healingwords: poetry for the soul

Here is an amazing example of nature's incredible capacity for propagating life. It always cheers me to see tiny weeds breaking through concrete, trees hanging on to sheer cliff faces battered by winds.  Here these tiny succulents are colonising bare rock, with only a sprinkling of pine needles softening the hard stone. They looked like a minature grove of trees, their bright green leaves drawing the eye. 

I normally notice fennel when it has shot and is tall and leggy with a head of seeds traced against the blue Summer sky. At the moment the fennel is lush and tangled through plants and flowers on the verges and stone walled edges of terraces. I snapped a stalk and tasted sweet, fresh liquorice. 

It always amazes me how vigorous nature is at clinging on to life. A weed grows between tiles on my windowsill, plants root on what looks like sheer rock. The beach near Denia is lined with gaudy coloured succulent plants, finding water in ground that is dry, gravelly sand. © 2020 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved.  

I took this photograph in early afternoon, as the sun flushed my face enough to remove layers. At ground level the dew still clung to this plant and within an hour the humidity had increased enough to mist the mountains.  © 2020 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved

The patio can look a little sad in winter, the geraniums hibernate, the flowers wait for the warm and without the prompt of summer heat we can forget to water the pots. Slowly the bright green leaches from the leaves until a good watering from a few days rain and a burst of mid day sun is enough to bring life to the winter plants.  © 2019 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved.  

I have always loved how nature provides for us and would like to learn more about plants, herbs and their uses in the kitchen and as cures. Seeing nettle and dock growing together takes me back to childhood, the instant lumpy rash of nettle sting, the green stain of dock rubbed on skin, the surprise relief that it really did work.  © 2019 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved.