Happy Haloween

I managed to give away all the enormous pumpkins we grew. I kept back the biggest for myself (naturally), and also gave one of our neighbours (Vasco) another. I don't think he'd ever carved a pumpkin before and was so excited. He's coveting mine now he's seen it and I've promised to give it to him tomorrow.

Tea time

A while ago I treated myself to a couple of rather pretty teacups and have waited to use them. I'm a coffee drinker, I only ever have tea to dunk biscuits into or if I'm ill, today I feel a bit poorly so decided to get the cups out. I felt obliged to make a cake to go with the tea, and as it's the season, a coffee and walnut cake got made. I don't feel any better but loved looking at it all and made me feel homesick......such an english thing to do.

Grapes of Ruff

Like Rick, Fred is a hunter gatherer. He has wide ranging tastes already. Following fox scents on his first day out, digging for what i can only guess at maybe being truffles the following day. He has an appetite for peaches he's found on the ground, along with figs, tomatoes, green manure, persimmons, walnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, acorns, apples, and now as this picture amply illustrates, grapes. What next? Today the chickens had a narrow escape, who knows what tomorrow will bring.

water, water everywhere and quite a lot to drink...

The borehole water on our land tastes good but the spring water is like nothing else. I don't know if I am just romanticising 'cos it's coming out of the ground and through a rather lovely looking hole in one of the terrace walls, or because it's icy cold...but I swear it's got something else in it, some life giving elements that really do make it taste better and make you feel better. Anyway it's back and we are all happy especially the dogs who can't get enough.

Caramulo bike museum

Caramullo car museum

There is no shortage of stuff to do here, just a shortage of time to do it. Thank god for visitors who make us take time off to see what else is out there.....

Puppy love

Oh yes, they do call it puppy love and we are.....
On Sunday we drove to Salamanca to pick up our puppy who had travelled by courier (not the bike kind!) all the way from Diss in Norfolk. He is adorable, just over 4 months old, beautiful markings and colour, very very biddable, already doing most things we have asked him and fitting in with the existing animals. Not sure what the chickens made of him pointing at them but at least that's what he's supposed to do, well not chickens but other birdy type things!
Anyway for those of you that don't know, his name is Fred and he's a German Shorthaired Pointer and we love him.

Rural rap

Can't get the hang of how to make movies, I don't quite know how I managed to make the go-kart movie. I can't remember what I did, must have been that knock on the head. Anyway, here's a full length bit of film footage, rather sweet in it's raw state. You'd think i'd have nothing better to do than fiddle around with films and photos and update the blog constantly, but despite the rain I seem to be rather busy. Must dash....

Luscious lasagne

Freshly picked aubergines, walnuts, peppers and courgettes (the last, thank god!), home-made tomato sauce all put together as a lasgne and cooked off in the bread oven. YUM YUM. Oh and freshly picked leaves and baby toms.