We dream of time to concentrate on our artwork. Reading, thinking, experimenting and playing with ideas without the pressure or weight of daily existence and chores as a distraction. I have been afforded the realisation of that dream as an artist in residence at the beautiful Cortijada Los Gázquez: Joya Arte y Ecología, near the village of Vélez Blanco in Almería, España. The arid landscape here is stunning and inspiring, patterns created by humans and animals criss-cross the rocky, white albariza soils. Drought resistant pine, Spanish juniper, wild rosemary, thyme, santolina and euphorbia grow among the almond trees, perfuming the air.