Spring

Recently the householders were on a trip to Crete, a niece was holidaying in Barcelona and a friend who was in China had invited me to join her – I felt a tad envious!!  However, on Easter Sunday, having finished the household chores, I walked down the dirt road to offload the rubbish. Here we don’t have collection services nor do we have bins nearby. So there I was, swinging the refuse bags when I stopped to enjoy the environment.                                                        

 Nature was beginning to wake up, the cold wind had stopped and the atmosphere was warming up, birds were singing and poppies were growing in swathes all around. And in that moment I felt at peace, contentment, the sense that there was nowhere else I would rather be. You may not feel such emotions frequently but when you do everything merges into a pleasing life tapestry and your spirits are charged.

                                                    

But this surge of nature brings hard work: in the vineyard the plants are beginning to bud but the grass there has become quite unruly. Weeding around the bases is done initially and then the tractor clears the channels between the rows.                                                     

Then you can sit back and enjoy ….. the fruits of someone else’s labours! 😊

                                               
The picture below was taken one week after the previous ones and you can see how fast the vines leaf - some even already sport embryonic grapes!                                             

My great joy is when the roses start to bud; these are the first ones: rich crimson blooms.

                                              

The angelica bush will soon be in flower. I have my vase ready to display them both in a glorious fragrant nosegay.