La Vida Alcalaína

I'm not sure quite what T.S. Eliot had in mind when he wrote that, but it certainly applies to Alcalá de los Gazules this year. What is normally one of the most pleasant months weather-wise has been almost a complete washout. We have had the odd fine day, sandwiched between five-day stretches of Levante, a vicious east wind that rattles the house and coats everything in fine pink dust, and torrential rains that have tested our new storm-drains to the limit. And to top it all it´s been several degrees colder than usual, while Northern Europe has been basking in warm sunshine! But to the devout Catholics of Alcalá, April´s cruellest blow was the heavy rain which caused the cancellation of the processions on Thursday and Friday of Holy Week, or Semana Santa. The week leading up to Easter is the most important period in the Spanish religious calendar. All over the country there are services and street processions organised by local cofradias , or brotherhoods.  Som...

This was taken from my balcony a few minutes ago.  it's been cold and wet here for several days, while Northern Europe is basking in warm sunshine - but every cloud has a silver lining.  Just before taking this, a flock of white egrets flew under the rainbow.

On every country road in the Province of Cádiz you will see buildings bearing signs saying "Venta", usually with a few 4-by-4s and assorted farm vehicles parked outside.  The dictionary definition of venta is a sale, from the verb vender , to sell.  I had to search for some time to find this secondary definition: " A poor inn on roads far from towns or villages".  The ventas of Andalucía date from the times when most of the seasonal work on the land was done by itinerant labour.  Some enterprising housewife saw a business opportunity and set up shop to provide cheap, filling meals for them, the idea caught on and to this day they provide good value food for farmers, manual labourers, hunters and the odd tourists who have strayed off the beaten track in search of "the real Spain".     Ventas   are also found along major highways and are used by lorry drivers and other travellers  - the equivalent to transport cafés in Britain.    The...

There is certainly no shortage of small children in our town and the new Guardería "La Miga" , which was opened last week, will accommodate 120 of them.  It was funded by the national government and local authorities at a cost of €826,000, and there is no charge to parents.  The nursery is located in the Barriada de San Antonio, near the Juan Armario primary school, on the west side of the town. The grass (a rare sight here) is apparently "antistatic and anti-allergic"!