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...

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.

Earth, wind and fire

Update 10.1.14 20 fires in one day - seven of them in Ribadesella

This past week has seen extensive damage around Asturias from violent gusts of winds. Many of the old cider apple orchards have suffered with trees uprooted or with trunks and branches snapped with the force of 90 kph gusts. Living so near the coast we often get weather fronts that come in from the Atlantic Ocean and travel across the Bay of Biscay that batter the coast of northern Spain as they eventually calm and fade. This time the winds came from the south bringing with them balmy temperatures, often as high as 20c in the early evening and throughout the night.

Thankfully we had little damage apart from a few plant pots tossed around, one or two broken branches on trees and shrubs and garden furniture strewn across the plot. We have learnt from past experience to batten down the hatches and move anything vulnerable when we can feel the winds gathering pace.

Our last blog entry featured Luis' new mosaic and a new composition by me both titled Prometheus. For those of you who are familiar with his story you will know he was the Titan that stole the fire from the gods and brought it to earth. In retrospect it seems somewhat pertinent to mention Prometheus as this week we have seen a proliferation of deliberate fires across Asturias.

We understand that the fires are started by farmers to clear gorse and shrub in an effort to regenerate grazing for stock. As far as we know these uncontrolled fires are illegal. Licenses are issued here in Asturias for controlled fires and we have a license to burn here at La Pasera. If our garden fires spread and resulted in emergency services to be called, without it, we would be responsible for costs which can escalate into many thousands of euros.

Many pastures on lowlands have been set on light and up to a point, we can see the sense in this however, many mountains have also been set alight. This is often done when strong winds are expected as it helps the fire spread. Last night around 7.30pm I could smell smoke and knew that locally, fires were happening. Sure enough, half an hour later the glow of flames lit the sky as the winds gathered pace. The mountain, Sierra de Cueva Negra, that overlooks our coastal plain was well and truly on fire, on both aspects, it burned fierce. Luis called the emergency services who were already aware of it and were monitoring its spread. It burned throughout the night.

This morning it is a sorry sight with the Bomberos (firefighters) dousing the fire and their helicopters flying over our house to the sea to fill their water carriers. Such a terrific and unnecessary cost in such times.

It seems senseless to us that these fires are started and that no-one is prosecuted for them. The emergency services do not come cheap, it is dangerous and the very act of fire on gorse seed actually promotes more vigorous growth.

 No doubt the earth will re-generate, grasses will grow and new gorse will flourish. The beautiful oaks and wooded slopes however will take much longer to grow again. As one local newspaper described these actions this week, it is truly lamentable.

Update: 12.1.14 - You can see the extent of the fire, 2 km of mountain burnt.

A local photo walk

The rain had stopped and we awoke to a bright sunny morning and decided to make the most of it and walk from home to Cuevas del Mar (Caves of the sea) and enjoy the changing scenery and autumn light.

We packed lunch of Tortilla, bread, fruit, nuts, and drinks and made our way through the country lanes that lead from home. We travelled along the Camino de Santiago heading east towards Llames de Pria via the roman bridge.

The sun was low in the sky and shone through the autumn leaves and drying foliage casting shadows on the woodland floor.

The small meandering local river; Rio Guadamia was swollen with recent rains.

The young cattle were curious as we passed by and admired their beautiful big eyes. 1152 was particularly cute. 

The insects and birds enjoyed the renewed energy they absorbed from the sun, collecting food and nectar along the way.

We reached the coast and sat for lunch. The local rocks attract climbers who hone their skills and strengthen their grip.

Heading back we made our way along a well defined coastal path which wound its way through woodland, scrub, pasture and even a duck pond. We sat and had a drink whilst being observed by a local cat whose curiosity was stirred by our presence.

As the birds of prey battled high above we walked at a slower pace and took time to enjoy the remainder of the afternoon and to savour the sites of a fresh autumnal day.

With home in sight, our tired bodies and weary feet were looking forward to a warm drink and relaxing in front of a homely log fire. 

The weather takes a turn...

The cats know when the weather is about to change, you can tell by the change in their behaviour. They become excitable as the breeze gather pace and their sense of smell is heightened with the rising humidity. Both Wentworth and Gawber change their routine and reside themselves to the fact that rain and colder weather is on it's way, despite the brief periods of warm sunshine. They don't venture far and take their comfort inside when necessary.

The gathering clouds signals stormy weather ahead. The winds gain momentum and sheets of strong cool rain advance across the meadows.

The remaining sweet chestnuts are blown from the branches, protected by their bright green but dying spiky casing. The seed-heads release their seed as they rock to and fro in the gathering winds.

Roe deer take greater risks due to increased hunting activity. These two were spotted in the garden at lunchtime - most unusual.

Daily walks to the coast now have a new incentive, with storms out at sea and the high autumnal tides bringing life to the many blow-holes formed in and amongst the jagged limestone cliffs. A high tide of nearly 5 meters ensures a spectacular display of 200 meter plus plumes of sea water and sand ex-pulsed into the air only for the wind to disperse.

Luis on the cliffs watching the blow-holes; some of them reaching 200 meters high. You can just see the people and cars on the other side of the cliffs.

Local sea bass for dinner

The Asturian coastal stretch near La Pasera presents us with stunning limestone cliffs we regularly enjoy walking. At times we see local fishermen perched on precarious rocks while they cast their fishing rods into the seas. Apparently the fishing is always better when the seas are very rough. Fishing is a hobby I seldom practised in my younger years but Ian used to go regularly with his Dad who was a keen fisherman.

Living such a short distance from the coast, we often see neighbours walking past our front garden carrying their rods on the way to the cliffs. This was the case with one of our near neighbours who likes to go fishing during the weekends or holidays spent in a cottage a few yards up the lane.

You cannot imagine our delight when the other morning our neighbour called over the wall and offered us a beautiful large sea bass he just caught a few hours earlier as a way of saying thanks for me wishing him a good catch as he walked past on his way fishing. A totally unexpected gesture of gratitude. The fish weighed 1 kg and had already been cleaned and de-scaled.

Ian is vegetarian so wouldn't eat it. I cooked the sea bass for my dinner that same day to ensure it was as fresh as possible and baked it in the oven over a bed of new potatoes, kohlrabi, fennel and onion with a good drizzle of olive oil, black pepper and a generous serving of white wine. After covering it with tin foil it was cooked it in a hot oven for 30 minutes, until the potatoes were soft. A nice Ribera del Duero, white wine was the perfect accompaniment for this delicious sea bass. I have never tasted sea bass this good before, it is all in the freshness of the fish; just a few hours between it being caught locally and being served at the dinner table. Buen provecho as we say here in Spain or enjoy your meal as you would say back in the UK.