This week the weather has certainly been unseasonably wet and cold for the Costa Tropical! As forecast, it became dull, drizzly, chilly and very windy. By Friday evening the rain became incessant with huge puddles forming around the campsite into Saturday. The rain is set to continue for the rest of Easter weekend. Several fellow-travellers have left for a few days, moving east in the hope of less rain in the Desierto de Tabernas, loved by the film-makers of ‘Spaghetti Westerns’. With poor soil, low rainfall and temperatures that range from -5°C to 48°C, the landscape has been little changed by agriculture or other human activity, apart from the remaining film sets where you can park up overnight at venues named ‘Route 66’ and ‘Mini Hollywood’. We decided not to bother, since it looked like it might even rain there!
Steve’s guitar course ended yesterday, Good Friday. Having completed all the finishing of the guitar on Wednesday, he started learning to French polish, finding it quite a challenge at first. The Diploma party was planned for Friday evening and Steve had applied sufficient coats of French polish by the morning to start stringing the guitar ready for the recital. Bev had offered to make some salads and, after spending time at the market on Thursday she decided on a salade Nicoise and chick pea salad with chorizo. Stephen loaned her three large bowls for serving and she managed to prepare the whole feast in the van. Gathered in an upstairs room above the workshop, Nick, Pete and Steve were presented with their certificates of completion. There was a recital where their guitars were played by local flamenco and classical players of note before food and drinks to celebrate a successful month’s workshop.
Listen to the first playing of Steve’s guitar . . .