Back from Spain - a 2nd time!

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Back from Spain – a 2nd time!

In November last year we went over to be present when our only Spanish grandchild was about to be born. This time we went over for “Mother’s Day”, which is always on the first Sunday in May.

As we were coming into town this is what we were greeted by:

Snow at Cabrejas Pass, Cuenca, Spain:

This pass is about 1,300m high & about 10mins drive from Cuenca which is 1,000m high.

More snow at Cabrejas Pass, Cuenca, Spain:

It was snowing, raining & sleeting when we reached the city itself & got off the coach about 15 mins later!

Snowing in Cuenca:

This last photo was taken by our daughter-in-law in the street where there their block of flats is. She send it to us while we were on the coach on our way to Cuenca!

I read through what I wrote in November last year

“http://www.growsonyou.com/balcony/blog/22181-back-from-spain”

& find that what I had to say was almost the same as I said back then because our time was spent in a similar manner except this time most weekdays we were there we picked up our granddaughter from the nursery around 2 – 2.30 pm & then took her to our son’s cafeteria.

Kafe King Cross:

Our son & wife had arranged for their 6 month old daughter, Ainara, to be christened on the same day.

Ainara at her christening

Ainara with Quico & Nanny in park in Cuenca:

Both sets of grandparents with Ainara in park in Cuenca:

We went over on April 28th for 10 days. The day of the christening was a really splendid, hot sunny day! The best day by far of our stay in Cuenca!

What a difference a week can make! Our first Sunday in Cuenca it was snowing but our 2nd Sunday was hot & sunny!

Both Mondays we were there we had lunch with them & then in the evenings, around 7.30 pm, we took Ainara out for a walk! Many of the evening we repeated this for a couple of hours then we took her back home for her supper & bath & bed. Most evening around 10pm we also helped our son to close up for the night. That way he was able to get away perhaps 30mins earlier than if we had not helped him. He opens every morning about 7.30am as many people like to have breakfast in a bar before starting work. They perhaps have a coffee & a bun before going to start their day’s work.

Most morning we also went to have a coffee & a bun at his cafeteria, around 11am. We would get him anything he might need like change for the till, some oranges & lemons or paper serviettes. He runs the place on his own much of the time so can’t get away. That way we were able to help him a little.

Our time went by very quickly & we hardly saw the son & his partner who we always stay with! They had moved into a new flat only about a month before we arrived so many things were not in place yet & they needed to get many things for the new flat.

We returned to the UK on Weds 8th May to be greeted by a strong, cold wind! Apparently the temps had fallen a good 10ºC from the high on Tuesday which it seems was the hottest day of the year so far.

This Sunday back in the UK the started off as a lovely sunny day but with a cold wind then about 3pm it started to rain & the cold wind continued.

I haven’t been down to the allotment for over two weeks now but I hope to be able to resume work – & my blogs! – from next week. Now we are in the middle part of May I hope we have seen the last of the frosts till the middle of October so I can get on with planting & growing once again.

Since before going to Cuenca in November last year I’ve hardly been able to do any work on either my plot or Gerry’s. I had a lot of seeds germinating in the greenhouse as well as here at home. I have about 3 seedtrays of Sweet Peppers as well as 4 of Tomatoes all waiting to go down to the allotments!

May marks the time when I take my Amaryllis plants down as well. This year as I have no Pansies left alive to help brighten up the balcony I’m going to take all my spring flowering bulbs down to the allotment for the summer as well. They have all finished flowering now & the balcony looks dull with a load of floppy green leaves slowly turning yellow! I simply do not have the space on the balcony to keep them during the summer.

• 12 May, 2013
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