Jo’s Monday walk : Corte Pequena

At this time of year I’m seriously enamoured of almond blossom.  Singly they are like small girls, spreading their skirts in a graceful curtsy.  On a laden bough, they are the chorus line in Swan Lake, fluttering together in delicate motion.  Like the dying swan, their days are numbered, for already they’ve been in bloom for a month.

The variety of colours confuses me.  I was told recently that the paler blossoms are sweet almonds and the darker ones are bitter but I haven’t been able to verify this.  I’m happy just to admire.  In any case, I digress, and it’s time to get started on our walk.  You will have gathered that I’m back in the Algarve hills, this time our start point a small village, Corte Pequena, with its own orange grove.

On a Saturday morning all was peaceful, far removed from the bustle of the city.  A small terrier took it upon himself to defend his territory, but soon realised we were harmless enough and gave up.  We didn’t have to walk far to find blossom.

Nor the wild clover that blooms everywhere in the Algarve at this time of year.  It’s widely regarded as a pest, but so pretty!  We followed the gentle gradient of the hills, climbing to a vantage point overlooking the dam at Odeleite.  In the distance a herd of goats graze.

Despite recent rains the water levels are still quite low.  Strangulated trees lean into the valley, some twisted by nature while others were burnt out some years ago.  Bamboo follows a narrow stream through the valley bed, but we find a good point to cross, with just a stride or two and a held hand.  Sometimes it can require a good plodge.

Soon we have come full circle and the village is spread out before us.  As we descend a young dog decides that we will make good company.  He gambols playfully alongside us, setting off a chorus of warnings from his wiser elders.  Perhaps they are aware that sheep wander loose here.

For a moment we think that we are going to be playing Pied Piper to the flock, followed by an irate shepherd.  But fortunately sheep have a short attention span and we are less interesting than the juicy grazing.  I suspect you know the feeling.

That has to be one of the tastiest almond tarts I’ve ever eaten.  The mural and wonderful metal sculptures were at the start of the Amendoeira (Almond Blossom) Trail, at nearby Alta Mora.

walking logo

I’ve been walking with you weekly (or weakly!) for 6 years next month, and I’m thinking I should call time on our perambulations.  Or cut back to a monthly, or fortnightly, event.  I’m just as restless as ever, but I’m resident in Portugal now and many of my wanderings are local.  I don’t want to bore you all, and I might like to try something different.  I expect there’d still be occasional cake.

Meantime, thank you for your support and your wonderful company.  Here are this week’s walks.

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If only Janet could walk in a straight line!

Monday walk… weaving around

Alice lives in a very beautiful place, and is happy to share :

A Symbol of Hospitality- Pineapple Fountain

A gentle look at life from Drake this week :

Winterly mood

It’s ages since I went along to the other end of the Algarve.  This is a lovely walk!

Randonnée / Hike from Armacáo de Pera to Praia de Marinha

Reminding us that Valentine’s Day is almost here, Natalie takes…

A Walk Among the Roses

While Cathy looks at local and Civil War history in Virginia, US :

Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park

And Rosemay checks out a little family history in north London :

Off the Tourist Trail in London – A Stroll round Islington

Wishing you a great week!  Hopefully the storms have passed.

 

173 comments

  1. I agree with so many of the sentiments that your friends have left Jo ! I definitely know the feeling of how a blog can take over life and you certainly have much to enjoy/ discover there and around your still relatively new abode in Tavira and Portugal as a country . Heaps of doings and goings on to participate in with the *real world around you . If you want to sit on the balcony there and read your book … raise a glass … dance .. walk … bask in the sunshine … without pressure of a *new post well, so you should 🙂
    Your presence and warm reaching out with friendships here in the blogosphere has been appreciated very much . I’m sure you won’t totally disappear .. or atleast hope not 😉 it’s up to you now … as and when … r e l a x a little and take your time .
    Oh those blossoms …. uplifting Spring .. just around the corner here with daffodil stems shooting skywards but first another Storm on the way Dennis tsk the menace Lol xxx

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    1. Thanks for those lovely thoughts, Poppy 🙂 🙂 It’s my daughter’s 49th birthday today and she’s tucked up in a bar with a prosecco and fig cocktail, waiting for the snow to clear. It’s like a different world here! And no, I’m not really going anywhere. Just feeling the need for a change.

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      1. Awww smashing Jo ! Happy Birthday to your daughter isn’t it *marvellous* though the way we can all can keep in touch with family near and far in todays world . We watched at home at 4am yesterday as DD and her beloved wed in Vegas 🙂 Change is good !

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  3. I hope you won’t stop blogging completely. I always enjoy your pictures and your descriptions, and the way you engage with us all. You’re a real blogging pal! You genuinely ‘sell’ every place you blog about and give me a thirst to see these places too. Thank you.

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    1. I enjoy the interaction and the great people we’ve met in this blogging world too much to stop, Margaret. I just don’t want to go on treading the path if I’m repeating myself and being boring. I have a few travel plans in mind, but mostly my walking here is in similar terrain. I try to ring the changes, to make it interesting for myself too, but I think I need a bit of a kick up the jacksie and a new direction. 🙂 🙂

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      1. You’re never boring! Remember that for us, these are new paths. But I take your point. Some of my favourite walks are those I know intimately, but it doesn’t make for a great story. Whatever your new direction is … I hope it’ll include us from time to time x

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    1. We have a level crossing over the railway not far from where we live, Debbie. The almond blossom tree there is in the most mundane situation possible, but it always makes me smile and lift my head to the blossom. 🙂 🙂

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  5. Love the rural setting you’ve shown us, Jo. I wish I’d seen more of the countryside when I was in Portugal. That almond tart looks delicious, but why such a small portion? 🙂

    I’m in a similar position to you, posting less often deliberately, but that’s because my free storage is running low. Personally, I’ll never tire of seeing photos of Portugal.

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    1. I used up my free storage quite a long time ago, Draco. I’ve been reasonably happy to pay for what is essentially a hobby, and it’s meant I keep control of the way my site looks, which is important to me. I’d hate to lose the friends and the interaction, and somewhere to play around and express myself. So why am I moaning? 🙂 🙂 And I have to admit that was my reaction to the tart, too, but it was very filling!

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  10. Much as I enjoy your walks Jo (and the yummy cakes afterwards), I totally understand the need to fit blogging in with the rest of life. I’ve found as I get to know other bloggers better I want to engage with posts more actively than just hitting “like” — and that inevitably takes more time. I’ll look forward to your posts however often you make them.

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    1. Thanks, sweetheart! I’m not sure in exactly which direction I want to go, but I don’t want to be constrained. It’s a case of living my life or feeding the blog sometimes. I’ve juggled both, and enjoyed it, so far, but who knows what’s ahead?

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  12. A lovely, refreshing, versatile and colourful post. The almond blossom still looks fabulous after one month. You are right, storm Ciara would have stripped the trees in no time. Our garden waste bags managed to break out earlier, not quite as well secured as we thought. At the moment it’s snowing 🌨 It’d be great if the white stuff would remain, but I fear by tomorrow morning it’s all gone.
    Congratulations to nearly six years of weekly walks, that’s quite an achievement. You put a lot of effort and surely much time into your photo story posts and the blogging community. Your close group of blogging friends will no doubt stay tuned to you even if you blog less frequently.
    Since my retirement, I’m very busy outdoors with all kinds of things close to my heart and being indoors I love to read, take care of my photography, learn to become a better cook. Blogging every week started to become a problem so we reduced it to every fortnight. It works well for us. We have many days not blogging or visiting other blogs and it has a good effect on our lives, not quite so good for the statistics, but we can live with that.
    Stay a happy blogger!
    Warm greetings from the stormy coast 🤗🤗🤗🤗

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    1. Thanks so much for that, Dina! It’s live to blog or live sometimes, isn’t it? I very much appreciate the people who have stayed with me and I won’t lose touch with them but I have to choose life. I’m happy you understand and it’s a privilege to have you here. 🤗💕

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  14. Oh, the sight of those almond blossoms brought a smile on my face!! It will be weeks before we see those flowers here in Switzerland (winter has finally decided to make an appearance here and it’s windy and dark and rainy…).
    And those cute lambs…. Looks like spring has arrived there! What a perfect weather for a walk in the nature!

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  16. I shall miss the walks if you do stop writing about them but I understand how you feel. There comes a time when you feel it’s been done and even if the seasons change the views and the vegetation, your mind doesn’t engage in the same fashion. At least mine doesn’t – not that I do much walking these days. Loved the almond blossom, my neighbour’s tree had just started to blossom last week but yesterday and last night Ciara put paid to its cheek in daring to display its blooms. Today the wind still howls around the place, my garden is a wreck with broken pots and a couple of chairs looking sad and lost. Better tomorrow? Hope so.

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    1. Oh dear! It hasn’t sounded like much fun. If I go somewhere different or interesting then I can’t wait to share, Mari, and I hope there will be more of that. Just living my life surrounded by beauty and lovely people at the moment. Can’t complain at that, can I? And I won’t just disappear 🤗🍰💕

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  19. Lots to comment on here this morning (or afternoon for you.) I like your description of the almond blossoms and love the photos. They’re lovely. I also like the mural, the sculpture of the man, and that tart!!

    It’s ironic that you mentioned always walking in the same place. I was thinking earlier as I walked yet again in the park that perhaps people get tired of variations on that walk, as that’s my most frequent walk. I don’t tire of seeing your area but I can certainly understand cutting back from a time point of view if you want to do that. I blog every day, but there are times when I wished I blogged less frequently. My big cutback was taken a few years ago when I quit blogging while on vacation and just blogged about it when I got back. You have to do what’s right for you, but as has been mentioned already, don’t disappear. Just let us know the new schedule/routine and enjoy your life!

    Whoops. Almost forgot mine. https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2020/02/10/jos-monday-walk-morning-light-and-taking-a-bath/

    janet

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    1. Thanks Janet! I have only ever blogged on a daily basis for a challenge of a few days. It’s impossible to maintain replies and visits to others on that basis and I like a little freedom to my routines. 😊😊 Almost unheard of, I’ve sat on the roof and read a book all afternoon. Blissful temperatures. Of course, it should be in Portuguese 🙃

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  20. What a lovely spring walk Jo. The blossom photos are great, doesn’t last long does it but looks beautiful whilst it’s there. Love my walks to finish with a tart too ……

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    1. In a good year we get maybe 6 weeks of blossom, Jonno. I always mean to go up to the Douro about now because the almonds are supposed to be spectacular, but it’s also much colder and damper up there. One day I’ll sort myself out 🙂 🙂

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