Algete, Madrid Province

A local park, filled with ornamental (ie old and gnarled) olive trees.

A sunny day before the Calima struck again (another dust / sand cloud from the Sahara), rendering photo opps a zero these past few days and expected to last a few more days. I gather France has got it too.

HFF, Everyone! The next day the snow had all gone. The view from my sister's home (now mine too for the time being!), looking over the hen coop and the roofs of Valderrey, our community. Early evening shot. Best on Z.

A road and view in our estate. Night falling.

On my evening walk. The right time of year for this tree at its best. On large, please!

A path near my new home. The path is incredibly steep (to give you an idea, look at how close the two lamp posts are in relation to each other). The steepest section is just out of sight, after the top four shallow steps. I don't dare use it in the wet or, even worse, in ice! (Railings not provided!). The murk is not just twilight but in addition the sand cloud we get from the Sahara from time to time. The mountains should be visible on the horizon but they aren't due to the 'Calima' or sand cloud. You can actually taste the sand on your tongue!

Madrid in the far distance. (35 km away) Best on large / full screen.

Punky feels at home in his new kitchen. He would also like you to admire his new hairstyle! I bought Punky years ago in a tiny pottery shop in Fore Street, Penryn, Cornwall and he had a different (smaller) cactus at that time. That one soon suffered from alopaecia and this is Punky's new hair. He is very proud of it!

A bright, sunny but extremely cold day. I'm looking forward to the return of the storks!

Unexpected sight from the back of the house today - the contrail from A PLANE!!!! Not sure the last time I remember seeing one! Skyline of La Sierra de Guadarrama (The smaller Siera de La Cabrera, my favourite walking area, is the jagged, lower ridge to the right).

In need of a little TLC perhaps!

We are on a small hill and this is a prominent (recently built) landmark. It houses the admin offices of the local community.

Not much left of the christmas ham now. That's a bread knife by the way, the ultra-sharp knife used for the ham is tucked away under the joint out of sight. (I don't know what is or was in the tubular box but I think it was more cured ham of some description - the Spanish certainly love their cured hams!)

View from dining room window

Bright light but perishing cold today.

A street in Algete just before the big freeze this winter.

The town where I now live with my sister and her family. First posted on ipernity in 2018 and these were my notes at the time: I Googled 'Algete Church' to get the church's name and found this photo a little way in! I must have put it on Pano and forgot! I had thought this was it's first outing!

We live on top of a hill near this crenellated house which acts as the admin centre for the local estate or 'urbanización' in Spanish. I like to think of it as a Moorish lookout tower (they do exist near here), but of course it's not, and is of fairly recent construction.