Autumn Colour

Of the garden trees only the cherry and the pomegranate leaves change colour and fall off. These leaves will be gone in a week or two. The pomegranate is the nearest to camera with yellowish-green leaves at this stage. The cherry tree leaves are a golden brown.

The early morning light and a rainbow add to the autumn colour. This rainbow arches down on the Montgo mountain, its beauty already seen in many photos on this blog.

The other end curves down to the west over the Bernia Mountains, lit up like Montgo, in an early blaze of the day's first sunlight through the cloud. See photo below.

Information on coming to live in Spain

This information (the link is to an article in the Telegraph) is aimed at British readers who want to know more about living in Spain. It covers banking, health, and housing. However, it can be translated (by Google) into many other languages and would be particularly helpful to any European resident who wanted to live in Spain.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/offshorefinance/8000536/Expat-guide-to-Spain-financial-management.html

(Please be aware that I am recommending the description given in the Telegraph article. I am not qualified to recommend any financial advice that may be given.)

This blog Home from Home on the Costa Blanca relates to 2010 and together with the two preceding ones for 2008, 2009 are about living in the Northern Costa Blanca (Marina Alta) within easy reach of the coast. The region stretches approximately from Denia southwards to Calpe. See on Google Maps. The information given refers to non-urban living within easy reach of towns and the sea.

The links to the earlier blogs are at the top of the right hand column of this blog.

The secret river

Local adults and children had explored this cave probably over hundreds of years. There was a legend that a river poured into the sea below sea-level just here. Inside, the cave quickly descends into water-filled cavities below sea-level. If drinkable water could be found then what a boon for the growers of this area's grapes, almonds, figs, olives and tomatoes! 

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In 1956 the time had come to find out. The bore hole leading to a well near the village was chosen and a red dye poured down. On the shore and on the cliffs high above Cala Moraig the villagers waited for the dye to show itself in the sea ...............and it did! You can imagine the scenes! The watchers signalled the success back to the village. If fresh water could be diverted to the surface then the whole of the area would benefit greatly. But was the water drinkable at any point?

All tests that have been made so far show that the water is salty. So perhaps this idea is no longer feasible. But the underground cave whose access is shown in the photo reaches depths below sea- level and has challenged local and international speliologists (potholers, cavers, scientists - men with nerves of steel), some to their deaths. 

It is 20 years since Bernhard Pack, an experienced German scientist and underground explorer, reached a point more than a kilometre from the sea in the caverns below "Cumbre del Sol" - but sadly failed to return.

"Give yourself the right tools and you will be able to stand up straight "

Image via Wikipedia

Garden Design in Retro

At the start there was a house with a pool in the centre of a 700-metre plot spread over three levels of ancient terrace. There was no fixed plan for the garden but there were requirements. It had to be easy to maintain without too much concrete. And it had to look informal. No circular flower beds and a bandstand. 

Looking back, what were the influences?  'The two gardening experiences I had had in my life until I came to Spain could have been influential. The first was 'Dig for Victory' in the Second World War when as 10-year old I 'helped' my uncle in his allotment. Not much help to him at the time, I did learn some fundamentals - about growing vegetables! Then with a recovered wilderness at a house in London I set to with a book called Propagation to turn the space into a lawn and borders with shrubs, flowers and vegetables. Ending up with a shed, sunflowers and maize as well. Propagation of some kind!

January brings the snow? Yes .....but inland!

"January brings the snow, makes your feet and fingers glow"

I think the 'glow' in the old rhyme refers to that painful tingling when fingers and toes begin to return  to warmth after becoming very cold . That feeling you got when coming indoors after clearing snow and ice. I grew up in the North of England and I remember this feeling well. The photo shows a January sky as seen from our terrace at sunset.