Well, it's coming to something when the only good news I've heard for weeks is that it's been raining for days in Álora and there's more on the way. I'm sorry if you were hoping for sun down there but we may just get a decent olive crop this year after a complete failure last year; as long as it's been bucketing down in Casarabonela too. That's where the Sánchez family finca is to be found. The rain will bring on the weeds too, so it's not all good news.
Mrs. Sanchez and I are still in sunny Brum with no definite prospect of heading back to Álora. We may even miss Semana Santa (Holy Week) this year. Unthinkable. Tommy, in particular, will be devastated if he misses the processions past our front door. He's made a lot of friends among the various hermandades and cofradias. Many hooded nazerenos (penitents) wave to him and some even stop to pat him on the head and spill hot wax on him.
Tommy waiting for Nuestra Señora de Dolores Coronada.
This photo is my intellectual property, so give me some money for it.
We had a not quite total eclipse of the sun by Bonnie Tyler the other day. I got a photo of it from our back garden but HG said that they couldn't see it much in Much Wenlock (a little Shropshire village in Shropshire (try pronouncing THAT dear Spanish readers!)) because it was too sunny. It reminded me of this painting I saw in Soller Railway station (Mallorca) last May.
OK, I admit it does take a bit of a stretch of the imagination. It was painted by a bloke called Joan.
I hope we can be back in Álora in time to use our pre-booked ticket on the Caminito del Rey. Some of my invited guests are getting cold feet, especially after The Sunday Times said that the steps looked as though they'd been bought in B&Q and that people were crawling across the footbridge because they were frightened of falling over into the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes.
Good news, then, that 400 volunteers are going to try out the newly restored walkway next week to make sure it's safe. These are not condemned criminals but willing Perotes (Álora people) who have not even been deterred by the postponement of las visitas de pruebas (test walks) because it's been raining a lot and the metal nets to stop rocks falling on the heads of visitors have not been installed yet. I can't wait for my go. Come on Iain, don't be such a wus!
More on this story as it unfolds during the next few days.
Son of Sanchez (aka pequeño Juan) has just returned from a tour of one night stands round Spain, France and Italy with the band Cowbell who came to Álora last June to film a promotional video of their song. Tallulah.
The band want me to make it clear that he is not in the band. (no offence). We're very proud of him and glad to see him safely back in Brum.
See if you can recognise the local beauty spots in the film.
March 22nd. 2015
