camera to get some photos of them - of course today there was no sun, it was very cloudy  (and still is actually,  although it's almost  30°)  so the flash came on automatically.   Not the best photos but they do show the dangling threads and the remains of the leaves.

Bear in mind that these trees are about 4 metres high - that's an awful lot of caterpillars!

Sun tan part 2

I went back to the farmacia and bought the sun lotion - it's still  hot and sunny and even though autumn should be coming soon,  we will still have sunny days and it's always t-shirt weather even in November and December for at least a few hours a day.  I really don't want another rash, that means 2 to 3 weeks avoiding the sun, whereas if I use sunoil I can just get on as usual.

It's not something I have regularly used, at least not this brand, the one I had this summer felt really light and not sticky and I wasn't really aware of it on my skin.  (Only factor 12 - maybe that's why I got the heat rash!?)    But this one, (factor 50 for children and problem skin)   although I'm sure it's doing what it says on the label,  is 'thick' feeling and after a few hours I just feel really sticky and gloopy and go indoors to wash it off.  I think I'd rather be in the shade more often and feel comfortable than sticky and safe.

So I've been  hanging out the washing before the sun gets onto the washing line, doing any housework and indoor stuff later on when the sun is fully in the garden,  watering the vegetables after the sun has gone and generally avoiding going out in it.  Not quite what I want to do as I do enjoy a little bit of sun now and then.  Maybe when it's less hot and intense I'll try again.  And look for a different factor 50 that's not so sticky.  Unless of course they are supposed to be like that, a coating on your skin so the sun can't get through?  Surely not everyone is happy with sticky skin?

Any thoughts or recommendations from anyone?