Pancakes!!

We made pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. They were so good we wanted to share them with the world.


To see the short video we made, click HERE.

Gorse blossom!

Spring must be here if the gorse blossom is out.

The bees were very busy buzzing around so they must know it's spring.

LLEDÓ with the Amas de Casa

We arived in Lledó at 9.45a.m. and we were given delicious hot chocolate with biscuits, an excellent start to the day. In the photograph are four of my friends from Torre Del Compte - Nieves, Rosario, Rosi and Pilar.

Click to enlarge.

Our lunch was to be paella which was cooked outside on an open wood fire.

We then began our tour of the village, following the brass band which had been hired for the occasion. They led us to the church were we were given a wonderful concert.

We walked along the streets of the old part of the village, some parts needed a few renovations.

A banner was displayed on this balcony to give that festive feeling.

We visited two exhibitions, one of local photographs and the other mantones, (shawls), some of which were very old; but all were very beautiful.

One of the many beautiful mantones on display.

Some of the old houses had been renovated and their stonework returned to its former glory without the once fashionable rendering.


Lledó has a most magnificent backdrop to the village. The picturesque mountains nearby had snow on their peaks from the recent snow flurry four days earlier.

The meal was generous with mouthwatering entremeses, (cold cuts of meat), this time with pizza and sausage rolls as well as langostinos, (prawns). This was followed by the paella we saw being cooked outside earlier. We had red wine, water sin and con gas and after our icecream we had coffee or tea followed by manzana liqueur. It is also traditional to have locally made biscuits - but to ensure we didn´t leave them, they were bagged individually so that we could take them home to our loved ones.

I collected the regalo, (present), in my role as El Presidente which were given to all of the villages of the Matarraña.

What a fantastic way to celebrate the centenary of International Women´s Day...

Holiday in Gran Canaria!

The first part of our holiday was in the Parador at Cruz de Tejeda which is in the centre of the island at around 1,500 metres above sea level.

Click on any image to see it full size.

The view from our room was incredible with the Roque Bentayga being very prominent at 1,414 metres.


In the photo below, taken at sunset, Pico del Teide on Tenerife can be seen above the cloud to the right.

There were some dramatic sunsets.

The pueblo of Tejede is peaceful and tranquil at this time of the year. Even at this altitude they can still grow oranges.


Evenings in the Parador were spent in the lounge in front of the fire.


Another attraction of the Parador is the spa which we had all to ourselves one morning.


The menu in the Parador was well worth exploring - in this dish I had 55 caracoles. Delicious!


Not in the Parador but in a restaurant nearby - clearly not popular vintages.


Driving around the centre of the island you were never far away from known landmarks even though the drive had taken a long time - there are no straight roads in this region.

Cactus thrives at lower altitudes...

...as do the local colourful weeds.

There are breathtaking views all around the island.

The second part of the holiday was at Puerto Rico very close to where we stayed last year but a little higher up the hill. Below is the view from our terrace.

Around the grounds of the hotel, the gardens were set out neatly...

...with lots of colourful bougainvillea...

...and lots of palms and cacti.

One day we visited Palmitos Park and saw all the animals and plants we saw last year but this year we also saw the dolphins which have just been introduced. Click HERE to see the video on YouTube.

We also saw the exotic birds and birds of prey shows. To see edited highlights of both shows, click HERE. After the show with the birds of prey there was a photo opportunity with an eagle!

The cacti were splendid...

...as were the birds...

...and butterflies.

Another show we had to visit was the parrot show - great fun. To see the edited highlights, click HERE.

Another day we visited Maspolomas...

...and saw the famous dunes.

A brilliant holiday. We've already booked for next year!

It's Santa Águeda's day!

For more details about Santa Águeda, see last year or the years before, around the same date.

Pincha en la foto por la tamaño grande.

This year, Margaret and a couple of our friends wore traditional costume.

There was always that photo opportunity on our balcony!

Last in the procession, but not least.

The baby is in traditional dress - I wonder if she chose it herself?

It's a day for the ladies! No wonder Margaret looks so happy.