Competitor 501 – Did Not Finish
Twenty-five kilometres into the 40-km night walk, I concluded we were the last of the 806 competitors
A picture is worth a thousand… expletives
PASS the PORT ... I need a drink! The trials and tribulations of renewing a UK passport in Spain
Battle of the Bridge re-enactment in Montejaque
On Saturday and Sunday, November 10 and 11, the villagers of Montejaque will be re-enacting, for the third successive year, the drama of the Batalla de la Puente
Holding my head up high
Mantilla: a lace or silk shawl worn over the head and shoulders, often over a high comb. Peineta: (1) a large comb, with a convex body and set of prongs, used to
A bun-fight in Montejaque
More than 50 local and international dishes – from gazpacho to Teriyaki chicken to ‘Gypsy Arm’ – were waiting to be tasted by the villagers and tourists. The judges had just started
A gastronomic delight
Taste more than 50 dishes from Spain and all over the world when the village of Montejaque launches its bilingual (Spanish/English) Cookbook and Village Guide on 10 August
Hauling ass… or, what I’m willing to do for publicity!
The printer jokingly suggested I travel by donkey to collect the first print run of the cookbook. So, wearing the traditional costume of 200 years ago, I rode sixteen kilometres over the
Spacious three-bedroom holiday home for rent… ideal for couples?
We, along with most of our foreign friends in our Spanish mountain village, are owners of holiday homes that we rent out to walkers, bird-watchers, and sun-worshippers. And we enjoy comparing notes
A backward glance
After four lessons to learn the ‘sevillana’ dance, I think I have finally mastered the steps. I’d been muddling my paso with my pasada, and turning right when I should have been
Cooking up a storm?
For the past three months Carolyn Emmett has been co-ordinating the design and production of a cookbook and guide for the village of Montejaque
Rio Carnival? It came close…
Six brawny men (three dressed as women and one in a chicken suit) won the jug-throwing contest - this was Carnaval day in Montejaque
My knickers are not wet!
Up the hill and down the dale, I walked the rocky mountain trail; I saw the plains... I’ve got the pains to prove it.
The latest diet
In our Spanish mountain village, the new name for successful weight loss is ‘cryptosporidiosis’. In three weeks, I’ve lost 5kg. and gone down two dress sizes
Ernest Hemingway’s ¡Olé!
Admire the skill of the matadors or deplore the cruelty to the bulls; a first visit to a bullfight can bring out both of these emotions
¡Buen provecho!
The foreign residents of Montejaque give the Spanish locals a ‘taste of the world'
An Elephant no more
A new broom is sweeping clean at the soon-to-be-renamed Hotel Montejaque (formerly El Elefante Amarillo), located in the village square of this pretty pueblo blanco
The Michelin man in drag
I am wearing seven layers of clothing; I feel fat and uncomfortable; my hands are freezing
Joseph Heller is right – It’s Catch 22!
And IKEA is a four-letter word
Never a cross word
This week’s clues and answers had so much meaning to me that I decided the compiler must be someone I know
Remember when…
South Africa to southern Spain: A moving experience for Calliope
Gypsy Rose Lee has to strip again
I am SO excited about moving to our little mountain village in Spain at the end of March
A gold shower?
With all the walls in place, Calliope was able to make interior design decisions at the new house
Back to the drawing board
A compromise was reached. Now everyone can sunbathe naked
Spanish property: A profit on paper
‘Recession’ should be a four-letter word; will we ever profit from our Spanish property investments?
What’s in a name?
Big Basura Day and interior design decisions for Montejaque's Carolyn Emmett
A woman’s prerogative
“We should enlarge that upstairs window and install French doors, to match all the other windows on the second floor.” The builder opened it up to accommodate the change. “That looks dreadful.