Showing posts with label Almond Blossoms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Almond Blossoms. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Up for a walk? Wear comfy shoes, cause this is a doozy!


Hello everyone, it's been a while - again. I've missed you! I'm glad you're here - if you haven't completely abandoned me, already - since I'm not here as often as I used to be. But, more on that, later. Let's walk, shall we?


 We'll start from my house; that way,
 you'll know where it is, next time you come.

 

If you've visited me on Instagram, lately, you'll know 
that almond blossoms are everywhere, right now. 


Their sweet, honey-like scent fills 
the air with the promise of spring.


I never tire of this particular spot, near our home. I have taken its picture many times throughout my years of blogging, where bare grapevines take centre stage, while silver leaved trees beaded with olives and bobbles of oranges beaming from another, act as a chorus, harmoniously illustrating how a variety of very different produce thrives so well, in such close proximity to one another, on this island.


In contrast, white mustard, (yes, it's yellow!), has invaded winter vineyards, all on its own. The adorable flowers add cheery colour to the fruitless vines, and every time I walk by this one, I want to merrily run through it, like a little girl, without a care in the world. 


Heading out towards the next village, this beautiful branch
 of almond blossoms in the distance, beckoned me 
to bestow its allure from up close,

 
thus forcing me to take a new path, deeper into the 
Cretan countryside, one which I had never explored before.

 

Do you see where I'm going with all this? 

Fields of aloe vera, vineyards, fruit and olive groves form the width of the countryside surrounding our village, while the mountains in the background soar to magnificent heights.

There are many reasons, my friends, that have been keeping me from posting as often as I'd like, but  I won't bore you with what they are. Besides, we probably have a lot of them in common. Just like the rows upon rows of aloe vera in the pic above, most days, my long list of 'to dos' seems endless, so that the components of composing a blog post, i.e., writing a theme oriented (as I tend to do), piece of prose, photographing 'subjects', formatting its text and pics, editing, editing and editing,😓 somehow, gets pushed to the bottom of the priority pile, and thus, days turn into weeks and weeks morph into months!🗓😲 Anyway, it's not like there's a rule that dictates how often one should post, but if you're like me, and really need to reach your creativity quota every few days or so, you could have a problem.



Or not. Enter Instagram! It allows me to post random pics, (although I tend to do triplets with a bit of text), in a few minutes. I really appreciate the frequent interaction with my followers, too; even just popping by to say 'Hi!',😊 is always a sweet gesture! As I've pointed out in a previous blog post, Instagram will never replace my blog process, as I really enjoy being challenged by what a blog post involves, but it is more achievable, for me, for now, regarding time and effort.


Interestingly, this seems to be a timely topic, since recently, I've come across several bloggers who are dealing with similar questions as to why they, too, are not posting as often. Some have explained that they don't have anything to report, or no new pics to share, they are not feeling inspired, or are too bombarded by deadlines in the real world. All good and valid reasons, wouldn't you agree? 


Unfortunately, I've lost a few followers the last few months, which I assume is due to the inconsistency of my posts - driving readers away because I've become blasé is too scary a thought! On the contrary, there are blogs that still grace my sidebar which haven't been updated in years, but that doesn't mean that they never will, and when they do, I will dash over to read them and say 'hello' to their authors and tell them how much I missed them and how happy I am that they're back. But if they don't ever appear at the top of my list, as blogs do when a new post is published, I will continue to keep their thumbnails there, like I do old photos, to remind me of their creators and their wonderful worlds.


Well, this blogger's all talked out 
and you are, no doubt, all walked out, 
so I'll say goodbye for now.  
But before we part ways, 
tell me, are you, too, 
going through a phase
 of unintentional delays, causing
 you 'blogger mystery' malaise?

As always, 
thanks for visiting!
xx
Poppy💟

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Cotton Candy Coloured Bling



Hello everyone! Last week, Liberty and I took a different route on our daily afternoon walk after spotting this beautiful almond tree in the distance. After a giddy decent downhill, we soon were standing before it. Stopping to take a photo, I cannot express to you how peaceful I felt, the cool breeze brushing my hair back, to focus on the serene scene before me: a pure, pastoral paradise 


A wide variety of fruit bearing trees, among them, cherry, peach, plum, pear, walnut and chestnut, each taking turns to be in the limelight, thrive in the area. But presently, it is the soft and delicate beauty of the almond blossom that captures everyone's attention, just as this puff of pink petals did ours! It is the reason we detoured from our usual path and well worth the challenging climb uphill, back towards the village,    


where we were welcomed by fluffy, fragrant, vanilla flowers


belonging to one of many almond trees that 
decorate the village skies at this time of year.

 

This branch, part of a bouquet that sits on my
  kitchen window sill, is bursting with new buds,


   and from a bird's eye view, an abundance of blossoms.


But, aside from all the cotton candy coloured bling,
the frilly almond blossoms promise Spring,
my favourite season since my Autumn fling,
for the rays of light and hope that it will bring.


What's sprouting in your surroundings?


Thanks for visiting
and happy weekend!

xoxo

Sunday, February 23, 2014

The Awesome Almond Blossom

Vincent van Gogh: Almond Tree in Blossom

Here in the Mediterranean, we are blessed with a temperate
 climate, and the last few weeks have been wonderfully
warm with highs reaching a balmy 22ºC /72ºF.


These pleasant conditions were a sunny invitation for the almond
 blossoms to come out and dazzle us with their pretty petals,

Vincent van Gogh: Blossoming Almond Branch in a Glass with a Book

 in playful, pastel pinks and chiffon, waify whites,
 overshadowed only by their own signature fragrance.


 A few weeks ago, they burst onto the scene,
 demanding our undivided attention,


not that this was necessary,
 as they had it from the moment they arrived.

 

In a splendour of silky softness, 

Vincent van Gogh: Branches of an Almond Tree in Blossom


they sprung from their gnarly, wooden apparatus,
 to dance daintily in the breeze, like weightless trapeze artists, 


  lightly floating to the ground, where the wind 
scattered them sporadically across the land,


unless they were snatched by a travelling talent scout, 
grooming them to gracefully grow, and bloom, and sprout,

Vincent van Gogh: Blossoming Almond Branch in a Glass

 into magical, awesome blossoms, magnificent throughout.


 A big welcome to my new followers and warm hugs to all!
Thanks for visiting! Wishing you a lovely week ahead! 
xo
Poppy

Photos: Poppy View
Van Gogh images: Google