Three hundred and sixty-five days minus one, Kate arrived to Pozo Naranjo after travelling in a van for two days. Three hundred and sixty-five days plus one, I appeared after a shorter but stressful trip. So, for three hundred and sixty-five days, give and take a day, we have been residents of the Pozo Naranjo. That’s right, it is our one year anniversary here. Happy Anniversary!
It has been a wild journey! If you’ve been following along you’ll know about some of the struggles and frustrations we have faced and will probably be able to guess that we’ve got many more intense and amazing adventures to come. Despite all the hard work that this place has provided us, one year in and I can say that it has been worth it. Taking the time to enjoy being here is what makes Pozo Naranjo special. It is sometimes easy to forget to do so but that’s where all of you come in, all of you that have come to visit remind us how magical this place is and help us to see it in new and wonderous ways, even when it has been beastly cold.
On the first anniversary of being at the Pozo Naranjo, we raise our glasses with great gratitude, warmth and love to all of you and say thank you for making this Kate & Mike’s most excellent adventure.
Thank you Bob, our most frequent visitor who is gearing up for his forth visit next week to help out around the house, again, incredible! To Carol, whose visits are only rivaled by her support and love. Naysa, the first and perhaps most couragous friend to visit, who also got to see Pozo Naranjo in its rawest diamond in the rough state. Muchas gracias Carmen, without you none of this would be possible; and to you family, your Mum and Dad, Lluis and Blai y Ester (who can really move a van around the tightest bend). En el Pozo, siempre tenéis casa.
Carrie, thank you for sharing our first Christmas (HAPPY CHRISTMAS!) here and your birthday, we’re banking on you to have a repeat! Kenny and Devika, the intreped cyclists who got lost in the country lanes and helped us welcome in 2018 whilst eating my deep-pan ‘paella’ with passion. Damien, whose excitment and uninhibited enthusiasm in the grimmest grey of weather raised our spirits and made us realise that this is all possible. To Everest (Even), Jude, Freia, Maddie, John and Steph for all the back breaking work in starting the chicken run, for all the advise on keeping hens, watering the trees, fertilising the soil and for all the CHIL-LAX time.
Thank you to the Syrian Debke Dancing Trio of Hugo, Gerome and Renessa for drinking out us out of house and home and all the black humour. A big thank you to Robin of Lee for your friendship, a million laughs and work on the coop, Viva la Revolución! Merci beaucoup to Debb and Dave for being such an inspirational duo and helping me to discover G-Spot designer furniture, I don’t know how I lived without knowing how to access it. Kate and Rich, thank you for your lovely visit; thanks to you we can diffenciate our fiddly ficus lyrata from our grievous ficus benjamina and joyously jam along to impromptu trumpet solos.
Sham and Ryan, merci for calmly leading us across the chilly currents of Turia River in Chulilla and especially for the lesson that funny is funny so if you want to be funny, just be funny. Russ, thanks for popping over after so many years to watch me play master chef with sardines and all the salty brews – as one of our closest neighbour we will be seeing you soon. Clara, I am sorry I missed your visit but Kate asks me to thank you for joie de vivre whilst being here and falling in love with the Pozo Naranjo, Valencia and everything around us. Hanna, you too were missed by me but thank you for popping down to see Kate and share a story or two or three (maybe four) over a glass of wine or ten till four A.M.
And lastly to the clan made up of Lucas, Robin, Emilia, Jo, Sarah, Matty and Mark, thank you for all the pool party frolics where no amount of adults in the pool is too many. Where trips to the park are followed by ice-cream and gin and for braving racing river rapids.
We hope to see you here again and hope even more friends and family come to help us continue to make this place feel like pure magic.
El Pozo Naranjo 
Always a pleasure to visit the special place
LikeLike