An unexpected gift
I saw them from afar but I though that it was just an illusion. Going on the beach for a swim, on November 8th, was already too much. Expecting to see THEM at this time of the year was too far-fetched. But as I was getting closer it became obvious that I was wrong. THEY were there, blooming in all their glory and spreading their delicate aroma. Climate change is a drag but in this special occasion, it was a miracle!
Pancratium maritimum or sea daffodil can be found growing on sand dunes around the Mediterranean sea and a few more beaches on the world. I had the pleasure of getting to know them in Crete and more specifically at Xerocabmos, an almost unspoiled location at the far east end of the island. For years I was living very close to their habitant and every year, at August or September that they bloom, I didn't neglect to pay them a visit!
This year though, I was away during their blooming period (at least that's what I thought) and I had no hopes of seeing them. When I arrived at Crete I believed that I would spend November harvesting olives and doing some winterish farm work. But the weather had different plans. With the unusually extended summer any farm work, other than watering, became senseless. On the other hand, a visit at my favourite beach seemed like a more reasonable alternative :)
The fact that I have found a few blooming sand lilies was an unexpected gift beyond any expectation!
I have written many times how much I love those flowers and how much I admire that resilient and insistent plant. And I am never bored of taking more and more pictures of them!
This was the sixth part of our trip from Nafplio to Crete, in order to harvest our olives and visit the places and the people that formed our daily life for almost a decade. It lasted from the first of November till the fifth of December and it was totally different from whatever we anticipated.
Below are the links of the previous posts or you can just visit my blog and scroll down.
Thank you for reading and if you want to know more about me you can check out my introduction post.
Commenting, upvoting and rebloging are highly appreciated!
They are beautiful flowers, it is amazing how they are able to live and flourish in the sand of the beach.
https://twitter.com/Yordis17417444/status/1733558560821293429?t=sulKwljM0IyDYwy9uivygg&s=19
Amazing indeed :)
It's a very good composition. I especially liked the sand as a background for the photo. White petals in the middle of the sand are a symbol of loneliness and a symbol of unbroken will.
I am glad you liked it! Thank you for stopping by, @avada :)
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Thank you very much @qurator and @ackhoo for your support!
I do believe I remember a post you did about these a year or two ago. So pretty. They look almost sleepy, something like Snow White waking up from the magic kiss, or a frazzled movie star stumbling into a party and saying "Yes, I'm late, but you all love me anyway."
It is interesting hearing you talk about Crete, because I homeschool my children and we did a lot of talking about Crete in ancient history last year. Somehow it feels like worlds have collided reading about you being there now. I am glad you are here to tell me about it :)
I think I have written 3-4 posts, in the last five years, about them. I find them so fascinating!
I was thinking of them as dancers, maybe ballerinas but frazzled movie star is a lovely metaphor too :)
Crete is a very special place even beyond the millenniums of history and the natural beauties. I am glad to hear that you and your children know it. We have a saying that says something like the world is too small meaning that there are many more connections than we could never conceive. It is always surprising when we grasp bits of that connections that seem totally unlikely :)
I went to the beach today, and I was staring at how the water drips off the rocks in little trickles. Each drop falling back to rejoin the whole. It makes me think of your the world is too small connections.
Even though it hasn't bloomed yet, the flowers look very beautiful, I am really fascinated by every photography you share
Thank you for stopping by, I am glad you liked them!
Καταπληκτικά 😍, να δεις τέτοια λουλούδια μέσα στην άμμο και τον Δεκέμβριο! μου αρέσει πάρα πολύ το φως σε αυτές τις φωτογραφίες, τί ώρα ήταν όταν τις πήρες;
Ναι, είναι καταπληκτικά λουλούδια! Ήταν απόγευμα όταν έβγαλα τις φωτογραφίες, περίπου μία ώρα πριν πέσει ο ήλιος.
Μία από τις καλύτερες ώρες για να πάρεις φωτογραφίες, το φως είναι σαν χρυσάφι 💛
Oh Stefane, the weather has been really strange and too warm in Crete (until now at least)
Do you have any olives, think you will have a good harvest this year? I hope yes.
We do not have even for our own olive oil this year :( But its ok, better days will come
Stay safe :)
Hi Katerina!
Yes this was a really bad year for most of the olive oil producers in Crete and we weren't an exception either :(
We have already finished the harvest, nothing much but at least we have fresh olive oil for our families. I am a little behind in posting but I'll probably write about it before the end of the year.
Cheers!