A high summer peek at the garden

Most gardens have several faces that are determined either by natural cycles or through their purpose and the resources allocated. Ours is no different. We have beautiful places that are pleasing to the eye and other senses where you can sit and idle the time away. We have both tidy and not so tidy working areas which are in a constant state of flux, piled high with wood to chop or stone to cut and use. We have unfinished areas that are at the end of a list that grew and grew over the past 9 years and that will one day on completion, serve as the full stop to the overall preparation and build elements or at least signal a semi colon.

Here are a few photographs of the pleasing elements of our garden (in our eyes at least). As the late summer colours overtake the fresh shades of the spring greens, the changing summer light advances bringing with it rich hues and tones to the nearby landscapes and, the midday skies take on an increasingly erratic carpet of blue, grey and white.

In the heat of the midday sun at La Pasera

Continuing our time specific theme for Summer it struck me the other day how life changes with the weather. Here at  La Pasera it has been very warm and muggy for the past few days with little relief from the persistent heat and overwhelming warm humid air. Unlike the rest of Spain and Europe it seems, where constant sunshine has been the order of the day, we have had short bouts of strong sunshine followed by low overcast skies which have felt equally oppressive. Not only has it had an effect on us, it has changed the entire dynamics of life in the garden.

Wentworth and Gawber are to be found in deep shade either in amongst the thick carpet of honesty and crocosmia, too drained by the heat to contemplate chasing a bathing Jay or Finch. The blackbirds scavenge dangerously close to the snoozing cats who from time to time open an eyelid when a scurrying lizard whisks by.

The birds roost in the bushes with an occasional sortie for food or water. The insects come out in force making the most of the wide and inviting flowers and nectar within. The ants march onwards in their regimented manner to their cool underground tunnels and the spiders await their pray, ready to pounce and wrap, saving the bounty for a later feast.

The lizards take advantage of the warm limestone rockery and with their flattened abdomens, soak up the heat...Whilst the grasshopper takes shade in the cavity of a Calla Lily.

The plants throughout the garden wilt, especially the young broccoli and pepper plants. The ruby red-veined leaves of the beetroot almost touch the earth and the onions leaves begin to turn golden yellow and become brittle. The harvest continues with large juicy blackberries, ruby Swiss chard and sweet, sweet beetroot whilst freshly harvested Lemon Verbena perfumes the air as it is strung up to dry.

As for the humans at La Pasera in the heat of the midday sun? Inside a cooled house or workshop, enjoying the chores of the day and taking time to enjoy the heat of the midday sun. Learning from the cats that it is best enjoyed... from a distance.

  

The first day of Summer

It is a bright sunny day with blue skies punctuated by white and pale grey Columbus clouds. It is warm bordering on hot in the sun but with plenty of shaded places to keep cool, it is a lovely first day of Summer.

The first peaches were harvested today and although the tree doesn't produce much fruit, what it does produce is sweet, very peachy and juicy if left to ripen naturally. One or two have already been pecked at by the birds and then plundered by the ants but as today was getting breezy I decided to harvest the first of the undamaged crop before they fell in the gathering winds.

The mosaic terrace table top has been united with its long-awaited bases and it not only looks great, it is also functional and perfect for the glass of red as the evening sun sets. Needless to say, Luis has started another mosaic project and the list of projects in mind continues to grow apace.

One of the showiest plants we have is in full bloom near the edge of the pond. The angels fishing rod is heavy with bright pink flowers that droop towards the water and encourage lots of bees and insects.

Another plant that gives all it has when flowering is the cactus. This one is in full glorious flower, sadly they last only very few hours so to get to witness their show is a true privilege.

Other worthy contenders for showiest bloomer are the air hyacynth and the bottom meadow, both of which are at their prime.

The cats are spending most of their day in the deep shade of the bog garden where it is damp and cool but occasionally venture out from the shade of the giant Gunera leaves and soak up the warmth of the sun for a few moments but soon return to the cool and welcome shade. They are brushed daily from now on as it is flea and tick season and regular grooming means we can keep an eye out for attacks. They are also fast loosing their winter coats so they seem to welcome a daily brush.

You might have heard of the Andrex puppy? Well we seem to have an Aubretia pussy who has taken to finding comfort when relieving himself resulting in large dying patches...I won't publicly name and shame, I'll leave it up to you to decide who is the guilty party!

  

Exploring local beaches and coves in Asturias

One thing we are not short of in Asturias is coastline. With hundreds of beaches and and coves to explore there is never a dull moment if you are into that sort of thing: which we are...

The main tourist season is over and the beaches and coastline are once again quiet apart from sunny weekends and bank holidays. The main tourist season lasts only a few weeks from mid-July to early September with the remainder of summer and autumn being very quiet and peaceful.

Within walking distance we have a half a dozen wonderful beaches and inlet coves which are constantly changing with the seasons, tides and weather conditions. Within 15 minutes drive we have access to another 30 or so beaches and such so as you can imagine there is no shortage of places to walk, explore and enjoy.

The majority of beaches, apart from those located in main resorts, have few facilities such as toilets or showers, chairs or beach gear. Some have surf schools where boards and instruction can be hired. Few have access to a café or bar out of the main season and only the main tourist beaches will have red cross life guards on duty during high season, outside of which there is no-one.

The sea is cool even during summer but I am told you soon get used to it once you've taken the plunge. We rarely swim in the sea and mainly use the beaches for beach combing, exploring rock-pools or dinosaur footprints, walking or just relaxing listening to the ocean.

The Bay of Biscay tends to have a very mixed weather pattern and the sea can be great for surfing or body boarding. There isn't much windsurfing which is a pity as I have RYA qualifications in windsurfing but haven't done it for some years now. Who knows maybe one day I'll squeeze into a neoprene wetsuit and ride the wind once again?

Summer update from La Pasera: 2

The tourist season is well and truly under-way here in Asturias with the last two weeks of June, August and the beginning of September being the main season. Outside of those few weeks it is very quiet and tranquil. There are many fiestas around and it seems like almost nightly, we can hear the rockets exploding that mark the start and finish of the celebrations.

There are many markets around at this time of year. We went along to Posada where there was a street market and a vegetable produce, small mammals and bird show. There were demonstrations of cider making, free trees to be taken to plant, a collection of around 50 very impressive bonsai trees and many craft and food stalls.

We had a stall at a local Rastrillo (street market) and managed to sell all of our stock of chairs by 2pm and quite a bit of old pottery and glass. Luis handed out a fair few business cards for chair restoration and it is likely that many of them will be in touch over the coming months if past experience is anything to go by.

The vegetable beds are doing well with most crops, and apart from a disastrous onion harvest, we will have a bumper year if the warm weather continues. Chard, squash, marrow and courgettes, beetroot, basil, kolrabi, beans, fennel and carrots have all done exceptionally well. We are busy making best use of the produce by making lots of soups for the freezer, jars of basil pesto and plenty of fresh salads using raw shredded vegetables and salad leaves. The tomatoes have come on well despite an early attack of blight and with a bit of luck we might have enough to make a few jars of tomato pesto.

We have just taken delivery of 50 sq meters of stone and 3 cubic meters of sand to pave the winding path and terrace. Luis has made a series of mosaics to be integrated with the stone...watch this space. We have paved half of the path and hope to get the remaining two sections completed in the next couple of weeks. The terrace will take a little longer due to its size.

The wildlife pond continues to attract animals, birds, amphibians and insects. We managed to capture deer, more badgers, a pine marten and hedgehog on night camera. I have included the film of the deer but you can watch the others by clicking here or by subscribing to videos to get new uploads. Stick with the video as the deer come back into shot near the end.

We recently had a large family meal in Palencia where the majority of Luis' brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews and their respective partners (24 or so) came together for the first time in many years.  Luis' sister Rita made a very large Paella and roast chicken, I took veggie food and nearly everyone brought desserts. Luis' brother Oscar was over from Venezuela where he lives as a Marist Brother and teaches in the Orinoco Delta. He is on his way to stay with us for a few days which we are looking forward to, after which we have a few visitors due to come over in August and September so it will be a perfect time to share our plentiful harvests.

Luis y Oscar