Mayday in July

What seems to be an ongoing drama took a twist this week when Ryan Air received a denuncia following problems earlier this year. The controversial company have had an ongoing  battle with regards the landing procedure at the new Alicante terminal.  The latest incident pertains to one day in July this year.

The budget airline has had a number of mentions in the media here since July 26 when three of the planes were diverted from Madrid to Valencia because of storms over the capital.
it is alleged that  lack of fuel was the issue also that  the three pilots issued ‘Mayday’ calls,  All the pilots managed to land safely on Runway 12 at Manises Airport in Valencia. Ryan Air said that it had activated the alert when there was enough fuel left for 30 minutes. The  planes had to wait in a queue before they could land. The company claims that the three planes were flying in the stack over Valencia for 50, 68 and 69 minutes. Should the Airline be found culpable they could be be banned from landing in Spain for up to three years.
We await the outcome with interest.

Photo: The Plane, The Plane.

 

Watching the Mercury

Fridays temperature got the mercury jumping at 45 degrees. We are thinking this may have has something to do with the power cut that happened during the lunch/siesta hours.  Though it could have been the thunder storm that was rumbling around the hills around the same time.

Suzi was not happy with the heat and tried several of her regular siesta places. One fav usually wins and that’s the bottom shelf of the book case, the next  shelf up comes a close second. The shelves are made from terracotta bricks and have the same tiles as the floor so I guess they are pretty cool. If there was A bit, quiet a bit, more room I would be tempted to try it myself.

Its so important to be aware of food safety in this hot climate. We test the fridge temperature  on a regular basis.


A refrigerator temperature of 37°F and a freezer temperature of 0°F will keep your food from spoiling, without causing you to spend unnecessarily (usually the middle setting on the temperature knob).
To test the temperature of your refrigerator, place a thermometer in a glass of water, and check it the next day (or after the fridge has been closed for eight hours). To test the temperature of your freezer, place a thermometer between two frozen foods; then, check it after eight hours.


It has cooled down a little over the weekend and is mid 30s again today. You really need to get any jobs done in the morning though. Yesterday did manage to clean through the house, the hot Sahara winds bring plenty of dust. John gave the pool a clean too as always its looking fantastic under his care, John is known to keep the best pool in Blanca. One thing he cannot prevent though and can only remove are the tarantulas who decide to take a dip. It was not until our daughter spotted one  that John admitted he had been removing quite a few. Now I knew this was quite common when you live on the campo but was, until know at least, kidding myself it was not happening. Its a quick check of the pool every time I take a dip from now on.

More fires around Spain again this week. In the Alicante region two brave men lost there lives fighting a fire. In the Canary Islands around 4000 people have had to leave there homes. It goes without saying that the greatest care should be taken to avoid further tragedy.

Due to the hot weather progress on the building in the huerta has slowed, its still looking good though, well done you men!

Family get together

Last weekend we had a wonderful get together with family from Rojales. Joaquin's Mother, sister, nieces and partners came over for the day. Everyone enjoyed splashing about in the pool to cool off and generally a good time was had by all. Loads to eat of course with wonderful desserts made by Joaquin's sister. A particular favourite was brazo de gitano, a sort of Swiss roll cake but with much more cream in the centre, translates as arm of Gypsy's by the way. There was also a yummy apple slice and my cheese cake with caramel sauce went down quiet well as did the classic Victoria sponge with homemade apricot jam and cream filling. We all ate a large first course so a break in proceedings was  required before we hit the puds! What with pork, chicken, rabbit and Goat there was a lot to get through. What a lovely way to spend a Summer Sunday though, good weather, good food and best of all good company. Oh yes forgot to say Rocky had a jolly good time too.

Mr Blue Sky

Its a bit of a cliche that we Brits will always talk about the weather and you have to admit it is a good conversation opener. Given the UK summer,  and I use the term loosely, we get a bit nervous about telling you all how hot it is here and of course rain free! As UK residents we lived in the middle, the far end and the top of the country. We did undoubtedly have a lot more"weather" than we do here if you get my drift. Changeable is  the word for it I think. We saw the 76 drought in Cornwall, when we could walk on the dried out floor of the local reservoir and see the remains farmhouses and village. The winter that followed saw us snowed in. And who can forget the 87 gales and how badly wrong the met office got the forecast. So it seems there a lot to talk about when it comes to UK weather. What about Spain then? Is it always Mr. Blue Sky? Well its true we do get a lot of good weather here but the forecast is just as important and in some cases more so. The Weather in Spain brings its own problems as well as advantages. As with all hot countries we have to be aware of very high temperatures because of issues like fire risk and UV  levels. Aside from safety having an accurate forecast is very important with regards using and saving water. Although we use mostly grey water on our garden at the house we utilise the ancient irrigation system at our plot in Huerta. This means we contact the "water man" who will come along and flood the terraces for us. Its not only that we pay for the water we have, it also that it is an extremely precious resource. With  accurate up to date information on Spanish weather we will not water only to find it rains the next day. It also means that, for me at least, I can read the forecast and look forward to a nice overcast day! Well you don't want Mr. Blue Sky everyday do you?

Butt Out

Last weekend Spain saw the frightening spectra of forest fires taking lives, severely injuring people, destroying homes and devastating countryside and wildlife. It is now clear, beyond doubt, that the two fires that raged were started by carelessly discarded cigarette ends.

 We have just had the driest winter in living memory, the hottest June, the temperatures are soaring. You only have to look around you to see how tinder dry the countryside is and some thoughtless fool casually throws a cigarette out of their vehicle. Lord above it just makes you despair does it not.

If you have ever seen a place that has been razed to the ground by a wild fire you will never forget it. We were profoundly affect by the sites we saw in parts of the Australia state of Victoria that suffered on Black saturday 7 February 2009. Areas we knew well, and had visited only months before the fires stood like barren moonscapes, stark reminders of that dreadful day.

If you drive along the Spanish motorways you cannot fail to see the flashing signs. You do not need to speak the language to know a triangle ( warning) sign with a cigarette crossed through is not telling you smoking is banned on the motorway. It IS telling you to be extra careful what you do with the butt. So lets hope and pray all smokers will take heed and that we will have no more tragedies this summer.

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_35366.shtml