The Green, Green Vegetables of Home

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Marianne under Axarquía, Slice of Life

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I’ve mentioned before that we don’t live in a town, city or even a small village. We live in the open countryside (known locally as el campo), so our garden isn’t the kind of cultivated area we used to have back in England. Our house was built onto a hill-side of almond trees and indeed, when we moved here almost eight years ago, the only things that were already planted (apart from the naturally-placed wildflowers) were 47 established almond trees, on almost an acre of land. Of course, the area immediately around the house, car park, swimming pool and terraces is flat but the rest of our land is sloped, and we have chosen to leave a more “natural” look further away from the house, to blend in with the surrounding countryside.

As time as gone by we have added many more trees, shrubs and bushes and I have previously posted photographs of lemons, apple blossom, bird of paradise flowers, figs, oranges and some of the many beautiful wildflowers at present gracing the garden.

Despite the apparent poor quality of the soil, the valley where we live is extremely green with trees and vines growing down the hillside. Newly planted trees need care for the first year or two, but once established seem to thrive, provided they are given sufficient irrigation.

The nature of the ground is generally sloping, rough and rocky with poor, shallow soil over bedrock. Untended ground is usually very hard (with need for a pick-axe to dig holes for planting) allowing deluges of rain little chance to penetrate the soil, thereby creating deep channels where the water has run off .

However, it’s not all bad news as there are patches of slightly deeper soil here and there, and it’s one of these that last week we decided to transform into a small vegetable patch.

We were able to buy some little plug plants in Vélez-Málaga, at a total cost of just over 11 euros and, after quite a bit of digging, raking and throwing out stones, we finally got to plant red, green and hot peppers, chard, squash, green beans, red and green lettuce, red onions, fennel and melons.

After three days, I can report that the little plants appear to be doing well. I’ll keep you posted on their progress!

Previous posts you might find interesting:

A Slice of Life: Garden and Plant Irrigation

Flowering snapshot of a January day around the garden

Wildflowers of Andalucía: Dutchman’s Pipe

Wildflowers of Andalucía: Dutchman’s Pipe

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Marianne under Axarquía

When I was wandering in the garden the other day, I noticed these gorgeous wildflowers growing in the shade of some of the almond trees. Strangely enough, there is just this one patch of them, and I’ve never noticed them before! They are a purple/brown colour (some with a yellow/beige interior), have heart shaped leaves, and are a climber/vine.

I looked in my flower book, but couldn’t identify them, so I posted a photo onto Facebook and sure enough, someone knew what they were – Aristolochia baetica.

According to Wikipedia they belong to the Aristolochia/birthwort family, with their common names “Dutchman’s pipe” and “pipevine” being an allusion to old-fashioned meerschaum pipes at one time common in the Netherlands and Northern Germany.

“Birthwort” (e.g. European birthwort A. clematitis) refers to these species’ flower shape, resembling a birth canal.

I think they look like a bird’s nest full of baby birds with their beaks open, waiting to be fed! What do YOU think?

CBBH Photo Challenge: KNOBS AND KNOCKERS

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Marianne under CBBH Photo Challenge

Forget bells and intercoms – this month’s CBBH Photo Challenge is all about decorative door furniture, to make an entrance look perfect.

Of course, the purpose of a door knocker is to let the householder know there is someone at the door, but at some point in history they took on shape and symbolic meaning. I’ve seen protective dogs and lions, honorary wreaths, severed hands, mythological references to Medusa and Cleopatra, as well as elegant and ornate displays of wealth in polished brass.

There are some really interesting knobs and knockers out there, just waiting to be discovered and photographed. CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOURS!

SPOILER: SCROLL DOWN FOR DETAILS OF HOW TO GET MY $25 THANK YOU GIFT – FOR EACH ONE OF YOU!

I photographed this beauty in the Spanish city of Toledo, at the end of last summer. Isn’t it amazing?!

Used frequently as door knockers, another vestige of the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula is the Hand of Fatima. Fatima Zahra was the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed, and the hand door knockers are talismans used to ward off the evil eye, and offer protection to the household.

This may not be a photo of a fancy door knob, but it is a significant one. Around many of the little villages in Andalucía there is often a morning bread delivery. The little van from the panaderia winds its way around the steep streets, leaving a loaf of bread tied to the doors of many of the houses, in much the same way that the milkman used to make his early morning deliveries to make sure you had your daily pint of milk, back in the UK. Does that still happen I wonder? 🙂

So, there you have them – some grand knockers on plain doors, some quite plain knobs and knockers on grand doors.

This month’s CBBH Featured Blogs:

** The Legion of Door Whores has a collaboration of contributors who post doors of many descriptions they have photographed. Considering the theme of this month’s challenge, l was delighted to find a particularly splendid pair of door knobs in Girona, Spain as well as these fine brass knobs in Buenos Aires, along with a host of other doors in all shapes, sizes and condition. If you are a bit of a Door Whore yourself, you will be amazed at some of the beautiful photographs posted onto this blog.

** Kiva is a non-profit organization close to my own heart, with a mission to connect people through lending, to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world. Learn more about how it works.

Kiva gives you the chance to make small loans to borrowers working to start businesses and improve their lives. I’m already a Kiva lender and as a way of saying thank you for your support of my blog, I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER YOU A $25 FREE TRIAL.

To redeem your Free Trial all you have to do is CLICK THIS LINK and choose who to lend your money to – BUT HURRY – THERE IS A LIMITED NUMBER OF FREE TRIALS. IT WON’T COST YOU A PENNY – I PROMISE! Kiva will notify me if any of my readers take up a Free Trial, but I’d love you to still let me know in the Comment section, below.

TOGETHER, LET’S TRY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE THIS MONTH!

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for MAY, everyone!

Remember, all you have to do is post your entry by the end of the month, tag your entry ‘CBBH Photo Challenge’, link back to this blog and, most importantly, don´t forget to add links to any two blogs that you´ve commented on during the past month, so that we can all HOP OVER and have a look. Make sure you FOLLOW THIS BLOG so you don´t miss next month´s exciting challenge!

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

I hope everyone taking part enjoys the exposure the CBBH Photo Challenge offers to featured blogs and, who knows, you may end up finding a new favourite! I´m looking forward to seeing your interpretations.

[CBBH logo Image credit: (cc) Mostly Dans]

Last couple of days

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Marianne under CBBH Photo Challenge

This is the lovely view across the bay at La Herradura (which is the Spanish word for horseshoe).

Don’t forget, there are only two days left to get your entries in for this month’s CBBH Photo Challenge: MULTI-COLOURED. New challenge starts on Wednesday!

Home-made Hummamole Dip

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Marianne under Recipes

Now that the good weather’s here, I’m always on the lookout for delicious and nutritious recipes for the summer months.

I’ve never been a big fan of Hummus or Guacamole, finding both chickpeas and avocado rather bland in their own ways. But combined, with a few extras thrown in – I’m loving my Hummamole, and I’m sure you will, too!

Here’s how to make it:

Home-made Hummamole Dip

Ingredients

1 large avocado (approx150g after being peeled and pitted)

1 jar of chickpeas – drained and washed (approx. 150g)

2 fat cloves of garlic – peeled and crushed

1 small red onion – peeled and chopped

½ cup fresh cilantro – chopped (you could use fresh mint leaves instead, if you prefer)

2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 lemons – juiced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Pinch of hot chilli powder

A few twists of black pepper

Method

Simply throw all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add a little water to thin out the consistency if you prefer.

I usually cut some batons of carrots, red and green peppers, celery and red onions for dipping in, and the Hummamole will keep in the fridge for a few days.

It’s as simple as that!

Other posts you might enjoy:

Easy No-Bake Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Cookies

Cost of living in southern Spain

CBBH Photo Challenge – Multi-coloured