healingwords: poetry for the soul

I love watching the birds at the Marjal marshes near Pego. The rice paddies and the rivers and canals that feed them are home to many water birds, including egrets, herons and more recently ibis. I rarely catch the herons and egrets feeding, more often than not they are standing still, perched on one leg, like statues in the marsh, flapping into the sky when disturbed. Today they were wading the flooded fields, pecking in the mud with spiked beaks.  © 2020 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved.  

The wind blowing across the explosion of fluffy reed in the Marjal marshes near Pego reminded me of the waves on the sea. The light hazed over the golden brush and the scene looked like a classical painting. Every time I visit the marshes they look different, as the seasons turn and the vegetation changes. Soon the rice paddies will be planted and the muddy earth will turn green with shoots of rice.  © 2020 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved.  

After a week indoors I am ready to feel the warmth of the sun and the light of outdoors. At this time of year I miss the first call of spring with snowdrops and crocuses breaking the ground in Warwickshire. This carpet of daisies on terraces in Spain were enchanting.  © 2020 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved.  

I am still stuck indoors and today was thinking of Galway and looking at my photographs from my visit in September.  This is a photograph of the Spanish Arch, built in 1584 as an extension to the 12th century Norman city walls to protect the quays and merchant ships from looting. It was once known as Ceann an bhalla (the head of the wall) and was extended by the Eyre family in the 17th century with the addition of the Long Walk, following the left bank of the River Corrib to the sea. It became known as the Spanish Arch in the 19th century, thought to be a reference to the Spanish merchant trade.  My mother told me of the Spanish Arch and her walks along the Corrib. When I walked around Galway I felt her presence in the stories we had shared. From my home in Spain I am fascinated in the historical links of the west coast of Ireland with Spain, of seafarers from the Spanish coasts and their trade across the Bay of Biscay and the Celtic sea to Ireland.

I photographed this little boat at the port in Xabia a few days before the massive storm Gloria hit the coast. It caused substantial damage to the beach front properties in Xabia and other coastal towns. I haven't been back yet and hope that this boat survived the storm.  © 2020 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved.  

The morning air was damp and chill and as I stepped on the roof terrace the cloud started to form and pour over the 'Carrascal', still looking grey in the shadows.  I love this tumbling cloud, although my breathing does not respond well to the humid air.  © 2020 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved.  

One for the pleasures in doing my 'A POEM A DAY' series is the effect it is having on my observation when out for a walk. I am now much more aware of my surroundings, take more notice of small details, spotting insects, unusual flora and changes in the ground I walk on. This stone was in my path, it is small, the size of a small match box, but the details on it jumped out at me. When I had a good look at it, cleaned of mud, the markings in the stone looked like prehistoric cave art. As well as this spiral and bird, I could see another bird head, a face and other rune like markings.  © 2019 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved.  

The campo is covered in signs of wild boar activity. The recent rains show their tracks more clearly but all summer they have been roaming the countryside, eating crops, digging up fields and coming close to villages in search of food. You can see where they trample down stone walls, making trails down the hillside. When I walk there in the daytime I wonder how near the 'jabali' are, sleeping in their daytime dens. This photograph shows a cosy space under a stone wall, hidden by foliage, a perfect spot for a sleeping boar.  © 2019 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved.  

This bubble of sunlight caught me eye on the hillside. The froghopper or spittle bug nymph drains sap from the plant and forms the bubble to protect it from other insects and birds.  © 2019 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved.  

On a day our minds are overwhelmed with the reality of the Amazon burning, I look out over our trees. The holm oak trunks were moist yesterday after the recent rain but looking up at the canopy, the leaves looked dry and stressed. Enough rain fell to dampen down the pine needles and reach the earth but the hillside is still suffering after the long, hot summer. I hope the Autumn rains come early to help reduce the constant risk of wild fire.   This oak is one of my favourite trees. A lost branch has left the owl face looking out over the countryside while overhead the pigeons fly.  © 2019 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved.  

Yesterday we visited Gata de Gorgos, a small town near the coast. It is famous for its cane baskets and ceramics which are displayed in shops lining the main road through the town. We spent some time looking for the archaeological museum which was in the Town Hall building, opened by the interesting tourist office employee who showed us the exhibition. I was fascinated to see the number of finds from around the Marina Alta and am motivated to find out more about what remains of the area's past. We also explored the walk along the Gorge, too hot at midday to go far, a walk to enjoy in cooler weather.  High up on the grey slabs of rocks we spotted some large stone sculptures, almonds, a giant walnut and leaves of cactus. They looked like part of the rock landscape, as if a giant hand had broken open nuts and scattered them down the hillside. 

One of the pleasures of my 'A POEM A DAY' project has been how it has made me concentrate on my walks. I am now looking more closely at the natural world, spotting insects and plants in all their growth stages in a way I didn't before. Previously I would chose and image to accompany a poem, now I am thinking of the words and image together.  © 2019 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved.  

With the need to keep as active as possible despite the heat and humidity, I am enjoying more gentle walks in the hills. I am amazed by the continually changing variety of plant life, flowers blooming and being replaced by something new. These odd thistle type plants were spreading along the dust paths and I need to return to see if the green flowers will be painted in colour.  © 2019 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved.  

The air in the 'campo' is full of fairies, the flying wisps of our wishes. When I was a child I would blow the fairies and watch them float away, carrying my dreams.  © 2019 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved.