Better late than ever.

Today it was a good day.

I spent the morning wandering around the village and I felt genuinely happy to see how much the recent rains have changed the landscape. Since the summer the land had looked parched. The soil was pale and dusty, the trees seemed stressed and there was hardly a trace of fresh grass anywhere. It felt like autumn had forgotten us this year. But the rains of the past couple of weeks have worked their miracle. Little by little the colors have returned. The ground has softened and a green carpet is beginning to appear. The trees look calmer now and the air carries that gentle scent that comes only after the earth has been refreshed by water. It is finally starting to resemble a proper autumn.

Better late than ever.

I went out to check the olive groves but I quickly lost my sense of purpose and drifted wherever the paths pulled me. It happens often here, especially on days when the work is not too demanding. And today it was more pleasure than work.

I truly love this landscape.

The gentle rises and sudden dips, the hills that rise in every direction, the narrow gorges carved by time and the mix of forest trees growing among the cultivated ones. There is so much variety packed into a small distance and it always feels alive. Many of these features would be considered flaws in intensive farming. Nothing is perfectly shaped and nothing grows in straight lines. But these so called imperfections are exactly what I adore about my fields even when they make the work more demanding. They remind me that the land has its own rhythm and its own needs and that I am simply learning how to move with it.

I am glad I took my camera with me today. I have been away from home for two weeks and I have barely used it in all this time. I guess I needed a bit of time to get back into the right mindset. Traveling and seeing new places does not automatically make me want to take pictures. Sometimes the mood just is not there no matter how interesting the surroundings are. But today it felt different. Maybe it was the light or maybe it was simply that I finally slowed down enough to notice things again.

My rumbling stomach reminded me that I had to go home and grab a bite. The walk had taken longer than I planned combining so nice two things that I enjoy. Nature and photography. It doesn't really matter if it is a green path, a majestic oak tree or an old stump, I see beauty in all of them.

Have a lovely weekend ahead!