Showing posts with label bees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bees. Show all posts

Thursday, 3 March 2011

the birds and the.... er... - by Theo

One of my favourite walking routes for Rosie's morning nap is the park of Los Molinos, about 10/15 minutes stride away on the posher side of Arturo Soria. A lovely landscaped park that was once the property of a noted local architect, Rosie and I have become such a regular feature there that I'm now on "buenas dias" terms with several of the dog walkers there - one even apparently knows if he's running late if we're leaving as he arrives!
Over the past couple of weeks the park has become increasingly beautiful as the blossom has made an appearance, and with it the photographers. Several of the walks are completed surrounded by fruit and nut trees in full flower, and the scent is delightful.


So, as temperatures hovered in the early twenties last weekend I suggested to Kate that we head to the park before Rosie's naptime to give our now confidently crawling little girl a chance to try out her skills on grass. She was less than impressed - occasionally putting out a hand as if to test the water before quickly withdrawing it at the strange texture. She was quite taken by some falling blossom, stroking the petals gently, but generally she was, as ever, far more taken with her shoe.
Still, it was a lovely afternoon, fresh but warm in the sun with birdsong and the heavy smell of nectar all around. It was only as we left that I realised what was missing. In all my visits to Los Molinos I have yet to see a bee or, for that matter, a pollinator of any kind. Sad to think that all that beautiful blossom may never bear fruit.

Friday, 6 June 2008

goddq, french keyboqrds

Apologies for not blogging much recently. After the fun and frolics in Barcelona we have popped back to Cathy (Kate's mum) and Jean's house in the Lot region of France for a few days to clean up and chill out.

The excellent food, convivial atmosphere, swarming bees (quite a spectacle) and even-tempered games of cards are some of the reason's we haven't been blogging much. The other reason is the blooy french keyboard on Cathy's computer!!! Oh for qwerty! It's particularly hard for Kate who is a touch typist (I'm a two finger stabber) though the sticky 'd' and the mouse's random habit of jumping the cursor halfway back up the page affects us all!

We've had a lovely time, as usual, and are now heading towards Italy. Our rear windscreen is still unfixed - we're hoping a replacement will meet us at Nice, but I wouldn't be surprised if we turn up at Cherbourg in 5 weeks time with the hole still taped up with gaffa.

Ciao!