¡San Juan!

It's San Juan and to celebrate we have a meal on the terrace with family and friends.


We are not celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary until next month and here is the cake to prove it! (Click on the photo to enlarge it in order to read the inscription on the cake.)


It is customary in Spain to cut the cake with a sword - we have one each!

After the meal a challenging game of table football...

...then later in the evening, dancing on the street to a live band.

Here's to the next 39 years and 11 months.

Summer's in full swing!

Summer time, and the livin' is easy,...

...hydrangea's flowering...

...and the hebe's in bloom.

Nisperos are rippening,...

...and the grapes are hangin',

etc, etc.

Another day in the country.

When you see those buildings in the middle of the country, just 3 or 4 large sheds...

...with large tanks outside of them, do you know what is in them?

Pigs, or in this case, over 2,000 piglets. And the smell is overpowering!!

Such a farm near Valderrobres is managed by our friends where we went for a meal to celebrate Joaquin's birthday with his wife, Rosa Marie.

The meal was in their renovated farmhouse, only one room...

...and the cooking was done outside. Today we are having "arroz del huerto" which translates as "rice of the allotment" or "rice garden".


Basically, it is pieces of pork and rabbit on the bone, snails, red peppers and onions fried together then rice and water added and finally garnished with courgette flowers.


While the rice is cooking, we enjoy a first course of prawns and salad with smoked salmon.


To celebrate Joaquin's birthday there is a special cake. May he have many more - delicious!!

Meanwhile, Joaquin works out the complexities of some of his presents!

Encinacorba

Encinacorba is a small village some 146 km to the west of us, about 2½ hours away and 760 metres above sea level. It is also the village where one of our friends comes from so a group of us were invited there for the day.


The weather could have gone either way but as it turned out it was a glorious warm, sunny day with hardly a breeze.


The church is in the Mudéjar style and is virtually a mini-cathedral. The main difference between this and actual cathedrals we have been in is that the people here are so proud of their church we were given a guided tour and encouraged to take photos.


It is remarkable to find such a grand church as this in a small village, population around 100.


Brick rather than stone is the main building material here. Lots of buildings have been renovated and look very presentable.


A local spring and trough ensures your horse never needs to go thirsty around here.


And then it was onwards and upwards another 160 metres to the ermita for our paella.


We could actually eat inside as there was a room at the back of the ermita for just that purpose.

Outside, the wildlife and the flowers were flourishing...

...in the peace and tranquility.


Another fantastic day out.

Calanda

Saturday morning and I am the designated driver for 4 members of the Amas de Casa of Torre del Compte to visit an exhibition of patchwork and lacemaking presented by the Amas de Casa group in the (relatively) nearby village of Calanda.


The exhibition is taking place in the very large Multiusos hall and has specialist stalls selling everything you would need to produce lace - except the know how!


People are there from not just the local villages but from far and wide across the region.


Rosario, Rosi, (wearing her Amas de Casa t-shirt), Carmen and Margaret, pose for a photograph in front of a patchwork bedspread.

Young and old settle down to practise their skills at bobbin lacemaking...

...while some designs just look so incredibly complicated!

It's good to see that these activities are still thriving.

Cherries!

This has been a terrific season for cherries - this region is renowned for the quality of this fruit.

As you can see from these photos, they are exceptional.

It took us quite a while but we now have 21 large jars of these cherries to enjoy in the coming months.