Life in Galicia

Icy foggy morning

Happy new year to you all !! May the Tres Reyes visit you

Waking up to muffled noises, the odd crahh… crahh.. . Than the moment the eyes carefully open to embrace the new day  - nothing – !

White out or to be more precise – frost on the ground and fog in the air. It feels like inside one of these white painted greenhouses. A bit later, whilst slurping the first coffee, the sun lets the nearby trees appear and disappear like ghosts. What a great excuse to remain in bed and read the on-line newspapers.

P & C – To the point

I love the caricatures of Pinto & Chinto in the Voz de Galicia.

They are always to the point and lift the gloominess of the overall reporting.

Interesting projection

Is anyone interested in the fact that in Galicia we now have the ratio of one pensioner to one income earner?

Workers are even fewer as half of the working population are “funcionarios”.

NEC wine loving robot Click it

Reading through the hundreds of pages of the report about sustainability and development of Lugo-Sur you come across fascinating statistics like this one.

Drawing a projection there will be no-one around  in 2050 or so.  Now, knowing this lesser but obvious fact, it is completely understandable that the local adegas (bodegas) in the Ribeira Sacra are desperate to mechanise wine growing, according to an article in the Voz today.

Coincidentally, in 2008 NEC  developed a wine tasting robot – yes really –  all that is needed now is the founding of RAA (Robotic Alcoholics Anonymous) .

Imagine tourism in 2050 – when, upon arriving in the Ribeira Sacra, a teetotaller robotic guide laments about the hardship of fellow robots working the steep hills and his wine slurping friend explains  - after examining your credit score – which wine maybe suitable ……

We just love the here and now. Living in Mer in the Ribeira Sacra where we have real neighbors and old customs are upheld.

Every year before or around the “Tres Reyes” the equivalent of the “Sternsinger / Carolers” arrive in our little aldea and entertain us.

At least here in Mer we have real people, children and a great neighbourhood.

May 2013 turn out to be another happy year for all of us -

Iportant dates:

12/13 Januaray – St Amaro Fiesta in Proendos !

Do not miss this 

19 January - Castro Caldelas fiesta de San Sebastian y os fachos

Visit us and the Ribeira Sacra and stay in our newly renovated Cottage.

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Meet the king of Mer abaixo (Lower Mer).

From a cuddly handful it has developed to a still cuddly but heavy armful.

Cat score 2:2

He, is not just winging and attention seeking, he is also becoming a useful hunter. Present score is 2:2 trap vers. cat.
It is a bit like Garfield the cartoon or film. He is quite clever, sleeps in our or neighbours stable, so is in complete control of our movements.

As we dont get up early first breakfast is at our neighbour Carmen. Then laying in wait of any movement in our house and miauing for second breakfast.

And so on………… Resistance is futile……

We started seeing little dips / holes in the chocolate cover of our cookies.

So we watched out and yes! –  there it is – the first ever observed chocolate boring beetle (CBB).

Another first for Galicia, remember you heard it here first!!

As we have now eaten all the cookies and chocolate, the only available precaution, we will look out for more and keep you posted on new sightings and more details about the secret life of the CBB.

After we survived the mayan end of calender we deserved a treat or two or three…..

Renovating Casa de las Flores

The view

The quite renovation of Casa de las Flores is going ahead.

The new windows are in and future guests can shutter out the world or relax in the living room and contemplate the beautiful pastures of the Ribeira Sacra.

So all that is left is to wish all our readers a very happy new year!!

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The new mayor of a small Gallician concelo (Ribeira Sacra) was asked by the villagers if he thought this years winter would be very long and hard.

50 50 Chance

Ancestors

Due to the modern Galician weather forecast, the people of  the Ribeira Sacra have lost touch with the signs from the natural world, which where still known by the acestorial Galleci Lucenses tribes.

Cudgel to Umbrella

This is not a problem, as the descendants of the Galleci Lucenses have switched from a cudgel to an umbrella anyway.

So the mayor decided to ring the national weather service (AEMET).

“Yes, there is a 50% chance it is going to be a cold winter”, the metrological office told the mayor.

Trees for a cold winter

This resulted in the tribes of the Ribeira Sacra to start felling trees, transporting and stacking wood.

Oops….

At around Halloween, the mayor phoned again and asked “Is it still going to be a cold winter?”.  A resounding – “YES!” – was the answer.

Moore trees where felled and accidents involving huge lorries carrying trees where more common than ever.

Just before xmas the mayor called again and was told – “Yes, it will the coldest winter on record”.

When he asked how they could be sure they said,

“Well, in the Ribeira Sacra people are felling and gathering enormous amounts of wood. The satellite is showing forests disappearing, wood piles growing and accidents with wood lorries are now common there”.

A merry Christmas to all readers – Have a cosy and warm season…..

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