And just as I was beginning to think it is as dry here as the Atacama desert, the rain started.
My first job on Monday morning was to pick up some freebie plants. The Environment Services Department of the Cabildo (Island Government) were advertising that they were distributing some 2000 indigenous plants to residents. So among others I now have two Canary Palms (Phoenix canariensis), a Dragon Tree (Dracaena draco), centre picture below, and a succulent (Tabaiba dulce). Many of these indigenous plants, once common throughout the Mediterranean region, are now only found here in the Canary Islands due to the ice sheet which developed during the last ice age not reaching this far south.
The Dragon Tree is an endangered species which produces a bright red resin when the bark is cut. The resin was used for dyeing cloth and it has medicinal properties also. They grow to a great age and the tree at Icod on Tenerife is reputed to be 2000 years old. So in a thousand years or so my Dragon Tree should form a nice focal point in the garden.
The Dragon Tree is an endangered species which produces a bright red resin when the bark is cut. The resin was used for dyeing cloth and it has medicinal properties also. They grow to a great age and the tree at Icod on Tenerife is reputed to be 2000 years old. So in a thousand years or so my Dragon Tree should form a nice focal point in the garden.
The wind generators were, as far as I was concerned, beyond repair. But of course one man's rubbish is another man's treasure and Alan from across the valley came and offered to do the hard work, to take the masts down and remove the generators.
I hadn't realised how heavy these things are. Very wisely, Alan secured a cable to the tow hitch on his car and then encouraged his wife to reverse slowly, so dropping the mast safely. I had been thinking of asking Wendy to hold a rope while I stood under the mast taking the weight with my hands. I can imagine now what would have happened. Wendy would have shot into the air with the mast landing on my head, driving me into the ground just like in a Tom and Jerry cartoon.
The work on the kitchen is progressing with the plastering finished, the electric points all installed, and the horrible horrible blue walls painted over. Outside, the new hot water pipes are in place and the water pump housing has been built.
The work on the kitchen is progressing with the plastering finished, the electric points all installed, and the horrible horrible blue walls painted over. Outside, the new hot water pipes are in place and the water pump housing has been built.
I think we made the right choice of builder with Berna. Certainly he has already proved his worth when he pointed out to us last week that there was a big chunk of land outside which belonged to us. But he seems to be quite honest and reasonable (for a builder). I have to be careful what I say here in case he spots this blog. He has made and lost a couple of fortunes, the last one in 2007 with the economic crash when the bank took the house he had been building. Still, you can see from the picture that he is not starving.
