If I keep a green bough in my heart then the singing bird will come

March 15, 2012December 30, 2014 ~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

Sometimes I long for green.
One of the walks near here with grass and trees is at Mil Pins.
You have to drive there but it’s only 5 minutes away.

It’s like a park on the edge of the countryside.
Pep remembers camping there with his family when he was young

There are now lots of houses on one side and it’s easy to park right by the entrance

That may sound like a boring fact but believe me in Granollers it is a miracle

The dogs met some new friends.
I love the shape of the black one – the women sitting at the fountain said it was a podenco ibicenco which is a breed from Ibiza. But I can’t see any that are black. I had to stop reading because of the many sites describing how many are found in animal shelters after bad treatment. This one at least was happy and playful and had a wonderful open space to exercise her grace and agility and intelligence.

All was peaceful barring a few growls and snaps

Creepy Crawlies

March 12, 2012December 30, 2014 ~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

I am feeling like a total idiot after reading this article on processionary caterpillars.

At the weekend I walked up to the Mirador with my friend, accompanied by Duna and Bonnie.
We were fascinated to see the long lines of caterpillars walking across the path nose to tail and we stopped for some time filming and taking photographs. The dogs were milling around as usual.
It is only now that I realise these are the dreaded pine tree caterpillars which can cause terrible reactions in humans and sometimes shock and death in dogs. They also damage the pine trees and move on when they have eaten their fill and it is time to look for a place to burrow underground and complete the next part of their life cycle. If you or your dog come into contact with the fine hairs which cover their bodies they can cause reactions varying from mild irritation to anyphalactic shock. These hairs fall off their bodies as they process so may be spread around the ground for the dogs to walk across.

Well, I suppose it is a good signal that you can be so close to danger without even knowing about it and sometimes nothing bad happens. As a compulsive worrier I will take heart from this

But I think it will put me off going up to the Miranda until the caterpillar season is over.
Let’s see if this video works – Bonnie is whining because she is bored – not stung!

Two Dream Homes

March 10, 2012November 19, 2014 ~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

It was such a beautiful day that we went straight to the coast and decided to leave balnearis for another day! We did stop off in Caldes de Malavella and found out that one of the huge hotel spas didn’t really cater for day trippers while the other – Hotel Vichy Catalan – offers lots of different packages for a reasonable price.
But….leave the dogs in the van while we relaxed in mineral bathes? Not possible.
So we went to a beach called St Pol near Sant Feliu de Guixols, had a slow walk around the coast path and then a long and even slower lunch in El Racó de St Pol.
There are some lovely seaside houses on this part of the coast – places to dream about and imagine how it would be to go down for early morning swims in the green blue sea.

Blue had been given the homoeopathic remedy Thuja in the morning and was bouncing up and down the steps along the way. I’ve not seen her so happy and lively and pain free for years.

On the edge

February 29, 2012December 30, 2014 ~ Kate Wilson ~ 1 Comment

Bonnie and I went for a walk just by ourselves this morning. Usually I take Duna too but because of the ‘mala llet’ between them it isn’t the most relaxing of walks for any of us. I keep Duna on the lead and she gets frustrated while my arm gets tired.
So, just me and the little wolf.
We walked up past the hospital and over the top of the hill to the industrial estate beyond where suddenly Granollers ends and the countryside begins. We were aiming for the Miranda, the little arched folly that overlooks the town.
I love the edges of towns – the place where the urban landscape stops and the country begins. Sometimes it isn’t easy to spot and you find yourself out in nature without having passed consciously over the border. I used to look for it when I lived in London every time I drove out of the city. But it didn’t matter what direction I took, I never saw the edge of London.
Granollers is different and the edges are as clear as if they were city walls. The tarmac stops, a rough lane leads past olive groves. A stream trickles down through piles of rubbish and after you jump across, you are in a newly ploughed field

We found this table and chairs beside a fire pit – would be a good place to come in the evening and watch the light change.
The almond blossom is in full bloom and smells of honey.
Here is the tree that grows by the railway station – glorious in its beauty in spite of the mulching of plastic cups and tin cans that surround it.

Today we walked through fields then followed a track that went under the main road, the busy artery that circles the town I think. Above the thunder of lorries and cars, never stopping. We passed beneath as if in another time and place, enfolded in the silence of the country lane and the peace of walking in nature with a beautiful dog companion. Up to the Miranda d’en Puntes.