a few photos today of the results of the 8 hector fire on the Sierra de Mijas, didn't know exactly how much a hector was, so just Googled it! 8 hectors = 0.03 square miles... so not much really at all is it!

the photo above shows the fire damage on the mountain right there in the middle of the photo, well sort of, slightly blackened...


these shots above and below are much better views.... the smell is still quite strong too, not nice at all....

its not still smouldering which is how the one above looks, that's the window! we had a few spits and spots of rain yesterday, and again today, then drying almost instantly and of course is filthy rain! always is in the summer.... like its been hanging around in the clouds gathering dust!

and the longer the time between rainfall the dirtier the water! so every ones car are bad...


the fire was on both sides of the road as you can see, amazing how it jumps, most reports are that it was caused by an electrical station, and they were certainly doing lots to the electric station afterwards, although some say it was a cigarette, i think that's incorrect.

now a couple of things i keep forgetting to tell you! or maybe i have? five years of walking Pippa through the car park near here, but the first year that the 12 or more trees have been humming! well the bees are! its never happened before but its so noisy sounds like these vuvuzelas on the tv just now... what shall we do when the footballs over? my last team is out(?) Brazil was a rather tenuous link, my Grand Fathers brothers who moved there over 100 years ago!!! who i have to find... oh Mom! how??? although i have found a site now where, for a penny or more, you can have freedom to the ships records... so i will do it, when i can!

er... anyway, my usual digression... back to the bees! they are so fervent in their collection of the pollen the petals are all over the ground! and now even the little yellow stems from inside! there are a little fewer now than a month ago, but they're still trying their luck! Pip and i walk beneath the trees fearlessly....!

then there is a poor dog, i forget about him most days, or even weeks, but he lives in a garage, frosted glazed window, that is all, poor dog, sounds like an Alsation... what a life, or lack of one.

Tuesday i had a date with Val! my friend who i used to work for from Cristinas the newsagents in town, was great to see her, she has been over here for a couple of weeks, and is now back in England and i guess back to work on Monday!

Val was over here with her two sons, we had coffee and a bite to eat at Bar Rosa, and then the boys wanted a game of golf, so we went to Alhaurín Golf club, and they did! and we sat and continues chatting on the veranda of the bar... was lovely up there, so peaceful. i had never been in there before, but then i suppose as we don't play golf why would we!

... ok yes i did do the Million Dollar hold in one job, so i have been on a few courses, i forgot that!

Thursday i caught up with someone else not seen for a long time, a friend of Cyrils, we used to all have coffee together outside Bar Cruz, can't believe its nearly been a year since Cyril passed away... we're going to meet up again at the end of this month down at Cyrils bar and have a drink to him...

heck Germany winning 4-0 to Argentina, don't think Argentina are going to catch up in the 2 minutes, however much extra time they give it! erm...

yesterday i stopped for a chat with friends and joined them... been a week of that hasn't it!

one minute of extra time... its not going to happen Argentina now, be serious!

this morning Franco and i went down to the coast and got a few things we needed on our way to see his Mom Maria and Dawn, they will all be back in the UK by tomorrow evening, they're all tanned and relaxed which is what a holiday is all about, didn't see enough of them, so close but so far really... things we needed before hand were some meds, the anti inflammatories you can just get without the hullabaloo up here! oh good word and it must be right, no red wiggly line underneath! i also got some more travel sickness meds, these have caffeine, whereas the others i got, hadn't and i really don't need anything to make me (more) tired!

and on our way back a quick trip to Iceland! (Overseas supermarket), can't believe how much traffic there was down on the coast today, but the sales have started here now, so minus the extra IVA (VAT) that went on everything here in Spain as of July 1st, and the prices of sales stuff here are always so cheap! it was crazy down there, people driving in the wrong lanes, no signalling, bad parking and absolutely no consideration for other drivers... oh hang on, that's all normal...!

It is the sign of a well educated mind to be able to entertain an idea without accepting it - Socrates

TTFN
Marian