Bienvenido 2013! Sun and Snow!

Happy New Year to All!  Feliz año nuevo !

Back on diets now, ( including the cats!) after Navidad, which  seems to go on a little longer here, from 24th December to the day of the Kings on 6th January its one long holiday/round of parties - for those with the stamina!      ;)     But in fairness there´s no obvious air of commercialism, which suits us just fine!

 

 

January, so far, has been a bonus of warm sunny days and clear starry nights. The almonds are in glorious blossom; when we open the front door the sweet bubblegum fragrance is all embracing!

 

A good time now, to try to tackle the garden............. AND start  on the maintenance list before our holiday season begins again in earnest.   Before that however, in deference to  the manaña syndrome which  it just would not be nice to ignore (!) we took a trip upto the Sierra Nevada..... hats, double socks, gloves and extra fleeces.... it was a great day, exhilarating, exploring another world, and believe it or not, the first time we have been there in the winter time.  Oodles of powdery snow under a bright blue sky, people of all ages on skis and snowboards................. we are inspired and have booked a lesson for next week, all being well ! 

Sierra Nevada last Sunday, approx 2500m above sea level

 

Wish us luck!!

 

Until next time, hasta luego!

 

 

 

Adios to 2012 !

With the Summer season fairly flying by, before we knew it, Winter was upon us, (well, technically the Winter months, as  apart from a blip in November, the jolly old Andalucian sun did NOT really cease shining!) So, we packed away our dusters, mops and other house and pool paraphanalia, ready to settle down to a nice Winter Siesta!

Part of the AR family management team (Eileen and Trevor) waving goodbye to their tools for another Year!

And, as the season of good will approached, we found the  usual quiet time to  reflect on our Year gone by, the new guests and old friends we have met, the ups and downs of  the world of holiday rentals!  One particularly quirky incident was that of Los Petates and the deep seas diver - to the rescue!

Sue´s brother, Phil,a qualified diving instructor, seen here, taking an unscheduled break from his Summer holiday, in order to carry out some tricky underwater tiling to replace some small mosaic tiles that had lifted at the bottom of the pool!  All sorted in the flip of a fin, ready for our new  arrivals to enjoy.....Just goes to show you never know when, in the heart of the Andalucian mountains, an underwater diver and his breathing apparatus might come in handy! (Cheers Phil, sorry we had to get you out of bed so early for that one!)

Continuing the quirky theme, a slightly different take on nest building, perched on an outside lantern under the terrace!

 
Not sure if this lot have found Terry´s secret stash of cider!!  Hmm, think I will go and check!

Hasta luego