ImageDisplay2007

Images from 2007

Our first 18 months in the cortijo have been demanding but also rewarding.

The main demands came from our underestimates of the severity of the weather once one moved away from the coast. During the summer temperatures often soar above 35 degrees but in the winter they can hover around zero. It is not uncommon to have temperatures of 3 or 4 degrees at 10am and 20 degrees by 2 pm once the sun has reached its zenith. Learning to live with this has been a major demand. We have changed from single glazed wooden windows to double glazed metal ones. We have learnt how to manage shade in the summer (when the outside is impossible from 2pm to 8 pm) and heat in the winter when temperatures drop rapidly as the sun sets.

Rain is also a problem. It rarely rains but it can rain torrentially when it does. We have had to learn how to channel rain water so it does not break up the terraces or flood the house but also to manage the irrigation water to keep everything alive.

There have been endless problems with the solar system which are described in a separate part of the site.

The biggest trauma however was that the house was burgled. Very rare in this part of the world. So rare that when we reported it the police simply said "that will be Dylan" and it seems that it was because he was duly arrested. Unfortunately, only one phone was recovered and we have lost Kate's computer with many photos and letters.

All of these things have cost money which seems in perpetual short supply.

The good side has been the community and the environment and they are reflected in the images below..

Christmas eve 2006 and snow on the lower slopes of the Sierra Nevada, our nothern outlook. In the foreground our avocado tree. The snow only lasted a few hours

Once the snow falls on the Sierra Gador (which is about 2000 meters) and south west from us, it remains till the late spring.

February saw the Moon setting as Venus rises over the Sierra Gador.

The sun rises over the mountain on a misty February morning.

Canyajar has a number of official fiestas, which last for several days and usually mean that people stop working. The patronal festival takes place mid april and the starting fireworks provide an opportunity for abstracts.

Another abstract.

The second major fiesta takes place at the beginning in August and started with a flamenco concert.

However, it ended with a storm. This presaged a comparatively wet August and a much wetter autumn than last year. In one day we had 41mm of rain, which is a fifth of the amount that fell in the summer in Britain.

By April I had managed to rotovate the northern side of the garden, the first trees were in place and Kate was beginning planting

At the same time we started work on the sourthern side of the garden. Unfortunately, we experienced hurrican force winds coming off the Sierra Gador and thse stripped the leaves from many newly planted trees. They also wrecked Kates greenhouse and scattered seedlings everywhere.

Our fears that nothing would grow were unfounded and the growth in a matter of months has been phenomenal.We have found it almost impossible to get good photographs of the garden. This is of the southern bed looking toward the house.

The southern bed looking toward Gador. Part of the task Kate has set herself is to try and blend the garden into the landscape. When the neighbours visit they call the garden an "english garden" even though Kate has carefully chosen local species.

The flowers in the southern bed attract many butterflies.

In the early winter, the north western bed also blends well with the surroundings.

The bright light makes for stunning images of translucent flowers like this Iris in the grey bed.

This salvia blends wondefully with the other grey blue plants.

This grass grew to nearly 1.5 meters in a matter of months and is magnificently illuminated by the setting sun.

In early May the wild flowers were prolific throughout the property.

However, in the end we felt we had to complete the wall. We also installed the metal framework which is both for plants and summer shade.

The house is now as far as we know finished. We took out the wooden patio doors and windows and replaced them with double glazed metal ones. We have also moved the satellite dish and the solar panels onto the roof.

Paco ( the JCB driver) has been clearing our terraces and burning the debris, so that we can plant more olives and oranges in the spring.

The autumn view to the North East.