(Otherwise known as The Lower House).

In the past we had sometimes driven along the mountain track to the Donkey House and looked up to see a small house set back on a rising curve of grassy land. Right beside it, the mountain slope kicked up again into an earthy cliff. From where we were it looked well-built and occupied - in a mule and stable sort of way . . .

We had occasionally speculated on what a good rental property it would make with its close proximity to the forestale (all things are relative in the mountains) and the cosy-cottage way it sat on the land under the trees. When it turned out that we had bought it as part of the deal to get the extra land for our pista, we were more than a little surprised and delighted.

The house was long and thin - unlike the short, fat Donkey House - about 3 metres wide and 10.5 metres long and was divided into 2 rooms. The usual arrangement of broken down chicken coop was stuck on the end.

. . . the roof has been taken off the little house.

All extracts from White Mules and Mountains: Snapshots of Alpujarran Life. © Ruth Wade 2004