We did return and the olives and palm have dried very well and now form an arrangement with some silk flowers.
We enjoyed sitting on the balcony this time and had a couple of evenings with a bottle of wine, anti-mossie candles and listened to the Cory Shearwater or 'Whacka whacka' birds with their funny gazoo noises heading for the nearest mountain to sleep. They caused us many a giggle.
We strolled around the estate and Daltre are still building behind the Dorada factory....but what?
The avenue is so eagerly used by all who wish to keep fit for jogging, race-walking, strolling and exercising. Do be aware that many people are 'plugged in' to their Ipods and barely look as they cross the roads or stop jogging etc. All the right clothes and equipment are popular. Hubby and I used to enjoy tennis in the UK and thought about padle as we watched play on the courts. But the right shoes seem to be essential and it isn't clear whether the padles could be hired; people seemed to arrive with their own.
Elfrida and Ermintrude (me) or Eric and Ernie (hubby), the two camels, stand proudly and the bushes are maturing well around them and along the avenue. The new garage seems successful, hopefully there will be further building.
I think there is now one residential complex which doesn't have control of dogs barking for hours. I'm glad it's not our complex. What makes people think that others want to hear their dog barking all day?
The park is still not open. Machinery is there but weeds are overtaking. I feel really sorry for the children on the estate. They need a place to kick balls and play more wildly as naturally there are restrictions with noise and movement within the complexes. If we lived there full-time I think I would be tempted to try and pile rocks and create a safe area on one of the neglected patches for the children. When we first arrived a few young ones were playing imaginatively with stones and toys in the middle of a 'parcel.' It was great to see this cooperative play rather than think of them indoors with their computers. Towards the end of our stay some boys were playing football each evening at the crossroads and due to parked cars it wasn't always obvious when cars were approaching, often at speed.
The estate now needs a mayor or at least a couple of council members who are aware and will act for the estate.
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