The Seasons

Prima Vera (springtime) Verano ( summer) Otoño (autumn) Invierno (winter)

Someone once said to me that they returned to the UK " because they missed the seasons!. "

I have to say I think there must have been another reason, because we do have all four seasons here, maybe the winter is much nicer, but it is winter none the less. Particularly in the mountains, where it can be very cold.

In Cómpeta, we are protected to a large extent by the Sierra Tejada mountains, in particular La Maroma and although we do get frosts and snow here, it is very unusual to do so. (All of the photographs below were taken in the Cómpeta area)

Prima Vera (spring)

Spring is announced here by the Bermuda buttercup a beautiful yellow flower, which seems to grow everywhere (I don´t honestly know whether that is the real name of these wild flowers, but if not, it should be) as it is a lovely name and describes them to a tee.

The Bermuda buttercup

During this time the Almond (almendra) comes into blossom, it is not until the blossom flowers that it is evident how many trees there are. All of a sudden the hills are covered in pink & white

Almond blossom

Ever since the middle of January, oranges & lemons have been available for picking (there is nothing like picking an orange off of a tree, that has just been warmed by the sun and eating it.

Lemon trees give up fruit most of the year, but the fresh fruit will have come from the previous years blossom.

Oranges ready for picking

A young lemon tree bursting with fruit

Also from this time Strawberries are available locally. The season seems to last forever

Following on from the buttercups and almond blossom, comes the wild sweet pease, poppies and other wild flowers & herbs to numerous to mention

wild sweet peas & poppies abound

Verano (summer)

By now the wild flowers have died back, but with summer comes the flowers you would normally associate with Spain, Geraniums, Bougainvillea, Hibiscus, Jasmine, dame de noche and just about every other plant you think of.

The Spanish love their flowers and grow them in every space and container available.

The end of spring and the start of summer also heralds the fruit blossom, oranges, lemons, figs, grapes etc. The aroma of the blossom is all pervading.

I think one of the miracles of nature are grapes, from what can only be described as a black stump, during the winter, at the start of the summer these stumps start sending out shoots, within less than a month, the hillsides are green with this crop and by August are covered in fruit. It must also be one of the most labour intensive to harvest, apart from olives. Particulary here as everything is grown on virtually shere hillsides. The resulting crop though is well worth the effort. The Cómpeta grape is a moscatel variety and is not only gorgeous to eat, but makes a beautiful sweet tasting wine. Be warned though its sweet taste belies it's potency!.

The moscatel grape of Cómpeta

I cannot move on without mentioning the not so humble vegetable. During the year Tomatoes, potatoes, leeks, runner beans and just about every vegetable you will be familiar with plus others not so well known are grown here, the farmers seem to use every available space and also appear to get more than one crop in a year from the same plot of land.

Cómpeta lies at the top of the Sayalonga valley and normally is frost free, therefore just about everything can be and is grown here,

Bananas (platanos) growing in a garden

Otoño (autumn)

It is quite hard to pin down when autumn actually starts but I suppose it is around September- October, From the first week or so of September, the heat of the summer (in August it can be 40º even in the mountains) has usually gone and is a much more pleasant 25º-30º. What plants you have managed to save in the dry season, seem to get a new lease of life. This is the time when the first rains come and you can hear the ground breathe a sigh of relief.

I think this is the best time for sunsets, as the air is clearer, it is also possible to see the atlas mountains of Africa (this can be a double edged sword, as the theory is that if Africa can be seen, bad weather usually arrives within three days!)

an example of sunsets taken from our terrace

Invierno (winter)

I suppose winter should start in November and end in February, although apart from some rainy days the majority of the time the sun is shining and daytime temperatures can range from 16º-25º. although once the sun goes down, the temperature drops dramatically.

I suppose the worse time for bad weather is anytime between the middle of January and May, when anything can happen and usually does!.

winter wonderland

for more wild flowers click on picture

Home Page Welcome Page Potted History Photo Album Events Diary Places to Visit Tapas Variadas