Jo’s Monday walk : The long way to the River

My current walks from home can be repetitious, but there are many ways to add variety.  Let’s see how much you recognise as we wander through a few lanes and back along the river.  We’ve looked over this wall together, though I don’t remember the horses.  And how about that rock, shaped like a bottle-nosed dolphin?  I very nearly missed the cairn, nestling among the boulders.

My husband is an avid litter picker, a practise I find tedious, though sadly necessary, so I have developed a keen eye for distracting details.  Passing motorists must wonder what I’m staring at, while he scours the roadsides.  A minute flower, shy in grassy surrounds, or a fragile cluster of froth, swaying to tantalise with the slightest puff of breeze.  A straying guinea fowl.  Though two’s company.  If I’m really lucky, a butterfly to follow, hopefully, as it flits from nectar to nectar.

I develop new enthusiasms as the season ticks over, forsaking poppies reluctantly, but delighted by thistles and their many lilac hues.  Morning glory has such a pretty name.  Solagnum, not so much.  Small, pure white cistus, I love, and the ever faithful rose.

At the Ermida da Nossa Senhora de Saude we carry on towards the river.  In the bright sunlight I imagine the spikey agave leaves as a dinosaur, stalking its prey.  Suddenly a shower hits, and we scamper for the scant shelter.

Minutes later the sun is beaming again, and it’s on down the road to Tavira, the wildflowers making cheerful company.

But it’s not all as pretty as a picture.  Beneath the railway bridge, graffiti lurks.

And then you’re welcomed by the riverside walk, with its feast of flowers, and a view I’ve come to love.

Increasingly Tavira has become a tourist town.  It’s easy to see why, but I have to admit to preferring it without them, so this little sojourn has its advantages.  I can’t help smiling with pride, though, when someone stands by ‘my’ river, admiring.

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Time to share some of your walks.  Many thanks for continuing to walk with me.  I love your company!

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Leading off with Debbie, and a place that I know rather well :

Walking the banks of the Rio Tejo

Cheryl shows us a little more of enchanting South Korea :

A Walk in Daewangam Park & Ilsan Beach

It comes in all shapes and sizes.  Drake shares his from Denmark :

Spring variations

And Colline from her home in Montreal

An Array of Spring Flowers

While the woods are greening up nicely for Margaret :

One More Walk in the Woods

And Jude swirls us into a lesson on beautiful Bluebells :

Wild landscapes

Karen shows us a seriously empty Sydney!

Familiar but strange

And Janet takes us on a postcard walk  🙂  :

Monday walk…Le Grand Ballon

Denzil is as informative as ever.  He’s my Belgium expert :

How to walk or cycle the Promenade Verte in Brussels

Always worth climbing a hill for a glimpse of water.  Thanks, Irene!

Up to the Top

And Sandra is so glad to be back!

#Hike Deprivation

It’s always worth following Cathy, to see what colourful thing her eye has found this time :

A day in the Marrakech Medina

I’ll have another walk for you next week, and then we’ll see how it goes.  Around the world we are starting to look beyond the grip of this virus.  I look forward to a day when we can walk without restraint.  Till then, stay safe!

126 comments

  1. I spent some time wondering if all these flowers were really blooming now so early in the year but then I decided that yes, it’s May and it is Portugal, and I’m envious of your life there. How lovely it all looks and I just love that picture of the railway bridge. I;m not sure if I am getting all your posts as a little sign keeps coming up asking me to Follow you, but I have been Following for years now. It’s WP aain, I’m still not sorted. In fact it seems to be gong from bad to worse.

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    1. The photos were all taken in the last couple of weeks, Mari. I tend to only use older ones in the challenges and even then I prefer to use new. You can imagine my photo folders!
      I often have the prompt to follow when I already am. I think you’ve visited all my recent posts, thanks. Have you written a post on the new blog yet? I’ve tried to access a few times but it just says that it’s coming! 🤔💕

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  3. A beautiful walk on a beautiful day. Coronavirus aside, it’s been a strange spring here … lately has been more like early March rather than approaching mid-May. Thanks for the warm-up feeling. Hope all is well & stay safe.

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    1. Lovely to have you drop by, Frank. It’s thundery and a bit mixed here but we had a lovely walk in the salt marshes this morning. Just going to make himself a sandwich. Take good care of yourself 🤗⛈️☔💕

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    1. It’s so green and rich at the moment, Carol! We’ve had a lot of rainfall these past few weeks, and coupled with the sun it’s brought the world to life. 🙂 🙂

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  8. So beautiful Jo – loved the whole walk, start to finish. And your prose (no I wouldn’t call it text!) :A minute flower, shy in grassy surrounds, or a fragile cluster of froth, swaying to tantalise with the slightest puff of breeze”…how gorgeous is THAT?! Masterfully done.

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    1. That’s so kind, Tina! I love writing the ‘text’ to try and convey a mood, or my random feelings. The picture might tell the story but it’s often only half a story, don’t you think? 🙂 🙂 (I had a breathless few minutes this morning when my laptop wouldn’t ‘wake up’. It’s an old dear and one of these days is going to expire in the night. I will be bereft 😦 ) Thanks for your lovely company, hon. Makes life worthwhile, sometimes when you’re a bit down.

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      1. Agree wholeheartedly Jo. And as for your laptop, I fear I’m in the same place. Doing lots of backups just in case and know it’s coming but gosh that’s a big $$$ hit!

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    1. It’s been a strange year in more ways than one, Lynn. Early Spring here and Summer started but then we have April showers, in May. I’m losing all sense of time 🤗🌹🌼💕

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  13. There’s nothing more beautiful and cheerful than wildflowers. At the moment nearby woods are blazing with bluebells and it’s not too long until the rest of flowers will follow. Thanks for sharing, it looks like a great walk. Aiva 😊

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    1. Including the railway bridge we have 6 bridges within a short space of each other. One high level road bridge carries traffic around the edge of Tavira. The other 4 are more intimate. Happy to share them with you 🙂 🙂

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