la finca blog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has taken a few days to clean up and recover from the Bazaar and now we are raring to go for our next event –  New Year’s Eve

The evening will start with a welcome drink followed by a delicious 3 course meal with coffee and wines, then dancing to the fantastic Dr. Swing’s Jazz Band before ending with Fizz and Fireworks at midnight – all inclusive at only 45€ a head.

To maintain quality, numbers will be limited for this event and places are available strictly by reservation only.

Call 958 068052 or 659 142 826 now to book and avoid disappointment

To add to the evening’s enjoyment we are also able to offer:-

ACCOMMODATION

We have Bed and Breakfast accommodation should you wish to stay over night.

TRANSPORT

Guests can park by the river in Murchas and take our shuttle service from Murchas to La Finca.

We can also arrange a door to door return taxi service if you prefer not to drive at all

Call us for more information on 958 068 052 or 659 142 826

People are truely amazing!

A huge thank you to all stall holders and visitors who came from far and wide and made their way through the narrow campo road to The Christmas Bazaar and Curry Lunch at La Finca, El Valle de Lecrin on Sunday 27^th November – and made it such a great day!

We were absolutely delighted to be able to welcome over 200 people and were amazed how far they came to be with us

At the beginning of November we were talked into having a Christmas Bazaar and thought we would attract about 10 stalls and a maximum of 75 people. In the space of just over 3 weeks the word spread….

The sun shone, 20 stallholders brought their wonderful creations, visitors drove or walked through the olive and citrus groves to La Finca, Hermy sang live, 150 Curry Lunches  and 300 coffees and pastries were served.

 People could be found busy shopping at the stalls, taking time to relax outside and chat together on the comfy garden sofas placed to soak up the views, or sitting on the “Cafe” Terrace drinking coffee and eating all the Casa Amelia cakes and pastries

Although lunches were by reservation only we were delighted that 30 more than had booked were served. We were sad that many more who had not booked had to be disappointed.

It’s true that the approach road was tricky, parking was tight and the water supply was cut but all obstacles seemed to have been overcome with jokes and smiles and willing hands – and we have learned what we can do better for next time.

Stars of the day were Anne and Glynn Snelling who worked tirelessly all day helping to park cars and manage the flow of people wanting curry lunch – we couldn’t have coped without them.  The many children who came were astounding in their community spirit. The got together and effectively created a task force even though they did not necessarily know each other. They offered childrens’ face painting and games and collected and washed hundreds of glasses and cups and saucers and served over 300 cups of coffee and pastries. Amazing!

Everyone came positive and determined to enjoy themselves –the sun shone and so did they!

It was a major challenge to manage in the space of only one month all the marketing to capture stallholders and visitors interest, organising the Stallholders, making signage, cooking for the Curry Lunch and making the Christmas Food Products for the Casa Amelia stand at the Bazaar.  It was a real kick to see it all come to fruition and see so many people get together and enjoy themselves as a result.

It took its toll – Scarlett spent two days after the event bursting into tears at the slightest thing – a sure sign she had overdone it! She felt really pathetic but couldn’t do anything to stop it! Women!

Plans for the Christmas Bazaar and Curry Lunch on Sunday 27th November are progressing well but they are certainly keeping us on our toes. But its all worth it – we now have 15 artisans and 2 charities involved  - just great.

Marketing to stallholders, then to the shoppers we so want to welcome to the Bazaar and the diners for the Curry Lunch all require a different but coordinated approach …..lots of food for thought there! Look and feel, tone, messages, positioning, potential to confuse, the management of expectations, let alone the management of individuals seems to be sucking hard on life’s experience. No wonder we feel about 110!

Then there is the challenge of producing enough variety and quantity of appropriate products for the Casa Amelia stand ….Fruity, alcoholic, spicey smells of Christmas have pervaded the interior of La Finca for the last few days. A fast dwindling mountain of dried fruits nuts, and candied peel have been stacked alongside bottles of liquor, and jars of spices on the surfaces of the professional kitchen – taking up valuable space for prepping and cooking. Quantities we have used have been so great Inma and Scarlett have had to stand on a ladder to get the right downward stirring action to the mixes. Eventually we realised that we have a perfect for purpose huge half spherical stainless steel bowl (thank you Ikea) that fits perfectly into the round vegetable washing sink, lowering the bowl to the right level for short women to stir comfortably! Steam can be seen floating out of the Casa Amelia kitchen as traditional Christmas Puddings are steamed for hours and hours, the ovens are full of Christmas cakes and Stollen. Pans bubble to produce Christmas red chilli jam and tinsel gold mango chutney…Bliss!

The problem with producing products for sale is that in never does end there. Apart from the cooking there are the not insignificant issues of pricing, packaging and labelling …. if Sainsbury’s charge this in the UK what can we charge here in Lecrin?! Where are the finance, production, marketing and sales teams to delegate to now… ah the joys of not being in the rat race! Huh!

But how wonderful and welcome have been the offers of help, the steady flow of constructive ideas and positive comments from friends, family  and participants in this whole adventure.  Everyone is saying if we can work together to get this Bazaar right then the next ones will get better and better – and easier. Oh we do so hope so – because despite all the hours in the kitchen, in front of the computer and awake in the night – it is so great to be getting something going.

Time for Christmas shopping …….
Looking forward to seeing you!

Despite rolling dark, dark clouds, thunder and lightening the courageous few of the Lecrin Valley fell out of their beds on Sunday morning and found their way through the olive and citrus groves to La Finca.

The delicious brunch created by the Casa Amelia team disappeared, washed down by Bucks Fizz and a great deal of wine to the accompaniment of the Dr Swing Jazz band

The day ended with dancing to the band and glorious sunshine out on the terraces of La Finca – then back home for a late siesta!

Food, Fun and Friends

We were delighted to see so many people from the valley and beyond supporting our first event.

Chef Peter Rathke and the Casa Amelia catering team produced over 600 individual portions of tapas and each tray disappeared in seconds after presentation – which was endorsement enough! Further reinforcement of how appreciated they were has arrived over the last couple of days in the many complimentary emails we have received.

Thanks to everyone for coming – we look forward to seeing you again at our next event….

…….the JAZZ BRUNCH on Sunday 23rd October at 12:00 Don’t worry about making breakfast! Have a lie-in then come up to La Finca and wake up to the Dr Swing Jazz band and a reviving Bucks Fizz Brunch.

We look forward to seeing you!

RETREAT, RELAX , RESTORE, REVIVE

Apologies to our readers for leaving it so long to update the blog. Many thanks for all your emails of concern relating to the lack of news coming from the Finca. We have been on such a journey and have needed to put all admin and communication on the back burner and push and push to get the project finished. We have been flat out from early morning until late at night and have not had any uninterrupted time long enough to sit down and write anything!  As a result we have lost weight and aged about 20 years!

We managed to persuade the builders to move from one area to another so we could follow with furnishings and finishing touches and we have finished the house almost at the same time as they finished the pool.

We are therefore delighted to officially announce that we are open for business. We have received out first guests, starting with press, then family and then clients. We have held several cookery classes and two Flamenco evenings – we are off!

ALL IN ALL…

In hindsight the construction work has gone relatively smoothly but has just taken much longer than it should have done. Any delays due to bad weather have been minimal and the main cause has been down to lack of direction and control over the builders by the contractor. His lack of attendance at the site has been marked and in the circumstances the men have done remarkably well – but very slowly – sometimes it has felt like pulling teeth!

INDUSTRIAL DISPUTE

Progress was not helped when the men left the finca – refusing to work because they had been asked to clean up the site. It was a real mess and becoming dangerous to everyone working there.  A requirement of the contractors contract was to maintain the site in good, clean order.  The architects reported every week in the official “Libro de Ordenes” that the site did not meet standards and health and safety were at risk.  Scarlett then insisted that the men cleaned up.  They refused and left even after it was pointed out to them that they were in breach of their contracts and that there were plenty of out of work builders who would be glad to replace them. We were required to give them 3 days to return to work but they returned the next day, apologised and cleaned the site before starting work again.

FURNITURE MOVING

In June we hired two vans and with the help of our lovely Inma and three Spanish lads – Oscar and Angel and Inma’s son Jonathan, plus two good friends Elaine and Lyn, we moved furniture and belongings from a garage we rented nearby.  Before they saw the garage the boys asked how many trips we would do – one or two? Their faces were a picture when we opened the garage door! We had stored all the contents of our family home and barn in Oxfordshire , the house we rented in Albunuelas, the contents of Chris’s laboratory plus boxes and furniture belonging to Scarlett’s aunt and father. The garage was packed to the rafters and it took two days and 14 trips to move it all.

We had a few “moments” with one of the hire trucks whose breaks did not seem very good – particularly when the truck was full and on a slope. Hill starts were somewhat heart-stoppingly dangerous! Getting it round one very tight corner in the middle of the village was a challenge and Chris, having failed to get round, passed control to Oscar (who had no licence). He managed to get the vehicle round the corner beautifully, then in his excitement he hit a parked car just a few yards further up the street!  The repair added 400 euros to the removals bill! Men!

Angel continued to work for us for some time after that.  He must be about 6ft 8in tall and built like a bean pole.  For short people like us he was a godsend.  We called him the “living ladder as he could put things away on high shelves without the need of steps!

THE STARS

Boris our project manager has worked hard to keep a grip on things – even when they have not been part of his remit.  His outrageous character has luckily been balanced by his determination to finish the project. There is no doubt in our minds that the project would have been far harder and far less hilarious without him.

Boris persuaded us to let him do the plumbing …. To say he persevered is an understatement.  It was not all plain sailing! The outside tap on the terrace was connected to the hot water system (the plants we watered with it, before we realised, are just recovering) and he had to dig up a bathroom floor to find the connection and reconnect everything. Two of the toilets have been in and out faster than a fiddler’s elbow and one still leaks.  But practice makes perfect and the last toilets he fitted in the house went in at the first time attempt and are working perfectly.  Fingers crossed!

Boris’s desire to build motorways on the Finca has taken a bit of controlling.  He has a way of waving his arms when talking to Eloy the digger driver that implies that large areas should be cleared completely and flattened.  Scarlett woke up after siesta one day and was horrified to find Eloy removing a beautiful rock which she had planned to be the centre of a rockery.  We really did not want to remove any more rocks – having had our fill of that exercise last year when we had to remove the giant in the middle of the planned area for the house.

CARPENTRY

We have been delighted with the work of Julio Reyes our carpenter from Lecrin. The doors and windows he has made for us have been superb and we are delighted with them. We have two huge arched windows in the entrance hall which have been glazed with temperature controlling glass to maintain the temperature inside the house.  It took 6 men to carry each pane and put it in position. It was heartstopping to watch this happening as they were all moving along one plank of scaffolding – ugh!

Just wish he would come and finish the mosquito doors for the kitchen though…

Our grandson Jasper (5) made a wonderful addition to the cloakroom door…..

METALWORK

There has to be a balance and sadly Belfran the initial company we used for the metal work and railings on the house proved themselves not up to the job.  The quality of their work was simply not up to contracted specifications and within one week of being installed the paint on the railings was peeling off and the iron was rusting.  In addition they could not understand the need to adhere to the law which requires railings to be made 10cm apart.  Their’s was anything from 9-14 cms!  Needless to say they were not used for the second phase of the work and we then found a wonderful man from Lanjaron called Jorge who has done a fantastic job – even making a prototype of the moving pergola he later installed over the main terrace.

PAINTWORK

Miguel our painter and decorator has to be the most patient man in the world. He has painted the whole of the interior and all the railings with only occasional help from his son. He works steadily and quietly from early morning until sundown and has done a fantastic job.

ENERGY AND HOT WATER

Instalaciones Durcal have installed the energy system which provides electricity and hot water.  We have solar for electricity which is backed up for heavy usage by a massive biodiesel generator.  The hot water is provided by two biomass burners that we feed with almond shells. After a few teething problems the system appears to by functioning well and Chris is developing a relationship with the various, somewhat temperamental, pieces of equipment in the “Boys Room”. This is the building where everything relating to energy is housed .  Every man who visits the Finca wants to see it! The guys of ID have come at a moments notice when things have gone awry and now its all working we rather miss them!

WE ARE TOTALLY WIRED!

ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION

We have had a couple of problems with the electrical installation but Jose Luis and Viki have been quick, patient and hard working to resolve them.  Things have settled down now and everything is working well.  We wish they would come and put the plugs into the island in the kitchen and cover off the unused “emergency lighting” points though!

TELEVISION

Mel and Phil of Telly Addicts have done a great job and installed HD TV and DVD facilities in every guest suite .

WI-FI

Keiprint from Granada have created an wi-fi network using Apple Extreme in the house so guests have easy and free access to the internet! We also have a laptop available for guest use.

GARDENS

ITS OFFICIAL ……..WE HAVE BEEN CERTIFIED

Organic that is…!  After 3 years of testing and form filling we have been certified organic and all our fruit and vegetables meet requirements,  Hooray!

Giles and Terry have continued to maintain the fruit and vegetables and keep the finca tidy while we have battling with building the house.  We have been able to use our own home grown ingredients for the cookery classes and meals we have had.

We are now working to landscape the areas around the house with paths and planted areas but we have decided we cannot plant anything else until the rain starts (usually October) and the temperatures drop.  We took a risk and planted quite a lot of plants about a month ago but have lost some of them so we have decided to wait

PETER

We have been really lucky to meet Peter, a German with landscaping experience and particular skills with natural stone. As if that wasn’t enough he is a trained chef! His apple strudel is fabulous… and he is living on the Finca in our caravan! His touch can already be seen everywhere.  He quietly goes about bringing order to the chaos that was a building site.  He has laid out flower beds around the house and edged them with stone from the land.  He is now making the stone floor of the patio and water feature outside the guest kitchen. When we removed the rock to build the house we left some of it on the edge of what will be a shady patio.  We have built a water tank at the base of it and are planning to make a water feature on one side of the patio.  Peter is making a floor using black and white stones in the style of the work found all over Andalucia.

a

INMA – OUR DIAMOND

We are so fortunate to have Inma still with us.  Her patience, flexibility and willingness are incredible.  Over all this time she has cleaned after the builders (repeatedly), taken cement off the floor tiles, moved furniture, cooked meals, organised the lads and most importantly been there!  Inma has worked with us for over 10 years now and we don’t know what we would do without her. What a star!

VISITORS

While we were in Vietnam we spent a wonderful night on a junk in Halong Bay in the company of a wonderful couple Roselyn and Michel Billaud.  We were so thrilled when they came to visit us here in Spain.  We had a wonderful few days getting to know them better and can’t wait to see them again….Roselyn’s energy is breathtaking – they are both such fun!

Our first clients John and Angie Clifford came for a night and a cookery day .  We felt very touched they would come to us as Angie herself is a cook!  She has a wonderful blog at http://angieskitchen51.wordpress.com .  We look forward to seeing them again.

We have also thoroughly enjoyed seeing daughter Louise and our grandsons Harry and Freddie  who came for a week and (apart from exhausting us with their antics) were responsible for inaugurating the swimming pool which was finished during their stay!

We thoroughly enjoyed a week long visit by dentist friend Tony Caen, Helen Steel and their son John. We introduced them to Alex Swan, Jenni Richards and sons Charlie and  Zak who have a house in Saleres and the children really hit it off. We all went sailing on our favourite yacht, the Ocean Kiss, with Michael Harwood for a wonderful day of sailing swimming, eating and drinking.

ANIMAL VISITORS

One Sunday morning we were attempting to clean up the site and Scarlet heard some very strange noises, that could only be described as stomach rumbling and burping, coming from one of the designated bathroom areas at the back of the lower floor.  Convinced there was a drunk man coming round in there Scarlett ran to find Chris.  When we went in together we found an old nanny goat – whom brave little Rocket managed to herd out of there and off the finca!

For about a month a beautiful grey dove lived on our window sill and pergola – we called it Paloma.  Unbelievably Paloma allowed the cats to sit next to her and sat under a table on the patio while Chris was actually repairing the table with hammer and nails!  It was wonderful to have this wild creature being so confident with us and made us feel that tranquility was at last returning to the Finca after all the upheaval we have put the land through.  We were so shocked to walk into one of the suites and find blood and feathers everywhere – White Tail one of the cats was leaving and Paloma was huddled in a corner of the room still alive.  We picked her up and stroked her and she cooed at us.  We found and lined a basket to make a soft bed for her. She died within an instant of being laid in the basket. We were devastated.  It took a lot to forgive White Tail – who we had to remember was only behaving naturally.

THE ANIMALS

The dogs love living here and although all three are no longer in their prime they are doing well despite all the problems associated with old age – blood pressure, lumps and arthritis!  Despite this they love having visitors here – particularly when they take them for walks!

The cats couldn’t believe their eyes when they arrived and, having been practically full-time house cats in Albunuelas, were only seen for breakfast (theirs) before they went off hunting.  We received the gift of one mouse daily in front of the caravan.

Now that the house is quiet and the noise of cement mixers and jack hammers has abated they are all finding corners in the house in which to relax…

JUST SO THAT YOU KNOW (AND CAN TELL OTHERS PLEASE!) …… THE FINCA OFFERS

To see the Finca as it is now have a look at the Blog Post titled the Finca Slide Show .

• a tranquil place to retreat, relax, recover and revive from hectic and stressful lives in first class accommodation in spectacular surroundings

• a wonderful venue for special events, weddings, reunions and group gatherings providing everything required including:
  • accommodation
  • catering
  • music and entertainment

• a convenient location from which to enjoy:
  • the buzz and culture of Granada
  • the ski slopes and facilities of the Sierra Nevada
  • the unspoiled National Park beaches of the Costa Tropical
  • help to plan your holiday:
  • reservations to visit the Alhambra
  • photography, language, painting and cookery courses at La Finca
  • walking, horse riding and sailing days
  • tapas tours

FACILITIES

All rooms have comfort as the key priority and are decorated using textiles and artifacts bought in our travels all over the world.

We have three double family suites and one double disabled suite.  Every suite has their own private terrace and all suites and terraces have uninterrupted views of the Lecrin Valley.

Two of the guest suites are suitable for families, each having one bedroom, a sitting-room with two double sofa beds, a dining area and en suite shower room

The other two suites are each open plan bed rooms with sitting and dining areas and en suite shower room shower room.

Each room has a television with integral DVD player

There is a fully equipped guest kitchen so guests can choose B&B, Half or Full Board or Self Catering with the option of additional meals as required.

All guests have access to a large paperback swopping library, free wi-fi, laundry service and fresh organic vegetables and fruit grown on La Finca.

Our professional kitchen is already producing delicious meals for guests and visitors.

In addition to the facilities in the house outside there is a large swimming pool with sunbathing areas, formal gardens and 10 acres of wild land bordering National Park to enjoy.

EVENTS

We are busy making plans for Christmas and New Year and will be advertising Christmas and New Year holiday break packages at the Finca as well as Special Christmas lunch Day and New Year’s Eve Party.

Watch this space……….!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We are selling a property in Calle Zoraba, Albunuelas, Lecrin.  Recently used as an artist studio it is a structurally sound building with all utilities and situated in the historical lower barrio. With a little work it will make a beautiful one bedroom property with sitting room (with open fire), bathroom, kitchen-diner and roof terrace and has all the benefits of the area including close proximity to the cultural activities of Granada, the ski slopes of the Sierra Nevada and the unspoiled beaches of the Costa Tropical.

For further information just call 659 142826 or 659 183880