Spring is sprung,
The grass is ris,
I wonder where my camera is!
That little ditty was imagined before the age of mobiles. Now no-one need lose that shot that proves he was there or that reminder full of colour and selfie smiles unless, that is, he forgot to charge the damn thing!
El Hierro is not grandiose like the Rocky Mountains. Its beauty is more intimate, on a more human scale, not only in size but also emotionally. It's not the unchangeable mountain reflected in an unruffled lake but the unpredictable response of life to the equally unpredictable elements life feeds on.
This year Spring is indeed strange. It was warm in January and the plums blossomed even before the almond trees. Then it was cold and windy and now the plums are blossoming again, rectifying their mistake. Our Wistaria brought out one early tentative bunch of blue perfume at least six weeks ago. Now it should be in full flower but it isn't. Just a few young bronze leaves. Then again, since October it has only rained less than a half of what it usually does by this time. Between them, the NAO, the Niño and Climatic Change are doing their best to promise us an interesting year, to say the least.
I'll be going out with my camera (if I can find it!) and my mobile over the next few weeks and will add new photographs to this album. So do come back to this post from time to time.
 |
| These fig trees will soon have tender green leaves and the first of their two yearly crops |
 |
| The bright pink blossom of a peach reveals abandoned terraces |
 |
| Clumps of some sort of daisy cover the high pastures in the west of the island |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| The giant dendelion endemic to El Hierro in the garden next to an almond tree with a few late blossoms |
 |
| This year the most photographed field in El Hierro, at the turning to El Pinar near San Andrés |
 |
| The birth of a new cane on a grapevine with a baby panicle which will become a bunch of grapes. |
 |
| Small figs growing on last year's wood. These will be the first crop ripening at the beginning of summer. The second crop which ripens in autumn grows on this year's wood. |
 |
| The wonderfully scented orange blossom. A suggenstion of fruit to come is on the left. |
 |
| At last the Jasmin and Wistaria |
 |
| The vegetable garden was earlier this time last year. Apricot in blossom on the left. |
 |
| Freesias |
 |
| Wild peas |
No comments:
Post a Comment