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As Winter approaches and temperatures fall it's time to think of warming dishes. This Autumn favourite is easy to make and is packed with wholesome ingredients and delicious flavours. ​There are a number of variations to this dish, but I did it like this.

Do you have difficulty finding a plumber (un fontanero)? If you have the good fortune to know of a good 'un, how quickly does he respond to an emergency? You are not alone with such problems. It is reported that Spain is some 25,000 plumbers short of what the country needs.

If you're a foreigner living in Spain, having the vote is an issue. However, some of the news is good news. You can vote in local elections and in European elections if you are from a member state of the European Union, plus another dozen countries.

Spain won the FIFA World Cup last night and became the new world champions of football.​ ​​​Yes, Spain deservedly became the best football side in the world after beating the holders Argentina in a dull match lasting 120 minutes.

On 26 July, Spain celebrated El Dia Mundial de los Abuelos. Although the date is different in other countries, this recognition of the crucial role grandparents play in the family and the community is important: they teach; they take care of their children and grandchildren; and they leave behind a lasting legacy.

With the heat of summer now upon us it's time to get out the recipes for chilled "soups". ​This trio of cold "soups" are appetisers that we enjoy once the weather gets hot:

How many times was I told "my son / daughter is fluent" by proud mums and dads at Parents' Evenings when I was a languages teacher back in the day? These children certainly were NOT fluent as they were only doing CSE / O-level / GCSE at the time. So, what does "fluent" mean?

Serrania means mountain range, similar to sierra. Round these parts, in southern Andalucia, La Serrania usually refers to the Serrania de Ronda, the area around La Ciudad del Tajo, which is, of course, very mountainous.

Languages develop and change all the time. They are influenced by other languages, or new technologies add new words and phrases. ​These are categorised by linguisticians as "loan words" or "loan translations".

The hot weather has continued from May into June, so it looks like the Spanish saying "No quites el sayo hasta el 40 de mayo!" * will not apply this year, as we gave up our "sayos" (woollies) a good week ago. June is also a busy time for eventos, fiestas and ferias.

The first two cyclists passed my house in Fuente de la Higuera at km 69 at 11.00 am having started out 2.25 hours earlier from Ronda football stadium. They were followed five minutes later by three more. Within 10 minutes a total of 10 mountain-bikers had passed by.

It's all been happening at the beginning of May. The first four days of the fifth month have been significant culturally and in other ways.