A perfect tree

We've got lovely blue skies, flowers everywhere and the swallows have returned!

There's nothing better to be doing in weather like this than to be out pruning olives.
It's wonderful getting to know each tree individually, finding the secret bird's nests and the deep crevices in the old wood. Some of these olives are over a hundred years old, but most date from the freeze of '86 when almost all the olives in the area were lost.

I found this one tree that was just perfect. It's an old tree, with wide, moss covered limbs, a good cover of leaves and a perfect seat, way up in the canopy where no-one can see you.

Its a perfect place to read a book, and a place I would have loved as a child. I'm not too old to be reading books up trees am I?

Officially spring and olive pruning!

I know I've been going on about it for weeks,but the rest of Italy has finally caught up and it's officially spring! There's flowers all over the place and the sun is shining and we've started the annual olive pruning.
Olive pruning consists mostly of removing all growth from the inside of the tree and anything thats growing straight up; thereby keeping the tree low and letting the light in.
Here are some of my compatriots, Giglio, on lunchbreak,

and Dome, up a tree.

Up an olive tree is seriously one of my favourite places to be. Other places  are behind the breakers at a Sydney beach, and in front of a sewing machine. Coasting downhill on a bicycle. Riding around in my old car with the top down. It's a rather fun list to make. Where are your favourite places?

A quote from a favourite book/movie by EM Forster, A Room with a View (This film is actually a principal reason why I first came to Florence)

'There's no perfect view, except the sky over our heads'

Go AWAY rain!

I can accept that rain is a part of Autumn, even an important part. And coming from Australia where cursing the rain is likely to get you arrested for crimes of 'un-australianism', i do feel very guilty as I shake my fist at the sky.

But the rain is ruining the most important time of the year for an olive farmer, and my personal favorite month. With little rakes in hand and large nets bundled in the courtyard we watch as the rain keeps falling through prime olive picking weather.

This year has been a bumper year for olive yields, and a neighbour very kindly gave us 700 trees of his to harvest. So we've been planning, and anticipating, this harvest for months.
We have managed to get over 200 litres pressed and bottled, but thats not yet the half of whats sitting on the trees. At least we started early, we can tell ourselves, and were at the frantoio- the olive press- on it's first day of operation. To catch up on lost picking days we have a mechanical olive shaker (note- not a tree shaker) booked for tomorrow, but the weather reports are mixed. Tomorrow at eight we'll be heading out, and if the weather holds we'll be working until the light gives out. If only it doesn't rain.