Personal Reflections

Nature Notes

~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

So, I am back in Granollers and as I am finding it hard to feel settled and that is not an easy thing to write about, I decided to post some words about what is going on in the natural world.
Pathways
I am out walking Bonnie every day and as we meander along the paths which are edged with plastic bottles and beer cans and strange fluffy red sponge things, (it makes a change from the brambles and honeysuckle we were forced to endure in Lamorna), I try to find some way of encouraging my roots to sink down into the dusty earth.
Birds
It’s always good to watch the birds.
Amazingly the swifts are still here. Not so many, not so often seen but as of yesterday there was a crowd of them shrieking above the city.
By the river which is very low after a long and unusually hot summer, I saw a bird with a large yellow patch on its tail. I can’t identify it. I didn’t see it for long enough to describe it better. I looked  at images on Google and found one almost identical but it too had evaded identification and was only named ‘Bird with yellow marking on tail’ .
It was lovely though.
The heron is still feeding on the river in spite of the mass of floating plastic bags and we also saw fish – quite large ones – swimming near the bridge
Weather
At 6pm this evening the temperature was 24C. The last two days have been cloudy which has meant Bonnie and I could walk in the morning without having to get up at some unearthly hour to avoid the sun. It doesn’t really feel like Summer but neither is it Autumn yet.
The Streets
The trees have blossom in the streets around our home. Yet again I must confess to not knowing what sort of trees they are. The flowers are pink and large and plentiful. I have realised one tree near the house is a pear tree as it suddenly dropped lots of fruit on the pavement. Or was it someone with a broken bag coming home from the market?
The River
The most wonderful thing about the river just now is the field of yellow flowers on tall green stems. What on earth are they?  Surely not Jerusalem artichokes but they remind me of that kind of wild abundance.

Well, that is today’s nature diary.  I am ashamed of how much I don’t know the names of what I see. That somehow reflects my general feeling of ignorance at the moment. In answer to almost any question I feel the most honest reply is ‘I don’t know’

 

Our Milk

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

On the way into Penzance I am often stopped by the neighbours crossing the road

It’s a small dairy herd, a family farm producing milk and they live just across the lane.
It’s so good to see them, to switch off the engine and watch the brothers gently leading them from the dairy to the pasture, to remember Spot the collie who used to live with them many years ago and who was always sitting at the farm gate, watching the cars pass by.
Dylan, another neighbour from the past, a large Bouvier des Flandres, was in love with Spot and when it was ‘that time of year’ he would stroll down our lane, cross the fields and settle down beside her, moaning gently. He was a gentleman – never tried it on – just wanted to be close.
In those days people allowed their dogs much more freedom to roam. They had independent friendships and adventures.

Memories are always shadowing me here in Lamorna. Quite comforting to be here while I gather strength for the drive south to the sunshine.

Feeling at Home

~ Kate Wilson ~ Leave a comment

Today was lovely. Staying at the home of my good friend Janet where everything feels familiar and comfortable.  Our hosts are away at a festival (please don’t rain too much on them all tomorrow!)  and we are enjoying just being in one place, no driving, no need to squelch through wet grass to get to a toilet, no cooking on two rings while kneeling in my low roofed camper van.
I felt Happy with a capital H.
Outside there is a beautiful traditional English garden full of flowers and vegetables and bird song.
Inside there is Radio 4 wittering away as I do some ironing for my friend.
I love living in Catalunya but sometimes I need this sense of safe and familiar and welcome and easy.
All cells in my body were singing today and I imagined Bonnie was feeling the same as she raced through green wet grass outside.  She rolled on the ground waving her legs in ecstasy.

I don’t think it is the UK we need – just a safe and peaceful home in Catalunya.

We will find it!  Please God let it be soon.

Things to Worry about Walking your Dog

~ Kate Wilson ~ 1 Comment
  • Is it too hot to go out for a walk?
  • How much shade can we find on the way to the park?
  • Is the water in the pond/stream/puddle dirty?
  • Now that it’s cool enough to go out, won’t there be increased danger of sandflies?
  • Will there be petardos on the street as we pass?

Today was very hot and as I didn’t get up till 11am the sun was too strong for the first walk to be comfortable.
There was shade but even just crossing the open spaces in the park made Bonnie pant.
Many of the water fountains aren’t working – a money saving decision perhaps? So it is tempting to use the ponds but who knows what that water is like. The Congost is definitely polluted from the factories so I try to keep Bonnie out of there.
It got cooler around 8pm. Sunrise and sunset are supposed to be the worse time for sandflies. These are little biting insects which can carry the dreaded leichmaniosis.
Duna wears a Scalibor collar, Bonnie is part protected by Advantix and neither of them have had the vaccine because every time I read about it I see so many concerns about side-effects. The decision is still in the balance.
It is Saturday night and as the celebration of Sant Joan approaches  there are more and more petardos going off in the streets. These are sort of bangers – some large and some small. It is best to avoid small groups of young boys at this time of year. At times this evening it felt like a war zone with gunshots all around – but they are only fireworks and Bonnie actually ignored them most of the time.
We survived the walk.
There were swallows and swifts and bats all flying around together as we turned for home.
The frogs were croaking loudly by the river and the banger boys had gone home to prepare for a night out.

Time to Leave

~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

Well I am packing my things now and getting ready to leave St Nicolau.
I am sure I will be back.

I went and sang in the little chapel this evening. Just me with Bonnie lying outside, her head resting on the doorstep. And somewhere the chameleon who lives inside the porch.
Tomorrow it will be one week since Blue died. I can’t believe it.  I think in Buddhist traditions the spirit stays around for 7 days after leaving the body and I am so glad to have been here during this time. It will be hard to leave anyway but I am telling myself that Blue’s spirit will be back home in Cornwall by now. Waiting for us when we get there in July.
I am going to bring one of my sculptures to sit in the garden here – the Blue Dog. Will be good to have something solid here as a reminder.

The last few days have been quiet, staying close to home, writing and reading and singing and gardening. It is incredibly soothing to get my hands into the soil and pull up weeds.
And it is one way to say thank you to Helen and Francis for all they have done for us.