blogsept2011



			Self catering holiday rental accommodation in the Alpujarras, Andalucia, southern Spain

Availability calendar

This is my page, and that's me, reclining at home. 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.

Click here to see past blogs:

Sunday September 18th

All Things Bright and Beautiful

Well, it came and went, and with barely a mention in our household. For me, it was important, but did I have a cake baked or was I given an extra special doggie dinner? No, nothing of the sort. But, as of September 9th 2011, I am officially one year of age (or 7 years old in human years) - do make a note of the date because you'll be wanting to send me a chewable card next year, I'm sure. But to give my human companions some credit, they did mark the occasion by including me as a fully fledged member of the walking team, capable of managing the most challenging of treks. For example, on September 3rd, themselves, Ella and I scaled the dizzy heights of 'El Peñon de los Papos', the craggy mountain cliff that towers over the village of Trevelez. We climbed to a height of more than 2500 metres, from a starting height of 1400 metres - that's a huge climb of 1100 metres, or 3,666 times my height! Wow, what a super-pup I must be. Ella showed me a neat trick, but I'm not sure the human companions were all that keen on it. The trick is to spot a mountain goat in the far distance and go charging over towards it. If you keep your muzzle shut it is surprising how close you can get before they spot you and run off. Of course we'll never be able to catch them since they can run faster and scale impossibly steep rocks, but it's great fun. As I said, my human companions were displeased with this behavior, and here is where Ella, my dear sister, let me down. As we ran away they were calling like mad to get us to come back. Ella, through experience, knew that if she stopped running and went back after they called five times, then she wouldn't be in trouble. Not having told me this trick I put my ears down and off I went. When I finally strolled back I was given a good telling off and made to walk on the lead for the rest of the day, so that's my lesson learnt, always give up the chase after the fifth yell.

	Ella, swimming in a mucky mountain pond
			Me, dangerously close to the edge.

	Distant peaks of Mulhacen (with snow) and Alcazabar - one day I will go there!

	Otherwise, the summer here has been very interesting. During the month of August the area filled up with lots of Spanish families, coming back to visit their old villages and to enjoy the local fiestas, of which there were many. Lots of bangs and flashing lights in the sky. Ella, she hid behind the sofa and told me they were the cries of the mountain gods, angry that the fiestas should disturb their peace, but me, well, like everything, I took them in my rather short stride and sat looking at the pretty colours they made in the sky. My human companions seemed to get up earlier and earlier and spent most of the mornings working outside on the land. One major task for them seemed to be the harvesting of vegetables and fruit from the garden. Then, when the heat drove them indoors they didn't really help matters since they turned on the cooker and the oven and started to make things out of all the produce they had gathered. I must say, though, the smells were quite appetising, as they turned out an array of jars and pots full of things called jams, chutneys, ice cream, bottle fruit, pickled cucumber and many a tasty, fresh meal. Quite brightened up our daily diet of tinned dog food I can tell you!

	Best of all, though, is that I have had my first holiday. Now I know some people might say that living where we do our lives must be one long holiday, and it is true, we do live in an exceptionally beautiful part of Spain, but how are we to appreciate this unless we leave it once in awhile? So, on September 11th, we packed the car with a thing called a tent and set of for the seaside, to the Cabo de Gata in Almeria to be precise. A delightful stretch of protected coastline on the edge of a volcanic desert region of Spain. Very dry but very fascinating to see. But boy, it was hot! So hot you could have cooked up a spaghetti western. Again we were up early in the morning treading the coastal footpaths, then most of the rest of the day was spent dozing in the shade of the campsite. I did experience my first day on the beach, though. Not sure what I think about beaches, plenty of people to sniff, and many opportunities to leave my calling card on the towels that are left lying around everywhere, but the water, well, it tastes funny and makes a bit of a noise. I will reserve judgment regarding the seaside, but suspect that in my heart, I am a mountain dog!

		Me, taking control of camping matters.
Campsite at Las Negras
	The beach by the campsite

Holidays, though, I think are a human thing. New smells are all well and good, but Ella and I like nothing more than knowing where we are and what time dinner is. I am told that by the end of the week we shall have left summer and once more be in Autumn. I don't remember much of my previous Autumn, spent as a young suckling puppy in Madrid, but it is a cycle I have already been through. From now on it would seem, life will be one long round of repeated cycles, one falling inevitably after the other. But since I am a dog and like regularity and repetition, this suits me fine.

Yours, passing through time,

Oska

			To view the August 2011 blog, click here.