I had a full, but happy birthday weekend. I managed to escape from work at 6.30 on Friday to meet my Mum, Keith, her partner, and Matt and we went straight to the house my mum has in a hamlet near here for the weekend.
We had a tasty dinner of home grown broad beans and new potatoes, with a herb omelette made with fresh, free-range eggs from our neighbour, washed down with some very quaffable red wine that they'd brought from France.
Saturday morning we went up the Peña Mayor, and it was cloudy, again. I keep saying that the next time I do it, it'll be with clear skies but I haven't made it yet. We only did part of the walk as the meadows were covered with 'viscious' horned cows - my mum has a slight bovine-taurine phobia since she was chased by a bull years ago - so we turned back once the cows became too numerous, mum looking over her shoulder just to make sure we weren't being followed by the beasts. To be fair, there were so many cow bells ringing it did sound as though we were carefully being stalked and surrounded. The effect was heightened by the birds circling low, overhead - I think they were of the same type we saw last time, eagles or possibly vultures we think; we've been speaking to people in the know and you get griffon and Egyptian vultures in the area, as well as golden, short-toed and booted eagles.
Horse and foal on the Peña Mayor - the meadows were full of horses and their young.
A nosy calf - this my mother could handle - no horns yet!
One cow too many - this was when we had to turn back.
Anyway, we eventually made our escape down the mountain, unharmed, you'll be pleased to know, and completed our Saturday with a piggy lunch at the local bar near the house, where Keith was invited to join in with the locals chess game - he politely declined saying to us he'd never known a game of chess to be so loud - and we went back to the house for a relaxing afternoon on the terrace.
The hamlet taken on our way back from lunch.
We awoke on the Sunday to bright sun - perfect for the Peña Mayor if only we hadn't already been up there the day before. So we decided to go to the beach and spent the afternoon at Vega. I had been looking forward to a doze in the sun but we spent it jumping waves, walking along the beach and finding unusual stones - the geology of the area is quite interesting, even for someone like me who normally takes little interest in that sort of thing - and there are all types of rocks and stones on the beach in as many colours as you can imagine with lots of blue-green coppery shades mixed with deep red sandstone and seams of white marble in jet-black rock.
When we finally made it back home after dropping mum and Keith off at her house for their last night we were too tired to do much celebrating. We poshed up a simple pasta dinner with a bottle of something sparkling, then watched James and the Giant Peach on DVD before going to bed.
A birthday tipple.
I'd left the boxes of books in the kitchen to be dealt with on Monday morning and I've just about got them all squeezed into the office now. Unpacking them was great, I kept discovering books I'd forgotten about and would squeal or "ooh" and "ahh" with glee whenever I came across one. I now also have a good stock of new books from Amazon that should keep me going for a fair while too.
Elbi investigating my books - she had to be removed when the nibbling started.
We had a tasty dinner of home grown broad beans and new potatoes, with a herb omelette made with fresh, free-range eggs from our neighbour, washed down with some very quaffable red wine that they'd brought from France.
Saturday morning we went up the Peña Mayor, and it was cloudy, again. I keep saying that the next time I do it, it'll be with clear skies but I haven't made it yet. We only did part of the walk as the meadows were covered with 'viscious' horned cows - my mum has a slight bovine-taurine phobia since she was chased by a bull years ago - so we turned back once the cows became too numerous, mum looking over her shoulder just to make sure we weren't being followed by the beasts. To be fair, there were so many cow bells ringing it did sound as though we were carefully being stalked and surrounded. The effect was heightened by the birds circling low, overhead - I think they were of the same type we saw last time, eagles or possibly vultures we think; we've been speaking to people in the know and you get griffon and Egyptian vultures in the area, as well as golden, short-toed and booted eagles.
Horse and foal on the Peña Mayor - the meadows were full of horses and their young.
A nosy calf - this my mother could handle - no horns yet!
One cow too many - this was when we had to turn back.
Anyway, we eventually made our escape down the mountain, unharmed, you'll be pleased to know, and completed our Saturday with a piggy lunch at the local bar near the house, where Keith was invited to join in with the locals chess game - he politely declined saying to us he'd never known a game of chess to be so loud - and we went back to the house for a relaxing afternoon on the terrace.
The hamlet taken on our way back from lunch.
We awoke on the Sunday to bright sun - perfect for the Peña Mayor if only we hadn't already been up there the day before. So we decided to go to the beach and spent the afternoon at Vega. I had been looking forward to a doze in the sun but we spent it jumping waves, walking along the beach and finding unusual stones - the geology of the area is quite interesting, even for someone like me who normally takes little interest in that sort of thing - and there are all types of rocks and stones on the beach in as many colours as you can imagine with lots of blue-green coppery shades mixed with deep red sandstone and seams of white marble in jet-black rock.
When we finally made it back home after dropping mum and Keith off at her house for their last night we were too tired to do much celebrating. We poshed up a simple pasta dinner with a bottle of something sparkling, then watched James and the Giant Peach on DVD before going to bed.
A birthday tipple.I'd left the boxes of books in the kitchen to be dealt with on Monday morning and I've just about got them all squeezed into the office now. Unpacking them was great, I kept discovering books I'd forgotten about and would squeal or "ooh" and "ahh" with glee whenever I came across one. I now also have a good stock of new books from Amazon that should keep me going for a fair while too.
Elbi investigating my books - she had to be removed when the nibbling started.
8 comments:
Sounds wonderful Rachel. Like your mum, I would've been a bit worried with all those cows in the meadow too. I can get a bit paranoid. The calves I wouldn't have minded.
It looks and sounds as if you live in a beautiful corner of the world. I would dearly love to visit sometime. One day eh? Monet would love to go stomping along those fields in her new gumboots. I, on the otherhand, would enjoy sipping wine outside your home with you.
Glad you had a memorable birthday. Good on you.
Lovely birthday walk. Poor Mum and the cows. They can be nasty at times, especially when they have their calves with them. It's bulls that really freak me out though.
Glad to hear you still want to 'do' the Atlantic. As I said, I'm really glad I did it, but never again. Feeling so run down and grotty at the moment. Been to the local health food shop and bought some Floradix tonic (commonly called Flowerydick) so maybe that will sort things out. Abcess in my mouth now. That comes from living on nothing but meusli for eight days!
Scaredy was delighted to see us and didn't sulk at all. Actually he has hardly left my side and is a bit of a pain when I am trying to type as he tries to sit on the keyboard!
Happy Birthday! Sounds like you a pretty good day.
Melody, you're welcome for a vist whenever. I'd love to show you all arund Asturias.
So Elbi's a book lover is she? I like an educated lady ;-)
P
Hi Raelha!
That sounds like a lovely birthday weekend. A pity about the clouds. I've never experienced cows with bells before.
My brother and I used to hand-feed my father's bull from over the fence!
Plumpy, oh yes, she does love her books, and the computer too.
Vacas!
Post a Comment