September in the Ribeira Sacra @ 47C in the sun

September is the time to be here in rural Galicia and specifically in the Ribeira Sacra.

But be ware today on the 11 of September at 4:30pm we have 47C in the sun and its bone dry.

 On our north facing wall in the shade it’s a balmy 30C so no worries there is something for everyone.

As we had no real rain for at least 5 month the water tables are falling and at present our main well is down 7 Meters only 2 more to go.

The grapes, shaded by leaves seem to love it and are turning sweet. We see more and more trees , specifically peach and apple, where branches have just snapped off due to the load of the fruit. It is an absolutely brilliant time to be here. Tomatoes, paprika, onions, blackberry, grapes, apples, pears, peach, you name it you find it. Except garlic, there is always one, and this year it’s garlic is yielding hardly enough for the upcoming chorizos. 

Grazing animals have a hard time. Not just our fields look like the dust bowl of deep Mexico or wild west, green is generally hard to come by.

After they devoured Castilla y Leon the topos have move on, unfortunately they have aimed at Galicia and even more unfortunately they have made it – in numbers.

With the bit of remaining water one tries to water strategically, only to discover that it simply disappears in a hole – sorry if it rains in New Zealand but this maybe due to the topos in Galicia.

If you ever wondered who actually lives below you – find out – here is the tunneling gadget

We, Mer that is, are just beside highway 7 on the south island of New Zealand near Boyle Village. No one actually seem to live below us, so we just carry on watering. Interesting to note that most land has its antipodes in the ocean according to Wikipedia, so as ever Galicia is the odd one out and not only that it’s a great place to live.

Try it visit us.

Expat