Thanks for coming back.

Another gorgeous holiday at Cortijo Opazo! Fourth visit and counting. Second with our daughter Ella - now nine months and loving Robert and William's Ella!! A friend for life! As always, Robert and William, you were perfect hosts. What else can be said other than we'll be back soon.
Jim, Sophie and Ella, September 2009.

These are the kind words left in our guest book by Jim and Sophie, who had a relaxing holiday with us. They saw quite a range of weather, including some of the worse rain and hail ever seen in the area, but they also enjoyed walking in the September sunshine and playing on the lawn with their daughter Ella, who is totally adorable, especially when she smiles, which seems to be much of the time. What she needs to learn is that still waters run deep, and whilst I, as a pedigree dachshund, may not cavort in the cheap manor that canine mongrel Ella does, ultimately, spending time with me is always going to be more satisfying. The tales I can tell and the sniffs I can guide her to are more than she could possibly dream of. But I guess my charms will appeal to her more as she grows older and wiser. Below is a picture of our Ella when she was a puppy. Look at those deceivingly engaging eyes, but notice also her early fondness for STICKS!




Autumn does seem to have come early, although in Spain the last day of summer is officially September 21st and so we are indeed into the season of mellows mists and fruitfulness. An article on the television news announced that this summer has been the hottest since 1970 and the third hottest on record. From my point of view it was a little warm, but really quite bearable as long as I was allowed to remain in the shade. Today, it is windy and we have had 10mm of rain so far. What will the winter ahead bring?

Yours, reaching for a woolly blanket,

Fergus

Someone went to Madrid and left us at home

Throughout the summer they promised us: wait until September and we'll all go on a trip, TOGETHER. A few days away at the seaside, camping, was what they told us. Ella and and I, plus the two tall ones, camping on the Atlantic coast of Spain. What could be more enjoyable? But when it came to pass, what happened? A slight suggestion by the forecast that the weather might be inclement and they were off, at the drop of a dog biscuit. Plans changed, dogs left at home and the two of them minus their canine companions off to Madrid, no doubt to wine and dine themselves, without us.

Admittedly, they left us in very good hands, being cared for by Haidé and Christobal, but a promise is a promise. And granted, the weather was actually awful with tremendous storms across Andalucia that saw more than 60 mm of rain fall in a few hours and caused the death of three people in the province of Jaen, but still, they said we would go together. I can't see what would have been so bad about staying in a wet tent with two soggy dogs, watching the rain lash down outside. I thought our carers were made of stronger stuff.

To show my displeasure when they returned I paid no interest at all when they told us of the hotel they stayed in and how well located it was in the district of Chueca, just off the Gran Via; and I ignored their reports of visiting the two famous art galleries, the Prado and the Reina Sofia. I scorned their enthusiasm for the art works of Velazquez and Goya, Picaso and Dali, and positively yawned when they described a pleasant meander through the exquisite Retiro Park and Royal Botanical Gardens. Tales of a visit to a fashionable alternative theatre built in an old slaughter house to see The House of Bernada Alba did not stir a whisker of reaction from me, neither did the fact that they also found time to go the cinema. I was, though, interested to learn that they encountered no less than three wired haired dachshunds, and am now wondering whether Madrid might make a more suitable residence for someone of my lineage than the mountains of Andalucia. I must work on being included in any return trip.

Yours, with nose in the property pages,

Fergus

PS: Here is a little video footage of the trip - notice the absence of myself and Ella!

Al Fresco Dining

Lesley and Ian from Cheshire have been staying with us for a short break. It was their second visit to Cortijo Opazo and this time their holiday coincided with the celebration of their 35th wedding anniversary. Like many of our guests they were wise enough to request one of William's gourmet meals to mark the occasion, with a tapas of creamed courgette bruschettas, fresh gazpacho soup, pancakes stuffed with assorted vegetables and nuts accompanied by carrots and green beans, and a delicious 'Raspberry Trio' - homemade raspberry icecream with fresh raspberries and a raspberry coolie. Ella and I could only look on, envy in our eyes - for us it was left overs, which is none the less a treat when you see what they are left over from.

Both Ian and Lesley are enthusiastic walkers and I suspect a day in the mountains would stretch a dachshund's short legs more than I might wish. Congratulations to them both on the range of walking covered in just three days, and to Ian for scaling the summit of Mulhacen the long way from Trevelez via the Siete Lagunas. They certainly packed a lot into their stay, and here is what they were kind enough to write in our guest book:

28th August to 1st September

We returned for a second visit after two years to find Cortijo Opazo was even better than we remembered.

Thanks for a great stay and a wonderful meal to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. Ian even made it to the top of Mulhacen - having been driven back by a snow storm two years ago.

Lesley and Ian, Cheshire, UK

Now that September is here, maybe I could start planning a few strolls of my own by way of limbering up for the Autumn walking season.

Yours, with GPS in paw,

Fergus