[Alisdair]

John, I'm so glad for you and your rain! When we were in the Peloponnese last week we had several days of pretty heavy rain and hoped that there was so much of it in the system that it would reach you (it was heading that way). Things responded very quickly and enthusiastically, loads of speedy new green shoots after many dry months!

[John J]

After the rain has arrived at long last, with some days being dull but relatively dry, this morning we have bright sunshine and this single Cosmos flower is reflecting the sun beautifully.

[John J]

Following a period of much needed rain I decided to see what may be in flower. I was rather surprised at just how many there were.

[John J]

Christmas is upon us and as I was walking around I realised that Mother Nature was playing her part in the Festivities, in our garden at least.
In the absence of holly the Nandina was doing its best to act as substitute.
Perhaps the white fruit of the myrtle could replace those of the mistletoe. As for its other attribute whereby people kiss beneath its boughs, the myrtle is sacred to Aphrodite, the epitome of Love and Beauty. Bit of a tenuous connection I admit but maybe that can be forgiven at this time of the year.
The bitter orange, along with its brother and sister citrus trees, is decorated with ornamental baubles.
Who needs candles when they have the fiery spikes of the aloes to brighten up the gloom.
We even have a 'Crown of Thorns' although that does feature rather later in the story.

[John J]

Today I thought I would do something a little different for the morning walk, as it is a special day after all. So this is my Christmas Day morning walk.

[Alisdair]

Stunning, John - lovely to see your garden. A very happy Christmas to you and Thea, from Helena and me.

[John J]

As it was a bright morning following heavy overnight rain we decided to pay a belated visit to the clifftop at Kourion, in the area around the Temple of Apollon Hylates, the Ancient Stadium and the ruins of an early Christian Basilica, to see how the wildflowers up there were faring. A few were flowering while others were beginning to show willing. Apologies for the poor quality of the photos probably due more to shortage of sleep from a late night than any excess of alcohol!

[John J]

Having spent the last few days butchering a vastly overgrown bougainvillea we woke this morning to a dull, drizzly day so the morning walk had to be postponed until after lunch. Although usually associated with a different time of year we found that one of our passionflowers had decided it was time to burst into bloom. The Correa obviously didn't want to be left out and is full of flowers too.

[Umbrian]

I spotted an Iris germanica flowering happily a week or so ago. It was in the planting on a roundabout at a particularly busy part of our town with little chance of photographing it safely. Climate change playing its part or just an aberration?

[John J]

Pushing the morning walk a bit but early on Monday we drove up the mountain to the Forestry Department nursery at Platania to pick up some Damask rose plants for the village church garden. As we were so close we decided to go a little higher to the Botanical Garden and call in on our friend Andreas. The photos show what we found, no-one there. I didn't have my camera but my wife had her i-pad and took the following shots.
The car park
The pond
The visitor centre

[John J]

Today we had not one but three walks. The first was in our own garden.

[John J]

The second walk was in our daughter's garden, the first 5 photos, and the third was around a spur of the reservoir from the Germasogia Dam below her house, the second 5 photos.

[John J]

Today's morning walk involved a 40 min drive to a 'local' village (which I won't name), to visit a venue (which I won't name). I had been told about this place and on Googling its website the photos looked inviting enough to warrant further investigation. However, on arrival I found it to be closed, and what I could see over the fence left me as cold as the wind blowing around my ears. (Hence the reluctance to name either it or the village in which it is situated).
All was not lost though as, on the drive up, the road was flanked by masses of anemones, and vast areas around the village were covered in anemones and romulea. The rather brisk wind that was blowing made photography a bit hit and miss.

[John J]

Not so much a morning walk today as a mid-day dash between the torrential rain showers in an effort to see which flowers were surviving the onslaught.

[Umbrian]

Not so much surviving but flourishing I would say after your long period of drought John. So glad you are getting good rainfall now.
We are enjoying beautiful sunny days but very cold nights here in Italy and the bulbs are beginning to make show brightening the garden a little in patches. The Calycanthus is over but Lonicera fragrantissima, Daphne and Sarcococa continue to delight with their fragrance. Nice time of the year - full of anticipation for what is to come.