The last Spanish lesson of the year.

It's been a really pleasant experience going along to the Spanish lesson every Tuesday morning again this year.

The group is small, usually between 5 and 7, and the 2 hour session each week is made interesting with some well thought out interactive exercises from Núria our teacher.

This week however, we were asked to bring a Christmas present, something we didn't need any longer ourselves.

Paul chose one of the presents we had taken and having dressed himself with the purple ribbon which was around the present, unwrapped it. At first glance it seemed to be some sort of power tool...

...but on opening the box found a jigsaw inside, (not a Bosch Jigsaw!) He was delighted as he had just completed another jigsaw the night before.

Marja had been given a ceramic tile.

Josje then opened her present which was the other one we had taken along. At first the box looked as though it contained a drone but Josje remembered Paul's surprise and wasn't getting her hopes up...

...but was pleased when she discovered a Panasonic portable radio, very retro, - it still works very well.

Núria, our teacher, was very satisfied with her 2 storage jars...

...and Margaret was ecstatic when she opened her present which was the jigsaw which Paul and Marja had completed the night before. It came with a warning from them that it was incredibly difficult!

Finally, my turn and it was one of the smallest presents on offer...

...which turned out to be a pair of rather clever glass insulated tumblers. A hot drink inside will not burn my fingers when I pick it up and a cold drink will not warm up from the heat of my hand. Excellent!

Japonesa encuadernación

A friend sent Margaret a link to a course taking place in La Fresneda. The title of the course was Japonesa encuadernación. "That sounds interesting", we both thought as we wondered what it was actually about. Maybe it was something to do with Japanese cookery or even making sushi.

Well, we were correct about the course having something to do with Japan but it had nothing to do with food!

Encuadernación is bookbinding! And a very fascinating technique it is.

You need card for the front and back covers...

...and the front cover is cut into 3 parts as in the photo above.

The 2 larger pieces of the front cover and the back cover are then covered with decorative paper for the outside...

...and then covered on the inside.

The front, middle pages and the back are then sewn together.

Hopefully, the short video will make more sense than a description of the process.

The group produced a range of very successful outcomes...

...which they were deservedly very pleased with.

In fact, Margaret was so pleased with hers that she used a birthday card which had been sent by friends on the front. Very nice!

Rocky goes to Ejea de los Caballeros

Rocky has been diagnosed with PDA and needed an operation on his heart in order to correct this condition.

On Thursday 9th November we drove to Ejea de los Caballeros to the veterinary surgery there so that Luis and José could perform the operation. 

As it was lunchtime by the time we had dropped Rocky off and made all the arrangements, we made our way through the town to the Restaurant Aragón...

...for a delightful 4 course menú del día.

The town boasts this rather wonderful 16th century Church of San Salvador...

...which has a most ornate tower,...

...a superb Romanesque/Gothic transition style entrance...

...and a rather elegant interior.

In the main street the trees have already been pruned ready for their growth next Spring.

When we returned to the vets, Rocky had just completed his operation...

...and was being transferred to another area for recuperation.

That night Rocky stayed at the vets. We stayed at Orés in the Albergue Rural El Fragal which was very comfortable and provided a lovely breakfast the following morning.

You can get a more detailed account of the operation from Rocky's point of view over on his blog by clicking HERE.

Rocky has started his own blog!

Rocky, our new Doberman, has started writing his own blog!

At the moment he is just coming up to 16 weeks old but has had a very interesting and eventful life so far.

You can see his blog by clicking HERE.

Fiona and Justin visit!

We have been friends with Fiona and Justin for over 47 years. Fiona taught in the school where Margaret first started teaching and we have kept in touch ever since.

However, this was the first time they had ever been to Spain and, needless to say, the first time they had visited us here.

Despite the fact that it was getting a little late in the year, the weather in mid October can be quite changeable, we were very lucky as each day was sunny and even quite warm.

During the week we took Fiona and Justin to some of our favourite places such as the Ermita de Santa Bárbara and the Sanctuario de la Virgen de Gracia at La Fresneda in the photos above,...

...the bar/restaurant El Racó dels Torrats in our village, Torre del Compte...

...as well as showing them around the village itself.

During the week there was an emphasis on eating Spanish cuisine and sampling the many varieties of wines.

Rocky loved their visit as this was another opportunity for him to make new friends.

Valderrobres is always outstanding...

...a visit to the castle is a must...

...as is a meal at Fonda Angeleta, one of our favourite restaurants.

The next day to Alcañiz and lunch at Restaurant Meseguer...

...followed by coffee at the Parador.

On Sunday to Morella...

...and lunch at the Hotel/Restaurant Rey Don Jaime...

...followed by a walk around the shops.

A Monday morning a walk to the Viaducto del Val de Zafran...

...and another lunch at the El Racó del Torrats.

On Tuesday a visit to La Torre Cremada, the ancient Iberian watchtower on a hillside along the Matarraña valley,...

...the Iberian settlement at Calaceite with a view of the Ermita de San Cristóbal,...

...lunch at the wonderful Hotel/Restaurant Miralles, Horta de Sant Joan,...

...and a visit to the Convent de Sant Salvador in the afternoon.

After such a busy day, a quiet evening meal.

Next day, to Zaragoza, lunch in IKEA, then the flight back to England after a thoroughly enjoyable week.