Another Year in Spain - December 2008

A Christmas Tail 

Living in the campesino as we do we share responsibility for picking up post with our neighbour Jackie from the boxes in town. Quite arduous at the moment with four people's mail and Chrissie presents arriving in a number of guises – cardboard boxes bags bin liners, trailing string and /or requiring heavy duty shears to get through the brown tape......

This week I had an interesting couple of examples for Jackie – one being a particularly lumpy shape and wearing green garden twine in an off the shoulder sort of way.

I finally connected them with the recipient after our painting classes this week and of course we had shared a car as one does..... Jackie was especially pleased with the possibilities of one parcel – quite excited in fact that it was a promised yellow blouse that had been bought for her.

When we arrived at her gate loaded with painting paraphernalia and said parcels we were met by three happy bouncing dogs striving for the greatest height. Interesting given the difference in breeds - please see picture at the end.

Pushing our way through the welcome committee the post was dumped on the outside table while I was taken to inspect the new outside cage for the three aged doves which came with the house when Jackie bought it.

Immediately Freddie moved to guard

the lumpy parcel with a seriously wagging tale working like a musical ?meter.

As we got into the design improvements of the doves' new home I became aware of Freddie dashing by with crumpled paper and trailing green garden twine and a vague flash of red and white – could that be Father Christmas ? I thought.

The garden then took on the look of bedlam with Jackie frantically chasing with arms flailing like windmills crying “oh he's got my yellow blouse oh Freddie stop.”

No way can you stop Freddie on a mission and he slipped by with ease, dashing off to the acre of fenced land behind the house. Now Freddie has also a perfect nose for a bit of rubber and I was pretty convinced that that was a rubber Father Christmas toy passing by and I tried to convince my friend about that. I left her preparing to go and search the orchard for what was left of the parcel and maybe her yellow blouse.

I got into the car to leave with the far off sound of that particularly dreadful squeaky toy sound and knew that Freddie had nosed out his Christmas toy... and Sammy ...and Chuli's. I just hoped tha

t they hadnt been wrapped up in a yellow blouse.

I have to say my most favourite Christmas card so far is the one from Jackie

which I reproduce for all. Meet Freddie the black labbie, Sam the Alsation cross, Chuli the little terrier, There's Pharoah the newest rescue cat trying to get a look in or rather out, and if you look carefully the three white doves are sitting above the door.

Loving Friends

Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad!