blogdec2011



			Blog - written by Oska about life in and around the self catering holiday destination Cortijo Opazo in the Alpujarras, Andalucia, Spain.

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This is my page, and that's me wearing my new blue name tag whilst out walking in the mountains. As pedigree dachshund in chief, and officially awarded a prize as best puppy in my class - see link here - my job is quality control and looking after the welfare of the guests staying at Cortijo Opazo. Big responsibility, don't know how I find time for it all, but I think I'm doing OK. Anyway, on this page I bring you up to date with the various happenings at Cortijo Opazo and the world around us. I welcome comments, just address them to Oska at info@cortijoopazo.com. Thanks for reading!

By the way, I am supposed to mention that it's a pretty fab place for a holiday.

Strange But True! A Dachshund's view of Christmas

December 2011

Strange but true, faithful readers of the dog blog, stange but true. There exists a large relative of the chicken family that is apparantly called a turkey. As far as I can work out it seems to live entirely for one season only, that of late autumn and early winter, when it is slaughtered and placed, cooked, upon the table for families to gather around and celebrate being together. I am told that in the USA this all starts at 'Thanks Giving', then is repeated there once again for the 25th of December, and in many other parts of the world too. Size is important, as is how long you need to cook it and what time you have to awake in order to get it in the oven. Gravy and a thing called cranberry sauce are also vital, as is stuffing, the best of which has never been stuffed anywhere, and a greater selction of cooked vegetables than anyone would ever normally want to see on the same plate.

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As if this were not enough, in my household, this course was preceeded by a delicious smelling bowl of french onion soup, fortified with Spanish brandy, and followed by a large helping of winter dried fruit pudding, laced with more of the aforementioned brandy. And this was just for lunch! Well, a lunch that commenced at about 5.00pm, but during the morning we had all enjoyed an envigorating walk though the local valley, so I suppose appetites were justified. And this was my first Christmas day in the Alpujarras. Last year, when I was barely 3 months old and still living with my mother in a kennel in Madrid, all I was given was my usual ration of milk with some oats and meat substitute - it's a wonder I didn't grow up to be a vegetarian! The best thing is that four days later we are still dining like royalty on turkey left overs. What a generous bird the turkey is, to be true - strange but true.

December has turned out to be a glorious month here in the mountains. Scarcely a drop of rain has fallen, nor a breath of wind blown past our door. Day after day has been startlingly sunny with blue skies and invigoratingly fresh air. It seems to have been mild across much of Europe, but here it has been splendid in its brilliance. The berries have ripened on the bushes in the garden and the persimmons have turned a warm shade of orange whilst they remain on the otherwise bare tree, adorning its branches like so many Christmas baubles. The air is full of the smell of woodsmoke, from the fire places of the houses or from the burning of organic material produced during the months of greater fertility on the land all around.

The house has undergone some improvements, with a coating of white plaster applied to the smooth parts of the exterior, it now looks very smart indeed.

We have been out and about. One day in Granada we walked up into the old Albaicin area and enjoyed the famous views of the Alhmabra Palace set against a dramatic back drop of the snow covered Sierra Nevada mountains and the blue south european skies. Another day we took a walk up onto the mountain known as El Lújar, that clearly dominates the view from Cortijo Opazo. It gives the impression of being one solid and barren mountain mass, but far from it. The terrain is dissected by numerous deep gorges and the geomorphology is entirely different to the one we live in, with rocky cliffs made of grey and orange limestone, covered in native wild plants and trees. It is almost entirely uncultivated, due to the lack of water for irrigation, but has been exploited in the past as a rich area for mineral mining. It is, to me, unbelievable that a terrain so different from our own can exist a mere 40 minutes drive from the house. We plan to return in spring to see what will no doubt be a stunning array of wild flowers. But for me, it was the scents that turned my doggy nose. I smelt wild boar and I want a taste, never mind turkey.

Next it will be a new year, 2012. I will endeavour to do my bit for the business here at Cortijo Opazo, checking that our guests are as well looked after as can be. Despite the tone of depression in my previous posting - I mean financial rather than spiritual - the accommodation has been full over the Christmas and New Year period and advanced bookings for the year ahead are going well, so I should learn to take a more chilled out attitude to business here. It is enough that I do my job well, pure and simple.

On to more exciting matters, I am sure you will all remember my triumph as a puppy at the Granada dog show. Well, at the same event, though not a winner herself, was a lady dachshund dog who belongs to the son of the local baker in Pórtugos. Another dachshund aficionado, how marvelous. I was out for a stroll by myself in the streets of Portugos when this young man approached me, petted me and popped a lead onto my collar. He then placed me on the front seat of his expensive looking car and brought me back to where I live, Cortijo Opazo. When he asked my human companions if they had noticed I had gone missing they declared they had not, but I was trying to point out that I had not gone missing, I had merely gone for a stroll - isn't that what living in the mountains is supposed to be about? But amongst their conversation I picked up the drift that the lady dachshund that lives with the baker's boy has recently been brought to her bed with four puppies, all of them male, like me - in Spanish the male of the breed is called the 'macho', and I say, if the cap fits...... So, maybe soon, us few scattered dachshunds of the wire haired variety will become a team. I hope I'm given the chance to visit the litter and give all four of them a pep talk. If not, well, I'll have to go on one of my walk abouts again.

Yours, in training, and wishing you all the best for 2012

Coach Oska

This month, I am pleased to report some feedback from my followers, thank you for your concern:

Dear Oska

Having read your December news with great enthusiasm, as always, I was staggered to read of your adventure alone in Portugos. What a naughty dog!! You could have been stolen at the very least!! Ended up back in Madrid maybe or perhaps even a lot worse!!

Anyway, safe and sound back in your lovely home we would like to wish you and Ella and Robert and William, a very happy New Year. And see you again in 2012.

Love Barbara and Roger

Dear Oska

Thank you so much for your recent dogblog - lovely to get it as always. I'm sorry I don't reply more often but the contents of your letters are so wonderful that my contributions from the (usually) frozen North would be very inadequate. The weather sounds glorious and I was especially jealous of the photo of the mouth watering persimmon. I think you live in Eden!!

Anyway, I was most alarmed at the idea of you taking strolls by your self and when reading your letter was very anxious that the man who "rescued" you was in fact stealing you and that you had had to be rescued by the tall ones and a ransom paid. You really must not do this Oska as you may end up in the hands of a nasty person who is cruel to you!! So be a good boy next year.

So, all best wishes to you, Ella and the tall ones for 2012.

Love

Joan and Chris

Dear Oska,

Happy New Year! So glad to hear that you are playing your part well in maintaining a good flow of holiday makers to your lovely home. I am glad that you did get some visitors for Christmas and new year as it would have been a shame for the accommodation to be vacant when the weather was so amazing. Unfortunately it's been rather dark and damp here but we are looking forward to the spring and especially coming to visit you at the end of March.

I was intrigued to hear about the new pups in your neighbourhood. Maybe you are the father if you have been out exploring in the past??? If not, maybe a future litter could be part yours.

Happy New Year to all at Cortijo Opazo, love Debbie and Mick

					To view the November 2011 blog, click here.