FOR SALE

Sunday 10 April 2016

The hills are alive with the.....sighting of dolls!!!

This morning we got back into our 'routine' of going out for a nice drive in the sunshine and as usual I took along a couple of dolls so that I could photograph them.  Today I took two of my Little Darlings, Ellie, a number 1 sculpt and Gem, a number 2 sculpt, both hand painted by Dianna Effner.

We drove up into the hills behind Torre del Mar, into the area of Lake Viñuela and beyond to the edge of the town called Rio Gordo.  The roads were very quiet except for the usual groups of cyclists....I really admire how they cycle up those mountain roads, it wears me out just thinking about it!

The clouds love to hover over the mountains like a protective wrapping of fluffy white cotton wool!
 


As in most parts of Andalucia, there are olive groves everywhere.  Always planted in straight neat lines!   



We stopped at a point in the mountains where the girls could get out and stretch their legs and of course have a few photos taken.  The lake can be seen in the distance.



Ellie was glad she wore her hat because the breeze picked up a bit as we got higher up.....Gem wasn't so fortunate ;)




The girls spotted their first ant of the year, quite a biggy too.  He seemed to be on a mission and was completely oblivious to us pointing the camera at him!


We drove a little higher....



Gem's hair really got windswept!  


Before turning around and heading back down to the lake.....


We've not seen the level of the lake this low before....it is incredible.  There has been so little rainfall that it's beginning to look more like a large 'puddle'!!!




Even Ellie is looking a little concerned about the level of the water ;) 



Whilst Gem just wonders how I can dare to show her on my blog with such messy windswept hair!



Olives, olives, everywhere!  As far as the eye can see...






After we left the lake area, we drove to a local bar where we sat outside and had a welcome cup of coffee ...



And you really can't have coffee in a bar without sampling the tapas, can you? ;) 


We chose a half portion each of......

Pork meatballs in almond sauce......


Ensaladilla.....which is tuna, hard boiled egg, olives, boiled potato, raw tomatoes, onions, orange and peppers all mixed together in a light mayonnaise.....


And another ensaladilla, this time chopped up peppers, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, chopped up prawns, seafood sticks and pulpo (octopus) all mixed in olive oil and vinegar....delicious!!!


Thank you for stopping by, I hope you have had a great weekend and that the week ahead is a good one for you :)

16 comments:

  1. Another really scenic Sunday drive out although I might have liked to see a few more of your Little Darlings enhancing the hillside photos. They are such sweet little tots.
    Where were they then when the food was being served and eaten? Surely they too must have been hungry and thirsty from all that fresh air? (Guessing as usual tucked away completely out of sight being that there were obviously PEOPLE around! What a naughty mummy you are again!)
    Little Ellie has always rather been my very favourite BUT today her younger sister Gem, with her windswept hair, is the one that has stolen my heart.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you liked the drive this morning Kendal. I too would have liked to have taken more photos of the girls with the mountains and olive groves in the background but because the sides of the road are so steep and in some places there are no guard rails, plus add to that the wind, I would have been soooo scared of the dolls being blown over the edge and losing them forever. I did get Brian to hold them by the feet a few times, hence the photos where they end mid calf, so I had to take just a few photos of them. And sadly yes, they were tucked safely in the car when we went to eat!!!! LOL
      Gem is a cutie, isn't she? I do like both sculpts, which is why I only brought these two to the coast with me this time.
      xxx

      Delete
  2. What a lovely place to drive to. The girls looked great when you finally let them stretch their little legs and Ellie did look so worried about that water level !
    And of course you had to get something to eat after all the photo taking and controlling of those two scamps! ;)
    I have to say it looks lovely but I'm such a fussy eater i'd have needed to see if they had any Chicken salad! and maybe a lovely dessert... :) Hope the week ahead is a good one for you both :)xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is indeed very nice Dee.
      I didn't realise you were a fussy eater! I'm not too bad...I will try most things if they smell nice and look edible, I have to admit though that the salad with the olive oil was a bit too cold for me and made my teeth go on edge. I was naughty and picked all the seafood out and left a lot of the rest. Loved the meatballs though, and the other salad.
      But yes, they'd have made you up a chicken salad if you'd asked for it, the Spanish people are very accommodating :)
      xxx

      Delete
  3. Such gorgeous pictures! Ellie is my absolute favourite of your Effner dolls....it is lovely to see her in these pictures. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks very much Lynn, I'm glad you enjoyed seeing Ellie. I have to admit that she is one of my all time favourites too ;)
      xxx

      Delete
  4. Love the scenery!!! ans your girls are just so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed this post :)
      xxx

      Delete
  5. How picturesque your photos are Sharon, I do so enjoy seeing where you venture. Love your Little Darlings, especially Gem, she's so darn cute, but they are both so lifelike. :) And that food, well all I can say is YUM!!
    Hugs,
    X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much Xanadu, I'm glad you enjoyed the post.
      Hugs to you too!
      xxx

      Delete
  6. What fantastic scenery! And it's always great to see close of of your Little Darlings dolls - they have such expressive faces.

    I love the way the blue of Ellie's hat works with the blues of the sky and water in the background! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. THanks very much JS, glad you enjoyed seeing the girls. And their adventures on Sunday morning :) It's nice to get out and about :)
      xxx

      Delete
  7. Hi Sharon,
    Love little Darlings and lovely photos! I will always love them the most out of all of your dolls. Especially Ellie! I adore her little tee=shirt. The lake is such a gorgeous blue color and I'm sure the scenery was even better in person. The tapas look delicious!
    xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks very much Farrah, glad you enjoyed the photos. I love the colour of the lake, it really is that turquoise!
      xxx

      Delete
  8. How wonderful to see the lovely countryside in beautiful, sunny Spain on a Sunday! It is just beautiful scenery and so nice to see your little darlings out and about with you. Ellie does indeed look very concerned about the water levels. What a beautiful, expressive little girl. Thank you for showing the tasty meal too. So colorful and yummy too. The pork meatballs in almond sauce make me hungry! A great post! :) xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much Ginger, I'm glad you enjoyed the photos of the girls and their surroundings :)
      Those meatballs were very nice I have to say!!!
      xxx

      Delete

Your comment will be visible after moderation.