On mornings when we are not busy I try to walk a 7km circuit, down to Arenas, up a steep climb to the ridge with its stunning views of La Maroma and the sea and then down the ridge to the village of Daimalos, where we are lucky enough to live. Temperatures in the upper twenties I find a little too hot for walking, but an 8 am start means I can walk before it gets too hot and start my walk watching the sun rise above the mountains and glisten off the sea. This morning it was quite cool as I set off in my sleeveless vest and shorts, but I soon warmed up as I walk at a good speed since I am doing this to keep fit, as well as enjoy the scenery. It was quite hazy and La Maroma which rises to 2065ms was swathed in white clouds and I couldn’t see the sea at all. However the mountain was quite impressive with lovely gleaming patches where the sun broke through the mists. Half way along the ridge there is a farm house which is quite close to the track and I missed my usual greeting with the lady who lives there. The weather must be getting cooler, as she has stopped watering the track to limit the amount of dust getting into her house.
Autumn here is very different to the “season of mellow fruitfulness” in England, although I found some shiny conkers which reminded me of my childhood. I don’t know if Spanish children play conkers. The almond trees have shed most of their leaves and those in the sun look wintry and could be dead they are so barren. However those sheltered from the sun still have a few yellow leaves and appear more autumnal. The olive trees seem even more dull grey green than usual, but from close up the colour is improved by the light fresh green of the fruits. The dwarf vines which grow in Axarquia have very recently been harvested and grapes can still be seen stacked up in crates by the farms or laid out to dry on the secaderos (drying beds) as they turn into raisins. I doubt I will ever forget our first autumn in Daimalos, when I was woken by a heavily laden mule clomping right alongside our house on his way to the secaderos. The dwarf vines are only just beginning to turn brown and provide welcome patches of green dotted among the olive and almond trees.
The rain we usually get in October was early this year and we had some torrential downpours in the end of September and these have created massive ruts in the tracks and make walking a little more difficult. It is amazing how fast a relatively small amount of water can begin revitalising the countryside. Today I came across masses of the lovely crawling bindweed with its huge purple/blue flowers which flourish in Axarquia. There are pretty yellow, white and pink large plants, which grow everywhere and are simply weeds to the Spanish, are also appearing in large quantities and I was surprised to find some lavender. Yellow ragwort is growing in huge clumps and so the land which in August looked dry and barren has already quite a lot of colour. We have even more colour in our garden provided by purple, red and yellow bougainvilleas and gaudy, red yellow and white hibiscus. All wonderful plants as they need very little attention
As I stood at the top of the ridge before my descent to Daimalos, I looked around at the mountains of the Sierra Tejada and Almijara and thought how lucky I am. Just a few years ago I used to dread this time of the year when, not only did I leave for work when it was dark, but it was still dark when I returned and I also remember lots of grey grizzle.
