BEING CREATIVE FOR CHRISTMAS

Making decorations for Christmas tree

mom jumping of steep hill/wall

This week we had a lot of time to get into the atmosphere of Christmas. Many streets and shops were being decorated for Christmas and white and blue lights have been switched on making the town very cozy.

We really got into the mood of being creative for Christmas too and started making and writing beautiful Christmas and New Years cards. We also decided that we set up a Christmas Tree in our apartment, so we went out hiking to find branches and recycled stuff for decorations.

Giving fruit to Sinterklaas' old horse

We went walking with the four of us in the mountains just outside Antequera. We saw a sheperd with lots of goats and while dad had a long telephone call mom and I went our own way walking more into the mountains. We had made it into a big adventure by jumping over streams, pulling each other up with a long scarf we had with us and collecting fruits which we found laying in an old orchard. There we saw the old retired horse of Sinterklaas (the younger one 

recycling materials

decorating Christmas tree

was in the Netherlands) so we took care of it by feeding it the fruits. I held out my hand holding it in front of his nose for a few long minutes. Eventually he smelled it and then ate all of our fruits we collected. We kept him company sitting in the wet grass looking at the cold, wet, shining sun. We headed home where we saw dad and Steven with a strong branch that was supposed to become our Christmas Tree. Perfect!!!! and Steven and I went decorating the tree. We collected many decorations for the tree using string, elastics, bottle tops, ribbons, pine cones, paper, t-bags, wrapping paper that we 

used from mum's birthday. When we finished decorating I said, "that is what I call a Christmas tree". We bought cheap  Christmas lights in the Chinese Shop and .......we are ready for Christmas!!!!!

The inside of Mezquita

On the 6th December it was the day of Saint Nicolas. The Dutch
celebrate this on the evening of 5th December with presents. Here in Spain it was called Day of Constitution. Just before Sinterklaas we went to Cordoba, where the streets are full of trees with 'appeltjes van Oranje' (orange-trees). It was only 1,5 hour away from our town and we went with my friend Esther, her mother, my mum and Steven. The old city was very beautiful. You enter the center that existed from 113 BC, walking over the Roman bridge of Cordoba that goes along the Guadalquivir river. Walking in the old part of Cordoba is very interesting since every small street or patio is different. The most beautiful building was the Mezquita, the Mosque that was made into a Cathedral. The inside is very impressive with high ceilings and columns and many patterns of red and white. The big old paintings are all in golden frames. It would be a beautiful place to hold the Christmas-Eve service.

Family photo in Torcal mountains

Steven,dad and me on a rock in El Torcal

Finally on a sunny day, for the fourth time, we went to El Torcal. Remember that we have been their 3 times were it was raining and bad weather with clouds covering the rocks. Well this time it was a clear blue sky with a yellow dot in it. El Torcal is a natural park / reserve with strange rock formations, grass, trees and animals. We went hiking up the rocks, slipping because of the muddy stones, climbing, jumping. The game reserve was 17 square kilometers so we had to make sure we did not get lost. When we thought we lost our way we started to be scared, because it was so big and it was beginning to get darker. We were actually with our backs facing the parking so very close to the end of the trail.

In Torcal with goats (Spanish Ibex) behind me

The winners!

The beginning of December was our last Tennis lesson, because of the colder weather! Steven and I earned a medal and a piece of apple pie. Now I need to find something else to keep fit so dad and I are doing early morning walks to see the town waking up. Steven is still playing soccer 3 times a week for 2 hours and mum is still at her Pilates lessons. Also the hikes are lovely and we still have our badminton rackets to practice in the street or park here.

Family picture in front of Antequera on a sunny hiking day

(up side down picture) with Christmas lights in streets

Castle of Antequera from our hinking path on a beautiful sunny afternoon 

Dear blog followers, ITS PARTY TIME,

5000 blog followers!!!!          Thanxxxx to you I reached 5000 page views!!!!! 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING MY BLOG weekly or regularly and  following our journey's!!! In late October I had 4000 page views and now  5000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Also thanks to our proud sponsors (if you want to be one , ones off E 5 / R 50 ) and all the local friends who gave me the ideas.

As you know, it is cold here in Antequera during the night so as a 5000 page view gift mum 

heated up 5000 rice grains in the microwave for 5 minutes!!! 

And dad organised a cake with 5000 calories.

Your comments and page views inspire me to write my stories and I want to thank- you

so much !!!  I have viewers from all over the world check it out !!!

Pageviews by Countries

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AND EVEN MORE : FROM CHINA (but these are our secret viewers) , SWEDEN,INDONESIA and even EGYPT,!!!!

I hope that when I am back in South Africa that I can write a blog about " Loes in the Cape"

I'll see if I don't have too much home work or I can do it every 2 weeks, because also there many strange, funny, sad, interesting things happening every day.

If you do want me to go  on with writing, be my FOLLOWER! On the left had side of my blog!

We have 3 weeks till our world journey is over! Please keep on following till the end of this year  and write comment and email me, because I love it ! 

I have seen a lot of countries and every one inspired me on a different way, the beautiful cities en nature the most impressive was to meet so many nice and friendly people in the towns, the busses, the trains. I expect that many of them we knew better are going to visit us in Cape Town.

If you can also be a follower of my blog!!! Go on my blog and on the left side it says follower press the button and 

write your email address and then you are a OFFICIAL FOLLOWER!!!

Please keep following and commenting

on my email : loesjelindiwe@gmail.com

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MUCHO GRACIAS, BAIE DANKIE, THANK YOU SO MUCH, DANK JULLIE WEL, 

谢谢, DANKE, MERCI, ΣΑΣ ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΟΥΜΕ, GRAZIE, DZIĘKUJĘ, СПАСИБО, شكرا  !!!!

from Loes van the dream town : Antequera, Spain