The drive from Seville to Granada changed from dry, flattish and olives, olives to more productive looking country with greater variety of crops so was interesting to see. And then.... the mighty Sierra Navada! Still snow in patches and this I have learnt is the reason for the cropping abundance. Extremely hot in Granada again and I just had time to purchase my next ticket from the machine at the Estacion de Autobus (yes Vinnie, cion DOES go on the end of a load of words!) and buy a second pair of cheap shorts and a hat (brought mine all the way from NZ and left it in Edinburgh), before catching the Orgiva bus.
Not one to do things simply, I had elected to not go into Seville centre the last night to top up my phone as I had a walk in the dark to my lodgings! Smart move, Morag, keeping yourself safe! See children, I am more streetwise than you thought! So.... no cellphone to phone Bernie and Kay on arrival and no wifi available at bus station or Orgiva. Very luckily for me, on enquiring re any local English speaker I was directed to a gent who turned out to be from Sunderland in England and was as p.....sed as a newt. However he helped with the vaguaries of a Spanish public telephone box and I connected with Bernie who came down in the landrover to rescue me.
This is the Alpujarra valley squished between the Nevada and the Lujar range over which is the Alboran sea! Ha! how many thought it was the Med? I did, but no, there are many other seas and the Med officially starts after the Alboran sea. So failing geography at 15 I have finally learnt something of use! Anyhoo, the reason for the growth here is the Moors apparently and on Las Chimineas land (Kay and Bernies property) there is a system of acequia which are irrigation channels built by the Moors before Queen Isabella turfed them out back to Morocco and made Spain totally Catholic. This cooperative system of watering uses the snow melt for water and boy does it work well!
The Byrnes are very welcoming and my duties have been mostly weeding and planting in the vege garden. We work early 7.30am until breakfast at 10.30 ish then on until lunch which is around 2.30. Lunch is the main meal and we have eaten indoors then as the house is very cool due to the shutters having been closed all day. Breakfast is outdoors under the pergola in the garden and involves fresh fruit or eggs from Kays chickens, maybe home baked bread and delicious olive oil of course. This has been absolutely the best beginning for a Helpx novice with a very fair exchange of labour for keep.
On the first evening Kay and Bernard took me to meet friends for a drink and tapas in a local bar and the most amazingly serendipitous thing happened! I had been very unsure about my transport to the next destination just over the French border. An 18 hour journey by bus, I was told! I was prepared to look at all options when the lady next to me was saying she was driving to the ferry for UK via the south coast of Spain and into France. To make this quick, the unbelievable coincidence was that her route took her almost directly through the town of my next assignment! Unbelievable! as David would say! And, she was going on the same day as I needed to go!And this was the first time she had taken that route, usually goes straight up through Spain So, here I am, lucky old me, delivered right to the door in comfort.
You see, if you throw enough things in the air, they just might come down in the correct order!
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