It is so my favourite season, not so the showers, more so the sun and the springing – yes. Shoots, buds, flowers all popping out all over the place. The grape vine, which husband massacred,surprisingly has new leaves, the honeysuckle, that had overtaken everything didn´t survive his chainsaw – I´m quite relieved. A purple bougainvillea has taken its place and is enjoying the showers.

We were very lucky to miss the weeks of rain on a jaunt to Portugal, across to Lisbon and back. We do enjoy road trips. I love planning! We combined a couple of Pousadas de Portugal hotel stopovers in Estremoz on the way and Beja (where the beginning of the rain began) on the way back. Should I include Portuguese hotels here?

Lisbon has been a huge want to visit for a very long time. It lived up to all expectations, the two nights there were of course not long enough – but a good time had.

I still haven´t added the very lovely Hotel de Los Saldeco in old town Baeza (couple of photos on my Instagram feed) on Only Spain yet, I do like that Renaissance city. An overnight in Córdoba at the H10 Palacio Colomera in the impressive Plaza de las Tendillas in early November helped the Christmas shopping along, the chain hotel was impressive, but I don´t feel it´s one for here.

In January we had a long awaited stay at the Parador de Jaén. I´ve been there so many times, taking visitors, to walk to the monumental cross at the end of the hill then enjoy a beer or coffee in the hotel bar but had never been an overnight guest, heading through the hefty door into the hotel. A Black Friday offer tempted and with husband´s birthday looming – what could I do but book. It was as good as imagined and the views across the mountains stunning. With 45 rooms and state-run it´s not a boutique hotel but is in a seriously beautiful location.

End of February the Bank Holiday – Dia de Andalucia we took off for the extravagant four night trip to Portugal (it took that long to play catch up afterwards but always worth the escape. And now, for the first time in a long while we have no plans. The rain, non stop, hasn´t induced me to start planning, not until the weather settles and Easter is out of the way. Perhaps over the few days off coming up I´ll get restless, get writing and planning. Happy Easter and April shower month.