Easter 2013

There was a group of 12 dolphins showing off and having fun about 2 1/2 hours out from Santander, if you ar eon the ferry it is worth being up front for an hour or so around three hours from arrival as that is often where the dolphins are. Catching them on camera is not an easy matter. 

First sight of Spain was a barely discernable shadow under the clouds. 

The lawn had sort of grown a bit, the whole finca needed attention but was not as wild as I had imagined it might be.

 The boys planted a load of fruit stones mostly cherry and some of the wild peach/damson thing that is endemic in galicia. Not sure what has come up but it might be one of each as the leaf colour is very different.

 First trip out after sorting the house was to Vilarrube of course and as usual at this time of yeaer the car park was wonderfully flooded.

Lorena and Stanley were straight in for a paddle.

Vilarrube weird sand

Rowan was straight into the water, He claimed it was warm but I had a paddle and it was just tepid however compared with Cornwall just now where the sea is like stepping into ice cream it was rather wonderful.

Sand stuff making its own contour lines - this was really useful for the boys conceptualising what contour lines on maps are all about, why they are closer on steeper bits etc.

The puddles were definitely warmer than the sea and just deep enough for swimming.

Sand tree.

Bits of the dunes are falling into the sea as the river course eats into the dunes, each clod is a wonderful slice of fine grasses and seaside plants, we threw loads back up onto the dunes.

These trees always stand out like a flame at this time of year.

Lots of current at this state of tide - fun to walk in, less fun to swim against.

I love what the sand does at Vilarrube, details of days gone by saved and mixed with today's artful weathering.

Jen, Cal and Mel on the track back to the car park.

A bit of a bonus - when we got home there was a rather plump bat roosting in the wood store.

Vilarrube in May

I have not had time to take photos during the first few days but I have got lots of little jobs done around the house. Today was a mix of stormy clouds and sun, no rain though.

 Late afternoon I headed down to Vilarrube where the same skies cast sun and shadow over the scene.

 I wouldn't want to set out too far from the edge in this castaway raft

 As always the beach provides lots of abstract textures and colours

 It is full moon and there is a fast tide on the ebb.

 The current carves enticing shapes in the couple of hours it takes for the sandbanks to be exposed

I spent an hour looking at ripples and pools 

 Not a footprint to be seen

 Feathery wings of fresh sand swallowing the ripplescape.

 Can you see a face in there?

 Euphorbia are at their best for colour just now

 I sat on the walkway, sipped coffee and watched the shadows grow longer

 Back home the emerald green fields were striped with late sunshine

A day in Spring

I spent the most of the day fitting our new chimney and sorting some plumbing then had a wander round the garden and off to see friends. 

I think this is purple toadflax, it is very like little snapdragons and there is loads of it.

Bindle, Ruan Stanley and Alfie have arrived this is Stanley looking pensive.

Lorena's lovely little chalet mostly made from reclaimed material...I want one please Sam.

When she saw the camera she insisted on posing 

The old olive tree provided much needed shade even late afternoon it was a tad too hot today.

Alejandro decided to wait for trifle rather than come kayaking, the video is the last few hundreds meters of track leading to where it is easy to get the kayak in the water. 

The track leads to a very handy and quiet parking place.

Tamarisk is flowering well this year.

There seems to be a path going on round the estuary towards the bridge must explore it one day.

An hour after high tide is the wrong time to go in at Vilarrube, there is a lot of water heading out to sea, the trouble with that kind of Kayak is there is not room for anything but a very compact camera so no pics of the journey unfortunately.

The main beach at Vilarrube is really safe but the estuary bit is not, it took no time at all to get from the launching spot out to sea but coming back was more effort, the first half of the outgoing tide is fairly dangerous with very strong currents as the whole estuary empties through a narrow channel in a couple of hours. Coming back in at times the flow was faster than I could sprint paddle against and its a long very rapid kayak. I had to dodge from one side to the other to make any progress and stopped off to play with the whirlpools, amazing how they move around within about a 40 X 40 meter area and very strange being spun around by them, I would not like to have been swimming. I eventually made it back a few hours later, fortunately a little creek leads fairly close to the shore and there is not too much dragging across sand to do.

Back home I could hear a lot of singing outside and a flash revealed two local suitors seranading our pretty kittys.

And behind them an arum captured by flash.

spring in the air

There is a proper feel of Spring in the air just now, I still had the back door open at 10.30 last night the air is so mild.

Cherry blossom is quite stunning on two of the trees with hundreds of buds just starting to open.

 This is the thunder storm that marked the start of warm air, just as I got to the top of my ladder ready to start cutting a hole for the new chimney last week the first drops started falling and the first of many bolts of lightning streaked across the sky so I beat a hasty retreat and took photos instead. I have done a lot of strimming but the veg is not really happening this year I just don't have time on my own.

 Rhubarb has come on well despite me eating a fair bit.

 When the moon was at apogee last week the tides at Vilarrube were stunning the photo doesn't convey it well the water in the background  by the rocks was a torrent going right to left towards the sea, in the foreground it is going left to right just as fast and in the middle was a swirling whirlpool, I was wishing I had a kayak with me.

 Silky textures in the sand.

 Its time for thousands of these to wash up, I have met them in NW Scotland right down to Portugal, they cover quite a range.

 The Ortigueira cloud bank was on fine form on the hills behind Cedeira.

 More sand

 and yet more.

 In the dunes the flowers are getting underway, toadflax is one of the first to show.

 These grassy clumps are taller than I am and very painful if you happen to lean on their spiky bits.

 this one is only 5 cm tall and has a very similar habit although no spikes at all.

 Showers of crocuses on the edge of the dunes.

I got home to find the cats where they shouldn't be.