Something to look forward to

Travelling around London today under relentlessly grey skies and increasingly cold winds was a clear sign that the Indian Summer weather that we sometimes get in September was not going to happen. We are close to October now and I decided I needed to brighten my day, so I've started searching the low cost airlines for flight deals for our Christmas/New Year escape to our place in Spain. Once I have that booked I know I have some sunshine and blue skies to look forward to. We regularly head away from London over this period as the UK comes to a work standstill for around two weeks. We love the fact that our local town of Ibi has a festive lights display that puts the West End of London to shame. Christmas Day in our area of Spain is very much a religious and family day and presents are not exchanged until the night of the Three Kings when there is a huge procession through the town. Ibi has the only monument to the Three Kings anywhere in the World and the procession winds down from the Town Hall at the top of the town to the Plaza where the statue stands. Marching Bands, escort the floats of the Three Kings - it is quite a sight. Any children who live in the town have a large box with their name on left at the Town Hall and friends and family leave presents for them there. At the end of the Three Kings procession a large lorry brings all the present boxes and messengers in festive costume jump out and deliver each child's box to their home. It is such fun to see the excitement in their faces as they rush their parents home as soon as they see the final lorry approach.



We usually have friends arriving on 26th December who help with harvesting our olive crop - with sixty trees we need help. Our olives go to be pressed and we keep some of the oil for ourselves and sell the rest. Frankly we don't make much money from the olives, it just goes towards paying Juan who looks after the crops for us and plants the kitchen garden which supplies our vegetables in the spring and summer. Still if anyone fancies harvesting olives let me know.