Cave Living Andalucia 2

Archived

2010-12-02T20:33:00.000+01:00

Cave Living Andalucia is now archived - thanks for reading over the years.

You can still leave comments which will be answered but please be aware of the dates of the posts you wish to comment on, exchange rates, products, information and techniques have changed and information has always been offered from a personal perspective from the time of moving to Spain and starting work back in 2004. No-one can ever offer the perfect advice or claim perfection in any task they undertake whilst learning.

With all that in mind enjoy the blog, I hope you find some of it (at least in part) useful if you are undertaking an unreformed Spanish cave.

Gracias and adios!

Cave Living Andalucia 2

2010-03-21T18:45:00.011+01:00

2005 ~ 2010

Well, the cave renovations are long over although after this years rain I fear an imminent relationship with that savour of all cave building materials ~ "yeso" Welcome to Cave Living Andalucia 2, ok not very original but its a second wave for the original Cave Living Andalucia which began in 2005. An age ago it seems with a vary basic Google blogger as well as very basic knowledge about cave renovation!

Looking back at some of the old posts as they literally happened (once we had internet) many are so old they have become outdated, what was correct then may not be now and there is the odd mention of the exchange rate which we all know has fallen through the floor so ignore the numbers if you look through the archives...

Much has happened in the past 6 years since arriving to our hole in the ground, the start of a business, a new addition to the family a few unforseen disasters as well as some brilliant times here in rural Andalucia which is, ultimately, what we came here for. A life in Spain.

Bringing the blog out of the cobwebs was quite an easy decision, so much has happened in the past few years, we like writing and photography so why not? Part of the revival will be to detail some of the more realistic points of living in rural Spain, schooling, winter weather, business aspects and why we love to live here. Nearly 6 years on since arriving here with a caravan and all our worldy goods we are still here - challenge one acheived. Lets see what else happened along the way and see what the future brings!

Cave Living - The Spanish Perspective

2009-02-01T13:20:00.006+01:00

The Spanish Perspective written by our good friend Emilio for Livinginacave.com

If there is a Spanish perspective, as most Spaniards don't know anything about caves. Only in last few years have caves become a tourist attraction, but they even had to change the name -'casas-cueva', they call them now, instead of simply 'cuevas'- so that tourists don't think they are going to be accommodated in some kind of pre-historic cavern. And although caves are becoming more and more popular and even more well known as rural accommodation, Spanish people still ignore the fact that a considerable population live their lives in caves. That they have modern amenities such as electricity, telephone, internet, furniture, etc, and their home on the inside is the same as any other conventional house. Besides, it is not the English, but Spanish people who have always lived there.

So, outside of the villages where caves are the common dwelling, people will be puzzled when you tell them that you live in a cave. That's what has happened to me many times. Even in Granada city, so near these areas and where there are lots of caves, people think that you must be a gypsy or homeless to live in a cave. But I was always a believer. I always thought that caves had huge potential because they are unique and they are what makes the Altiplano de Granada so different.

I was born in and grew up in a cave, so all my childhood memories are related to caves. In my little village, El Margen, that was the only kind of dwelling that existed, so I wasn't even conscious that my home was different. All my relatives and friends lived in caves. The first time I realized that I didn't live in a conventional house was at school: we had learnt the different kinds of housing in the world and how roofs were different according to the climate, that is, if it rained a lot, roofs were more inclined, etc, and then we had to draw our own house. How can you draw the roof of a cave? What kind of tiles do you use on the roofs of caves? All my classmates and myself tried to do our best with our drawings, but in the end, the teacher had to agree that certainly caves didn't fit in any of the patterns given by the textbook.

Since I left my village, sometimes I have felt ashamed of saying that I lived in a cave, because people looked at you as if you were a strange creature. Other times, I simply have avoided the topic so as not to give a lot of explanations on how caves were, if there was electricity or if we had a bathroom. On an occasion in the USA, in one of those group dynamics exercises to get to know each other, we had to make three statements, and the rest of the group had to figure out which was a lie. One of the things I said was that I lived in a cave. Everyone thought that was the lie, and I suppose they thought I must have been a weird guy who came from a very remote part of the world. Well, one of the good things about the British migration to the Altiplano region is that now caves are not considered inferior housing anymore and I am so proud to state that I am an original cave dweller.

The first time I heard about English people in the area was about six years ago, when my father-in-law called to tell us that he had sold 'la casa de la abuela' to an English family for 12 million pesetas, although 1 million (6,000 €) was for the estate agent. Even though the house was 400 sq m plus a plot of 600 sq m, that was an incredible price, taking into account that some months before he had bought a house in the same hamlet for only 600,000 pesetas. Soon after that, other English agents settled in the area and they started to sell caves. Prices increased very quickly and everyone put their caves for sale, sometimes at too expensive prices, as people thought that 'los ingleses' were made of gold and they would pay anything they were asked. Anyway, I still think that caves are cheap if we consider that they are made by hand. If you had to pay some workers to dig a cave nowadays, probably it would cost much more than they do.

From the Spanish point of view the question is: Why do the English come here? I suppose this is a question all of you who already live here are asked very often. People in Andalucia understand why Africans leave their land and risk their lives in search for a better life, but it is hard to understand why people from a developed country move to rural Spain, sometimes even leaving a job and a good salary behind. You've got the answer, and I know there are a lot of reasons: healthier life, no crime (almost), good weather, to live your dream, culture, food, etc. But, why caves in the province of Granada? I think I know: because English estate agents discovered the place. I mean, when you are a foreigner and don't speak the language, when you don't know in which areas to search, when you can't contact a Spanish agent, then you have to trust an English agent and, in the end, you'll buy a property offered by him. If you had dreamt of a home in a virgin place, probably you'll end up buying a cave in a neighbourhood full with your compatriots. Take a look at the properties in the provinces of León, Burgos or Zamora, where you can buy a 300 sq m house for less than € 20,000, before an English agent arrives. By the way, did you know that Spanish agents traditionally took only 3% of the price, 1.5% paid by the seller and 1.5% paid by the buyer? This is something that is changing with the arrival of the Brits.

But the whole area is changing for the better. Some years ago the Altiplano region was one of the poorest in Europe. The young had to leave the villages as there was no future for them. But the moving of English people to the area and the development of a tourist industry based mainly on cave accommodation has meant an injection into the economy of these villages. It has gone from being an area of emigrants to being a cosmopolitan area that receives immigrants from all over the world. Besides, the arrival of the Brits has made us the locals a little richer in two senses: on the one hand, our properties are more valuable than they were some years ago, on the other hand, we can share our cultures and our points of view, learning from each other. So, WELCOME TO THE CAVES!

Emilio Navarro Masegosa

Amazon.com Widgets

Snow 2009

2009-01-14T14:11:00.003+01:00

Some snowy pics from January 2009.

Living in a cave

Rain & Hail...

2008-05-31T14:42:00.002+02:00

Flood! It had been threatening all day, black sky and obvious downpours over the mountain range in front of the cave. Mid afternoon the neighbours dropped by to collect a parcel - this is when the first onslaught came. Hail and big hail at that! Assesing the damage the day after revealed almost every plant in the garden being peppered as if it had met a shotgun.

After that we decided a good old beer was in order so we helped shifting the parcel (any excuse:) around to the neighbours house other side of the hamlet. What happened next was something I have never seen before in my life.... The rain came, gradually at first, then heavier and heavier and heavier. At that point for some reason everyone piled into the bathroom - apparently this is where you can guage the rain by the gutter above the bathroom window in this particular cave....

A minute later you couldnt see out of the window, similar to a mudslide we realised very quickly that it was the roof that was passing before our eyes and then,
GET A MOP!!!!!! the rain came down so heavy is put 3 inches of water on the patio within minutes and it all came through the front door.

Imagine the volume of water from a full bath suddenly being released by your front door, mops towels, anything we could get our hands on to stop that water! Eventually of course we did, drenched having used farmyard brushes to get the water away from outside we won - just. Then it was time to go home sharpish to see our own cave and how the patio had faired....

Adios for now

2008-05-12T18:25:00.001+02:00

Fire Dance

2008-05-06T17:28:00.003+02:00

To be honest I am no real enthusiast of dancing, theatre, shows etc but a little bit of Riverdance does do something...if not make the cave shudder at full volume. Maria Pages is the dancer normally associated with the "Fire dance" but in this video we have a lady (Yolanda) just as good and that is some acheivement.

Enjoy 6 minutes of toe tapping:

A Fresh Lick of ....Plastic paint

2008-05-04T18:20:00.002+02:00

Its amazing how dis-coloured cave walls can become, especially if your running an open fire or wood burning stove. Caves are predominantly painted white on the interior to enhance the natural light which generally comes from doors and windows at the front.

The type of paint to use internally can be an issue - it depends who you talk to.

For us, plastic paint has been the way to go. Practicality wise it does not leave a residue unlike "Cal" which has been used in old Spanish buildings for years now, however the paint is not "breathable" so ultimately its is a matter of personal choice. Our cave has been painted with plastic paint for over 4 years with no detrimental effect.

A 25ltr tub of paint will cost in the region of 25 euros, how far will that go? Well it can be watered down slightly but we painted two rooms - surface area approx 120m2

Not a bad deal and what a difference!

Going Green..

2008-04-29T15:34:00.002+02:00

One aspect of the garden that always amazes me during the spring is how plants and trees appear to have a growth spurt after some good old Andalucian rain. It was the same in the UK although I dont remember such a significant difference in growth after even the briefest of showers - maybe our Spanish gardens are taking advantage of what rain we get.

Above: Cherry tree, looks like cherry pie this year! The first year it has had any significant fruit. Below: Almond tree - if you have one of these the almonds are tremendously sweet, the locals can be seen shelling the almonds in season.

Out in the campo the soil quality is not the best so manure is great when first planting. Funny thing is you can stand for hours every day with the hose pipe watering your garden but after some quality "lluvia" everything seems to be a foot higher the next morning!

Childhood Persuasion...

2008-04-22T17:18:00.003+02:00

Well here we go again, nothing to do with caves but a certain CR Junior keeps saying to me "DADDY! DADDY! CAN I SEE MY SCALEXTRIC ON THE COMPUTER AGAIN? - PLEEEEASE...

What can you do eh? The now named "Fuente Nueva" circuit has undergone some changes, new cars, barriers, a 5m extension, the odd petrol pump and even a pond - made from an old Ford Capri fan belt and some wire mesh.

Enjoy the pics, I know he will :))

Goats Eat Anything...

2008-04-17T18:30:00.002+02:00

"Now then these cactus look like a decent enough tapa"

Goats eat anything...

This fine feller was photographed by a neighbour whilst on holiday, this goat may be more versed in Catalan but his Andalucian cousins are just as hungry - goats can be seen regularly in the "campo" devouring the countryside in droves.

Olive trees, cardboard boxes, cactus..? You have to admire the goat - a beast that will never go hungry!

Do you eat rustic?

2008-04-14T17:25:00.002+02:00

What is it about Andalucia and her food? I was watching a tv programme last week about Spanish food and the presenter described Spanish food in general as being commonly regarded as second tier to that of Italian food etc. Nonsense!

Food plays and almost is Andalucian culture in some respects... Granada, the only region in Spain that hands out free tapas, the paella - a poor mans campo meal which is now world famous, cured hams etc etc

Cooking on the BBQ... No fancy serviettes, gas bottles or even charcoal - just wood, the true rustic way to cook your Spanish meal should you choose.

Watch out for those flavours! Smokey outdoor BBQ's add a real Spanish taste...funny how food tastes different outside as a pose to being cooked in the kitchen.

...and sardines, regularly available and great lunchtime racione, plenty of bread and of course the all essential olive oil.

Cooking rustic may not be for everyone, sometimes though along with the neighbours, Spanish sun, some music, a bottle of tinto and real basic food packed full of flavour along the the atmosphere is good enough!

The dollar dictates...

2008-04-11T16:35:00.002+02:00

Much discussion on the cave message board recently about the current exchange rates and apparent market downturn... Everything is born from the dollar, or so they say..

Just for laughs, it could have been GWB or Gordon Brown on this video but Youtube as always provides something that little different. Enjoy.

One of the best things in life is laughter :-))

Market slow down?

2008-04-09T15:05:00.002+02:00

A cave is one of the most unique properties anyone can buy, as with all things though a cave is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it. Given the fact that every cave is unique prices so far have risen steadily over the years with estate agents enjoying good business...

However, (dare I say it) there seems to be a down turn in the cave market. External factors effecting prices, exchange rate etc. People are now being more careful with their money. Predominantly UK cave buyers are now looking at mortgage increases back home and if the media is to be believed devaluation on their own conventional UK house.

Now, I am no expert on the financial/housing market but what I can do is mention a few examples of how the cave "boom" appears to have peaked and is now on a modest slide. For example 3 caves in Orce that were on sale in 2006/7 are now reduced in price by as much as 15000 euros (average 10k) New caves to the market are being more reasonably priced from Spanish sellers - no more overpriced daftness. Estate agents are no longer flooded with serious buyers with money to spend and with the US economy giving most the jitters for the future cave sales have calmed down a lot.

The Boom (if thats what it could be called) appears to be over, prices have risen significantly over the past 4 years but every property growth must peak at some stage in the short term. That said, positivity reigns... there may be the beginnings of a downturn in the market but as always it will swing in roundabouts - next time around it may well be the average cave price could be 20% higher than it is now.

The publicity legwork has been done, tv exposure, press articles, magazine articles - the expat orientated Joe bloggs in the main now knows what a cave actually is having done his research on rural Andalucian property (hopefully)

Caves are different, the investment is different, sound investment for the future? Yes, then again some of us come here to live and start a new life in which case no problem on the selling front.

No doubt many will disagree! But hey, its only a blog! Feel free to leave your comments.

Its getting warmer....

2008-04-04T14:41:00.002+02:00

and that means....FIESTA!

Por Arriba,

Por Abajo,

Por el centro..

y por dentro!

CHEERS!!!

Easter Paella

2008-03-25T16:28:00.002+01:00

Paella for 8. Easter Saturday was quite warm so presented the opportunity to make an outdoor paella. Now normally we do this on the BBQ but there were 8 people coming which naturally means you need a paella pan for at least 12!

An outdoor gas burner is a handy piece of kit, all you need is a length of gas hose and a regulator (unless you nick the reg from the gas oven like we did)

Bubbling away and nearly ready....recipe - chicken breast and pork rib paella, the best paella is when you can get your hands all messy..! Very nice and a great occasion for the family visitors and th neighbours.

More Stuff - More Storage

2008-02-26T17:41:00.002+01:00

Since building the new office, shifting bedrooms and creating store rooms we havnt had a great deal of time to finish off some off the cosmetics we had planned for the new year. However, a free day landed and there I was clad with the most knackered pair of tracky bottoms and torn, paint covered t-shirt... Bring back the old days!

A relatively simple job that was born the evening before - CD/DVD storage, up until now all our media was stored in boxes so we decided to build a bookcase.

Tools required..very little, 4 wooden ham boxes, 12 stones from the campo and that bag of yeso that is always in stock.

Still needs a lick of paint but basicly stacked boxes, secured and wedged, plastered in with a decorative stone effect and stained.

Total cost: yeso 8e / stones free / paint 8e / ham boxes...6e each

Cheap and effective storage, nice and rustic to suit the cave bar...

Carnival!

2008-02-19T19:56:00.003+01:00

Today was the turn of the childrens "Carnival" Anyone who who has kids in Spain will know all about this! A great event where all the kids get dressed up and parade through the village, loud music, lots of fun and the kids realy enjoy the event.

Nicolas - our friendly local policeman with CR Junior...

Through the streets.. one of the themes this year was "grapes" so how do you dress your kids in grapes? Balloons!

No-one escapes, even the older generation are up for it.

Living in a cave - a typical conversation...

2008-02-11T18:43:00.000+01:00

1) Alright mate, pleased to meet ya"
2) Hi, hows it going, nice to meet you"

...bla bla bla (usual pleasantries)

1) So where you from then?
2) Newcastle originaly but now living in Spain

1) Oh right, made the move then and buggered off to better climes, good on ya
2) Yeah, it was a good move, certainly better weather!

1) So where in Spain?
2) In the south, Andalucia in the Granada region, pretty rural...

1) Not on the costa del crime then?
2) No, up in the hills, you know, real Spain..

1) Champion, always wanted to do that. So What kind of place you got then?
2) Nice place up in the hills, great views, 10 rooms, big garden, love the place - we live in a cave.

1) Eh?
2) A Spanish cave house

.......contemplation.....

1) Heard about Carol Smillie talking about one of them places a few years back.., so you live in one of them caves?
2) Yup

1) Do you have, like, water and all that?
2) Funnily enough, yes. On mains

1) And what about electric? You got proper lights and everything? Is it not damp? and what about the windows? Any windows?
2) Three windows, a front door, lights, internet, electrics the lot.

1) Christ! Internet aswell! hows that like?
2) A box that bounces signals...sits on the cave roof..

1) Hells teeth, so non of them staglegtitty things hanging off the roof dripping water then?
2) No

1) So....errrrm do you go underground?
2) Not so much under but "in" the cave is dug into the mountain side

1) Bloody hell, is it not claustrophobic?
2) No not unless you are, high ceilings, big rooms and just like a house - imagine a bungalow in the UK... just underground.

1) Aye right, must be dark though being under ground and all that..
2) Not really, slightly darker than a matchbox built semi that costs 3 times the price maybe.

1) Council tax?
2) Yup, went up last year, not happy

1) Stuffed on ours and they never even get the bins every week now 25 different coloured bins to fill an all!, costs us 130 quid a month, whats yours up to?
2) About 8 quid in UK pounds..

1) Eh? bloody madness that!
2) A year..

1)...@@#$$%%^*&(&^^ hell!

To be continued...

It's a boy thing...

2008-02-09T11:56:00.000+01:00

Since last Christmas we have had friends and family asking for photos of the Scalextric so we thought a few on the blog would be good as well. CR Junior has been hounding me ever since Boxing day for "a couple of laps" every five minutes and the collection is building up quite nicely too.

...the circuit has even managed to gain some local business sponsorship!

and just for a hoot take a look at this video,

Adios, off back to England

2008-02-03T14:33:00.000+01:00

Well not me, no way in hell!! There are however an increasing number of british ex-pats deciding not to be ex-pats anymore.. The law of numbers would dictate that the more people who move to the area, the more who will decide to sell up and leave.

Work tends to be a real issue in some circumstances, there isnt much opportunity about for employment so if money is something you need acheive once here its definatly worth planning way ahead, organising something up front before the big move and an absolute essential is a basic grasp of the lingo - without that getting a job will be very hard to say the least.

Sometimes the area doesnt turn out to be what people expected. Very rural, too cold in winter, mad hot in the summer and again, the lingo makes everyday tasks a challenge. Whatever the reason people return to the UK there is no substitute for planning (and lots of it)

It always amazes me, those who sell up and move lock stock - then 3 months later they are off again back to the place they left behind in the first place. Makes no sense to me at all. Everyone makes mistakes, its a fact of life but what a big mistake to make...

Shouldnt you be in bed?

2008-01-24T17:34:00.000+01:00

Even in the winter months rural village residents still tend to have a siesta - seems like summer habits die hard! However we did catch this guy at around 4.00pm tending to his horse in the street... everywhere else was deserted. Accommodating as ever this Orce resident offered to get out of the way for the photo. Mrs CR just caught him though as he saw us.

Nobody here... even in summer the streets are deserted, nightime though the picture below would be full of colour and atmosphere. Winter is a cold and dreary season (as with everywhere else) in Orce though spirits are just the same as in the Summer season - the locals never seem to suffer from grey weather sydrome! Lively as ever in the shops come rain or shine, only difference is the odd cry of "Madre Mia, Que Frio!) same in summer mind when its "ooof Que Calor!"

Roll on Spring, no doubt we will have snow before then though...

I'm Blue..

2008-01-14T18:32:00.000+01:00

There has been some recent discussion on the Cave Forum about photography in Andalucia. In my opinion there is never a bad time to get the camera in action - be quick in Spring and Autumn though - they never seem to last that long!

Far from a "pro" I took these snaps the other morning around 11ish using a simple digital camera (Olympus FE 120)

Its Blue...

Wait until mid February when those mountains get dusted with snow. In our old terraced house in the UK the view was...well the next terrace.

I never get tired of the view

Cave Storage

2008-01-11T19:03:00.000+01:00

Once the office was built we had to start on the other side of the partition wall, not as finely finished but it didnt have to be...just neat enough.

Plenty of bricks, no cement.

A friend gave me a tip on yeso mixing - DONT. Contrary in most cases to everything else about yeso on the blog (we live and learn) if you dont mix yeso - even Rapido it doesnt set as quick as is easier to manage as it gives you more time, something the Spanish builders have known since yeso was invented. There is nothing wrong with mixing yeso - depends on the application but for most work just sprinkle it into the water and it will do the rest itself (notice the small "island of yeso powder" in the above pic, thats just about right.)

Shelf Racking, big items are stored elsewhere but a small stock room for smaller items is ideal. Here we used yeso as if it were cement, just clagging the bricks together in all the joins (particularly to the cave wall) smoothed off and painted with plastic paint for easier cleaning.

Just the job, total cost 67 euros

Adios for a short while, catchup time now!

Cave Office - finishing off

2007-12-30T16:22:00.000+01:00

The total cost for the materials was 238.00 euros, that included all the yeso, tile adhesive, floor tiles, paint, bricks and terracotta shelving. The desk units were not cemented but yeso'd in with rapido - strong enough for units that are only ging to be subjected to typing and paperwork.

Cava comes in cases of six, nice untreated wooden boxes so with a good coat of dark varnish, two holes drilled in the front and some ham cord tied through makes for the perfect deep drawer.

Wooden beam above the door varnished in the same colour and carefully painted around with a small brush. A great contrast to the the white paint as seen in most caves, hang the curtain and job's done.

And the finished room with enough room for a sofa. Loads more storage! Biggest problem was the existing internet cable which had to be chipped out of the wall (previously yeso'd through into the now new bedroom) that took some time as we had to be constantly online - damage the cable and a complete disater.

And a champagne book case, more cava boxes used, varnished and yeso'd on top of a brick base. Blending the book case into the corner took some time but by the time the gaps either side were chocked with broken brick, relativly little plaster was used to finish off. Topped with a whisky decanter set...handy for those times of stress!!

Total time was three days for the whole job, 8 hours a day. 24 hours, not complicated just messy.

Unfortunatly the office became an even bigger mess after it was finished...due to the next job, a storage room, floor to ceiling racking, more bricks and of course YESO.

Cave office

2007-12-28T19:00:00.000+01:00

When you work from home a cave office is a good idea if you have the space. Transforming a room can create a huge mess but a mess is all it is - no structural work involved and no major renovations, its all interior.

So here is what we did, the master bedroom was some 25m2, nice to have a big main bedroom but nicer to have a bigger office which after all is where most our time these days is spent. So the swap was on, first we moved the big bedroom into the small office on December 22nd (a little cramped for a couple of days but... well worth the end result.

Best laid plans (which went out the window) but a guide non the less.

We also needed storage so up went a block wall on day 1 which was rendered and plastered. The beam above the door is an offcut from our summer project the pergola - it almost went into sticks for the fire but it always pays to keep such lengths of wood just in case!

Naturally there is a gap at the top of the beam so bricks, broken block and stones where hammered in to support both the wall and the roof at this point - plenty of cement and yeso rapido.

Transformations: The beam viewed from the other side is now plastered in, covered in yeso and looking tatty. Yeso can be removed from wood very easily, see through the mess and imagine a painted rustic wall and a reclaimed beam from a finca and we are in business!

Interior wall built it was time to set about the office, no fancy granite or marble tops - this was all about rustic, a rustic cave needs a rustic office. My personal preference, the last thing I wanted to create was a perfect call centre desk environment in the very room from which our business runs. So....bricks, yeso, shelves and more measuring on the way...

A real mess, working with yeso/plaster and broken bricks always is. However, it looks horrendous - a disaster in fact but a few hours later...clean as a whistle!

Next up: Finishing off, Champagne box bookcases and plastic paint

Scalextric - Cave Style

2007-12-26T14:27:00.000+01:00

Well here it is! a small games room for CR Junior (and me) The room was eventually big enough for the track (11m long) we needed 3.2m x 2.1m and had just an inch either way to spare.

Now I can say I own a Ferrari...

...and an Aston Martin

Guess what the little feller was doing all day Christmas and Boxing day! of course he needed someone to race with so I managed to pull myself away from the Queens speech and give him a few laps. Definatly worth the effort digging out the room, better than a playstation and hours of entertainment. Brilliant.

Next up: Moving offices in 24 hours. Yeso, electrics, interior walls, bricks, tiles and paint (and fast)

The night before Christmas.....

2007-12-24T18:10:00.000+01:00

Santa is on his way...! so best get prepared. CR Junior is so excited he is about to burst so what better than to leave Santa his traditional tapa to show our appreciation for all his hard efforts.

In true Andaluz style CR junior thought it best to leave one of Orce's finest chorizo "picantes" to warm Santa up and a glass of 50 year old Jerez sherry!

Its great having kids :)

Merry Christmas

More digging Part 2

2007-12-18T17:24:00.000+01:00

Yeso, the cave's best friend? It took 3 bags of contralado to roughly finish this small room - a total cost of around 13 euros. On the raised floor we "aquired" some gravel from the newly laid road outside (there was plenty!)

Splashing yeso is a messy job to say the least, before applying the plaster for a rustic look which involves smearing the yeso on simply by hand the walls had to be "bound" - loose cave rock is impossible but a few buckets of yeso rapido flicked on as water which later sets produces a good foundation for applying the contralado later on (this is when you can take your time and fill in all the nooks and crannies.)

Electrics... this room needs one light switch and a socket, the socket is for (next week) For connections this time we used 3-core insulated cable. The power supply is simply for lighting and non-high usage appliances so an old UK extension coil was cut - two meters one way to reach the nearest junction box and meter and half the other way to accommodate the light fixture.

Lighting: I am no interior designer but I had two trains of thought for the light in this room. First was two traditional roof tiles but plastered in upside down in each corner to act as downlighters. The idea that is in place however is a more modern unit consisting of a stainless steel disc with two 50w halogen bulbs for more clarity and can also be directional for different parts of the...(next week!)

This weekend we should be finished, next job is paint and leveling the gravel floor. The room is certainly high enough but I hope its wide enough to accommodate its intended "feature"

Back soon!

More digging....

2007-12-15T16:06:00.000+01:00

Digging, digging and more digging. Due to a lack of space we have had to re-jig the rooms in the cave - swapping bedrooms and office space etc. It is amazing how much more functional space can be aquired by making a bedroom slightly smaller and swapping it with another room.

What we were left with was a small room that never got finished so therefore was unreformed with no electric/points etc.

Along came a plan.... the room needed carving out some more to accommodate its future contents, only by around a couple of feet so more digging ensued. From the photo below it may look like the room is being blocked up - it is but only three and a half feet up.

The floor is raised to that level, two lights and a double socket are going in next week and Mrs CR is going to town on the yeso...

Hopefully, with luck everything will become clear before Christmas.

...its not for a raised bed.

Spanish Christmas

2007-12-05T13:38:00.000+01:00

The Christmas holiday season in Spain is a truly magical affair. Although it doesn’t get going until seemingly the last minute, the Spanish throw themselves whole heartedly into the spirit of things and the festivities finally culminate on the 6th January.

The true mark of the beginning of Christmas in Spain is the Spanish national lottery draw held on December 22nd. ‘El Gordo’ or the fat one, is so called because it is the largest national lottery in the world with the total prize fund running into billions and it also has the best odds of winning. The draw takes place throughout the whole morning and the whole nation tunes in to watch the very elaborate drawing of the numbers. The tickets can cost up to 200 euros so many people club together to buy a share, although there are those who put aside a saving fund, sometimes up to 1000 euros to buy a few tickets for the family. The lottery draw is the moment when Christmas comes to Spain, this symbolic tradition has been going for centuries and Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without it.

Once the lottery draw has been made, the festivities really begin, students and children break up for the holidays and lights, decorations and trees suddenly appear overnight. The traditional Christmas decoration for a true Spanish Christmas is the ‘belén’ or nativity scene. Just like other countries across the world, where Christmas trees take centre stage in town and village squares, each town and village has its own belen. Some of these scenes are breathtakingly beautiful and elaborate and can be visited in town halls and churches across the land. Even personal ones can take over whole rooms in the house and just with the Christmas tree it is a magical family time spent putting it together and adding all the little touches. As well as the traditional religious characters and popular local scenes, one special character is paramount to the Spanish belen. He is known as ‘el Cagón’ and to be polite, he is a figure in a squat position doing a poo! His presence symbolises the fertilisation of the land for the coming year but of course provides much amusement for the children. Although an important and historical figure in the belén, he has been banned from public nativity scenes in many towns by local governments so as not to cause offence…

Just like other Christmas celebrations, here in Spain it is a time to gather the family together and celebrate with a meal. The main Christmas meal in Spain is held on Christmas Eve or ‘Noche Buena’

The meal on the eve of the 24th is the most important meal in the Spanish calendar and is always held in the evening, many people won’t even start until after midnight as the old saying goes, “ Esta noche es Noche Buena, y no es de dormir” this night is the Good Night, and is not meant for sleeping”

Generally, the celebrations usually begin early evening when friends and family meet in bars for a drink before returning home for the main event. Like most Christmas meals, the Spanish one involves a lot of preparation, many courses, lots to drink and lasts all night.

You can expect to find a large array of moth watering seasonal delights at the table during the meal. Popular foods for starters or appetisers are shellfish and cold cuts of meat which are usually followed by soup and then another fish dish. A traditional one is ‘besugo’ which is baked bream but you may also find lobster, crab, salmon, hake, sea bass or trout. Then for the main course the traditional roast is lamb or sucking pig although duck, or turkey served with truffles are becoming more popular. Dessert is traditionally a selection of sweets and cakes such as marzipan, ‘polvorones’ a sweet kind of bread or Spanish turrón which is nougat made with sweet toasted almonds and has been made in Spain for centuries. The only drink to accompany your meal is cava, the Spanish equivalent of champagne which many say is far better than its French counterpart.

Another must do for a true Spanish Christmas is midnight mass which people go to either before or after the meal, depending on the time they eat. Christmas midnight mass in Spain is known as ‘La Misa del Gallo’ or ‘Rooster Mass’ because the rooster was the first to announce the birth of Christ. Once the meal and mass is over, people return home to exchange gifts. Children will often only receive a small gift as ‘Papa Noel’ is less popular than the Three Kings who arrive on 5th January with presents for all the children. The evening, or morning, usually ends in a bar or disco where whole families gather to party and celebrate once the family festivities are over.

Christmas day is a quiet affair and the quietest in the Spanish calendar. People meet up for a walk or a drink and while many continue the celebrations with a meal in a restaurant, most people are still recovering from the evening before. In Catalonia, there is a wonderful Christmas day tradition which goes by the name of “El Tio.” Basically a decorated log or tree trunk is ‘fed’ with sweets and other goodies during the few days before Christmas and then on the day, Children sing the traditional catalan Christmas song and beat el tio with a stick when he produces sweets and other delights for all the family.

Shortly after Christmas day on December 28th there is another curious celebration unique to Spain called ‘The Day of the Innocents.’ Although the origins of this fiesta lie in murders of women and children committed by Herod in Judea, modern day celebrations are similar to those of April fools Day on a much larger scale. Newspapers print ridiculous stories and even prominent political figures get involved. Never believe anything you see or hear on this day and watch your step carefully!

New Year’s Eve or ‘Noche Vieja’ in Spain is celebrated much like everywhere else with a few unique exceptions. It is apparently tradition to wear red underwear which must be bought for you by someone else (although I’ve never been brave enough to check this one out for myself.) Another great and long standing tradition is ‘las doce uvas’ or the twelve grapes. At the stroke of midnight, one grape must be eaten with each chime of the bell or clock, anyone who manages all twelve are said to have good luck throughout the coming year. It is a tradition taken very seriously by many Spanish people and while some of us are still struggling at ten past twelve, there are lots of people well practiced in the art. Preparation is everything though, I remember helping to peel and deseed enough grapes for 10 people last year……. You can buy ready prepared grapes in tins but it is not the same somehow.

Once the grapes have been eaten and multiple kisses bestowed, the party really begins. Again, whole families from the young to the old can be seen in bars and discos celebrating the beginning of the New Year until the early hours.

For Spanish children, the best days of the festive season have to be the 5th and 6th of January. While the rest of us are packing away the trees and tired decorations, Spanish children everywhere are preparing for the arrival of the Three Kings. In Spain it is not Santa who brings the children their presents, but the Three Kings or ‘Los Reyes Magos’ On the 5th January, the eve of Epiphany children go to local parades which herald the arrival of the Three Kings. Each village parade consists of decorative floats with a variety of themes and sweets and streamers being thrown into the crowds. At the end of the parade, children get the opportunity to ask the Three Kings for their chosen gift and then leave their shoes out overnight in which their gift will be placed. In many villages though, the parade of the Three Kings culminates in a gathering at the local church or school hall where each child’s name is called out and they receive a small gift. The day of the 6th January is a national holiday, much like Christmas day and children wake up to presents left by the Three Kings. The typical dessert of the day is called “Rosca de los Reyes” and is a home baked ring style bread decorated with coloured jellies to symbolise the jewels worn by the three Kings. Inside is hidden a small surprise similar to what we find in Christmas crackers. Anyone lucky enough to find the hidden surprise may be crowned King or Queen for the day!

Christmas celebrations in Spain are fantastic and what I like is the way things are not commercialised as they are in the UK for example. Walking down the road at the beginning of December, you would hardly notice that Christmas is round the corner, there are very few Christmas adverts on TV and it seems ages before lights and decorations go up. However once the fever takes over, you are spoiled by the generosity of Christmas spirit bestowed on you by the locals, you get free gifts in the shops and free tipples in the town hall, lights and decorations appear as if by magic, there is music to be heard and people seem to suddenly take to the streets and squares just to wish you well and enjoy the atmosphere which goes on right until January.

The 6th January marks the end of the Christmas celebrations in Spain and then like everywhere else, it’s back to the same old. But don’t worry the next fiesta is just around the corner…

By Gayle Hartley Orce Serrano Hams

Thanks to the Town Hall....

2007-11-18T15:29:00.000+01:00

Our neighbours reside in Madrid and Barcelona, the cave next door is their holiday home which they visit around three times a year. Its good updating the blog because although we keep them updated on any major developments in the hamlet there is nothing like photos.

So neighbours, we have a new road!

Having a friend "on the board" at the ayuntamiento always helps from the persuasion point of view but timewise...manana, manana. The road first became a real issue back in February, after that every time it rained people got stuck - us, the local police, delivery drivers and locals. It was due to be re covered in March "next week when the weather gets better" then it was April, then May...November brought a result though - at last!

So a thanks at last to the town hall for re surfacing the road. Much better, no-one gets stuck anymore and the wheel arches dont get filled with the dreaded campo mud.

Dropping Temperatures

2007-11-15T15:48:00.000+01:00

Many people say that high up in the Andalucian mountains there are only two seasons.. Summer and Winter. Not sure if that is entirely true but its a fact that Spring and Autumn to tend to fly by very quickly.

In mid Novemeber it isnt shorts weather (except for the odd tourist or family member over on a visit maybe) during the day though its t-shirts as in the sun the temperature is very mild indeed. Early mornings and evenings though sees frost and sub zero figures.

Lighting the fire becomes more frequent...

So does the leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary with roasted veg....

Lovely atmosphere in the cave at night times at the moment along with some mouthwatering smells and the odd sizzle coming from the wood burner.

Winter Warmers
Spanish Christmas

Posting to the UK

2007-11-10T14:53:00.000+01:00

Sending packages to the UK is something we all need to do from time to time... the fact that some of the cave villages are remote makes no difference to delivery time as generaly everything reaches the Granada main sorting depot within 24 hours.

From the Granada depot your post will travel to Madrid head sorting office where the post will be sorted accordingly, categorised and then placed in crates bound for its destination. Sending letters or small packages weighing under 2kg will normally reach the uk within 5 days although we have posted parcels on a Tuesday and they have arrived more often that not within 48 hours. Good service? Well yes if everything you post is under 2kg, over that be prepared to have to fill in a form and you will need the recipients phone number - the parcel can also be tracked via Parcelforce through the Correos (Spanish post) website.

There are various options available with Spanish post... Economy (10 days) Priority (4-6) days and a service called Express which is very expensive (48 hours) Now then, the UK courier does not recognise "priority" - they claim that any parcel over 2kg can take up to one month to reach a uk address so save your money and simply send it economy as it will get there in the same time.

Conflicting information? Definatley. Spanish post is reliable so do not hesitate to use them but for larger parcels go with a courier. The problem is at the UK end as larger boxes are "accumulated" until ready for dispatch - 4/6 days goes out the window.

Correos Prices: (gbp)

20-50g - 0.89
50 - 100g 1.20
100g - 200g 2.35
200g - 350g 4.53
350g - 1kg 7.31
1kg - 2kg - 12.79

Links:

Correos - Spanish Post Good service
Parcelforce Horrendous service
Royal Mail Good, when not on strike

It's a Monster!

2007-11-01T18:01:00.000+01:00

Doesnt time fly? It seems like five minutes ago I was posting on this blog about Halloween last year. Well Halloween this year was the usual event for the kids - CR Junior had been carefully watching the pumpkin in the garden for some weeks so picking the monster and carving it out was big event.

So the room was set, kids arrived to some loud scary music booming out of the cave aswell as a few "madre mia's" from the parents. Andalucian fish chowder (beetle and spider soup to the kids) was on the menu and Harry Potter on the DVD.

Great night, pumpkin pride of place on the table and looking the part, pumpkin soup this weekend..!

Tapas Recipes

2007-10-28T17:58:00.000+01:00

As a few of the regulars to this blog may know Mrs CR runs a tapas blog. We love the Andalucian food and the whole culture that surrounds it. The good thing about Andalucian recipes is their simplicity and diversity - no rules, just adapt and experiment with the recipe and if its tasty thats good enough!

Every week we try to do something different, below we have 5 stages of a very simple pork crackling - Andalucian style... Who says it just has be oil and salt to flavour? Smoked paprika "picante" makes a great difference as do a mixture of herbs...Tasty

TAPAS RECIPES

Rats

2007-10-24T18:58:00.000+02:00

We were sitting on the patio one night a couple of weeks ago when something caught my eye... quick as a flash something black came scooting out of the cave door with our german sheperd pup in hot pursuit. As fast as left the cave it came shooting back in again light a bolt of lightning.

Damn big mouse... with the onset of winter and declining temperatures rats and mice are looking for somewhere warmer to cause havoc. It had dug down between the plaster and floor tiles underneath one of the kitchen units so traps were laid - two weeks later, no joy.

Rodent traps come in various sizes to accommodate the intended victim with the most popular design being a simple block of wood with two holes bored and a spring loaded system - a real challenge to set as they are two traps in one, try to set one and the other goes off. Anyway we have resorted to poison (well out the way of the hounds)

Lets see what happens....

A famous Andaluz method of eradicating rodents is two small bowls or cazuelas - one with flour mixed with yeso rapido and the other with water.... effective enough if the rat is hungry.

What lies beneath......

2007-10-10T16:57:00.000+02:00

We have all seen the news when some poor soul wakes up in the morning to find a massive great hole where their garden used to be, in most cases its a fallen mine shaft - at least in the UK.

So your out with the dogs on a Sunday morning walking the same track as you often do only this time its different. Where the path "used" to be there is a hole - and a big one, in fact there are three holes within twenty yards of each other. Upon close and very carefull inspection its a cave.

Now then, for the past few years we have been to this area close to our own home walking the dogs every other day and no evidence of a cave was apparent. Seems like the facade fell a long time ago disguising the property until the last week the heavy rain came and some rooms fell in. The cave is probably in excess of 100 years old and with no maintainence nature has taken its course.

Not every day you find someones old house beneath the earth... Caves being caves it could be small or have a multitude of rooms, there is no chimney evident although that would be long gone. Plastered walls are evident so it has been habited at some point. Maybe one day I might investigate or maybe not! Whats under your house?

Living in cave...

Village photos

2007-10-02T17:27:00.000+02:00

Walking around with a digital camera... its almost like leaving home without the mobile sometimes. There are many opportunities to get decent photos so we tend to take the camera with us whenever we can. Now that CR junior is back at school - and for afternoons Mondays and Tuesdays my other half takes time out with a neighbour to go "photo spotting" The pics below have been taken on a walk around the village of Galera.

Postcard stuff? Most villages tend have the caves and town houses painted white, in the campo its more rustic, however there is no getting away from the fact that these white washed cave villages look spectacular in the mid-day sun and also at night...I prefer the campo but remember staying in a cave village and loved it, the view early evening over the village was superb. Each to their own.

Rustic stuff... Items like this are having a revival, once discarded as rubbish that no longer appeals both locals and expats are on the look-out for such antique machines. Similar to caves the value is rising, they look fantastic in any garden, spit and polish and some varnish...

...and a cave home, deceivingly narrow at the front but on two stories it could be like the Tardis inside...

Rural Granada is a photographers dream, constantly changing weather, spectacular, wild, beautiful... Dont forget the camera.

What are they thinking...?

2007-09-22T11:25:00.000+02:00

This photo was taken a few months ago at a fiesta in Galera - what are they thinking?

Three old pals watching the world go by...there were a lot of expats at the fiesta, maybe this is who they are contemplating or perhaps they are simply sussing out the whole affair in general? Probably a bit of both. We like this picture as it captures a typical moment in a rural Andalucian village.

Livinginacave.com

Campo danger for canines

2007-09-11T14:50:00.000+02:00

A word of warning...

It was around ten days ago when we first noticed something wrong with the pup, when he was out one morning we noticed that one side of his face was slightly swollen. Eight hours later the swelling had grown around five times its original size and was looking very bad indeed. My immediate thought was infection/allergy but the dog was fine the night before so we came to the assumption that something had got to him overnight.

Now the nearest vet is 45 minutes away but this was a Sunday and even had it not been he was on holiday anyway so we called a friend of a friend who is a vet but more for livestock.

When she turned up a wound/hole had formed about the size of a 5 cent piece and was looking very angry, the swelling had moved from the top of the face and head to below the jaw line and the pup although still quite alert just wasnt himself. The wound was cleaned with iodine and he was given an anti inflamitory injection and put on anti biotics for a week.

The swelling went after a couple of days but nearlt two weeks later he still has a scar above his eye where the original wound (or bite) was. Glad to say he is now fine. So what was it? Well the vet was stumped saying she had seen nothing like it on a dog before but she did suggest two of the most likely possibilities...

1) Foxtails - found in abundance around the campo during summer, they look like darts and come from the heads of certain grasses. They are barbed so once in dont come out unless they are scratched out leaving behind the point which will cause infection.

2) The European Brown Recluse Spider - a nasty piece of work that you will rarely see (hence the name) this is the most likely cause given the nature of the wound left behind and speed of the swelling. If bitten a family pet or family member will need to see the vet/GP especialy if a reaction occurs.

August Wind....

2007-08-26T18:05:00.000+02:00

It threatened...and it eventualy came..

Takes alot to cancel a Spanish BBQ though!

The neighbours BBQ'd with a determination - "it wont spoil the night!!!" and it was a good night -

Livinginacave
Tapas Recipes

Cave Patio Nights...

2007-08-13T16:52:00.000+02:00

I remember still being in Newcastle in 2002 enjoying our final days of the 3 bed semi and being very excited about "patio evenings" you know, beer/glass of wine with some food and good company with the flame of the fire flickering away in the background...

It is something that we enjoy most summer nights and certainly cannot be recreated quite the same way back in blighty. Last week was a bit special as we had what CR Junior calls the "fire stars". We stayed up late until around 3am to observe the shooting stars in the North West. The sky was crystal clear, the company good so we lined up every chair available in front of the burning embers of the BBQ turned off the patio lights and looked skyward..

The stars came in all directions, some small and some very bright leaving trails across the sky. A great and unusual night and quite funny.....

Amongst all the commotion I thought to myself what it would be like to be a fly on the wall - a mixture of English and Spanish individuals all lined up ready to view an outdoor movie shouting and pointing to the sky in unison shouting "SEE THAT ONE!!" every time a star went by in a mixture of languages.

Cave patio nights...Great!

Cave holiday homes - little & often?

2007-08-11T18:08:00.000+02:00

Many caves in the area are purchased as holiday homes, afterall why not? If we didnt live here all year round a cave would be our destination every chance we got. Living in a cave all year is somewhat different to owning a holiday home though - primarily as you can keep on top of repairs that need doing internaly and the garden. Holiday home caves do tend to stand out because the cave is always in good condition but the garden more often than not looks like the Amazon jungle. One heavy rain fall and everything grows six inches overnight!

Internal repairs do need to be kept on top of little and often so if you have a holiday home and the cave "moves" while you are away be prepared to get out the yeso. Our Spanish neighbours spend alot of time in thier cave coming four times a year - each August they come for the full month and spend a day weeding and another day applying yeso to cracks on the inside.

Now obviously every cave will vary so this wont apply to everyone, depends on your location, amount of rock/earth above you, overall structure and if Mother Nature decides to shake the earth in the meantime. Cracks will appear though eventualy so remember that bag of yeso!

A note about stone facades: One option preferred by builders is flat stone mosaic effects on the front of caves (which look fantstic) these frontages easily show up any cave movement or cracking, however the more expensive option is a full stone facade where stones are built up and tied to the front blockwork (stone wall effect) these frontages have a certain amount of "flex" and any cracking will not be evident until the exterior directly behind the front begins to deteriorate. An easy fix but would dent the bank account should it be required.

The market

2007-08-11T17:52:00.000+02:00

Every week the local villages have a market - always interesting stalls with the usual fruit and veg and the guy cooking full chickens from his mobile kitchen (very nice btw)

Once a year though there is a market that visits the villages for one night only - such is the bussle around this market that it is held usualy at night, special wooden market stands are built and the fiesta atmosphere is created with mobile floats, a dance stage, flamenco and all the bars are open with roads closed....tables and chairs are in the street and the atmosphere is fantastic.

Last week was Orce's turn and as usual the place was heaving with people and traders - in the streets and main square. The atmosphere realy kicks off around 11.00pm with dancing and music booming from the town halls sound system.

Stalls include artisan products such as cheeses, honey and cured meats. Traditional candy is also sold along with ceramics, esparto, wood, leather, ornaments, olives etc etc. You can also see displays of classic cars and the odd livestock breeder too. A good visit for sure in any village.

...and of course the village needs to stock up for the event - the all important beer wagon...

48 Degrees and Rising...

2007-07-30T14:37:00.001+02:00

Well its hot - very. I remember a few months ago one of the old boys in the village saying it was going to be one of the hottest years on record and so far it seems he could be spot on. 48 degrees on the patio in the sun - whats that in Farenheit?

This is when I wouldnt want to live in a house in Spain, especialy with no air con, the temperature in the cave is 23 degrees and even cooler at 19 in the rear bedrooms.

Not a cloud in the sky.... The thermometer in the photo was placed on the coral wall at 11.00am and the photo taken 30 minutes later, it wasnt even afternoon, still August to go aswell, will it get hotter?

Doesnt seem to bother this guy though.

Caves and Peppers

2007-07-18T16:33:00.000+02:00

One thing to notice around the rural parts of Andalucia is the hanging of peppers on the exteriors of buildings. There are two reasons for this, when the peppers are naturaly dried in the sun they can be used in various recipes as an important ingredient the other reason is the Matanza Ever wondered why the Spanish chorizo has that deep red colour? Well its all down to paprika and the humble red pepper.

Pics of a cave in Orce village displaying some peppers outside the door. Very Andaluz and a typical sight around late summer.

Photos courtesy of our good friend Monica.

Patio titbits.....

2007-07-17T19:08:00.000+02:00

One good thing about running a business from home is that you can smoke the odd ciggie in front of the computer at work...(soz UK just had to get that one in:-)The other good part is the lunch break, normaly long ones with time to light the BBQ, what time is the Spanish BBQ? anytime! The best time by far is at night around 9pm, a few hours later the stars are out and flame is still going - lovely atmosphere on the patio. Try an outstanding BBQ recipe HERE

Tomatoed out: this year we planted a copious amount of tomatoes around the patio - every raised bed and most pots, plums and cherries. Thing about tomatoes is you can eat them freshly picked - great with some good olive oil and a pinch of salt or stuff them to the hilt in a jar with red peppers - great for later or salsa recipes.

Patio recipes, as with any recipes are so versitile, this time we tried chorizo picante (HOT!!!) with cool melon - works very well, similar to sweet and sour with a different twist, almonds go well with this too but keep a cool beer in hand just in case...

Hot pots and stews in the winter, great summer food in the summer!

Cave Cooking

Cave Security

2007-07-12T14:56:00.001+02:00

For our cave security we opted for one of the most effective versions available. The good thing about this type of alarm is that it gets louder and louder and grows bigger every day...below is a pic of the new instalation at 12 weeks old.

....and 8 months later

Big Brother is always on hand as back-up. Meet Ricky - he is a rescue GSD from Malaga and highly experienced in the matter of security. Ricky we think was called "whisky" by his previous owner but in the Andaluz accent sounded like Ricky so the name was changed, slightly. Read Rick's story HERE - not the best I,m sure you will agree.

So beware anyone who attempts to break into our cave! This pair of big beasties are not guard dogs, just great family pets that make lots of noise when required and being gsd's are very protective by nature.

Thieves be warned...

Eco Living

2007-07-09T16:48:00.000+02:00

Saving the planet seems to be the BIG thing at the moment - and rightly so, our Spanish neighbour is a hard core recycle fanatic...blue and yellow bins in the garage..that type of thing. She has scoured Barcelona and Madrid for a can crusher but couldnt find one. 5 minutes on Ebay and 12 quid later we had two on order.

Caves are great eco - dwellings so we are already doing our bit but I just couldnt resist the can crusher! It will also save on bin liners, not that I drink much beer...

Orce, as with every rural village has all the coloured bins for recycling so off we go with a box of squashed tinnies when we get enough.

Save the planet? Why not, we only have one planet Earth..

The Spanish Cactus

2007-06-29T17:14:00.000+02:00

Now why I am talking about a plant that doesnt particularly look all that nice, grows big and has thorns? Well the cactus in rural parts is quite a common site - by the roadside in some places, in cave gardens and more often that not on small hillsides or embankments just where the the old sewerage pipe used to leak out. Any old cave on a hill with a cactus over the hillside approx 5m down by gradient from your toilet will have been thriving on well..crap for years.

In some very old caves - certainly not the modernised ones you see today there would have been no bathroom - the cactus was used instead as some say it absorbed the waste at such a rate it was a viable option to go and do your stuff. Of course today its very different but the cactus still remains in abundance so if you have a gathering of these plants at the end of the garden its a possibility that they were the cave toilet in days gone by.

Lovely stuff, next up...buying beef in rural Spain, where to get the best and some ideas on what to do with it.

Summer Flame

2007-06-27T23:45:00.000+02:00

The sun has definatly got his hat on this month with temperatures reaching mid to high thirties every afternoon over the past couple of weeks. The garden is blooming with bright yellow flowers which will soon produce courgettes and the local farmer is bringing his goat herd past the front of our cave - its officialy summer!

Holiday homes in the area are starting to be occupied again so old friends are back for a good old Spanish BBQ too, which is always a good night. With the holiday season though come the Gaurdia Civil... so carefull with the accelerator (especialy between Galera and Huescar junctions)

Billy Connoly once said on stage (live at the paladium DVD) he would walk down the streets of Glasgow listening for a party - people seem to do the same in Fuente Nueva on a Saturday night, just when you think the night has faded and the BBQ gone out some crackerjack turns up with a tray of tapas and 2 litres of wine.

Great stuff :)

Walking the dogs

2007-06-22T17:35:00.001+02:00

Rising out of bed early in the morning is great in the campo (although can require some effort on occasion!) When you have canine friends with you in the cave its great just to open the door and let them run free without fear of traffic etc.

Our two beasties are German Sheperds - one a pup and the other rescued from near Malaga last year (an old boy with plenty of character..) The photo below is one of the roads I walk them down in the mornings. In the UK we had the resposibility of dog ownership to the extent of keeping them on the lead etc. To let them have a free run meant driving somewhere. Campo life here gives our dogs more freedom than we could give them back in the UK.

7.00am - can be quite chilly! Being summer though its shorts and t-shirt first up, by 9.00 am its nearly 20 degrees so why bother with jeans etc? Anyway, its a good wakeup - fresh mountain air, great views and the dogs get a good work-out.

Wouldnt swap it for the world :) For us the expanse of the campo is on the front door but such are the local villages in and around the area you wont have far to walk before letting the dogs go off and enjoy some freedom.

Cave Cooking

2007-06-09T14:48:00.000+02:00

Someone recently asked me "what do you eat in a cave?" My answer... "Stegasuarus steaks, t-rex is too expensive" Since we moved to the cave we have experimented with the Andalucian food and still do as often as we can. Gone are the days filling the shopping trolley at the local UK supermarket, the local village has a great selection.

The variety and freshness of the food on offer is astounding for such a small and rural village. The majority of villages in the area will have every type of store, most of which you cannot find anymore in the UK. I am a bit of a seafood enthusiast so the fish monger in Orce is a main stop when shopping Tuesdays and Fridays.

First up though is a lightly cured meat called Sobrasada, this is not available in the UK and is imported by a deli in Huescar. Can be spread on toast or cooked with honey.

SEAFOOD: Reasonably priced, very fresh and always a huge selection.

One favourite - Dogfish cooked with lemon, available every week.

Tapas of all kinds can be easily whipped up in the cave kitchen, before the fillet of dinosaur try some spinach parcels stuffed with a mix of Onion, garlic, egg and herbs.

Another favourite - fresh clams and big ones! With onion, garlic, white wine and pepper with a tomatoe salsa. Very nice.

Whats your favourite tapa or Andalucian Recipe?

Livinginacave.com

For translation of seafood, meat, poultry etc (speaking Andaluz section)

Tapas recipes

For real Andaluz recipes

Spiders in Andalucia

2007-06-09T14:02:00.000+02:00

If you go down to the woods today..... to collect some wood for the BBQ that is you may bring back an extra passenger. This guy hitched a lift back to the cave and decided to show his dis-pleasure when I began to saw in half the log he had long decided was his.

Since leaving the specialist pet trade in the UK some years ago (where we used to sell Tarantulas) this is the biggest spider I have seen out of a vivarium and in natural conditions.

The log in the photo is 15 cm in diameter...

Cave Gardening - Colour & Bugs

2007-06-03T15:36:00.000+02:00

Sunday afternoon and your sitting under a new pergola thinking what can I do for a next blog post? Get the camera and take a walk around the garden to see whats interesting... With the start of the summer it seems appropriate to add some good old fashioned Andalucian colour.

Pick of the bunch is the photo below, an earwig minding his own business in the rose petals.

Poppies: by the thousand in rural Spain, cave gardens can become full of them if they are not controlled, some of the fields are simply a blanket of red.

Spotted this feller and four of his mates resting under the pergola beams, there are bees and there are bees, a good inch long and quite round this bee may or may not sting, either way he looks menacing!

...and the Spanish fly...I like this pic of the most of annoying of Mother Natures creations without argument. This year there are billions of them, this is our fourth summer here and never before have we seen so many, maybe its because its been quite a wet Spring then with sudden temperatures well into the mid thirties.

For more on rural gardens in Andalucia visit the cave gardening page at our website www.livinginacave.com

Building a Pergola - Stage 3

2007-05-31T13:27:00.000+02:00

The roof... Our other pergola has a bamboo roof but this time we decided on grass - this is very popular in the region, is functional and with a rustic look. Where to buy it: Ferosan in Huescar, do ask for it though as is not displayed in the shop! The guy behind the counter will direct you into the store house where the rolls of grass are stocked. They come in three sizes.

5m x 1m
5m x 1.5m
5m x 2m

We bought two 5m rolls by 2m width and the cost after regular discount was 41 euros.

Fitting: the first roll is always the easiest to fit as you will have access on all sides, however a thick guage wire is essential for the roll to sit on so it doesnt sag in between the beams. Using staples we tied the wire as tought as possible every 24 inches (approx) The roll of grass can then be laid on top. Quick note - the roll isnt actualy a roll, well it is but rolled into the centre from both ends, when laying the grass place it in the middle of the beams and unroll each side left and right.

The second lot of grass has to placed in situ differently. Tacking onto the beams as you go (otherwise its impossible to reach over)

Once in place the grass needs to be secured, we tacked the edges onto the wooden beams using 1 inch staples. There is wire running through the grass every 5 inches - this needs to be twist tied onto the wire it rests on aswell, with such a large area to cover its best to secure the grass at as many points as possible to withstand gusts of wind etc. On the top of the beams we secured the grass with some 5 inch flat brackets although this lengths of wood will do. This gives a larger surface area to clamp the grass onto the beams and has a better purchase than simple staples.

Job done and and extra room outdoors, very rustic and the all important shade created, from the power point through the nearest window we laid 4 outdoor lights with 40w bulbs so at night the pergola comes alive.

Costs involved:

Grass roof 41 euros
1 bag cement 4.50 euros
wood beams 150 euros (@7 euros per meter, round poles are 5 euros per meter)
misc - staples etc we already had these but budget an extra 10 euros

Around 205 euros for total cost, the frame once treated will last the distance, the grass roof may need to be replaced every 5 or 6 years.

Building a Pergola - Stage 2

2007-05-27T16:25:00.000+02:00

To make the job easier the first thing you will need is some help...lifting 12ft beams is a two man job. The way we constructed the frame was to secure the uprights as best as possible, this was done by putting the upright beam in place and then securing rocks around the base so the beam didnt move. Dont be afraid to hammer those rocks in and chock the base of the beam.

Next the beam ends were placed and secured into the holes made in the cave facia - again made secure with rock, at this stage some adjustment may need to be made to get the beams level and all angles as near as they can be. Once in and secure place the other end of the beam on top of the upright.

To create strength and balance to the "uncemented" frame the cross bar comes next - once in place this will make the frame more secure. After some final adjustments its time for cement in the holes in the facia and for around the base of the uprights. Use plenty of rocks (some quite small) and flick the cement mix right into the hole around the beam end. For the base of the uprights hammer some 4-5" nails in - this will give the base some extra purchase once submerged in the cement. If you have any lengths of plywood or old pallet wood it is good to brace the beams to prevent movement.

For pergola beams that cannot be sunk into the ground there is an alternative. We sat ours directly onto the concrete patio, placed a ring of stones around the base and backfilled the space with rock and concrete. The cement was 6 inches deep and needs 48 hours to set. Again, hammer nails into the base of the pole around its circumference before pouring the cement. Douse the void with water first to obtain a better purchase.

The size and weight of the beams act as an advantage to the strength of the frame - its a big, heavy construction and secured properly in place wont be going anywhere in a hurry.

Although the beams are probably decades old and have been treated in the past they will need treating again. Deisel is commonly used to eradicate woodworm and a nice wood stain can re-vamp the whole construction.

Next up: Making sure it will last, fitting the "roof" and the total costs involved.

Pergola Construction - Stage 1

2007-05-25T14:26:00.000+02:00

The Andalucian pergola or "chambau" as it is localy known can be built from various materials and be a variety of shapes and sizes. Any patio area should be regarded as an extra room outside the cave or house, in this case we decided to enclose half of our patio under some welcome shade - BBQ and cooking area on one side, pergola on the other. Enclosed within the coral it should hopefully be a cosy place to eat and relax.

Tools for the job:

Cement, sand, rocks (or brick), club hammer, bolster chisel, wood chisel, float, drill, screws (6"), nails (5-6") measure, spirit level, band saw.

To compliment the stone coral we decided to build the frame from old rustic wooden beams - these are available cut and delivered from 5 euros per meter. The quality of the wood is very good, the beams are rescued from finca's and cortijo's are very heavy but will need treatment (more on that later)

The first job is to create a "housing" for the main beams, these are the beams that will go into the wall. With a breeze block or stone wall this is a case of chiseling out a hole from the facia of the cave. Do make the hole larger than the beam end by around 2-3 inches - the reason is that it gives you more room to play with when levelling up and making true. (the beams can be manouvered and chocked in a bigger hole)

With old beams being so heavy carefull measurments are needed, its best to create the frame so it is ready to assemble and put in place. In our case the uprights were to be placed directly onto the patio surface, no holes could be dug to sink the beams into the ground as the conctrete is 10" thick and underneath are electric cables and water pipes. (this may be the case with many reformed caves that have patios, however there is a solution)

The trusty wood chisel has always come in handy, measuring up for where the beams meet creates strength in the frame and sections created for counter-sunk screws are much easier for final assembly. With beams being 6 inches thick it is essential to counter sink the screws...

Next up: A helping hand and frame assembly.

Orce

2007-05-21T17:41:00.000+02:00

Changes in the Campo

2007-05-06T10:14:00.000+02:00

A friend of ours recently commented on how grass cutting wouldnt be an issue in our Spanish garden, well not in the garden as we have gravel but across the road...

It amazing how the countryside rejuvinates itself in the Spring. This year is particularly green after six weeks of rain on and off. Only last year we tipped 50+ wheel barrows of cave rock over the edge of the hill, now its green covered in poppies and other wild flowers.

Looking over at the mountains it could be Scotland...

Gas bottles and accidents

2007-04-28T16:27:00.000+02:00

Spanish gas bottles.... A few weeks ago we decided to do the "school run" as we needed to be in the village early, we do this quite often as it saves our trusty policeman a wasted journey picking up the kids if we are going to the village anyway. This particular morning we needed to replace a gas bottle so put the empty in the boot. We picked up CR Juniors best mate and in went the bags and lunch boxes next to the gas bottle - some rearranging was required......

The hatch was closed but the gas bottle was a fraction of an inch in the wrong place - pop went the window followed by some very colourfull language in English, French and Spanish. The culprit offered to pay but we went the insurance route and just as well as the window is priced at 400 euros..

Over two months later we are still waiting for the glass, apparently it has to come from Germany, the car is an Audi A6 but not exactly new (1995)not even the scrap yards had a rear hatch or the glass so we just keep waiting.

It isnt actualy legal to carry gas bottles in your car but the Guardia Civil arnt concerned. In a village or built up hamlet where its worth the gas wagon coming over then the bottles will be delivered. If your rural with few people then you have to get it yourself.. Just be carefull closing the rear hatch!

Caves, Beer & Good Company

2007-04-24T20:03:00.000+02:00

There is nothing like sitting in the neighbours garden drinking an ice cold beer straight from the fridge and having the opportunity to pick up on some Spanish lingo at the same time. Blazing hot sun but being shaded by the trees and glancing over to admire the mountain view - bliss. Sometimes the computer just has to be ignored for a few hours to be replaced by good friends, beer, conversation and that little taster of true Spanish atmosphere.

Spanish beer - as good as any continental beer depending on your brand, my poison was Stella Artois back in the UK but can we get it here? NO. Ok it is available in the coastal regions but as much as I like it a 2 hour drive is a little daft just for a crate of beer!

So... San Miguel is the next best thing!

The above piccy is of a beer from Belgium....aquired by our neighbours every year they tend to bring something different every time they visit. This one looks quite tame at first glance until you look at the label and see its 8.5% - 3 bottles and its siesta time. Anything titled "Devils Vengance" isnt going to be shandy, "Forked Tongue" is a good one as is "Hellfire".

Our neighbours dont even drink the beer they bring it just a gift for the "mad english"

Roll on Summer :)

Fuse box danger

2007-04-16T13:14:00.000+02:00

In the first week of April North East Granada had some pretty horrendous weather, in fact its been raining and generaly grey for the past three weeks. For some reason every year there seems to be a week to ten days where you wake up and think "it could be a hot one" then by early afternoon the black clouds come and you get either a down-pour or persistant drizzle.

We all know storms are an occurance in the region, they dont happen often but when they do the amount of rain delivered is usualy quite substantial. Last weekend it was late afternoon and I was watching the lightening from the safety of the cave door, quite spectacular as the sky was black and being lit up every other moment. The rain was coming down quite hard too and humidity was high...

All of a sudden there was an almighty CRACK!!! - a noise like I have never heard before. The lightneing was directly above us and hit the electric pylon 30m away. The pylon lit up white the fuse box tripped and I almost s**t. From then on we had no electricity for 12 hours.

Next morning when the policeman came to pick up CR Junior for school he was on the phone to the electric board - apparently someone else in the hamlet hadnt been so lucky.. As this individuals cave electric supply takes a more direct route to the pylon when the lightening struck it blew the whole fuse box away from the wall. The policeman said there were shards of plastic embedded in the plaster on the opposite wall 5 meters away.

Fortunatly, although in the cave the owner was OK although a bit shaken. Carefull with that fuse box in a thunder storm....

Serrano ham

2007-04-03T17:57:00.000+02:00

Ok, maybe a little plug for business but why not, what do you do with 12 serrano hams prior to dispatch? Hang em high! The cave is the ideal place to keep hams for a few days or months before they set off on their long journey to northern Europe. When it comes to stock holding those little original features that were present in the cave pre-renovation have come in handy...Olive wood sticks secured firmly into the wall and hooks in the ceiling (dont ask me what else hung from them in years gone by) serrano hams would have taken pride of place as a substantial food source for the Spanish family all those years ago.

We have one piece of wood which is embedded into the cave wall just a few yards from the front door - its the only place we get a signal on the mobile phone so there it hangs..., keep those original features, once sanded down and stained with Linseed oil (8e for 500ml) they look very much in place and can prove functional.

To finish off this post have a look at this handsome feller, well looked after since day one and great with kids. Sunday afternoons are something the kids get exited about...hats on and away they go!

Thats me off for a couple of weeks, a certain reader is getting hitched (so must prepare) BBQ's must be had and whatever else happnes in between...Life in Andalucia..

Campo leftovers

2007-03-30T15:44:00.000+02:00

On a normal day walking our two German Sheperds we find a few remenants of animals that have not survived the harsh campo life, goats tend to get lost from the rest as well as sheep and the odd fox. Bones are usualy all that is left being bleached white by the red hot sun and the rest being devoured by the local population of vultures...

Its amazing what kids find, while CR junior was out with his Mum walking the dogs he found a feather....not a big deal until you see the size of it, from a vulture's wing - this is not from a small bird!

Put the pack of ciggies there to compare size and the floor tiles are 12 inches square.

Big ugly beasties but they serve a valuable purpose, cleaning up the campo.

To BBQ or not to BBQ

2007-03-16T12:25:00.000+01:00

The month of March up in the Andalucian mountains can be a bit unpredictable. One day it is warm with temperatures over 40 on a sun trapped patio, the next day biting wind or rain...

One afternoon last week we had a BBQ - realy brought back the true taste of summer, the Spanish flies appeared in their millions as usual and the whole day was an enjoyable experience, especialy the BBQ'd pork. Next day......60mph winds, knocked the sat dish out and the temperature dropped rapidly, so much so the fire went on that night.

So you just dont know what the weather is going to do, 930m above sea level makes for a variety of conditions, most of which at times can be unexpected although not unpredictable. See the grey clouds coming and notice a drop in temperature then get the rain coats out and a few logs in for the fire. 9 times out of 10 nothing will happen or a storm may just miss you but if its destined for your patch...at least the garden gets watered.

Cave Website Launched

2007-03-13T11:30:00.000+01:00

Over the past few months we have been gathering all sorts of cave information to put into one dedicated cave website. Now it's finaly finished (well almost) On the site you will find all kinds of cave information and down to earth details like the cost of living, putting kids into school etc and there is a directory for local cave businesses in the area. There are also advertising opportunities, links, language section and some articles that you may find a little different.

The site is continualy growing with the aim of being a comprehensive information portal for those considering cave living and for us already here in Andalucia.

LIVINGINACAVE.COM

Living in a cave? New Website...

2007-03-04T00:44:00.000+01:00

Coming soon...

Springtime...

2007-03-03T15:16:00.000+01:00

Only 4 weeks ago most of the area was waist deep in snow, today though it was a rather warm 46 degrees on our patio. There are still 3 weeks to go before the clocks go forward but the signs of the area springing to life are everywhere. The olive and almond groves are full of blossom and the fields in the campo are gradualy turning green.

So gardening is the task of the week (providing the weather doesnt take a down turn which could well happen!) The past few years we have missed the seasons due to work and renovation etc but this year with the outside space almost finished we have decided to plan the garden so come summer it will be crammed with herbs and colour.

A little snow is still left on the tops of the Sierra de Maria mountains, picture post card stuff on a day like this. It could be mid summer with the blue sky and not a cloud in sight.

The terracotta plant pot, so cheap in Spain that you can buy hundreds of them! We filled ours with a manure compost mix (see compost post) then filled the top with top soil. An extension of a raised bed has been approved by the neighbours and we are planning to have an assortment of potatoes, lettuce, beetroot, courgettes, carrots and other salad type veggies. It will also save a few euros over the summer plus it always tends to taste better when you grow it yourself..

Foodie thoughts...

2007-02-21T23:36:00.000+01:00

Its not often I mix two blogs together but I thought that these photos demonstrate the colours and flavour of Andalucia. You can almost taste that serrano ham! Vibrant, colourfull and unique, Andalaucia is full of flavour and culture which (if you so wish) can be experiened every day.

Off to the tapas bar...

Yeso - patching up

2007-02-09T13:45:00.000+01:00

More cracks in the plaster...due to movement of the cave and also the higher than usual indoor temperatures through having the stove lit most of the afternoons and evenings. Just hairline cracks mind - nothing serious but maintainence little and often is the trick. All the cracks are at the front of the cave again (same as last year)

We tackle the job by scoring around the crack by about an inch or so then gently tapping away the plaster and paint creating a V shaped channel - this gets to the bottom of the crack exposing the cave rock behind. Then a generous amount of yeso rapido is pushed into the exposed area (rapido because its quicker and sets slightly harder)By applying and pushing in more yeso than you need to means that the plaster is finding its way behind the existing wall - this sets between the plaster wall and the cave rock. Similar kind of concept as squirting expansion foam into a cavity wall. For us it works well and adds strength to the wall as well as helping to bind unseen dry crumbling cave rock behind the plaster finish.

Same place every year, the window is a weakness in the cave front so cracks will usualy appear around the frame (always at the bottom corners)

Always keep a bag of rapido handy in a cave, its almost essential!

Axe - an important piece of kit.

2007-01-30T18:10:00.000+01:00

An axe, why so usefull? Well there have been a few posts about wood on this blog over the past 18 months, deliveries, cost, type etc but what happens after its all stacked outside and your ready to light the fire?

Last year we bought Olive in smaller peices, with a big stove it didnt last as long as the previous years lorry full of big Almond so this year we bought Almond again and some of it is huge. We are lucky in the fact that we can nip up to the wood and get pine which is easier to get a fire going but even with that a 5kg lump of fresh almond holding moisture takes time to get a hold, sometimes the fire even goes out.

So an axe it was, there are various types available, Ferosan in Huescar is where we bought ours - 26 euros for the biggest and heaviest, you can also pick up a good axe in Galera but they are 38e +

It makes life easier splitting the big rounds because once this is done you can set about the smaller peices with a hand axe to chop up a bundle of kindling. When its wet we tie the smaller sticks into bundles with string and leave them by the fire all night so its easier to light the next day with drier wood.

When the wood is delivered we sort out the rounds that can be split and stack them in a different place to the oddities - a good percentage cant be split due to shape and knots. Its a far cry from the north east of England where outside my 3 bed semi we had a wheelie bin and recycle boxes, now its a stacked pile of deep orange coloured almond wood outside the door (a nice winter feature I think) its a shame some of it has to be burned, its nice wood....but we must keep warm.

When the snow melts...

2007-01-30T17:40:00.000+01:00

When 3ft of snow melts it creates alot of water, this is when campo living can get a bit dirty. This far out the single track roads turn to mud very quickly and although we have tarmac 100yds away its making that 100yds that means the difference between shopping for a leg of lamb or staying put and having a baked spud.

Today we had a parcel to be picked up and our courier braved the road and......got stuck. Its not deep mud but has a certain consistency about it which makes life a bit difficult.

Need a tow?

Still 8 inches or so of snow on the ground, the JCB came the day before and cleared the way, we could get out but only in a 4x4.

A bit hairy having to keep the momentum going, the Jeep pulled the Merc Sprinter out - just, going around the bend at the end of the track was a bit tricky with two big vehicles fish tailing in the mud.

Next up..."una hacha" - a handy tool to have.

Snow Aftermath

2007-01-28T11:36:00.000+01:00

It came overnight and within 12 hours there was 1 meter of snow on the ground. Everything came to a halt - the village, the traffic, everything. A day later the snow stopped and started to melt as the temperature rose, as it began to melt we could see the damage that had been caused.

The pergola was under strain with the weight, that much snow is quite heavy, no damage to the cave although we did have to go up on the roof and clear the front to stop melting snow finding its way between the rock and the breeze block frontage. Up on the roof was even deeper, what would normaly take a 2 minute walk took 10 minutes - when its up to your waist it slows you down a bit!

Snapped trees, again under the weight and the car is still buried.

Heavy.....

2 years ago we had 18 inches of snow - that was bad enough and it accumulated over 3 days, this lot fell in 12 hours.

Snow, Jan 2007

2007-01-27T12:06:00.000+01:00

Digging a room - Stage 2

2007-01-21T14:25:00.000+01:00

Ever since the earth tremor on the 5th January 2007 some caves in the area have developed hairline cracks in the plaster. Although nothing to be concerned about and actualy quite normal this was not good news as far as our digging project was concerned. The cave rock is exposed and although we could see that the rear of the cave had moved we decided to stop extending width wise and create a more narrow room with supporting RSJ's.

Whilst digging we are now supporting the ceiling of this room as we go, rsj's will be cemented into the walls to provide width support, once the cement has set the verticle supporting joist will be moved 2 feet nearer the back of the room as it dug out.

A shot from the back wall, approximatly 10 hours of digging and removing loose cave rock, 50+ wheelbarrows have gone out but the room is now twice the size it was

The first original supporting joist in the doorway, rocks are driven in above the beam between the cave ceiling, this will then be back-filled with cement. Once set this will be a sound support, surrounding plaster may crack which at first may be a slight worry however this is only due to the wooden beam expanding slightly due the moisture in the fresh cement mix.

Next up, Stage 3 - fitting the roof beams and more digging.

Digging a room - Stage 1

2007-01-09T15:03:00.000+01:00

The need for more storage...we had two options available, either extend on the front of the cave which we didnt realy want to do or extend back by digging. Digging it was, with it being too risky to extend sideways (neighbours) and with 3 of our ceilings in different rooms being supported with rsj's the only option we had was to dig back from the deepest part of the cave.

Tools for the job, picks, wheelbarrow, SDS hammer drill and a mattock.

The wooden beam and doorway were dug out last year, now it was time to extend the room. Carefull measurments were taken both inside and on the roof - its very easy to lose your bearings once you get up top so its essential to spend some time estimating and measuring wall thickness and angles. Angles can be tricky... its also good to get inside the neighbours caves to make sure they havnt had the same idea and they are closer than you think!

Keeping the arch is essential for the general strength in the roof, every 6-8 inches we dig back we finish up the session shaping the ceiling and corners. The room at the moment is only six feet high but will eventualy be seven feet high once the floor is lowered. This we plan to do by digging around eighteen inches down, a foot for extra height, a few inches for beer bottles (see post) and few more for levelled concrete.

The rock.... a big difference the further we go back, the top half of the rock is very soft and crumbles away. In contrast the lower half of the rock is very very hard - the hammer drill is essential for this part, instead of crumbling away the rock breaks off in large shards and chunks. This is just our area and the rock will vary from cave to cave and village to village.

Safety tip - to test for movement yeso the roof as you go, any hairline cracks suggests the cave is saying hello and RSJ's may be an option.

Cave, Cortijo & Land - For Sale

2007-01-05T13:41:00.000+01:00

A very large unreformed cave for sale. Situated near the village of Orce this cave is next door to a cortijo which is also in need of renovation. A very large plot of land (size tbc but approx 5000sqm)belongs to the cortijo some of which is irrigated, there is also a small unreformed cave on this land. Opposite the cortijo there is a large out-building which could be converted into a rental property.

Access is very good and electricity and water are close by. The price for the whole plot including the caves and cortijo is 85,000 euros. A meeting with the owner can be arranged to discuss price. Both cave and cortijo have all the relevant paperwork.

Cave New Year

2007-01-01T18:39:00.000+01:00

Our plans for a reasonably quiet night lasted until about 2.00pm new years eve afternoon, friends passed by and then we headed off to the village.. the tapas were fantastic and so was the atmosphere.

Leaving the bar we soon realised that the kids had been on a mission to block Orce's fountain so with a few borrowed kitchen impliments Mrs CR and friend got stuck in to eventualy retrieve a crisp packet....clever kids.

A few caves later we got invited to a neighbours to spend the remainder of the year, we accepted and had a thoroughly enjoyable night. Midnight came and this feller walked through the door.........

only in Andalucia!

Navidad 2006

2006-12-17T15:28:00.000+01:00

Doesnt time fly when your having fun? I remember posting Christmas 2005 a few months after the cave blog began and it seems like 5 minutes ago. The past year has seen change for alot of people, some have come and gone, some have started businesses and others are simply enjoying the Andalucian life in the best way it can be.

This will be our 3rd Spanish Christmas and we are looking forward to friends from Spain, the UK and France visiting their own caves (aswell as ours) for the festive season. I would like to thank everyone who has visited the blog this year and wish everyone the best of luck in their new ventures and cave purchases.

and next year..? Well, next year the blog will become more interactive with contribution from other cave dwellers, articles, business ads and a full down to earth look at cave life month by month.

For now though I leave you with this..

Merry Christmas, see you in 2007!

CR

Digging..

2006-12-11T17:43:00.000+01:00

Next year we plan on digging another room...

Andalucian Matanza

2006-12-09T15:21:00.000+01:00

The Matanza is part of Andalucian tradition and has been now for many generations so when we got invited to one this November we decided to go along...mainly so we could say "yes we have been" Being honest it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be, the slaughter was performed with such a high degree of skill that the actual killing can only be described as humane. Like it or loath it the matanza is still practiced today although not to the extent that it was. Rules have changed due to Spain falling in line with the EU and certain conditions must be met.

A few pics...

Tapas Recipes Andalucia
will be detailing all the recipes from the matanza over the coming weeks, the first is the traditional dish "migas"

Enjoy

Beer bottle floors...

2006-11-22T16:26:00.001+01:00

On the approach to the festive season I thought a post on beer might be appropriate...In the archives you will find an entry on using beer bottles to help the insulation of a floor - instead of using loads of conctrete.

However a friend of ours is currently using this technique so I grabbed the chance to take some pics.

Plenty of drinking to be done for a whole floor, this is 20m2 of empty bottles. The bottles are strong and the trapped air makes for excellent floor insulation. One other benefit is that you use half the amount of concrete and are recycling at the same time.

Planning a floor in the new year? Keep those bottles....

November Rain

2006-11-07T18:29:00.000+01:00

Some pics from sunny Spain. This year has been quite wet, even through the summer months we had a few good heavy showers - around Orce village anyway. It can pour down in one village and be bright sunshine in the next 5km down the road. On the way to the village there had been a small mud slide which covered the road - still passable and a normal occurance. The pics below were taken after 2 days of steady rain.

This is when campo life can be a bit of a pain, the mud sticks and dries like concrete, taking the dogs out can be a messy business...

"Barro" or mud is horrendous on rural tracks. Its a sticky substance that can only be decscribed as glue when you walk in it. It sticks to car tyres, your shoes, pets feet and you cannot help but get at least some in the house! On the upside this rain does the gardn the world of good - we will have some cracking fresh white potatoes for Christmas..!

Cave Courtyard...

2006-11-07T17:09:00.001+01:00

Time for a change in the cave garden...we decided to build a courtyard/corral for some extra privacy and also practical reasons. Having a sixteen week old German Shepherd in the cave causes a whole range of damage when you return after a couple of hours - the sofa was the latest victim. So a courtyard it was.

As with everything else we wanted rustic and natural to fit in with the campo and having not the largest of budgets we put the word about for materials we required.
First up foundations, this is where the photo album of the original renovation came in handy - we had to dig holes 18 inches deep for the door frame. Knowing the electric cables and water pipes led direct out of the front door the photos were a handy reference.

Door frame. A local told us where to find some phone poles in the campo that had been left for a few months, these are 7m long and its better to cut them up in situe before they go in the car.

Plunge pool had to go - but not entirely, we left one side to add support for the corral wall and by the end of the week it was converted into a two tier herb garden.

Door frame in and the first run of the wall. The stones came from recently ploughed fields in the campo, all nice and flat with a red tint.

The old door was again free, found in a field opposite an abondoned cave. Not in perfect condition but certainly repairable. The bottom was rotten so was sawn off and a lenght of pallet wood screwed in place to maintain the strength of the frame which was in good condition.

The wall itself is approx 5.5 ft high and a single wall ie, no ties or double facings so the foundations had to be quite wide aswell as deep. Some bigger flat rocks were laid first to create the base and as the wall was built up the stones got smaller.

Almost finished, more render needs to between the stones and some compost for the herb garden. Herbs for next year will be mint, peppermint, parsley, oregano etc etc. Right next to the BBQ so quite handy.

Total cost of the project was minimal to say the least....

Rock/ free
door/ free
poles/ free
hinges/ donated (cheers Bill)
3 sacks of cement/ 12 euros
woodstain/ 7 euros
sand/ not used, natural earth mixed with cement/ free

TIMESCALE 1 WEEK inc stone collecting
TOTAL 19 EUROS. Not bad at all.

Red Rocks & Mushrooms

2006-11-07T16:30:00.000+01:00

Sunday morning what do you do? Ring up some friends and see if they want to go mushroom picking. I remember years ago picking mushrooms near the farm where I lived in northern England, this however is a little different... Mid morning we jumped in the jeep - beer and sarnies fully packed and headed off to one of the highest points surrounding the local village.

After a somewhat bumpy ride through the campo and up the mountain we found a spot near some attractive red rocks and set up camp for a few hours - great for the kids and relaxing way to spend a morning. The rock is stained by the high concentration of iron in the area and although the locals had had the best of the lot we still managed to collect some attractive coloured rock for the garden.

As for the mushrooms....not many about..!

Living rural can present a number of opportunities for walking, mountain biking and going out in the 4x4 - which is my favourite. Find a track, head for the mountains and see where you end up, there are a suprising amount of picnic areas/old mines/watch towers and other interesting places to see in places where you would expect nothing at all, and the views....

Cave Light

2006-11-05T16:39:00.000+01:00

One of the most questions you are likely to be asked is does the cave have any windows? Of course they do! but due to the nature of a cave these cannot always be on every wall like a conventional house.
Some caves have a front and a back, these are usualy caves that are at the top of a hill of have been dug out of a corner of a rock face. This allows light through two angles and is a very attractive feature. Most caves however generaly just have one frontage and have 2/3 windows although up to 8 can be possible especialy in the case of two or three caves being joined together.

There is another solution, skylights are perfectly possible. These can be adapted from feeding holes dug through the rock near the rear of the cave which were traditionaly used to drop hay and grass through for the livestock. The only problem with a skylight is that when it rains the noise generated is similar to that of being in a caravan! Other solutions are mirrors and prism effects - these tend to be expensive to buy and fit although they are a fantastic source of natural light at the back of a cave.

Cueva Esperanza has 3 windows at the front, one in the door and two either side, for us this is more than sufficient due to the caves layout - every room leading onto the other has been dug directly behind the light source resulting in natural light reaching the very back of the cave.

Corals and pig pens

2006-11-05T16:34:00.000+01:00

Many caves have a coral, in fact not all caves were used as housing for Spanish families, some were used primarily as animal housing. A very cheap alternative to the little guy who had sheep/goats etc but wasnt wealthy enough to have a conventional shelter built. The coral below belongs to a cave that is owned by a shepherd and inside the cave is specificaly laid out for animal housing. Its very dark in there and there are few remains like heads and suchlike which my failing torch just managed to make out...

Pig pens are also a common feature. They can be found inside the cave or outside. Many families kept there own pig or pigs and every November butchered the animal using every part for food which kept the family sustained over the coming months. This tradition is known as the Matanza.

Pig pens and indeed feeding troughs can be found in many unreformed caves and with a little thought can be turned into a fantastic feature or workable storage space. A 12ft feeding trough in my own cave has been transformed into a bar with CD/DVD and Hi-fi storage underneath.

Unreformed Wrecks

2006-11-05T10:02:00.000+01:00

There are still plenty of unreformed caves about, in Fuente Nueva probably around 40% are unreformed. The problem is that in many cases the owners dont want to sell just yet as they have seen prices rise over recent years. What was either un-sellable or worth maybe a few hundred euros 5/6 years ago is now worth 20,000 euros and rising... In other cases the owners are not traceable or one member of a large family does not want to sell, either way gathering information about an unreformed cave can be difficult as it is unlikely to be registered to anyone or have an escritura.

Fancy a bargain? They are still there, one cave in the local hamlet is going for 5000 euros but requires an enourmous amount of renovation, on saying that the land it occupies is worth the 5k on its own. The cave in the first pic below is not for sale but the two caves behind it (out of view) were sold last year to a builder for 16000 euros - 8k each, not bad at all.

Below, beyond salvation? not much to see here but it is a cave...

Below, 18000 euros last year, 25000 euros this year and if anyone shows interest that price may well go up to 30k plus. Bad frontage and the living room needs roof support but the inside is 75% plastered and clean as a whistle.

This one would make a nice holiday retreat but no-one knows who or where the owners are.

Next up, corals and pig pens

Cave Chimney Design

2006-10-30T16:02:00.000+01:00

If you are lucky enough to buy a reformed cave then a chimney will probably be the last feature of the cave you think about when first walking through the door. For a semi reformed cave or a "wreck" then a chimney may need some thought.

You can of course choose any design you wish although my opinion is to remain with the flow, different villages do have different chimney designs. Building one yourself is quite easy, in our case a foundation was dug on the roof, filled with concrete and then bricked up to create the body. On top we placed a few more bricks inkeeping with local design and rendered the entire structure (no need to render the inside)

White chimneys stand out and look good, stone built structures are less dominent over the landscape but create that rustic touch.

Maybe a chimney suggests the trend inside a cave? A good well done structure looks great as will the rest of the dwelling inside and out. Something that resembles a half rendered dogs hind leg will not.

Caves, Kids & Halloween

2006-10-30T14:56:00.000+01:00

Well its that time of year again, around comes the 30th of October and I get commissioned to carve out the pumpkins. Living on a farm in the UK it usualy involved a mile hike to the turnip field then 3 hours drilling them out so in that respect Andalucia is much easier..

Last week Mrs CR placed the order with our local green grocer and we handed over 6 euros for the three, one big one and two smaller ones, below is the big one - looking at it now it even scares me...!

Windows and doors closed just to see if they all work.

So manana the kids will arrive, fire will be on, loads of candles and some spooky music (and its fancy dress - no escape!)

Big caves

2006-10-26T15:05:00.000+02:00

How big can caves be? Well this one is unreformed but absolutley enormous. It is not for sale. In total there are 24 rooms with the main room being probably around 100sqm. You can walk in one of the three front doors of this cavehouse and emerge out another on the other side of the hill, in total the facade is approx 100m long which stretches along a winding road.

I call it a cave house due to its stone built external building which is two stories high exposing the interior because the original frontage has fallen down over time or was demolished due the tarmac road being built. It has 3 fireplaces, a flight of stairs and is overall on 3 levels. In the main room you can walk around a huge supporting caverock pillar, there are 3 corridoors from this room leading to bedrooms or other parts of the dwelling.

The state is very bad although just at the front, some rooms have seen yeso long ago and the ceilings appear very safe deep into the cave. One room has huge concrete supporting joist sticking out of the wall - I have asked the purpose of these to various locals but no-one seems to know! Apparently one of the many large rooms was used to harvest mushrooms. One reason for caves with many rooms is that years ago when a member of the family was due to have a baby then another room would be dug, imagine triplets... It would not be unusual to find three generations of the same family living in one large cave.

To put this enormous cave into perspective, my own cave has 2-3 bedrooms, an office, living room, bathroom, small library, kitchen, bar/tv room and is regarded sizeable at 110sqm. The monster described above has to be a minimum of 1000sqm not including the outbuild. It is a fantstic example of an unreformed rural cave and may someday command a very high price.

Fingers crossed I win the lottery.. Enjoy the pics.

Cars in the Campo

2006-10-22T17:08:00.000+02:00

Being into classic cars one thing that struck me when we first moved to Orce was the amount of older cars on the road. Not only on the road but in good condition, Fiat 124's, Ford Cortinas and escorts, the kind of car your are only likely to see in a scrap yard or in the hands of an enthusiast back in the UK.

Spain in general has very low humidity and up in the sierras even less so, you will also find no salt on the roads in the winter. This results in very little rust... Cars also tend to be in general, low mileage. Sometimes Huescar to Orce (17 km) can be a treck for some! Looking through the ads it is quite common to find a 20 year old car with less than 100k on the clock - and thats km. However prices of second hand cars in the area are high, this does appear to be relevant though, with particular reference to classics a good example of an old ford will be 1000 pounds in the UK over here expect an asking price of 6000 euros.

Fuel also makes a big difference in a cars selling price, petrol models tend to be around 5 - 10% less that their deisel counter parts which command a higher value due to deisel being significantly cheaper at the pump.

Are you bringing your UK car to Spain for good? I have always been a believer in that if you are not concerned about driving a RHD car in Spain then do it - even spending 600 - 900 euros on an ITV and plate change, to buy the equivilent left hooker here in rural Spain will be more expensive.

As for classics...mine comes out on the occasional Sunday for a blast down to Maria market, or maybe a calm drive on the road thats runs along side the airstrip...

Big thanks to Mike and the guys at www.cuevapedro.co.uk for bringing over the starter motor! (parts are a problem...)

Flamenco

2006-10-21T17:39:00.000+02:00

Constant 18 degrees???

2006-10-19T14:24:00.000+02:00

In short - No.

In most articles you read everyone says that a plus point for cave living is the constant temperature. Depending on the article this constant temperature varies between 18 and 23 degrees all year round suggesting that along with a cave structure being unique, to a certain extent so is the caves ability to maintain warmth.

While I am not trying to blow this theory out the water altogether it may worth considering for first time buyers that caves do get cold. In fact it is the outside temperature that is more important. To give an example this year temperatures dipped to around minus 12 in February and rose to 45 in late July. With extreme heat outside 20 ish degrees will feel quite cool when you walk in the front door and the reverse from sub zero to a comfortable 20 degrees inside.

The caves temperature is not constant - it varies although nothing near like a conventional house. In my own cave the temperature is currently 21 degrees (4 degrees lower than a month ago) and by the winter it will have dropped to around 17. One other thing is that if you have a long cave that goes deep into the earth instead of a broad cave mostly nearer the front of the rock the temp will also vary by around 2 degrees from the back to the front - the front being the warmest point.

Again, each cave is different and so will be its insulating qualities depending on how much rock you have above you and to either side, alot will also depend on thickness of walls particularly on the facade. This year the fire will probably get lit in early December, it will be comfortable until then. So to sum up it all depends on the cave but dont believe 18 degrees all year, it may fluctuate from anything as low as 16 to as high as 26 depending on the weather outside.

Cave for sale

2006-10-16T09:40:00.000+02:00

With prices of caves steadily on the up and up finding something unreformed through an agent for less than 50,000 euros is becoming more and more difficult. An unreformed cave you may think would be worth very little given the amount of work involved to make it habitable, for an experienced building team though they can reform a cave in a matter of weeks. The work is not complicated either, in alot of cases a breeze block structure will be attached to the front for the kithen or bathroom or both. The main structure is already in place and will have been for decades so once the pipes have been laid, cesspit in place and electrics channelled it is really only cosmetics.

So price? unreformed caves are rising in price at the same rate as reformed caves, this is due to the potential they hold to be fantastic homes. For any potential cave buyer expect to be spending 100,000 euros for a decent sized cave with all amenities and good access. However the odd one still exists under this price bracket..... Have a look around the web and see if you can beat this one for price given its size, condition and location.

5 bedrooms
2 Living rooms
Dining room
Kitchen
Bathroom
2 Pantries
Courtyard
Large Patio
2 storey attached building
Tarmac access
All sewerage and electrics
Hamlet location with services
Easy arterial access to main villages and town

85,000 euros

View this cave here

Making life easier

2006-10-07T14:49:00.000+02:00

A few weeks ago we invested in a petrol chainsaw, a great tool for making short work of dry pine from the wood. However, even with a chainsaw it can be heavy going bending down and cutting lengths of wood on the floor so we built a saw-horse. This is basicly just a frame built up to waste height that you can rest wood on to make cutting easier.

a few lenghts of wood with segments chipped out with a wood chisel to provide a flat purchase for screwing together.

Frame coming together with 2 V-shaped crosses at the top for holding the wood in place

and the finished frame with cross members screwed in to provide extra strength, also a foot rest was screwed onto the front to help provide a good stance while using the chainsaw.

One benefit of chain sawing wood on top of wood is that the blade wont skim the ground with the potential to hit earth and stones and blunting the teeth on the blade. The main benefit whilst using what is effectivly a very dangerous machine is that you are sawing in a more comfortable position and the wood is securly held in place - this also reduces the risk of the chainsaw kicking back.

A chainsaw in rural Spain will set you back 150 euros for a an entry model, we opted for a more well known and reliable make and spent 230 euros for a small machine. Less powerfull and electric saws can be picked up from 100 euros.

Next up, 125,000 euros worth of cave going for 85k

Cave music

2006-10-01T16:36:00.000+02:00

I once read a few years ago when first investigating caves that you could have a live rock concert in your cave and the neighbours wouldnt hear it. Whilst this may be a little enthusiastic you can play your music loud - in fact very loud. Now that renovations are almost finished and we are prepped up for the winter we decided to dig around in some old boxes and find some forgotten DVD's.

The system we have is a Sony, 5.1 dolby digital etc etc. It is rigged up in the central room of the cave and tweaked for optimum performance. Now at this point I would like to say that my music taste is a bit variable...! For starters I put on Linkin Parks Reanimation DVD and then Metallica's amaligimation with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, both are optional on DTS and the sound in a cave is nothing short of impressive.

Why? Well the caves insulation properties dont just apply to temperature. Two meter thick walls simply do not let the sound go anywhere, there are no floor boards or carpets to absorb sound either which makes for crystal clear enjoyment. On a decent system the sound wizzes around the room anyway but in a cave room its clarity is unbelievable! The other noticable thing is lack of vibration so bass can be set higher than normal. High quality movies are also very good in Dolby and DTS. In short if you are a music lover or film buff then buy a cave!

Tubular Bells is also in the top 10... What are you listening to?

Say it with Melons...

2006-09-29T13:54:00.000+02:00

Gratitude from the locals is something that never fails to amaze us. A simple favour for a local parent one day resulted in 2 carrier bags full of fresh melons grown from their garden. The favour was to take their little girl to school one morning because the local police car was in the garage, of course we had to take CR Junior anyway so it wasnt much of a chore.

Fresh!

In fact we had so many of them we had to give some away ourselves. This kind of gesture is very common in rural areas and makes you feel like part of the community. A few months ago we stopped to help a guy who's car had broken down, we eventualy towed him home and had a look around his cave. We met his wife and daughter and were invited round for a meal one night, since then we have helped each other out with building work, collecting wood etc and I know if my car ever breaks down who to ring! The sense of community spirit is very strong in rural hamlets and its a good genuine thing to become part of. Afterall you never know when you might need a helping hand.