I do so love the summers here in Puerto Amarillo or Amarillo Port, as the British call it. Not least as Lola serves a mean ice cream sundae. Served with Café Granizado – black sweet coffee ice – I can’t think of anywhere else I would rather be today!

Plus, afterwards, I can pop into the jewellery shop a couple of doors down and find a nice birthday present for my cousin’s birthday.

He is a funny old stick – hates having his door open, even in the height of summer, so I hope his fans are working today!

Most beaches along the port ban dogs – which, as the sea front fills with young families and children for most of the summer, is fair, probably more hygienic than with them and safer – as a lot of our locals keep hunting podencos, rather than pets.

There are a few, however, that welcome dogs and their owners, providing that they keep the beaches clean, for other walkers – just the same as there are fines in the streets for not removing canine mess. With the strict rules in Spain about photographing people and publishing them, the dog beaches are a photographer’s joy, water, plenty of splashing and a lot of exuberant play, just less humans to object to having their photos taken :).

If you would like to find out more about which beaches in Spain allow dogs there is a map on Google that shows all the beaches below

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1AKEzPBB6ElmMcpr5fLmwOGrTpU0&usp=sharing

Actually, more accurately, not the Windsurfer. Lola’s brother dragged me down with my camera to take shots of him and his friends from college, while they windsurfed. It was invigorating to watch and I had been prepared to have a go – until I saw how often they fell off and how rough even the Mediterranean can be on a good surfing day!

Just to prove that there is more than eating and drinking to my life in Spain (when I am not working), I decided to take my camera down to Lola’s garden, the other day. She runs a local café on the seafront and we have become really good friends. She lives on the edge of port, on the same side as her restaurant, and has a lovely small manageable garden, full of flowers and insects.

Best of all, she doesn’t mind me sitting with my camera, while we chat.

I swear, I really am trying to diet, but, what can you do when a typical lunch here is fresh fruit, grapes, cheese and red wine – I am a sucker for cheese and wine, throw in fresh baked bread and Ali-oli and I am completely sunk.

I would like to think that the fresh fruit and salads are good for my diet – but one look at the bread and cheese platter and… well… it saves fridge space and time clearing up – that is all I will say on the matter.

Today I wandered down to the market – so much noise – so many people – just amazing. Impossible to grasp how many people from how many different nationalities merge into the Costa Blanca summers to meet and chat loudly, in more languages than I can recognise.

A lot of the market vendors are Spanish, of course, selling everything from pottery to shoes and fruit to toys. Usually, there is also a sprinkling of leather and artisan sellers from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria and every now and again there will be someone from Holland, the UK or France selling electronics or cheese or silver jewellery – so it is rare not to find something to tempt me.

At this rate we will need a bigger flat.

Raoul took us all up into the hills behind the port, today – we visited one of his family vineyards and enjoyed the fresh cool air, up in the hills.

Spectacular views and good company. Carlos and Raoul played off each other to be the best host, so Mother got out her sketchbook and I grabbed my camera. It was a shame that I ran out of battery, halfway through the day!