2013 Los Amigos Mijas Costa.

I'm not quite sure how I found a special offer, online, for a stay in a studio at Los Amigos Beach Club in Mijas Costa Southern Spain. So with our new found freedom from animals we decided to have a months break in the sun. We left Castandet on the 10th of January and drove over the border and down towards Madrid. I had booked us in for an overnight stop at the hotel Juaneca in San Agustin de Guadalix just north of Madrid. Looking at the map it seemed as if the hotel was adjacent to the main road but our sat nav had other ideas! We made a joint decision to obey the sat nav and ended up in some exclusive, private development high up in the hills! We retraced our steps and stopped in the middle of the village to ask directions. It seemed to be tapas time and I leaped out of the car and asked a group of chaps, standing around on a cafe terrace, glasses in hand, where the hotel was. It was indeed at the side of the main road and we finally arrived, probably an hour or so later than we should have done without the help of the sat nav! We left early next day in order to circumnavigate Madrid before it got too busy. It was a vain hope that it wouldnt be too busy but with the sat nav behaving itself we survived without mishap and carried on our journey to la Cala de Mijas. We were pleased with our accomodation which was a studio apartment and the bed folded up into the wall, all very well designed and comfortable. We unpacked our belongings and settled in for our 4 week stay. There was a heated, indoor pool at the complex which we made full use of, mainly during Spanish lunch hour when it was relatively quiet. We also made full use of the miniature golf which provided us with lots of fun., It was only a short drive into la Cala, a small town by the beach with all facilities. The older town of Mijas was a few kilometres up in the hills. One day we drove up there to meet up with friends Mags and Tony who had driven down from their holiday resort of Nerja to join us for lunch. I discovered some stables not too far away and had a good ride out on a very nice horse in some interesting countryside high up and away from the coast.One day we visited the "exclusive"resort of Marbella which we found to be over-rated and very busy. The coast road that runs from Malaga down to Marbella and then Gibralter is very busy and not the most pleasant of roads to drive on. We had a day trip to Ronda to meet up with friends feom Devon, Paul and Steph, who now live near Seville. It was many years since i had seen them, N had met Steph but not Paul when we lived in Dalwood. It was good to see them and we had a very pleasant lunch with them. They invited us to stay over at their place on our return journey. Another week at Las Amigas and all too soon it was time to leave and make our way back. Looking at the map for the route toPaul andd Steph's we decided to explore the historic town of Osuna.and have lunch there before continuing our journey. I have forgotten the name of the village where Steph and Paul lived although to be fair we never saw a village! There house was set well back from the road along a track through the vines. Due to Paul's explicit directions we found it without anyproblems. We soon settled in and met the various animals and had a tour of their smallholding. Paul is building what looks to be a bery large boat, im not sure how he will get it to the sea which is a long way away! Next day we went to the outskirts of Seville with them as Paul needed some DIY supplies and we had lunch in the commercial centre. Seville is huge and busy infact we have circumnavigated it twice and got lost both times even with the sat nav! I still havent managed to see the town centre, one day perhaps! Another pleasant evening with them and then it was time to leave and continue our journey home. We stayed at the hotel Juanesca again and next day were back in Castandet.

2012 continuation.

This blog seemed to fall by the wayside after my last post in 2012. Life in Castandet trundled along and now without any canine companions we realised that the world was our oyster! It's now 2021 and im trying, with the help of memory and photos, to document our life in the last 10 years. We packed up and left on the 17th October to start a trip back to England. We stayed overnight at the Lemon hotel near Futuroscope. Very basic but i'd taken a meal to warm up in the microwave in the communal kitchen there. We arrived at the fery port in Le Havre only to discover that we had arrived a day early!Not my finest moment but better to be a day early. Every cloud has a silver lining though and this gave us a day to explore Le Havre which turned out to be a very pleasant town indeed. My memory gets a bit hazy here as my photos tell me we drove straight uo to Yorkshire from Portsmouth, not a drive that I can remember so it must have been relatively uneventful. I think we stayed with Ken and Kay for a couple of nights and met up with Christine and David and visited Saltaire and Salts Mill always one of my favourite places to visit having been brought up within a stones throw of the mill. We visited my cousin Margaret in Rathmell and her brother Peter and wife Jean came over for the afternoon. We had a lovely walk through the beautiful dales countrside for a break to a tea shop before returning to Margaret's. Next day, 26/10, we left and drove up to the lake district. We stopped off in Windermere which was very crowded and then had lunch before driving on to our hotel in Coniston. The Coniston Inn appeared to be an old country house which had been converted into a very appealing hotel set in it's own grounds adjacent to the shore of the lake. During our two days here we explored the small town and the highlight of the visit, for Nigel anyway, was an afternoon spent at a farm sale! Lots of old farming equipment for him to marvel at. From Coniston we drove up to Durham where we were booked in at the Seven Stars hotel on the outskirts of the city for 2 nights. Nigel is starting to research his family history and our visit here was to visit county hall and the archives. As my birth mother was from the area I was also able to do some research. There's a bit of a gap in my memory here as by the 2/11 we were staying with Annie in Woodbury. I dont think we would have done the journey in one go so I think we may have had an overnight stay in Stratford on Avon to visit my old friend and neighbour Isobel. The next few days were spent in Devon where I celebrated my 70th birthday. On the 3rd, my actual birthday, I left Nigel with Annie and Steve picked me up and took me over to Dave and Sheila's at South Chard. The first Saturday of November is traditionally the opening meet of hunts in the UK. My birthday outing was to be to ride to the meet, but not hunt, on Romeo a magnificent coloured cob of Dave's. As soon as we arrived Sheila pressed a glass of whiskey into my hands and introduced me to Romeo. Jan was there and we all had a wonderful ride over to Cotley house. Lots of chat and laughter. So many people I knew at the meet and so little time to chat with them. All too soon it was time for hounds to mive off and I had to relinquish Romeo to Dave and Sheila's granddaughter to hunt for the day. A very special day. Next day Steve organised a small party for me and Annie kindly let us use her house as the venue. Another memorable day. Annie and Trevor had gone to great pains to decorate the house, so touched to have such good friends. Next day we were on the road again and had an overnight stay in West Wycombe at the George and Dragon. John and I had stayed there many years ago when we started our house hunting for our move to the area in 1967. A trip back in time the next day as we drove to Naphill to see the house where John and I had lived all those years ago, Claremont, on the common. We also drove past RAF Strike Command where I had worked and the Wheel Inn which had been our local and was now closed. Then on to have a look around High Wycombe a town of which Nigel also had many memories having lived nearby in his younger days. On the road again to Windsor where we stayed at the New Oscar overnight. Windsor is Nigel's birthplace and it holds many memories for him. Nigel flew from Heathrow to Toronto on the 8th to meet up with and spend a couple of weeks with his newly found half brother, Roger and family. The next bit is a mystery as i must have returned, on my own, to Castandet. I assume i caught the ferry from Portsmouth but have no recollection of this! The year ended with Christmas celebrations with our friends Jane and Michael. Jane had recently had knee surgery and was in convalescence. She was allowed out for the day so Michael went to collect her and Nigel and I went over to theirs and prepared the Christmas meal. We stayed overnight afterwards.

Riding.

After getting back in the saddle again whilst in New Zealand I felt that I really wanted to continue now that we are back home. I spent quite some time on the internet trying to find somewhere where it was possible to go out for a hack in the surrounding forest. It's not easy here as riding seems to be much more regimented and based on lessons in the school. After a couple of enquiries I had a chat with Luc in  St Justin http://www.cheval-landes.com/P1.htm who is about a half hour drive away. He explained that he had a group of more mature people (!) every Monday morning and that every 3 or 4 times they would go out for a hack in the forest and the other times they work in the school. He invited me to go over the next Monday and see if I wanted to join them.

I duly went and met Luc, his wife Karine and the other riders. There are 6 other ladies and one (brave) man. The horses and ponies are all well schooled and are used competively, Luc and Karine compete in 2 star 3 day events. Very differrent mounts to the usual riding school hacks . Luc said that I would be riding Korigan, a Connemara, and explained that when we get there we catch the horse, groom him and tack him up. So, that done I got on him and we all rode up to the large manege where we had our lesson. It was hard work, it's a long time since I have done any serious riding but I thoroughly enjoyed the hour although I was quite glad when it ended as I felt that I had done enough!! It was easy to make the decision to carry on each Monday morning and hopefully it will get less tiring.
The second week we went out for a ride in the forest which is immediately adjacent to the stables. Hundreds of hectares of forest, pine and oak trees, in which it would be so easy to get lost. A relaxing hour after last weeks hard work!
Since then I have been another 3 times and we have worked in the school and I am pleased to say that I am now finding it much easier and so enjoying it. Luc is a good teacher and makes each lesson very interresting. One week we were cantering between bollards and did some jumping. One week we worked on transitions from walk to trot and to canter. One more lesson on Monday and then I shall miss 4 weeks when we are back in England but I shall be looking forward to returning when we get back.

Noces de Platine - 70 years married!

I collected the post one morning and found a card with a photo of an elderly couple that we didn't recognise and an invitation to help them celebrate a mass in the village church for their seventieth wedding anniversary. I asked our neighboours, Jeanne and Cristel, about it and they said that the family of the couple had invited the whole village to the mass as a surprise for the couple, Fernande and Albert. We arranged to go with them on Saturday the 15th September.

We all arrived at the church in good time and soon the church was full of villagers and relatives of the couple. The church had been beautifully decorated and had a festive feel. There were 3 priests in attendance, our parish priest, a priest from Aire sur l'Adour who was deputising for the priest from Grenade who was on holiday, and a priest from the diocese.
Finally, when all were seated , Fernande and Albert walked down the aisle, the same aisle that they had walked down 70 years previously. It was very emotional and we felt so priviliged to be able to take part in their celebrations. Fernande is 89, walks with a stick and is blind. Albert at 92 is upright and looks years less than his age. He carefully guided his wife down the aisle and to seats in the chancel.
From the priests address we learnt that when war broke out Albert, who was living in Alsace, was evacuated with many others from his village and after a long journey was welcomed to Castandet. The priest recounted how Fernande was part of the welcoming party and that it was her job to distribute glasses of refreshing water to the evacuees after their long and exhausting journey. Poetically he recounted that when Fernande gave Albert a glass of water it contained friendship and love and that their meeting then was the start of their long relationship.
It was a very emotional service and wewere glad that we had been invited to share in the families celebrations for Fernande and Albert.

Back Home.

We finally arrived back in France, at Bordeaux airoort, on Wednesday the 22nd of August after our 6 month stay in the Southern hemisphere. Although the weather in the UK had been pleasant we were met by a temperature of 35C as we left the plane. We were soon through immigration and customs and in good time to catch the shuttle bus to the Gare St Jean in the centre of town. In such good time that we were able to catch an earlier train than expected and were able to call Michael and tell him that we would be arriving in Mont de Marsan earlier than expected. Jill and John had left our car with Michael so he came to pick us up in that and take us back to his place. Jane had prepared a meal for us and they invited us to stay the night before coming back home, a good idea as it turned out as it gave us a chance to relax and have a good nights rest.
Next morning it was still hot and we had a dip in the pool before having a leisurely breakfast and saying our goodbyes. We called at Carrefour in St Sever to do a shop on the way home. It all seemed so strange after being away from France for so long. Having to get used to driving on the right again although, thankfully, it soon came back to me. Carrefour seemed so different after shopping in New Zealand but I was pleased to be able to buy duck again, one of the few things that I had missed during our stay!
Finally we arrived home and were able to unload the car, open  the shutters and get used to being back in our own home. It almost felt like moving in all over again after being away for so long and made me realise how much I like my house! The garden was looking good, Jill had planted tomatoes, beans, cabbage, broccoli and Swiss chard so there were plenty of veggies ready to be picked. It felt strange returning from winter in the south to summer in the north, back to summer clothes and summer food again. It was very hot and everything was so dry so one of the first jobs, in the cooler evening, was to give the plants a good soaking.
It took a while to settle in again and get our bearings  but after a week or two it almost felt as if we had never been away!

Visit to a cider house in Spanish Basque country.

On Saturday the 5th November we went on a trip from Castandet to the Spanish Basque country. The trip was organised by the village fair committee and some of the cost of the day was underwritten by them. The weather was far from promising, pouring rain, but undaunted we arrived at the mairie at 8pm prompt. There didn't seem to be too many people there and on asking I found out they only 15 people were expected. A great shame that there wasn't more support from local people. We only knew one other person, Bernard a neighbour of ours, but by the end of the day we were all great friends! The coach didn't arrive until 8.15 so it was about 8.30 by the time we left. We stopped at Soubrosse to pick up supplies from a boulangerie and then about 10.30 we stopped, at a motorway service area, for breakfast. Due to the rain we had to take cover in the toilet area but that didn't spoil the enjoyment of the somewhat sumptuous snack that was provided. A good array of fresh baquettes, pate, pain au raisins, pains au chocolat and apple turnovers. As well as hot coffee from flasks there was also a choice of red or rose wine. A bit early in the day but what the hell, when in France!! I made a couple of trips to the coach with coffee and patisserie for the lady who was sitting near us as she was rather incapacitated due to a knee operation.

An hour or so later we set off again and were soon driving past Bayonne and to the Spanish border. Once over the border we stopped at one of the many supermarkets to give people the chance to shop. At one time a lot of things were cheaper in Spanish supermarkets but now it seems that apart from tobacco and some alcohol there is not much price difference. We bought a couple of bottles of sherry as that doesn't seem to be sold here and a bottle of port. We were soon back at the coach as we had been told that we wouldn't be stopping for long. However it was about another hour before the rest of the party made their way back to the coach after, it seemed, spending time in the bar!
Finally we were on the last leg to the cider house of Aginaga where we arrived shortly before 2pm. These Basque cider houses seem to be popular tourist attractions in both Spanish and French Basque regions. We entered a huge hall, at one side of the entry was a bar and at the other a huge open fire and piles of beef ribs. Opposite, on the far wall, were barrels of cider and wine set into the wall. In  between were rows of trestle tables some already occupied . We were offered one then another aperitif so became resigned to the fact that we may be the last ones to start eating. The wine and cider in the barrels was available freely so I did try a drop of the cider but was not very impressed with it. Being aware of the fact that the wine would be flowing during the meal I thought it best not to mix my drinks!
By now we were all in a very jolly mood and we finally sat down to the mammoth meal. Jugs of wine, red and rose, were filled (and refilled) and set on the table. The first course was a local dish of omelette of salt cod. It doesn't sound very appetising but was in fact very acceptable although that could have been due to the fact that I was starving! Next we had fresh cod with grilled peppers. Then the piece de resistance a huge beef rib cooked over the open fire. It's a long time since I have tasted such good beef, cooked just right as well. Second helpings were brought and I couldn't resist them! Then a dish of dressed green salad with onions and to finish cheese and quince paste.
As we had been pretty late eating it was now going on for 6pm and our coach driver was keen to leave. We had no sooner pulled out of the car park than the singing started! Thankfuly most of them were at the back of the coach as although it was very jolly it was far from being tuneful Occasionally one of the younger ones came down to the front to serenade us and at one point one of them got down on his knees and begged me to sing something in English. Those of you who know me will know that I am completely tone deaf but my protestations fell on stony ground and eventually I gave in. A spirited rendidtion of Rock around the Clock followed by God Save the Queen soon stopped any further requests and we were left in relative peace for the rest of the journey home!
It certainly was a day to remember and a meal to remember and we made lots of new bosom pals!

Rambo. 1999-2011

I think that Rambo came to stay with us in 2001. He had been born at Bidau a neighbouring property belonging to Gilbert and Francoise. They always seemed to have a "pack" of dogs of varying breeds and sizes. In the summer of 2000 Gilbert and Francoise left to spend most of the year in Corsica where Francoise had a job and they introduced us to Sylvain and Annie who were going to stay at Bidau to look after the property and the animals. Gilbert and Francoise returned for the school holidays and the two couples soon fell out and the arrangement fell through. As Sylvain and Annie had nowhere to live we offered them space on our land to put a caravan until they were able to find somewhere more permanent. Rambo came with them much, I think, to Gilbert's distress as he always claimed that he was his favourite dog. As Gilbert's idea of caring for animals left much to be desired I believe that Rambo had a lucky escape!
Sylvain and Annie were with us for 6 months until they found jobs and accomodation in the Dordogne but they were unable to take Rambo with them. At that time we had Titi and Luna and were not intending to take on any other dogs but knowing that Rambo was such a nice, well behaved chap we offered to have him.
He was quite a big dog of mixed breeding, his mother looked like a black labrador and his father was unknown but we suspect that he had some Beauceron blood in him as he displayed many facets of that breed. As he had always lived out of doors we made a bed for him in the old house next to our house and he soon made that his home.. He got on well with Luna and put up with Titi! Although he could have wandered off he never showed any desire to leave the immediate area of the house. He enjoyed  walks, with us,through our fields and  up into our woods but never had the desire to go off on his own. He became a firm favourite with all our visitors and would leap over the gate onto the track if he heard a car coming down from the road.
Eventually Titi died and Luna and Rambo became firm friends. In 2007 both Rambo and Luna made the move to Castandet with us leaving behind the freedom of our 20 hectares of Ariege. Thankfully they both settled well in their new home and Rambo finally became a "house" dog. Strangely, as he had never been in a house before, he soon made his favourite resting place at the top of the stairs leading up to our attic. The garden here is not fenced but is bounded by hedges and Luna, our resident escapologist, soon discovered places where she could squeeze through and Rambo, of course, followed. Luckily this didn't happen too often but they did both get in the habit of going up our paddock, at the back of the house, nipping over the bank to our neighbours and paying them a visit. Thankfully Jeanne and Christel were only too happy to see them and give them a titbit beofre sending them back home.Sadly Luna became diagnosed with diabetes in 2008 and in 2009 it was time to say goodbye to her and bury her in the garden.
Rambo now became top dog and soon became an international traveller too as we took him to Devon for Christmas 2009. He travelled well and seemed unconcerned at being left in the car for the ferry crossing. At Steve and Sasa's he soon became firm friends with their dog Scout, a female Springer spaniel, and enjoyed many walks around the fields. Scout was much too fast for him and he soon gave up trying to keep up with her though.
Then he was back again to Devon for Christmas 2010 and also for another couple of months whilst we went to New Zealand. My friend Titch had kindly offered to look after him for the duration. Once again he travelled well and was thrilled, when we arrived at Titch's to find the ground covered in thick snow in which he revelled in rolling. He apparently had a good stay there having a long walk with Titch each morning and on days when she was out he was walked by her neighbour, Amanda, who fell in love with him. Amanda took him to a dog show where he scooped 3 prizes, Best Veteran, Most Handsome and Judge's Favourite. We were happy to find him looking so fit and well when we returned at the end of March. We had a few days with Steve and Sasa and Rambo resumed his friendship with Scout.
Back home Rambo soon resumed his morning visits to Jeanne and Christel who were thrilled to see him safely back home. We went to Ariege at the beginning of August for a few days, to stay with Martin and Meike. Rambo had an uneasy relationshiip with their dog, Chai. At their first meeting a couple of years previously they had had a fight disputing who was going to lie in front of the house door. It seemed that Rambo won as he claimed that position and ever afterwards they kept their distance and Chai seemed to know that when Rambo arrived he had to give up his place. All was well for a couple of days but on the Saturday night, on the day before we were due to leave, Rambo didn't eat his evening meal. By Sunday morning he was very quiet and we were concerned about him wondering if it was perhaps tick fever (piroplasmosis). We called at friends, Kate and Peter's, for lunch on the way back and Rambo did eat a little left over steak but was definitely not himself.
I rang the vet on Monday morning and took Rambo in first thing. A quick check allayed my fears re the tick fever and the vet could not find anything specifically wrong but took a sample of blood. We called at the vet in the evening, on the way to see friends, and he gave us the bad news that Rambo's kidneys were failing and were only working at 20% efficiency. By Tuesday morning it was obvious that he was a very sick dog and after phoning the vet there was only one solution. I had to take him in for his final visit on the Tuesday afternoon and the hours in between seemed intereminable as Rambo laid beside me. His eyes looked so sad and he didn't want to move. Finally the time came and he got in the car for his last trip. I stayed with him until the end, heartbreaaking but the right thing to do to allay any further suffering and I said goodbye to him for the last time. Once again one of our dogs has had to leave us, it is always a heartrending situation