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Andalusia or Andalucía?

The autonomous region of Andalusia (Andalucía in Spanish) is in the southern part of Spain. It spans from Atlantic coast in the west to the sheltered coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the east and from Málaga's Costa del Sol to the borders of Castilla – La Mancha the famous flat lands and Don Quixote windmill country.  With an average of 300 plus days of sunshine a year the coastal area is an all year round destination. Not so in the inland provinces of Cordoba, Jaen and Sevilla which ha ve baking hot summers that can reach +40c and cold winters which can be 0c or less overnight. The Mezquita, Córdoba Andalusia is divided into eight provinces, each with a provincial city of the same name. Some of them are far more famous than others: Almería , Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Sevilla. The three land-locked provinces are Córdoba, Jaé n and Sevilla, the rest are coastal. Each province and city is full of culture, history, traditions, fabulous monuments and cre...

Moan - Olive Picking Noise

My first morning of being at home and hopeful of peace this week and the olive pickers arrive at the olive grove bordering our house. Voices, trailers and vibrators begin to spoil my day.

When we moved to Jaén fifteen years ago the olive harvesting months were quite soothing. A tap-tapping of sticks in trees followed by a week or two of chain saw noise was quite pleasant.

But now machines have moved in. Before the harvest starts vaccuum blowers start to clear the ground under the trees. Vibrators now shake the branches for harvesting rather than sticks bashing them and then it´s chain saws for pruning time too.

Noise, pollution and repetitive strain injury let alone the stress from constant noise is, I´m sure, set to affect the workers and those living nearby.

I love progress in some ways and hate it in others. Why can´t I choose? Peace is something we all need. Noise is what we seem to get more and more of.

But guess what? It´s started to rain and the noise has stopped. Yeah. Today I don´t mind the wet stuff, a pathetic drizzle and they´re packing up.

Peace again, within and without. I moan no more. Today!

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