"You're going to fall"

The neighbours have not had good luck.

Our winter jasmine flowers are starting to fade now, and I will soon need to cut them all back.

Last year, I was busy clambering on the wall with a nine or ten foot drop to the street. Not too high, but not a good idea to lose your footing.

So there I am like a little monkey, chopping back the jasmine, hanging onto the steelwork, and one foot on a step ladder.

Wickety witch from next door passes by and says: "You're going to fall."

That's great isn't it. Thanks, really thoughtful neighbour. How about, "Take care, dear."

I didn't fall. Fortunately. But a few weeks later her daughter's husband fell down on the football pitch, he had stitches up to his knee, and his leg was in plaster for a couple of months.

He was out of work anyway, but that meant another few months without work too.

Bad feng shui I say wishing me to fall. And the jasmine flowered beautifully this year.

Winter jasmine

Although it's called winter jasmine, to be honest it's like spring here now.

The winter jasmine smells beautiful, day and night, and is full of flowers.

One of my neighbours went past yesterday when I was watering the garden, and told me how pretty I looked.

I preened myself, and then she added (in case I hadn't understood) "how pretty the flowers were."

Ah, well.

Winter jasmine only lasts for a few weeks - and then it fades and the flowers fall off - for the rest of the year it just sits there with green leaves.

There are lots of other spring flowers out now in the gardens, and in the countryside.

Most days the sun shines, there is a slight breeze, and a few clouds.

It's one of the nicest times of year to be in Andalucía.