Pretty and Practical

Although the Carnation is the national flower of Spain the Lantana camara, which is in flower now. is more commonly know as the Spanish flag. Its a wonderfully colourful bush which is native to tropical regions in Central and South America.It is very hardy and invasive, which is probably why you see it on road side and central reservations. It seems to survive any sort of treatment or conditions here. This Shrub can cope with minimum amounts of water, tolerates high temperatures and is not affected by most pests. It is also attractive to butterflies. You do see various colours but the one that gave it it common name is of course yellow and red.There are some wonderful examples in flower beds near the river. Such is the survival rate of this shrub in many countries a whole host of uses have been found for it. As you can see from the photo it has a very pretty flower it also produces a blackberry looking fruit. There are reports that children have died from eating unripe berries though I have read the berries are edible when ripe.
All the parts of this plant have been used traditionally for several ailments throughout the world. The root of this plant is used for the treatment of malaria, rheumatism and skin rashes according to some sources,it has also been said that it has properties which help in the treatment of cancer.In some parts of the world Some communities have found alternate uses for Lantana, because it is so difficult to eradicate. Some household furniture, such as tables and chairs are made from the stalks, or the small branches are bundled together to make brooms. I am not sure I will risk trying the berries maybe just stick to admiring its beauty

Its In the Bag

We are getting some lovely afternoon weather right now, just great for a stroll around Rojales or Formentera. We opted for Rojales yesterday, I was hoping for a browse around the secondhand shop that's appeared in the main street but it was closed. That being the case we decided to walk up to the river to see if there was much water running, not bad as it happens. Lots of wild fowl too and something in the murky depths with a jaws size fin, well OK maybe not that big.
Now I have always made a bit of a joke of the "dog dirt" on the pavement brigade, you know every parish council and local newspaper from here to eternity has this on the agenda at several points in any one year. Not that i advocate leaving behind your pooches leavings so to speak. In fact having just fostered friend Lil's dog Jack I cannot seem to leave the house without a plastic bag in my pocket. Which brings me to the point of this post. I was so pleased to see a plastic bag dispenser for the offending materiel in Rojales, are there more I do hope so. They are a common site in Australia wherever more than one dog walker gathers. Good on ya Rojales council. Now all we have to do is get the owners to use them. So if your an irresponsible dog owner, and remember what your pet leaves behind has the potential to cause blindness in a child, beware you may find me chases you down the street waving a plastic bag. And just for the record it wouldn't be the first time.

That Sinking Feeling

Do you think it’s a slog getting the Laundry done, think again. How about if you had to carry it out to the nearest irrigation ditch and scrub away at it. According to the Author of the classic The Root and the Flower, John A Crow, it was still a common site in the 1960s. Can you imagine in the 40 degrees heat we sometimes get. I recall the big washing day my mother did every Monday before washing machines were a common household item in UK. We had copper boiler, worked by gas, a mangle and a lot of elbow grease. That said we did have running water and we could work inside the house.
I have not seen anyone washing in this way though I read only this year that the river Segura was being used for washing of clothes by poor immigrants. It’s hard to imagine what everyday existence must be like when the Segura is your only source of water.
As I say I have not seen anyone washing their clothes in the irrigation channels here or in the several stone sinks you come across in the campo. The picture here is of oneof those sinks along the track near the Royal Thai restaurant. The sink is next to a well that has just been renovated so thought I had better get a record of this ancient artefact before that to disappeared too. Just imagine for a moment the harshness of most women’s lives here within living memory, remember also such conditions still exist within a stone throw of where we live.
So next time you open the automatic washer say a big thank you and a may be a little pray for the fortunate.

The Red Squirrels of Guardamar

Is there any more lovely small wild animal than the Red Squirrel or to give it its Spanish name the La Ardilla roja. Red squirrels are the only type you will see in spain.You may have seen them and not realised they are the red variety as in the winter they can lose the bright colouration that gives them their name. During the cooler weather they become browner and darker and develop prominent ear tufts. There is also a lot of variation in their general colour right across their range in Europe, from quite pale to reddish to almost black. The ones we see in Guardarmar are looking very very red at present though and have lovely almost white faces and fronts. We have read that you do not get them in southern Spain but I have seen postings on the WWW about the squirrels in Granada. Maybe they where on a cultural visit! If you want to see theses lovely creatures take yourself off for a coffee at the cafe in the Parque Reina Sofia. On a week day when its little quieter you have a good chance of spotting a few playing in the trees, If you are as fortunate as we were the other day you may get to see one taking a drink by the pools in the middle of the park

TKO is a KO OK

I have always listened to Local Radio, in Leicestershire, Cornwall, Highlands and Scotland and now here. Station of choice here is TKO. What I like about local radio is that it’s so accessible. You can get an almost instant request and that makes you feel part of it, that’s what promotes brand loyalty I suppose. What ever it’s nice to be able to email or call in a request and hear it sometimes minutes later. They have a good range of music based programmes. Also though it is local you can, should you wish, listen to it anywhere in the world on the PC. You can find TKO at FM 91.9 and 87.5 FM
Website is http://www.tkofm.com/ .

So if you want music, light chat, competitions, local charity and Job info give it a try.
Now as far as radio goes I would love to be able to get a talk based station too. I listen to Radio 4 online but a more local based “intelligent speech” station would be excellent. Mean while I shall carry on enjoying TKO.
If your wondering TKO stands for The Knock Out