Winter in the valley is a scene of faded colour, wrinkled fruit, fallen leaves and on some days surprisingly hot sun. The remaining quinces which still cling to the branches are dessicated where they hang… Although the leaves have fallen from the wild fig trees, the plums of riverside reeds remain… Underfoot are leaves and acorns… But the oak leaves stay green, so much so that this view up the wildside of the track doesn’t look like January… And the blue sky looks the same in August, the only giveaway is the bare branches… The Almond Field is tidy, ploughed after the almond harvest and the last produce from the veggie patch has been picked… Rainfall has been minimal and the river is low… In the winter sunshine, the first wildflowers appear… But the twigs underfoot on the track remind us that it is winter… The veggie patch awaits spring planting… The view across the valley is gilded with silver… The pale grey trunks and branches of the poplars are highlighted by the sun, whitened, lightened… And the view back up the track towards the house winds through the holm oaks. 5 to remember
desecado/a – dessicated
el penacho – the plume
violeta – violet
las ramitas – the twigs
debajo de los pies – underfoot