“There are no Flies ….. only Foreigners!” By Jim Lovelock and Lorraine Cavanagh.
A meander through the history of Cómpeta, the Axarquia and Andalusia. Tales of foreigners, traditional crafts, a deserted village, silk, snowmen and pirates ….
‘Old timers’ in Cómpeta will already know Jim and Lorraine – between them they clock up 37 years of living here – so who better to put Cómpeta and area to pen and paper?
Jim, now 85, is a former journalist, newspaper editor, writer of several books, and adventurer. Blind in one eye, he contracted polio as a lad and spent seven years in and out of hospitals. It was thought that he’d never walk again but Jim, with the help of his parents, was to prove them all wrong in a big way! Given a bicycle with only one pedal, on the side of his bad leg, it took him two weeks to complete that first revolution of the pedal. But it was a start, and he was eventually pedalling up hills to strengthen his legs. In his own words, polio left him with “odd-sized feet and a large piece missing from one leg” but he was determined it would make no difference to his life – and he has packed more into that life than most. As a roving reporter he climbed the world’s third highest peak, Nuptse, descended into the, then, deepest known cavern in the world, trecked overland from Manchester to Kathmandu and got frostbite in the Arctic!
Lorraine, too, is a very busy person – though perhaps not quite so dare-devil! Many of you will have her book ‘Mediterranean Garden Plants’ which is rapidly becoming a “bible” for gardeners here. She’s a landscape gardener, has an internet garden advisory service, a weekly slot on OCI radio, gives talks to gardening clubs and writes monthly articles on gardening and the environment for Market Place magazines as well as other commissioned articles from time to time. She will soon be re-opening her garden centre with a new business partner. Fascinated by Spain and her people, she has brought up two daughters here and now has a young granddaughter too.
The cover and title of the book make it unforgettable and, perhaps, reflect best the character and humour of the two writers! The cover is from their favourite Cómpeta Wine Night poster, 1994, by Juan Cuenca, and the title …. well, read the book to find out!
Above all this book is a brilliant read as it leads us gently through the history and culture of the area from the Phoenicians, through the Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths and Moors up to current day. But it’s far from a dry history book; we learn about the lost crafts and trades of limewash, charcoal, weaving esparto grass, drying fish, sugar cane, silver and silk. There are wolves, goats, pigs, snails, parrots and monkeys; bandits, pirates and snowmen! The Spanish character is revealed through bullfighting, flamenco, fiestas, food and drink. You’ll love the insights into those early days of pioneering foreigners – their hilarious tales as they tangled with and twisted the language and culture. Packed with local colour and flavour, it tells us how and why Cómpeta came into existence, of its earthquakes and plagues.
The deserted village of El Acebuchal has a chapter to itself and, here, Jim and Lorraine are indebted to their friend, writer and former inhabitant of that village, Ramón. His stories of life there and the memoirs of his parents glow softly through the writings, a glimpse into a world gone by, days of mule trains to Granada province and bandits in the mountains.
The captivating Moorish period is portrayed through palaces and princesses, and the dominance of the silk trade in this area. Discover the link between snails and silk, of the trade between Nerja and Damascus and the secret place where silkworm eggs were incubated!
This is a really fascinating book and very attractively put together with thought-provoking verses at the start of each chapter, beautiful colour photos in the centre section and delightful black and white sketches by Jim’s wife, Diane.
It is the perfect Christmas present for friends and family and Jim and Lorraine will be doing their first book signing in Todo Papel, Cómpeta on Monday morning, 6th November – just in time for Christmas! Call in and see them and get your copy personally inscribed.
“There are no Flies … only Foreigners!” by Jim Lovelock and Lorraine Cavanagh. Price €16.99
Available through Todo Papel and Marco Polo in Cómpeta and at bookshops along the coast from early November.
