Wife in Spain

Wife in Spain

The Law on Cannabis in Spain.

From 1st July the law in Spain has decriminalised the cultivation of cannabis for personal use. This does not mean that we can pull our olive trees up and embark on a Mr  Nice type business of growing and selling weed. What the law is saying is that it is now okay to cultivate the plant, providing it is not on show and not in a public place. The law will now only punish you if you are openly displaying your 'greens plants.'  If you are caught displaying your plants in public the fine is 601 euros. You can if you wish take photographs of your plants, put them on instagram, facebook, twitter  or wherever-just don't stick them in your window box for all to see.

The selling of cannabis is still illegal, and trafficking the plant is punishable by law-however personal use is not, but to date there is no distinction between therapeutic and recreational use,  a prescription is required for therapeutic use. It is important to point out that the definition of personal use is open to debate-and is up to the individual officer to determine this. So basically, a group of noisy teenagers puffing away or any abuse will not be seen favourably.

Recently there has been talk of Barcelona becoming the new 'Holland' as there are now over 200 private Cannabis clubs in the city. The operative word is 'private' unlike Amsterdam effectively, you do not buy weed from these clubs but buy a share in what it costs to grow the plants. You become a member of a cooperative-paying an annual fee for the privilege.  You also need a Spanish residential address, and ID such as NIE number or passport.

A word of warning there is a restriction on the amount of cannabis you can obtain from these clubs each month, presently the limit is 98 grams a month-don;t try pull a fast one and make yourself a member of multiple  clubs-if you do you will be under investigation.

The law on cannabis changes all the time in Spain so best to check it out before you start buying grow-bags, and erecting the poly-tunnel.

Viva La Fiesta

The Ferria & Fiesta

In addition to the well publicised Spanish Fiestas, such as running with the bulls in Pamplona  an eight day festival beginning on 6th July in honour of the patron saint of Navara San Fermin. The origins of this Fiesta is unclear, but it can be traced as far back as the 13th century. There are different stages of this festival including, The Encierrro which is the heart of the Fiesta starting with the strike of the clock at eight in the morning at San Cernin. Following, chants to San Fermin. This Fiesta continues to attract controversy, especially with regard to the welfare of the bulls and the injuries to the public which are reported each year.

In August each year the worlds biggest Food fight happens in the small town of Bunol a province of Valencia. The festival known as La Tomatina, where basically every participant is pelted with tomatoes. This festival is now restricted to ticket holders only following safety issues. There are a few rules that must be obeyed.

1. The tomatoes must be squashed prior to throwing to avoid injury.
2.  Nothing but tomatoes must be thrown.
3. The trucks/lorries take priority.
4. After the second shot no more tomatoes should be thrown.

Almost each month throughout Spain you will most likely find a different Festival. Semana Santa or Holy week (Easter) is celebrated all over the country beginning the preceding Easter Sunday. Processions are common with men in pointy hats (Nazareno) and brass bands walk through the streets from their parish church carrying a statue of Christ or the Virgin Mary. There are different fraternities in the procession identified by different colours. This is a week full of festivities, a national holiday.

Moors & Christians-Mojacar (Andalusia) is Mojacars biggest fiesta and celebrates the surrender of Mojacar and surrounding villages to a Christian King at the end of the 15th century. This is an event that was a peaceful and negotiated surrender. Residents and holiday-makers in Mojacar-divide themselves into different guilds called cabilas and are either Christians or Arabs, and dressed in very colourful costumes. There are no winners in this festival and is all in the spirit of the original ceremony. The festival is in Mojacar in June each year.

In each town throughout Spain there is some sort of celebration which gets neighbours together, dancing, eating and having fun. Children are especially encouraged to join in the festivities. My own local village San Francisco is holding a dinner to raise funds for the Fiesta, which is a similar occurrence throughout the villages in Andalusia. The fiesta starts this year on 28th-30th August. 

Huercal Overa- The Fiesta of Huercal Overa happens the second weekend in October. It is a large colourful event with many activities. The children dress up in traditional Spanish dress and is a very smart event. There are many stall selling chicken & potatoes and the smells as you walk around are fantastic. Music is very much on the agenda, together with a fabulous fun fare and rides for the children. It is a noisy event and not to be missed.

Wife in Spain: Scorpions of the Mediterranean.

Wife in Spain: Scorpions of the Mediterranean.

Scorpions of the Mediterranean.

The Spanish Scorpion

The scorpion is neither an insect nor a reptile, but is classed as an arachnid as they have eight legs  (as opposed to an insect which has six legs) and are nocturnal. They also have no backbone and are considered venomous invertebrates. The Mediterranean scorpion or (Buthus occitanus, escorpión amarillo) is common in Southern Spain. They feed mainly on insects and live under rocks and in dry sandy areas.

The Mediterranean scorpion is related to the tarantula family, and will if necessary eat each other if there is nothing else available.This scorpion takes five years to mature, and sheds its skin in the process. Like mammals scorpions are viviparous and give birth to live young. Interestingly the babies take the markings of their parents, but are white until their first shedding of their skin.

The sting of the scorpion is painful, but not harmful (unless you are allergic to their venom) and is no more harmful than a sting from a bee or a wasp.

Update

I have always thought of myself as careful when it comes to Scorpions, I shake my shoes, spray round my bed, vacuum the floor regularly, but on Wednesday 2nd September 2015. I was watching a film in bed. I got up to get myself a glass of water and put my foot down on a rug at the side of my bed-that was it instant agony-I had stood on a scorpion, the creature must have bedded itself into my trendy now defunct shaggy rug. The pain was so intense. I can only assume that it is similar to been shot.

The scorpion's venom immediately paralysed my toes then spread up my leg-I could not move. I can now understand just how the character of Paul Sheldon (James Caan) felt in the psychological film Misery, when he was hit on his feet with a hammer by his number one fan-the deranged Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates). Still in shock, my hubby quickly brought me an ice pack and tried to put it on my toes-he couldn't-far too painful. Checking the Internet-the advice was to do the ice thing and take paracetamol.

I could not sleep, and could not put my foot on the floor, my head was throbbing, but I knew I was not allergic to the venom. In the morning the pain had not subsided, no choice but to go to hospital. The hospital were fantastic, and scorpion stings are surprisingly rare here, (Somehow I thought they would be quite regular) The main concern was my blood pressure which had risen quite rapidly, I was given a series of pain killers, a tetanus injection, hooked up to a drip full of Tramadol, then given analgesics and stomach medicine. I was sent home with four boxes of tablets which I have to take for the next month.

Day three, the pain is beginning to subside, and feeling is returning to my toes. I am on the mend.
So my advice is if you are bitten, firstly, try keep calm as apparently this slows the venom down from spreading too quickly round your body, and immediately seek medical advice, do not try to self-medicate-it is too serious for that.

Always remember that although scorpions like nothing better than to hide in dark places,they also like places you do not expect-be vigilant- always check your shoes before putting them on -you just never know who may have made a home in them, and always wear socks when gardening, or walking in dry rocky areas. Through experience, check any rugs etc these are all comfortable places for a scorpion seeking shelter. Worth mentioning is that Scorpions like damp places so again check your dishcloth before washing up, a perfect hiding place for a thirsty scorpion.

If like me you are unfortunate and do get bitten by a scorpion, first don't panic, if available put an ice pack on the sting to keep the swelling down, if possible take a photograph of the scorpion in case the doctor needs to see it. Visit the hospital as soon as possible, especially if you are normally allergic to venom, such as bees or wasp stings.

This is the Scorpion that stung me, and is something I never want to go through again.

Animals

Scorpion stings are painful to animals and veterinary assistance should be sought as soon as possible.

Spain and its Insects.

This is the view from our bedroom window, beautiful, peaceful and very inspirational. The scenery is very similar to Southern California, which is one of the reasons we chose to live here after visiting California on a few occasions and knowing that it was too far and flights too expensive to pack up sticks and move there.


The mountains are beautiful my grandchildren call them 'Grandma's mountains' and always choose a mountain for themselves. The mountains change colour depending on the season-sometimes dark and gloomy sometimes amber and gold , bright red and silver with hints of green shivering in the warm breeze as the sun shines down on them.-To me the mountains reflect my mood and are constantly a source of inspiration.


As you can see summer has started and the land is very dry, insects are coming out of hibernation, and flies and mosquito's are rampant. Before moving to Spain I must admit I took flies for granted but here in Spain they drive you to a point of lunacy-we are forever swatting them and it becomes a sense of achievement if you swat two at a time. Awful things!


In the early days of moving here we were so in awe of the peace, warmth of the country that we would sit outside admiring the views, and watching star constellations, all doors open window with no mosquito frames on them-no shoes on, completely ignorant to the insect inhabitants wanting to share our space.


In fact we were so ignorant that one night laid in bed I felt something move, slowly crawling over me, too scared ton move I woke hubby up who quickly dismissed my female fears saying that it was my imagination and 'go back to sleep' two seconds later it struck biting me on the boob! I screamed hubby soon woke up then-hearing a scuttle on the headboard he soon changed his mind on the fears of the female species-

'are you ok hun?'

'No I bloody well aren't bloody thing has bitten me!'


Hubby tried to hide to hide the vicious culprit from me- scurrying off to the bathroom with the creature tightly secured in a tee shirt.

'Bloody Hell' I heard his say, not a good sign I thought as I began to feel feverish as my left boob began to turn red and itchy. I would not have minded so much if it had bitten both boobs-a bit of a boob job perhaps visions of Jordan springing to mind.


Meanwhile hubby was in the bathroom trying to dispose of what had now become the nocturnal 'monster' which as you can see from this picture (Not the exact same but the same nevertheless)








I later found out that the offender is known as 'The Tiger centipede' not a pretty thing move faster than Tiger Woods and a swinging golf club, and are extremely nasty. This centipede is found throughout Southern Spain and is one of the largest in Europe and can grow up to 150mm in length (ugh) According to the 'net' its markings change depending on its location (in my case duvet colour.) Normally they are yellow/amber colour with black stripes-which is why they are referred to as a tiger.


The little darlings are nocturnal, and like damp places, (or hot bodies) they can give a nasty bite which can be extremely painful although not lethal unless you are allergic to the venom (A thing you would not know unless you are in fact bitten by one) Medical assistance is advised.In my case I did not, but I can tell you that the sting is similar to a burn, painful and left a mark as the thing clawed its way into my boob. The day after I felt feverish as if I had just had an injection of some kind. The boob swelled up a little not enough to recommend it as an alternative boob-job. Interestingly the bite showed up on a mammogram a few years later and was initially of some concern, but that was soon dismissed.


Another incident involving hubby, he was in the bathroom having a shave when he saw something move on the floor. On closer inspection he found it was a scorpion-just like this one.So the moral of the story is when living in Spain is to remember that it's in the Mediterranean, and that we share the space with other creatures who although not always pleasant have the right to live here, so always shake your shoes before you put them on you don't know just what might have crawled in there. When gardening wear socks-making sure the ankles are covered (very Victorian) Fly free your windows. Always wear shoes or slippers indoors, and buy yourself some 'Maton' a spray that is supposed (I say the word lightly) to protect you from insects, as once they cross the threshold-they will be no longer. This spray is reported to last one year, but personally it lasts me about a month as I am taking no prisoners! so once bitten not a chance of twice, I blast it all over the house.


Spain is beautiful as long as you are aware-next time its Spiders so all arachnophobia-read something else!-It won't be pretty.

San Francisco Village 50th Anniversary.

This weekend San Francisco village is 50 years old. Fifty years since General Francisco Franco divided up pieces of land and houses built on it, creating the community San Francisco.

It was a lovely day Spanish and English families gathered together to share paella and of course cerveza.

A raffle showed some interesting prizes such as a live cockerel, a crate full of artichokes, oranges and olive oil.

The very talented Rosanna did a beautiful enchanting dance with her horse-Fabulous.

The children enjoyed the bouncy castle and singing and dancing along to the fantastic Spanish flamenco singers.

Lovely Day.

Viva La Fiesta

One of Spain many traditions is the Ferria-or Fiesta. In every community no matter how small, the locals celebrate with a Fiesta. Sometimes this will be a saint’s day, or let's sacrifice a pig day or catch a sardine day-whatever-the excuse is the Spanish love to party. Usually the local community sell raffle tickets, with the proceeds helping to fund the cost of a band and amusements for the children. Then out comes the bunting, with flags adorning the streets, local business shut for at least a couple of days, the wine and sangria flows, the children dance with each other way past their bed times-it is a traditional part of the Spanish culture.

The music is very loud and the food is fantastic with migas and paella, and the traditional Spanish dress is worn, and the dancing is in the flamenco style. Outsiders are welcome and the Spanish insist that you join in the fun.

There are many traditional more famous Fiestas all over Spain including- the Falles fiesta and Tomatina festival in Valencia, the San Fermín festival in Pamplona, Carnival celebrations in Cadiz and Tenerife and Holy Week festivities throughout the country.

Viva la Fiesta.

I predict a diet.

Some of you may recall in my previous blog entitled 'the moonshine diet’, which since moving to Spain my weight has crept up & up. I am very much in denial and still believe myself to be a size 10, a skinny thing who many people still consider to be on the verge of anorexia. Sadly, the mirror and weighing scales tell me different.

Time for a massive reality check, so diet & exercise it has to be. Trouble is I don't really know where to start, so much is written about the Mediterranean diet, but to be perfectly honest, most of the Spanish women I have seen are rather on the plump side. It's rather baffling really as the Spanish girls are skinny up to been about 28 then you don't seem to see them until the resurface  at aged 50 plump breasted and fat bottomed. I have often found it odd when the shops and market stalls sell clothes that are clearly designed with olive oil in mind, when really it should have been Hattie Jacques! Well obviously someone must buy them sadly I am not one of them, more’s the pity.

So I have decided to keep it fresh, as much fresh & natural food as I can find, plenty of fruit & vegetables, and the Spanish people's favourite food 'fish' We will see if that works.


I have also bought myself an Xbox 360 with kinnect, which is amazing, well it was once I managed to turn it on and get it working, which I managed together with the invaluable assistance of my 4 year old granddaughter, without whose inbuilt child’s technical ability which all adults loose past the age of 24, I think the thing would have been on the compost heap.

It is amazing though, I bought the Zumba dancing DVD, which brought back memories of Peter Gordeno, and his amazing Latin dance moves, not easy to master but a craze that is soaring the country. I also bought the 'your shape' DVD which is facsinating, the kinnect sensor scans your body and you begin the exercises from there. I did the simple workout for beginners, and as me & exercise seem to be from opposite planets, I had to sit down after 15 minutes, still I am determined this time to stick with it, I will keep you informed, of when I can rush to the market to buy myself those much wanted 'skinny clothes'.

Insects & Reptiles.

                                                        Spanish Centipede or  "escolopendra".


The weather here in Spain is certainly heating up, 35-40 degrees, which is lovely unless you want to do anything energetic, which in constant heat is almost impossible.I am not complaining, but the heat does bring with it some unwanted creatures, who are themselves trying to get out of the heat for shelter.

One of the insects here in Spain that I really dislike the most is the 'escolopendra' or Spanish centipede.I have good reason for disliking them, as a few years ago,  not too long after we had bought the house and back in the days when we were very naive about life in the campo, and the creatures we shared our land with, we would often leave all the doors wide open, we had no idea that we needed mosquito netting on the windows, or that you should not walk around barefoot, we have  learned, the hard way unfortunately, these are a couple of things that have happened to hubby and me, and still make me cringe today.

Hubby & I were in bed  one night , the windows were wide open letting in some much needed air, the weather in July was very intense, and as we had only bought the house a month ago, we were not used to it, and trying to adjust to 40 degree heat at eleven o'clock at night took some adjusting to. I was woken up feeling a tickle on my chest, I was tired so did not really think much about it, then to my horror I felt something crawl across my left breast it felt like it was big with lots of tiny feet, it was awful and I could not help letting out a scream , which only made it worse as I could then feel sharp pincers biting into my flesh. Hubby woke up startled. 'Ive been bitten 'I said horrified , by this time the 'creature' had disappeared, a small red scar was beginning to develop on my boob, and it hurt and looked sore. 'well I can't find anything' hubby said,  moving the pillows and bedsheets , finding one of the plastic tags you get on new clothes, 'that's all it was' he said, I was not convinced, suddenly we both heard a scratching sound on the headboard, 'bloody hell' hubby said, not having seen  a centipede before, I dare not look, thinking I would be deformed, as my boob was now swelling up rapidly, 'Shall I get it to bite the other side now then you will be like Jordan', very funny I said not amused at my husbands, untimely sense of humour. Hubby managed to catch it and disposed of it humanely, well to be perfectly honest , he drowned it in the bath which was fine by me.

These horrid creatures are common here in Spain, and are not as dangerous as some of the other Scolopendra cingulata centipedes in the world, they are black & yellow in colour and can grow up to 9 centimetres long, the one that bit me, was approx 7 centimeters long, but you should be  aware as its sting is potent and painful. It injects its poison with its front feelers.it lives in sheltered, stony ground where it burrows ( not normally in peoples bedrooms), it is nnocturnal in habit. I often see them under plant pots, as they seem to like damp dark places.

Next time I will tell you the story of my hubby & the scorpion, but in the meantime, don't forget, shut the doors, put netting on your windows, and wear shoes at all times you don't know what you may stand on, oh and don't forget to shake your shoes first as you don't know just what may have crept inside them, but that's another story.