August is dead, long live August.

Phew, it feels like summer is drawing to a close. The nights are longer and cooler, and whilst there is still no sign of the much needed rain, late September usually brings the first storms to clear the air.

August is definitely the go slow month par excellence in Spain, with most of the nation taking their summer holidays at the same time. As a result businesses here lose a large percentage of their workforce, reulting in an almost complete shutdown in production. The knock on effect is felt by just about everybody, and if you want anything made or supplied in a hurry, forget it.

Add on to this the 'feria' factor and you have a complete recipe for the famous 'siesta' as this is the only passtime that can be assured of a 100% success rate. Each village or town has its own date for the feria, or fair. A person from that village has the right to take time off work for the duration of the local fair. In villages this is usually a long weekend, but in the towns and cities the feria can last for a week. You really have no choice but to join in. Either that or go away to avoid the noise. My hairdresser in Ronda shuts his salon for a week and leaves town in order to get away from the increased pandemonium that comes from the clebrities and royalty who descend on the town for the festivities and the bullfights.

If you stay for the party, then you should adjust your daily routine to fit in, otherwise you'll miss the fun! Most people don't go out 'til past eleven at night, children included. The die hards are at it until the last of the small hours. We could hear the music blaring from the village over a mile away til eight in the morning, from Thursday to Monday.

Our friend Juan and his family have a house next to the feria ground. This year they put the matresses against the windows and slept on the floor in the backroom and still couldn't get any shut eye. Of course not too long ago, before the introduction of electric loudspeakers, the live entertainment used natural acoustics. Most locals over a certain age complain to each other about the decibel level but seem reluctant to upset the status quo by presenting any sort of petition to the town hall.

So August is over again, and all the relations who come back to visit family during the feria have now returned to Bilbao, Barcelona, Madrid and even abroad where they now reside and make a living. August really is the social highlight of the year for all villages in Spain, a time for families to come together once again.

August is over and we can all catch up on our sleep.