The New Routine

There is an organised schedule here which makes it much easier to get into a routine. We're up for breakfast at 8:30 then out to work around 9ish. Get those beautiful chestnuts gathered up until lunch at 3pm. After that, the day is yours.

Buen Vino is primarily a guest house rather than a farm - like everywhere else so far - so sometimes we're expected to help serve the guests in the evening. Lucky for us there aren't many booked to stay at the minute so we have plenty of free time.

Four of us wwoofers are staying in a cottage down the road from the main house. It's a great little place except for several leaks and a bit of a fly infestation in the bedroom. I'm happy though; we have heaters for the cold nights and fine comfortable beds.

The other day, we finished harvesting early due to a torrential downpour and brought ourselves back to life by sitting at the fire and roasting panfuls of freshly-gathered chestnuts. Knob of butter, pinch of salt - delicious!

So far the food has lived up to my hopes. Particular highlights have been goat's cheese on toast with honey dressing; succulent Iberian pork stroganoff with creamy potato bake and green beans; potato curry and pork curry with an amazing mango, banana and pickled lemon chutney. And, of course, plenty of buen vino.

After dinner, we had a good chat with hosts Sam and Jeannie. They're nice folks and have some great tales to tell. I was impressed to hear when Jeannie was younger she travelled across the USA, squatted in Hugh Hefner's mansion and went on a VIP tour of Disneyworld with the Osmond brothers! There was a glint of mischief in her eyes as she recounted the experience, no doubt recalling some outlandish shenanigans which she wasn't so keen to have us all know about. 

Donny Osmond, or Justin Bieber?

The glitz and glamour of California seemed a universe away as we shuffled back down the silent moonlit lane to our cottage. It's no bad thing. I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend of quietude in the leafy hills.

Third Time Lucky

Finca Buen Vino, near Aracena

When I close my eyes I see chestnuts. It's only been two days but many, many conkers have been gathered.

So far, I'm happy with this new farm. We were collected from Aracena bus station by Jeannie Chesterton, one of our new hosts, and whisked away to their hilly farm estate. Originally from Scotland, Jeannie is an amazing cook. She holds cookery courses at the house several times a year. I was looking forward to my dinner!

Later we met husband Sam, a writer, and their son Charlie, who is also a qualified chef. 

Our reception was much more relaxed and down to earth than that of previous hosts. We grabbed a grateful bite of breakfast then headed out to find the other wwoofers and get harvesting. 

Another immediately notable difference here is the climate. Although we aren't too far from hot, dry Seville, there is a lot of rain in these parts. The area is at such an altitude that it has its own micro-climate. I'm told that it gets the most rainfall in Spain. Looking up some figures, it seems that December in Aracena can see over 300mm of precipitation. That's almost half what "rainy" Manchester gets in a year. Rain in Spain.

Needless to say, it was raining when we started our great chestnut endeavour. I was never more glad of my trusty mac-in-a-sac. Finding our wwoofing companions James and Mons already tackling a steep, chestnut-studded slope, I tightened my hood and became one with the conkers.

Mude aber Stark

Julius told me an amusing joke:

Why does a bear have red eyes?

So it can hide in cherry trees.

How does a bear get down from a cherry tree?

It floats down on a leaf.

A real thigh-slapper!

The rest of our stay in Tarifa was spent walking the beaches, wandering around the quaint old town looking for a decent place to eat, and trying to get coffee from shady dealers on street corners. No luck.

We did however manage to arrange our next farm. There's a place up in the mountains near Seville with lots of chestnuts to harvest. Let's do it.