“Brushing the clouds away from my eyes, I see clarity in the raindrop and beauty in the first ray of morning sun…
Life is strange and wondrous…”
Virginia Alison
REFRESHING RAINDROPS
beauty
BALMY SUMMER DAYS
You have got to love these balmy summer days, when the wild roses are flowering along the hedgerows, and the dark yellow of the ragwort is blending in with the straw-coloured grasses now dried out from sun and water need. And the bright red of the fuchsia bells against the dark green foliage of the hedges all along the country roads. And the evenings when the scents fill the air, scents of night flowers, of grasses and trees, of the soil, delicious are the fragrances of the land as the earth cools down as the sun slowly disappears. How lovely these long and light summer evenings, stretches of brightness seen along the horizon as late as midnight – to reappear as early as four in the morning when the sky lights up again. I used to set my alarm to witness this magical moment to see the new morning appear, glad for another chance at life and anticipating a wonderful day. These are the restoring days of the year, the sun brimming with health giving vitamin D3 (well at least our bodies can avail of the sun to make it). It has been since 1976 that Ireland had a summer like this, with higher temperatures than we get here normally. And as the heat continues there is said to be a water shortage and resulting ban on using the water hose in the garden, so I’m keeping all my grey water and what is left in the rain water barrel for my vegetables. The dry earth soaks up the water eagerly.
At this moment I am very much out of routine, seems to be like this for a while now, my regular blog reading and writing has diminished. I miss it, but too much is happening and I’m getting little done. It is just that type of a summer I think – a summer of laziness, but also a summer of beauty and of enjoyment, of scents and sights.
I do hope that it is full of goodness for everyone of you too.
FLINT STONE AND CLAY BRICKS
I guess it is because I had become so used to the lovely honey coloured limestone on Gozo that I am taking so much notice of the red brick that is used so much in England and especially in Norfolk, it has its own beauty and is as natural as limestone seeing that the bricks are baked clay (earth).
And in Norfolk much use is made of flint stone in combination with red brick, the flint is found naturally in chalk, with layers in various shapes and sizes, flint is almost pure silica. There is black flint and grey flint, the colours are due to impurities. There is also rounded beach flint. The flint has been used as a building material in Norfolk since ancient times and many archaeological material has been found in the surrounding areas made out of flint, it was a very useful material because of its hardness and sharpness. Norfolk is also rich in clay and from the 13th century onward clay became an important building material in combination with the flint, giving the beautiful finish you see all over the area now.
And still in Norfolk, just a few days ago an abundance of wild flowers were already in bloom, like I showed in my last blog entry – GREETING SPRING – these are wild flowers and found while walking along the road-side. I was happy to see the first wild chestnut tree in bud and already showing the beginnings of a flower.
And so it goes on, ever discovering new things and rediscovering old ones, life is so interesting and fulfilling.
Meanwhile I am back home and working on my latest house improvement project (a little one), lining a walk-in wardrobe with wall paper to stop dust falling down. And discovering that mice had eaten away some of the wiring covers….my little project has just become a very big one.
This is a very old house indeed.
MEMORIES IN PICTURES
Yesterday my sister left Gozo to return home to Lier in Belgium. We enjoyed two weeks of chat and sightseeing, though I must admit a lot of our time was spent enjoying coffee and cake in a variety of places around the island. Nevertheless we did manage to fit in walks and visits to various sights, but mainly we soaked up the spring feeling, the massive amount of wild flowers and the charm of Victoria’s historical narrow streets. As there is only one year between us we grew up quite close and shared a bedroom most of our childhood years, at night my sister would tell me stories which at the time fascinated me, they were of adventures we would find ourselves in. She still always brings me books, and much of our chats would evolve around book discussions, the love of reading we both share. We also both spent our working lives with books and people, she as an editor working for a magazine catering for libraries, and I as a branch librarian in a small town in Ireland. Both have been very rewarding and enjoyable jobs.
Amazing to see the banana trees on Gozo, Josefine could not believe her eyes.
Two sisters, Josefine and myself among the Mimosa flowers which are now opening.
St.Georges square where we spent time drinking coffee and listening to the bell ringing.
Tower of St.Josephs in Qala, and an example of a roundel found on a house in Ghajnsielem.
The fig tree already showing fruit and opening its leaves, poppies are flowering now too making the meadows very colourful, and a hoverfly on a lovely sunny day.
This Gozitan lady working her lace in the doorway of her house, a lovely sight.
More wildlife, this on a narrow pathway at Mgarr.
The narrow alleyways in Ir-Rabat never fail to charm anyone. Josefine too loved them and we spent quite some time walking them, every time you do you discover more things of interests.
It’s quiet now around here, Ian and I going about our various tasks and peacefully enjoying the life. The excitement of Josefine’s visit is over, a space is now empty, but memories will stay and lots of thoughts remain of our various chats and discussions. A rewarding time it was, that is for sure.
SPRING IN THE AIR
“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”
Pablo Neruda
“I love the smell of rain and growing things.”
― Serina Hernandez
“And the birds sang their songs of love. And the flowers serenaded with their sublime fragrances. And the whole world fell in love in spring!”
― Avijeet Das
“She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor:
“Winter is dead.”
A.A. Milne
“The world is exploding in emerald, sage, and lusty chartreuse – neon green with so much yellow in it. It is an explosive green that, if one could watch it moment by moment throughout the day, would grow in every dimension.”
Amy Seidl
“Spring is not a season; it is a mysterious illusionist who sets off fireworks in the depths of our soul!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
“Spring drew on…and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter traces of her steps.”
Charlotte Brontë
GRATITUDE
“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
― Eckhart Tolle,
A NEW YEAR BEGINS
On this first day of January 2018, I see a beautiful blue sky and blazing sunshine, I decide to walk in a different direction. My walk takes me along the cliff road from Ghajnsielem towards Hondoq Ir-Rummien on the South coast of the island of Gozo. It’s an easy road and it is no surprise that there are quite a few people walking. The man from next door with his little dog is there too and we exchange a few words. People pass and say hello or nod. Today I went out not only to connect with nature but to make sure that on this first day of the year I connect with people. Being far away from family and friends makes itself felt on days like today. Luckily nature is a great solace, a balsam to the soul.
And first and foremost today was about exploring yet another part of the island. So I took a totally different direction, and walked where I had not walked before. The road stretched out before me, lined with wild flowers, plants and trees, a delight to the eye, beyond that the rocks going down steeply, and then the sea, the Mediterranean, sky blue with only a few white horses disturbing its surface.
The road was climbing, lined with stone walls, bright limestone locally sourced, built by men long ago, sturdy and functional. Due to the most recent rain plants are green, sharp new growth, buds of almond blossom and giant fennel are fat and ready to burst.
I see lots of wild flowers, a delight to the eye, colourful and bright they are fierce and upright even if the strong wind tries to blow them down. My hair flies all over the place and I have to keep it back in order to look through my camera window and take a steady photo. I relish the freshness and feel all the spider webs disappearing, all last year’s less beautiful happenings fade away, even all the problems of humankind, all the suffering and pain that people go through, all disappear for the time being. A new year starts and one hopes that it will finally bring Peace to the earth and with it kindness and happiness in every soul. I know that is wishing for a lot but I still wish it.
The road winds its way up the hill, I see houses, signs of life. I think that I am coming to a hamlet but I don’t know what it is called. It seems very nice and the views over Comino island and over Malta and the sea are wonderful. I’m almost enticed to go into a tavern to have coffee but then I see that the sun is getting low in the sky and it is still a long walk back home so I decide to retrace my steps. Such a beautiful place this is, I intend to walk this more often and check out more of the wild plants as the months go by. It’s all down hill now, the sun is low in the sky, I see church towers of all the surrounding villages, there is Nadur, and Xewkija, and Ghajnsielem churches, the spires high toward the sky, the domes silhouetted against the setting sun. I notice that all those villages are on heightened ground, hence they can be seen from far-a-way. In my mind I can walk all over the island, it does not seem far! In reality it would take me a long time, but it is good to dream at times.
I get home before dark, but not before I take a few more shots of these lovely surroundings. I see the ferries busy and many cars waiting in line, all on the way to Malta where life is eager to get back to normal after all the festivities. I make a mental note of what I will do tomorrow, another year is starting and I am wanting to jump right in. Like one of my friends said today, we are going to make a good one of it, we are going to enjoy each moment and live to the full. Grateful for another chance, another opportunity, to be kind.
Happy New Year to all my dear friends, wishing you a year full of Blessings and Love, Peace and Goodwill.
THE SILK FLOSS TREE
This is the flower of a most beautiful and exotic tree, it is called the Silk-floss tree or in Latin Ceiba speciosa . It is a deciduous tree that belongs to the mallow family. A native of South America I have watched it growing and flowering here on Gozo and what a delight it has been, at first to see the beautiful yellow and cream flowers – though for some reason some of the flowers on this tree turned out to be pink, then to see the flowers wilt and one by one fall off to expose the fruits, and today when we walked in that area again I saw the fruit fully grown and some had burst to expose their fluffy white silky material. It was only hard to reach high enough to get good photos, so these will have to do. While doing some research on this tree I realised that it is not from this species that kapok is produced, namely this white silky fibre, which as children our pillows were filed with. This made me more determined to look up as much information as possible, it heightened my interest in this tree species. Of course it is always interesting to learn what the uses are of any plant or tree. I learnt that the kapok is produced by another Ceiba, the C. pentandra, this species is found growing in the tropics, it does not grow in Malta or Gozo as far as anyone I have asked knows.
So going back to the C.speciosa our local Silk-floss tree, I noticed the other day that there are fruits or seed pods to be seen. And then I found this white fibre underneath the tree, it was as close as I could get to see the texture. White, fluffy and silky is how I would describe it and the seeds are embedded in this white fibre. I now know that it is not the real kapok. Though the fibres of the C.speciosa can be used in a similar manner as those of the C.pentandra. The C.pentandra is cultivated in South East Asia for its seed fibre. I also found that kapok is the lightest natural fibre in the world, with a density nearly five times as light as cotton. I read that this fibre was used in the design of the first life jackets because of its buoyancy. As a child I remember seeing kapok, feeling it, and found that it was quite dense actually. Something tells me that it is not used much anymore these days, you never hear of it being used, maybe because it is highly inflammable. I also seem to remember that while it was lovely to have natural fibres in our pillows, it did become lumpy quite quickly, so maybe it just isn’t a practical material for today’s needs.
In my research I then came across the Red Silk Cotton Tree, Ceiba Bombax. Also from the family Malvaceae. What is used from this species are the unopened flower buds, they are called Marathi Moggu and are a fragrant spice indigenous to south India’s Chettinad region, used in its regional cooking. They also go under the name of Kapok Buds and are roasted to bring out their flavour. In Thailand they are traditionally used in curries.
A fruit hanging down, and one of the flowers well passed its blooming time, fallen on the grass. C.speciosa
Photos below, here can be seen the seed pod and some of the fluffy material, also a seed pod that fell off the tree before it matured.
Some more facts are: The flowers of the Ceiba trees are an important source of nectar and pollen for honey bees, although apparently they are often pollinated by bats. http://www.iisc.ernet.in/currsci/may252005/1679.pdf
Native tribes along the Amazon River harvest kapok fiber to wrap around their blowgun darts. It is grown commercially in some countries but to harvest and separate the fibers is labour-intensive and done manually so it is probably another reason why it is not very popular anymore. Then it is also difficult to spin.
Another use I read about is the oil that the seeds produce, this is used in manufacturing of soap and sometimes it is used as a fertilizer.
I guess this is about all I found out about the Ceiba tree, the three different species that I examined a little. Only one of them I found growing in Gozo. (C.speciosa). One mature tree, at least some years old, but close by I found a very young one that has been planted by the council. Nice to see this.
I am on such an exciting and interesting journey here, getting to know more about the native plants, the rocks, the trees, the agricultural practices, the people (Gozitans) and their traditions, the vernacular architecture, and then sharing some of it via my writing.
I would like to thank you for reading some of my story.
THAT MOMENT WHEN THE SUN RISES
I was waiting patiently early in the morning, the sky had already begun to have a glow but nothing yet had appeared on the horizon, until all of a sudden there was the first glimmer of a sun. The moment was magic, and I felt my heart fill with happiness, joy and gratitude, there was another day about to start, another day was breaking and in what a glorious way! What a powerful moment!
Another day has started in which to explore, and see the beauty around me, and be intrigued by all the little adventures that this day would bring.
The gray-green leaves of the Olive tree, a beautiful flower, the bright colours of the Luzzu boat.
The view out of the window of my lace making class in Victoria.
The humour seen in this proud dog trotting beside its owner in the funniest way.
And the funniest of all, me taking the wrong bus on my way to Victoria for my lace class and ending up doing a tour of almost the whole island before I got off the bus in Xaghra and taking another bus to town. I so enjoyed this little detour and could only laugh at my own mistake!
And when the day is done and a glorious sun is setting, painting beauty for long moments more, then, well then it’s time to happily be grateful again.
agoyvaerts 