THE MANY LAYERS OF CHRISTMAS

       Peel back the many layers of Christmas and we find a whole
  host of rites and rituals connected to the olde agricultural calender.
  The winter solstice being the culmination of the year gone by and the
   beginning of the new. They are often called Pagan, "Paganus" pertaining
   to the  countryside, yule time meaning the wheel ! It is usually said that
   there are 12 days to Christmas but if one includes Christmas eve, which
   is the most important day/evening in, many countries, we have our
   13. There are 13 luna months in the year, in fact this december has 2 full
   moons. It was pope Gregory 13th who reformed the calender and dropped
   13th month. There are 13 ingredients in the Christmas pudding, which should be
   stirred from east to west (the path of the sun accross the skys). Later the burning
   brandy burning, sybolizes the suns heat.

     The Feast of Misrule, Saturnalia, or the feast of fools.From the latin "Festum
   fatuorum, festum stultorum". A Roman feast in honour of the god Saturn.
   The God of sown seeds. It was a great time of feasting and merry making,
   when roles were reversed and  it was presided over by the King of misrule, he
   ruled for his short term and was then slain!.

    The holly berries (female,) the mistletoe (male), symbolic of new life were
   bought into the house on Christmas eve, along with the tree, symbolic of the
   world tree. Incidently the Fly Agaric fungus appears under this fur tree. A favorite of
   raindeer and shamens. The distinctive red and white markings so much part of
   Santas outfit. The consumption of the dried fungus would bring out feelings
   of flying and euphoria.!
     Mistletoe is an interesting- nervine and narcotic. It is also known as "heal all",
   being apparently an anti cancer herb. It comes under the rule of Freya-Frigga,
   the goddess of love. It brings good luck ,love and peace. It is a parasitic plant
   and is said to hold the soul of the host plant together. Legend has it that Freyas
   son Bolder (God of summer), was killed by his brother Hoder, using an arrow
   made from mystletoe. His death brought winter. The mystletoe, heart broken
   pledged "yuletide", to kiss under the misletoe relieves the pain of loss and brings
   back the light of life. In the past enemies who met under this magical plant would
   lay down there arms, in a jesture of peace and goodwill.
     To go wassailing,(be well). Folk would go out to the trees with a wassail cup of
   mulled wine and sing to the trees, dipping in toast and blessing the trees.

     In Ireland on Christmas eve they would light the (bloc na Nollag) christmas log.
   The log from the year before was used to light the new one. It was also a time to
   remember the dead. Candles were lit in every room to bring back the sun. The
   house was white washed ready for  Christmas and decorated with holly and ivy
     on St Stephens day wren boys would go out with a holly bush dressed in ribbons,
   and a model of a wren on top singing from door to door, where they were given,
   money, cake and refreshments.

     And so to the last day of Christmas,(womens day in Ireland). The day of the three
   kings , when the children received gifts.


   

A TUNIC OF GOLD.

     The most fasinating counter in 'Murkingdonner' (as we call it),
  is the fish counter. What a treasure trove of the deep blue.
  l always stop to inhale the smell of the sea and ponder the lives
  of the bounty displayed.

     Great mountains of molluscs. After purchasing a few kilos of the
  mussels one has the task of cleaning them! They have that funny
  beardy  bit that you have to pull of. Well this, in days of old, was
  woven into garments that shone like gold. They were very popular
  with the aristocracy,especially those of southern Europe. Indeed
  the 'Field of the cloth of gold', was an historic meeting between
  Henry Vlll  and The King of France. So called because so many of
  the nobles assembled there were wearing tunics made from the
  beards of bivalves!

     The long arm of the octopus. During courtship the male octopus
  exsposes certain particularly large suckers, making a pass at the
  female. Deep sea flashers. Then with his third arm he caresses her.
  The 'hectocotylus' arm. He then places elaborate packages of sperm
  'spermatophores' into her oviduct. This can take several hours. She
  lays about one thousand five hundred eggs, each in an oval capsule
  about the size of a grain of rice. She festoons her 'Villa', so called
  because they take up residence in rocky holes. She then attends to
  her eggs for weeks on end, cleaning them with her arms and
  blowing water over them. During this time she can fast for several
  months.

     Jumping cockles. Apparently cockles have been observed leaping
  out of the way of stalking starfish.

     There are also those fascinating freakish dwellers of the depths, the
  deep sea angler fish or deep sea devils. The females are solitary
  predators equipped with lanterns to attract their prey. The much
  smaller males attach themselves to the female after sniffing them
  out. They  parasitize themselves to her, often in the wrong place.
  Female angle fish have been found  wearing their husbands on their
  heads!

     So l walk away. How many fish stalls are there selling these
  wondrous wares? How long can Neptune cater to our appetites?
  Food for thought.
 



 
 

   WHY COCKSPARROW ?

     Whilst walking in the sand dunes around Winterton, as a child. l once
  found a dead Kestrel. It was the most perfect and exotic bird of prey l had
  ever come so close to. l held it in awe and fascination. l stroked it, admired
  its colour, feathers, wings, talons and beak. l loved it and wanted to keep it.
  l didn't want to leave it behind. l begged my father to let me keep it.What
  could he do, it was going to spoil, as l didn't want to bury it! So after some
  time he came up with a plan."O K, then we will go and see old Freddie", he
  said. So we did with the little dead bird.

     Freddies place was a bungalow on the Larkman lane in Norwich. Old
  Freddie looked just like the Crow Man from Worzel Gummage. Freddie
  was a Taxidermist. I was gob smacked. His house was like a trappers
  hut. From floor to ceiling it was stuffed with every sort of animals, birds,
  beasts, reptiles, insects, fish, frogs and god knows what. l was star struck.
  Alas Freddie said that my little find was beyond repair. But he showed us
  around and made tea.That was it the dye had been cast. So we left him.

     Soon after l found a dead cocksparrow. With visions of Lazarus, l set about
  trying my hand at resurrecting the bird. By the time l had finished it and
  setting it on a twig, it had gone through quite a transformation. l could not
  be more proud but, l had compleated it. The next time I met old Freddie l
  showed off my acheivement. He was silent for awhile then laughed. "Well"
  he said, When l was a boy l tried to stuff a mole and took it to the workshop
  of a victorian taxidermist named Tom Gunn. He to had laughed but told
  Fred that because he had tried, he would take him on as an apprentice.
  So Freddie told me that he would do the same for me.

      Every Sunday from then on l would cycle up to Freds place and learn the
  art of taxidermy. I learnt many things, that a Gannets nostrils are inside their
  beak, so that the water doesn't go up their noses while diving. That foxes have
  a bone in their doo daar and never cut through the musk glands of a stoat. l
  learnt how to skin rats, rabbits, owls, fish and much more. How to get old body
  out, how to put the new one in.How to put eyes in and take brains out. All
  interesting stuff. I joined the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalist Society. We
  cycled around the country lanes picking up road kill. On whitch we dinned.
  l never became that accomplished at taxidermist. For ever after Fred used to
  call me his little Cocksparrow.

   STUCK UP AN ALMOND TREE.

    My daughter and grandson came running in the other day, saying quick
   "grab a camera and a book on small mammals". So l did. They said that
    there was a mystery animal stuck an almond tree, by the little corral, at
    rear of our neighbour Annas cotijo. The same place as the sighting of the lbex
    eating the very same tree.

     Anna had been alerted by, what she thought was a cat fight between her
    cat and another tabby. They were having a tussel on the ground. So she
    had grabbed a hose pipe and sprayed them to break them up. The mystery
    cat had fled up the almond tree and was looking down at us.

    It had along nose, trangular white markings on its face, under its eyes and
    black markings on the sides of its face.  The ears were large and transluscent
    in the sun.A black line ran down its back. It was generally grey with black spotted
    markings down its body. The tail was long with bands of black. The throat and
    chin were also white. It was rather cat like but had shorter limbs and a longer body.
    A Genet. Wow what a pretty little creature.

     There high in the tree it sat watching us. One does not often see them as they are
    noctural. My daughter climbed onto the roof opposite to take some photos. The inset
    to cocksparrow is this very little animal. So we stayed to look awhile. It moved about
    the tree with great agility, almost like a squirrel. Poor creature, it looked tired. So
    we left. Anna later said that it had stayed all day and left when the sun sank!

    These lovely animals were first bought to Spain as domestic pets by the Maghreb,
    many many years ago. Their diet includes, scorpians, centipedes, lizards, rodents,
    and many other nastys. Also birds, bird eggs, fruit and olives. All in all a very
    usefull pet to have around. If taken as kittens they can be tamed and are very
    loyal to their adoptive humans. But can become quite distraught if separated.
    Captive Genets have been known to live for ten years and much more.

   THE BEAUTIFUL FLOWER,

   was an Asphodelus albus, it is very tall, the flowers on their stem are
   many and look very lilly like.

   The beatiful girl is my grandchild, we were playing a game.

   The Asphodelus is a stunning plant ,it grows wild all over our part of spain,
    it can reach heights of two metres. The leaves are long and thin, growing out of
    the base.It is often grown in gardens.
   
    There is much folk lore attached to it.
     It has great connections with the under world.
     In some parts of the world, Whitches use the stems as a weopon in their dreams.
 
     The stems can also be used to make baskets.
     The leaves used to wrap round soft cheese.
     The flower buds picked, blanched, preserved in olive oil are ued like capers.
     It is also known as 'poor mans potatoes' , the roots being edible.
     Honey made by bees feeding from its flowers, is very delicately flavoured.

     It is also said to be a good treatment for snake bite!.
 

   THE BEAUTIFUL FLOWER.


   High up on the mountain top,
   l rest to take stock.
 
   Such a peacefull timeless place.
   Wherever l look is an open space.

   A young girl appears before me,
   with her hair,
    a halo in the sunlit air.

   She sits down to talk.
   "l'm glad you came on this walk" she said.
   " There is a flower,
   it takes a hundred years to grow,
   not days.
   Shall we wait for it to flower? ".
   She asks.

   "Yes". l reply

   "We can make our home here among the stones", she said.

   So we did and waited.
   Eventually it came.
   It was her height.
   Just the same.

   A huge tall stem.
   With flowers of lilly white.

   We ran to it and said "How beautiful are you".
   We danced around it and and sang ,
   We smelled it's scent.

   The beautiful girl kissed it and hugged it,
   and pulled me in to.

   I'm glad we waited.
   We hailed it Adios,
   then walked back down.

 " CHEEP CHEEP"


   Went to lunch one fine day at my friend Julies cortijo. We were all
   seated outside around a laden table and were about to eat, when
   the lady opposite said to me "Hope you don't mind snakes, but there
   is one dangling from the roof just above your head ! "

   I was sitting with my back to the wall. I turned and looked up. Sure
   enough a snake was dangling from the eves with it's head under the
   tiles. " Oh " l said and moved away to the other side of the table, not
  wanting it to land on my head.!

   We sat back and watched. It was not a ladder snake. It had diamond
   patterns down it's body. Oh a Viperine we thought. But l must admit
   l have never seen one away from water. Julies house stands quite high
   and away from the river bed.

   We coulld hear little nestling sparrows saying " cheep cheep" All at once a
   nestling shrieked, then all was quite. Next we heard another scream .
  A deathly silence followed for sometime. The parents arrived. They protested
   and hopped about. The snake came out. The parents bombarded it. The
   snake left across the roof.

   The parents never entered that nest again. Strangely enough Julie has had
   a few chicken fatalities in the past. On one  autopsy a bird was found
   with two puncture marks on its body. Snake bite had been thought at
   the time.!

 

 

   SITTING  UNDER A FIG TREE.


      As I sit under a fig tree, l watch  a tumble bug or dung beetle
   ( Coprophagous) come tumbling along with a large ball of dung.
   l love these Latin names, my favourite has to be (Turdus Turdus.)

     The figs are not ready yet, but when they are open the fleshy fruits
   to reveal the red succulent interior. This is where the single sexed
   flowers are.. A pollinating beetle (Blastophaga grossorum), enters
   the fruit through a small opening at the apex to lay her eggs, pollinating
   as she moves from one tree to another. When the eggs hatch out the
   grublets eat the fruit. Watch out for them, or " just fignore them" ,
   as my niece would say.

     Half ripe figs are semi-poisonous. On the other hand the fig fruit
   and sap are used medicinally against, boils, skin infections, warts,
   insect bites, stings and of course syrup of figs! Never burn fig wood
  it is hugely noxious.

     The fig tree is mentioned in the Bible more times than any other
   plant. Its leaf being the first garment for mankind. This l rather
   contest. Be carefull the leaves are scratchy and can bring on a
   nasty rash.

     Indeed, as in days of old when Knights were bold and used a blade
   of grass, I was caught short  and having no blades of grass,
   I plucked the nearest green leaf !( a fig leaf ). Minutes later I
   suffered the most dreadful reaction. Luckily there was a water
   channel nearby.

    Fig wood is easily bent and can be used to make bent wood furniture,
   garlands, hoops ect: The wilder Egyptian fig was used , because of its
   light- weight  durability for making mummy coffins.

   THE ILLUMINATI


   Every bug has it's day or night. Last night l was  visited by some noisy,
   brown, half inch long beetles, crashing around the supper table.

   One flew into my glass of ale. I watched it flail and then rescued it.
   For the next twenty minutes it entertained itself running around in
   circles, and falling about. Feeling rather guilty l picked it up to steady
   it, when suddenly two little lights lit up on it's bottom! " A Glow Beetle".

   That's the male, or glow worm the female, so named because she is
   wingless and fairly long in the body. Any thing in olden days , that was
   long and crawling around was named a worm. The females also shine
   at night on the ground below, the last three segments of their body are
   strongly luminescent.

   These beetles belong to the family "Lampyridae", (Lampyris noctiluca)
   "Night Light"!,which also includes the fire flies. The buzzing males
   are the fliers. They have two very tiny light producing organs at the tip
   of the abdomen, these can be turned off and on at will. They are most
   active in June and July, when after having gone through a three year
   process, they appear as adults, " on - masse". Preferring damper
   conditions they emerge to flash their illuminations at one another.

   The  grounded females can attract many suitors, but choose only one.

   The lava feed on snails. Snails are plentiful here, especially after rain.
    l have often found empty shells occupied not by snails but by black
    crawling wingless glow worm lava. These long segmented little
    carnivores track snails down following their slime trails. When found
    they drive their hollow mandibles into the snailsl flesh, injecting  a
    dark fluid, partly paralizing, partly digestive, reducing the snails to a
    predigested soup!

    Sadly modern all night lighting attracts the fickle males away from
    the females, leaving them old maids. This is why they are seldom
    found in large numbers anymore.
.





 
.

   DRIVING OVER TORTOISES.


   After all the recent rains, it has been reported that the Parque Comercial
   was awash with tortoises.

   We also have them here in the Almanzora valley. They have been spotted
   on the hillsides, along the river  bed, down in the fields and in gardens.
   I have found several empty shells showing signs of injuries due to hoeing
   and more recently they have been found crushed by lorry's tearing up the
   Almanzora river bed.

   If found alive it is essential never to remove them from their habitat. They
   are a protected species. They have a daily rountine that is ingrained to
   travel the same path, removing leads to disorientation. Thay are active in
   the mornings and evenings, spending the hottest hours buried in the ground
   or under a stone. Tortoises are mainly vegetarian but will feed on carrion.
   They can eat the dung of others and chalk, the latter nescessary for healthy
   hard shells.

   Far from being slow the tortoise can really move. l was once  sitting in a friends
   garden, several were rampaging around the garden, the males were persuing
   a lone female at a terrific pace. They were throwing  themselves at her,
   nipping her legs and generally molesting her to try to slow her down. Then
   with much clanking of shells they all tried to pile on top. I feared for my feet.  
   Later a male was found splayed out on the lawn, fearing him dead picked him
   up and there hanging pinkly his exhausted apparatus! The females lay up to a
   dozen round white hard shelled eggs, which she buries leaving the sun to incubate
   them.

   There are three types of tortoises in Europe. Hermanns tortoise, found mainly
   in Italy and southern Europe. The similar spur-thighed tortoise found in the
   eastern Balkans and Spain. These are the ones now banned from being sold
   in pet shops. Lastly the marginated tortoises found only in Greece and
   Sardinia. These populations were allegedly a result of them being given as
   gifts to ones fiancee!
 

  PUSSIES IN MOROCCO

   Pregnant, purring,
   petted pussies.

   Sitting in bowls,
   on chairs,
   in windows,
   waiting



     SOUK PUSSIE

      I saw a little pussy cat,
      it's fur all grey  and fluffy.
      l watched her as she played all day,
      with bits of cast off stuffy.

      l called her Souk and
      wanted her for my own.

      Purring on the rubbish pile.

      So next day,
      l passed her way,
      to see if she was there!

      But o no,
      what's that,
      a little flat,
      squished
      pussie cat!

 
 
   
     
   


     
     
 

A HALLOWEEN HAWK MOTH.


  This time last year, in southern spain, l was watering my garden,
by the little pond. Here grows a rather lovely winter jasmine,
which had been cultivated from a cutting. l had recently noticed
that several  branches had been stripped of leaves!  I carried on
spraying it from a distance, when l noticed, what l thought was a
large plastic toy hanging from a twig. l sprayed some more, trying
to knock it off. But no it hung on. l put the hose down and went in
for a closer look and to my amazement saw a spectacular
caterpillar. I took some good photos, but can't get them up on this
tablet!

  It was a vivid green, with diagonal stripes along it's sides. lt was
the length of my hand, and had a little tail. When l disturbed it, it
hung it's head down, imitating a twig branching off. l looked deeper
into the bush and saw another, but this one was brown apart from
its head, which was white, almost in the design of a skull! Ahha a
deaths head hawk moth.

  Yes, l did a bit of investigation and sure enough they were. The
brown one was ready to drop to the ground where it would bury itself
and pupate. Normally these beautiful creatures feed on members
of the solanacea family of plants. Now l understood why my plant
had been stripped of leaves!  They are also said, as adult moths, to feed
on the honey from bee hives. There are plenty of those up on the
mountains. l visited them for several days to watch them feed,  they
did day and night. Till eventually l saw them no more. First the brown
one disapeared, then the green one turned brown and did the same.

WELL I'll BE LYNXED.



Some time ago, after very heavy rain and the river running for sometime.
I went out for a tramp in the receding waters, where, under an outcrop of
rocks, resembling lion king, l came upon the footprints of many animals,
in the mud at the base. lt was an area of about 1 metre sqare. lt appeared
as if a battle of some sort had gone on.

l sat and stared at the muddy impressions. There were many, large and
small. Some looked to me like badger, they had six toes and visible claws.
The others looked like cat. Five toes and no claws. Some where large,
some small. l decided to make some casts of them. They turned out well.

l also searched for any other signs. The cane growing around was very
dense, but it had pathways through it. Between the site of the muddy battle
and the outcrop was a pool of water, that could only be crossed by
swimming or leaping. A freshly dug toilet revealed its delivery. Above in
thick undergrowth was a small cave.

Lynx came to mind. The footprints were certainly a good size. I decided to
show the casts to the local vets. One said no they can't be because they are
not found in this part of Spain, but the other took one look at them and
pointed to a poster of a Lynx and said "Lynx".

I have heard many stories of sightings, especially at dawn and dusk.
Running across roads and crying in the night. The best story was of
two large cat like animals seen on a mountain road in the early hours.
They said that they were definatly Lynx because they could see their
 long tails !!!.

INTO THE WOODS

   Sometimes nature can be a bit rude!
   This is a stinkhorn.

HOTEL AZANA Tangers 2009.


  Never mind the smell,
   I think I will stay in this hotel.

  It's very cheap,
  this is where I am going to sleep.

  But as I opened up the door,
  something ran across the floor.

  I tried to ignore it,
   but I knew that I saw it.

  There was no sheet
  upon the bed.
  There was no pillow
  for my head.

  Then l pulled back the cover,
  only to discover,
  dreadfull a
  bedfull
  of
  cockroches.!

  It was quite appauling
  the whole place was crawling.

  lt really was not my imagination,
  it had to be an infestation.

  Honestly it was no hoax,
  there were a million more than one cockroach.

  I don't know how l stayed.
  But I had already paid.

  I slept the night,
  curled up tight
  and did not dare
  turn out the light.

  Whatever was l thinking!
  The whole place was stinking.

                         THINGS THAT GO BUM IN THE NIGHT.

   My sister came to stay with us in southern spain, with a view to buying an old property, had a glorious time untill her final night. She woke the household  yelling "l've been pierced by a red hot needle". Next a  centipede came pouring out from her sheets. This sent her into utter panic. She was running around the kitchen with my daughter throwing vinegar at the offended buttock. Poor sister she was howling like a Banshee! .  Eventually we got her to a different bed with warm words and vodka.

   The centipede  (oryza barbarica) is north african, like so many creatures around here. Centipede would suggest one hundred legs, but in fact they. have twenty pairs. The. first pair are adapted  for piercing and injecting venom. These two legs have been modified over time as poison claws. They are hollow and hold the venom which is made by the poison glands, to which they are connected .The body of this centipede is orange/yellow, each segment being black at the top. Indeed with.a dim eye they could be mistaken for a small serpent. Some reach sizes of up to 7 inches /18cms. l shudder!

   The body covering of centipedes is not waterproof, they easily dry up and die. Like the one in the photo below  which was swept out from under my bed. They are confined to humid surroundings such as compost heaps, under stones, behind sinks, in plug holes,bathroom floors, lurking in damp towels, and in your bed!

   They are hunters, hunting in the cool of the night. Few will hunt them. I have witnessed  a spider deftly tying a writhing one up in its web. In some parts of the world they are welcome visitors, eating flies, locusts and cockroaches, but also geckos and other noctural creatures. I once had a cecko who had taken up residence behind the door to my chicken house. Each morning l would carefully open up trying not to disturb it. l became rather fond of it. One day l found in its place a plump centipede.

  My sister did indeed buy a cortijo next to me and left a note. (Thank you for every thing-it has been great fun, except for !..........!?

   Then she left. On the way back through France she fell in a cesspit!.......

d

SEALS ON THE BEACH AT WINTERTON

There they were upon the sand,

not quite sea and not quite land.

A semi circle on the shore,
at least a hundred if not more.

Great furry fish,
streatching,
relaxing,
yawning and
scratching.

Sometimes singing a haunting song,
that ecoed the waves
of days long gone.

A salty smell upon the swell.
As they lay to pass the day.

Each and every single one,
a pebble dash hulk in the sun.

As we crept across the beach,
for they were within easy reach.

Some lumbered to the water,
where with fluid bodies,
in a liquid home,
either in groups or alone.
They stopped to stare,
dogs heads bobbing.
Or chased and played
were rollers sprayed.

so with fullfilled face,
we left that place.

For we were glad,
to see the sea.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE CHUMBERS!

   In the cool morning air the other year, our neigbours beckoned us over. He was whittling a piece of wood, she was lovingly peeling'chumber fruits', chumbers are the big juicy fruits of the most commonly seen true cactus (Opuntia ficus), the prickly pear or barbary fig. Once seen planted around the family  home acting as a convenience and rubbish tip, but it is also a valued source of food both for animals and humans.


   Having collected them using a long-handled pair of tongs, the greener fruits are the best, be careful, they are covered in little pricks and have to be rolled on the ground and washed to break them. Our neigbour gently picked one up on the end of a sharp knife, holding it carefully between finger and thumb she cut the tops and tails off, then slit them down one side and pulled back the fleshy skin to retrieve the hearts from within, succulent and full of large dark seeds. These were piled onto a plate and put into the fridge to cool.


   "Ah chumbers" they said. They are so good to eat, she could eat only one or two, they have a moving effect on the intestinal track, but he would eat ten to twenty in one sitting "Stong stomach" he said patting his pornch. A friend once said that maybe they have  other qualities,  after all they are cacti !?


   They then went on to tell me that pigs, goats, chickens etc all love to gorge themselves on them. Tha leaves or 'palletas' are also edible, baked or made into a soup. They told me that when the train used to run they would board it at Almanzora with a big bucket full and then walk up and down the carriages selling them for a few cents each, as a thirst quenching snack to fellow passengers. On arrival at Baza they would turn around and catch the next train home. "Very important those chumbers" they said. You could even get denounced to the Guardia for taking someone else's.


   It was the conquistadors who bought the 'opuntia 'from the 'New world' and with them came the cochineal  beetle. Well less of a beetle  more a plant sucking scale bug,closely related to aphids and cicadas. Some time ago I was up in Murcia and noticed that all the chumber/palletas were covered in a white mould, which was smuthering them and killing them. It turns out that this is caused by the cochineal bugs. They produce this  mould like web to stick themseleves to the cactus. Now it has arrived in our area and is turning a once spectacular plant into a mouldy mess.

The World Cock.

      Woke up the other morning , to the sound of a cock crowing. Then in the distance I heard another then beyond that another,  and so it went on and on. Wow I thought that morning crow must travel round and round the world! 

The Cicada

Et cantu querula rumpent arbusta cicada. Nil carborundum ilijitemi.

The searing heat is upon us. As soon as the sun rises then the Cicada start their screeching. My granddaughter came down from upstairs saying what ever is that screaming outside? I listened and realized that it was the Cicadas in the trees. I said that's Cicadas. Oh, she said what are they? So I told her that they were insects..Where do they come from and what do they do? Well, I replied, they are grubs in the ground for years then one day they come out of the ground, and climb a tree. That screaming noise is them calling to each other. Then they lay their eggs and die. She thought for a while, then said, is that all they do, be born, climb trees, scream at each other, then die! Why don't they get a life?

One man's headache is another man's music. But to others, their sonic singing was so highly regarded that the symbol of the Cicada can be seen in their art, sitting on the strings of the Cythera. High born Athenians wore golden ornaments in their hair and the coins of the Lorians carried its image. I would imagine that it was seen as some kind of sex symbol. With all that singing for a mate. They were even eaten, satisfying mind, body and spirit.

It's the males who are calling. The apparatus for producing such noise is a complicated arrangement of taught parchments, membranes, flaps, resonating cavities, projections, abdominal contractions and explanations, producing a seemingly endless rising and falling cantilena. This is found nowhere else in the kingdom of animals.

One can creep up on these noisy songsters but with three eyes they can spot us and quickly move to the other side of the branch to hide. They look a bit like huge horse flies and will readily take to the wing, often blundering through open car windows. They feed on the sap of the trees they occupy. After the wedding and honeymoon they reproduce themselves. The female cuts deeply into the host tree and lays five to eight eggs at a time, then the newly weds all fall down and die.

But the little ones are safe inside the branches where they hatch, descend below, burrow into the soil and feed on the sap of the roots and await another searing summer day to rise up again.

The Spanish Ibex

 I was looking out at the mountain the other day just staring into space when I heard rocks falling. I looked up and saw some goats just crossing the hillside, nothing unusual in that. It was then I realized that I could not hear the sound of bells tinkling. I looked again, they were all the same colour, brown and beige with white rumps, as I looked more, appeared as if from the hillside they were so well camouflaged. In all there were six. At first I thought them to be small deer, but soon realized they were Ibex because two of them had the large turned back horns. Wow. I froze and watched some more, as they had not seen me. They continued to cross the scarp, then turned to climb up, running, skipping, jumping and grazing. A couple of young ones were play fighting as they ascended. When they reached the top, they took it in turn to roll in a dusty depression to have a dust bath. Two of the biggest sharpened their horns on a rock. As magically as they appeared, they disappeared over the ridge.

       

My neighbour Ana phoned me to tell me that she was looking out of her stable door that leads into a small coral at the back of the house when suddenly one appeared running along the wall at the back and was grazing the leaves of an almond tree. Then to her delight a tiny one followed. She has managed to get some photos. When they left, they crossed the scarp and others speared from the rocks.

       

Since then they have been seen almost every day, in the mornings and once in the afternoon.

      

I have never seen them here before. Normally they live high up in the mountains and seldom go below the tree line, they are very shy and stick to the wilderness. Have they come in search of food? Well, yes, Ana's were eating her tree, also water, as it is very hot and dry being the height of summer and a drought. Could they be misplaced because of all the road building crossing great tracts of the countryside?

 They are a protected animal, but are taken sometimes for food and trophies! They have a reputation for being magical, and parts of them are used in folk medicine!. I hope the hunters leave them alone, they have been mistaken for Wild Boar and shot.

The Signature Spider

This splendid spider has strung her web right in front of my bedroom window. It  is easily a metre across and is supported by lines of thread that reach to the roof,  I came across it while watering the garden. as can be seen there is a large zig zag running right into the centre of her orb web. This is were she sits with legs outstretched in pairs waiting for her next meal which turned out to be a wasp. there are many theories as to why she has this signature on her web. Some say that it is a repair job, others that it is to warn off birds. Interestingly the male is the size of an ant. He has to play her strings right if he wants to father the next generation, that means he has to reach her without being noticed and eaten. So he spins a zig zag ladder to reach her!