Having made the most of the snow in the unusually prolonged winter (the last blog post) my intended trip to Greece and Spring was brought forward by a few weeks. The sudden and unexpected death of a very good friend on Symi meant that I returned to the island weeks earlier than planned in order to attend the funeral. The transition between winter and spring was therefore very rapid.  Snow drifts to spring flowers in a few days.

Sandwiched as it was between UK Easter and Greek Easter meant that in order to get to Symi in time I had no choice but to settle for air fares significantly higher than I usually pay.  The plus side was that I stayed until fares dropped again which gave a week of trekking in mountains unusually green and colourful compared to the parched deserts of high summer.

The colour was both at the micro and macro levels.  Flowers ranged from tiny clusters a few millimeters across to the deep, opulent purple spathes of Dragon Arums two feet long.  If you know where to look there are shy orchids hidden in the other vegetation.

Wildlife was also much in evidence with many lizards and tortoises taking advantage of the cooler temperatures of spring to be out and about during more than the early morning and late evening.

These are just a few images, a montage, of Spring on Symi.  If you only visit the island in the heat of summer, you miss all this.

I had to return home to resume sorting out my vegetable and fruit garden ready to leave for the summer, a task helped by four days of unusually warm and sunny weather.  But I’m heading back to Greece very soon and will be glad to escape the return to the all-pervading grey and wet which has descended on the UK again.