Just to the Left of the Moon: A walk on the wild side?

Today's walk started with a stroll through the orange and olive groves, past the avocado bushes,

Where it was so tempting to stop and pluck one, ripe and buttery straight from the bush!

The hillsides are terraced

and cropped to make this one of the most productive regions of the island and everything is ripening fast in the late autumnal sun. Not a whisper of a breeze today, so it quickly became very warm as we headed up the hillside,

but not for too long because soon we plunged into the densely wooded gorge to continue the path up the hillside.

First though, we stood and marvelled at the power of a deluge. This chestnut tree has had to adapt its roots to accommodate the frequent washing away of the supporting soil, leaving its initial root system hanging desiccated in mid air.

Much cooler here, the dew still shimmers when caught by the sunlight penetrating the dense canopy high above us. This damp atmosphere is just right for ferns and mosses.

Plenty of different fungi where on show too, although my photography doesn't do justice to the brilliant chartreuse colour of this pair.

Some are really quite bizarre, as this photographs show, but the presence of fungi is nature's way of saying all is well beneath the ground!

Look carefully at the tree trunk, can you see the tightly curled ferns waiting to spring open?

Shimmering high up the webs of the master woodland spinners provide fascinating structures and

you have to marvel at the sheer skill and tenacity of something so small to create a structure so large.

Many of these webs were a couple of metres in diameter, with its creator waiting patiently at its centre.

The deciduous trees are steadily dropping their leaves; isn't there something immensely satisfying about crunching and swishing your feet through piles of crispy leaves?

Our biscuit breaks are often accompanied by a reading and today we had several. It's such a luxury to be read to and Jane's reading about the cosmos had us both transfixed and moved.

But it was left to Jonathan's reading about dirt to bring us back down to earth!

And just before lunch we were left to ponder on 'A Rough Ride to the Future' by James Lovelock.

But before we could eat we had to descend back through the olive groves. Here huge black nets (look closely, you'll see them stretched out across the ground) have been secured

underneath the trees ready to capture this year's harvest.

The sky is still startlingly blue, hard to believe it is well into November.

As we walked towards the village we could turn back and see from where we had come

and remember that in a couple of weeks the high White Mountains will become just that as the snow begins to fall on them.

But until then it is still warm and pleasant to sit out and eat lunch.

Especially when it has been cooked just for us, local lamb with potatoes and herbs slowly cooked over hot coals.

A Greek salad to start with, local wine to wash it down and cinnamon dusted apples slices with cheese drizzled in honey to finish. Simple food, but divine.

And even if the kitchen sink has a marvellous view, it's nice to know that will be someone else's job for now!

Serious walking finished for the day we stopped off at the Botanical Park and Gardens in Fournes for a gentle stroll along the terraces. I can't recall the name of this plant but suspect it is of the lilly family