I have been inspired this month by the artichokes that we have grown here at the Finca . The plants have now been in 2 yrs and they really are wonderful vegetable and give the right dish a really rich flavor . I used them in a simple pasta sauce with onion , Serrano ham , plenty of garlic , a little cream and a dash of the water the pasta was cooked in. Then just a sprinkle of parmesan cheese simple and so tasty  . Why not try it whilst staying with us here  ?

Marmalade is in full swing at the finca . I have just made a batch of  3 fruit marmalades really turned out good for a first timer ! We have pink grapefruits here lemons , oranges  and Seville oranges  which I am going to try with the next batch . We do not spray any of our trees with chemicals so I am sure the flavor is completely different and definitely far more healthy .

In Cordoba in the month of May, private houses in the city open up there patios so the public can visit them.

We have never visited Cordoba before and we cant wait to go back again as there is so much to see.

The patios were beautiful filled with flowers and there perfumes , all with a cooling fountains and lots of unique and different ideas.

We finished the day with some lunch in a shady square trying local dishes one being salmorejo a thick cold soup .

Well worth the trip out whilst staying in the Yurt.

We have some lemons this year, had to find something else to do with them ! .

I have found a recipe for preserved lemons , when they were done ( Takes about 2 weeks ) I tried out something new chicken with preserved lemons and olives a Moroccan dish , very unusual but really delicious .

This is one of the most colourful times of year here . The countryside is awash with vibrant yellow mimosa , and abundance of wide flowers and of course the strong smelling orange blossom.

Also this month is Easter known here as Semana Santa ( Holy week ) something to see if you haven’t experienced it before.

Each village has its own traditions , one of the high points being the religious  floats as they exit  the church and are carried around the village and then return to the church.

Finally after many months with no rain we have a good downpour today which is fantastic for all the plants and land . We have been watching out for some rain on the weather forecast so 2 days we got on the tractor and ploughed and seeded up the horse field so they can have some green grass for spring time . As you can see above our 2 dogs  Claude and Ruby thoroughly enjoyed running around in the soft earth.

In the build up to Christmas we start off with the Malaga lights being switched on around the 1st of December well worth the visit we go every year  the weekend after is the dia de constitution one of the National holidays this month the other being the immaculate conception these are on the 6th & 8th of December.
We are off to the Cirque Du Soliel to see Quidam one of the many shows they do around the world   ABSOLUTELY AMAZING look one up , not to be missed !

Still lovely and warm here 24 degrees at the moment 9 oclock at night not at all normal for the time of year really nice but we really need some rain now and try out covered area over the kitchen dining area.

We have had a great summer here at the Finca , and met lots of nice people staying in the yurt.

We have tried some kayaking this year for the first time at the lakes in el chorro about half an hours drive from us here at the finca.

I can highly recommend this it was fantastic , a sense of freedom and peace ,  Wonderful .

Just picked our last fennel of the year. This has been a fantastic veg to grow as we have had a lot of snails and slugs this year.
They have had a good go at our cabbage,cauliflower and spinach crop but left the fennel alone.
We are rotivating this weekend ready to plant all our summer veg which is seeded in the poly tunnel.
The weather is warming up nicely now it is my favorite time of year especially as there are so many nightingales around there song is magical in the evenings.