Starting to feel like home

After just over two weeks, sleepy sunny little Chulilla is starting to feel like home. 

From the 1st of April, which must mark the start of a season, the countryside has jumped to life. All the old farmers are out on their tractors ploughing the terraced fields around their olive trees. This is a picture of my favourite olive tree, so large and old it's limbs are supported by poles. 

Most of the population in the town are senior citizens, as old as their olive trees, and they are starting exchange pleasantries with us in the street (well I assume that’s what’s happening when the grunt incomprehensibly and wave their walking sticks at me). We’ve also found the bakery, which is quite possibly a big mistake… they sell Nutella filled croissants for 70 cents. Hopefully this is compensated for by the wild asparagus that grows at the crag and is now an exciting addition to our diet of pasta red sauce.   

We’re also feeling a bit more at home on the rock here. Some of the limestone tufas, which have been seeping ever since the week of rain, are starting to dry out, making some of the more exceptional routes climbable. I have no photos to show of it yet though as I keep forgetting to take the camera when we go climbing! 

The van is also becoming more homely too, with the addition of a herb garden and some chickens (chickens sadly only in printed form, on the lino we got to cover the bench).

Amongst other home improvements (such as the removal of the floral curtain) the van is also now equipped with a clamshell sand pit as a bath tub, which fits perfectly in the floor space, and makes for a great steamy bath time.    

And lastly, a couple of other shots...

Morning view.

Dinner time.