Diary of an Andalusian Village (4)

The Sounds of Summer

The heat of summer is fully upon this little village, day and night, and with it come the special sounds of the season. Because the village is high in the Alpujarra Mountains we often have a pleasant breeze. The open air swimming pool has now opened for July and August and the sound of children having fun carries on the breeze.

It is during these two months that the village comes alive. Families who have moved down to the coast to live and work return to their ancestral home to relax and enjoy the countryside. The daytime is usually quiet apart from the singing of birds or the chatting of people on their way to the bakers for the day’s supply of bread.

It is after dark that the village begins to buzz with sound. After a hot day it is refreshing to sit out on patios and roof terraces to eat and chat. Groups of children can be heard playing outside until late. They are completely safe. The village is like a large family and everyone takes care of each other. The roads are little more than cemented tracks and in the middle of August you can be in the Plaza chatting about life with whoever is around.

Then there are the fiestas which are inevitably very noisy affairs with tables set up around the Plaza and free food for everyone and music until the early hours of the morning.

My favourite time of day is early morning before the sun rises. The only sounds come from the birds awakening and the bus arriving at 6am. This is a good time of day to go for a stroll. There is always a breeze as the sun rises and the mountains are bathed in a rosy glow. At times like this prayer comes naturally in unity with the entire natural world.