Author - Tracy Ibberson

3Oct-20

A wander in the w…huerta!

My first walk in the Valencian ´huerta´since before lockdown. Do you know how to pronounce the spanish word for kitchen garden, huerta? Its ¨where-tah!¨. Hence my little alliteration above...a walk in the w...huerta. Such a joy. I love it and used to do it every afternoon after school, with my four lovely little dogs. They were so excited, and I´m sure , amazed, yesterday evening, when I shouted the magic words...walkies! I don´t think they believed me until they tumbled...

Posted By Category: Farming, Ibiza, Naturaleza, Sussex, Tradition, ValenciaComments: 2
27Sep-20

I’m back

I'm back! September. As promised. I always keep my promises. Hence the old, old photograph, from 35 years ago; depicting the very first day in my school, my dear Cambridge House Community College. You can see me, the young, terribly naive Headteacher, having a welcome cup of tea: while my first ten students settled in, around me, in our little school. I was the only teacher! I now have over 168 of them!  All those years ago I promised those...

Posted By Category: Farming, Ibiza, Naturaleza, Sussex, Tradition, ValenciaComments: 6
20Mar-20

News from Amberley

I´m sharing these heartwarming photos with you from Amberley, the beautiful Sussex village where our Rustic Escape, Spring Cottage is nestled in the Southdowns, overlooking the Wildbrooks nature reserve. Steve, one of our Local Representatives, sent me a couple of photos taken this winter; one of a robin redbreast and the bare winter trees at the back of the garden, along with one he took of the same garden last summer when we had just mown our meadow under the...

Posted By Category: Naturaleza, Sussex, TraditionComments: 0
17Mar-20

Quarantine in a Rustic Escape

I haven´t blogged in over a week. The reason has been twofold.  Firstly It´s been so terrible for me to have to share the distress of all my Valencian compatriots at seeing our Fallas festival cancelled, our schools closed and our lives thrown into havoc by being placed in quarantine for what will be an interminable two or three weeks. Secondly I have a horrible sense of guilt at my fortune to be able to spend my quarantine in Ibiza,...

Posted By Category: Farming, Ibiza, Naturaleza, TraditionComments: 0
9Mar-20

Sundays in Valencia

On Sundays I am sole charge of the school zoo. Its lovely out there amongst the animals;enjoying the peace and quiet of their weekend. We have all manner of rodents, two tortoises, chickens and birds, fish and ten goats. They all munch happily on the spring greens I have brought them from our huerta in Partida de la Mar, Almassera and then I head back to find that the buds on the orange tree have come into full bloom. I...

Posted By Category: Farming, Naturaleza, Tradition, ValenciaComments: 0
6Mar-20

Spring is sprung!

The almond trees have lost their white clouds and are now lush and green and the orange trees are full of little white buds. Local farmers are worried that a late frost will wipe out this year´s crop. Spring has come early. I took the dogs off around the Valencian huerta and loved seeing the fields full of our spring produce: cabbages, lettuces, cauliflowers, artichokes and onions; ready to be picked and shipped all over Europe. And the charm of...

Posted By Category: Farming, Naturaleza, Tradition, ValenciaComments: 0
4Mar-20

A light breakfast to keep me going!

Well here's my first update via twitter and facebook. Two days into my new life. I've been really busy down in Finestrat, blustery but beautiful at our lovely La Casa de la Campana, comandeering carpinters, glaziers, plumbers and painters...everyone busy getting our new Alicante property ready for our first guests on April 1st. The traditional tiling and woodwork in this 1890's house are lovely, our designer baths and wood burning open fires are all in place. Along with modern comforts...

Posted By Category: Ibiza, Tradition, ValenciaComments: 0
1Mar-20

Share my project with me

Today we get 'out there'! You can join us! I must confess to feeling slight trepidation. Monday, March 2nd I go live! Here's what's been going on. In September of last year I became a part time founder,owner and Senior manager of my school so that I could fulfill my ambition to develop Rustic Escapes. We find and restore interesting historic properties in distinctive rural locations, in or near small villages yet well communicated ,by public transport to a larger...

Posted By Category: Ibiza, Sussex, Tradition, ValenciaComments: 0
17Feb-20

Scouting for new Rustic Escapes

I´ve been out scouting for more Rustic Escapes this weekend. I toured the province of Teruel. Look at me loving a beautiful run down village house in La Fresneda. It was full of old beams and beautiful stonework. I really wanted to get it for us; so that Team Rustic (representatives, contributors, investors and guests) could all enjoy restoring it back to its former glory. However I´m afraid it´s too far from an airport; All Rustic Escape properties must be...

Posted By Category: Tradition, ValenciaComments: Comments Off
31Jan-20

It´s going to be fabulous!

I´ve been in ibiza this week. Look how beautiful our farm or finca is going to be! The almond trees are already blossoming and we have finished the outhouses or corrales, which are going to house our guests, as they relax and immerse themselves in the Ibicencan countryside. We are planting over 400 almond and olive trees on the hillside behind the finca and a further 400 in the fields below. The hillside is going to be snowy white with...

Posted By Category: Tradition, ValenciaComments: Comments Off