Dedicated To My Mum...

Today's blog is dedicated to my lovely Mum on this special Mothering Sunday...

... So here's wishing you an exceptional and very Happy Mothers Day, Mum!

.. for being there for me over the years, and always being a friend to me, as well as a Mum.

And even though you're working today, which is a crying shame... I hope you can try and find the time to take a lovely big bath full of relaxing, scented bubbles,

eat a mouthwatering chunk of chocolate or two - or three, or four,

... oh sod it! Just eat the whole bar in one! ;-)

Maybe you can find a quiet moment to leaf through the pages of a much loved book, or journal,

or get stuck into a brand new novel you've been waiting to start,

and perhaps indulge in something creamy and calorific, just to lift your mood! :-)

I send you roomfuls of the sweetest, wildest flowers, the sort that are hidden away at the bottom of the garden, or a fairy glen,

and the fresh, vibrant aromas of the greenest meadows full of butterflies and sunshine, to take you away on a daydream of Summer days to come.

I wish you two furry mingers - Abbey and Blue - beside you, purring and kneading and showing their appreciation for looking after them so well,

and keeping you company while you do your hobbies,

and I send you HUUUUGGEEE armfuls of hugs!!

and tons of smiles, and love, and miss-you's,

and of course, to finish, more than a touch of something gorgeous, wonderful and magical!

This picture says it all!

I wish you a very Happy Mothers Day my dearest Mum, and please know that I am thinking of you today, as every day; may all your dreams come true, and your life be happy and content in everything that you do.

Love, your daughter xxxx

We Are Sailing, We Are Sailing...

... or Messing About On Boats!

From my balcony window, I often like to gaze out over the Mediterranean, and there is always a new boat to spot, spiriting away into the distance...

Sometimes it is the ferry from Benidorm to Calpe, taking the holidaymakers along the coast to see the fish market, and the imposing Penon de Ifach rock,

and sometimes it is a lone pleasure boat, anchored happily in the sunshine,

minding its' own business and just enjoying the view.

Other times it is one of the ferries taking passengers over to the Isle of Benidorm (see "I is for..." blog) - this one is particularly distinctive in its' red and yellow livery,

and sometimes it's the little blue and white boat, heading back to the Old Town harbour.

The view is always changing, and I find it very restful, especially when the gulls are gliding gracefully overhead, and I can escape the real world for a little while...

Thanks for visting! x

The Fallas Draw To An End

Today is the final day of the Fallas celebrations, (or Falles in valenciano as in this poster above) and is also Saint Joseph's Day, the patron saint of these fiestas.

Judging by this picture, the whole Internet is celebrating with us too! Love it!

This church, Nuestra Senora del Mar - or Our Lady of the Sea - is just across the road from my apartment block, and today the falleras from the Rincon de Loix area held a ceremony here, in honour of Saint Joseph.

In this close up you can see the beautiful glass and ironwork detail; the church has many glorious stained glass panels inside too.

I was lucky enough - thanks to my husband, who rang me just in time! - to catch the procession of the falleros and falleras coming up the street,

with young and old stepping in time to their own oompah-ing brass band behind them.

Their dresses were stunning, and so colourful and varied - note this lovely girl on the left who smiled my way for a photo!

and some were wearing elaborate lace headdresses, and carrying bouquets of flowers.

Once the service was over, they continued their procession along my road and down the hill, to join the party at the Fallas statue itself.

At 2pm today, there will be a huge mascleta in every district of the town, which is a huge display of pyrotechnics and firecrackers,

Here you can see how they are tied onto great lengths of rope in a central square,

or just along any street they can find!

Then, when the Fallera Major (head fallera) announces it is time, the huge display is set off! This aerial view is of Valencia city, birthplace of the Fallas, where thousands of people turn up every year to celebrate, and the fallas themselves are the most elaborate, detailed and enormous!

This is a perfect example of how fantastic some of them can be... how tall is that statue! Amazing...

There will be a final procession this evening at about 6pm, complete with floats, and then after midnight the statues will be burnt one by one,

in a magnificent burst of flame and heat called the crema,

and then Las Fallas will be over for another year....

"Adios, y hasta el ano que viene!"

Thanks for dropping by, hope you enjoyed my blog, and please come back again x

I Is For....

ISLA DE BENIDORM!

La Isla de Benidorm - or Benidorm Island to the British tourists - lies directly off the coast of the seaside resort of Benidorm, (where I live) in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.

It is one of those sights that seems to follow you wherever you go - like the Mona Lisa's eyes - and is considered a natural landmark.

Last year, when my Mum and stepdad were visiting me from England, we decided to take the trip to the island, on the boat above, the Bay of Benidorm.

As we left the Old Town harbour, we were able to get some unusual views off the mirador, or lookout point, that juts out into the sea.

The journey took about 15 minutes in total, which we enjoyed with the wind in our hair,

and the views of the coastline were superb; this is the Sierra Helada mountain range, meaning "icy mountains".

As we got closer, we could really see the ruggedness of the rock itself,

and the many hundreds of seagulls that swirled and called overhead.

Included in the fare, was a short trip in this small glass bottomed vessel called the Aquascope,

and despite fears that we may all feel a little claustrophobic bobbing around under the waterline,

we felt just fine, and saw several shoals of small fish, dancing and bobbing in the surf we were creating. The island is in fact a bird and marine sanctuary.

Colloquially, the isle is known as Peacock Island, and there is a small "collection" of peahens and peacocks in a cage, who are beautiful - but I feel, however, that they would be better off roaming freely elsewhere...

The landscape was very arid, and rocky, and full of flourishing cacti,

and we headed upwards, taking the pathway to the island summit

stopping for plenty of camera opportunities along the way.

The view from the top was superb, and it was fantastic to see the Puig Campana mountain (the one with small chunk out of it!) from so far away, and from such a different angle,

and the high rise apartments and hotels looked so blissfully far away.

On our return to shore, we could just make out the silhouette of the Penon de Ifach in the distance, this is a huge rock (sometimes called a mini Gibraltar!) in the seaside town of Calpe, and a huge protected natural reserve,

and as we pulled into the harbour, the concrete giants loomed large again!

The old quarter of Benidorm looked particularly appealing as we surged towards dry land; with it's white and blue turrets and old fashioned lamp posts looking out to sea,

and of course the stunning domed church of St James, which was built with the profits from tuna fishing way back in 1740, and is typical of the area with its' white walls and blue tiled roof.

Hope you enjoyed my ABC Wednesday post, please drop by again, or go to this link for more fascinating blogs on the theme of the letter I!

http://abcwednesdayround3.blogspot.com/