Great, the thermometer just hit 32C in the shade. It’s being really hot for the last couple of days.
After two year in rural Galicia, I can say that we shift towards the “typical Spanish” timings.
This results in my dear wife getting up just after sun rise to water the plants, whilst I start a bit later, usually when the sun shines directly into my eyes.
At about 9:30 if you have to know.
At the moment making good stone work is just about possible in the morning and late afternoon. In the morning cleaning last nights work and preparing for an evening session.
This evening session starts at about 6:30pm and lasts, well sometimes until the light fades. My neighbour Pepe is busy in the evening looking after the cow, sheep and other important issues. So over the last days it has become a competition between me and Pepe to see who blinks first and crawls back into the house for dinner – “Fin para hoy – manana es otro dia” –
What better way to spend the time between 1:30 and 6pm playing with water.
It’s fun to bend and cut copper pipes, solder them together and attach flamed steel leaves.
As you can see these steel leaves, flamed, get a coppery colour but more important rust.
So these forever keep changing their appearance.
Having found a reasonable and working little solar pump, these little water features start creeping up everywhere in the garden. Barbara doesn’t know it yet but she will not only have to water the plants but also “water the water features”.
As we now have – solar pumped water for irrigation – this can as well be extended to supply the water features. These do create little micro climates. Except for the investment in a solar pump kit these do not need any further power and just a little maintenance, like cleaning the little pump once a month and depending on desired run times, the adjustment of the small solar panel.
Its amazing how fast birds and insects take advantage of such little oasis, specifically in the desert like conditions like today.
Thermometer now reads 33C and the hygrometer shows <10% humidity.
Now I have to prepare for tonights working session and see if I can out work my neighbour.
Expat
