Mostly mist and ripples

Warm colours in the mist this morning

 Most of it sweeps across the fields below us, even on a windless morning it flows from East to West like a gentle river.

 Most of the day was spent sawing and moving, odd how huge sections of trunk just look like matchsticks in a photo.

 Little bit of over heating from the van after hauling this not because of the weight more because I was too busy trying to film out of the back door to look where I was driving and bounced over a few stumps that dislodged the wedge of wood that keeps the alternator tensioned, the belts went slack and the water pump stopped turning, a couple of whacks and the wedge was reinstated and all was well again.

As the sun started to get lower I nearly didn't but then did spent 30 mins on Vilarrube, there were lots of ripples and some strange blue light that turned sepia as I headed back to the car park.

 Sandworms heading North

This is the sort of lagoon that forms behind the main beach, and becomes a lot of sand with a river at low tide.

 The patterns on the surface are mirrored on the sea bed below.

 I could almost snowboard down that if it was more than a meter across.

 Over a few minutes the sun lost its power the mist formed and the temperature dropped

 Thats what makes those little holes in the sand, air bubbling up after a wave rolls back.

 And where the wave doesn't reach the holes can't form.

 Smellovision shot, the curry plants are the dominant smell just now, some elegant solitary grasses around too.

 They smelled good too, very like the ones we had in the garden in Cornwall although the form is different.

 4 more days like that and I should have the trees stacked in 3 meter lengths, next will be sorting the flue then updating a bathroom and lots of tidying.

Saturday morning bees and trees

A cool morning started out with bluegrey mists and rapidly turned into a very Summery day.

Here are three out of 12 very sleepy bees, not frosted just covered in heavy dew, so sleepy I could stroke them.

This one has a collar of parasites, if you click on the picture it will zoom in.

 

Artichokes are flourishing.

 Intense colours in a Livingstone daisy.

 The last few lemons are slowly getting there.

 Arum lilies waiting for a harsh frost to melt them.

 It took half a day to get the old van back up and running its a long story involving not having much space to work in, transmission oil, a punctured tyre and various other obstacles so I won't explain but it is now back on wood gathering duties.

 That is the mission, clear the trees, a few hours before this photo you couldnt see any trees just a jungle of brambles and bracken. Does it look hot - it was baking, I should have worn long sleeves I am a bit tingly this evening.

 Gorse smells wonderful wherever it is.

 Gazenias are settling in after being transplanted in late December.

I should get that wall painted while the weather holds up but the grey bare render really stores the heat unlike the white painted bits.

England then back to Galicia again

Wonderful to get to the UK for a couple of weeks to see the family again, Callum seems to be enjoying learning Sax.

 There are some lovely footpaths in Sussex if a tad muddy for bike riding at this time of year.

 At the end of the footpaths are sleepy tree lined quiet lanes perfect for getting back in the saddle after a few months with no bikes.

 We had a trip to the coast near Worthing it was bitterly cold, unfortunately the sand dunes were on the other side of the river but the boys enjoyed throwing some stones.

 I timed the crossing back to Spain well there was a very calm sea all the way and lots of sparkles in the sea all night.

Still and hour or two out from Santander and the mountains looked to be covered in snow, it was much harder to see the snow when I drove along the coast though.

 A snap out of the window focused on the tree not the mountain ah well I wish I had had the time to drive up and play.

 The new road marches onward, although the road I am on hardly looks crowded, when that traffic is on the old bits it gets congested very rapidly as the old road goes through endless towns and 30kph limits. The warmth in the sun was wonderful to feel, although it was only 15C I had to put the aircon on for most of the trip.

 In the garden Spring is in the air.

 Why are Physalis fruits so expensive in the shops they are very productive even without much tending, that is the leftovers from half of one plant.

 The scent of Daphne fills the top of the garden, flowers are almost over but the bees are enjoying them.

 The first calibrese ready for my evening meal.
 There are sprouts too but the less said about that the better.

 Bottle brush flowers are less vibrant than last year but still lovely.

 Nicotina have not really stopped flowering since the Summer and still smell lovely in the evening.

 Millions of little flowery things self seeded all over the veg patch it should be a mass of colour in a few months.

 Our one early tomato just coming into flower. I am not convinced it will survive but worth a shot.

 These are strange chilis, eaten raw they taste of nothing but leave my mouth numb, cooked they have a fair bit of flavour but are not really hot.

 These are just evil and hot.

 Ahh I won't even beging to try and spell this one.

 or this.

 My favourite Azalea has been flowering here and there for weeks now.

 Every evening between 3 and 6 bumble bees of various varieties settle on these flowers with their bodies facing to the sunrise, they get dewey or frosted overnight but slowly come to life as the sun rises and just keep on eating as if nothing had happened. They do make forays off to nests every few mins during the day. Its a weird world is bee world and there are no shortage of them, big ones with black rear ends smaller ones with ginger black or grey and several other stripe variations I think about 6 or 7 varieties active in any day is fairly usual.

 

 Ginger flowers are lovely but don't last long however the follow up goes on and on.

Hiding at the foot of the ginger the marigolds are busy being lovely.

This pink bush thing took a pause from flowering mid autumn but is now back in full bloom again. 

 

The big red electric thing is back, cables are being changed the supply cuts out for a few minutes a few times a day as they switch from one source to another with no notice and always at just the wrong time, at least there is a big red box this time, sometimes it just goes off for hours with no explanation.

Next on the agenda is tidying up the house, then hopefully some improvements time at the weekend.