Back to summer...

All the signs of summer are still with us in Alhaurín: the trees are in bloom, though the unwatered grassy areas of town are more brown than green now.  The streets are deserted in the heat of the afternoon, but families emerge in the evening, and children play in the playground in front of my house until almost midnight. The ice cream shops are doing a roaring trade and have introduced their "summer" flavours like peach and pineapple. The market stalls are also full of fresh produce, and I'm enjoying nectarines and kiwis. This is also the only time of year that we get any fresh sweetcorn (something that I miss from South Africa) so I'm enjoying that too.

Ada and Gabriela have been in the winter half of the world for the past two months, as they've been visiting family in Peru. They phoned me today from Madrid to say that they'd just arrived back in Spain and can't believe how hot the summer is here. They'll be catching an overnight bus and will arrive back in Alhaurín tomorrow morning.