Cork!

Andalusia, art and craft, cork, countryside and nature, lifestyle, poetry, quote 1 minuto

‘From little acorns, mighty oaks do grow’ — English proverb

Hello again — I hope you are all well.

This morning I went for a walk along my local country track here in Posadas (Cordova) and this is what I scavenged…

Cork — (the front side which I will paint)
The cork had fallen off the back of the truck which had been filled with the freshly-stripped cork from a nearby finca. (The more weathered, exposed side of the cork I will seal with shellac once washed and dried)
The neighbouring finca where the cork oak trees are stripped of their bark which is then used for making… corks! Also, the black-hooved pigs are often kept in these fincas so they can eat the acorns which produce a high quality ham (‘jamón de pata negra’ in Spanish)
The stripped trunks of the cork oak trees are even more red after the rain. It’s an impressive sight to see. These trees grow in the nearby finca of Calamon which once used to have an English-owned mine that worked til the beginning of the 20th century. I have written about this and other local mines in an earlier blog.

Those green-robed senators of mighty woods,
Tall oaks, branch-charmed by the earnest stars,
Dream, and so dream all night without a stir…– John Keats, Hyperion, Book I

  • Bird oil painting on cork
    Bird oil painting on cork
  • Flowering oak tree painted in oils on cork
    Flowering oak tree painted in oils on cork
Before painting, I seal the washed cork with shellac varnish so that the natural holes won’t suck up the paint. I also give a coat of the same varnish to the finished product after edging it with gold paint
As usual, I always have my little helper to lend a hand — or paw, rather!

If you’d like to know why and how I came to live in Cordova, then a fully-illustrated description is given in my earlier post: From Richmond Park to the historic town of Cordova

Thank you for visiting — as usual, comments and questions are always welcome

Take care! xxx

Publicado por Gilly

Hello! I was born in London but moved to Cordova (inland Andalusia) thirty-two years ago. Although I qualified as a geologist, I had to retrain, and I now teach English and work as a freelance translator, writer and artist (sort of!). I have written and published two books: Edward’s Secret and the Enchanted Throne for young teens, available from Amazon, and also 'An English Lady in Cordova - the Alternative Guide' which tells of my experiences (both humorous and harrowing) of living in Cordoba and later on, in the countryside location of Posadas. I describe the culture, history, geography and emblematic sites of Cordova, Posadas, the neighbouring villages and local Sierra — (hence the ‘alternative guide’ bit!) My blogs talk about my experiences here, my day-to-day life, and also include poetry, quotes, literature, art, photos, nature, and thoughts and reflections. (In other words, it’s a bit of a pot pourri, but unfortunately, I still haven’t learnt how to house these categories into the different pages that appear in the menu!) I do hope you enjoy reading my blogs, and I welcome your comments and questions, as I love to interact with people. Thank you for visiting — bye for now!

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  3. Pingback: The cork oak tree and pigs! – An English Lady in Cordova

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