Seems to me that making plans is a complete waste of time! Once again the weather gods have a different set of plans to our own but hey, ho, we are happy to go where the wind blows… or the tide drifts, or whatever. More like where the wind doesn’t blow, though.
The weather gods urge us ever onward, hither and thither. I begin to feel like Jason and his Argonauts… but, whereas their journeying was constantly delayed, ours seems to be pushed ever forward.
This afternoon we arrived at Santa Elena, where we had planned to stay for two nights before moving on to Olvera but a combination of disappointment with the site and another incoming storm are taking us off again tomorrow. We have to skip Olvera, which I had been looking forward to very much but sitting atop a hill with absolutely no wind shading at all is not the place to be in a gale. Instead, we shall be hugging the rain shadow and taking a more direct route towards Portugal. We have found a potential site just a couple of hours away from here and where the forecast is less poor.
It is grey here and wet. The temperature is better than at Villargordo del Cabriel, with no danger of frost, but it feels very chill without the cheer of the sun during the day.
Yesterday had been a perfect day and I believe that it was one of the best days of my life. I shall always remember the eagles wheeling over my head and I shall forever regret the lack of a camera! Memories will draw us back to that beautiful and peaceful place.
One regret is that I wimped out on the wonderful walk in the scrub. All the more since we realised that we had read the profile incorrectly and that the downhill stretch was the difficult end and that we had not been facing a tougher walk at the far end, but an easier one.
Maybe next time.
Today’s highlights included the sight of a vast murmuration of starlings over the Autovia, and the large flock of Iberian (Azure-Winged) Magpie here – such striking birds with their black caps and blue wings. So cheeky and bold too. They sit on the fence just feet away but every time that I reach for my camera, they fly off! Also… a very hot and powerful shower, in which I lingered for an indecent length of time.
On the matter of Time, and of journeys being pushed forward: this time last year we were arriving in Arcachon, and still not crossed the border into Spain. We should be in Sagres almost a month earlier than last year. At this rate we shall be home before we left.
