Gecko Towers – Emerging from the gloom….
For the soundest of ecological reasons, the imposition of smoke-free areas in major conurbations over the last seventy-five plus years has been a success. While air quality continues to an issue, due in part to a difficulty of weaning us off our gas guzzling vehicles, the burning of fossil fuels has largely been outlawed to encourage our adoption of cleaner alternatives.
Like many parts of the “country”, whichever country that may be, the burning of felled trees continues unabated. For me the winter, or whatever you call that period that starts in late November and continues until late March, is made all the more enjoyable by the smell of wood smoke.
Relatively few older houses on the Costa del Sol, unless retrofitted, have the benefit of the central heating, which in any event in my view is an unnecessary extra. Simply a well stocked wood pile and a regularly cleaned fire place is complete joy.
Lighting a fire quickly can be tricky but solved by using those “pastillas de encendido” (solid paraffin gel blocks) that can be purchased at most supermarkets. The more eco-friendly ways are various but involve burning “astillas” (kindling) that tends to also be sold at the woodyard. The alternative, and my personal favourite, is the brilliantly inspirational use of “piñas” (pine cones). Naturally stuffed with a unctuous resin that lights easily and releases a wonderful fragrance as it burns. Aside from making pesto many pine cones would be simply disposed of so their use as a natural firefighter is perfect.
Sourcing the wood is equally plentiful. From late October you will start to notice “Servicio de entrega a domicilio” (“home delivery”) vans and trucks delivering either loose wood or those in sacks to heat our homes. The best wood by a country mile is that well-seasoned timber from olive trees. It burns beautifully hot and being a dense almost stone-like timber, although its more expensive, you do require less of it to keep a fire going all night long.
We still haven’t been able to accurately predict how much wood will be required and end up visiting the wood yard on several occasions to pick up additional sacks.
It will come as no surprise that most estate agent’s particulars of a property bears those little icons denoting the number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Alongside the symbol for a swimming pool a design depicting a “chimenea” (fireplace) will give a clear indication of just how popular and, in my experience, just how essential it is to have a working fire; whether that is a traditional dog-grate, a bot-bellied stove or similar.
Naturally, the Holiday Season is incomplete without the full Father Christmas, stockings hung around the fire while chestnuts roast, scene!
The dry spring/summer season – which may endure for many months – is heavily regulated by the prevailing law, which means for the vast majority of the year we are prevented from setting any fires outside the home barbecue or home fire-pit. Every year thousands of hectares of wonderful forrest and scrub land are destroyed by accidental fires, invariably caused by a discarded cigarette or ill-considered camp fire which often require the brave fire crews either being ground based or flying in and refueling water planes or helicopters to douse “campo” (“bush”) fires.
Like the sea, I have more than a sneaking respect for fire. Having once been caught in the swirling winds that whipped licking flames towards a farmhouse and stables we were at. A terrifying experience not least for the speed with which the fire turned decimating everything in its path in a matter of minutes; prior to a change in the direction of the wind saving us and our animals.
At a more domestic level there are very strict rules that govern the lighting of bonfires for the burning of garden refuse. These tend to be limited to a stated number of Saturdays in the final couple of months of the year and they are vigorously policed and are stood down if there is too much unpredictable wind.
Should you be interested in discussing the processes involved in buying a property in the Marbella region, we would be delighted to assist you. Our team of bi-lingual, highly experienced and wholly independent team of Abogados are ready to help you.
Please call me, Mark FR Wilkins, during usual business hours on +34 600 343 917 or, if you prefer, please e-mail me at mark@roslegal.es
Please note that our posts are for general interest. They are no substitute for proper legal advice tailored to your specific circumstances as provided by a qualified Abogado who is experienced in the application of the Spanish Law.
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