‘Exert thy voice, sweet harbinger of spring! This
moment is thy time to sing’.
Anne Kingsmill Finch (1661-1720)
April has proved to be a bizarre month in terms of weather, with much more rain than we might usually expect fully replenishing the summer’s water reserves, and our weekend down south to Andalusia finding hail, sleet, thunder and lightning!
Meanwhile, we are reassured by familiar harbingers of spring and summer; the resident nightingale soothes us to sleep, and we are awoken by a dawn chorus as vibrant as any we can remember from darkest, deepest Sussex! During the hours of sunshine, the blue skies are enlivened by the aerial acrobatics of swallows and house martins whose ‘in-flight refuelling’ and swooping to drink from our pool keep us entertained when we are able to divert our attention from our four computer screens. Another enjoyable promise of summer’s approach was a wonderful al-fresco Sunday lunch for six on the terrace of our friends, Peter and Tomila’s finca – quite evocative of the Mediterranean summer lifestyle – whether it be the Marina Alta, Tuscany or Provence.
For Easter we had a long-standing arrangement to spend the early part with our friends in Mazarron in order that we could all visit the spectacular fiesta processions and displays of Andalusian horsemanship through the streets of medieval Lorca. We had previously visited Lorca’s museum of its fiestas where we had been amazed to see the old and elaborate costumes, chariots and tableau of Roman & Egyptian themes. The old and valuable costumes are made of heavy velvet, richly embroidered with gold and silk thread with their trailing parts lined with hide. Unfortunately, this event was the first thing in almost five years that we can remember having to be cancelled due to rain, obviously for fear of damaging the costumes and the intricate brass, gold and feather plumes of the helmets and tableau platforms. This was a huge disappointment but we shall return again next year expecting the more usual weather. Meanwhile, I can at least accompany this journal with a few photographs taken previously at the museum.
Click on the thumbnail below to enlarge
the photograph
Having had these plans ruined, we decided to
take a trip inland and into the foothills of Andalusia, just a little
inland from Almeria, to where another friend has bought and restored
a rural village finca. The elevation of this area was sufficient to provide
us with quite unseasonal manifestations as sleet, hail, thunder and lightening
the surrounding mountains and hills were coated liberally with snow and,
shortly after stopping for a superb lunch (four courses plus wine and
coffee at €90 for four) in the village of Campocamera in the Sierra
de Baza, we happened upon a motoring mishap.
The densely wooded mountainside road on which we were travelling was partially obstructed by two cars balancing – half on/half off the road – teetering over the steep bank! The passengers of each car – one Spanish and one Moroccan – we standing there bemused. Several Guardia patrol cars were in attendance to control the orderly passage of other vehicles, but making no attempt to retrieve the precariously parked vehicles with their own 4x4 Nissans! We were travelling in our friend Mike’s Range Rover and, after much nonchalant resistance to our offer of help from the Guadia, they finally condescended to allow us to attach a rope to the stricken cars and drag them to safety and their onward journey. Our noble act was much appreciated by both the Spanish and the Moroccan occupants (the driver of the latter bearing a striking resemblance to Rasputin, swathed in a dark ankle-length hooded gown); we were ignored by the Guardia whose 4x4 patrol vehicle, we noticed, didn’t even have a tow hitch attached! We decided to reward ourselves with a mid-afternoon sojourn at a village bar/restaurant in Castril which had walls decorated with local period photographs and hunting trophies, where we enjoyed four coffees and two brandies for the princely sum of €6.20. Now the Spaniards do not enjoy a reputation as the world’s greatest animal lovers, but it was raining as we left this bar and outside was a bedraggled little terrier, tethered alongside, but just beyond, the shelter of a stack of tables. We took the initiative of placing one of the tables over the soggy mutt who seems quite grateful for this minor act of mercy (two good acts in one day – well, it was Good Friday!)
By way of consolation for the ruined Lorca event, we were back in Mazarron that evening when we unexpectedly came across an Easter procession of some magnitude and religious splendour. This was, of course, a much more sombre affair but no less spectacular, for all that. It was good to see that the town had turned out in force, either as participants or spectators – curiously, this included the contingent of ‘cool dude’ teenagers – many of whom were part of the marching band. Leading this procession are the sinister looking ‘Nazarenos’ in their traditional hoods and long gowns then the ‘Costaleros’ bearing crosses on their shoulders. Following them come the ‘Trontos,’ heavy religious floats displaying various Easter themed tableaus. These are carried (not wheeled) and each bearer has to carry a weight of up to 100kg! This is a slow procession as they need to stop each 100metres or so to rest their shoulders. Semana Santa (holy week – Easter) is generally celebrated from Palm Sunday (when palm leaves are hung from the iron balconies of the townhouses) through to Easter Sunday and dates back to the 16th century.
The other relatively unusual spectacle of note was the concentration of
cave houses in and around the hills of Galara. These are quite curious
devices, tunnelled into the hillsides with vents and chimneys protruding
from the top of the bank and a more or less traditional Spanish house façade
at the front. I have tried to capture the effect with my camera, but they
really need to be seen first hand and at close quarters to appreciate their
Hobbit like charm. Not my taste though!
Well the final days of April have brought back
our more traditional weather pattern, I am pleased to say. Folk are back
on the beaches and swimming in the sea. Not for Linda and me though,
we are pleased to report that we are enjoying a huge level of purchase
enquiries and are busier than ever with property searches and client
viewing visits. Long may it last!
Chris Garwood
View my other journals
2007
January / February / March / April / May / June / July & August / September
2008
March / April
