Peckham in Puente?

After a lovely morning cup of tea in bed, we got ourselves together to set off on our walk to the local weekly farmers market which is at a bar in Puente don Manuel down a little laney type of dirt track with reeds, orange and lemon trees, lethal looking electric cables on leaning poles and a seventies style dumped armchair. I always liked this walk until a hiking guide told us about the wild boars. Now the rustling in the reeds I believed to be birds, worries me to death in case a wild boar dashes out and gores us. I think Thorn Birds can also take some responsibility for this fear!

Anyway, we arrived to find the thronging converted car park, full of people and tables displaying wares of all kinds. Just to the entrance of the car park was a formidable four by four with “Guardia Civil” emblazoned on the side and an impressive set of coloured lights across the top, complete with a serious uniformed Spanish policeman, scribbling something down whilst sat at the steering wheel.

Now the first stall inside was laden with all types of fruit and veg, clearly having been recently harvested judging by their fresh appearance and the clods of earth clinging to some of the roots, manned by your archetypical Spanish senora complete with balancing scales and weights from my childhood era.

Sadly, this was the only stall which could possibly be construed as “farmers”! Venturing beyond was like venturing onto Peckham market! Cockneys (or at least southerners, I’ve never been able to distinguish between them!). were all up in arms having been visited by the Guardia. Upon closer eavesdropping, which wasn’t difficult – imagine walking past Del boy, hot and bothered, protesting innocence and complete indignation about the council coming round whilst he was trying to flog his stuff – it seems that the policeman was checking up on permits and passports!

As for the goods, well it could have been beamed across, Star Trek style, right out of Rodney’s suitcase and the yellow van. Costume jewelry Bet Lynch would have cringed at, some bric a brac, kitchen utensils etc., hoover bits and pieces, DVDs claiming not to be copies and looking less like originals that your average photocopied fiver! To be fair there were several arts and craft type stalls,as well as some bargain clothes etc. and under cover were the food stalls which did look tempting, home made pies, pasties, sausages and sauces but they were very pricey and not in keeping with my new philosophy of doing my own home cooking.

In the end, I proudly purchased tomatoes, aubergine, lettuce (2 for one euro), potatoes, mushrooms and onions, in Spanish and was understood!!!!

Now I feel ready to try the real market down in Torre del Mar or Velez Malaga, only there the vendors all compete by shouting about their bargains in very rapid Spanish, reminiscent of Cross Lane market when I was little, and just as scary! However, “when in Rome” as they say, that’s a challenge for next week! We can save Peckham market as our fall back!

In the beginning

We (Alex and I, my two sons and sister Jenny) arrived to a rainy, muddy, roadless house with no power, so it was quite disappointing especially as we were hoping for an improvement on the previous Christmas when had arrived to find the water mains severed and had no water. However, we soon got a roaring real fire, some candles and even brewed up on the emergency gas cooker and had a really lovely evening. The wine started flowing and just all being together was wonderful.

The next morning Alex sorted out the power cut by visiting the local pylon and finding a mains switch! DIY in Spain is in a completely different league to England, not your usual tiling and shelf erection but mains water, sewer repairs and mains electricity!

Christmas eve was glorious sunshine and we were able to have our breakfasts outside on the back patio and we all just jollificated our way through Christmas having food, drink and being merry in the plenty. The boys  and Jenny even had a swim in the pool, but this was more of a dare than a pleasure and happily they survived without suffering hypothermia. The video is like a comedy sketch. Alex got a remote control submarine for one of his presents so he has been playing with it and his yatch on the pool (ooops sorry, not allowed to say “playing” –using his submarine and yatch!), I have just enjoyed looking at it!

Saying goodbye to the boys was quite emotional as I felt like the mother who abandoned her children, but they were both so lovely and reassured me that they were actually very happy for me!

The remaining three of us went to Malaga city to see the Christmas lights which were really beautiful, even trees had been wrapped in light netting and the atmosphere was very jolly.We were amused and entertained to see an electrician repairing some lights on the huge artificial tree in the square, observed by many onlookers until he completely disappeared inside the bottom of the green conical foliage – worryingly followed by some curious children! Once he switched them on again, everyone was agog with admiration and oo’s and aa’s until smoke started billowing out from between the branches and a policeman dived into the bar we were sitting outside and grabbed a fire extinguisher, also disappearing into the foliage of the tree. Fortunately he re-emerged in tact, smoke died down but the tree remained in darkness!

New year’s eve was great as we spent the day on the beach, had a lovely Chinese meal on the sea front then came home and partied. Spanish New Year tradition is to eat a whole grape for each of the twelve bongs at midnight. Jenny managed to eat hers soaked in cava (the grapes, not Jenny), I nearly managed it but Alex had loads left. After much singing, drinking, phoning and watching all the fireworks across the valley we tuned in to English t.v. and celebrated all over again. We extended our celebrations to 4a.m and spent our first of January, much the worse for wear.

Well, it doesn’t seem like we’ve actually moved here for good yet, we have just been partying all the time. I expect it will start to sink in once Jenny has left and we have checked our bank balances! Before then we have the Spanish Reyes celebrations which is when the three Kings come in the night and leave presents so we will obviously have to participate!