Here in Greece, the first set of lockdown restrictions have been lifted. We can go for a swim at our local beach, and we don’t need passport and papers to do so. Cozzies on then, and let’s head down The 139 Steps to Livadi Beach. Now, I’ve always maintained that these steps were designed by M.C.Escher, but nature seems to have adopted the role of a particularly ascerbic art critic. Already cracked and crumbling as a result of some fierce winter storms, a recent spate of seismic activity along the Mediterranean Ridge accretionary complex has made them almost impassable. The complex has been rather quiet over the past couple of years and, working on the logic that rocks get restless when they’re not allowed to move (just like the rest of us), I took out earthquake insurance for the first time, earlier this year. Fortunately, my house is built to the requisite standards and the only damage so far has been a few cracks in the garden walls.
The
idea is to snorkel
out to those rocks over there, but an unforeseen snag has arisen; we
have the beach to ourselves. Normally, I would wade out to thigh deep
and just plunge in (not wishing to appear a total wuss), but with
nobody about I find that I’m inching my way in like a hydrophobic
grandmother. Also, the water feels as though a medium sized iceberg
has just melted in the immediate vicinity. My
body plays its trump card: a sudden shock to the system may cause a
heart attack and there’s nobody around to help. Discretion, being
the better part of valour, I wimp out.
After
all, I’m likely to be here for several more weeks yet. I think I’ll
just photograph that cormorant instead.
Meanwhile
(in true Blue Peter fashion) here’s one I took earlier. It’s a
Common Two-banded Bream, Diplodus
vulgaris. This
is one of several species of bream that you can see when snorkelling
in this bay. Inshore, they tend to be rather small, but they can
reach up to 45cm (18”) and are delicious barbecued, particularly
if you stuff them with fennel and garlic and squeeze a lemon over
them during cooking.
The
new route up the cliffs, which was built last year, does not seem to
have fared much better than the steps. That flat wooden walkway is
now pitched at an angle of 45 degrees. The local plant life seems to
have invaded as well, but it makes a good hunting ground for this
European Barn Swallow, Hirundo
rustica. Incidentally,
the French for Swallow is La Hirondelle, hence the swallows that you
sometimes see on bottles of wine of the same name.
Plenty
of insects down here for the swallow to breakfast upon. What do make
of this little fellow? If you have your copy of The
Quick Guide to Creepy-Crawlies
to hand, check out the terrestrial larvae page. The
beastie
has 3 pairs of jointed legs at the front end (not
easy to see from this photograph, I appreciate);
no stubby, fleshy prolegs; it doesn’t have a long head and neck;
and the head is not hard like a beetle’s wing case. Follow the
table and you will find that it is a Neuropteran, one of the
net-winged insects (as shown on page 28). In this particular case, it
is a Green Lacewing larva, in the family Chrysomelidae.
I
was
fully vindicated in not spending time snorkelling. I just had time to
get home, and get the washing in, before a horde of black clouds came
gallumphing over the mountains. Within half an hour the sunshine had
been replaced by thunder and hail.
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See sample pages of all my books and latest
blogs and keep abreast of latest publications here:
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All
you need to know to identify any type of insect, spider, worm or
snail very simply and find out more about it.
Yvonne:
This
was a gift for a family so that the children can understand what
they see on days out. The second was for me. Logical and easy to
use. If you know anyone who likes nature you can be confident that
gifting this book will give years of pleasure.
NB
If
Amazon is still showing last month’s special discount price of
£10,
this is incorrect – it is back to its normal price of £14.99
(still great value for the amount of information it contains).
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The
Eggs of Saramova
A
science fiction novella for those who don't like science fiction.
A fast-paced thriller that is, literally, out of this world (and
it starts right here in Crete).
Too
new for reviews yet!
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A
light-hearted look at life through the eyes of the fairer sex.
Janet:
If
you are short on time but enjoy reading and are maybe not into
long extended novels then Not Just For... Twisted Women provides
readers with concise stories that stand alone and most certainly
entertain with their ultimate twists. Loved it.
Helen:
A
very good read! Well written and entertaining!
Margaret:
Each
quick tale gives a glimpse into a character's life and has an
often humorous twist at the end. I would love to read more.
Yvonne:
These
days many people find it hard to find the time to read a novel, so
this book of short stories is ideal to dip into. It is also makes
a good gift.
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Crete
Nature Catch-up
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