Sun and snow in Spain...

In astounding contrast to the sunny and relatively mild weather we've been having this January, we had sudden and unexpected snowfall this week. Snow in Spain is not at all unusual; there are many ski resorts here and we're used to seeing on the TV news that the northernmost provinces of the country are under two feet of snow. But it's pretty unusual to see snow on the low lying hills here in Alhaurin.  My neighbours who've lived here for more than thirty years had never seen snow in the town before. The last time was apparently around 43 years ago.

It was melting on landing, and not really lying on the ground in Alhaurin, except for on the hills around us where I usually walk the dog. All along the Costa del Sol, however, there were scenes of snow covered palm trees and beaches... and the snow lay even thicker up the eastern coastline. I felt rather sorry for any tourists who had headed to Spain this week for some "winter sun."

The winter sun is back now, though, and it was quite pretty this morning to see the sun glistening off the melting snow, against a backdrop of a pale blue sky. Despite the cool morning and evening temperatures, the thermometer is forecast to creep back up to afternoon highs of 17 or 18 degrees next week. That's good news for the FOCOS coaching workshop, as it means the trainees can work outside in the sun while doing their practice exercises. Perhaps the snow is gone now for another forty years or so.