Easter Monday BBQ

Traditionally, the Easter Monday BBQ is held at Rosi and Pablo's farmhouse which is situated 15 minutes away along the river valley. However, we have been having a strong, cold wind for the last few days, so it was agreed that it would be better in our bodega.

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We all went shopping in the morning for the meat, fish, bread and vegetables and prepared them when we returned. Pablo and Manolo cooked the artichokes, alcachofas, which we ate after the first course of ham, prawns, olives and cheese.


The lamb cutlets and chops, chuletas y costillas, were served with a mixture of roasted red peppers, pimientos rojo, and aubergines, berenjenas...


...followed by a variety of cakes and pastries, delicious!

La Fresneda antiques.

La Fresneda is the nearest village to us and it was full of people from all over on Saturday for the antique market.

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There was a very wide range range of antiques...



...as well as local tradesmen exhibiting their skills.

Pear blossom and weeds.

Our pear tree has started to blossom. Last year the pears were rather poor so we radically pruned the tree a couple of months ago, which is why it looks a rather strange shape now.

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However, the bees don't mind what shape it is and they were certainly enjoying it this morning when I took these photos.

Also most prolific at the moment is a weed with a white flower which grows anywhere in the fields and along the roadside.


It grows in such abundance that whole areas become white. The gorse is starting to flower as well so the countryside is becoming very colourful and spring-like with these yellow and white flowers.



The bees are certainly being kept busy - there should have been 3 of them in this photo but they must have flown off.