I think it is safe to say that Summer is definitively on its way. Our house martin couple has arrived to their nest on our terrace and the doves are cooing more than ever.

Stray cats are at it every night in our garden, to the annoyance of our dear Westie, Marta, who is having difficulties in accepting this kind
of feline behaviour.

Thanks to heavy rain a couple of weeks ago, the Vega and the mountain slopes now look greener than ever, yellow and white wild flowers are all over the place and the Mimosa is in full bloom.

In the streets of Almuñécar you see men in manga corta (short sleeves) and women in summer dresses and sandals, a sure sign that even the indigenous Almuñequeros are convinced that summer is definitely on its way.

The tourists are another piece of cake, many of them having sported T-shirts and shorts in January and February, despite goose skin and blue-toned bare legs. Perhaps they see this kind of dress code as compulsory, notwithstanding weather conditions. After all, they are on Holiday, for Pete’s sake.

Another, and alas, nostalgic indication of warmer days is the start of the yearly movement northwards by the Scandinavian autumn and winter residents, many of whom are staying in Almuñécar for more than six months every year.

Hectic days are ahead for these migratory birds, with cleaning, packing, emptying cupboards, freezers and fridges etc. When doing these chores, it is worth remembering that leftovers of still good ingredients like flour, pasta, sugar, dried beans and fruit etc. can be donated to people in need through the charity organization Caritas.

Your donations can be taken either to the Incarnation church, Calle Puerta de Granada 1, or the Salvador church, Calle Cristobal Colon 17 in the P4 district of Almuñécar.

After a rewarding season, our association Los Nórdicos has closed for the summer. The Spring term was eminently rounded up by a fantastic party at Restaurant Playa Velilla with good food (including Brazilian barbecue), wine, singsong and animated discussions, the decibel level of which even surpassed that of a crowded Spanish restaurant environment.

The activities will pick up again in October. According to the President, Leif Kumlin, next season will include a lot of interesting activities, both new and ‘revived ones’ from earlier years.

Los Nórdicos in Almuñecar now has 370 members, an increase showing a growing interest in Almuñecar as a paradise for Scandinavian seniors looking for an ideal way of spending their Golden Years.

One sign of better days ahead could possibly be the good news heard over the past couple of months on the positive development of the Spanish economy. It seems that investment in real estate, especially by British and Scandinavian investors, is slowly picking up, after the catastrophic decline starting in 2007. The prices of housing having come down by about 40% during the recession and this makes investment in real estate
tempting (and sad for those who bought their property in the boom years).

Let’s hope that the positive trends will continue.