The first two weeks in February are a magic time in the valley — the almond blossom is out. A hundred years ago there would twice as many trees at least, the almonds going to the nearby Jijona Turrón factories, but there are still thousands of trees left – lining the bancales like white […]
November is a month of changes. We still have warm summer days extending into December but mixed with sudden squalls and storms – this year a good deal of rain, much more than normal. One result, a startling display of wild flowers in our Olive grove: mauve Moricandia or Purple cabbage (which is in flower […]
We are open for retreats in our cottage or flat at 69 Carrer Mare de Deu del Miracle, all year. We converted an old village house opposite our front door in 2003 to provide over-spill accommodation for our residential courses here, but also to provide quiet, comfortable accommodation for retreats and relaxation, close to the […]
Delighted to receive yesterday John Godfrey’s latest poetry collection ‘Beautiful Contraptions’ – with a fine photograph on the cover of our Olive Mill. John visited the Almassera Vella on a Poetry course some years ago and I remember his fascination with the mill and the press and the way they used to operate. The picture […]
Ann Sansom of the Poetry Business ran a residential Poetry week at the Almassera Vella in June and it resulted in a happy coda as she invited me to read at the Wordsworth Trust in Grasmere and join a workshop there. Ann’s courses at the Almassera Vella have proved the birthplace of a good deal […]
This summer we’ve switched the pool system to salt water and as a result have beautifully clean and clear water seemingly permanently. As the water has a tenth the salt of the sea it isn’t discernible as a taste and we no longer have that hint of chlorine. It also seems to resist algae. All […]