For instance, yesterday evening I went out for a walk about 5pm to a local shop. As soon as you go up a hill here you can see the sun sparkling on an azure sea, the colour reflected in the sky. The edge of the roadside was splashed by scarlet poppies and yellow daisies, and there was nothing to hear but the birds singing and the cock crowing.
On the concrete wall of an outbuilding was this splendid lizard. He was about 8 inches in length and froze at my approach - or was he just posing for my camera?
It is apparently the time of year to see them, as they emerge to bask in the spring sunshine. My husband was recently out on his bike when one crossed the road in front of him. He swears that it was over a foot long!
This lizard moved and disappeared as a man came from the back of the building. He gave me an odd look when he saw me apparently photographing a completely blank wall, but then just smiled and wished me "Buenas tardes."
Walking on, the beautiful perfume of orange blossom drifted in the air and I heard the gentle tinkling of bells - a shepherd and his herd of goats were about to cross the road. The shepherd greeted me and we chatted about the weather, which he thought was "poco fresco," - chilly, (well it was only about 22 degrees!)
The goats have a great life here. They wander the hillsides accompanied by their shepherd and a couple of dogs. They have a diet of herbs and grass and are also often to be seem munching in great fields of lettuce stalks and discarded lettuces just after they've been harvested. In this way the fields get manured and the goats have a treat! When the shepherd saw my camera, he asked if I'd like to take a photo and obligingly stopped the goats half-way across the road!
It's hard to imagine this happening in Britain isn't it? There was an assumption that any traffic that came along wouldn't mind stopping, that it was natural to encourage a foreigner to take a photo and pleasant to pass the time of day with her for a few minutes. I'm not sure that you'd get the same reaction from a British farmer.What do you think?
We find that here, no matter how little Spanish you speak the people are nearly always encouraging and friendly. Well that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed my very first blog - please let me know your thoughts. The next one (technology willing) should be posted around the 7th of May and will be about the Day of the Virgin Dolores!
