Rhubarb and meatballs

March has certainly been a busy month for us all, so busy that I haven't had time to put my paws on the keyboard and publish a blog. It's been a busy time since there has been much for me to inspect, such is my role here as foreman. The weather has been consistently warm and sunny with not a drop of rain, so the two legged ones have been getting on with plenty of work in the garden - with the help of these people known as WWOOFers - see my last blog. Much weeding has been done, along with some construction work up by the reservoir. They seem to have put the irrigation channel into a pipe then built two small tanks for the water to flow in to before it hits the main tank - something about allowing the sediments to settle out. Then, of course, there was all that mud they dredged out of the bottom of the reservoir. It was a bit smelly so I kept my paws well clear of it, which is more than I can say about her. After all this and more weeding they got on and added another stone area to the walled garden, using a technique of putting stones on edge in a dry mix of sand and cement. In Spanish it is called 'Empedrada', the putting in of stone.

Now we have two more WWOOF volunteers with us, Stina and Jennica, from Sweden. They have mainly been weeding along the newly established hedge, but seem very cheerful and chatty - they spend too much time talking to Ella, though, as if she can understand a word they say. I even heard one of them describe her as an intelligent dog!

We've had some other less wanted visitors in the form of a local cat who chose to have kittens right next to the garden shed. How stupid! With two dogs around! They seemed to disappear after a day or so, mother and kittens. Can't imagine where they have gone to, but both Ella and I seem a little off our food.

On the subject of food, it seems that the rhubarb season is upon us and each day armfuls of this pinky green vegetation matter are brought up from the vegetable bed area and prepared in the kitchen, stewed, crumbled and put in a tart. I'm still waiting to try some of last year's rhubarb chutney.

So, that's March. A perfect month of sun and spring blossom. So saying, the national news authorities have issued a bad weather warning for the whole of Spain, forecasting heavy rain and snow for the next 24 hour period. The skies are currently dark, so we shall just have to see what comes our way.

Yours, from the foreman's seat, umbrella firmly under paw,

Fergus.