missing holiday

I woke at 5 this morning and for the first time in the festive period I did not have a screaming pain in my ear, or nausea permeating my body; I am not going to try driving yet - still 100% deaf in one ear and its uncomfortable and still affecting my balance I feel totally washed out but definitely improving, I have even eaten food that is not plain boiled rice - marvelous I will be well enough to be back into the joys of assessment on Monday. This seems to be a fairly consistent pattern of being ill as soon as I get a few days off work and I know colleagues and ex colleagues who report similar and years ago as a Primary teacher the same was often reported amongst staff. It does seem rather odd as well as inconvenient, if I can stave off illness week after week while working why does it overwhelm me when I have the chance to do what I love doing? That is the time I need to be fending off illness. Stress is supposed to make us more prone to illness but in my experience work based stress helps us at least stave off the symptoms if not overcome the cause; I guess something in me tells my body it has to keep going if I am at work but once time off arrives it is merely a case of 'I would like to keep going' but I guess I don't internally tag that as essential even though there is fun to be had and a house in urgent need of being sorted out. Its been perfect weather for kayaking, walking or even snorkeling, I missed a chance to make music with friends on the 31st, no doubt Monday will see the wind get up and weeks will pass before tranquility returns. Hopefully that is me well again, at least until my next holiday at Easter.

Feliz Fiestas

We had a quiet but wonderful Christmas, the boys opened some presents when Kate was here, some on Christmas day and they have more presents to come when they get to the UK so a bit of an extended input of new stuff and they seem fine with that. We spent most of Boxing day with friends on the beach and at home doing Wii sports, laughing and eating far too much, there is another party planned for old years night. The weather has been mixed a few showers and grey hours but a lot of sunshine too, warm enough for a few beach outings. Lunchtime today was very like a warm May day in Cornwall, filled with birdsong and not a breath of wind, it is 4 pm here as I write and long streaks of charcoal and blue clouds have moved in and covered the sky but its still warm enough. Apart from holiday stuff its been a planning time, we have sort of stopped thinking about long term plans until we get the next few weeks over although we have been working through what needs to be done to the house over the next few months...lots.

Winter arrives...sort of

It has been a strange time recently, loads of stuff to think about and very busy at work too. My daughter made it through the bad weather in the UK although was delayed by the air traffic staff shortage. The weather gave a real mix while she was here, we set off to go to Valdovino beach but Kate spotted some snowy patches peeping over the hills in the distance, we turned up a rough track and jiggled our way up to the wind turbines from where we could see snow on the hills from near San Andreas to the mountains beyond As Pontes so we turned round and headed inland a beach day turned to snowballs in about 40 mins of driving... BTW all pics taken within the last two weeks courtesy of Kate as our camera is out of action.

Just like when we go to the beach they do the wrong things first

 Snowboy

 Snowboytoo

 Snow Bear

Then we had some rain days, not a lot though - that is the car park at Vilarrube, the scale is hard to gauge - that is a huge magnificent weeping Willow you can park 5 cars under it.

and some beach days

 

At the same time as the UK went into the big freeze, in Galicia the boys went snorkelling at Pantin 

Rowan did endless handstands

We found starfish at  Vilarrube

 

We kayaked at Vilarrube

 

 Callum is getting the hang of kayaking solo.

So is Rowan 

and on the lake
 

The cats have now found out how to get onto the roof of the adjoining ex butchers shop and from there onto the house roof. Not got a photo of them so here is Sally on the van in front of the roof with a very repaired pair of kayaks

After two years the little scrap of a kitten we were given by Geraldine that was called Wildthing now called Rolly is starting to trust us enough to come into the house and complain about late dinner and do rubbing and stuff but he has yet to learn to purr. 

The boy are a lot happier now they know they are going to an English school again and are looking forward slightly nervously to a new school in West Sussex. We have been home teaching and Kate joined in too 

Kitchen science with Kate

And on the back steps too

Horse riding at Ortigueira lead to an unexpected, but lovely,  long walk for those not on horses

We also had an unexpected evening of live entertainment 

Go dude go

 Some big drawings

and some big jumpings...naughty but how do you stop them at that age?

The camera is going to be out of action for 6 weeks or so and that makes it hard to show the garden. There is not much point in planting much veg, we need to think of what will be ripe when we are around again in Summer, mostly fruit I think. At the moment the Physalis are still standing up to the changeable weather and providing a regular picking, it looks like we will have some sweet little Brussels for Christmas and perhaps a few parsnips. We still have a few lettuce and various Chinese veg growing, nice carrots, turnips and beetroot, artichokes and asparagus are looking healthy both should crop this coming year. All of the fruit trees we planted have thrived apart from the nectarine but it is doing OK. The, Holly, Ash, Hazel, Chestnut, etc are all settled in and the Silver Birches planted along the top and bottom boundary are little fountains of golden pennies, a hint of the glory that they will be in a few years time. Beech does not do too well though it doesn't like the dry Summers I am hoping that once the roots get deep enough they will be OK. The azaleas are starting to flower and we have a rose in flower just. Scotch bonnet chili is still cropping mmmmm. We transplanted some bilberries when we found a little bush mashed by a logging vehicle on the side of a track and they are doing really well amongst the heathers where the eucalyptus trees were.

Where we will end up in the longer term is still very uncertain. Scotland was totally and utterly amazing but already very cold before the big freeze hit, not sure I would enjoy gardening if I had to fend of weather like they are getting just now. Even Cornwall is looking relatively cold when viewed from Valdovino; 15C here today at 3pm.  I am staying on here for a month or two to get some updating work finished and give the whole place a lick of paint inside and out without it instantly being covered in boy handprints. The flue needs replaced, the drive is half way to being reformed, one bathroom needs a new suite and tiles, the forest is still to be cleared properly, we have had deer and wild boar in the garden recently so I really should get the fence (80 meters) and gate finished before I head back to the UK, I had better get busy over the Christmas break. 

I hope you have a wonderful winter break.

Merry Everything to everyone.