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

I live at Cortijo Opazo, a self catering and guided walking holiday destination in the region of the Alpujarras, Granada, Spain. I sometimes take the guests for a walk but generally I just see they are all OK and give them random bits of advice. I have to maintain the high standards of the business.

Click here to see past blogs:

Blog from 2010

January

Blogs from 2009

'Habas', or broad beans, growing healthily in the vegetable garden this week.

A head of broccoli, picked from the garden and eaten this week

A lovely bowl of winter warming lentaje, served to our guests this week.

Some wild asphodelines in flower

February 7th 2010

Fergus's Dogblog gets a new home

Well, that's a bit better, the dogblog has a new home, lodged in the heart of the Cortijo Opazo website. I never knew why I had to spend my time as an ancillary entity, linked to but not part of the whole. Perhaps I was on some sort of probation whilst the tall ones waited to see if I were up to scratch, whether, as a writer, I could sustain my writing for a whole year. Well, they are lucky they moved when they did because I had half a mind to launch myself in my own right, with various spin off merchandising. I have already mentioned the ipaw, but I have many more schemes tucked into my fur. I may mention but few:

Companion - who better than a dachshund to listen to your stories and patiently sit on your lap.

Alarm clock - provided you want to know when it is feed time.

Book rest - for this, yes, I need to be on your lap.

Dishwasher - my tongue can be very thorough.

Foot masseur - again, the tongue helps me reach those deep crevices

Draft excluder - not my favourite, but I will consider this for the right reward.

Signs of Spring in the garden this week.

But, to the main business of the day and The Blog.

Weather has been a bit changeable this week, but amongst the showers we have seen, and felt, some of that beautiful Andalucian sunshine. The two tall ones, as ever, have been busy. This time they have spent their days mixing cement and moving brick and stone into place by the side of the house that faces the road. This, I am assured, is a plan from long ago that they are just catching up with, to construct some planting troughs to brighten up the approach to the house. It's been a good deal of work, but I've enjoyed watching them and they have been spurred on by every passing car, shepherd, dog and goat. Even the school bus stopped to cheer. Below you can see the results of their labours. Three randomly shaped stone troughs. Beautiful eh?.

Next challenge is where to get the soil from to fill them, but I'm certain that a solution will materialise, it usually does.

As for me, well curiously enough I was taken on an outing last week to the market in Pitres. Just me, Ella was made to stay at home. Whilst in the village square we approached an English stall holder who sells organic vegetables. The two tall ones seemed most eager that I should be introduced to him. He seemed well enough and was very complementary of my pedigree features and general robust build. On his hands, beyond the aroma of onion and leek, I could detect the smell of not just another dog, but the smell of a another wire haired dachshund - it is easy for one who knows to tell it apart from others. Once I realised we weren't going anyway else I tuned in to the conversation of the tall ones and heard them say something about her being 'a little too young just at the moment but when she comes on to heat again, then maybe......'

Maybe what? I need to know maybe what? Are they going to swap me for another specimen from my breed. Will I soon be homeless? Worrying times indeed. I must find ways to make myself indispensable. Perhaps that draft excluder idea isn't so bad.

Yours, in readiness at the foot of the door,

Fergus

Sunset over Pitres, February 7th 2010