Earthquakes, landscapes and customs!

It’s been a funny old time, Covid notwithstanding.

The past fortnight has seen a lot of seismic activity in and around Granada, which has come as something of a diversion as we continue with strict lockdown. It was on Tuesday evening, 26th January, as we were lying in bed, that we felt the first serious tremor, logged at 4.2 on the Richter scale. Moclín lies at an altitude of 1,000 metres and we are built on the top of a mountain, so we have never previously felt any tremors. This activity has normally remained around Santa Fe, an historic town on the edge of Granada not far from Granada Airport. However, this week, we were left in no doubt that we are very close to an earthquake zone. In a 13 hour period, 100 tremors were recorded in the area to the west of Granada city; 600 tremors have been registered since 1st December 2020.

It was Andrew’s first experience of earth tremors, and he was genuinely concerned. A couple of years of my childhood were spent in Cyprus, and I can remember the earthquakes that we experienced while living there. They must have been something impressive for me to recall them some 50 years later; those earthquakes were definitely building-cracking events. So, maybe it was that recollection that allowed me to remain reasonably sanguine as the earth moved here. In Granada, over the course of this week, there has certainly been damage - building movement, tiles falling off walls - and our town hall has issued guidance on what to do before, during and after an earthquake, and how to protect property and people.

We love nature reminding us that it remains a lot more powerful than us, and feeling the ongoing rumbles around us did rather put things into perspective. When the clouds parted this week, and we got clear views of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada, the mountains suddenly seemed very small. Andrew has recently taken to trekking the Ruta del Gollizno one morning every week, with Alfie, to get his fitness levels back up. This week needed some consideration, as part of the route takes the hiker through a deep gorge on either side of which soar some fairly precipitous cliffs. Needless to say, on the most recent hike Andrew took the gorge section at something of a canter….or gallop. Alfie suffered the next day with a few stiff limbs. There is something genuinely awe-inspiring and humbling when you know that nature could easily topple a few of the massive rocks that sit, perched on the edge of a few of the peaks in our locality.

During this latest period of very strict lockdown, with our municipality in the top tier of restrictions, we set about completing a few projects that have been on the list for a while. Ever since the house-build was completed, we have been thinking a lot about the garden, and how best to use it. For a year, we have left it, finding out how we walk through it, where we might be able to plant things and finding out what might grow in this climate. Our priority was to reinstate some of the trees that were removed or damaged during the build, and we have planted pear, cherry, olive, peach and apricot trees knowing that they will grow and provide some much-needed shade, as well as produce to eat. Mind you, last year’s first crop was eaten by the Ibex and Alfie so we got to enjoy not one piece of fruit!

The latest projects include the creation of a terrace in the middle of the garden which we will use for outdoor meals. Friends of ours, David and Lorna, very kindly gifted us a collection of aged terracotta tiles, and these are being laid on a bed of reinforced concrete. We’re erecting a pergola over the terrace, and will plant grapevine, Virginia Creeper and maybe a clematis to provide shade over the dining area. Next on the list is a mosaic pebble terrace outside the studio. We have already created something similar outside the kitchen, but we will design something different for the studio. Finally, we are creating a secret walled garden to one side of the studio, built around one of the fig trees after which the house is named. This walled garden contains a cave and it is a very private little oasis, surrounded by rock. We are hoping that we will be able to form a tranquil, shaded chill-out garden, complete with hammocks, for when the summer heat becomes a little too much. We even have the idea of an outdoor cinema using the end wall of the studio as the screen; we shall see.

Today is being spent poring through the gardening encyclopaedia, deciding on which plants to buy to fill in the various beds that sit beside these terrace. Grasses, asters, poppies and lots of scented shrubs will form the basis of the planting, but we’ll see if we can throw in something exotic.

Post Brexit Customs and deliveries

In recent weeks, there have been a few stories flying around associated with the movement of goods following the UK’s separation from the EU and the end of the transition period. We have been on the receiving end, which has been hugely frustrating and this is something that we will either have to get used to, or that will be relaxed slightly over time.

I wanted to have something in memory of my Mum, who died in April of last year, and so we decided to buy a painting by Paul Finn. Paul is actually one of our Granada Concierge Painting tutors, but we came across his work about two years ago on social media. It was a coincidence that Paul had been here, to the Moclín area, to paint, and we loved his work. So, for us, it made sense to buy one of his beautiful Moclín landscapes that so richly represents the dramatic mountains in which we live. This painting might prove to be historical record of a landscape that may well change imminently due to earthquakes! But don’t tell Andrew…

We bought the painting just after the new year and, of course, it got caught up in customs in Madrid. We found ourselves on the receiving end of a €189 duties bill, but still don’t have the painting! The paperwork is not hugely user-friendly. The duty had to be paid in cash at the bank, and the customs team keep asking for all sorts of documentation that we have never needed to produce before. As we know Paul, we just paid for the painting, but we are expected to produce invoices and receipts and proof of value etc etc. What a headache. I have repeatedly sent the only documentation we have, with proof of duty payment, and given the ultimatum that the painting is either delivered immediately or they can return it to the UK and refund my duty payment. Getting heavy-handed in Spanish is quite satisfying; whether it results in the delivery of our lovely painting remains to be seen. Thankfully, the work is painted on board rather than canvas. I dread to think of the condition of the painting had it been on canvas…

From yesterday, our local restrictions have been relaxed enough to allow the bar to open so there is a glimmer of optimism. It may be another week or so before we can consider another skiing trip. That said, I do have the exciting prospect of nipping into Granada on Tuesday to have a tooth extracted. This appointment was postponed from last week as I suddenly had an influx of voiceover work that had to be done immediately! We wait for weeks and then three large projects all arrive at once; a bit like this week’s earth tremors.