Spain and France in mourning after hurricane

Spain and France were hit by the worst storm to hit since 1999. Winds were 172km/h. Trees were uprooted, roofs came down, rail services were disrupted and more than 1 million people without power!

100 mile an hour winds brought down a sports hall in Sant Boi de Llobregat, near Barcelona, 4 children were killed and 9 were injured, while they were sheltering during Saturday morning baseball practice.

A police officer was killed while directing traffic in Galicia, he was was killed by a falling tree, over in Barcelona a woman was crushed to death when a wall collapsed on her!

Many other people were killed by falling trees and flying debris from buildings, it is just horrific, we usually hear about this kind of thing happening across the pond, not in Spain and France!

The Basque country was heavily affected and had to be evacuated while the Alicante region also evacuated 14,000 people due to electricity cables that had come down, the Spanish were worried about a forest fire starting.

Record waves were recorded in Northen Spain, 70 feet high, flights were suspended across the region and all rail services suspended.

Spain's armed forces will now help restore all services to households. Spanish Ministry of Defence have announced that troops will help fire fighters contain the wild fire in the region of La Nucia, Alicante.

Campo Girls would like to send their best wishes to all families affected by the hurricane and wish you the best for the road to recovery.

Great Juicing Ideas

Juices and blends have become extremely popular over the years and I for one have been juicing for a very long time, I realised that the price of oranges, lemons, grapefuits and many other fruits and vegetables were very easy to grow or fairly cheap to buy from the supermarket.

Juicing can fit very easily into a hectic lifestyle, enabling you to incorporate healthy habits into your everyday routines.

Benefits of Juicing
Nothing quite beats the taste of a blend made at home from fresh ingredients, despite the fact you can buy ready-made juices. The freshly made juices also contain more nutrients than those bought in a supermarket. If you do drink juice on a regular basis you will enjoy certain health benefits, clearer skin, better energy levels and balanced health. It is well known that antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables work most effectively when they are consumed together, juicing encourages precisely this!

The main advantages of juicing are:
Easy
Quick
Convenient
Rejuvenating
Healing
Revitalizing
Delicious

Vitamins and Minerals


Pink & Perky:
1 pink grapefruit
1 white grapefruit
2 ripe pears
ice cubes

Immune Zoom:
1 small mango
1 eating apple
2 passion fruit
juice of 1 orange
5ml/1 tsp echinachea
mineral water
ices cubes (optional)

Ginger juice:
1/2 small pineapple
25g/1oz fresh root ginger
1 carrot
ice cubes

Pomegranate plus:
2 pomegranates
4 fresh figs
15g/1/2oz fresh root ginger, peeled
10ml/2 tsp lime juice
Ice cubes and lime wedges, to serve

Tropical calm:
1 papaya
1/2 cantaloupe
90g/3 1/2oz white grapes

Strawberry soother:
1 peach or nectarine
225g/8 oz/2 cups strawberries

Minty melon cooler:
1 Galia or cantalopue melon
Several large mint sprigs
Juice of 2 large limes
Ice cubes
Extra mint sprigs and lime slices to serve

Apple juice:
10 apples
Ginger (optional)

Orange & carrot juice:
10 oranges
2 carrots
Ginger (optional)

Acapulco:
Pineapple
Passionfruit
Mango
Orange

Instant Energy:
Orange
Apple
Pear
Grapes

Pinky:
Strawberry
Apple

Fresquita:
Strawberry
Orange

Anti Stress:
Ginger
Lime
Orange
Apple

Piñanaranja:
Pineapple
Orange

Hawaiian:
Apple
Mango
Passionfruit
Ginger

Mente Sana:
Apple
Pear
Grape
Ginger

Summer Danger:
Raspberry
Pineapple
Pear


Green juice:
Celery
Lime
Cucumber
Orange

More juicing recipes coming next time, along with juicing and blending techniques

If you have any great juicing recipes or ideas, please share them with us!

Growing Fruit in Spain

Come and join us on our gardening forum and chat with other members, share tips and ask for advice, we look forward to enjoying your garden with you.

Spains climate lends itself perfectly to cultivating and harvesting a wide range of fruit, with March and April representing the key times of the year for cultivating and managing fruit trees.

Spain’s climate is determined by its curious world location, on the south western edge of Eurasia and just thirteen kilometres from Africa at its narrowest point. Spain’s infrastructure includes an ocean on its western front and a sea to the east. It's continental land mass and high mountainous terrain means that Spain can produce a myriad of various climates and micro-climates which are one of the most varied in Europe.

Due to this climactic variety, Spain has a history of producing a wide range of fruit that may be harvested throughout the year.

It is possible to cultivate fresh Spanish fruit all year round, including Lemons, Oranges, Raspberries, Strawberries, Apricots, Figs, Apples, Almonds, Grapes, Pomegranates, Bananas and Avocados.

When embarking upon the cultivation of Spanish fruit it is worth considering that it is not essential to have a great deal of space or land at your disposal, with the majority of fruits able to be cultivated in containers on a terrace, on a house patio garden as well as in the garden or orchard.

As with any cultivation of fruit it is important to follow a few simple guidelines to maximise the chances of a succesful crop.

1. Cultivate the types of fruit that you are familiar with and that you enjoy eating an a regular basis.

2. Make sure that the fruit that you intend to cultivate is right for the type of climate of your garden or patio, remembering that each area has its own 'micro-climate'.

3. Ensure that all the frosts of the seaon have finished before planting new fruit trees.

4. Where possible buy trees that have been hardened.

5. Ensure that your soil is well cultivated with manure and compost prior to any planting.

6. It is essential to properly support new trees with stakes to prevent damage, especially to the roots.

7. Do not prune trees before their roots have had the opportunity to develop into the soil successfully.

8. Ensure that trees are planted where there is adequate run-off so that the roots do not rot from excessive water damage.

9. Maintain your trees correctly annaully by pruning back at least twenty percent.

10. Stimulate healthy growth by pruning out bad or affected growth.

The following list illustrates the harvesting season for Spanish fruit trees:

January - February | Olives, oranges and lemons

March - April | Oranges and lemons

April - May | Loquats oranges and lemons

May - June | Cherries

July - August | Peaches, plums and pears

August - September | Apples, grapes, figs

September - October | Grapes, figs, almonds, pomegranate

November - December | Persimmons, quinces, oranges, lemons

No Spanish garden is complete without its very own fruit trees. There is a huge variety available to every Spanish gardener from the complete novice to the experienced, whether owning a house, villa, town house, finca, penthouse or apartment.

Growing Vegetables in Spain

Spains climate lends itself perfectly to cultivating and harvesting a wide range of vegetables irrespective of the availability of land or space.

You have to decide when embarking on growing vegetables in Spain where, when and how you intend to make the most of your vegetable gardening time and effort. You can either decide to cultivate a wide range of vegetablesi.e. those that would normally feed your family, or you can decide to cultivate a few more specific vegetables.

Once you have decided where to cultivate your vegetables there are a few simple rules that you need to consider in order to optimise the best use of the temperate Spanish climate.

1. It is essential to correctly prepare your soil with the addition of compost and natural manure.

2. Choose vegetables that you enjoy eating rather than those you are not familiar with.

3. Your first attempts should be made during the cooler spring and autumn periods as opposed to the warm summer period.

4. Rather than attempting to grow from seed, your initial endeavours should be carried out with sededlings which are widely available in most Spanish garden centers and stores.

5. Manage your expectations properly and do not attempt to grow overly large specimens. Try to grow normally sized crops that are packed with nutrients and flavour.

6. Choose the correct tools for the job. Many of the tools that you would normally use in UK gardens will prove in-effective in the hard dry spanish soils.

7. There is a tendency to overwater in such a warm climate. Ensure your soil is constantly damp rather than flooded. This will avoid cultivation of water filled, nutrient and flavour poor crops.

The following vegetables should be sown from seedling during Autumn: lettuces, broccoli, onions, leeks, chives, Swiss chard, spinach, globe artichokes, cabbages, cauliflowers.

The following vegetables should be sown from seedling during Winter: leeks, onions, broad beans, Swiss chard, garlic.

The following vegetables should be sown from seed during Autumn: carrots, radishes, lettuces, rocket, parsnips, beetroots, seed potatoes, garlic corms.

The following vegetables should be sown from seed during Winter: peas, broad beans.

Finally and most importantly growing your own vegetables can be a very satisfying experience, especially when you first sit down at the table and enjoy a meal that includes the 'fruits' of your labour.

There is a sense of pride from and achievement from the rewards of your hard work.

Gardening, Presents & The Credit Crunch

We all know about the credit crunch and effects it has on the economy and of course this affects our spending habits.

With Christmas just around the corner there are many families out there struggling to find good/cheap gifts to give to family and friends.

I like to give presents because I enjoy the pleasure I get from giving to a friend or family member, because of the current economic climate I have been finding ways to give presents that won't break the bank.

I came up with an idea of herbs in a terracotta pot for my friends who like to cook or do gardening, rather than giving something I just bought because it looked nice I decided I could get away with giving these presents because there was also some love and labour that went into it Smiley



I have taken images of the pot I made for a friend today.

I included lemon thyme, thyme, mint and rosemary, in a separate pot I potted some parsley seeds which will grow slowly over the Christmas period.

What do you think a good present or not?

Take our poll and vote about this christmas gardening gift

Even better why don't you come and join our forum and discuss your Christmas credit crunch present ideas!

Gardens Are For Everyone

We all need plants, all living things require sugar for energy. Plants manufacture their own sugar, they do this through a process we call photosynthesis. Plants absorb moisture from the soil through their roots and carbon dioxide from the air through pores in their leaves.


Light energy harnessed by the green leaf pigment chlorophyll breaks water molecules down into hydrogen and oxygen, chemically combining the hydrogen with the carbon dioxide to form sugars for the plant and releasing pure oxygen into the air as a by-product. Animals on the other hand - including humans - depend on plants for food, which they convert into sugar, either directly as herbivores or indirectly as carnivores.

Not only do plants feed us, but by producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide they harmonise the earth's atmosphere, balacing out the living processes of animals and mankind who breathe oxygen in and carbon dioxide out.

So much for the science. Long before we knew all this there was one thing early man understood only too well: hunger. It was purely as a source of food that plants were initially put under cultivation. Ground was cleared of unwanted plants to make room for beneficial ones. From being a nomadic hunter-gatherer man came to lead a more sedentary existence, forming communities to nurture and protect fruit, grains and vegetables. Eventually, seed was sown and crops could be relied upon. As civilization flourished, attention could finally be paid to the aesthetic qualities of plants, and the skills which had been developed through farming were put to use in creating the first purely decorative gardens.

Today, with everyone striving to improve their quality of life, gardening has come to the fore as a leisure pursuit - not only as a means of visually improving our surroundings and adding value to our homes, but as a way of relaxing and reattuning ourselves to the natural world. Not only are plants and flowers beautiful to look at and therefore spiritually refreshing, but the process of tending them strengthens our bond with the world and makes us feel needed. (As a last resort in the mental health stakes you could start talking to your plants, but do seek immediate professional help if they ever start talking back!).

We can all close our eyes and visualise our ideal garden. For some people it might be that of a rambling English vicarage with bees humming through jumbles of flowers and ducks running round on the lawn. For others it might be a sophisticated roof terrace for entertaining guests while admiring panoramic city views. Other people might hanker for a lush tropical paradise or the elegant simplicity of a cloistered formal garden with fountains and statues.

But dreaming is one thing and reality is quite another. Many people live in flats or shared houses with no garden to call their own. Others move home so frequently that they never feel it's worth making a start. Yet others think their garden, yard or balcony is so small or has so little promose they they never attempt to make somthing of it in a million years. In our largely urban environment the passing on of gardening skills from generation to generation is a haphazard affair at best, and more and more of us come to gardening as complete innocents. For all sorts of reasons people write themselves off as second class citizens and deprive themselves of the pleasures of a garden.

Well, whatever your abilities, whatever the state of your finances, throw down your chains. If your garden is a constant source of worry to you, lighten up and look at things afresh. After all, plants are the oldest forms of life on earth and they have been looking after themselves in the wild for millions of years without any help from you. True, you might have to wait until you win the lottery to get the garden of your dreams, but until then you can jolly well learn to make the most of what you've got. Even if you don't have a garden, don't worry: there's plenty you can do without one. You can enjoy gardens without doing a stroke of work in parks or by visiting botanical gardens (our local Botanical Gardens are in Malaga) and stately homes. You can work in a garden without owning one by helping the little old lady down the road or a friend, by doing voluntary work, by renting an allotment or becoming involved in a community garden (I have a friend in the USA who does community gardening as they don't have gardens each so once a month they get together and do gardening but in their stree).

The secret to getting started is simple. All you need is a positive attitude and, just so long as you don't try to run before you can walk, everything else will simply fall into place.

Gardening is about having a go at things and embracing the opportunities you're presented with. If you think you've got a problem garden you're not alone, but the chancers are you're really the proud owner of a unique habitat just waiting to be planted up. And if you can't afford to buy many plants, just learn instead how to propogate them from seeds or cuttings - it's more satisfying anyway. Remember, above all else that an ounce of practice is worth a pound of theory, so just get out there and make a start.

One thing leads to another, and just as tending even the most undemanding of houseplants proves to be a useful experience for the neophyte gardener, so the knowledge gained in individual aspects of gardening quickly builds into a fully rounded understanding of gardening as a whole. A little knowledge and experience will enable you to channel your energy directly towards successful outcomes.

Doñana National Park: Huelva Province

Virgin beaches and mountains are the chief lures of this under appreciated corner of the Andalucian region.

Andalucia's westernmost province features on relatively few foreign tourist's itineraries. Part of this is understandable, part is just ignorance. We took a break in Huelva province this summer and spent a week camping in the Doñana National Park.


With Portugal on its western flank, Extremadura to the north, Seville to the east and the Atlantic to the south. Huelva has long been thought of as little more than a region to pass through in order to get somewhere else. Apart from the many wonderful beaches, much of the southern part of the province is scenically dreary, yet the hilly north is hugely beguilling, and, if major blockbuster attractions are few, there is plenty of interest for the visitor who cares to look......

Huelva City and Coast
Visually, Huelva is the least appealing of Andalucia's provincial capitals, with its small but attractive historic centre surrounded by modern apartment blocks and an ugly industrial fringe. However, the area immediately south of the city is rich in maritime heritage, particularly in relation to the pioneering voyages of Christopher Columbus. And much of the coastline is blessed with superb white sand beaches, and resorts that boast some of Spain's best seafood restaurants.

Although somewhat dull out of season, the resorts burst into life from Easter onwards, with mainly Spanish visitors. The most significant attraction on the coast is the immense expanse of the Parque Nacional de Doñana, a rigourously protected haven for birds and wildlife and one of Europe's most important wetlands. The curious Wild West style town of El Rocio, on the park's western edge, is the most interesting settlement in the area.



Without doubt, the most alluring region of Huelva province is the mountainous Sierra de Aracena in the north. Part of the huge Sierra Morena range that defines the northern boundary of Andalucia, the Sierra de Aracena is a rewarding and relatively compact area of modest peaks and wooded valleys, of friendly, pretty villages and memorable walking. This is the home, too, of the internationally salivated-over Jabugo ham. Tourism in these parts is low-key, though attractions such as Aracena's Gruta de las Maravillas (Cave of Marvels) are the equal of any in southern Spain.

Extending from the Portuguese coast in the west to the Doñana National Park in the east, the Huelvan coast is essentially one endless stretch of exposed virgin beach, punctuated by mostly modern resorts (at least there is not an English breakfast in sight!!). Apart from tourism, the area relies on fishing and strawberry growing, and there's also evidence of declining mining and thriving petrochemical industries to blight some of the best views.

Huelva Resources:
Police Station: Avenida Tomás Dominguez 2 - 0034 959 210 211
Post Office: Avenida Tomás Dominguez - 0034 959 540 361
Tourist Information: Avenida de Alemania 12 - 0034 959 004 433

Columbus Trail
Apart from the world beating Jabugo Ham, the province of Huelva is chiefly famed as the starting of Christopher Columbus's first historic voyage to the New World. La Rábida (seven kms/four miles south of Huelva) is the main site for Columbus related sightseeing. Take a monk led tour through the simple, whitewashed Monasterio de Santa María de la Rábida, where Columbus (Cristóbal Colón) spent time waiting for the go ahead for his epic voyage. The monastery's church holds the tomb of local hero Captain Martin Alonso Pinzón (accompanied Columbus across the Atlantic), as well as the only image of the Virgin Mary in Spain to have been blessed by the Pope. The flag room contains the flags of Latin American countries and coffers of sand from each land.