Life in Culebrón

I like to do things, to go places, to get out to Spain. To concerts, to parades, to fairs and fiestas, to restaurants and landmarks, to open days, exhibitions and guided walks. There always seems to be lots going on all over the place. I've never been quite able to decide whether this is because there are a lot of things on offer or because I've got into the habit of hunting them out. It may be a combination of both. It may also be because of where we happen to be based. Pinoso is surrounded by other towns and, as everywhere does things, the cumulative effect is impressive. When we first got here there were a whole load of new cultural experiences to tap into. A lot of the information came from posters. It was both comical and frustrating that the posters often failed to give basic information - when or where - for instance. That's because the posters were a gentle reminder to a local audience. As the event hadn't changed in years, everyone who mattered, the locals, kne...

I'm trying to get in as many events and fiestas and ferias as I can before the stroke or the fit leaves me stranded in Culebrón, before cataracts blur my vision or before my knee finally gives way. My partner, Maggie, isn't convinced that it's a sound strategy. Maybe she's Virgo; I hear they're sceptical. July and August in Spain are just loaded with things to do. There aren't that many weekends in two months and everywhere wants to shoehorn their event in. I've seen so many mascletás, so many Virgins carried on the backs of so many humble believers, so many men with big pot bellies, fake beards and 15cm cigars striding out that even romerias, firework displays and Moros y Cristianos are losing out to staying home with a can of Estrella and a good book. Last week though we did stray from home. We went to Aledo down in Murcia, close to Totana. I'd never been to Aledo before but somehow I'd learned that they had a bit of an event where they light the o...