How to ….. prepare for winter in inland Andalucia
We have entered meteorological Autumn and are more than half-way through September.
Night temperatures are dropping and the first frosts won't be far away.
My frosty garden in 2024 [Paul Whitelock]
Time to get ready for the cold winter months. The climate in this part of Spain is defined as continental:
"Nueve meses de infierno y tres de invierno."
In the garden
Wrap vulnerable plants such as bougainvilla, dama de noche, young wisteria, in fleece, available at garden centres (viveros), as soon as frost is forecast, otherwise you are likely to lose them.
Make sure you have plenty of firewood for your chimenea. I've stopped buying logs - they're too expensive. Instead, I collect discarded wood from the "basura", e.g. pallets, broken furniture, branches, and cut/saw them into wood-fire-sized "logs".
After recent storms, several trees in the garden have blown down. Armed with my trusty chainsaw they too have gone into my log store. I reckon I've enough lumber for three winters.
[Deposit Photos]
In the house
If you have a pellet stove, buy your pellets now before they go up in price. 15 kilo sacks are currently on sale round here at various prices, ranging from 4.99 to 5.75 euros per sack.
If you use heating oil (gasoil) fill your tank now before prices shoot up. Supply and demand determines prices.
If you rely on bombonas (gas bottles) for cooking and/or hot water and/or portable gas heaters, make sure you have enough.
In our village house we need five: hot water, two gas heaters, gas cooker and one spare. Check that your gas heaters are working. Sometimes the jets get blocked with accumulated dust from months of non-use.
Pellet stove [Climmatic] Bombonas [Repsol] Avia domestic distribution [Facebook]
In the bedroom
It's time to clear out light summer clothing, such as t-shirts, polo shirts, shorts, thin dresses, and stuff our wardrobes full of warm clothing, like long trousers, undervests, long-sleeved shirts, thick skirts and dresses, pullovers and woolly tops, warm outer garments and sturdy shoes.
It gets very cold in the mountains, between November and February.
[British Heart Foundation]
Good luck! Be prepared!
Related Links
Jack Frost in Andalucía - Eye on Spain
Jack Frost in Andalucía - Olive Press News Spain
Jack Frost in Andalucía - Secret Serrania de Ronda
LOG BLOG: How to keep warm and cosy during winter in Spain - Secret Serrania
Log blog! - Olive Press News Spain
In Love with SEVILLA - at last! - Help me, Ronda
© The Crazy Guy
Images:
British Heart Foundation, Climmatic, Deposit Photos, Facebook, Paul Whitelock, Repsol
Tags:
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