Jo’s Monday walk : a floral dance

You may remember last fortnight I had a mild flirtation with the trees here in the Algarve. I enjoyed it so much that I thought I might get a little closer to the ground this week. Across northern Europe, Spring is beginning to bloom. Here it is already well established. Shall we dance?

  • Mimosa shimmy in the breeze
  • Marguerite sway, in more stately fashion
  • But blossom…
  • can reach the dizzy heights of the floral dance

Life may have its limits for us humans right now, but nature doesn’t seem to have noticed. Colourful blooms burst forth with exuberance, and we can only try and replicate the joy of their dance. Remember Terry Wogan’s terrible Floral Dance? He was never without a smile.

Bees buzz and twirl in partnership with the wild flowers that carpet the land. Yellow seems to predominate in amongst the luxuriant green, with here and there a spike of deep lilac or a smudge of blue. The dance can lead us up to the hills or out towards the sea, dipping to stroke and admire, filling our senses. The white broom shivers seductively in the hint of breeze, its days already numbered.

  • Gates control the flow of salt water
  • Shadows dancing as we tread the narrow path
  • Gently brushed by soft white broom
  • The sea so near, tantalising, but out of reach

Filled with the serenity the sea can always bring me, I turn my steps inland. Here the cistus are flirting with the hills, dancing in wild abandon.

  • Tiny blue stars sparkle in the shade
  • While one cistus finds a strange partner
  • And another basks in warm sunshine
  • But all are outshone by the flouncing skirts of this beauty

Much water has flowed down these hills this winter, and the gurgle of a stream we sometimes cross has become a clamouring torrent.

  • The stepping stones have vanished
  • Beneath the frolicking water

Time to turn our steps for home, but the dance is not yet done. Almost on my doorstep, the blooms still court my attention.

  • Flamenco red lanterna
  • Aeonium pulsating with colour
  • Delicious jasmine scents the air
  • Ameixa (plum) or pessego (peach)?
  • And my very own bougainvillea

The softness of an Algarve Spring is all around me. A world full of softness and abundance. I hope that Ann-Christine approves.

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #137 – Soft

walking logo

Walks proliferate this week. I noted in my Reader this morning that there are a couple of others and I’ll include them next time. Please try and visit each other. I’ll be back in two weeks. Join me next time on Jo’s Monday walk.

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A volcanic lagoon seems like a great destination to me. Thanks, Graham!

A walk around Kiholo Bay

Fancy a bit of a climb? Carol will make it worth the effort, and fill you full of wonder :

Don’t Count, Just Go Up!

Where There is Water

Marsha and Vince are enjoying territory new to them :

#Prescott Walk 5: Peavine Trail

Prescott Walk #6 Willow Lake Trail

Drake is a man who loves an adventure in the snow :

Snowy walk

While Lady Lee simply loves snow!

February Love Me 14

Did you ever see such icicles? Wrap up warm, Rupali!

Weekend 115: Let’s walk together – A glimpse of real life

I think it’s warming up a little where Yvette is!

Walk with Jo and Thoreau Quote: Deal with brute nature. Be cold, hungry and weary.

The stuff of my dreams, with Gilda :

Hiking the Rugged Cinque Terre Coastline

Scaling the heights with Sheetal was ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’. Truly!

Story of my Spirited Hike to Daulatabad Fort

Much easier but less thrilling, unless you play with the Bunsen Burner, a low level walk with Denzil :

The Eikelberg Walk in Gelrode

English villages are easy on the eye. There’s usually a pub and a church. Join Shazza in Lancashire :

Bolton-by-Bowland walk

And it’s always easier reading a book than walking, but Mel likes to do both :

The Highs and Lows of the South West Coast Path, GB

Love a stroll in a city by the water, just looking at life? So do I, and so does my friend Cady :

Just Strollin’ in Oslo

Twelve years ago I spent a special birthday on Madeira. Lovely memories rekindled for me by Becky :

A hiking adventure in Funchal

That’s all for now. Feel free to join me any time with a walk of your own. Take good care, and have a happy March!

149 comments

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  2. Oh, Wow! I have Spring jumping out at me from your photos, Jo. I also love being close to the sea/ocean. Yes, serenity. The Flamenco red lanterna almost looks like the dress of a flamenco dancer. Thank you for sharing a beautiful post!🙂

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  3. I am having serious colour envy looking at these blooms of vivid colour jo. Even here when we are out in snow filled wonderland, I think that nature has not received any messages about pandemic issues. here everything is steady. Perhaps that is why it is such good therapy for us all to be outside.

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  7. What a beautiful post Jo – you write so poetically and the spring blooms are stunning. I especially love the juxtaposition of the purples and yellows together in one of the photos – I painted Mlle’s room in similar colours when she was a baby! Didn’t get round to a post last week though we had a lovely weekend (it was a public holiday here on Monday for Labour Day, not sure why we have it now but we always have done). Autumn arrived with a bang – we had a month’s worth of rain in one day on Monday and it has continued all week. We have another storm approaching now and you can feel the energy in the air – it’s so humid. Off out to my weekly German class soon – not sure my head will cope with 2 hours of German when it is so stifling but we’ll see. Hope all is well with you and I’ll be back on the blog soon, take care xx 🙂 🙂

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    1. Two hours of Portuguese would have me flat on my back, Rosemay! You’ve done amazingly to keep your German going all this time. You must love it. 🙂 🙂 Best bit of the year here in many ways. Just waiting for a bit more freedom.

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      1. I do have my moments Jo but I’ve always pushed through as I know I will lose it if I don’t keep going! It’s become a social thing too as many of us have done the German classes for several years now. I do enjoy it though and it does get easier the more I practice – still it’s definitely tiring to speak 2 hours of German at a reasonably fluent level! I always love the change of seasons and those spring blossoms are simply gorgeous. Hopefully you can venture further soon! 🙂 🙂

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  8. Lots of beauties in this post, Jo. It must be heartwarming to know spring is on the way. It’s lovely to see the mimosa, which we know as wattle. It’s an Australian native and our national floral emblem. Also interesting to see the lantana. It grows here too but is not a native. It was introduced as an ornamental garden plant but unfortunately it flourished in the bush. It’s regarded as a weed because of its habit of choking out other plants and has been eradicated in many areas. Funny how a plant can be much loved in one country but very much unwanted in another.

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    1. It was the perfect accompaniment, Becky. In this new world of ours I doubt we’ll go back. Just spent a lovely morning in the hills with 2 friends. Barely even looked through my camera. People are so much more important. 🤗💕

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  13. Fabulous photos Jo, really looks like spring has arrived in the Algarve. So beautiful and good for the soul seeing all those colours and life blooming all around you.

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      1. Yeah we’re doing alright after a difficult month. Down in St Leonards now for a month so walks along the coast again which is lovely.

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