Holiday Time

The picture may be a clue to where we went! While others were in England struggling to cope with the heatwave, we were in Sunny Spain, just in time for 'Velada y Fiestas' in La Linea. The whole festival lasts over a week, starting with the coronation of the carnival queen and her princesses on the Friday, followed by her procession on Saturday to the recinto ferial to open the fair - with more rides than Chessington and 31 casitas for singing, dancing and other local entertainment. On the Sunday (domingo rociero) , there's more music and dancing around the streets, giving all the women and many of the men a chance to dress up and maybe prance around on horseback. And a lot of drink flows. Especially jugs of beer, tinto verano and manzanilla. I especially enjoy that bit. We flew back yesterday, but the festival goes on until next Sunday, with the fair and casitas open until the early hours every day, and other entertainments including bullfights and concerts. Warning - Don't be in La Linea next Monday -everyone will be asleep.
While we were away, we did a bit of sunbathing and sightseeing but also checked out the price of properties for an eventual retirement. If all goes well, we may soon have an apartment of our own. Watch this space!

The Cow Parades

Meet Andaleña! This little beauty was on show outside the Hotel de Ville in Paris, when Ellie and I popped over for our Anniversary this year. There's another picture on our website. A couple of months earlier, we'd been in Gran Canaria and found a herd passing through there. And when we were in Edinburgh last weekend, there were lots more. Are they following us? Or are we following them? A few years ago, there were some in London but they all seem to have moved on.
No doubt you've seen a few yourself in your travels. If not, take a look at the European Website of Cow Parade. There's also a US/worldwide site, which you can find here.