Walking To The Plaza

I'd better get these photos from last Sunday up on the blog because it's Sunday again tomorrow and my walking friend and I, a lady from my Pilates class,  intend to walk down to the town again for the last day of carnival here.  Actually we walk for the exercise but it will be an added attraction to see the crowds, the costumes, the food and hear the music, even though it's usually blaring out at so many decibels that it can probably be heard in the next town.

We start with walking down many many stairs.  I was aching a little the next day!
Good exercise for your calf muscles, but maybe not so good for your knees

When nearly at bottom we get a glimpse of the sea and cliffs covered with palms and cactus.

Down in the town we pass by Calle La Hoya, now a pedestrian street, formerly a very congested road where early morning traffic jams and car horns were a cacophony of sound. 
Thankfully it's now a quiet shopping street with no traffic.

As we near the main plaza the crowds become more dense.  There were competitions of childrens' costumes that morning. The air was a little chilly but the sun was out. 

Down in the plaza  people were sitting where they could to have a lunch or drink.  The
outdoor cafes were full and one was lucky to find a free table. Music was blaring from a live band.

We were lucky to find a seat at a little churinguito....a provisional eatery set up for carnival.
There were typical tapas of jamón serrano, cheeses, paella, Spanish olives and hot dishes.

The waiter begins to slice the serrano ham for a tapas plate.
These are the cured hams that are mounted on a frame to hold them while they are being sliced.
Serrano ham is nearly always included in a selection of tapas, along with cheese and olives.

And here are a couple of paellas being prepared and served along with a huge pan of potato with onion, garlic, green & red pepper slices, called Patatas A Lo Pobre , or roughly 'poor man's potatoes', although there's nothing poor about the flavour.  It's one of my favourite dishes, and is seen cooking on the far side of the photo.

Mmmm...here's one paella still cooking to reduce the broth, while the waiter above serves from one which is ready and garnished with lemon slices, shrimp and mussels.

My friend and I manage to find a couple of empty seats at the churinguito.  I had paella and she had baked green peppers. The other sidewalk cafes were also filled with people enjoying the food and carnival atmosphere,  and the music blared on!

Here's a little video I made that day.  I'm afraid I need to practise a lot more at taking videos. But you can get an impression of the atmosphere and a lesson on how to slice the ham!

Thanks for dropping by.  See you soon....¡hasta la vista!

43 ~ Under the Sea

Here is a magnificent video entitled...
"The Canary Islands Under The Sea" photographed by Rafa Herrero with music by David Gonçalves, produced by Aquawork on Vimeo. If you like underwater scenery you will surely love this one. Watch it full screen!
The first screen in Spanish says "Seven Islands in the Atlantic to swim underwater".

The Canary Islands under the sea from Rafa Herrero on Vimeo.

39 ~ Roses Are Red

(click to enlarge photos)

I have to smile when I am driving behind a car full of plants, with branches and blooms visible and waving through the back window ahead of me.

There goes someone who is going to spend some time in the garden. I imagine them looking for the best placement of each bush or flower, hoping that conditions in that part of the garden are the best, preparing the hole, adding compost, tamping in the roots, watering them in and finally looking with satisfaction at the new arrivals, throwing a kiss and a welcoming blessing for them to prosper and grow strong.

So the other day I was the lady driving with a trunk full of red roses waving to the car behind me. The sun was shining on them and they looked positively exuberant as they bobbed to and fro. I had been to a nursery to pick up some sulphur powder to sprinkle on the leaves of the roses that are already growing in my garden. It is still the method here used on rose leaves to discourage black spot in humid weather.

But when I saw the brilliant red of La Sevillana in the garden shop, and the bright pink of Rose Dot, with its pale pink on the reverse of each petal, and yet another darker and unnamed rose, I couldn't resist buying them.

And then I spotted the Dama de Noche (Cestrum Nocturnum), a favourite bush the merits of which I've praised in my previous post. There were several small bushes filled with buds which were about to open and spill their exotic night perfume. Since I had to cut one of our bushes down a year ago to build a small patio, I decided buy another to replace it, especially as they are often difficult to find on sale here. It would go somewhere under a window, where the evening scent would enter the house.

And after thinking that a couple of my hanging baskets could do with some new colour, I picked up a portulaca, that little spreading succulent with vivid magenta flowers and a lampranthus, another spreader which blooms brilliantly in hot sun, for which its German name is Mittagsblume, or midday flower.



And to go with those, what could be prettier than alyssum, a lovely border plant for edging a lawn or for planting in pots and baskets where it will grow into a white cushion of tiny flowers, spilling over the edges and smelling of honey.

And for herbs, I can always use more thyme, one of my favourite additions in the kitchen, where I spread it by handfuls over roasting potatoes, poultry dishes and meatloaf mixtures. This one will go in a planter outside the kitchen window, where I can easily reach out and snip off a few stems. It was also time to replenish my stock of mint but that will go into its own planter box where its agressively spreading roots will not be able to invade the territory of other plants.

Well I'll have to take out the shovel and find some help to prepare the large holes for the roses, but in the meantime I'll work on the smaller ones first.
Time to put on the gloves and reach for the trowel!



La Sevillana - a modern cluster-flowered floribunda, orange-red in colour and lightly scented. Created by Meilland, France in 1978. Catalogue name: MEIgekanu
This rose is a brilliant note of colour in a garden; it blooms profusely.

Rose Dot - a modern hybrid tea created by the Spanish breeder Pedro Dot in Barcelona, 1962. It is best suited for warm climates where there is no frost. Strongly fragrant, it is a bright pink colour with lighter pink on the reverse of the petals. This rose is often difficult to find.

If you are interested in looking at rose photos, I have four albums of photos taken in my garden a few years ago and posted to Webshots where my ID is Sharose:
Album 1 - Roses
Album 2 - Roses
Album 3 - Roses
Album 4 - Roses

and on the USA rose data base Help Me Find

At present I don't have all these roses growing in the garden any more as the climate is too warm for many. Winters are very mild and there is no frost in our area. But now that I know which are the warm weather survivors, I hope to fill out the spaces with those sun lovers.