The lusty month of May...

It's May, it's May, the lusty month of May...

What a start to the month, its been extremely busy with lots of jobs to do in and around the garden. The seedlings are progressing well and we'll soon be planting beans, marrow, cucumber and squash and kohlrabi. The peas, potatoes and beetroot have been in the ground for a few weeks now and are growing with vigour but the tomatoes have just not moved, probably due to the unseasonal cold weather and overcast days. The two new apple trees we planted are doing well and have set fruit so hopefully we will have an extended season of apples from this year on.

We've had an eventful month so far with Luis venturing out into the mountains both alone and with his brother Ruben, both in training for a 50 Km mountain walk on the 23rd May organised by El Soplao. You may remember Luis is seeking sponsorship for this and two other challenges he has set himself this Spring to raise monies for The Donkey Paradise here in Asturias - more of that later.

Earlier in the month it was World Nude Gardening Day and of course, Luis participated as he has done for the past three years. Fortunately, it wasn't too cold on the day and I managed to sneak a photograph when he wasn't looking...

The garden is looking very colourful at the moment with lots of plants in full flower both in the beds and rockeries. Lots of dead heading and cosmetic pruning takes up a bit of time but it extends the flowering period and helps keep debris and invaders down such as slugs, aphids and black fly. Fortunately we seem to have a healthy colony of ladybirds this year which is a great natural control.

We were rather disturbed to see a European Hornet in the garden. I managed to get a shot or two but I was wary of venturing too close as they have a nasty sting and can be aggressive.

Wentworth and Gawber the cats are recovering well from their recent illness although Gawber has ongoing eye problems that require regular check-ups and daily eye drops. He is such a timid cat and despite our efforts to re-assure him, he freaks at the site of the cat carrier and now is wary whenever we call him as he thinks the eye dropper is close at hand but it needs to be done.

Luis had a bike accident this week and managed to knock himself out. He ended up stopping in hospital overnight for neurological observations but was discharged the following day with some residual concussion and a few cuts and many bruises. He was given strict instructions to rest. I have told him the gardening will wait until the weekend...;-)

The Caring for Rosie Challenge to raise monies for Rosie the Donkey and her stable mates at El Paraiso del Burro is going great and we are overwhelmed and grateful to the many people who have donated and helped us to promote this worthy cause. So far we have raised £1000 and hope that with two challenges left to complete, we can raise another £250. We visited the donkey sanctuary today and it was great to see the donkeys out in the pastures enjoying the lush spring grass. If you could help us reach our target, please follow the link below on the photograph of Rosie or click on the Go Fund Me button.

Rosie enjoying the lush pastures at El Paraiso del Burro

Back to the lusty month of May, for those of you who don't know it it is the title of a song but do you know which one and from which musical (extra points if you can name the composers)? The lyrics sort of sum up our May but with only half the month gone, there is still time for more lusty goings on as the weather warms up and life in and around La Pasera brings with it new adventures and lasting memories.

Now back to that World Nude Gardening Day photograph...if you really want to see it scroll down..................................Surely that's worth a few £, € or $ towards the donkeys?

Rescuing a bat in winter

The weather has been pretty grim for the past few weeks with many heavy storms, strong winds and cold. Not the best of weather for creatures great or small. On my way to the workshop yesterday morning I spotted something out of the corner of my eye that made an impression in my mind as I carried on and began rummaging through the chest freezer. You know the sort of feeling that you need to take a closer look... On my way out Gawber the cat, who was two steps in front of me, stopped and sniffed at this little dark lump on the ground. I looked closer and saw a tiny bat. My first thought was that it was dead, probably caught out by a heavy storm or even worse, clawed by one of our cats as it swooped down looking for insects. Its tiny wing moved. It was sodden and covered in cobwebs.

I gently put the bat in a small cardboard box with some dried leaves and kitchen roll and, placed it in the boiler room where there is always a warm ambient temperature. After removing the cobwebs with tweezers, the next job was to research what to do? I trawled the Internet and found that most sites recommend making the bat safe, handle only with gloves due to disease and then call a bat charity, volunteer, vet or animal rescue centre. This is rural Spain... I was on my own. I had read that bats found in such circumstances could be exhausted or dehydrated and to try feeding it water and jelly from cat food from a paint brush. I tried several times but the little creature just licked the moisture of its furry face and then kept turning its head away when offered more. The bat had dried out and was much more alert and active.

 I contacted a couple of people who were volunteers for UK based bat charities who suggested that once it had dried out to put it up high in the evening and it could possibly fly. I did, on the balcony, it didn't.

The bat box on the balcony

Following further investigation and advice via contacts on social media, we concluded that the bat was probably still in a hibernation period and it could have been blown from its roost. We were also advised to examine it closer for tears in the wings as antibiotics would be required if that was the case. Fortunately, the wings seemed intact. We have made further attempts to hydrate it with honey and water and will put a small amount of cat food/jelly for it to eat if it wants. It is now housed back in the boiler room in a plant propagator filled with a piece of cloth, a twig or two, some dried leaves and honey water. If it is hibernating, it could be a few more weeks before it is ready to fly and as they can live on very small amount of fat reserves, I am not too worried. We will keep you updated on his progress and carry on with our research and investigation as to what the next steps should be.

Alert and ready to bite

If there is anyone out there who has experience of this sort of thing and can advise us what to do, please get in touch.

BAT UPDATE CLICK HERE

Joining in #AnimalTales with Rosie at:

http://eco-gites.blogspot.fr/2015/02/animal-tales-13.html

The forces of nature

Situated on a coastal plain we have the sea to the north and mountains to the south. We are vulnerable to weather fronts that come in from the Atlantic and Bay of Biscay or from the Picos de Europa mountain range. Following several warm and sunny days, today we are experiencing severe winds battering us from every direction with each new sequence of gusts growing stronger and increasingly forceful. I have been out and moved the most vulnerable of flower pots, watered smaller pots to give them weight and moved garden furniture to prevent damage occurring where possible.

The uncollected fallen leaves are scurrying around the garden and some now litter the pond. The remaining leaves on the hazel have finally succumbed to nature and the high branches of the dying cherry tree are creaking and occasionally breaking under the strain of gale-force winds.

The cats are sleeping and manage to switch off from distractions. They seem to instinctively know that their day of lazing in the sun, hunting and patrolling their territory is not going to happen; choosing to retreat to the safety of the spare bedroom and comfort. The roar of the Bufones (blow holes) and the waves crashing against the rocks doesn't seem to trouble them as they lay together, snug and safe.

Rain is on its way and as the skies lighten and darken rainbows appear and disappear. We rarely see snow at this level (49m above sea level) but in the distance, when the clouds clear, we can see the distant peaks of El Sueve dusted with snow.

The fire is lit and the log baskets are full. I think I'll take a leaf out of the cat's book and retreat from the world and enjoy a lazy day.

*

A restful weekend at La Pasera

We have been quite busy most of the year with maintaining the garden and vegetable plot, entertaining friends, travel, mosaics, music, writing, photography and chair restoration as well as days out walking or sightseeing. Oh, we also finished the building work and decorated....

It has been extremely hot here and very dry with little or no rain. This weekend we decided that it would be a good time to let the weekend happen without any firm plans or expectations. Saturday saw us visiting a small craft fair in a mountain village. There were only a few stalls selling jewelry, fresh produce, food and hand-made goods but it was also an opportunity to meet up with a long-time Internet based friend whom we had never met in 5 years. We knew she would be there with her art works. It was good to meet you Niki. Check out here website and artwork here: Niki

Saturday afternoon we relaxed in the garden, read, pottered around watering the pots, examined the vegetables, massaged the cats and listened to music. The warm summer evening was spent enjoying a fresh garden salad, glass of wine, watching the sun go down and observing the bats as they fed on the wing.

Sunday was as equally warm but with a light coastal breeze which helped. We walked to our local and nearest beach, a lovely isolated (well most of the year) cove when the sea forms a lagoon and gentle waves in summer and a long stretch of golden sand opening out into the sea when the tide is out. It's a great place to explore as there are caves at low tide and many small rock pools.

The afternoon drifted by with time spent in the garden, reading, chatting, booking Luis' next mosaic exhibition trip to France and catching up with PC based work. We ate our evening meal on the terrace, had a glass of wine and relaxed. Fully restored we were now ready for the busy weeks ahead of us and really valued the time out. Every so often, a complete rest and break from routine does you the power of good....

A photo walk to the coast

Some of you will know that we live near the coast of the Bay of Biscay. As the crow flies, it is about 1.5 km, but to get there you need to follow one of the many old paths and caminos (tracks) still used today by farmers and villagers to access pastures where they graze their animals and grow crops. The land is not used as much these days and many of the fields have been left to over-grow. Boundary walls have collapsed and the deep ruts of the limestone paths have eroded further, but it still has a charm.

Walking from La Pasera (late afternoon) we headed down the camino which starts in the centre of the village near Angel's goats. This is a typical Asturian haystack. The track twists and turns and is bordered by many small apple orchards, still maintained for cider apple production.

There are small wooded areas and large areas of bramble and it is not uncommon to spot deer. There are a few pastures given over to horses, cows and goats. It is not unusual to spot a small vegetable patch tucked away in a corner of a field.

The track leads to a path that stretches along the cliffs leading to westward to Ribadesella and eastwards to Guadamia.

The ragged limestone is constantly honed by the weather and rough seas and in places has collapsed resulting blow-holes both large and small.

This time we walked down to Guadamia and returned via the lanes and villages. Following several days of wet and cool weather it was really good to get out for some fresh air.

Oatcakes and ginger biscuits

With the rain teaming down outside, Luis in the studio working on his new mosaic Prometheus and the cats tucked up in their bed, I decided it would be a good day to make biscuits.

Oatcakes are one of my favourite biscuits for savoury snacks. We had made some two days before for as an appetiser when friends came to dinner, served with black olive tapenade and guacamole but they had disappeared long ago so I decided to make another batch.

Really simple to make they are just like the Scottish oat cakes I remember from the UK.

Oatcakes:

225g Oats lightly milled
60g Rye flour
60g butter or margarine
half a teaspoon each of bicarbonate of soda, dark brown sugar and salt
80 mls of hot water

Combine dry ingredients, rub in fat, add hot water and bring together. Roll out on floured surface to desired thickness (3-5mm), put on greased trays and bake in hot oven for 15 or so minutes until light brown, cool on rack. 170 Celsius.

Whilst making the oatcakes we received a call from friends who were planning to pop in later in the day so whilst I was in biscuit mode I decided to make a batch of ginger biscuits to have with an afternoon infusion.

Ginger biscuits:

170gm Self-raising flour
115gm soft brown sugar
30gm margarine
25gm cream cheese
1 dessert spoon of golden syrup
1 egg
2 teaspoons ground ginger (according to taste)
half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

Mix all dry ingredients, rub in fat, add syrup and egg, bring together into stiff paste. Form into small balls and place on greased trays leaving room to spread. Bake at 175 Celsius until golden brown (15 mins) cool on trays until fully set, transfer to cooing tray.

Meanwhile, here's another track by me to accompany your tea and biscuits: Ride the greenway

The geese/cranes fly south

The weather has turned cold here in Asturias with snow on the mountains, rain on the lowlands and winds making their presence known as they travel east from the Atlantic through the Bay of Biscay. It has been a bit too wet to do very much at all in the garden but today the sun is shining bright and out of the shadows, the warmth is welcome. One bonus of the cooler weather is that the Acers are in full glorious colour and look wonderful.

We have been collecting leaves and composting them to make valuable leaf mould for next year. The green oats we have sown for green manure are sprouting and the vegetable garden is still producing a healthy crop of leeks, flower sprouts, endive, beetroot, celeriac, chard, cauliflower, cabbage, carrot and fennel. The early sprouting broccoli suffered early on with rot at the tips but has recovered a little.

The cats Wentworth and Gawber are spending increasing amounts of time indoors and it does not take them long to suss out if the fires are lit or not. This little clip shows them play fighting in the garden, taking the opportunity to enjoy the brief spell of sunny weather.

There is still plenty of wildlife activity in the garden with visits from the pine marten, many birds and insects. You can following the visiting creatures on our other supplementary blog Smaller tales from Toriello. 

Luis is back from Ravenna and in full scale mosaic production. Needless to say he is full of new ideas and energy and is currently finishing fish and water-lily mosaics for the terrace and a sculptural mosaic he started a few months ago. He is currently writing an article about his Ravenna trip for an online mosaic site which I will publish the link to when it is up and visible.

We have seen several formations of geese/cranes flying overhead but as is always the case, I never have the camera or right lens to hand when we spot them.  I did manage to get one not too clear photo and hope to spot them again soon...

footnote: a friend from France says these could be Gru (cranes) I think she might be right. What do you think?