Celebrating Halloween

Not so fortunate

The risk of heavy rain has now finished for us. However, Castellon is still on red alert for more rain.

The graphs for the different weather stations in that province tell the story from yesterday of persistent heavy rain throughout the day. It was a similar story in Murcia but less extreme.

You can find videos of torrents flowing down streets from both areas and those who visited Orihuela yesterday would have seen the Segura in full flow.

The cause of this bad weather

Although cold drops are a regular feature of Mediterranean autumns, we need to go back to October 2008 to find a storm of similar intensity to the one forecast for the next few days.

The cause of this particular storm is the conjunction of two areas of low pressure. By themselves, both areas of low pressure  are capable of producing heavy rain, but by "interacting and joining", they will create a very pronounced instability in the upper layers.

A  cold drop is a normal feature of the Mediterranean climate in autumn However, in the past few years, cold drops have been conspicuous by their absence.

Just to remind you, cold drops are caused by Arctic air meeting the humid wind that runs along the length of the Mediterranean Sea

According to AEMET, there could be long periods of intense rain totalling over 100 litres per square metre in 12 hours, particularly in Castellon. 

Fingers crossed

Looking at this map, it looks like we should be spared the worst of this weather situation. But who knows, weather patterns can change rapidly Sometimes we are warned of heavy rain and all we get are a few drops. Other times, we are forecast mild weather and we get strong winds and rain.

Let us hope that our neighbors up the coast follow the advice and remain safe.

A note for your diary

 The U.K. Consul for Spain, Sarah Jane Morris, will be in Rojales on Wednesday, 7th November 2018 to talk to residents regarding a Brexit update and procedures to be followed.

The meeting will be held at 11 a.m. in the Cultural Centre, Calle El Pino, Ciudad Quesada.

If my understanding is correct though, it is unlikely that a deal will be signed by the time that meeting takes place. The parties involved are now talking about December and some are wary that even then the issue of the Irish border will not be resolved.

It fell inland

We were expecting rain all day. When it came it was pretty much full on but fortunately short lived.

I've watched a video of a stream running through the streets of the town but it hardly came close to videos from Mallorca, Granada and elsewhere last week.

As you can see, coastal areas had barely more than a shower whilst inland there was over 10 times the amount of rain.

What was strange because we weren't warned about it, was how the wind suddenly picked up at about 8pm. Pam and I quickly took the sun umbrellas down and moved the chairs outside only to find that half an hour later all was calm again. Most strange!

Signing up

The growing list of prizes ready for the fifth edition of this show of solidarity for AECC.

That was some downpour

Look at these pictures taken from Sant Llorenç des Cardassar. Mallorca yesterday and you appreciate just how much rain they had in such a short time.

Spanish weather forecasters said 20cm (8in) of rain fell in four hours on the island of Mallorca on Tuesday evening. A British couple were feared to be among ten people to have died. They were said to have drowned in a taxi as flood water engulfed the town of Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, about 40 miles east of the capital.

Torrential rain hit other areas of Spain too, with Catalonia in the north-east and Málaga in the south among the areas badly hit.

Just what they need

As you all know, today is a local holiday in the Valencian region. The shops are shut, everyone is off work looking forward to a day out in the sun.

Instead, what we have is deep cloud cover, the chance of some rain and possibly thunder. Don't worry though, tomorrow, when people return to work, it will likely be fine with sunny intervals.

One in a million

That is how this rare white sparrow is described. It isn't an albino, this is a leucistic bird.  Dark eyes keep it from being an albino.

Most know albinism, but have never heard of leucism. There is a range of colouration in leucistic birds with pure white, like this one, being the rarest.

One of our neighbours, Caroline James, tells me that this bird comes to her garden four or five times a day. She's taken photos of it and kindly sent me this one to publish on my blog. Thank you Caroline.

Like a different language

There are similarities but also important differences in this version of Spanish.

Learning English

 Ready for official exams in the language that will help young people find work abroad.

Such a good film

Not sure I would be able to follow it in Spanish though.

The Auroros of Bigastro

Last Friday,  Pascual Segura presented his new book,  "The Auroros de Bigastro. Songs of History and Tradition ". The book is the result of an investigation carried out by the author on the aurora bigastrense tradition which dates back to 1721.

The act of presentation of the book was the starting point for activities scheduled this month in the municipality.  On Sunday, 21st October, Bigastro will host the XXXV Regional Encounter of Auroros de la Vega Baja and Bajo Vinalopó, a meeting that will bring together the auroros groups from more than twenty villages.

Teresa María Belmonte Sánchez, mayor of Bigastro, said: "I invite bigastrenses, neighbors of all the towns of the region and tourists, to participate in this traditional day of coexistence, an essential part of our cultural identity, enjoying the visit to our town, knowing our history, tasting our gastronomy and feeling the hospitality of the bigastrenses. "

The mayor also stressed the need for the declaration of this ancestral tradition as an Asset of Cultural Interest in its Immaterial form , "an initiative for which Bigastro City Council shows all its support, since the one of the auroros is one of the most old and beautiful traditions of the region of Vega Baja and Bajo Vinalopó, and therefore requires all necessary measures to disseminate it, as well as to ensure its conservation so that future generations enjoy it and participate in it. "

Program of events for October 21, 2018.

At 5:30 am. Concentration of the participant groups of aurors, in the Plaza de la Constitución.

At 5:45 am. Tour of the Auroros by Bigastro singing the traditional songs of wake up.

At 7:30 am. Prayer of the Holy Rosary in procession presided by the image of Our Lady of the Rosary.

At 8:30 am. In the Huerto del Cura Park, celebration of the Holy Mass.

At 10:30 am. Lunch.