Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Mediterranean suprise!

The Costa Brava translates as the Wild Coast. Storms have fashioned the landscape over centuries to produce a series of picturesque rocky coves. This year there have been one or two surprises. 






The beach at Roses looks rather seasonal this year!

FOTOS PATRÍCIA DE GREGORIA I NOEMÍ JARIOD 

          
CALENDARI BOMBERS 09

Two firefighters from Roses where selected for this years calender.




Whilst their colleagues from  Cadaqués just around the Bay of Roses were a little surprised by the effects of the weather!


Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Winter flowering shrubs - Mediterranean Garden


The white linen like flowers of the Solanacae vine have persisted to the turn of the year. A sheltered position close to the front door has spared this climber from the harshest of the winter weather. The variegated leaves are a feature of  this specimen which helps brighten a shady corner of the house. As the plant climbs it benefits from discrete support wires which
the plant quickly clothes. The base of the vine can become a little bare over time so this is a plant that benefits from sympathetic underplanting.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Moths and Butterflies in the European garden

  Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa
by Paolo Mazzei, Raniero Panfili, Ilaria Pimpinelli, Diego Reggianti

Daylight brings a host of colourful visitors to the garden including many beautiful butterflies,
which I'm sure many a garden blogger has tried to photograph for their respective web pages
with differing degrees of success.

As the sunlight fades the garden becomes the domain of the creatures of the night. It is an often 
misunderstood world full of strange looking creatures like the moths, whose roles in the complex
Eco systems of the planet deserve more study and appreciation. 

Often during pruning and clearing operations moths are disturbed from their daytime roosts and 
can be briefly glimpsed; though it is at night when they gather around exterior lights they can be
studied in detail.

Click on the moth motif to visit an informative web site which will shine a little light on the 
species of Moths and butterflies which may be encountered throughout Europe and Africa. 

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Trickle down effect

Less than a year ago, the land around this small Senegalese village was parched bush pasture, studded with thick-trunked, knobbly baobab trees.

But over the last six months, ground pockmarked with anthills that lay hard and idle during the nine-month dry season has blossomed through irrigation into a thriving small commercial farm thanks to an aid project funded by Spain.


..."Now there's money in the village," beamed Amy Diouf,

 her baby son strapped to her back, as she stood in fields crossed with plastic irrigation tubes that drip-feed moisture to crops planted at Djilakh farm, 80 km (50 miles) southeast of Dakar.

Hyroelectricity and irrigated land in Spain

Spain hydropower and agriculture reserves inch upwards  Reuters

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's capacity to generate hydroelectricity and irrigate crops has risen in the past week, the latest official data show, but levels are still far below average in a country that depends heavily on imports of grain and gas.

Reservoirs held enough water to produce 8,571 gigawatt-hours of hydropower, according to the Ministry for the Environment and Rural Affairs, or 202 GWh more than a week ago.

That compares to typical demand of 740 GWh on a working day at this time of year and is 86.3 percent of the average available over the past 10 years.

Hydroelectric output so far this year in Spain has fallen by 20.1 percent from the same period in 2007, data from national grid operator REE show, after long periods of drought which prompted the city of Barcelona to import water by sea.

Gas-powered generators have helped fill the gap by boosting production 35.4 percent, and in consequence gas distributor Enagas forecasts demand in Spain will rise this year by 10-12 percent to 43.5 billion cubic meters.

Spain imports more than 99 percent of its gas and is the world's third largest buyer of liquefied natural gas via six regasification plants. Its main supplier is Algeria.

IRRIGATION LEVELS RISE

The Ministry logged rainfall of 3.1 millimeters in the week to December 21, or just 19 percent of the historical (1930-96) average.

Even so, reservoirs for consumption -- including farm use -- rose to 41.1 percent of capacity from 40.5 percent a week ago, although that was just 49.3 percent of the 10-year-average.

Crops like maize need irrigation to grow in Spain's harsh climate and the country can never grow enough grain to meet its needs, particularly from an intensive livestock sector.

Last year, Spain imported more than 12.2 million tonnes of grain, but traders say this may fall to 7.5 million in the market year which began in July due to a crisis amongst livestock farmers.

The current maize harvest is behind schedule but not in doubt, although farmers have said they may sow less wheat and barley this winter due to low water levels, tumbling prices and higher costs.

Other important irrigated crops in Spain include cotton and alfalfa, which is an ingredient in animal feed.

(Reporting by Martin Roberts; editing by James Jukwey)

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Fiesta de Navidad -Mediterranean Garden Spain



Tuesday, December 23, 2008

All's not lost to Jack Frost!


Winter sunshine bathes the Kalanchoe as evening draws in. It is late December and this newly acquired succulent has benefited from the gentle rains that have fallen on the parched Empordà earth. Here the emergency water controls are to remain in force for another 18 months so a little water has to go a long way. The castaway Kalanchoe has rooted and established itself sufficiently well to share late blooms with the gardeners. As Mediterranean winters tend to be dry and cool the succulent should survive its first test.

Frosty nights are upon us now -3c is often experienced whilst Mediterranean days still provide the occasionally warming and very welcome 19c. 

More often than not in these early winter days, the air is cool, damp and perfumed by wood smoke curling from the chimneys of the village houses. Pine cones and fallen branches are collected daily from the woodland floor by neighbours anxious to keep their home fires burning.

The mountain tops are now snow covered and the ski stations are open to winter sport enthusiasts. The occasional flurry of snow flakes is blown across the plains towards the pueblo but seldom makes an impression on the land.

Million dollar Eco Question - renewable energy

La Recherche
While the United Nations conference on climate in Poznan concluded with mixed results, the urgency to invest in renewable energy is more than ever. But wind, solar or biomass are they credible? Internet users interviewed Jean-Louis Bal on the relevance and viability of these energy alternatives. Here is this entire debate, which obviously remains open.

DEBATE WITH Jean-Louis Bal

Jean-Louis Bal

Director of renewable energy ADEME

Friday, December 19, 2008

Caga Tió - Christmas in Catalunya, Spain


Barak Obama’s appearance in the Catalan Christmas nativity scene may have prepared you in advance of meeting another colourful and popular Christmas character known as Caga Tió  (or the poop log in English). 

 Caga Tió  (pictured above) is currently making its annual appearance across Catalunya in anticipation of Christmas gifts. Come Christmas Eve the Yule tide log  which is what is, will be placed on the fireplace close to flames, whilst the songs of the ‘Christmas log’ or ‘Tió de Nadal’ as it is more properly known in the local language, are sung by the children of the household. The tradition has some similarity to the hanging out of Christmas stockings in anticipation of gifts.

 

Caga tió,

caga torró,

avellanes i mató,

si no cagues bé

et daré un cop de bastó.

caga tió!

 

Translated as:

Poop log,

poop turrón,

hazelnuts and cottage cheese,

if you don't poop well,

I'll hit you with a stick!

 

 

Turrón is widely available in Spain but if you would like to make your own version try this basic recipe, you can also add chopped nuts.

 

Ingredients:
8 ounces caster sugar
8 ounces ground almonds
2 egg yolks
1 egg white

 

Method:

Mix the sugar and ground almonds in a bowl.

Fold in the egg yolks, one at a time.

In a separate bowl whisk the egg white into a stiff froth and then fold it into the mixture.

Turn out the mixture into a baking tray.

Form the mixture into a slab about ½ ” thick using a rolling pin.

Cover it with greaseproof paper or foil and place a weighted chopping board.

Place in a cool dry place and allow mixture to dry out for two to three days.

Serve in 1” squares. Consistency between a nougat and a fudge.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

EuroAgro Fruits - 2009 Valencia

   EuroAgro Fruits   (3rd International Fair of Fruit, Vegetables, Technology and Services) will be held at,

Feria Valencia from 27th to 29th April 2009

The objective of this event, is to become the top fair in the international fruit and vegetable sector in Spain. To achieve this, we base ourselves on the main principles of the project, Innovation, Internationalization, National production, Personalization and Education. 


April, from 27th to 29th, 2009


                  

           



Sherry anyone?

....Cloud shadows drag their hands across the white;
Rain prints the sudden darkness of its weight;
Sun falls and leaves the bleaching evidence of light
....


Professor Andrew Motion was appointed by Britain's Queen Elizabeth the second as the Poet Laureate in 1999. He will complete his period of office at the end of this year. A tradition since 1688 the holder of the office is expected to produce poems for the observance of specific national events.

The salary of the Poet Laureate is around £21,000 p.a. not a lot for such an esteemed position. There is a special bonus paid upon completion of the Laureate's term of office, due to an ancient agreement with Spain,  Señor Motion will receive 650 bottles of fine Sherry.

The poet intends to donate half of his Sherry de Jerez to Pen International writers Association.  



....a shapely hand of cloud
emerges from the crowd
of airy nothings that the wind allowed
to tumble over us all day
and points the way

towards its own decay
but not before
a final sunlight-shudder pours
away across our garden-floor....

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

OLEOTEC - 2009 Zaragoza


OLEOTEC

Olive Growing Equipment and Techniques Show

Zaragoza, Spain

10. February - 13. February 2009



Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Lingo Lingo Lingo

Live and on-demand Spanish language television webcasts are now transmitted at broadband speeds over the internet.  News, business and entertainment webcasts are available directly from Spain and the Americas.

To enjoy Spanish webcasts on your computer, you require a fast connection to the internet such as cable, ADSL, ISDN or a T1 line.   Software to view these webcasts is available free.


  

Monday, December 15, 2008

VIVERALIA. Salón Profesional de la Planta Ornamental y Afines

   




21.01.2009 - 23.01.2009


VIVERALIA. Salón Profesional de la Planta Ornamental y Afines
Alicante

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Garden websites

                      

Saturday, December 13, 2008

"The worst drink"


The documentary The worst shot of climate change is about the rise of temperatures has affected the quality of wine




The rise in temperature causes an early ripening of the grapes. The premature ripening involves changes in the quality of the fruit. On the one hand increases the sugar and other low acidity. This, in practical results, results in wines with higher alcohol content and reduced ability to grow old. 

aume Gramona and Miguel A. Torres is among the few Spanish businessmen who have already begun to adapt to this new reality climate. Gramona makes most of its vintages at night, to get fruit with a temperature lower than the harvest day. Thus, the grapes reach the winery at a temperature that allows the press with greater assurance of quality.Bodegas Torres in carrying out various experiments and initiatives to adapt to climate change. On the one hand improve the methods of wines from indigenous strains, less vulnerable to climate change, and other vineyards planted in areas where rising temperatures before the vine was not profitable. 

Friday, December 12, 2008

Iberflora 2009 - Valencia


International Fair of Plants and Flowers,
 Technology and Gardening - Valencia. 

14th to 16th October 2009

    

    

    






Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Girona - Land of Poets and Bandits

A land of poets and bandits   OFELIA DE PABLO
translated from an original article - El Mundo

The Catalan region, attached to Gerona, draws countless bends and stories of misdeeds and some Robin Hood among its lush forests of ancient trees



Slow and lazy, like someone who already knows his way back home, and slide the river Ter by the countless bends that draw part of the territory of the district of Osona. Sanctuary of poets and hideout of bandits, its legends of misdeeds are hidden among thick forests while the verses to play or climb peaks are immersed in the sacred crypts. It is a landscape of green and water, cherished by the moss that collapses without warning into gorges of vertigo looking at how far the sea.

Why write more verses in the sand? Playa del sea from the sky, when I can write to your page with big stars my poems? It is the song of the prince of poets Catalans, Jacint Verdaguer, as he called his followers, who was born in the heart of Osona in Folgueroles. A creator of images, one-Expressionists who drew lines on his beloved Pyrenees mountains in his book-Canigó which became the most important work of the Catalan Renaissance, or extolling the sea at L'Atlàntida, who started next to his stay in Ter at the Shrine of the Gleva.

Verses accompanying the river while it drops land in the north of the region through the lush natural park of the Castle Montesquiu, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, one of the three parks Osona.

IN SEARCH OF MUSHROOMS. A foot and the shoulder bag, the passenger leans to the vertiginous peaks and travels from one end to an incomparable world of pine forests and bojs until one of the most beautiful beech forests of the province: the Grevolosa. His place of nomos Bufadors Els is a micro-lying under trees where the prized mushrooms grow, so celebrated in the local cuisine.

The winding bends of the river twists in curves impossible folding their wishes before the fortifications of castles and Voltregà Oris, who dominated in the past for these sites lead to the Sanctuary of the Gleva. Along the way there to stop to savor local specialties like the Ratafia-appreciated a bitter taste in liquor but intense and full of flavor, which the distillery Sant Quirze still manufactured in a craft or venturing into the world of beekeeping in Stonehouse.

Armed with a special costume and, of the hands of Ramon, you can access the interesting world of bees and collecting your own honey. They also organize visits for children. Before lead to the dam of Sau, the river is left behind the medieval site of Iberian and L'Esquerda occupied since the eighth century BC to get ausetanos by one of the jewels of the Catalan Romanesque architecture: the Monastery of Sant Pere de Casserres. Founded in the year 1005 by the viscounts Osona-Cardona, was the only Benedictine monastery in the region which, for 300 years, had religious activity. Is not paralyzed, despite the vicissitudes of time.

The other side of the SRT. However, during the fourteenth century was virtually abandoned, but has managed to recover a significant portion of its original structure, the central nave, tower, the cloister and the spaces where the monks lived in the eleventh century . The cultural visit continues on the other side of Ter, where the important architectural works of Sant Esteve or Tavernoles of Sant Pere de Savassona.

The latter is located on top of one of the many rock formations in the area, ideal for climbing into their fantastic blocks. Not surprisingly, trains the champion here in the world of climbing, Ramon Julian. For the uninitiated can practice their descent from the rocks: the rappel.

The waters of Ter reach the slopes of the rocky cliffs of stylish and Tavertet The Collsacabra and scatters forming a small sea, 17 kilometers long and three-wide reservoir of Sau, who in 1962 buried the village of San Romá only his sight Romanesque bell tower. The villagers used to this proud survivor of his time as a reference for the water gap, and if the height is adequate, can be considered to swamp the canoe traveling through the arc of the bell.

Located halfway between the Natural Park of Montseny and the Pyrenees, the area of the Valle de Sau The Collsacabra and invite you to enjoy a single area of legends and adventures worthy of Serrallonga bogey of the day, back in the seventeenth century. The Catalan known as Robin Hood was hiding in the mountains of Les Guilleries, south of the region, after committing the most heinous acts. Its beautiful forests of lush vegetation gave shelter to the criminals while, a short distance, in-Folgueroles a little later in time-born great Verdaguer. Today, his house has become one of the oldest literary museums and their footprints are felt throughout the town.

Rising above the Valley of the fortifications Sau gritty Collsacabra embrace of the human heart of the place: Tavertet. It is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful villages in the area. His village, declared of cultural interest, it still retains 48 houses built between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, surrounding the beautiful church of Sant Cristòfol of the eleventh century.In front of the village, the view of the impressive Natural Park Montseny, chaired by the always challenging Matagalls The summit, the breath away.

Suddenly, a sharp decline and endless curves that flow into the swamp of Sau is opened before our eyes, are the routes of the coalfish, old trails that have been recovered for the enjoyment of nature lovers. One proposal is fun to get up on the back of a Segway, skates off, appliances apparent unstable two-wheeled platform and a magic-a small motor and a system of the army-let amount outstanding, traveled roads and enjoy a different form only playing to keep the balance. Not all succeed.

Medieval town. The route through the valley ends in one of the most charming places: Rupit, a small medieval town of which preserves intact its original historic center. Bamboleante suspension bridge crossing its wooden us into a tale of medieval cobbled streets, balconies and beautiful ancestral home, where the stylized bell tower of the baroque church of Sant Miquel defines his profile on the horizon. Nothing better to finish with a wonderful soup with meatballs or roasted a delicious barbecue of grilled meat dotted with mushrooms. And for dessert, the eternal carquiñoles of Rupit. Anthology!

The western part of the district-the-Lluncanés has been home to one of the bandits who immortalized Miguel de Cervantes in his works. Land of legends of witches and passage of transhumance shepherds, the area offers great potential for activities such as mountain bike ride. In Prats is a center where you can rent mountain bikes and also learn of the tours. There's something for all audiences.

It is highly recommended the route of transhumance, or that runs from El Prat Llunçanès and Oristà. Its 15 miles of easy slope allow the study of the environment much more closely. Upon arriving at Oristà can visit his delightful little town with the wonderful hidden crypt under the pre-Romanesque church of Sant Andreu. In his hand, the Pottery Museum of Catalan curious contains more than 5,000 pieces, a real chest full of treasures.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Wines of the Iberian territories


The Story of Catavino

Catavino.net

catar [ka-tár] ES v. to look at, examine; (saber) to taste, sample
vino [bí-no] m. wine
catavino [ka-tá bí-no] .net a site dedicated to the wines of the Iberian Peninsula.

The idea behind moving to Spain began August of 2004, when both Ryan and Gabriella, husband and wife duo, decided to buy a plane ticket to Spain. Now, there are some who may like to “plan” such an adventure, but these two like to live on the edge, daring to fly across the Atlantic to a country they had never seen, speaking a language neither had studied, and creating a life for themselves based on, well, chutzpah! With a few thousand in their back pocket, dollars mind you, Gabriella started teaching English while Ryan scoured the streets for work in the wine trade. After months of coming up empty-handed, Ryan began Catavino in June of 2005 to merely record his frustrations. “For a country that has some of the most incredible and diverse wine in the world, why can’t I find anything comprehensive to educate myself!” he would say.

And then came the lightbulb…

Now based in Barcelona, Spain, the two have founded a company that does just what Ryan begged for, a comprehensive website dedicated to Spanish and Portuguese wine.

Monday, December 08, 2008

Ultimate Christmas scene - Caganer Obama

Only in Catalunya.......

The “Caganer”

Literally translated from Catalan it means “The Shitting Man” or “The Fertilizer”.

The
Caganer was an obliged figure in the Christmas Cribs of the eighteenth century since at that time was believed that with his fertile depositions the soil of the crib will became rich and productive for the coming year! 

It was also believed that he would bring good health and calm to the body and the soul, which is necessary to do the crib with pride and happiness that Christmas brings at home. Putting this jolly little man in the crib used to bring luck and happiness. 

With the course of the time, the original personage of the shitting peasant has evolved and at present days he has been replaced with personalities increasingly famous and relevant in the Catalan, Spanish and world society!
 


The caganer is a very loved and respected figure on the typical Catalan nativity scene. It is not a joke, but totally the opposite, it is a tribute to the person, trade, or activity it represents.

After a very accurate design of the character, we make the plaster cast and we produce each figure one by one by hand, we allow them to dry, and we put them in the oven. After that we paint them again one by one by hand. 

For some years up until today this figure has became a singular symbol and cult for many collectors.

 




Gotimplora - water saving device

The Gotimplora, the Reusable liquid container

A subsidy has been granted to a project which will allow the saving of 2 million liters of water, which will mean a saving productions of 25,000 kilos of plastics 

The Catalan Waste Agency has subsidized the design, manufacture and distribution of a recyclable plastic container with a cup in its base, known as a "gotimplora" (cup + Flask or "canteen"). The product is an initiative of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).

The objective of the gotimplora is to promote the use of recyclable containers among the university community and find an alternative to disposable plastic bottles and cups. 35,000 of these recyclable containers were distributed among students, teaching and administration staff during the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 courses. The Catalan Waste Agency has contributed some 100,000 euros to the project.

The gotimplora is apt for food product usage, it has an Ergonomic design and is made using plastic materials which have a longer than normal useful Lifespan. It can be used for both hot and cold drinks and it is highly heat-resistant. Both its physical characteristics and its design mean that both the cup and the bottle can be used many times over.

To facilitate use, the cup can be used in machines which serve hot coffee and other drinks which have been activated for use without a cup. Both the cup and the bottle can be easily filled using different types of water outlet.

The massive substitution of liquid containers by the UAB gotimplora could mean savings of some 2 million liters of water, while production in plastic savings would total over 25,000 kg, helping to reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere by 232.6 tonnes. 



Sunday, December 07, 2008

Negating the negative - wind power




MADRID .- A team of researchers at the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the Foundation Migros finalizing a device capable of detecting the presence of birds and their trajectory, in order to stop the blades of wind turbines to prevent their death.The device in question, which has a television camera, promises to put an end to the carnage of wind farms around the world, which in some cases has emerged as the most negative impact of wind turbines, tireless producers of renewable energy .

Saturday, December 06, 2008

What Katie did next - Organicismo

"Generally the produce you can get in Spain
 is quite good,
 and much of it is from somewhere in the country,
 but it’s not always easy to know where it’s coming from,
 or how many pesticides have been used to grow it." 
  Katie




Myotis alcathoe by a whisker


Myotis alcathoe is the smallest of all whiskered bats and is usually found in Southern Europe in wooded
valleys with deciduous trees near to streams. An established colony has been found in l'Albera mountains
and is being celebrated by naturalists. Environments such as the one described above are becoming much
rarer in southern Europe and the negative impact on bio diversity is apparent.

Bats are a harmless creatures and consume insect pests like mosquitoes in great numbers.

Friday, December 05, 2008

Olive and Hypertension

The leaves of the olive tree have been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times, and modern lab research suggests that olive leaf extracts have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions. There is also evidence that the extracts have properties that could lower blood pressure.

The current study, published in the journal Phytotherapy Research, included 20 sets of identical twins with "borderline" hypertension -- blood pressure that is above the optimal level of 120/80, but below the cutoff of 140/90 used to diagnose high blood pressure.



Olive Press

The Olive Press is a news publication from Spain's Andalusian region and often carries interesting national and regional news stories. They also provide useful downloads like this.


       



ortnightly News Publication Fortnightly News Publication

Not as bad as we thought?

  The older inhabitants of Yegen, Valor and Mecina Bombaron - those fortunate, well-watered villages of La Alpujarra, have harrowing tales to tell of times when refugees visited them. They came not from some war-zone, but from the drought stricken areas around El Ejido and the Campo de Dalias. They were fleeing the spectre of starvation; seeking food to keep their families alive.

In the space of considerably less than one human lifetime, however, the Third Horseman of the Apocalypse has been banished from these arid pains and Almeria has been transformed into what has been called The Garden of Europe and the richest province in Spain. All thanks to those sprawling hectares of plastic.


BOB MADDOX goes gunning for the greenhouses that cover Spain’s southern coast. But El Gringo Maddox, who normally shoots from the lip when plastic is concerned, finds that those invernaderos could be the key in the fight against global warming

Thursday, December 04, 2008

The chatter of hens


"The train zips on through 
Vic, Centelles, Figaró, La Garriga, 
Granollers-Canovelles, Mollet, Parets del Vallès...
 the harsh sounds of Catalan are poetic to me now. 
Yet, when I first heard the language 
it was like listening to the chatter of hens...."

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Fragrance of a rose

















Tremulous light, the smell of vineyards, the rustic flute
of an ardent nightingale that moans and thinks no more.
Chaste amidst the trees like a virgin fast asleep, 
a row of wheat waving on the hilltop.

Night’s pure bird that makes stars shudder 
with its echoing soul full of plaintive sighs: 
withered roses pave pale carpets 
where the roving light of thought is lost.

Near a star that sheds tears, the fragrance of a rose 
silent and timid, beneath a sky far too pure. 
These azure tears granted you more sweet-scented aroma, 
oh chaste sober sadness of the reclusive soul!

And, while upon the breast of every newborn Spring 
your weeping will live forever, pure bird of night, 
my sigh will perish unnoted, as it falters 
beside the fountainhead of your sweet scent, oh frail rose!

Marià Manent 
(Barcelona, 1898 - 1988)




Tuesday, December 02, 2008

No more morning fields of amber grain

There will be no more morning fields of amber grain 

patterned by swirling wind 

for Ordi has been harvested 

 straw rolled bound and bailed.


 Soon the plough will turn the land 

till then the sheep may forage 

'til they too are harvested

there will be no more morning fields.

(Ordi -barley)

Yorkshire through Spanish Eyes

Having arrived in northern Spain from (North) Yorkshire it was interesting to see our home through Spanish eyes

Espido Freire     



Yorkshire, stone and water
Punished by rain and blizzard, this region of hard men and women in arms take holds scratches on the soul and beauty that only such a bewildering appreciate the romantic. As in Wuthering Heights, the play is that of the stage.

The county of Yorkshire no longer exists: disappeared in 1974 by an Act of Local Government, which led to North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It does not matter too much ...
Espido Freire
Leeds, la ciudad más relevante del antiguo condado. (Foto: O. DE PABLO)
zoom
Leeds, the city's most important ancient county. (Photo: O. DE PAUL)

... As I learned in my travels, there are three ways of doing things: by hook, by crook, and the way of Whitby. And Whitby is one of the cities most representative of the character of Yorkshire. The people of this region continue talking about the county as a reality, its character as a union of almost blood. It is not worth getting lost in legal platitudes.

In another time, when the spinning of the Industrial Revolution alternated with cattle ranching, and when nevaba for months, and just snows, they say with the greatest nostalgia, only rain-durísimo Yorkshire was a place to live.Among the bandits and deserts moors inhabited the most sensible recommended for travelers to make a will before you go into them. The wind was beaten with force, garments of wool is not entirely dry during the winter and disease became more silly pests. The hospitality was as mandatory as in the middle of the Sahara: the neighbors or passers lost could die under the blizzard.

So precisely begins Wuthering Heights, the most famous novel based in Yorkshire, of Emily Brontë. Emily loved the nature of their land, and his book and his poems describe accurately without the slightest condescension its beauty and its contrasts. In this first chapter, a wandering traveler arrives at a home in which, reluctantly, hardly something you can dine and sleep until morning. Rent from another nearby farm, the farm of the rooks, and during their stay will discover this hodgepodge of brutality and passion of those who inhabit the area, to ax molded by the wind and stones.

Intense emotions. 
In Wuthering Heights, as in Yorkshire, was spurned the soft artifice that is located farther south on the lawn neat, in the delicate porcelain. The emotions, such as beer, are intense. The manners direct, frank. The young heroine, Catherine, will say, when choosing between two men: "My love for Linton is like the leaves in the woods: time will change, no doubt, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks, which are hidden beneath our feet, are cause for little pleasure for those who look, but necessary .... "

Something very similar experience when the traveler for the first time nears Yorkshire: should be warned that you may find beautiful places, that the streets of York will surprise you a classic beauty, especially in its impressive cathedral, designed to enable the soul to experience communion with all around him. You may, in a golden sunset, dotted with clouds of color and heather dyed by the crepuscular light, the impression is the perfection of a difficult match. But it will be easier to prepare for scratches on the soul, for a constant bewilderment: the type of beauty that they appreciated the romantic, too, that which does not just react, but it keeps alive the senses.

Leeds, the city most relevant, not forward all of that impression: it is a city of red brick, a paradise for those deemed incomplete without a trip purchases and without good food. In its commercial galleries can walk, eat, or take tea made with clothing and footwear brands are hard to find even in London. From Thursday to Sunday, the nightlife is so alive that even Latinos will cost them believe it. Pubs, discos, restaurants, everything is open for pleasure. The girls take very short dresses without middle entrusted in the heat of the interior.

WITH STYLE. 
York is also not a bad place for fun, but will appeal to those looking for something different: a drink in some of the terraces on the river port, or a dinner in the elegant bistros. It is another thing. With a historical legacy remains dazzling-Vikings, Romans, Normans, medieval ...-, their alleys, including The Shambles, have a charm that is lacking in Leeds: the stores occupy less meters and are more picturesque. York can be very expensive salirle those who enjoy an exotic touch (clothes cut in imitation of the'50s, handpainted silks) or lovers of antiques. If you really want to invest, there are jewelry, furniture and glass from all periods, rated with rigor. In the shops of old there is always something new, a new curiosity.

York is used to be the protagonist of the story. Buffeted by rain in autumn and spring, and Horadada by its two rivers, the Ouse and the Foss, has persisted as a pink stone. As Eboracum as Eoferwic or as JORVIK, was the capital of those who have conquered. Children will enjoy this journey through time that is offered as a tourist route. There are walls and doors and medieval castles and, on many occasions in the street markets that sell toys and sweets.

However, cities are those that allow minors to capture this dramatic atmosphere. It should rent a car and tour the region with a calm, open to various surprises. The cliffs of Scarborough and Whitby in the cobbled streets will give an idea close to the charm of Yorkshire.

Whitby was built around an abbey which sought to enrich themselves with taxes and the percentages of maritime trade of these ports. She was a woman, the Abbess Hilda, which organized the business with a firm hand, and who later bequeathed it to a venerable line of matriarchal princesses and aristocrats.

The ruins of the abbey crowning the city, and his feet lies the cemetery of Santa Maria, distanced itself from the docks by 199 steps: the views of the harbor, the streets with their brightly colored sea and the horizon interrupted by contrails of boats make this city one of the most beautiful of England.

Bram Stoker chose as one of his sources of inspiration: in one of the boats that docked in the area, the Demeter, came the plague vampires. The red eyes of Lucy while walking in the cemetery in ruins, storms ... are part of local folklore. Those who are interested in the Gothic movement should know that twice a year Whitby hosts a weekend dedicated to them.

Harrogate, by contrast, offers serenity. Also around are less dramatic than those that lead to Whitby: there are gentle hills covered with grass and trees, cows with Latex and square.

This is a spa town, which for centuries gained fame for its sulphurous waters. The buildings speak of the popularity it enjoyed in the early twentieth century. The European nobility came on the train from London for bathing and drinking water with a rotten egg flavor.

Even today you can drink. A couple of taps public off the scent of the devil, a sulfur spring. But the First World War began the decline of this gracious city, where luxury cars and shop windows of the first firms indicate that those who had retained. Perhaps that is why Agatha Christie, when they lost the case and nerves for adultery by her first husband, sought refuge here. And then came under a false name in one of the hotels in Harrogate, relaxed, quiet and desmemoriada.

Just a few miles from Harrogate is the Abbey of Fountain. With its imposing arches her and the drama returns. When, in the twelfth century, a handful of Benedictine monks left their monastery in York, one of them donated their protectors in this place a piece of land. With an unusual magnetism, enjoyed an unequaled splendor along 400 years. Later, the Dissolution of the Monasteries ordered that Henry VIII, sentenced her to the disappearance. Not quite: though its stones were used for other construction, the skeletal remains of the abbey. Since the mansion nearby, Studley Royal, the view seems unreal. Many castles are worth visiting. The most impressive, that of Howard, steals your breath: the lamps, stained glass primorosas, the brocade curtains of ... We wrapped it up at the exit, go back to reality.

Less spectacular, but very beautiful, Ripley Castle makes it a good number of centuries past in which religion forced to kill or die, a time of secret corridors, false doors and masses in hiding.

LITERARY ECOS. 
But Yorkshire would not be complete without a visit to the rectory where the Brontë wrote their works, and that was to die young, poor, with little glimmers of what his fame would be then.Haworth, a town of gray stone nailed to the moors, that home is home, church, cemetery at bedtime and wake up to see, and the pub which supplied drugs to his brother, his favorite.

The house crowns the main street, paved, and rises in a sea of tombstones put in place. Among those walls fraguaron are some of the best novels of modern literature. Their portraits are saved, the clock of his father, the sofa on which Emily, who had refused to receive treatment for tuberculosis, dying. The pilgrimage of readers around the world is constant, well-justified. There is an air of sadness, a certain darkness, which remains in the house, and that explains better than any lesson of literature the atmosphere of his works.

The county of Yorkshire no longer exists, but these are merely words on paper. Since the reefs of the east coast, the limit of forests in the south, on the cliffs dotted with shell or fleece wool, the fascination of this land remains intact. A region of hard men and women in arms take, survivors of the adverse conditions that turned into a haven of luxury and splendor. Catch and seduces.And care, and in its underground springs, secrets and whispers. 


Monday, December 01, 2008

Outcrop of Stonecrops - Kalanchoe




Kalanchoe ‘Luciae’ a member of the stonecrops family was an unexpected summertime introduction to our garden here in Spain. This native of South Africa forms an impressive looking specimen 3’0” wide and 2’0” tall, its fleshy leaves have a red edge which intensifies in colour in the cooler winter months.

We had looked at some expensive potted large specimen plants and others which were quite tiny rooted cuttings but had decided to forgo our chance to purchase either or of the plants on offer. 

 I found two long branches of the Kalanchoe at the garden recycling point so I recycled them into our garden. Although the stems looked a little wizened I knew that this was part of the plants survival strategy, and that the calloused ends of the stem would root easily given a little water and encouragement. Sure enough after a few weeks in the seed and cutting (raised) beds the plants began to grow away producing new leaves and shoots. We already have an impressive looking regenerated plant, long before those yellow flower spikes are produced in springtime. I have rooted a smaller piece of stem successfully and we are monitoring the growth rate; our intention being to strike further cuttings from the parent plants. 

Kalanchoe can survive temperatures around freezing point so I will keep them in the freely draining raised beds until the worst of the winter weather is passed. There is already snow falling on the mountains above 200 metres just a little way inland. We are at 101 metres and get a little respite from the worst of the weather by the effects of the Mediterranean Sea which is 20kms to the east.