Blog #Karl Smallman

Andalucía Day (Día de Andalucía) marks the anniversary of a referendum held on 28 February, 1980 when a large majority of voters supported the referendum for Andalucía to become one of the 17 autonomous communities in Spain, following Spain’s democratisation after nearly forty years of the Franco dictatorship. Franco died in November 1975.

Who are they? Or what are they? Three names sound English, two Scandinavian, two Italian, one German and one Spanish. ​They are, in fact, the names given to the borrascas (storms) we've suffered in Malaga province this hydrological year (2025/26). NINE named storms since October! And that's not counting several other unnamed bad weather events.

These towns in the Serrania de Ronda and the Sierra de Grazalema have hit the headlines! Blanket coverage on national TV, online and in the national Press. For all the wrong reasons! ​Because of the extreme weather coming in from the West, principally Storm Leonardo, red and orange alerts have been issued for Cadiz, Extremadura and parts of Andalucia.

What a good title for this short piece! ​"Pons" is the Latin for "bridge", in Spanish"puente". ​And two nights ago, on Monday January 20th, was the last night of Venta El Puente ..... ​..... not for ever, of course. The family that runs "The Bridge" is taking a well-earned break. Two weeks.

What's going on? Everybody's retiring! They may not be leavin' on Peter, Paul and Mary's jet plane*, but they're off! ​Since the turn of the year we learn that Peter Jones, the birdman, is hanging up his binoculars; Karl Smallman, doyen of photographic journalism and website building is stepping down; and Paul Whitelock, "Jack of all trades" is slowing down. All three are "hanging up their boots".

The Spanish celebrate Christmas and New Year differently to most other countries. The month-long 'fiesta' lasts from 8th December, Immaculate Conception, through to 6th January, Epiphany. What happens in between is different also. Paul Whitelock first wrote about this back in 2020, when many traditional events were cancelled because of Covid-19. The original article has been tweaked. Here's the up-to-date version.

The Ronda Valley Hotel at the bottom of the valley just outside Ronda (known to us locals as the Hotel Don Benito) shut suddenly the other day without notice. Nobody seemed to know why. We knew it was going to close on January 15th for reasons which weren't quite clear, but why all of a sudden in early December? Something must be afoot …..

From the end of the Civil War in 1939 through to the demise of Franco's fascist dictatorship on his death in 1975, Spain was most definitely a 3rd-world country. Following Spain's return to being a monarchy in 1975 and, from 1977, a constitutional democracy, there was hope that things would improve. The borders opened and from 1986 Spain became a member of the European Union.

August is the month when Spain lets its hair down, celebrating fiesta after feria after dia santo (saint's day). Where do I begin? There has been so much going on in Ronda and the Serrania this month, and there's yet more to come!

The town where I chose to live 17 years ago is hitting the news a lot lately. Hardly surprising. After four decades spent discovering Spain, it's the place Paul Whitelock decided to emigrate to. On arrival in 2008 he lived in Montejaque for three years, before he and his new second wife decided they needed more space, a garden and a pool. They moved to the outskirts of Ronda. So, why is Ronda in the news? Take a look:

It's just been the 101 again. The 2025 edition was the 25th anniversary of this important event in the Ronda calendar. Catering for MTB cyclists, runners, walkers, as well as a shorter junior event. The 101 has a national and international profile. Participants come from all over Spain, as well as from abroad - 10 foreign countries in 2025. The 101 is organised by the Spanish Foreign Legion in Ronda.

I grew up in a rural area in North Devon (England) where I lived in three different houses between the ages of nought and 14. I remember that my Dad, from rural South Wales, always had either a garden or a big allotment. Here's my story of how I went from being a novice English gardener to an apprentice Spanish jardinero, despite the challenges: hot sun; ice cold winters; heavy rainfall; pests; exhaustion; poor quality soil.