3rd Ramble

November 5rd

On Wednesday, we did our 3rd Ramble which was quite local near Coín. Part of the walk overlooked the valley at Barranco Blanco. We learned that the valley of big villas and homesteads were mainly owned by Germans, many the descendants of the Nazis who fled Germany and were given the valley by Franco to hide and take refuge in. Apparently, what we had thought was a bus shelter at the top of the valley road, had in fact been an old pill box manned by armed guards.

Marbella & Puerto Banus

November 4th

We drove to Marbella and walked the 6 km along the promenade to Puerto Banus, haunt of the rich and famous. J tried out 4 exercise machines along the way. Took a catamaran ferry back to Marbella, and walked around Orange Square in the old town.

Tom returned late afternoon to finish the installation, cleverly sharing the existing Spanish TV ariel cable embedded in the walls, rather than running a new cable through the house ~ cost up to 120 €, but able to watch the election coverage. Got installed system for about half price. Card does’nt work but we still get a wide range of programmes.

Sky

November 3rd

Phoned round for quotes to fit the dish and box and get the system up and running ~ going rate 100 – 120 €, and plumped for Tom who could fit it that afternoon for 100 €
The positioning of the dish is critical apparently, because of the weak satellite signal in Southern Spain, and TV Engineers make a fortune after strong winds realigning satellite dishes @ 40-50 € for a few minutes work.

The recent rains have made many camino (minor) roads with fords impassable. This road is the back road to Pizarra flooded by the Rio Guadalhorce. We took a long walk along the river which is little more than a trickle during most of the year, which is now in full spate. J found a donkey and horses to feed.
Tom fitted the dish at dusk, connected up the box and amazingly it worked, and that evening we were watching the BBC

All Hallows Day

November 1st

The public holiday on Saturday 1st November caught us out again, despite it being listed on our website with the advice that unexpected public holidays can disrupt holidays in Spain. We went down to the market in Fuengirola, and luckily found a supermarket open, as we had not stocked up for the weekend.

All Hallows Day is the day that the Spanish remember and pay homage to their dead relatives, and leave flowers on their graves. As you can see, their cemeteries are very different from the UK, similar to the French. The Alhaurin cemetery is divided into about 25 “galleries”, grouped together by the various Churches that the deceased attended. The graves/memorials are stacked up to seven high in some “galleries”, necessitating the use of steps and ladders to reach the middle and higher layers, and all graves had flowers left.

November 2nd

On Sunday, we went to La Trocha market in Coín and bought a second hand satellite dish, Sky digibox and card for €140 ~ hoping it works and that it can be fitted in time for the American election.

Road Signage

Confusing road signs have been a media issue in Spain this week. Here is a recent example in Alhaurin, where new signs have cropped up all round the town. Hopefully this may make it easier for everyone to find their way around??!!

Ruin update

Work on the ruin continues, with the delivery of a pallet of bricks. Ruin man constructed 4 columns using most of the bricks, but we are unable to work out his plans or design. He also kindly filled in a crack in the house wall (on his side) that I had been worried about and mentioned to him awhile ago.

A geko appeared on the porch one evening, probably disturbed from the ruin, and where he returned.