It was the 558th annual feria in Zafra and we went along after we had been to the scrapyard. We needed a new mirror for the wing mirror on the car. As many cars that we in the scrap yard with newer than our, I think they were impressed. So impressed that they gave us the mirror for free. Either that or the felt sorry for us. We were also stopped by the police, however this is such a regular occurrence and part of life here, that it is no longer traumatic.
We then went to the feria. I don’t know if it was because we were later going – both in the time we went and also that we went on the last but one day – however we saw more animals. We saw some pigs this time, which we haven’t done before which I have always thought was odd. However, the pig judging was on Monday, so perhaps they don’t bring the pigs until then. We got there about 11 and it was starting to get hot – and busy. We could have bought anything from a gold fish to a combine harvester. I also saw the ‘magic’ flouring boxes that Rick Stein was enthusing about when he visited the area. There was certainly a buzz around the place and yet again, it is difficult to reconcile the reports of recession with the look and feel of the feria.
We left about 1.30, when it was getting very hot. There are special trains and buses that run to the feria, and they run through the night. I can imagine that the night time would be a great time to go as it wouldn’t be as hot, and the massive paella pans that were constantly being stirred suggested there was plenty of food on offer.
We see quite a few field fires this time of year. We never know what to do. Lots of farmers set light to their fields and then plough through the fire. A sort of extreme farming. This is illegal, however given that they happily run their tractors full of diesek through a flaming field, the threat of a fine probably seems a bit tame in comparison. So while burning fields with a tractor near by are apparently under control, we often see ones that are smoking with no one around. I know that Adelardo’s country house last year had a fire spreading out of control towards it, so it must be a worry.
We bought some plastic boxes today with a view to storing things properly instead of in heaps on the floor. Obviously the plastic boxes are now stored in heaps on the floor, however it is a step in the right direction….