Tuesday 15 July 2014

A tale of two cranes ......

Nothing much happens from one day to the next in the Barranco. It’s normally so peaceful, with the vecinos quietly getting on with tending their land and caring for their animals; and so when something does happen that requires a crane, it is something of note! That has happened twice now this year.

The first crane was required last January by Andre and Isobel.  There had been an exceptionally good olive crop. The pair had worked really hard for more than a week, spreading nets below their trees and beating with sticks to dislodge the olives. 


These were then loaded into a large canvas container, and when the container was full and the harvest complete, a lorry with an onboard crane arrived at their casa to haul it onto its rear for transport down to the olive oil factory in Albox. They had over 1000 kilos of olives, which made many litres of oil, that were mainly sold to the factory. We were fortunate enough to receive a large bottle as well.



Then, for one weekend of the year, the Barranquillos assemble from all parts of the globe, to meet up with extended families and friends for the annual fiesta. It is the one weekend of the year when we can walk home to Casa Erizo from the “bar that never shuts”; after enjoying music, dancing, games, paella and tapas. This year the Fiesta is in August, and I’ll tell you all about it then, but preparations have been going on to improve the fiesta site for several weeks now, and today a crane was needed to help complete the work.

The crane supports the canopy
Shade for the fiesta is essential, and normally a collection of tarpaulins are rigged over the rough concrete base of the fiesta site. This year though there has been much work initiated (I think by the Town Hall – there are elections next year, and last time they only won by 2 votes), to create a new attractive patterned floor surface; with safety rail; ramp to the stage; built in seating; and most impressively of all a huge decorative canopy frame for the material that will provide shade. So once again this year a crane appeared in the Barranco to suspend the canopy on metal stilts, while they were welded securely into position.

One works while six supervise
Viva la fiesta.

Some sad news.........

A couple of weeks ago, after several months of virtually no rainfall, we had a ferocious storm, with thunder, lightning, torrential rain and giant hail stones. The mountains turned a January white in June and the caminos became rivers. The main dry river bed rambla, ran half a metre deep with muddy water, all the way to the Ria Almanzora.

The rambla running
While we were taking in this spectacle, we spotted a lone golden eagle struggling high in the sky against this deluge. 

Now I am very sorry to report that the Barranco has one fewer golden eagle; because while out walking the dogs this morning, they found its shrunken body.

I collected some of its still beautiful feathers.


Hopefully, new birds will take its place. I remember well the day we climbed up the mountain and witnessed a dozen young golden eagles departing on their annual migration. Perhaps one of those will return.
Young golden eagles starting their migration from the Sierra Estancias

Tuesday 8 July 2014

Fruit harvest



It was a warm evening so I was outside reading, and enjoying the tranquillity and scenery of the valley, as the sun started to disappear and reflect golden on the mountains.

Then my husky cross Millie started a low growl; the sort of growl she gives when, while not feeling threatened, everything is not quite how it should be. The subject of Millie’s disquiet were two of my neighbours, David and Gregorio who had arrived with baskets and a ladder to pick the cherries off the large tree next to the acequia. This tree is too large to be netted, so they needed to try and beat the birds to the ripe juicy fruit.

They could have employed the tree climbing scarecrows employed by other neighbours. Father Christmas and Michael Jackson!




We too had some picking to do – apricots, which we will give away; stew and freeze; jam; dry and turn into chutney.

Two days of hot sun and the  dried apricots are ready.