Simple pleasures...

It was Luis' birthday this week and we celebrated in the way we have become accustomed: each choosing what you want to do for your own day. We stopped buying presents many years ago and believe that if we really want something and can afford it, we buy it at any time of the year, the same applies for Christmas. It fits in with our thinking that: life is short; we should all make the most of what we have; less is often more. Somehow, we seem to need less and value simpler pleasures.

The day started well with our friend Birgitta arriving with a glorious chocolate-covered birthday cake with candles. Later in the day we visited Birgitta and Manfred with the cake and took tea in their garden, chased chickens, fed geese and harvested salad leaves.

Luis chose to visit Santa Cristina de Lena, a pre-romanesque church south of Oviedo and to have a picnic lunch and short walk... A bit of background might help here if you do not know about pre-romanesque architecture (which I didn't until coming to Spain). Pre-romanesque architecture is found only in Asturias and is also known as the Asturian monarchy architecture.

We parked the car and walked the rough track that leads to the church which is sited on a hill jutting out from a larger hill/mountain. As we approached, tethered goats and their young kept the grassy entrance and hedges that led to the church, cut and managed. Two elderly ladies sat chatting and told us that this was their daily walk before lunch. A perfect spot for a catch up and intrigue...

The church was attended by a guide who helped point out the features we should look for, chiefly the stone carvings that adorned the pillars, medallions and walls.

Originally, the church would have be painted and highly decorated with brightly coloured murals, motifs and religious texts; reflecting the beliefs and loyalties of the times. This no longer exists and the church has had two known major renovations in the 1800's and, just after the civil war in Spain (1936) when it was badly damaged by artillery.

I am personally not into churches but you cannot but admire and appreciate the grace, simplicity and tranquillity of an 8th century sanctuary. It is not hard to imagine a distant time when the ecclesiastical elite and the noble families met for worship and intrigue amongst other things.

We called at the visitor centre which was housed in the old and rather dour looking railway station: La Cobertoria. This exhibition was particularly well executed with panels and photographs explaining the period in history and setting the context of the church within the other centres in Asturias and further afield in Europe. In addition, the panels had English translations which always helps.

We didn't know of any local picnic areas so we decided to head back to the coast and call at La Isla, always a favourite beach to wander. We ate a great lunch, watch the para gliders descend from the Sueve mountain range and with great precision land on the narrow strip of beach. We took a walk along the beach as far as we could (high tide) and looked at pebbles.

Simple pleasures...

Building a new path into the garden.

The garden at La Pasera slopes down for 8 meters or so then flattens out. We had already planned to create a gently winding, and sloping set of four stages. We had laid out the design some time ago. The path is bordered on the one side with low growing terraced beds and on the other side with the newly extended rockery. The path leads to a 6x5 meter terrace.

The path follows the natural left to right slope of the land and the four steps are built to mimic the inclination and slope. This past few days we have been able to set it with crazy paving quartzite stone. We have incorporated sets of mosaic fish which lead you as you journey on your way through the garden, to the terrace and the pond.

The path feels like a great addition to the garden and we are now looking to complete the terrace in the very near future. There are more mosaic fish planned to lead your eye to the small pond and the garden beyond.

A summer update from La Pasera

Summer is a busy time for us here at La Pasera. Crops are coming thick and fast with beetroot, carrots, marrow and courgettes, lettuce and herbs producing very well indeed. The onions have been a disaster this year with an early onset disease stunting growth and producing little but we'll plant more leeks and use them where possible. Fennel and Kohlrabi are also doing really well so lots of crunchy salads planned.

We have harvested our green and red gooseberry crops and made a totally indulgent 10 kilos of Gooseberry and Mustard Seed Pickle. This pickle was the reason we bought gooseberry bushes. This year we adapted the recipe and used red currants instead of bought dried currants, simply because it had cropped really well and we find them a bit acid. First taste test is good but a few months maturing will help as always. We've pickled walnuts as well but few this year as the trees have produced little.

We drink a lot of infusions instead of coffee these days so we are busy collecting and drying lemon verbena, mint, chamomile and various herbs. These will be used alone or mixed into teas with the addition of spices.

We had a couple of great nights out recently, firstly we went to see Carmina Burana in Oviedo. It was a superb production with imaginative use of projections and imagery to accompany the singers and orchestra. It was also The Ribadesella Jazz Festival this last weekend, sadly just over two nights now whereas it used to be four. It's a free festival in town and really worth a visit. Janice Harrington was the main act on Saturday with a brilliant four piece Jazz band.

Luis has made another Escrino, this time for use to use as a bread basket. It's lovely and just the right size.

The badgers are still visiting nightly and feeding off the fallen cherries. Gawber is fascinated by them and consequently we have treated the cats for prevention of fleas just in case. We have built a small natural water hole near the badgers as an extra source of water for visiting animals and birds; much needed in this hot weather.

Ribadesella is getting busier as the season progresses and there are many fiestas and events up and coming. We fancy going to one of the classical concerts held in a large subterranean cavern at the Tito Bustillo complex if we can get tickets but no-one knows when they will be issued.

The garden is looking good with lots of splashes of colour in and amongst the green bushes, foliage and grasses with many shady spots for the cats to rest during the heat of the day.

A few visitors for us over the coming weeks, a street market to prepare for, lots of processing produce and more building work to complete so lots to keep us occupied and interested.

Building work - laying a stone drive with mosaic.

We've been busy this past week or so. Levelling part of the driveway, laying hardcore and a concrete base then topping with stone. The area measures 27 square meters and provides access to the garage/studio. We had this built after moving into La Pasera as a multi-function space for storage, a studio and garage if need be - 10 meters by 5 meters. It has a mezzanine floor (5mx5m) which is really useful and has a water supply, a log burner and electricity.

It is never used as a garage and it's main function has become a studio and workshop for Luis and I, storage space and Wentworth and Gawber's residence. It is built on a slope and is some 7 meters or so at the rear hence its name: The Towers.

We have had some damp issues with the build but we have since resolved them and are now happier to finish off the hard landscaping, painting and drive work. The building is yet to get a stone skirt before being painted white to match the house.We are thinking about building an arch to connect the house to The Towers.

We are only paving part of the driveway and the remainder will be finished with a layer of small pebbles, in time, when the rest of the building work is complete. We have laid the first of three mosaic that will feature on the driveway, the first being a compass aligned to magnetic north.

It was a few good days of hard work but worth it. Never having tackled this sort of work before we were a bit cautious but I think it has turned out well. Now to get on with the rest of the work but it does feel good to be able to tick this one off the list.

Wentworth

The Towers

As any artist knows, having a comfortable and appropriate place to work is so important. When we moved to La Pasera one of our priorities was to build a separate space we could use for a workshop/studio, storage area and general utility area. We planned and built a 75 sqm building to accommodate our needs.

Complete with a mezzanine storage floor, wood-burning stove, music, internet connection and resident cats it has become an important part of our lifestyle. We probably spend more time in there than in the house.

The Towers, as it is lovingly know was so called because of the height of the building at the rear. It was built on a fairly steep slope which give it great height at the rear. The internal height is such that we can accommodate the mezzanine floor at one end.

It is open plan in design which works well for us and incorporates the provisions store, woodworking area, plenty of storage, the mosaic studio and three cat comfort zones (beds for winter, summer and for when the mood takes).

Luis has a great space for his mosaic studio with plenty of room to store marble and limestone. As most artists know, having enough space to store completed works is a bonus and essential, with mosaics, this means room to store where they will not be damaged. Luis is building up quite a stock of completed mosaics and steadily preparing for a large exhibition we are planning for a couple of years time.

    

New mosaic terrace at La Pasera

We are fortunate to have a garden that benefits from the journey of the daily sun. This results in us having many different spots in the garden where we can either avoid or capture the warming rays, throughout the seasons.

One spot in the garden which we felt would benefit from a sun drenched terrace was immediately at the back of the house. We already have a partially covered terrace which is great for sun or shade and superb for having meals outside. The new terrace will be a place where you can chill out, throw a few cushions down, lie on the floor and soak up the warmth or sit quietly and read in the shade of a garden parasol. Pebbles are a great surface to walk or lie on and act like an acupuncture massage - the cats love to stretch out on the warmed mosaic surfaces whenever they have an opportunity.

Luis set about designing and making a set of mosaic slabs, 16 in total, that compliment those already in situ. The terrace will provide a panoramic view across the garden and will, on a sunny day, get an average of 6-8 hours full sun a day.

 

 We now have to extend the rockery we built a few years ago in front of the new terrace. This was always in the grand plan and we have some excellent pieces of limestone waiting to be moved into place. We have lots of cuttings and small plants ready to colonise the crevices and small gaps.

The terrace has now been laid and looks wonderful. The next job is to complete the mosaic paths for the herb garden and to finish off laying three mosaic slabs designed for the entrance to the garden shed.
We have just completed the main structure of the second garden tap which also has it's own resident mouse if you look carefully.

The mosaic below is a recent commission from a couple in Madrid. The brief was movement. It is to be sited in the corner of a city garden and will form a focal point near a seating area.