Entries by Christopher North

Spring in the Valero Grove

  We’ve just had our 80 or so olive trees in the Valero Grove expertly pruned. There is plenty of flower buds so we are hoping for a good harvest this Autumn, say 200 litres plus of Extra Virgin oil. The combination of blanqueta trees and the locally traditional Manzanilla trees produce a very pleasant […]

A Visit to the Nature Reserve at Pego

Inspired by Stephen Moss, the broadcaster, author and ornithologist who gave  a talk in our village on ‘Mrs Moreau’s Warbler – How Birds Got their Names’, Terry Gifford and I drove an hour North to visit the 1290 hectare Bird Sanctuary at Pego. This has a remarkable list of specialities including 3 types of Heron, […]

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Blossom time in Relleu

  The first two weeks in February are a magic time in the valley — the almond blossom is out. A hundred years ago there would twice as many trees at least, the almonds going to the nearby Jijona Turrón factories, but there are still thousands of trees left – lining the bancales like white […]

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Late Autumn Flowers

November is a month of changes. We still have warm summer days extending into December but mixed with sudden squalls and storms – this year a good deal of rain, much more than normal. One result, a startling display of wild flowers in our Olive grove: mauve Moricandia or Purple cabbage (which is in flower […]