The village fiesta!

One of the incredible things about the annual fiesta is that for four days the village enjoys itself on a different timescale to the rest of the world and is oblivious to anything which is happening out there. People party until the very late "early" hours and then sleep during the day. There isn't much choice for those who actually live in the village as the music groups play very loudly until 6 a.m. or even 8 a.m. Often, the activities of the night end with breakfast before going to bed!

The fiesta in Torre del Compte traditionally starts with the chorizada, barbecued sausages, cooked on one of several small fires.

It may look like a scene from the centre of Cairo but this is the cooperativa with the bonfires and sausages.

As usual there is a mix of different types of sausage, chorizos and longanizas.

When all the sausages have been eaten the Charanga band starts up and the people follow the band to visit the different peñas for a Ronda de Catacrocks. In other words, the people follow the band and visit various places throughout the village to partake of a vodka and tonic downed in one!

The only downside to all this fun is that between the peñas, people who live in the houses en route throw buckets of water, some even use hosepipes, so that everyone in the street is drenched in a very short space of time. Claudia, in the picture above, has decided that it is better to throw water than have it thrown at her!

The following morning there is a mass in the church at the end of which San Ramon is paraded through the streets, no water on this occasion...

...as everyone is dressed in their Sunday best...

...as well as the church being specially decorated for the service.

Later in the evening we are treated to music from a group of Mexicans in the Actuación de Mariachis. If you want to see and hear them in action, here are the links:

Actuación de Mariachis 1 :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqG1x9v4csQ

Actuación de Mariachis 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVCuU7ZKxxQ

Actuación de Mariachis 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8VX_6G36lM

Actuación de Mariachis 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EsbTNbMR4s

Actuación de Mariachis 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysy2y7xih2k

Actuación de Mariachis 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ4u2-f5LNA

Actuación de Mariachis 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wse-9kPdtUA

Actuación de Mariachis 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_W_EW0siBU

Actuación de Mariachis 9: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHbTTLRMrN0

Actuación de Mariachis 10: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqwv2n1q3eM

Actuación de Mariachis 11: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6FUlsydtwk

The next day we host our friends for a meal...

...before attending the Concurso de Disfraces, the fancy dress competition, which was won this year by those troglodites in the photo above.

And here are the video links to enable you to watch these spectacular performances:

To see the winners, Lo Catacroc, as shown in the photo above, click HERE.

To see Lo Karkás, who came 2nd, click HERE

and to watch the video of Tauritón, who came 3rd, click HERE.

On the 4th day of the fiesta there was the Concurso de Tortillas, the competition of the famous Spanish Omlette, ...

...all of which showed great creativity in their appearance as well as tasting superb, (evidently).

To finish off the evening there was a meal in the Plaza Major where everyone in their groups arranged to take their own food. We were treated to Maria's coca, click HERE for a description,...

...Andrew's empanadas, click HERE to find out more,...

...Margaret's lasagne...

...and a delicious salad from Maria José.

A great way to end a truly memorable few days.

The meal of the Amas de Casa

It's that time of the year again for the meal of the Amas de Casa, the houswives, of Torre del Compte...

...and once again it was held in the polideportivo, the village Sports Hall, which is still unfinished, exactly the same as it was last year, but despite that, it is being used. In the photo above we have the 3M's, Maria, Margaret and Maribel who are certainly enjoying the occasion.

Every lady received a present which was a chiffon scarf although how they were able to colour co-ordinate them as the boxes were placed on the tables before people took their places is beyond me!

The first course was entremeses, or hors d'oeuvres as it is known in English using the French term.

And a very good time was had by all!

To see all of the photos of this event click HERE.

A birthday treat!

As it was a very special day, my 65th birthday, we decided to have lunch out and so we went to la Torre del Visco hotel restaurante which is 5½km along a camino off the road between Valderrobres and Fuentespalda about 25 minutes from us.

It's not just the wonderful food, it is the whole experience including the building and its surroundings which makes a visit here so worthwhile. The hotel is set in 100 hectares, almost 250 acres, of the beautiful valley of the rio Testavins which then flows into the Matarraña river.

The original building dates from the 15th century but has been most tastefully restored and extended.

After the meal, coffee and tea are served on the terrace.

The entire atmosphere is tranquil, relaxing and most romantic!

For the first time since coming to Spain I was able to walk on a proper grass lawn.

Exploring the main building is fascinating as there are so many different levels both to the building itself and the gardens outside.

The food served in the restaurant is locally sourced with the vegetables and herbs being grown on site and freshly picked each day. The cheese on our salad came from a herd of goats in the nearby village.

When we returned home I was treated to a homemade cake especially produced for my birthday by our friend Maria Angeles. 

What a wonderful day!

I must make a note not to wash the car before we go 11km along a dusty camino again!

The New Zealand holiday videos.

I have now finished editing the video I took when we were on holiday in New Zealand last February.

You can see the Maori presentation at the Auckland War Memorial Museum by clicking HERE.

See my video of Auckland HERE.

 Watch the video of our visit to Cape Reinga and the Kauri forests HERE

 

We visited the central area of the north island around Lake Taupo and you can see it HERE.

 And to complete our holiday we visited Hobbiton, shown HERE.

The Australia holiday videos

I've been working on the video I took while we were in Australia. I've still got the New Zealand videos to start. However, here is a selection with their links to YouTube. Enjoy!

 To see Australian creatures in Featherdale Wildlife Park, click HERE.
 

 To see the video of Sydney, click HERE.

To see and hear the didgeridoo played at Uluru, click HERE.

 To see the Canberra video, click HERE

For an impressive skateboarding demo at Bondi beach, click HERE.

For a great firework display on Australia Day in Baulkham Hills park near Sydney, click HERE.

To see the sunrise at Uluru, (Ayers Rock), as well as other things we did there, click HERE...

...and to see what's on offer for a day at the Ayers Rock resort, click HERE.

My avatar!

Click on the image for a full size view.

I HAVE NOW MOVED TO A SECOND PAGE FOR MY RECENT POSTS. TO SEE THESE, CLICK HERE.

AND AFTER ANOTHER 6 MONTHS I HAVE MOVED TO A 3rd PAGE. TO SEE THESE, CLICK HERE.

And to see the short video clip featuring our avatars dressed as elves doing a traditional flamenco dance with Hona on the guitar playing a seasonal tune, click HERE.

...and you can find out about the "plum pudding" theory by clicking HERE.

...and to hear "The Laughing Policeman", click HERE.

Now with translation for our friends in the U.S. of A.

And now, "My avatar and my dog", the movie, (sort of), where all the clips so far, (below), can be seen by clicking HERE.

For all my friends who speak Spanish, here is my first attempt! 

Hona is learning to speak Spanish!! For her, it is easy; para mí, es muy difícil.