Spain update september 2026

As said, or rather written, in the last update, I wished everyone a good holiday, a wish that hopefully came true, because it was a hot vacation in any case... In any case, I promised to pick up the thread again after the break, so here it is.

As for us, Casa Belgica, and its guests, we spent a hot, scorching summer that degenerated into fires in many places around us, from Madrid even as far as Talavera and beyond. A few large fires, whose flames we could see from our house, were very close to us and very frightening. The air quality was poor; we had to wear face masks, and there was soot everywhere: in the swimming pool, the garden, and in the house, where Dirk installed a multitude of air purifiers. With last year in mind, I prophesied to my husband, "If I have to go through what happened to us last year again, I will not survive," and I meant it. For a few weeks, there was unrest and bad news about all kinds of hotspots; not exactly reassuring. Not long after that, they managed to contain the fires and hotspots around Madrid and the surrounding area, but the air quality was bad and elderly people had to stay indoors. Enough to make me sick, in my case. Anyway, the summer is not over yet because it is still at least 35°C or more; it only cools down a bit at night, but our dogs and we have all survived!!

I just sincerely hope that in the future I receive fewer calls from fantasists who have nothing better to do than to foist a fake life or profession on me and want attention; the same goes for rude people and those who call out of boredom. Perhaps the heat had something to do with it and they had sunstroke, that is what they sounded like anyway. Fortunately, positive calls from polite candidates with interest and compassion for dogs were and still are in the majority. It is still hot, but for us, summer is over, because shooting is already taking place in the mornings since the bird hunt has opened, and next month it will be for the rest of the poor animals. The “new” Galgos are being trained with a heavy hand, and the first victims who failed their exam and are being abandoned are coming in.

Fortunately, Kala (Lala to us) and Justine escaped unscathed, but they paid a heavy price for it. After the removal of her frame, Lala cautiously began walking on her restored leg and Achilles tendon and quickly became a delightful bundle of energy who has since been adopted by the regions of East Flanders. Justine is in a worse state; her two broken front legs—one of which had already been operated on by Dr. De Frutos months ago, and from which he removed the plate months later to promote the healing process so that her second leg could be operated on—continue to be in pain and she is sometimes unable to stand on her leg(s). The reason is that the “owner” let her completely waste away and never treated the fractures, so we do not know how long she hobbled around with two broken legs before she came to us.