January in Maro has been a month of surprising weather. A landscape of contrasts. Bright green against white snow, against pink skies and azure skies , ferocious winds, clear, still skies, and then blinding sunshine.
We could spy the snow on the summit of the mountains above our house, a pretty picture framed by palm trees. Sun and snow at the same time. Friends in the village headed to the snow in the Sierra Nevada, an hour away up high, for the day to ski and sledge.
We had a few days of the Viento de Poniente. This wind comes from the Atlantic, and moves from west to east , losing moisture and causing temperatures to rise, the result being a feisty but hot blow, that ripped through, shredding the leaves on our banana palm on the roof terrace, knocking over pots in the village streets, and resulting in much banter in the village bar, as to whether the wind was the Poniente or the Levante, ( that one blows in from the east), as they stood looking at the white horses crashing in the sea.
The Spanish do not like the wind. They retreat behind their front doors.
The winter sunsets and sunrises have been breath taking. Blasts of hot pink, orange and fiery red blanketing the sky over the Plaza de Las Maravillas, the campo and the sea. The other clear clear night it was possible to see the coast of Africa from our village.
Every day in the last week has been a magical event.
The campo is thriving with rows of fennel , chard and broad beans all growing well. We continue to live on freshly picked avocados. We have been given so many, that I have resorted to adding them to the smoothies I make, as not to waste them. Orange trees line the streets laden with fruit, and lemons abound. Marmalade making has continued and we have added Orange Curd to our repertoire!
The sun has been wonderfully hot. We have braved the pool, (still a bit ouch), and we enjoy a few lazy hours each day reading in the sun. We have had breakfast outside – always a joy, and a fun lunch with friends when it was too hot to eat without our large parasol up. What bliss at this time of year.
Our friends arrived with an armful of the most heavenly mimosa ,picked from their garden in the hills just outside Frigiliana. It smells divine, and the zingy citrus colour is a pep of sunshine itself.
White painted walls and avocados. Tales from Maro in southern Spain. 