Nature

Wild Flowers of the Congost

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

Here are some pictures of the walk I took with Bonnie last week.
We went all the way from home to the Vienna Cafe and back.
Past the church at Palou. It strikes every quarter hour and reminds you of the Catalan way of telling the time – un quart, dos quarts, tres quarts meaning quarter past, half past and quarter to. In the days before clocks and watches people always knew the time by hearing how often the bell rang.
Of course it helped if you had a vague idea of which hour it was too.

The whole walk was about 11 km, most of it along the side of the River Congost.
The flowers are incredible at the moment.
I wish I knew their names – I know the little blue one is Borage of course!

After four hours of walking we were very relaxed and began to see pictures and patterns in everything around us. I love that state of mind. It’s the first stirrings of creativity I’ve had for months.

Growing Wild

~ Kate Wilson ~ 1 Comment

I’ve been learning Photoshop – doing a skills exchange with Nuria who is a fantastic illustrator and a very patient teacher. She certainly needs patience with me as I slowly advance in tiny steps and then forget everything by the next week.  But little by little, poc a poc, something sticks.

And here are some more, as yet untouched, photos of our walk in the park today.
I thought the flowers had been sown by a creative and inspired person at the Ajuntament but was told that probably they are just growing wild after the soil was turned over when they made the new park, our Parc Nou by the river.

I’ve also been rediscovering Louise Hay and affirmations. Nothing like a good bout of affirmation when you are feeling beaten down by dogs and houses and stepsons and two extra languages!
Here are some I’ve been trying.

Life is Simple and Easy

I am surrounded by Beauty and Peace

I live in a beautiful place where I am loved and respected

I express myself with ease

All is well in my world



GR92 near Orrius

~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

Yesterday Bonnie and I met Oreneta and Chuck for a walk along part of the GR92. This is the Catalan name for a long walking trail that goes from the Pyrenees to the south of Catalunya.  It stretches further south into Andalucia and north into France but the Catalan part was so named to mark its completion in 1992 the year of the Barcelona Olympics.
It was a perfect walking day, sunny but not too hot, and we were mainly going along a very well maintained rough track on the top of the ridge. The mountains here are called The Corredor  – on one side is the Valles Oriental and Granollers and on the other, The Maresma and the Mediterranean Sea.
We met at Sant Bartomeu chapel. I didn’t know who this saint was but it seems he was also one of the apostles. When first he heard of Jesus he said  ” Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

We walked to the mineral spring the Font of Sant Mateu. He was the disciple that was a tax collector of whom Jesus said “I came not to call the righteous but the sinners”. Interesting!
Isn’t it amazing that here the rivers are either low or barely more than a dribble but all around the mountains there are fresh supplies of wonderful clear drinking water?

There and back was about 14 km and of course there were little breaks for snacks!
Who can resist these two beautiful friends?  Chuck was a perfect gentleman and chased off cars and wild dogs to protect Bonnie who was incredibly happy share her sandwiches with him.

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

~ 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

~ 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!