tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37235936467842861482024-03-05T06:42:13.344+01:00The move to Tuscany www.numero182.com
Our trials, tribulations and elations laid bare, is the grass greener on the other side?Stu Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638762928553183069noreply@blogger.comBlogger619125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-13468008198393723852023-08-24T12:45:00.460+02:002023-09-06T11:52:38.293+02:00Taking the plunge<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUtdh2oLg4bXsvJQuy8t21c2MVXjW3VIdDf50nWuJdcoB1-yx9POBEuOjS8GXJ8ADj1SFuoZybjqGmPNbBx6lCAg684He4JbOU5D1f0knJz3vlRbM8_pt0pX2YFm5gD7kwVijVqbgWUPK2JWhjUtYd2x75yonRdPWj4Wwe8DpP0WYFtLupftZYtfuZxQ/s792/Finished%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="789" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUtdh2oLg4bXsvJQuy8t21c2MVXjW3VIdDf50nWuJdcoB1-yx9POBEuOjS8GXJ8ADj1SFuoZybjqGmPNbBx6lCAg684He4JbOU5D1f0knJz3vlRbM8_pt0pX2YFm5gD7kwVijVqbgWUPK2JWhjUtYd2x75yonRdPWj4Wwe8DpP0WYFtLupftZYtfuZxQ/s320/Finished%202023.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Every year as summer digs its heels in and the temperature sits in the high 30's (°C) day after day with barely a cloud to be seen, we fantasize about the relief that having a pool would bring us. As it is currently, the best way of coping is to sit indoors with the shutters closed and artificial light on from when the sun hits us mid-morning until the sun finally drops below the hills opposite, an hour before official sunset. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Last year (2022) the summer here was BRUTAL in central Italy. We had three months without a single drop of rain, quite high humidity and temps approaching 40</span><span style="font-family: arial;">°</span><span style="font-family: arial;">C</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> for the entire time. It was an ordeal that impacts my depression. On top of this I am a self confessed collapsenik and follow avidly the current unravelling of our current civilisation and the ongoing derangement of the climate. As such I've been reading about the increasing danger of wet bulb temperatures as the climate worsens and throw into the mix the return of El Nino this year it made me seriously consider finding some way of cooling down at home without any further delay.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the main obstacles to us turning this idea into a reality has been the land we have around us. Italy is 41% hillside, 23% plains and the rest mountain. We occupy a tiny bit of the 41% and as such there is very little flat land here other than a small lawn in fron of the house, which is practically our dog's. Neither is it very big. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I forget now what series of thoughts lead to the lightbulb moment but I was soon searching the internet for 'IBC pools' as a space saving alternative.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">For the uninitiated, IBCs or 'intermediate bulk containers' are plastic containers inside a metal cage mounted on a pallet and are roughly a metre cubed in size and can hold 1000 litres of liquid and can be stacked for transport. Other sizes are available but these are the most common. Note that they come on three types of pallet. Wood, Plastic or metal. I strongly recommend either of the latter as in the picture below as the wood ones tend to rot after 3-4 years.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><img alt="Cisterna IBC 1000 Litri in plastica, rigenerata con otre NUOVA, coperchio 150 mm, valvola di scarico 2", pallet in metallo, colore neutro, Tipologia: Otre Nuova e Gabbia Rigenerata, Capacità: 1000 Lt, Tipo Pallet: Metallo, Ø Coperchio (mm): 150, Omologazione ADR: NO, Colore: Neutro vendita, produzione, prezzi e offerte" class="ty-pict cm-image ls-is-cached lazyloaded" data-srcset="https://www.packservices.it/images/ab__webp/watermarked/1/thumbnails/1060/1060/detailed/12/20_15616_1_9y18-b4_JPG.webp 2x" height="400" id="det_img_2664f6fcb0079cf_12617" src="https://www.packservices.it/images/ab__webp/watermarked/1/thumbnails/530/530/detailed/12/20_15616_1_9y18-b4_JPG.webp" title="Cisterna IBC 1000 Litri in plastica, rigenerata con otre NUOVA, coperchio 150 mm, valvola di scarico 2", pallet in metallo, colore neutro, Tipologia: Otre Nuova e Gabbia Rigenerata, Capacità: 1000 Lt, Tipo Pallet: Metallo, Ø Coperchio (mm): 150, Omologazione ADR: NO, Colore: Neutro vendita, produzione, prezzi e offerte" width="400" /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">We've already acquired more than 20 of these, used so far as growing containers in the garden having had the tops cut off and for harvesting rainwater from the house roof. As such I already knew of two suppliers selling them second-hand for very little money, around €30 each.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><img alt="IBC raised bed" class="x1ey2m1c xds687c x5yr21d x10l6tqk x17qophe x13vifvy xh8yej3 xl1xv1r" height="400" src="https://scontent-fra5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/347268409_10159783885276658_2422225357669850812_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_p843x403&_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=49d041&_nc_ohc=ftMqNtQz02sAX8mCp5U&_nc_ht=scontent-fra5-1.xx&oh=00_AfDYhgZV-MX5wApfZsADvl8LGW-m-lRQ8fnWj3KZor7deg&oe=64FB57F6" width="300" /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">However (WARNING) you can't be sure what was sitting in them before you get hold of them. It could have been an innocuous food product or something incredibly caustic. While I have carefully pressure washed every container we've previosuly bought I wanted to be doubly sure that if we were going to spend hours sitting in one filled with water there was no danger. After some searching I found suppliers of new IBCs but then also stumbled across a company nearby selling second hand cages with brand new food grade plastic containers inserted for half the price of a new unit. We paid €130 per IBC. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">We decided the site them at the north side of the house so that they would be mostly shaded during the day so as not to warm the water too much. It was also a small dead space between the rainwater harvesting IBCs and the fish pond. Seemed ideal! We had space for three IBCs so we bought three of them.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Having already found a few posts online of people making their own plunge pools I had a vague plan of how to proceed but the most helpful was this one on <a href="https://www.instructables.com/IBC-above-ground-plunge-pool/" target="_blank">Instructables</a>, although this plan included a heating element for using during colder months, not something we wanted.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">We prepared the tanks by marking a level line around the cage and plastic tanks. Removed the plastic containers, cut the cages with a grinder and the plastic tanks with a jigsaw. <br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKc9QhTizqzCot1KsqoeESmPLuNIgm-S7FwiQRRmIyNm4b6OwCsgC5y1oe5dhrjip_hBeOaP9m8EkCfGt28o4SoG61fpQLymNXCxQuQ14BUSWFM6gn1f8_I-G6iZ-Iw_wru2xRysKXIOB_vbNelNAZJB4-q6pNwwuWCTdY63Zp-IyeKJR5lYgoa2Q9Q/s676/Tank%20cuts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="676" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKc9QhTizqzCot1KsqoeESmPLuNIgm-S7FwiQRRmIyNm4b6OwCsgC5y1oe5dhrjip_hBeOaP9m8EkCfGt28o4SoG61fpQLymNXCxQuQ14BUSWFM6gn1f8_I-G6iZ-Iw_wru2xRysKXIOB_vbNelNAZJB4-q6pNwwuWCTdY63Zp-IyeKJR5lYgoa2Q9Q/s320/Tank%20cuts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">So with the tricky items sourced it's time to consider the rest of the bits and pieces and for that you need to consider water hygiene. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">With a small paddling pool you can simply dispose of the water and refill regularly. But with anything of a considerable size that amounts to a lot of water wasted. Given that when cut down to size we would use around 750 litres in each tank (total 2250 litres) then we needed to consider maintaining the water for the entire season.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">There are two weapons in our armoury here: Chlorine and Filtered pumps.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Chlorine is excellent at keeping pathogens at bay and the water safe for sitting in but it's not without inherent issues that need monitoring. It will gradually reduce the PH of the water and soon it will become too acidic if not kept in check. So if using chlorine you need a means of testing the PH. Whether a digital tester or some simple strips that work like litmus paper.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEHlEp2fBfpxwy_cGdngGe2-26999usBCE0vPC8f_73JqLKeRUF1Zb793g7EKQmn4m8IC0eMywmlNO5Wprrkyk0MlNzbuJLaYcPdcple2UFCvSDTl8g_c_03nPMj6vQcLZFFNuR09MCm1E-H36KCnLKUwEhZ8565_-ATv6tTVF5kNgdDIZhd7CrQ3sw/s652/PH%20testing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="652" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEHlEp2fBfpxwy_cGdngGe2-26999usBCE0vPC8f_73JqLKeRUF1Zb793g7EKQmn4m8IC0eMywmlNO5Wprrkyk0MlNzbuJLaYcPdcple2UFCvSDTl8g_c_03nPMj6vQcLZFFNuR09MCm1E-H36KCnLKUwEhZ8565_-ATv6tTVF5kNgdDIZhd7CrQ3sw/w400-h224/PH%20testing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div></div><div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">With that in hand you need a way of amending the PH. Given that chlorine reduces it we have found we only needed to increase it this year, which we did by adding Bicarbonate of soda a tablespoon per day and re-testing until it sat in the sweet spot between 6-8PH. You can buy crystals for this exact purpose that I suspect would be a quicker solution. Equally you can buy crytals to lower the PH. I guess if you over dose one way you can counter it with the latter.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">So, now we have chlorine in the water using floaters (pictured below) and slow release chlorine tablets inside them which last around one week.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaug12tidm_Yz2rC4-V4GIOtrT_--yT-doNjfjjjI5v34H_ijMDYG-tblnKhSihnHsDxPbdjuJIa5CXT6l2qf2ZWnJD0sspBT6sbKewmod6CcVDw3KwDeKeqUnpy7P8epU34q46HvmseW40iSIbOVK3eB1Js9ST6jBA0RFuet7NUDnmsBQidQwbhh_rg/s321/Chlorine%20dispenser.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="224" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaug12tidm_Yz2rC4-V4GIOtrT_--yT-doNjfjjjI5v34H_ijMDYG-tblnKhSihnHsDxPbdjuJIa5CXT6l2qf2ZWnJD0sspBT6sbKewmod6CcVDw3KwDeKeqUnpy7P8epU34q46HvmseW40iSIbOVK3eB1Js9ST6jBA0RFuet7NUDnmsBQidQwbhh_rg/s320/Chlorine%20dispenser.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Next you should consider a pump and filter combination. If chlorine left sitting in 'still' water it can quickly form Hyrdochloric acid. Even with my pathetic level of Chemistry knowledge I understand this is far from ideal for sitting in.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The way you combat this is to have a pump circulating the water keeping it moving, it stops the free chlorine bonding with water to form the aforementioned acid.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">There are many types of pumps, some with and some without filters. If they have filters either they are sand or cartridge. A</span><span style="font-family: arial;">lso pumps are rated at</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> cycling a certain amount of water per hour.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">We chose a pump that could pump a little more per hour than we had in total in the tanks and with a sand filter as these are low maintenance and the sand apparently lasts seven years before becoming less effective and needing replacing.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJW7XkDnDNv-IiN1_hmsjqHAOxK25qJxddwhui3Difg5-yUwdRMsX-JxC8vhx5A-HrotMmANO1KdiHNo5gkdykHQZbYwXL6Pbo87gAPCYIAcEDxBGj81dAgcHx3zdl0GWlyMMystmnSpSSbmW7xRJFcaRmdLlvQ2G0lZdkxFjr_ZJtffj1irBTm6JFQ/s631/Bestway%20pump.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="524" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJW7XkDnDNv-IiN1_hmsjqHAOxK25qJxddwhui3Difg5-yUwdRMsX-JxC8vhx5A-HrotMmANO1KdiHNo5gkdykHQZbYwXL6Pbo87gAPCYIAcEDxBGj81dAgcHx3zdl0GWlyMMystmnSpSSbmW7xRJFcaRmdLlvQ2G0lZdkxFjr_ZJtffj1irBTm6JFQ/s320/Bestway%20pump.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Not having too large a pump is important as this negatively impacts electricity consumption.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Once you have your 'pool' and pump/filter you need to connect them.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This is somewhat easier if you only have one 'pool' or IBC but not much more difficult with two or three.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Each pool needs an inlet and and outlet and for these you can find the 'jets' available online as you can with all the fittings needed. It seems here in europe there are two principle manufacturers, Intec and Bestway and from my experience their parts seem interchangeable.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">NOTE: at this stage of planning you need to make sure that the pump, jets, taps and tube all have the same diameter. We used 38mm but 34mm would work fine in this setup.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2XXrmvg4Orcdw-IsnrowQZ90Wij1D2dt-04IfLhEeSQXj-BR9iTaYcNoWN82PSbl8ciR33me8lTND3e_tJHn_UsgKIV47rXdN_TvSh8Xwj0YF80nlIGJQlcf28Zia4M4KjRlWd5OQ7dTnllbXgHVGGVZ9DOK8j6XmxzHLihGTgMt-xuybiEGBDDL8ig/s528/38mm%20jets.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="528" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2XXrmvg4Orcdw-IsnrowQZ90Wij1D2dt-04IfLhEeSQXj-BR9iTaYcNoWN82PSbl8ciR33me8lTND3e_tJHn_UsgKIV47rXdN_TvSh8Xwj0YF80nlIGJQlcf28Zia4M4KjRlWd5OQ7dTnllbXgHVGGVZ9DOK8j6XmxzHLihGTgMt-xuybiEGBDDL8ig/s320/38mm%20jets.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">You will need to cut a hole of the appropriate size into the plastic containers to accept these jets and make sure they sit in a position where there are no cage bars. So with the plastic containers inside their cages take a rubber washer from one of the jets and mark the holes by drawing around the inside of the washer while holding it against the plastic container. I installed the inlet jet higher up the wall and the outlet a little lower. This seems to be the standard with purchased pools and i guess and floating matter that needs filtering gradully sinks so this makes sense.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsfQLfMDwlT0ut2SIREl_H5seqfOnwNuhknt2AYUFuey_jD7NV0FAPqVx-5645SDZkbDM16R4rnCTxdmxdOF1G5fPMlUknZSOM24bx6Ll0EQQjP5RM9oMwyMhdf8Oe6C1QEFCYlPnnFqA_C1Iz13NA60QH2AFdKRWf1ffIepR9ghYEjMZmSWbAnADpA/s676/Tank%20cuts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="676" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsfQLfMDwlT0ut2SIREl_H5seqfOnwNuhknt2AYUFuey_jD7NV0FAPqVx-5645SDZkbDM16R4rnCTxdmxdOF1G5fPMlUknZSOM24bx6Ll0EQQjP5RM9oMwyMhdf8Oe6C1QEFCYlPnnFqA_C1Iz13NA60QH2AFdKRWf1ffIepR9ghYEjMZmSWbAnADpA/s320/Tank%20cuts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">With the holes marker you can cut them either with a jigsaw, holesaw or with a steady hand a stanley knife works by pushing the blade through the plastic. I did the latter but be careful about mistakes, they would be tricky to remedy. <br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3GM34qQaYk1SjOKWFVRgQy3j-ZjBqJU_eZ0HW9GOmGr-A2fuq8sbjqP3ZTGojbUNPR7igSMNJ_9jZ1wItp6OBmsCcSKdRiOZFjzcIjd997QLZWHA65F_iIOlidu9dkPhLYhx4NoDI4rYF_l4ChBhFUiLQSDi_CTZQKUsFrhtGbzj7knJtvrsosMMeg/s371/38mm%20taps.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="371" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3GM34qQaYk1SjOKWFVRgQy3j-ZjBqJU_eZ0HW9GOmGr-A2fuq8sbjqP3ZTGojbUNPR7igSMNJ_9jZ1wItp6OBmsCcSKdRiOZFjzcIjd997QLZWHA65F_iIOlidu9dkPhLYhx4NoDI4rYF_l4ChBhFUiLQSDi_CTZQKUsFrhtGbzj7knJtvrsosMMeg/s320/38mm%20taps.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">With the jets installed, you can connect the pump using the correct sizee tubing (either 34mm or 38mm) directly to the rear of these jets or you can add a tap so that you can close the pools off from the pump for any maintenance without draining the pools down, we did this and have already been thankful we did. I recommend the type of tubing below that has a cut point every metre that leaves you a collar either side of the cut to fit a jubliee clip.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspVBfGBT5pc9hlC0IMtjFEncYzVAULmg_D2SY10bk-thxa-njAAE0IQB8N0ZOG3zb0UYFhY7rL7Eb8JJAlrp5yvcjeg0eBw0XoSaBcbf1jMzAdUxi1IkxDwjVbfXByTQgwLh1sYR2JMyQRGXHEbLo5_mZpeChTPAsS-LZwUoZJzo4E2Q9fwxbUQxTIg/s445/Tubing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="445" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspVBfGBT5pc9hlC0IMtjFEncYzVAULmg_D2SY10bk-thxa-njAAE0IQB8N0ZOG3zb0UYFhY7rL7Eb8JJAlrp5yvcjeg0eBw0XoSaBcbf1jMzAdUxi1IkxDwjVbfXByTQgwLh1sYR2JMyQRGXHEbLo5_mZpeChTPAsS-LZwUoZJzo4E2Q9fwxbUQxTIg/s320/Tubing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">If you have just one IBC you're ready to go. If not then you need to connect them in series using T pieces of the correct diameter.</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">If
you have two IBCs then you will need two T pieces, for every IBC in
addition you need two more T pieces. Having three IBCs we needed four T
pieces.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSo0Rv5MdWE78Oz_tPmcKBGOWhnn56X7wW6i2qU7YVe1Ac2Ggz_6tKpYXiUK3SX69GyCr0ETCT8nxIUXzVt0_qVAIpAHl1w_9d8leK3c0G-2yixE7ZSqLRWDSGq5t9z1_wVQHuyMROAg6bhYJLTUCLsskol1MHT8cWWiOyvdauO-WLBHd7iGrZXNTqA/s784/Connecting%20diagram.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="754" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSo0Rv5MdWE78Oz_tPmcKBGOWhnn56X7wW6i2qU7YVe1Ac2Ggz_6tKpYXiUK3SX69GyCr0ETCT8nxIUXzVt0_qVAIpAHl1w_9d8leK3c0G-2yixE7ZSqLRWDSGq5t9z1_wVQHuyMROAg6bhYJLTUCLsskol1MHT8cWWiOyvdauO-WLBHd7iGrZXNTqA/w385-h400/Connecting%20diagram.jpg" width="385" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyf1GZk0fGM9XMourru-GShCj5heVwMWb5yWHSA-AazK5K7DxQV7rHzMAZ8HhTrfEVUacS44kHbiaN0VQl9jLh7QxYdLGtZnrYtwAvyNXmEieNSjAwmYVRWyE1Jy-qb_TJS941gS-skfyF0gdUT63TEl1lFp5Z5KVt_ah1r9t5PrKnXbFjmywdCUTKw/s414/T%20pieces.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="414" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyf1GZk0fGM9XMourru-GShCj5heVwMWb5yWHSA-AazK5K7DxQV7rHzMAZ8HhTrfEVUacS44kHbiaN0VQl9jLh7QxYdLGtZnrYtwAvyNXmEieNSjAwmYVRWyE1Jy-qb_TJS941gS-skfyF0gdUT63TEl1lFp5Z5KVt_ah1r9t5PrKnXbFjmywdCUTKw/s320/T%20pieces.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">38mm T connectors with jubilee clips<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">With the pools in place and LEVEL and the pump connected and filter filled with sand we filled everything with water, primed the pump (as per instruction booklet), opened the taps and switched on the pump.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">After fixing a couple of leaky joints, it was ready for use and what a relief it's been this summer. We put in a couple of robust plastic stools so that you can comfortably sit inside with water up to chest height. You can see from the photo below that it's possible to drop in from the deck onto the stools. Depends how agile one is of course and this setup is purely because the deck is on top of the adjacent rainwater catchment tanks.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDjhU1m4A4bjUr_3jtyjRibRdm5bdvmsniHm-7Zl9QTa3Hu6DNKOTARmlhJsZR7B25K_OKm1fl2pMw_2pehPxCMvzUq4dIMxLoZwpREqRESYfkxwQ72CZCv9cE2ufr5tBYSVG825QpCpcBTZtW2znMYKbh5szSsp3jwhOUtWYCQWabzKJM0EPtL180g/s684/deck%20drop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="684" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDjhU1m4A4bjUr_3jtyjRibRdm5bdvmsniHm-7Zl9QTa3Hu6DNKOTARmlhJsZR7B25K_OKm1fl2pMw_2pehPxCMvzUq4dIMxLoZwpREqRESYfkxwQ72CZCv9cE2ufr5tBYSVG825QpCpcBTZtW2znMYKbh5szSsp3jwhOUtWYCQWabzKJM0EPtL180g/w400-h325/deck%20drop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Next year I will most likely fit a ladder such as this to allow easy access into one of the pools for any visitors unable to clamber in and out without one. This will fix to the deck and descend into an IBC nicely.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkkIvhjZzv4pyLKn726xQHO7IVjqfInwZsAVa2t2EPx9tR9r9eOXMLxHIyumAHrk_GHDSXrUnfGs36wlgVJCGwO5QNW8Qdsy_PoQvY9oGWEtJCBwVoBgFccjzUgJHiuMIpcclTagyj91tvhwcrmKlFJ0-VVOgJc8Czu1NJgihyBMfxlPSa2EFPLRZew/s657/ladder%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="422" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkkIvhjZzv4pyLKn726xQHO7IVjqfInwZsAVa2t2EPx9tR9r9eOXMLxHIyumAHrk_GHDSXrUnfGs36wlgVJCGwO5QNW8Qdsy_PoQvY9oGWEtJCBwVoBgFccjzUgJHiuMIpcclTagyj91tvhwcrmKlFJ0-VVOgJc8Czu1NJgihyBMfxlPSa2EFPLRZew/s320/ladder%201.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>If you are installing the IBC in a more freestanding setting the an even cheaper option for easy access could be standard pool ladder such as this below.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> <br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcARcrY6Duj7hkQ0IzKLD9xWBbTVPbuaoODpkmXoy0Y7Nz63QMpU3imUodf98DS4DHVJW6CW7dk8ktWIlFsyqPp7L1r6zO-FMrH5pXfcZ5siXAXwZIDPsntAvelswZH3fn22hSUGX0XYZp3-6ElIuL6rkEcdwz9Zc1PKCC8hBC2_cpqJXXaC6jh6zxA/s500/ladder%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="444" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcARcrY6Duj7hkQ0IzKLD9xWBbTVPbuaoODpkmXoy0Y7Nz63QMpU3imUodf98DS4DHVJW6CW7dk8ktWIlFsyqPp7L1r6zO-FMrH5pXfcZ5siXAXwZIDPsntAvelswZH3fn22hSUGX0XYZp3-6ElIuL6rkEcdwz9Zc1PKCC8hBC2_cpqJXXaC6jh6zxA/s320/ladder%202.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The water has ranged from 20-27</span><span style="font-family: arial;">°C</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> this summer, entirely weather dependent and seems the night time temps are the largest factor. Even at the high end it's still very much cooling given that normal body temperature is 36-37</span><span style="font-family: arial;">°C</span><span style="font-family: arial;">. At 20</span><span style="font-family: arial;">°C</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> it takes a little more commitment to sit into (a large pool you can simply jump in, these you need to sit down which is a whole other thing) but the benefits of cold water immersion are now becoming well documented so I'm embracing my inner Wim Hoff. Although he'd laugh at the 'warmth' of these pools, he prefers ice in his.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><img alt="Fever - What you need to know - Rossmax | Your total ..." class="r48jcc pT0Scc iPVvYb" data-ilt="1693910953526" height="297" src="https://www.rossmax.com/templates/yootheme/cache/fc/Measurement_Chart_Thermo-fc523af2.png" style="max-width: 1500px;" width="400" /><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Once this season is over I'll leave the water to stand for three days or more to allow the Chlorine to gas off leaving the water safe for watering plants or storing for next spring in other IBCs that we will have below in the garden. I'll cover them over for winter and winterise the pump before freezing temps arrive. When spring arrives i'll give them a thorough clean and refill.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">So what has this project cost?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The IBC tanks were €130 each</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The pump €180</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Pump grade sand €25 <br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The jets (one pair) €25</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The taps for the jets (one pair) €50 <br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The T pieces (one pair) €12</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The tubing €25</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">TOTAL €435 for one pool, each extra pool adds around €180</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I must add that these costs excluded a little concrete so that i could make 8 level pads for the IBCs to sit on and the decking on the photo from you descend. Next year i'll probably clad the in reclaimed pallet wood and fix boards around the top edges as per the instructables article above.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">SO...Worth it? <b><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">Unequivocally</span></b>. Why? Well, in the coming years these little pools could literally be a lifesaver as the climate deranges further. Deaths from heat in the U.S.now exceed deaths from shootings (trying to remember where I read this, will update blog when I've found it), and there are around<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41488081" target="_blank"> two mass shootings</a> per day on average in the U.S. but i'm digressing slightly.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">As I've already said at the top of the post. Prior to this year, summers were a case of putting the house into complete darkness during the day and sitting indoors. When this scenario is three months long it makes the summer a season to dread. This year however these pools have changed that. We still need to put the house into darkness of course, but we need not fear going outside and getting hot. We can consider doing some small activities knowing we can instantly cool down. Activites that we would otherwise have avoided as we had no convenient way of cooling quickly. The summer has just become less dreadful. Sitting in the pools with a book, enjoyable even. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Any questions of clarifications then comment below please and i'll aim to improve the post.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Stu Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02638762928553183069noreply@blogger.com051017 Pescia, Province of Pistoia, Italy43.907320899999988 10.689131116.685822141171386 -24.4671189 71.12881965882859 45.8453811tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-6043986102096319902021-08-14T18:42:00.000+02:002021-08-14T18:42:37.479+02:00Melting moments<p>As I sit down to write this blog post the temperature gauge is reading 40.3C outside, and we have yet to reach the hottest point of the day. In the last week we've had a run of particularly hot weather, and the temperature has already exceeded 40C at least twice in the last couple of days. We barely know what to do with ourselves. From about 10am every day the house is plunged into darkness as we go around closing all the windows, the shutters, and doors to keep both the sunshine and the hot air out, and it stays like that until about 8pm when the evening air just starts to cool down slightly and we rush around the house throwing open all windows and doors to capitalise on the temperature differential. So, for the best part of 10 hours each day we've been hiding indoors in what feels like a cave through lack of natural daylight - yet it isn't anywhere near as cool as a cave should be or would be! </p><p>Of course, looking around at the rest of the world we know we are not alone in this extreme heat, and in fact we realise we should be grateful that the mercury has "only" hit 40C. This week in Sicily the temperature reached a record (for Europe) 48.8C. I simply cannot imagine how uncomfortable that must feel - even earlier this week when we took a trip into Pescia for some shopping it <i>almost</i> felt as if my eyeballs were burning. Thankfully, here in our area we have not been affected by forest fires this summer (so far at least - and long may it continue that way), whereas so many other places around the world have not been so fortunate.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLF2zhzJW5CBCoFeGLz0IbBCajWcsnrgzPtq0y2dCSmvb_810aJLCEA8boGsJnX5DldkPcfP6slI9FeiknARZc8ZPAyrKpjlGn2TSL1xpAENv8oeiSZCjSDhRahx0SbByr-a_a7wBfCOM/s2048/IMG_20210731_111618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLF2zhzJW5CBCoFeGLz0IbBCajWcsnrgzPtq0y2dCSmvb_810aJLCEA8boGsJnX5DldkPcfP6slI9FeiknARZc8ZPAyrKpjlGn2TSL1xpAENv8oeiSZCjSDhRahx0SbByr-a_a7wBfCOM/s320/IMG_20210731_111618.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p>So it's a Saturday afternoon and we are stuck indoors - having spent Saturday morning driving around in the car with the air conditioning on (not something we usually treat ourselves to - usually having the windows open in the car suffices, but today we gave up on that after 10 hot and sweaty minutes and resorted to the A/C - that is with the exception of when we came to one particularly steep hill at which point we had to turn the A/C off in order to give the struggling car a fighting chance to make it to the top of the hill!). Our mission this morning was to try to find a small fan (mission accomplished, and in a blissfully air-conditioned electricals shop to boot) so that this afternoon, Stuart can attempt to make a DIY swamp cooler.</p><p>Last week Stuart successfully made a DIY air con unit that runs by blowing air over a block of ice inside a coolbox; this weekend it is the turn of a swamp cooler, which uses water evaporation to cool the air, rather than needing to rely on blocks of ice (which only remain blocks of ice for a limited period). Here's the theory: <a href="https://enviroinc.com/diy-swamp-cooler/">https://enviroinc.com/diy-swamp-cooler/</a>.</p><p>And here's how the coolbox air con unit was made:</p><p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggK6MZRgvqlEdmPQx7xovmtNLH0H8OyzYCfMkJi2LMnUo3wZdJf_9Aa5K4ywiy9coLE2Re7_NoZ8QoqA5uwIDmb-RPlP79BWdiuubKJtwMX07B-Da5ZV2tv8TcSzWyK018LIIueIgt3n0/s2048/step1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggK6MZRgvqlEdmPQx7xovmtNLH0H8OyzYCfMkJi2LMnUo3wZdJf_9Aa5K4ywiy9coLE2Re7_NoZ8QoqA5uwIDmb-RPlP79BWdiuubKJtwMX07B-Da5ZV2tv8TcSzWyK018LIIueIgt3n0/s320/step1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One cool box.</td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAFxDLO2-Nb0QObNM-UHdYMQv23KlKV9qxQSlRn5bNGxyTxvuVSXQFHKAwcIl5kAWsDuS9aCi0V-SNP4pQzW3Yot7mwfsIWspYSwpr8d77e7PmOBKW-AATTANzFclLYRbHW1aXhG05X8/s2048/step1-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAFxDLO2-Nb0QObNM-UHdYMQv23KlKV9qxQSlRn5bNGxyTxvuVSXQFHKAwcIl5kAWsDuS9aCi0V-SNP4pQzW3Yot7mwfsIWspYSwpr8d77e7PmOBKW-AATTANzFclLYRbHW1aXhG05X8/s320/step1-a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cool box, a fan and a piece of plastic pipe.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_foQfQxKlm5D9IhVc3FrGzZLI9mk_QGsh-fzWG4820xLiM9X6SsxrgETgYu6hZ4YOHRrsZzM7Sarx1T6BuWyIZ_dzEhCB8Dao4VsONeSgjB767c6nQtM3flTP2IvOpAY7ImSmG0BvrB4/s2048/step2-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_foQfQxKlm5D9IhVc3FrGzZLI9mk_QGsh-fzWG4820xLiM9X6SsxrgETgYu6hZ4YOHRrsZzM7Sarx1T6BuWyIZ_dzEhCB8Dao4VsONeSgjB767c6nQtM3flTP2IvOpAY7ImSmG0BvrB4/s320/step2-b.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hole cut in the lid for the fan.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVB7FwfWZcMMyam3_FpJD5zEeyzzM2Y5QCY86fnrTtifrMvf2-EKqlJw-blUb1LClSDAGUNgyRJ78Z3zCGp3LMxt5g-he7LfkPyG5Cb5iFA2sip4cSOnQVPdysWqCL-KpmW0Dx0gmqqZU/s2048/step3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVB7FwfWZcMMyam3_FpJD5zEeyzzM2Y5QCY86fnrTtifrMvf2-EKqlJw-blUb1LClSDAGUNgyRJ78Z3zCGp3LMxt5g-he7LfkPyG5Cb5iFA2sip4cSOnQVPdysWqCL-KpmW0Dx0gmqqZU/s320/step3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And a hole cut in the lid for the pipe outlet.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlYemorfmL5p14WDxjlceQuVNJvtY0wSmk-FWFVAOq3uhFURmPCVZ2TDHXAzTCqh3E_1YbuS8si30WoJyw1MosN9RRWO048Gd0tNmBDhezrlV6MV08h9CGoosuSdpZjbpVR-Ad6IqoEb8/s2048/step4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlYemorfmL5p14WDxjlceQuVNJvtY0wSmk-FWFVAOq3uhFURmPCVZ2TDHXAzTCqh3E_1YbuS8si30WoJyw1MosN9RRWO048Gd0tNmBDhezrlV6MV08h9CGoosuSdpZjbpVR-Ad6IqoEb8/s320/step4.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fan and pipe inserted</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnG9StN2hpbCnTj2Lt3iUXogPqvz-C9Zjd_kalMkQ9hdQfmMZfwJXEo9OR_EK22MLNJPcB2uTlx4yswECQm6hcLen63oN7otq4BFIcrdbVAW2o9ZxK_8be7_2RqhrYgROsp5IUIjByWY/s2048/step5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnG9StN2hpbCnTj2Lt3iUXogPqvz-C9Zjd_kalMkQ9hdQfmMZfwJXEo9OR_EK22MLNJPcB2uTlx4yswECQm6hcLen63oN7otq4BFIcrdbVAW2o9ZxK_8be7_2RqhrYgROsp5IUIjByWY/s320/step5.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26i-52hAG7i8Mv1zMf8020hCjntPBx4iN6nvJTI7TUBG94e8XWNoZpdHatkf_vFpqvwk4npGbdr_UIDAofJooep2OltitpY-xCGiWqa_pZEg7Eh6NN5hceluQLMC30UTV2i_71zPAk2k/s2048/step6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26i-52hAG7i8Mv1zMf8020hCjntPBx4iN6nvJTI7TUBG94e8XWNoZpdHatkf_vFpqvwk4npGbdr_UIDAofJooep2OltitpY-xCGiWqa_pZEg7Eh6NN5hceluQLMC30UTV2i_71zPAk2k/s320/step6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice added to the cool box.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUvQ7ZQLg_7s0aEHqWAsNtamDDZwgcPVOJwl8acaZhyEHTEZK506NbK3RVOweWAw0Ywc-chkof1K0KUJbyOWClVK6RzI2AFnb39Rpfg5-SNZergIss39jJYLOpL1MdoLYQrYbvKdRR90/s2048/step7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUvQ7ZQLg_7s0aEHqWAsNtamDDZwgcPVOJwl8acaZhyEHTEZK506NbK3RVOweWAw0Ywc-chkof1K0KUJbyOWClVK6RzI2AFnb39Rpfg5-SNZergIss39jJYLOpL1MdoLYQrYbvKdRR90/s320/step7.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooling air.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />We are thankful that, while the temperature has been high for many weeks now, it is only really the last week that has been a really significant struggle to cope with. Up until this week we had been managing to keep the house at a reasonably comfortable temperature, and although outdoor temperatures have regularly hit the mid 30s they haven't (until now) been so extreme that we haven't been able to do anything. Having said that, the mid to high 30s is still pretty hot and our work rate always slows significantly in these hot summer months; in part due to a higher work load for me in the office, in part due to the weather not being conducive to physical work, and in part due to there being fewer necessary tasks to get done. The main jobs that still need doing are the cutting of the grass on the terraces and getting the winter firewood ready and under cover.<div><br /></div><div>Strimming the terraces has been slightly different this year.</div><div><br /></div><div>To start with, there was the small issue of a broken rib. Having had undiagnosed vague aches and pains in my left-hand side for a few months, everything fell into (or more precisely out of) place one night when, during the night I turned over in bed and felt (heard, even) a crunch and crack and something that rather exceeded the amount of pain I'd previously been experiencing. It was obvious to me that I'd done some damage to my rib/ligaments/cartilage/, but I couldn't quite believe that breaking a rib could be, well, so easy. Over the next 4 or 5 days it was extremely uncomfortable, but it was 10 days before I could get to see the doctor, and another 4 days before I was able to have an x-ray, by which time the pain was subsiding.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since the x-ray wasn't classed as urgent, I had to go all the way to a medical centre on the outskirts of Florence for it (nowhere closer had an availability for a non-urgent case) - a long and tiring drive on the motorway in rush-hour traffic for Stuart and I could barely look him in the eye when I came out of the medical centre to tell him that I would need to go back again two days later to collect the results (on CD-ROM!). I felt somewhat vindicated when I did pick up the results though:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMG-KEDyxX6mX7ah_DfvB4VrQ3tstb2Y3-iRm7O6HTJCREDiSKIauS9vHnVB04DLlK7m9xvGl8Ro01NAOObAR_nfaOz5jx0L6A2lyv565SbkF6Emf1zrFKd56aqlRWAlYU-wShG-FtaI/s2048/IMG_20210610_180021-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMG-KEDyxX6mX7ah_DfvB4VrQ3tstb2Y3-iRm7O6HTJCREDiSKIauS9vHnVB04DLlK7m9xvGl8Ro01NAOObAR_nfaOz5jx0L6A2lyv565SbkF6Emf1zrFKd56aqlRWAlYU-wShG-FtaI/s320/IMG_20210610_180021-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqFHSS9umwMto1yKM5Ao6KJX-n8LhHXpe0ftk0_QUJTngKCYA1JtluQv9ZNuSvb5qWq9SisQc-pibKS0ISbcIDSUYG0VOKWMwNp8WTb7v9Cf8Fdf1HHnUdjYdv6JMf8aSmc5oRl-wO1E/s1555/xray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1555" data-original-width="1190" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqFHSS9umwMto1yKM5Ao6KJX-n8LhHXpe0ftk0_QUJTngKCYA1JtluQv9ZNuSvb5qWq9SisQc-pibKS0ISbcIDSUYG0VOKWMwNp8WTb7v9Cf8Fdf1HHnUdjYdv6JMf8aSmc5oRl-wO1E/s320/xray.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your guess is as good as mine. Good job the experts know what they are looking at.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>It seems strange to say I felt relieved to have a broken rib, but I was relieved that the hassle of the journey to Florence and back had been justified and relieved to have an explanation for the vague aches I'd been having for a while, and relieved to have a cast iron, concrete "excuse" for having taken things easy for a short while.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course the rib episode happened just at the point at which the terraces were needing another strim and I had been planning to do them that week. With the grass and other vegetation growing like crazy, Stuart called in a favour from a friend who he'd been doing some work for and who had promised to repay him by doing a day's work for us, so Cristian came and cut the grass one day, and the following day our friends Paul & Kathy gallantly came to finish the job off. We were truly grateful to them all, and I can't tell you how frustrated I felt seeing other people work without being able to get stuck in myself! </div><div><br /></div><div>Thankfully, the pain subsided considerably after a few days, and a few weeks later I was back up to speed, back cutting the grass on the terraces with a new, much lighter weight strimmer bought thanks to some very generous help from my Dad.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_uZNgnDgJctpVyP2zXREgVTSeXbQQ0I4B-XqZT5NDChU96robmv-5b0HgxNJsgJoFaQMNZbZWKPzyG1E_nPwKGDP-IpVbtH9vIhDvS7wu9fkrkI8dtaR2ykNRteq2sVKH4oA37ZWg4Q/s2048/IMG_20210620_122102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_uZNgnDgJctpVyP2zXREgVTSeXbQQ0I4B-XqZT5NDChU96robmv-5b0HgxNJsgJoFaQMNZbZWKPzyG1E_nPwKGDP-IpVbtH9vIhDvS7wu9fkrkI8dtaR2ykNRteq2sVKH4oA37ZWg4Q/s320/IMG_20210620_122102.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back in the game!!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The other, more significant, difference in strimming this year is that we made the decision back in the spring not to cut the vegetation on the banks, instead only cutting the flat parts of the terraces. We did this for two reasons, one is that the banks have been becoming increasingly unstable in recent years, and constantly cutting the grass/plants growing on them does some considerable damage, whereas leaving the vegetation intact helps to stabilise the banks as the roots of the plants hold the soil together. The other reason was to leave all the flowering plants on the banks for the bees and other insects to feed from. </div><div><br /></div><div>The decision not to cut the banks has had a couple of effects. First, it has made the whole strimming process <i>so</i> much quicker, easier and less arduous. Whereas it last year (when we cut the banks as well as the flat terraces themselves) it had been taking around 17 person-hours to do the whole lot each time, this year it hasn't taken much more than 10 person-hours each time. Secondly, we have been thrilled to see the changes in nature itself - the succession of beautiful wild flowers, the increase in insect life and even the return of one wild flower (an orange lily) that we last saw in the year that we moved here, but had not seen on our property since then. So it seems it's a win, win!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKAaEfNaGem2g3e4BckRuZN24jH8hy75zs3F8yWN7Y933R76f9wRqvpVdj622eOU1UEmR9R6O5_O_GmbRcIBzLJPrZ1Giv7Fl3-cBwI5egEznRj5lcFlYLprvXF2PIfDE54qT5IGxlXw/s2048/IMG_20210624_095458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKAaEfNaGem2g3e4BckRuZN24jH8hy75zs3F8yWN7Y933R76f9wRqvpVdj622eOU1UEmR9R6O5_O_GmbRcIBzLJPrZ1Giv7Fl3-cBwI5egEznRj5lcFlYLprvXF2PIfDE54qT5IGxlXw/s320/IMG_20210624_095458.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty in pink centaury.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDXgEZ4__qFMEOZF1_QhgsgrD49_i-NU5te9KsD8epcMbhxdLB6U5NXhpx3L4T02CZIYuuGy8CWOE-lSzTFI1t3hQ0VsJfK_zo83AIDr9oAm_-8dy48qgo5HC0BB34DFOWLHB-rUymPI/s2048/IMG_20210625_095947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDXgEZ4__qFMEOZF1_QhgsgrD49_i-NU5te9KsD8epcMbhxdLB6U5NXhpx3L4T02CZIYuuGy8CWOE-lSzTFI1t3hQ0VsJfK_zo83AIDr9oAm_-8dy48qgo5HC0BB34DFOWLHB-rUymPI/s320/IMG_20210625_095947.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lilium bulbiferum var croceum (Orange lily) - it's six years since we last saw one here.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOm5PBOauGRVA1nxtLOB7VzBQKCEGcsu6tQTZQJAdUjUkcVca7raZNkYmAwf_xF_7FrhiGuel00WNmc04PlD59z5oVzLCBXt1goeu_RYroBHwzoCgKPO1cSjw0hxq8MnRXkKupFUqF230/s2048/IMG_20210625_095959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOm5PBOauGRVA1nxtLOB7VzBQKCEGcsu6tQTZQJAdUjUkcVca7raZNkYmAwf_xF_7FrhiGuel00WNmc04PlD59z5oVzLCBXt1goeu_RYroBHwzoCgKPO1cSjw0hxq8MnRXkKupFUqF230/s320/IMG_20210625_095959.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnczDSXbDk9aW3I-wPJOl5O_moCFVIgDnvNuOPgN-OWq4o2mOYfeRXoNBJUAXY6GukX3J9XNsW9oC6S4MZQwpq5mZ_lqPUelo_2n5x7TmubYhgpb3rgjW8bx2eHOPYp65AajKvLNzz1Q/s2048/IMG_20210703_084226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnczDSXbDk9aW3I-wPJOl5O_moCFVIgDnvNuOPgN-OWq4o2mOYfeRXoNBJUAXY6GukX3J9XNsW9oC6S4MZQwpq5mZ_lqPUelo_2n5x7TmubYhgpb3rgjW8bx2eHOPYp65AajKvLNzz1Q/s320/IMG_20210703_084226.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nature creates such beautiful colour combinations - centaury, sheep's bit scabious, st John's wort and more. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8xW7jlWvnUrmLX8Fhwm5F2LWZfaMOzmBPxNKVYAp-ln_nW0F4fVPYw-ZyhME30e-f2FdYdKiRO8td9-I_n0OASrbh6SgyXVnG8Ny6J5rGnrCCgfkW_czxtx7vX_5wu3dRjg3nudrwpYI/s2048/IMG_20210705_094622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8xW7jlWvnUrmLX8Fhwm5F2LWZfaMOzmBPxNKVYAp-ln_nW0F4fVPYw-ZyhME30e-f2FdYdKiRO8td9-I_n0OASrbh6SgyXVnG8Ny6J5rGnrCCgfkW_czxtx7vX_5wu3dRjg3nudrwpYI/s320/IMG_20210705_094622.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The morning sun gives everything a beautiful summery meadowy feel.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwkSpad9Whowlay9KEsyYpRhS8og4Ujor0UOrzB-GqQsptA6UZRd4GKUr9hYCfn_x7h21ZSMUeb1q20-W9AcgJBas1P6ex95uOTkEwKRCyFZj830fpkboy5wq9lc9uIpzYS4rqAzkZjI/s2048/IMG_20210705_094752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwkSpad9Whowlay9KEsyYpRhS8og4Ujor0UOrzB-GqQsptA6UZRd4GKUr9hYCfn_x7h21ZSMUeb1q20-W9AcgJBas1P6ex95uOTkEwKRCyFZj830fpkboy5wq9lc9uIpzYS4rqAzkZjI/s320/IMG_20210705_094752.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheep's bit scabious.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2T9VwVrtRVsT5s3R4QqYYnA5_Lv-PhZyyhtDXEZaaF7OQx23oldhCGOqQau9c-xQpPySuNgAhyphenhyphenZbuQv_NS-NYOYqJM5W-zBiSS2qjmMa2YF-fVqULzaH9o81UMbwYM7pyKXfDMJfnepc/s2048/IMG_20210705_094759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2T9VwVrtRVsT5s3R4QqYYnA5_Lv-PhZyyhtDXEZaaF7OQx23oldhCGOqQau9c-xQpPySuNgAhyphenhyphenZbuQv_NS-NYOYqJM5W-zBiSS2qjmMa2YF-fVqULzaH9o81UMbwYM7pyKXfDMJfnepc/s320/IMG_20210705_094759.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />This month (last week, in fact) we finished the other big job of the summer, that of moving all the winter firewood down from the storage area by the gate to the winter woodpile near the house. We had delayed bringing it down this year because we are still hosting 36 bee hives on the small flat piece of land next to the gate. Usually the beekeeper brings them here in the spring and leaves them for roughly 3-6 weeks, purely for the flowering season of the acacia (robinia) trees. This year, the acacia flowering season (and thus the acacia honey season) was disastrous. No sooner had all the flowers opened than we had a period of very wet, very windy weather and all the blossoms were knocked off the trees. It was so bad, that local beekeepers have not been able to produce any of the highly prized acacia honey this year.<div><br /></div><div>Unlike in previous years when Alain, the beekeeper, has moved his hives on to another location for the sweet chestnut flowering season, this time he decided to keep them here at our property for the whole summer - we guess he will be producing <i>millefiori</i> (a thousand flowers - essentially a generic honey that isn't a specific flower type) during this period, but he has said he wants to leave the hives here for the ivy flowering season, which may well result in him (or rather his bees) being able to produce a monofloral honey (ivy).</div><div><br /></div><div>So usually we would wait until the bees had gone before doing any work in the area close to the hives, but with time ticking away we decided to brave it and tackle the wood pile. It felt like a particularly brave decision for me after having suffered a particularly nasty bee sting a few weeks previously, followed by 4-days of a very (<i>very</i>) puffy face, but after Stuart had done the first few tractor loads alone and reported back that the bees were calm and not bothering him, I joined in, and after approximately 20 loads (over the course of a few days) we had brought down all the wood for the winter.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQadqvnseJgG71Tck5fITqdnyeu3CtAFROB8IBW3hsV4bYgo5wfaivkA_MKeH_IYRA-d-SmPB2aBrMJ7C1VKquNZGx8BWjnfSTJGTf3Np8QM24vQKnYMle9cSajgreVZUnZCojsYJizPc/s2048/IMG_20210808_101811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQadqvnseJgG71Tck5fITqdnyeu3CtAFROB8IBW3hsV4bYgo5wfaivkA_MKeH_IYRA-d-SmPB2aBrMJ7C1VKquNZGx8BWjnfSTJGTf3Np8QM24vQKnYMle9cSajgreVZUnZCojsYJizPc/s320/IMG_20210808_101811.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGM4ytgde6hAL9Ul4f3gnJdOmRmTX6S2N_w0QW8YMyj8U-uN4s3ED3oetwJcPjb_E45t-PpkjkCa1xluq7mK2I5U8FrTKaTOOBoV1cDt7DD2wB6jIRx21PeO2cNACa6OAksKGn3u_0X28/s2048/IMG_20210808_101818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGM4ytgde6hAL9Ul4f3gnJdOmRmTX6S2N_w0QW8YMyj8U-uN4s3ED3oetwJcPjb_E45t-PpkjkCa1xluq7mK2I5U8FrTKaTOOBoV1cDt7DD2wB6jIRx21PeO2cNACa6OAksKGn3u_0X28/s320/IMG_20210808_101818.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2vuSmfQBIllh7xCuSr6m1GVQCSH1alYtj5nLfXrIlr956qClnwrWi4arCHQSFShWjEztUJ08zCh6x4xy5nDUG05B7_rzhkFE06j4fA1XD-NhtwTf-jZbd5P6xGqeFZeZDmTkrnf2DyU/s2048/IMG_20210808_132538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2vuSmfQBIllh7xCuSr6m1GVQCSH1alYtj5nLfXrIlr956qClnwrWi4arCHQSFShWjEztUJ08zCh6x4xy5nDUG05B7_rzhkFE06j4fA1XD-NhtwTf-jZbd5P6xGqeFZeZDmTkrnf2DyU/s320/IMG_20210808_132538.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>Aside from those large jobs, we have of course been tending to the veg garden - including Stuart brewing up some 'actively aerated compost tea', or AACT, with which to fertilise our crops.</div><div><br /></div><div>The recipe is: one kilo of worm castings with four tablespoons of molasses, aerated for 36 hours. This acts to increase the microbial life of the (already incredibly rich) worm castings fourfold. </div><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShE6DviYHiqrAPFJJAPoASYSdLySBbuHuZtCj7i_0Tq41k58K9xDfzpVnC997dYbNdX4BC1HneRQJEbjtV-Qhlyv_YBCyT4H5Azm9UZAnn853Fv-iBFrjpdf5vMJaMgpQtltdGHqQRSM/s2048/201034392_10158370327881658_7862559278210382848_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShE6DviYHiqrAPFJJAPoASYSdLySBbuHuZtCj7i_0Tq41k58K9xDfzpVnC997dYbNdX4BC1HneRQJEbjtV-Qhlyv_YBCyT4H5Azm9UZAnn853Fv-iBFrjpdf5vMJaMgpQtltdGHqQRSM/s320/201034392_10158370327881658_7862559278210382848_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">(The dog is not not an essential part of the process or recipe).<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMNNiqmUlY49JS168w8ZodckTDtyy47J33i9Yi-R2Dh3_A_LWbYKWjpPQkx8Gx9hmUNKr5QpmxnOXTycj1B0RrS41bYe7UxJDM9b_keR828sgKF341CFpZQYYX5osXhXLPDbRqTGJrqk/s2048/131379011_10158370328066658_5626713216348788184_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMNNiqmUlY49JS168w8ZodckTDtyy47J33i9Yi-R2Dh3_A_LWbYKWjpPQkx8Gx9hmUNKr5QpmxnOXTycj1B0RrS41bYe7UxJDM9b_keR828sgKF341CFpZQYYX5osXhXLPDbRqTGJrqk/s320/131379011_10158370328066658_5626713216348788184_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>And we've had some decent crops from our veg garden already: tomatoes, soya beans, snake beans, cucumbers, aubergines, peppers, squashed, garlic, onions, chillis, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and more!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2c2RKoq6vZ-5q-ye07_n8bQGcY5W1pJGmbjHmMGNqEYBDNzBuw83XmZOQMuvdCLIzyfdpI7Vgh4ZkBmiBn2pCqRrGijVvowRL_oFMVgbk43UYNPSf5tH7Kpbm_U-ug_PAOOP4ApGQKFQ/s2048/IMG_20210622_180404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2c2RKoq6vZ-5q-ye07_n8bQGcY5W1pJGmbjHmMGNqEYBDNzBuw83XmZOQMuvdCLIzyfdpI7Vgh4ZkBmiBn2pCqRrGijVvowRL_oFMVgbk43UYNPSf5tH7Kpbm_U-ug_PAOOP4ApGQKFQ/s320/IMG_20210622_180404.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3FlD4D0bJP7kmEaAkw2CBBCXkSFkOcxnCGTAkxwxCUknzm75Ksptj1VfdqQXryN0DuSFiUApa2DYmim4uBrFSWcH8oTdxA4cDkQJIfd_bzAi2bnIAOaqx_QSRDeQmOFZ0XbbozysrYQ/s2048/IMG_20210725_102145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3FlD4D0bJP7kmEaAkw2CBBCXkSFkOcxnCGTAkxwxCUknzm75Ksptj1VfdqQXryN0DuSFiUApa2DYmim4uBrFSWcH8oTdxA4cDkQJIfd_bzAi2bnIAOaqx_QSRDeQmOFZ0XbbozysrYQ/s320/IMG_20210725_102145.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYa-OyKhXbhcrm3WAgtq3nEqma_206jnsPuL_9FsH9bEQm2tEd0Qirk-UBnyaqWQPtavu62oAOnrqkOYUrzOy9RwoPqixjaL5r7gWCLi3lBRyWB41zPMdjc-n3PluwZhGgIfZLtUXwKBc/s2048/IMG_20210725_103246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYa-OyKhXbhcrm3WAgtq3nEqma_206jnsPuL_9FsH9bEQm2tEd0Qirk-UBnyaqWQPtavu62oAOnrqkOYUrzOy9RwoPqixjaL5r7gWCLi3lBRyWB41zPMdjc-n3PluwZhGgIfZLtUXwKBc/s320/IMG_20210725_103246.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroCodch0HUX7dvZrz2FWXVKCTTEBM3ImstHLHVZ9AehyY1s7yephIg1VpuAr_u4xLeizcETJGfZxAssvu5G1WUSVaKOWG1a1sUXNxMjE3ja7r7cYDwvX2FLRzOHyqKwn6F-7Sk_WzbTU/s2048/IMG_20210727_090904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroCodch0HUX7dvZrz2FWXVKCTTEBM3ImstHLHVZ9AehyY1s7yephIg1VpuAr_u4xLeizcETJGfZxAssvu5G1WUSVaKOWG1a1sUXNxMjE3ja7r7cYDwvX2FLRzOHyqKwn6F-7Sk_WzbTU/s320/IMG_20210727_090904.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1Ybfk_yl_O6keIpCjtUCdPGgImXBoHUICbOUDflyceLdwvuObnVnyQg7xWPP9nDV0Raj3UpLb1S1Qb-oom3azlpBMOTz9kqYhDdRpMEH65OP4yBapX1d6tjH3QFDXrtaF6bw47Z393Q/s2048/IMG_20210812_091045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1Ybfk_yl_O6keIpCjtUCdPGgImXBoHUICbOUDflyceLdwvuObnVnyQg7xWPP9nDV0Raj3UpLb1S1Qb-oom3azlpBMOTz9kqYhDdRpMEH65OP4yBapX1d6tjH3QFDXrtaF6bw47Z393Q/s320/IMG_20210812_091045.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>In these warm months we've really been enjoying the pond we built last autumn - we jokingly refer to it as the "Zen garden", but it really is relaxing sitting next to it in the shade, listening to the trickle of the water in the fountain and watching the fishes.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXuBVkHfDUpw4YbI8U6_0OEaYhRzLpnheo3AObUT6_AZKTE-WdMRkoiZmoMSupLbaL3DRP0Uc-xnjlhnVUNAsLXfoYsg_joKlC_8LfLrVo-X2bKeCo8NZXxVzbwCa_wFrc8KLN_Nhyphenhyphenq0/s2048/211244939_10158407673181658_3892706463702125536_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXuBVkHfDUpw4YbI8U6_0OEaYhRzLpnheo3AObUT6_AZKTE-WdMRkoiZmoMSupLbaL3DRP0Uc-xnjlhnVUNAsLXfoYsg_joKlC_8LfLrVo-X2bKeCo8NZXxVzbwCa_wFrc8KLN_Nhyphenhyphenq0/s320/211244939_10158407673181658_3892706463702125536_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>On the subject of fishes, we appear to have created a very healthy environment for them - having added to the pond six goldfish and two Koi carp back in October... we now have <i>hundreds</i> of baby fish. It has been fascinating watching the young fish develop and grow. At first they were so tiny it took a double check to see that they really were little fish. We were convinced the numbers would dwindle significantly through natural selection, predation, etc., but over the months a very large number of them have continued to grow and develop. There are fish that are still dark brown/black, and others that are well on their way to developing their orange and golden colourings. Quite what we'll do when they reach full size we're not sure!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxW4doc9DuFA8i_Hy7utI2_kWG966N-zDOLKKWZHPca3CRfD_GiNJAJsJwqeeZKZedlpFkOinOJvDBEUxhIOg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkXmSAnLU210nqab-34uawA_BAQkRfirE96P3dsf7i3MyVmEjAx0AiUd77-_TbInrpPwUxhWooR7My9ljOSlmXzxE-NyaZbD1lgcGD97laqmOTBH5eBSTwiDd9Juj-U6vtj1qwluXK5M/s2048/IMG_20210717_161053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkXmSAnLU210nqab-34uawA_BAQkRfirE96P3dsf7i3MyVmEjAx0AiUd77-_TbInrpPwUxhWooR7My9ljOSlmXzxE-NyaZbD1lgcGD97laqmOTBH5eBSTwiDd9Juj-U6vtj1qwluXK5M/s320/IMG_20210717_161053.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KOB-sQbHOgbHof4JoCH-lnMQ402YlQDPF0O1StFAHYjFIuyTf1GcmwNPOJfN6h6IPLZ9ybfGm6tZBXuPg5SFh7FUsc765jBH_DVMWsH0kE25fTo0bp8m82BtcJXnMrKsUaH7VNX2DVA/s2048/IMG_20210808_115531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KOB-sQbHOgbHof4JoCH-lnMQ402YlQDPF0O1StFAHYjFIuyTf1GcmwNPOJfN6h6IPLZ9ybfGm6tZBXuPg5SFh7FUsc765jBH_DVMWsH0kE25fTo0bp8m82BtcJXnMrKsUaH7VNX2DVA/s320/IMG_20210808_115531.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Our garden flowers have been particularly beautiful this year - nurturing them (some from seed, others bought as plants) has proved to be a wise investment of time and effort.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5CTZ6cufMZG4Ga4ruh2bgkudUUdkSlEBCeuwEYmrUcOPtg0DFD5fZf_AjdY7PMAEKRS01h6HDTQs94jLeSgwHvQWc73c9aOEHtBcGMRz1Jj9Uv68XMonnvw3ezWInAIdoyGscEJdkc4/s2048/199373135_10158363872501658_9007989108175574334_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5CTZ6cufMZG4Ga4ruh2bgkudUUdkSlEBCeuwEYmrUcOPtg0DFD5fZf_AjdY7PMAEKRS01h6HDTQs94jLeSgwHvQWc73c9aOEHtBcGMRz1Jj9Uv68XMonnvw3ezWInAIdoyGscEJdkc4/s320/199373135_10158363872501658_9007989108175574334_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhroTLwtho9mpqfCTELdUcSMMPGGBv9B-2YIAaC7VdooZymJ0pJY-on8fHdxsJ09sncIoRFr5BgwXI76ZNiqSJMZ8jZycWaGVkE2SNOu3E7CEww3zpg4Mmvq84bK5yWlH0F_5pTXwgrGBU/s2048/IMG_20210605_093811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhroTLwtho9mpqfCTELdUcSMMPGGBv9B-2YIAaC7VdooZymJ0pJY-on8fHdxsJ09sncIoRFr5BgwXI76ZNiqSJMZ8jZycWaGVkE2SNOu3E7CEww3zpg4Mmvq84bK5yWlH0F_5pTXwgrGBU/s320/IMG_20210605_093811.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJ5QfKdKol7oLBQzIJmasjhq_ZMas61xN2s9bG6lKtvi1JmsSEmd5PG5gIzC5_gYlagvXhRiKwgAhlXnezTqX2pJP_7gpJSO0qVnwV8q5XQz_86Z2qUyMLvxTG0lL8PJCIhqbl5iCgeo/s2048/IMG_20210608_183850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJ5QfKdKol7oLBQzIJmasjhq_ZMas61xN2s9bG6lKtvi1JmsSEmd5PG5gIzC5_gYlagvXhRiKwgAhlXnezTqX2pJP_7gpJSO0qVnwV8q5XQz_86Z2qUyMLvxTG0lL8PJCIhqbl5iCgeo/s320/IMG_20210608_183850.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6eZK0QzsKhcPAY1jc7YRWV6TI0OqN4rWKm0G6Sbn3hEbpjXmU5vJs8sEnUrGi74_XOdIZKJgMukBLtlQuoSFBERHaHBrbVLFiH6X0a4mzbS4zly93i9GCCuoLTvFiAhAtoOLjWCK9jaA/s2048/IMG_20210614_080839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6eZK0QzsKhcPAY1jc7YRWV6TI0OqN4rWKm0G6Sbn3hEbpjXmU5vJs8sEnUrGi74_XOdIZKJgMukBLtlQuoSFBERHaHBrbVLFiH6X0a4mzbS4zly93i9GCCuoLTvFiAhAtoOLjWCK9jaA/s320/IMG_20210614_080839.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicaNbntH74Y7GypFjcAVrgrFf5hXD82fMJmeKhb0aolcTHPaAxcIV1G4ggyM9rRlqAv_aK9DRNUSldNaZO-PC7ItXw2XaaAfVclq21Kt-7TA35HA7DsQWDocUbc9qf9zQ452INybKIuNk/s2048/IMG_20210623_075024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicaNbntH74Y7GypFjcAVrgrFf5hXD82fMJmeKhb0aolcTHPaAxcIV1G4ggyM9rRlqAv_aK9DRNUSldNaZO-PC7ItXw2XaaAfVclq21Kt-7TA35HA7DsQWDocUbc9qf9zQ452INybKIuNk/s320/IMG_20210623_075024.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kKsj_DcNBZOVOodvU6t1h0pV88Gz-x4fQYT_xfJPeqrACAJhb4Ukcdw2hBHN_YoyczZdzHOJZrtX6G1bJhz2KlSLT-mQWSX2o8ePdv0_mHhcDOwyse2bJ5npwcTDqA8jyqhZ-_-LIBc/s2048/IMG_20210627_135245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kKsj_DcNBZOVOodvU6t1h0pV88Gz-x4fQYT_xfJPeqrACAJhb4Ukcdw2hBHN_YoyczZdzHOJZrtX6G1bJhz2KlSLT-mQWSX2o8ePdv0_mHhcDOwyse2bJ5npwcTDqA8jyqhZ-_-LIBc/s320/IMG_20210627_135245.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKqEn3WnECPefrUGQtD6xRjVAHLS7g3bQJ5bgYnP2UN479PHUG77Vn0KF6Va3kIPp5sUHiZizFCHGUD2eg4cyg8biqYOEGjpRQXU_Z2DOsOdylzP3BXwJUDAHE7JCbtxvjuYKgfZq2sY/s2048/IMG_20210712_093044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKqEn3WnECPefrUGQtD6xRjVAHLS7g3bQJ5bgYnP2UN479PHUG77Vn0KF6Va3kIPp5sUHiZizFCHGUD2eg4cyg8biqYOEGjpRQXU_Z2DOsOdylzP3BXwJUDAHE7JCbtxvjuYKgfZq2sY/s320/IMG_20210712_093044.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1VuyDmpiDVtir7fiBiUqwbFZqj39vj-hSw3dQce_HLPLDt3NA2qpvjdIxG1j_VnbvOxujFyo7ztzaMr26AThjxnKwtCMHNSiO-oieaLpWCIIz4WKTGOR9qeNjx84uRN_eta6oDp0dfQ/s2048/IMG_20210712_093059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1VuyDmpiDVtir7fiBiUqwbFZqj39vj-hSw3dQce_HLPLDt3NA2qpvjdIxG1j_VnbvOxujFyo7ztzaMr26AThjxnKwtCMHNSiO-oieaLpWCIIz4WKTGOR9qeNjx84uRN_eta6oDp0dfQ/s320/IMG_20210712_093059.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmTDzqWb7sKhQ3RGUgPLu_TzOhGV-sFMPBPEG25uLs4na6D4ZCRXFQWrGF-q1QErf-nStcr1UsiNZ7_2i6mB0kwUDgYme4VaWPjA4Pb_SEMjF2xjX593TqUveUqwWVFgZqWXoEBmaLAw/s2048/IMG_20210724_103516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmTDzqWb7sKhQ3RGUgPLu_TzOhGV-sFMPBPEG25uLs4na6D4ZCRXFQWrGF-q1QErf-nStcr1UsiNZ7_2i6mB0kwUDgYme4VaWPjA4Pb_SEMjF2xjX593TqUveUqwWVFgZqWXoEBmaLAw/s320/IMG_20210724_103516.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpIK1pclQ4jrEpik0q75eMFs7kZkOns_GouaUlu21TUdxaQjgQ_4dn1iQgqUuQdpDhyphenhyphenQuLVYRbx6ugSd0q_fjwqpkMC8Efsy0Xd3bKF_HlLeedevPd7oyWOIrAbsEA3WbB-5raELrfZYE/s2048/IMG_20210811_110644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpIK1pclQ4jrEpik0q75eMFs7kZkOns_GouaUlu21TUdxaQjgQ_4dn1iQgqUuQdpDhyphenhyphenQuLVYRbx6ugSd0q_fjwqpkMC8Efsy0Xd3bKF_HlLeedevPd7oyWOIrAbsEA3WbB-5raELrfZYE/s320/IMG_20210811_110644.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And as always, we are fascinated by the nature that surrounds us and we try at every opportunity to record it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUaas8WGMfg1UQlbyFvvD3iHJVhe1C-hDWzRddRPB_LTdq0BzT6RZ1Uaemg5BalSW5kT3rUtBNhbXhgvwR01VThTki4S0ZCBQ1mvA2k4zoOpyoTVtYSeswpRlxIfqyWfjZiw4lywnlz8/s2048/IMG_20210607_164746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUaas8WGMfg1UQlbyFvvD3iHJVhe1C-hDWzRddRPB_LTdq0BzT6RZ1Uaemg5BalSW5kT3rUtBNhbXhgvwR01VThTki4S0ZCBQ1mvA2k4zoOpyoTVtYSeswpRlxIfqyWfjZiw4lywnlz8/s320/IMG_20210607_164746.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yet another stinkhorn fungus (and yes, they do stink).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQLD9whBaUt4lUBL-ptaDh7wL3TaPs1yzgkzhTzRC4KQdYCU6YFH5GhL6vAb_RLYadWc0Dso34jpDRrn1baq-LWsGQYcvrNsgBPacjPs7RvJQOGlYoyeI0NJguoD4_wqfecPoRj05ozw/s2048/IMG_20210612_101014.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQLD9whBaUt4lUBL-ptaDh7wL3TaPs1yzgkzhTzRC4KQdYCU6YFH5GhL6vAb_RLYadWc0Dso34jpDRrn1baq-LWsGQYcvrNsgBPacjPs7RvJQOGlYoyeI0NJguoD4_wqfecPoRj05ozw/s320/IMG_20210612_101014.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCd_H63APSVbAeP2sNssnev0F9jptncANVScpZ7ffAdcCi1Nvo9G7Dk9yWoeiyrEiRE1T6i_FkBPM_ykSToNDSQ3uSDACAM6yxEAj7Rad91BGhoWFUtZZ-P763JO0_ffKsKmtS9B5Mw0/s2048/IMG_20210618_100145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCd_H63APSVbAeP2sNssnev0F9jptncANVScpZ7ffAdcCi1Nvo9G7Dk9yWoeiyrEiRE1T6i_FkBPM_ykSToNDSQ3uSDACAM6yxEAj7Rad91BGhoWFUtZZ-P763JO0_ffKsKmtS9B5Mw0/s320/IMG_20210618_100145.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuYXsl4kl-bispZ0BMoMWeHIH0f68ZXQ5Ec6VRlF4BS_jaUgFOjzx6F7du5zIFhgPhBCw-hc7HXBUJ2ZHHrnHZNv0fpo6dLYOT6LBVEJGDgupQiz-giLaeyYkBBiFD5WdO-kF2stC0Ic/s2048/IMG_20210618_100218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuYXsl4kl-bispZ0BMoMWeHIH0f68ZXQ5Ec6VRlF4BS_jaUgFOjzx6F7du5zIFhgPhBCw-hc7HXBUJ2ZHHrnHZNv0fpo6dLYOT6LBVEJGDgupQiz-giLaeyYkBBiFD5WdO-kF2stC0Ic/s320/IMG_20210618_100218.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfA6-WPAezBXO7HeB_1X-iAcFwZkWqJ-ZSWu534CGrygER-Zhh7vl_TG-m5NO7r-iiRgCa9Rc-3bz9xFDBN_can6Rx6lbWPXcsqIjYUWALx2vJAXE80W94oshBZxkTHe5x5DqiRqp664/s2048/IMG_20210702_093335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfA6-WPAezBXO7HeB_1X-iAcFwZkWqJ-ZSWu534CGrygER-Zhh7vl_TG-m5NO7r-iiRgCa9Rc-3bz9xFDBN_can6Rx6lbWPXcsqIjYUWALx2vJAXE80W94oshBZxkTHe5x5DqiRqp664/s320/IMG_20210702_093335.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aesculapian snake, constricting a mole.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6uVrUMqYiHKIlwb5o4mRPSt-S5L-aj-hO3kVQWxxPodXtdaeRJnauAuoOZzrN_NFag0OtQKl2HwKQxRfyCU6I_ZtkOvgKOR-bf8Ig4EAlahwZ-5XCMLJC5ACg26k0CYbE3RNHthaUTFE/s2048/IMG_20210705_091946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6uVrUMqYiHKIlwb5o4mRPSt-S5L-aj-hO3kVQWxxPodXtdaeRJnauAuoOZzrN_NFag0OtQKl2HwKQxRfyCU6I_ZtkOvgKOR-bf8Ig4EAlahwZ-5XCMLJC5ACg26k0CYbE3RNHthaUTFE/s320/IMG_20210705_091946.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzu1pmkxIC78Gso6fSiLYB_4aGHhHDLWqtQp95xYJeBuuEpN-R7V4agxWvQ-OYXfhDQDiq68gfM45l5sJJJDUSnPnB__EEEvkdCel-V6rCXzDYPpCyyjJTGC1W9QAmZglOjQAHq3wQZbQ/s2048/IMG_20210720_091329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzu1pmkxIC78Gso6fSiLYB_4aGHhHDLWqtQp95xYJeBuuEpN-R7V4agxWvQ-OYXfhDQDiq68gfM45l5sJJJDUSnPnB__EEEvkdCel-V6rCXzDYPpCyyjJTGC1W9QAmZglOjQAHq3wQZbQ/s320/IMG_20210720_091329.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgsMEMeprda2QSLph5u6FOASECeWycxBvR7iuQWKc0mMrl-lougpawN04hEyfolM0bUkaYmc0_V35Y-QrBZkjuG_vXxtgMtFNarUfiWU35IIYvVJhy0LIzIj6H83v_pu2r7r2ZamxusI/s2048/IMG_20210720_091411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgsMEMeprda2QSLph5u6FOASECeWycxBvR7iuQWKc0mMrl-lougpawN04hEyfolM0bUkaYmc0_V35Y-QrBZkjuG_vXxtgMtFNarUfiWU35IIYvVJhy0LIzIj6H83v_pu2r7r2ZamxusI/s320/IMG_20210720_091411.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSupqr2uk0PvtB8xUR7s8vrIM81B_8Srh4yUxCpi5yuxIwKS9fft3YWQgk_x0LpGASOJ7HRIhpDgOiqFD5aUceKRJvYWj5sN3DA27SEb21eLQljaRvc4i_AgKSkZFIwur12P0X8WB1_Ts/s2048/IMG_20210721_084157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSupqr2uk0PvtB8xUR7s8vrIM81B_8Srh4yUxCpi5yuxIwKS9fft3YWQgk_x0LpGASOJ7HRIhpDgOiqFD5aUceKRJvYWj5sN3DA27SEb21eLQljaRvc4i_AgKSkZFIwur12P0X8WB1_Ts/s320/IMG_20210721_084157.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaO3uBxgXxF9pcVmkxbyeL88J5rVs-H2TbBdcYFDmZ-cy4-UI5L0OkPDu8wolwkpREbCv0wxkrhlH7Hd6aIVv2p48rcrTGxZh87Szx2XCFRjqoyVbU4HGy4iDDXlhivh6dj7F2dcgJ96M/s2048/IMG_20210804_091642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaO3uBxgXxF9pcVmkxbyeL88J5rVs-H2TbBdcYFDmZ-cy4-UI5L0OkPDu8wolwkpREbCv0wxkrhlH7Hd6aIVv2p48rcrTGxZh87Szx2XCFRjqoyVbU4HGy4iDDXlhivh6dj7F2dcgJ96M/s320/IMG_20210804_091642.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacp9nkfh4SvwAddkBqMrdKlXfBTvUIZmAtJ3vXvPDw0_oNhqns73I689TFSDnBmwtoBzwbLp-wJz7ys1eFUh8s7tSQRnYCw59ImJBtvTvpkEywCvswOpBm_VcOUe14OQdHMWM0H9gfK4/s2048/IMG_20210812_090933_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1762" data-original-width="2048" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacp9nkfh4SvwAddkBqMrdKlXfBTvUIZmAtJ3vXvPDw0_oNhqns73I689TFSDnBmwtoBzwbLp-wJz7ys1eFUh8s7tSQRnYCw59ImJBtvTvpkEywCvswOpBm_VcOUe14OQdHMWM0H9gfK4/s320/IMG_20210812_090933_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWthFDH-T8kMmQS6Q15laqd61stjz1nxHGMbpn3SOHHiXBk271kjMZA7YUEUqqBUhu0_cj_RFN371M8OgH5pEEJjbEn4WfTzHR6RXoRmEuCw9wHfkwyE7qQwCCRiLJq8TVdJjqj3ZWOvE/s2048/IMG_20210717_210213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWthFDH-T8kMmQS6Q15laqd61stjz1nxHGMbpn3SOHHiXBk271kjMZA7YUEUqqBUhu0_cj_RFN371M8OgH5pEEJjbEn4WfTzHR6RXoRmEuCw9wHfkwyE7qQwCCRiLJq8TVdJjqj3ZWOvE/s320/IMG_20210717_210213.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2L6oS1z7skRFsuPagkOzR0FATZgg-nhCNB7zs1lQp3qyjFZ3u1uRT68ONXpjIePKRk_aOgQIDrKB0hm8JTDj64mEVafhfBU4df6aRYYUHXeHS3BkNXLvKg_nRWKrnwenIDwowAFD8Ik/s2048/IMG_20210614_080930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2L6oS1z7skRFsuPagkOzR0FATZgg-nhCNB7zs1lQp3qyjFZ3u1uRT68ONXpjIePKRk_aOgQIDrKB0hm8JTDj64mEVafhfBU4df6aRYYUHXeHS3BkNXLvKg_nRWKrnwenIDwowAFD8Ik/s320/IMG_20210614_080930.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvGacfnh2hujXGj6XNT2kvuaLdCbLFyb7Qx7-JmEoa9QmGwcWMq-zPcKd11RePO5IiHKUgH3KI8VTqN5t65VOHSZuhnIYtzAfq1FGTqvHgDYhnS7EChJSeJEXIjhvzkJasSuW5OEUwe4/s2048/199695083_10158363872731658_8181121176543218203_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvGacfnh2hujXGj6XNT2kvuaLdCbLFyb7Qx7-JmEoa9QmGwcWMq-zPcKd11RePO5IiHKUgH3KI8VTqN5t65VOHSZuhnIYtzAfq1FGTqvHgDYhnS7EChJSeJEXIjhvzkJasSuW5OEUwe4/s320/199695083_10158363872731658_8181121176543218203_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWSKao-bIyBsfoixmzb229geDfL7y9TRFaRzBYXj0kZtjq4JAotDgkrqHKo_yIa2-Dk_n98W07BeMF_XPAXRdPpE7yGuITQinU9PZPrn7KwpAC_UfvTBcAsUtttAPhUFQRsYrH6zFZSU/s570/197127128_10158355025366658_8851673971507276147_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="270" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWSKao-bIyBsfoixmzb229geDfL7y9TRFaRzBYXj0kZtjq4JAotDgkrqHKo_yIa2-Dk_n98W07BeMF_XPAXRdPpE7yGuITQinU9PZPrn7KwpAC_UfvTBcAsUtttAPhUFQRsYrH6zFZSU/s320/197127128_10158355025366658_8851673971507276147_n.jpg" width="152" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjua3MdM3Hv-S3gOSWDvoVaUZ20vfWEfj1QK1huPnk9Bcou3f7FP6qIogYdgWYFM-w7bDkEEmz7Qn0SUTO-JxVta98jpeWnI4h2nFsHy5Vfxrk868BjBEhlMQQ-Qeifi3F3n3lxnpU4JEQ/s2028/204285578_10158387439486658_7155464624571924367_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2028" data-original-width="1728" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjua3MdM3Hv-S3gOSWDvoVaUZ20vfWEfj1QK1huPnk9Bcou3f7FP6qIogYdgWYFM-w7bDkEEmz7Qn0SUTO-JxVta98jpeWnI4h2nFsHy5Vfxrk868BjBEhlMQQ-Qeifi3F3n3lxnpU4JEQ/s320/204285578_10158387439486658_7155464624571924367_n.jpg" width="273" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lesser stag beetle (Dorcus parallelipipedus).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybJgMhwGkcr_TJLOkk0oSVEFYfIXAUDvOVM5ItbROcECV8l8IVTyBIp6ekijSboXQZYT1qE-1nTwynWkg2kqECu-tpPUEXwtXegIZ9UZ008ao1W6LIe4MkuKQgpkTzYLdT5zpE1j4vbU/s2038/211431042_10158407672291658_436850163215710683_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2038" data-original-width="1529" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybJgMhwGkcr_TJLOkk0oSVEFYfIXAUDvOVM5ItbROcECV8l8IVTyBIp6ekijSboXQZYT1qE-1nTwynWkg2kqECu-tpPUEXwtXegIZ9UZ008ao1W6LIe4MkuKQgpkTzYLdT5zpE1j4vbU/s320/211431042_10158407672291658_436850163215710683_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zhAAFa3PeO0wqGPPAGFNAGYxMEqSGh25bfMJ4sZ0xtdcfmPRjykiGQGliNPBI6BQfK7L962WSlEE7z9YchucTlK9i7ILi6A8Fz4KVD2b-OkcTJWalQFrVd3sIG8cPar5NHhi4w7wluE/s977/212671292_10158423660056658_6758806639086891222_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="977" data-original-width="734" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zhAAFa3PeO0wqGPPAGFNAGYxMEqSGh25bfMJ4sZ0xtdcfmPRjykiGQGliNPBI6BQfK7L962WSlEE7z9YchucTlK9i7ILi6A8Fz4KVD2b-OkcTJWalQFrVd3sIG8cPar5NHhi4w7wluE/s320/212671292_10158423660056658_6758806639086891222_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male broad bodied chaser (Libellula depressa).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBe516L2yG3igJac0qlYE-JwZIBPpE5JCjR9jHkAro4ZyPexE6ICTIEEInIQYyVOV9MQURaY98Hv49r-Y5tsNkNfXUG3Czq519CU_HyM-NbNVSzhKUb6JQzRcLlHDy9OQssrpQ_YTyX38/s1496/219274522_10158442949111658_2262767977080068455_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1496" data-original-width="1122" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBe516L2yG3igJac0qlYE-JwZIBPpE5JCjR9jHkAro4ZyPexE6ICTIEEInIQYyVOV9MQURaY98Hv49r-Y5tsNkNfXUG3Czq519CU_HyM-NbNVSzhKUb6JQzRcLlHDy9OQssrpQ_YTyX38/s320/219274522_10158442949111658_2262767977080068455_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayU1QEmqitltUrfD08X35Dqn0Z-wv7opU1H1tiKByB8ekjxYeF03YIY-PMB25-yz-mAYm3Kz4grO9w0jiUzZvcxezNjZs0d-FsbtlURIGAv5pMnhHY8j21UGxmYowN3Br_qcZv7fJy5g/s1200/219534864_10158439777721658_1745026604000824683_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayU1QEmqitltUrfD08X35Dqn0Z-wv7opU1H1tiKByB8ekjxYeF03YIY-PMB25-yz-mAYm3Kz4grO9w0jiUzZvcxezNjZs0d-FsbtlURIGAv5pMnhHY8j21UGxmYowN3Br_qcZv7fJy5g/s320/219534864_10158439777721658_1745026604000824683_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A type of bee-fly (Exoprosopa).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGBiCM5rKjZmoqNi4TQIWlqFN9DIpBOf9cll3pLwGpv_Prauqzw1rLxGNgJjCOpCbaSECh0rF0a4BdHNfaEzButguSutcFL5DRvAZ5X4sI29hIrvA7iAfmlDu1FeulPRJD52JiwINXq8/s2048/233819174_10158482177216658_829778303142064386_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGBiCM5rKjZmoqNi4TQIWlqFN9DIpBOf9cll3pLwGpv_Prauqzw1rLxGNgJjCOpCbaSECh0rF0a4BdHNfaEzButguSutcFL5DRvAZ5X4sI29hIrvA7iAfmlDu1FeulPRJD52JiwINXq8/s320/233819174_10158482177216658_829778303142064386_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi),</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7oV1GOi1mdBnTz2xDcbcvVqH6YAJq2ztkBLujIPeV6413B-qyZnpPbOUf9rNbzC1u2OFn-Sa4rVHZdmpBme-sWWPdmsu06OCrrqAB3T9YaUosA2DDENKk_FpnxZE_R2YdDbtGaXg3QjY/s655/234327340_10158482781356658_1349048934295635074_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="491" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7oV1GOi1mdBnTz2xDcbcvVqH6YAJq2ztkBLujIPeV6413B-qyZnpPbOUf9rNbzC1u2OFn-Sa4rVHZdmpBme-sWWPdmsu06OCrrqAB3T9YaUosA2DDENKk_FpnxZE_R2YdDbtGaXg3QjY/s320/234327340_10158482781356658_1349048934295635074_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peacock fly (Callopistromyia annulipes).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Aside from tending the land and hiding from the heat, we've had lots of opportunities over these summer months to catch up with friends and neighbours at various outdoor social evenings, made <i>lots</i> of use of our pizza oven and rocket stove for outdoor cooking (another attempt at keeping heat out of the house as well as being an enjoyable way to cook and socialise), we've had enjoyable treats in the form of a meal out for our anniversary in June and a meal out on my birthday in August (complete with flashback to ~5 years ago after finding ourselves stuck in the blazing sun in a car park with a car that wouldn't move - although thankfully on this occasion we were quickly rescued by kind strangers and quickly identified (and later fixed) the problem), oh and we have both had our first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, with second doses due for us both in the next 10 days.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxpE_7sXcxenw25c216t1kFYKmkI-4AdRTlfJ4dLos0_71GjIAQxpc2op3X9pZzssQp3ePvYzKfHQFWCY9ZbP34V0nn3lMXwCWqn5njUzeRl-44Y_dfyVaymmdignnxNrKwpXwOOVqp4/s1091/203210871_10158375554126658_8217286574705827630_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxpE_7sXcxenw25c216t1kFYKmkI-4AdRTlfJ4dLos0_71GjIAQxpc2op3X9pZzssQp3ePvYzKfHQFWCY9ZbP34V0nn3lMXwCWqn5njUzeRl-44Y_dfyVaymmdignnxNrKwpXwOOVqp4/s320/203210871_10158375554126658_8217286574705827630_n.jpg" width="317" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdZgJrazKjb4xNmN_8fAkErAFGhwzD47qKOajFaVqVxDEsPGrVckBcIoagyr41Mjh1SaO8yTo3Wh5a_XQlQ98Nx0-HpGx1o3_MmbdY53pxxwy_-166i4x1d0bfknkun2H9RrZnvs357Y/s2048/233122607_10158478655711658_888314616376260896_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdZgJrazKjb4xNmN_8fAkErAFGhwzD47qKOajFaVqVxDEsPGrVckBcIoagyr41Mjh1SaO8yTo3Wh5a_XQlQ98Nx0-HpGx1o3_MmbdY53pxxwy_-166i4x1d0bfknkun2H9RrZnvs357Y/w238-h317/233122607_10158478655711658_888314616376260896_n.jpg" width="238" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">This is a sight you don't often see - both of us scrubbed up for a lovely anniversary meal.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmfJCd1QwfvBcTANBKWREHL0GzC3pH0u2BrSPFXw_8X9yJX899jd9eJZDJROZ_Dm9g7w9WCjqNCjUoiMbplRj6KFErnYr9sveagyU5F7yTc8D7lKPUYHqE-mdMMqcoz1MAaWSqEtvn4o/s2048/IMG_20210623_113300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmfJCd1QwfvBcTANBKWREHL0GzC3pH0u2BrSPFXw_8X9yJX899jd9eJZDJROZ_Dm9g7w9WCjqNCjUoiMbplRj6KFErnYr9sveagyU5F7yTc8D7lKPUYHqE-mdMMqcoz1MAaWSqEtvn4o/s320/IMG_20210623_113300.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Normal service resumed.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjt1uc0Cw52kOzeD8fKwthLrfwTiHu12nJn772Ehh48Kw0Y8ZJNWEquuiu-C-d8S83Ir9BSLrtyr4qLoDfclZnPCVbKhKuuszsSRB_Z4iH0ux8SN0iFRJ-4lJB4zvDRJImyNCVz6PxB8/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2021-07-04+at+18.44.52.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjt1uc0Cw52kOzeD8fKwthLrfwTiHu12nJn772Ehh48Kw0Y8ZJNWEquuiu-C-d8S83Ir9BSLrtyr4qLoDfclZnPCVbKhKuuszsSRB_Z4iH0ux8SN0iFRJ-4lJB4zvDRJImyNCVz6PxB8/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-07-04+at+18.44.52.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And not forgetting our boy.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br />The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-64021418971893813422021-05-31T13:36:00.003+02:002021-06-01T10:12:08.547+02:00Hello? Spring?<p> At the end of our last post it seemed as if we were flying headlong into spring and, well, I guess that in some ways we were. But the spring this year - as in other places in Europe - has been decidedly wet, cool and windy, making us feel as if winter had actually dragged on a lot longer than usual. Indeed, with the exception of the odd warm day here and there, we were still lighting the wood burner every night right up until mid-May. We've had years when we've needed to light the fire in May before, but never before on such a continual basis.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0toek2u7eiOkSpGnRSiviFDFcxK7bs6_gJj3gniOQMeT60UIVYLbCau3zHhqlo7cfKL1cKKwQ5Fjjd7V_SSpnSoyeZ4QKtEMeX1uUdaAEgvTBhxXbJcZ71brpSNAj92P-Lvb_lDytECo/s2048/IMG_20210418_170410.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0toek2u7eiOkSpGnRSiviFDFcxK7bs6_gJj3gniOQMeT60UIVYLbCau3zHhqlo7cfKL1cKKwQ5Fjjd7V_SSpnSoyeZ4QKtEMeX1uUdaAEgvTBhxXbJcZ71brpSNAj92P-Lvb_lDytECo/s320/IMG_20210418_170410.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLW6tfxk1OqDbzeFQnM1o-9mx_1HeZn_MXTG72_-DvrFuwGa5IZYBfqpH5Nr8d0C2c2kipIZc9QhwqiypvXrHy4HQ8_NrgxCTeHn7LcWNcCOi-bc2nO_m2CZjhZRII2qHqHS3ShImsA-E/s2048/IMG_20210511_143023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLW6tfxk1OqDbzeFQnM1o-9mx_1HeZn_MXTG72_-DvrFuwGa5IZYBfqpH5Nr8d0C2c2kipIZc9QhwqiypvXrHy4HQ8_NrgxCTeHn7LcWNcCOi-bc2nO_m2CZjhZRII2qHqHS3ShImsA-E/s320/IMG_20210511_143023.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>If we needed any affirmation of our feeling that spring has been a damp squib this year, nature has provided it in holding back the flowering of almost every spring flower we are used to seeing by around 2 weeks compared to normal. The irises, acacia, poppies, tassel hyacinths, roses and even comfrey were late flowering, and we lost what was about to become our first impressive display of wisteria flowers overnight due to a sharp frost in April.</p><p>Things are now starting to catch up as the temperature steadily climbs, although the weather is still quite unsettled - the mixture of warmer, sunny days followed by wet days making it the perfect weather for grass and weeds to grow at breakneck speed whilst not being dry for long enough periods to get around to attending to everything that needs doing!</p><p>As usual this year we have been hosting 36 beehives on the small piece of land next to our gates. They arrived about a week later than usual due to the acacia trees not having started flowering until later, and unfortunately the acacia flowering season has been disappointing - heavy rain and strong winds having made the blossom drop all too quickly.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YfPzkRlADn1J7Poo5_knRCdpDFn-86S55NikPAQN3qdymw37BwRaW0YCYw73hsjMIkmrfOV-cx9M4bOcpxW73w8A430JsH0k1EA8RTyWtnEZw_OqPLFvk2g-8MBPqaSjfOS9I-BARag/s2048/IMG_20210505_093429.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YfPzkRlADn1J7Poo5_knRCdpDFn-86S55NikPAQN3qdymw37BwRaW0YCYw73hsjMIkmrfOV-cx9M4bOcpxW73w8A430JsH0k1EA8RTyWtnEZw_OqPLFvk2g-8MBPqaSjfOS9I-BARag/s320/IMG_20210505_093429.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>We celebrated the seventh anniversary of our move here in early May and reflected on how different our arrival and first few weeks here would have been had we arrived to the weather we've had this spring. Thankfully, seven years ago it was a very warm, sunny and stable spring - I'm not sure how we would have coped with all the <a href="https://themovetotuscany.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-delay-breaking-and-entering-trip-to.html" target="_blank">surprises</a> and <a href="https://themovetotuscany.blogspot.com/2014/05/fully-furnished.html" target="_blank">obstacles </a>thrown at us if we hadn't had glorious weather to do it all in (we certainly wouldn't have been able to keep warm as there wasn't any firewood in the house!).</p><p>Our seventh anniversary of the move (our move-iversary?) was celebrated rather touchingly with our neighbours who had invited us round for pizza and, on learning it was the anniversary of our move here, made a cake with 7 candles and greeted us with a sign, made by the children, pinned to the door saying "buon anniversario". We felt very welcomed and loved.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-SnU991n0X28imUrQZoyhjMOcckmOkWgrw4t6AM8oji_MybA0qiFrhnqBJede47IrZ6YqjvLy26TL3-h576D2-cQfRfhgKZxH7yxnBN9XoljQSL-PlTreIGJJ9_YtfXYtH4luyBYYUY/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2021-05-08+at+23.25.13.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-SnU991n0X28imUrQZoyhjMOcckmOkWgrw4t6AM8oji_MybA0qiFrhnqBJede47IrZ6YqjvLy26TL3-h576D2-cQfRfhgKZxH7yxnBN9XoljQSL-PlTreIGJJ9_YtfXYtH4luyBYYUY/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-05-08+at+23.25.13.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>In terms of work done/progress made over the last few months, we certainly have made <i>some </i>progress, although we have felt hampered by the weather on many an occasion.</p><p>The weather itself presented us with two new jobs to add to our to-do list, both of which currently remain on the list, awaiting a window of the right weather (and waiting until other, more time sensitive jobs have been done). One night/day of particularly torrential rain in April caused one part of our beautiful newly finished palisade terrace walls to collapse - a slight engineering fault on our part in that we probably got a little carried away on completing the final top layer of the palisade walls and failed to pack the back-filled part in well enough. The lower levels of walling all held up fine during the soaking.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOxXibyk1DRtRiGkY98HaCh1kGstRibhyphenhyphenEWaPfEvQQVahsqt8FgmjaJVdGMv4j_Ry5zZ8_gFthVBma4LjT2mTBWada-w6h_QKRoiTwnqqvbccCbg0YsjeK5Yx4fjle0xyoK33AUcjWD8/s2048/IMG_20210413_131227.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOxXibyk1DRtRiGkY98HaCh1kGstRibhyphenhyphenEWaPfEvQQVahsqt8FgmjaJVdGMv4j_Ry5zZ8_gFthVBma4LjT2mTBWada-w6h_QKRoiTwnqqvbccCbg0YsjeK5Yx4fjle0xyoK33AUcjWD8/s320/IMG_20210413_131227.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0weVfESeN_YoPcwZnMzmehcjmoX4bCg2XJQAdPrmlMVXHhqeTevEKC-e8CfCRq6dOypqzJ5m8Pth3GtSgNmtDC-y5hjnlkSh6JtSvqNQKX1r8KU_hFsbmTRIhy82m3T6fwoB_ad2_KQ/s2048/IMG_20210413_131242.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0weVfESeN_YoPcwZnMzmehcjmoX4bCg2XJQAdPrmlMVXHhqeTevEKC-e8CfCRq6dOypqzJ5m8Pth3GtSgNmtDC-y5hjnlkSh6JtSvqNQKX1r8KU_hFsbmTRIhy82m3T6fwoB_ad2_KQ/s320/IMG_20210413_131242.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The heavy rain also caused a chestnut tree to fall across the driveway - it fell from one side into an acacia tree on the other side, but remains suspended in the air, so doesn't block our entry/exit route. We will of course get around to cutting it down at some point, but it hasn't yet made it to the top of the priority list.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTXSrj5l4yXHRmccDdfzeTE1rBXouChMywCAhNPiitppn-8JODio3-O9kzcplyu5DdfPNYLdDjwudB8T0c0LFuT_b3IjlIqxlYPLfkSj-W4npYaWDYk33w67T0IMDlTfCKIIDoUDRxxg/s2048/IMG_20210502_095435.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTXSrj5l4yXHRmccDdfzeTE1rBXouChMywCAhNPiitppn-8JODio3-O9kzcplyu5DdfPNYLdDjwudB8T0c0LFuT_b3IjlIqxlYPLfkSj-W4npYaWDYk33w67T0IMDlTfCKIIDoUDRxxg/s320/IMG_20210502_095435.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>With the help of some additional muscle power from friends we managed to wrestle the rainwater collection tanks back into position so they now sit neatly, wrapped in black plastic to block the sunlight from causing algal growth inside, and have already collected over 3000 litres of water.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcVhWS_ORcD4djgHB6u68n3RuqCsEllub5WVaxlA0mWH8r7SlkzgglwGmvuYcoKci_lBlQxNY7a7yiZdFW1bZXUOWUzARdCumb3tClaF8OHYDgNtVN_jMJrYk1klf4Ew8Tmf2BNlNr10/s2048/IMG_20210331_075005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcVhWS_ORcD4djgHB6u68n3RuqCsEllub5WVaxlA0mWH8r7SlkzgglwGmvuYcoKci_lBlQxNY7a7yiZdFW1bZXUOWUzARdCumb3tClaF8OHYDgNtVN_jMJrYk1klf4Ew8Tmf2BNlNr10/s320/IMG_20210331_075005.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwwYqkk09fwQ9_55RcYM-nF7FDRVVYzH9hruPfAWCJ2Lv6o7biDuEfqfWKSM7JAjG10oj2ve8iwzl2mDJ56RBKX8natHPuL6ELuwh2sZw_vP3ZWeqISm4_AaT4trkYP_5CVXlU7SNPf7s/s2048/IMG_20210402_124955.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwwYqkk09fwQ9_55RcYM-nF7FDRVVYzH9hruPfAWCJ2Lv6o7biDuEfqfWKSM7JAjG10oj2ve8iwzl2mDJ56RBKX8natHPuL6ELuwh2sZw_vP3ZWeqISm4_AaT4trkYP_5CVXlU7SNPf7s/s320/IMG_20210402_124955.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsfUNNnVxe3_jKrKDETLvJGpTLs7I-vFk53U4YXR5Xh1KRTapuwwAqWSeyGP5HknYcpgCB5x0B7kxzhgV3uJ8R7zJBMZquEDfkc7SbpzPYfe4ABmSwm_KlYeCZi7mP2XBi_Pvcb_D_PI/s2048/IMG_20210414_165532.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsfUNNnVxe3_jKrKDETLvJGpTLs7I-vFk53U4YXR5Xh1KRTapuwwAqWSeyGP5HknYcpgCB5x0B7kxzhgV3uJ8R7zJBMZquEDfkc7SbpzPYfe4ABmSwm_KlYeCZi7mP2XBi_Pvcb_D_PI/s320/IMG_20210414_165532.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Despite there being so much of the wet stuff this spring we have been thinking ahead to the time when we will almost certainly (although it seems hard to imagine right now) go for weeks and weeks with no rain and very hot summer temperatures. Last year we hand watered all the new fruit trees we'd planted and all of the vegetables we grew - a daily task that took well over an hour and was both arduous and on occasion skipped, resulting in some less than happy plants. To make life easier/more efficient this year we have installed irrigation systems both in the orto below the house and on the terraces above the house - quite a big project involving running a pipe up the terraces, digging it into the ground to protect it from inquisitive animals and errant strimmers, and using t-pieces and taps and drip line to run across each terrace. A fair amount of work and effort to get in place, but it should save a huge amount of work in the summer and save the crops from drought!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlK5uom-kr1gss0oBPZ-dNfS3bqZYFl5y8wakiUdB7Eems-cBv0Y7wOKxf6Z2DHiok3JVvpMzRGZStQTGT6mFlvTlXt8E1I_qaePKHnIdhOBqw2eD11fwhS0_lfu0_UXq90AkDHgEW74/s2048/IMG_20210426_153316.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlK5uom-kr1gss0oBPZ-dNfS3bqZYFl5y8wakiUdB7Eems-cBv0Y7wOKxf6Z2DHiok3JVvpMzRGZStQTGT6mFlvTlXt8E1I_qaePKHnIdhOBqw2eD11fwhS0_lfu0_UXq90AkDHgEW74/s320/IMG_20210426_153316.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejxkvQs-poULHbR67PsJ2SXPfIkloDElIG-xwSwaokEG8DWLyLbnnTXGHJJ-yDhVQg_l5y7FfFwrrBw8iRyvLV7RtwU-Nwx3G3G43tTNTLn4SELhhH3CLMl8TRYZIdGR1aUvOY-VVFOY/s2048/IMG_20210426_153334.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejxkvQs-poULHbR67PsJ2SXPfIkloDElIG-xwSwaokEG8DWLyLbnnTXGHJJ-yDhVQg_l5y7FfFwrrBw8iRyvLV7RtwU-Nwx3G3G43tTNTLn4SELhhH3CLMl8TRYZIdGR1aUvOY-VVFOY/s320/IMG_20210426_153334.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyeMebvyXWhwuM76wRwB7UxwkAR6Q8OCqgNaPCpQ9V1b8bCZVw9K3WaBLH0lQWnFyfPuTd5igDElEOQlwkFJQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>This year we planted six new fruit trees (thanks to a generous gift from my Dad): two new apples, two new pears, a new cherry and a mulberry. The fruit trees were all quite a sight when they all came into blossom - a real orchard feel.</p><p>Between the fruit trees we have made veg-growing beds - we prepared the ground by covering it with patches of the black plastic left over from wrapping the rain water collection tanks. We pinned those to the ground and left them for a few weeks - the idea being that with a combination of heat absorbed by the black plastic and lack of light, the grass and weeds beneath it would die off, leaving us with a patch of ground ready to plant into (after a quick hoe).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9WC7nc1mTUJkmAbLOiTdc-wk3XO1ayrnYt80cKFaanA2hEiwTyyczzaoxzd0-6QazmsEXx1Nrp42_k-V46WMAJIIDyqunFapiRqmfbybwOUrKNUls95xIKcVbXpTKJr-95C6gAKi51k/s2048/IMG_20210414_144229.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9WC7nc1mTUJkmAbLOiTdc-wk3XO1ayrnYt80cKFaanA2hEiwTyyczzaoxzd0-6QazmsEXx1Nrp42_k-V46WMAJIIDyqunFapiRqmfbybwOUrKNUls95xIKcVbXpTKJr-95C6gAKi51k/s320/IMG_20210414_144229.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>In these beds we have planted two small "fields" of corn, a similar sized patch of soya beans, 18 tomato plants, about 40 snake beans and some cucumbers. We've also planted 12 heavily guarded artichoke plants. After realising that the last ones we planted had been eaten from beneath, we came up with the idea of planting into cages that would allow the roots to grow down into the soil but prevent rodents from getting to them from beneath. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtf4ffU1P1jYMtcZLzg_Aza1JbgtVWoOap4n9O-FYiqD9W2eE7EK2gnJfG2PG5ABxM05mJlJRuI_rFaSpJn0CiWcgyw57vm7_ny09ljaJi1EgG0kBq2hdIs_Ncf4E1jxlJRPdHSxzw-4/s2048/IMG_20210523_161127.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtf4ffU1P1jYMtcZLzg_Aza1JbgtVWoOap4n9O-FYiqD9W2eE7EK2gnJfG2PG5ABxM05mJlJRuI_rFaSpJn0CiWcgyw57vm7_ny09ljaJi1EgG0kBq2hdIs_Ncf4E1jxlJRPdHSxzw-4/s320/IMG_20210523_161127.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73WW-eEDo_eDoxHKbpmuSy-07UXfR5BWdr6QCx4HSG2S5u0bLMHaPetp8UaSXIpDxW9TuaP86LqaX16ESgx8tAuOgdTxm7MnpKRwhnt3_DKtaJDDpvm-icgML_flNfQ85LPBEmgBMrLQ/s2048/IMG_20210523_161218.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73WW-eEDo_eDoxHKbpmuSy-07UXfR5BWdr6QCx4HSG2S5u0bLMHaPetp8UaSXIpDxW9TuaP86LqaX16ESgx8tAuOgdTxm7MnpKRwhnt3_DKtaJDDpvm-icgML_flNfQ85LPBEmgBMrLQ/s320/IMG_20210523_161218.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBJTHOBgkdtypecP44JIyaWLFh9XXp-xRM5WZUsqr0QVPSCPIehWnJg9nGbGUipO07POI58nO7GN_TdOaJT6WndWFCdVyjntLgN9ffxICLNoc6pbTF52ssYZoDgV7xZYKOLqcbIOTtmA/s2048/IMG_20210527_110604.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBJTHOBgkdtypecP44JIyaWLFh9XXp-xRM5WZUsqr0QVPSCPIehWnJg9nGbGUipO07POI58nO7GN_TdOaJT6WndWFCdVyjntLgN9ffxICLNoc6pbTF52ssYZoDgV7xZYKOLqcbIOTtmA/s320/IMG_20210527_110604.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEQmlSWlZQLQXiYKIm9lE08Tx4DMA9Y0kncWtNiD0l28nzfzI3VcgU42iZ3RG0GHLusk7MPuQTMJgUsplBUdk6PbitJSRRidsZ6qrGEsGqcXvAeK39OR1StpttTym_JlxGMATP_eCJao/s2048/IMG_20210527_110612.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEQmlSWlZQLQXiYKIm9lE08Tx4DMA9Y0kncWtNiD0l28nzfzI3VcgU42iZ3RG0GHLusk7MPuQTMJgUsplBUdk6PbitJSRRidsZ6qrGEsGqcXvAeK39OR1StpttTym_JlxGMATP_eCJao/s320/IMG_20210527_110612.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXj7leE-pTWXGjSD1d320Fgv9iOsStIJKxY16OTKAKj7RPT9oVeMbcn3bCd3Is6AWOK4umyHW03A8s74dwQTRepqqmIzHoygFiMzG3SP2R5wQeUX0kVVhJKeAuaXWCQRX82zZBp55tIY/s2048/IMG_20210527_173940.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXj7leE-pTWXGjSD1d320Fgv9iOsStIJKxY16OTKAKj7RPT9oVeMbcn3bCd3Is6AWOK4umyHW03A8s74dwQTRepqqmIzHoygFiMzG3SP2R5wQeUX0kVVhJKeAuaXWCQRX82zZBp55tIY/s320/IMG_20210527_173940.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The cucumbers are set to grow up a trellis made by Stuart in a stroke of genius upcycling. Every few weeks our neighbour, who is trying to clear out a large warehouse in order to be able to rent or sell it, messages Stuart with a selection of random items to see if Stuart would like to take ownership of any of them. This of course delights Stuart as he does love a bit of "treasure" (one person's rubbish is another man's treasure), and so far we have relieved Samuele of a table saw, several large blue barrels, several smaller barrels, a couple of besom brooms, a roll of corrugated plastic, some heavy duty chains, a pair of ladders and, last week, the metal cage that would usually house a large 1000 litre IBC tank. At times I wonder if we are merely moving all of the things from the warehouse to our house, but Stuart assures me he has uses in mind for everything - and after seeing his creativity with the metal cage I can't help but trust him on that!</p><p>So this is how it started out:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cSPvgxjfBCQQDnsJGaR0bfTWuT5FOjY2lRUY9f4hkW4E0cBUC0JQ-q7NN1-CoWM8tsB3qDEoe3r8kZHbGAoFAwmLqRdj06QjSS9eqYBUEknyy0gR1L1uM9EKVkSMfEWd6p0N1agQCd0/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2021-05-29+at+09.52.57.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cSPvgxjfBCQQDnsJGaR0bfTWuT5FOjY2lRUY9f4hkW4E0cBUC0JQ-q7NN1-CoWM8tsB3qDEoe3r8kZHbGAoFAwmLqRdj06QjSS9eqYBUEknyy0gR1L1uM9EKVkSMfEWd6p0N1agQCd0/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-05-29+at+09.52.57.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>And after half an hour or so of cutting with the metal grinder he had transformed the cage into a cucumber-growing trellis!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7z4OPsw6cC8BLdLGT8_HIsgo2cKcEp51ROEl_P9a24raj6zHAkGkbDFHjLUkyUQJ4hQdd_EdSBXcYWtK9XG08rHuFIuWw1Y7oWtkIEp50YHyNBnjnbNElcV9uVt1JKyBm03x0dUChXo/s2048/IMG_20210528_155533.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7z4OPsw6cC8BLdLGT8_HIsgo2cKcEp51ROEl_P9a24raj6zHAkGkbDFHjLUkyUQJ4hQdd_EdSBXcYWtK9XG08rHuFIuWw1Y7oWtkIEp50YHyNBnjnbNElcV9uVt1JKyBm03x0dUChXo/s320/IMG_20210528_155533.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, below the house we are using the same raised beds as we had last year - with the addition of one that we had bought flat-packed from the internet last year and which we only got around to assembling a few weeks ago. We have put into position another 16 half plastic tanks, which will eventually become more veg beds, but for this spring's growing season we didn't have the time or resources to get those ones prepared (filled with compost/organic material), so we aim to get those ready in time for autumn.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMG99AI4OqNCMI3OVjGoUXKPjBMnrDeFiibZvzd7kfUHfn-w39lJixgD54ADyVpnjEaCdjKLOjN44rAHojy7hGNje3-QZAT-I76l8xsMzR5N_lUmxDFWXbKyVqLoOmcKnSOc9uqKCVM8/s2048/IMG_20210402_124718.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMG99AI4OqNCMI3OVjGoUXKPjBMnrDeFiibZvzd7kfUHfn-w39lJixgD54ADyVpnjEaCdjKLOjN44rAHojy7hGNje3-QZAT-I76l8xsMzR5N_lUmxDFWXbKyVqLoOmcKnSOc9uqKCVM8/s320/IMG_20210402_124718.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-vXLcJ8DBd_ioDsu-aQqsOIB3Qto4f-HsJUx8SEqeYncEaoeS9GYQOFjp8VqwwGT0mGLydM-wHBedPKhWiwRWNhm9P4uOml2VPyFSzn0_mn89CXWa34iiGwc3s_BovldqMGn_SYhkEo/s2048/IMG_20210508_161709.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-vXLcJ8DBd_ioDsu-aQqsOIB3Qto4f-HsJUx8SEqeYncEaoeS9GYQOFjp8VqwwGT0mGLydM-wHBedPKhWiwRWNhm9P4uOml2VPyFSzn0_mn89CXWa34iiGwc3s_BovldqMGn_SYhkEo/s320/IMG_20210508_161709.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>So in the "main orto" we have planted more tomatoes, radishes, spinach, beetroot, peppers, aubergines, courgettes and a trial of asparagus, which we bought as small plants rather than the more usual crowns. We've already had a sizeable crop of broad beans, rainbow chard and radicchio, and we have garlic and onions coming along apace.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8t-AKbC-ubB3ozGfp5jJ_I_QH-aIBK9ejIRUAEsQBYD39LJX8wSWS4OEkr09qK-xFbLj8oHXEaIwPql81Ao2InVLrIKw2e2eOON0O7c0Ygn1MuAK2ISIEJi-JEJglVhHMQRvrNTTaDk/s701/179730753_10158266025271658_5101217275558673812_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="526" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8t-AKbC-ubB3ozGfp5jJ_I_QH-aIBK9ejIRUAEsQBYD39LJX8wSWS4OEkr09qK-xFbLj8oHXEaIwPql81Ao2InVLrIKw2e2eOON0O7c0Ygn1MuAK2ISIEJi-JEJglVhHMQRvrNTTaDk/s320/179730753_10158266025271658_5101217275558673812_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybst1QM1bObq_8e5ohE47xy0gZCdJPxLwfcbX9dlFJpkBv6MmOXaVxZUL5P_ESnT3fUTKZfPulh0JkjxIwacynhNEImfQN-8yl9ntcBlPjG6vgvPmReYcahM8S7vol5k8rz86AEgBJpU/s2048/IMG_20210509_120119.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybst1QM1bObq_8e5ohE47xy0gZCdJPxLwfcbX9dlFJpkBv6MmOXaVxZUL5P_ESnT3fUTKZfPulh0JkjxIwacynhNEImfQN-8yl9ntcBlPjG6vgvPmReYcahM8S7vol5k8rz86AEgBJpU/s320/IMG_20210509_120119.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdBnX5p0NGIcFlUZEMkkdR2wVwsgxxGpSdBs6k-X55wKcP_5d1XtQajyIBuDTWNQ-y9U0k6gCnVe_cRbhfitfef8IXZ7ik08MrKHuMkaixnh_ZdnDzgzKt9qxwv9lVrR_7N3Hhyphenhyphenpjg-s/s2048/IMG_20210527_095030.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdBnX5p0NGIcFlUZEMkkdR2wVwsgxxGpSdBs6k-X55wKcP_5d1XtQajyIBuDTWNQ-y9U0k6gCnVe_cRbhfitfef8IXZ7ik08MrKHuMkaixnh_ZdnDzgzKt9qxwv9lVrR_7N3Hhyphenhyphenpjg-s/s320/IMG_20210527_095030.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>In the beds between the palisade terrace walls we've planted up as many flowering plants as possible - Stuart's forward thinking from last year has borne fruit with an absolutely stunning display of lupins, to which we've added holyhocks, delphiniums, sea holly, lavender, daisies, irises and borage. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_ILHsLiUn38Qg9RlrXpFAAI90d5tYiu-9DrEQb_fkAvEfyxNueBV96_Sr5xROdTdAHI44HooUpF6xzrthrh3DzNWO48vben5QJoYjfGJFVvLCMSWCxtxyorbs6kM1oI3T9I5mxbg65o/s2048/IMG_20210517_122119.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_ILHsLiUn38Qg9RlrXpFAAI90d5tYiu-9DrEQb_fkAvEfyxNueBV96_Sr5xROdTdAHI44HooUpF6xzrthrh3DzNWO48vben5QJoYjfGJFVvLCMSWCxtxyorbs6kM1oI3T9I5mxbg65o/s320/IMG_20210517_122119.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2X0w0_iC6doK2SLAKew6flTFo45easvkoJPk2KWYiEFtDAKZN_6fgWmCn4auHUAG-oGmhrJb2-r8dEFtvJOrQ-dge-cJw_uxpQ8z7R4d_gYcdX9KBAe5YSdfr0xKQSfUco0d2Q4DzM0/s2048/IMG_20210517_122213.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2X0w0_iC6doK2SLAKew6flTFo45easvkoJPk2KWYiEFtDAKZN_6fgWmCn4auHUAG-oGmhrJb2-r8dEFtvJOrQ-dge-cJw_uxpQ8z7R4d_gYcdX9KBAe5YSdfr0xKQSfUco0d2Q4DzM0/s320/IMG_20210517_122213.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tEobj1AeImHIQi3k-TDa9Ym0Y0fmAlKAx7N-buVIThyphenhyphen-LThk3Y-bk4_yBSzW68K50vBNkyaq_X1c7m64_FTaWji9bvByXhJS7kD4IYl_-zfhLTwzXgooqQmk-O7uu97YscQ6K5yzB7U/s2048/IMG_20210517_123014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tEobj1AeImHIQi3k-TDa9Ym0Y0fmAlKAx7N-buVIThyphenhyphen-LThk3Y-bk4_yBSzW68K50vBNkyaq_X1c7m64_FTaWji9bvByXhJS7kD4IYl_-zfhLTwzXgooqQmk-O7uu97YscQ6K5yzB7U/s320/IMG_20210517_123014.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWF4bVBXWMz0dRncgWt5pXFlQZT6qUoKlu2N7l96LOEckGW2oPJLRdVpDc2i9TQmUPHNPNOyr0TZg5sQR8XuU-mHZo7-vPGsEFPEzG0Z5iO4vfD-hiTm0FgdwSZUcl9ewcKf5TFT7L-_Q/s2048/IMG_20210526_112843.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWF4bVBXWMz0dRncgWt5pXFlQZT6qUoKlu2N7l96LOEckGW2oPJLRdVpDc2i9TQmUPHNPNOyr0TZg5sQR8XuU-mHZo7-vPGsEFPEzG0Z5iO4vfD-hiTm0FgdwSZUcl9ewcKf5TFT7L-_Q/s320/IMG_20210526_112843.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The wood-chipped beds also seem to be a haven for stinkhorn fungus - I counted 32 stinkhorn capsules in one bed!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuce1UzKK6b7YYnDKWx9gF392HVnQXKwn3CIIgB2OSxIkJw4QFqTXmhtQ3UWINd1LCu3dWUENbRComQR2-xkDgpIgW7xyiyxBSC4DPl5AsuGQLRJTr_1fc7D-FcYILNVa0dVEQGgP02GA/s2048/IMG_20210517_122057.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuce1UzKK6b7YYnDKWx9gF392HVnQXKwn3CIIgB2OSxIkJw4QFqTXmhtQ3UWINd1LCu3dWUENbRComQR2-xkDgpIgW7xyiyxBSC4DPl5AsuGQLRJTr_1fc7D-FcYILNVa0dVEQGgP02GA/s320/IMG_20210517_122057.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdP17_4EHBIaWbxxDwubQuWjzWxokcD7EXS8f1__TuVEkw7raTmaReYLGCjSCd9UELL0Ss228ibbC8zfdFXbG7sqrTfq2BUlqVcffxHtQ6syq-r4gxeIa3tLyYzzqrvByePcWTpHFlCts/s2048/IMG_20210519_093351.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdP17_4EHBIaWbxxDwubQuWjzWxokcD7EXS8f1__TuVEkw7raTmaReYLGCjSCd9UELL0Ss228ibbC8zfdFXbG7sqrTfq2BUlqVcffxHtQ6syq-r4gxeIa3tLyYzzqrvByePcWTpHFlCts/s320/IMG_20210519_093351.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnyAf5_MJ5fb7h0VJzHg1GY_BZW2XJVGXNENoQWVQnTF3HoIBvkw6VWFJ6f1-X_UbNYukMtA_FEXHwS-Fk4Z0DrIMl_64A6_S5Mu-Z9MOCWxNTRxyLIX6KsHPheXLQyZav98QszQlYzY/s2048/IMG_20210521_112356.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnyAf5_MJ5fb7h0VJzHg1GY_BZW2XJVGXNENoQWVQnTF3HoIBvkw6VWFJ6f1-X_UbNYukMtA_FEXHwS-Fk4Z0DrIMl_64A6_S5Mu-Z9MOCWxNTRxyLIX6KsHPheXLQyZav98QszQlYzY/s320/IMG_20210521_112356.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>A few weeks ago we tackled the olive tree pruning - a job made considerably less painful (literally) thanks to having invested in a pair of electric secateurs and a mini chain saw. Without these new tools Stuart certainly wouldn't have been able to manage to do the pruning with his injured elbow. We also had a considerable help this year from our friend Cristian, with whom Stuart has been doing some odd days of work here and there. Cristian has a lifetime's knowledge of olive pruning, so it was helpful to have his guidance. Even with help though, we only managed to get around to pruning a little over half the trees before the flower buds started to form and we had to stop - the unsettled weather meant that we never managed to get more than a couple of days in a row at the job. Nevertheless, we are happy to have done as much as we have, and the rather deeper cut than usual meant that the car park was overtaken by piles of prunings as high as a bus - which we then spent a couple of afternoons chipping, and then spent an afternoon using all those chippings to build up a new compost pile.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Kzu53ngb6F_DK77YjHT5mYsm_9hIusp6j4fo3QurdCHNy3chR1FPfQxo2GhrRImujwSqZnzVeEfbgWVJx-ScvFvQQWvEo5BLgXHwvMlXbnXEl3wqg70-z_v08lGCHuUGDQDFE1pQyl8/s2048/IMG_20210417_133859.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Kzu53ngb6F_DK77YjHT5mYsm_9hIusp6j4fo3QurdCHNy3chR1FPfQxo2GhrRImujwSqZnzVeEfbgWVJx-ScvFvQQWvEo5BLgXHwvMlXbnXEl3wqg70-z_v08lGCHuUGDQDFE1pQyl8/s320/IMG_20210417_133859.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPEe91Rmr3Xvgq7gHXpmBOlf7u-VnniQ9TBNEstqecGXGAMnpOGDhOGDzVV5jmtM3-NbW7vE_BMw-eiYSN6IZ9NgIMD0c-8XbpMTGtenCRKE1_NKvTUlCfkY5LsuVMitt_6CRR40AHtVs/s2048/IMG_20210528_160922.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPEe91Rmr3Xvgq7gHXpmBOlf7u-VnniQ9TBNEstqecGXGAMnpOGDhOGDzVV5jmtM3-NbW7vE_BMw-eiYSN6IZ9NgIMD0c-8XbpMTGtenCRKE1_NKvTUlCfkY5LsuVMitt_6CRR40AHtVs/s320/IMG_20210528_160922.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>We will shortly be starting the third full grass cut of the year - as I said earlier, the plentiful rain along with intermittent sunshine and rising temperatures are perfect conditions for the grass to grow and it's hard trying to keep up. This year we decided to leave the banks of the terraces uncut. This has several benefits. The first and probably the foremost reason is that it helps to protect the banks - the root systems of the plants growing there help to hold the soil together and stabilise the banks, which in places had started to become very bare and unstable. Secondly, and also importantly, it means that despite cutting the terraces we are able to leave a good number of flowers untouched, providing food for the bees and other visiting insect life. Thirdly, it makes <i>me </i>feel a whole lot better about cutting everything else if we are leaving a good number of the beautiful flowers untouched - it feels criminal to cut through swathes of beautiful flowers. Fourthly, it lends a lovely, meadowy feel to the terraces. And finally it makes the job of cutting a whole lot less arduous and slightly quicker! Everyone's a winner!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG87StvO63lOccOzapshaG_3Yo5mxU_6iwWaNG0EvYEF7dO1eKzHTDQzvgjbd8eKq41QdgLoKAJXOVDAHpD9l2f1_0fliLObJdyfj4yuW4m-K3jYwluZ1AgpJ4H_q_415saTkCaCMSO08/s2048/IMG_20210526_093150.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG87StvO63lOccOzapshaG_3Yo5mxU_6iwWaNG0EvYEF7dO1eKzHTDQzvgjbd8eKq41QdgLoKAJXOVDAHpD9l2f1_0fliLObJdyfj4yuW4m-K3jYwluZ1AgpJ4H_q_415saTkCaCMSO08/s320/IMG_20210526_093150.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Part of the reason for keeping the grass cut at all is an attempt to keep snakes at bay - like last year, this year we seem to have a large number of them about. They are mainly grass snakes but we do get vipers here too, so it's always a worry to spot one. Not least when Reggie attempts to chase them. In a particularly awful episode recently Reggie somehow managed to catch up with one (in the garden) and take a chunk out of the side of it. Thankfully it was a type of grass snake, so not a danger to Reggie or to me, but unfortunately the strength of Reggie's bite had left the poor thing mortally wounded and there was nothing I could do save for dispatch of it as quickly as I could - a horrible, horrible deed, despite knowing it was the right thing to do.</p><p>On a happier note, we seem to have new neighbours in the form of great tits who have moved into one of the bird boxes we made and attached to the side of the house. It gives us a great deal of satisfaction to know that the boxes are being used for the purpose for which we put them there - perhaps there really is something in the phrase "If you build it, they will come"!</p><p>In April we also added a bat box to the side of the house - for the time being we still await residents there.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkmaJ24Hx6iM_2_oSfNONeF5ccHRMCqj2lDomtgF2rW_XOBqnzb8clM7kTyiZ5m5WR8bwsRLb5vVhp05aGp297t4IeeBAWLbRJyo2RWqjaRoISnEADM2dhrAEypmSO_I4bteU26Jzb9c0/s701/173173276_10158226191276658_3489074714931971985_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="526" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkmaJ24Hx6iM_2_oSfNONeF5ccHRMCqj2lDomtgF2rW_XOBqnzb8clM7kTyiZ5m5WR8bwsRLb5vVhp05aGp297t4IeeBAWLbRJyo2RWqjaRoISnEADM2dhrAEypmSO_I4bteU26Jzb9c0/s320/173173276_10158226191276658_3489074714931971985_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bat box above ladder; bird box on RH side of the wall.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>We have continued to make batches of soaps and have a slow trickle of sales to people locally - one of the benefits of not having guests occupying the apartment is that we have been able to leave it set up in soap-making laboratory mode, which makes the whole process much easier.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZYFOr6evQhevp4V6Ti3j6Dvu3LIbnjFdC5HEGNZmMRa_vSzYkFfhuaBayFXFQgPGhZ4H3OUYB3ZVjhLV_mXZ4E6D_kvCz9rsuXhaZZ-WZFbxengI0rvhwAkk4G7DOigZCYvkJpuWUcE/s6016/DSC_5898.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6016" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZYFOr6evQhevp4V6Ti3j6Dvu3LIbnjFdC5HEGNZmMRa_vSzYkFfhuaBayFXFQgPGhZ4H3OUYB3ZVjhLV_mXZ4E6D_kvCz9rsuXhaZZ-WZFbxengI0rvhwAkk4G7DOigZCYvkJpuWUcE/s320/DSC_5898.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA66M_g2G1I9OtVNOtefQSEFcuW1pcp8WgOz3RyrpIBbSLaOxielm4Ez0fl-ZUDhUcGagq-vvt5dJP39vsI9CBQwENxFIdl08FGVoGJjwGI7AyBItbe_1w-aG4-SQBS4JTYgLndNWNuEo/s6016/DSC_5907.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6016" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA66M_g2G1I9OtVNOtefQSEFcuW1pcp8WgOz3RyrpIBbSLaOxielm4Ez0fl-ZUDhUcGagq-vvt5dJP39vsI9CBQwENxFIdl08FGVoGJjwGI7AyBItbe_1w-aG4-SQBS4JTYgLndNWNuEo/s320/DSC_5907.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3hC2d-curfT_c0fI4eRxxjtN9P2CXQhA9J0jtK6rWL-_kBOqkk9GGMlK0UZh1nh0dUPKdfb_dodtqQjKZ6ubfQ-YDljEqqCHdAjS20H_Wx_mznlzQjCLsPw2B-GMpz6YdrxGnGGZBHc/s6016/DSC_5913.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6016" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3hC2d-curfT_c0fI4eRxxjtN9P2CXQhA9J0jtK6rWL-_kBOqkk9GGMlK0UZh1nh0dUPKdfb_dodtqQjKZ6ubfQ-YDljEqqCHdAjS20H_Wx_mznlzQjCLsPw2B-GMpz6YdrxGnGGZBHc/s320/DSC_5913.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6oadbnudRIgfWV6UcnuXhnBe3zWrhzxsezox41e3zP_Rl2IRbMyJCAWAu7cwKNMjnusVj0KYGFetJUeQDRUgBxktfVLeMu7XV1V48OituvAEdhOAdrcRLuMA2RAJoVE6wYvmmBzgNOQ/s6015/DSC_5926-cropped.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3730" data-original-width="6015" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6oadbnudRIgfWV6UcnuXhnBe3zWrhzxsezox41e3zP_Rl2IRbMyJCAWAu7cwKNMjnusVj0KYGFetJUeQDRUgBxktfVLeMu7XV1V48OituvAEdhOAdrcRLuMA2RAJoVE6wYvmmBzgNOQ/s320/DSC_5926-cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />We even made it into the local newspaper again - well, news is slow during lockdown!<div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrWVMvJFGzoMnubio48CzZOxvtOJcwqVFtqw74TVE0C-G-GppdpbuEXAw3VFcocuQYThendwY1scAbdXtKFRXlZg1rv6vmwHaovhJHz-vPc2tT_xG2qqC_fJrM0fJjZr0I_bBkgHNdKk/s2048/IMG_20210413_130218.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrWVMvJFGzoMnubio48CzZOxvtOJcwqVFtqw74TVE0C-G-GppdpbuEXAw3VFcocuQYThendwY1scAbdXtKFRXlZg1rv6vmwHaovhJHz-vPc2tT_xG2qqC_fJrM0fJjZr0I_bBkgHNdKk/s320/IMG_20210413_130218.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>In recent weeks the covid restrictions in our area have gradually begun to be eased, meaning we have had a few more social engagements - we've enjoyed cautiously catching up with friends and neighbours and luckily the improving weather means we are increasingly able to do our socialising outdoors. One particular get-together resulted in a new theory about our house - our friend Michel (who hadn't previously been to our house) asked what it used to be previously. An odd question, but on seeing the buttress-style walls on the lower floor he immediately assumed it must have originally been some form of medieval watch tower, which had at a later date been incorporated in the house. The more we thought about it, the more the theory seems to hold water - the position of the house is perfect for a good view down the valley (and probably up it too in those days), and the construction of that part of the house is extremely unusual - we had been told it was something to do with earthquake protection but it makes no sense that none of the other houses in the area have anything similar, and it makes little sense that anyone building a house two, three hundred years ago would be thinking of that. In addition to which, there are several watch-tower-like buildings up and down the valley. Frustratingly, we can find no information that might help us get to the bottom of it, so for now it remains a mystery.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSg2EAUlXYBk-nmOl9nFsK1knEZg39wSIe0PI9RN-0YH7eZP03H13t1Cn24E6yu_zHxKExUjaeIQAESU1tQ1OLF1_RPsGON2b61UZHoNXzkhkg01TZBra_ig-YaIGLaEN4gjYNjjwi7s/s1280/WhatsApp+Image+2021-05-15+at+10.00.29.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSg2EAUlXYBk-nmOl9nFsK1knEZg39wSIe0PI9RN-0YH7eZP03H13t1Cn24E6yu_zHxKExUjaeIQAESU1tQ1OLF1_RPsGON2b61UZHoNXzkhkg01TZBra_ig-YaIGLaEN4gjYNjjwi7s/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-05-15+at+10.00.29.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from when our predecessors bought the house.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, as the weather finally starts to buck its ideas up and warm up to more seasonable temperatures, we find ourselves on the verge of things opening back up here - tourists are starting to trickle into the region, restaurants and bars are finally allowed to re-open fully, and even the nightly curfew has gone from 10pm to 11pm, and is due to be abolished by the end of the month. We have our covid vaccinations booked (although not until mid-July, with second doses due in late August), and will be looking forward to feeling a little more relaxed after that.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the meantime, nature keeps on giving!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5kdbhovzIXoSzBRIpDdbBqlFpsXhpISG7t68OPj5wpNCPieF8urqc8gJ-9FJYPgFsKSwteTCg7uPLDY-MPmn6pGTpgUlaO60kD7aD9FXZurcKmJshFfrxfU64CWqwbYJJrmvf9cvFZg4/s2048/IMG_20210330_141921.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5kdbhovzIXoSzBRIpDdbBqlFpsXhpISG7t68OPj5wpNCPieF8urqc8gJ-9FJYPgFsKSwteTCg7uPLDY-MPmn6pGTpgUlaO60kD7aD9FXZurcKmJshFfrxfU64CWqwbYJJrmvf9cvFZg4/s320/IMG_20210330_141921.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3q11XjriqlMk24mu1uNQMyg1zUJA627AOe710CF0UF0hdJmQZBw5ph-ZrVPSHLV_ZswrdCnep9vAVglyFe0t9Cw1xaOkz_iaguaTqrhyuGLM858mv1ryAzugSJeChvOpbWHTkMjtBPk/s2048/IMG_20210331_091649.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3q11XjriqlMk24mu1uNQMyg1zUJA627AOe710CF0UF0hdJmQZBw5ph-ZrVPSHLV_ZswrdCnep9vAVglyFe0t9Cw1xaOkz_iaguaTqrhyuGLM858mv1ryAzugSJeChvOpbWHTkMjtBPk/s320/IMG_20210331_091649.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlC9WRlVWkFt8t5fnYm-JZ0dnh4C2Wjh0atpzBhp_JYTrzklVe1oWAOhk-fdZYhFigeRFKxoV4oStiF9G474p0G-Ha9g10FGfNlcdQR-3sPB28eRULlHUcjTr-ulnLkbdyE2kG_5X8YA/s2048/IMG_20210402_095940.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlC9WRlVWkFt8t5fnYm-JZ0dnh4C2Wjh0atpzBhp_JYTrzklVe1oWAOhk-fdZYhFigeRFKxoV4oStiF9G474p0G-Ha9g10FGfNlcdQR-3sPB28eRULlHUcjTr-ulnLkbdyE2kG_5X8YA/s320/IMG_20210402_095940.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Fu_r3fldpKsgYq1JUWqojr6oELxm2F7hqEMzxX__tL3X818mZ3BAdRUwAiGB3Hu2BHjl5H7ukv3nsyQ5dqEHSYCZEBZc8qb4X13kRgVKlpPzRrZRvSMdeSwXYsv7AwGJkZ-oEE8dyWk/s2048/IMG_20210404_110251.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Fu_r3fldpKsgYq1JUWqojr6oELxm2F7hqEMzxX__tL3X818mZ3BAdRUwAiGB3Hu2BHjl5H7ukv3nsyQ5dqEHSYCZEBZc8qb4X13kRgVKlpPzRrZRvSMdeSwXYsv7AwGJkZ-oEE8dyWk/s320/IMG_20210404_110251.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6c0ZgBxIlIzxBzUNFaiNVXocSqmAsBA0V3ieQRag0tAGQLK9PjZ5fLRt3tvkjWs9s37lcj-IbB44lQDSxGbGpWztf1m_J__qAoHnOzqyq8EGlaAQ8BQoEyrIwmq-kicOtfqM-LqaXb4/s2048/IMG_20210404_134521.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6c0ZgBxIlIzxBzUNFaiNVXocSqmAsBA0V3ieQRag0tAGQLK9PjZ5fLRt3tvkjWs9s37lcj-IbB44lQDSxGbGpWztf1m_J__qAoHnOzqyq8EGlaAQ8BQoEyrIwmq-kicOtfqM-LqaXb4/s320/IMG_20210404_134521.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSYiRCspz_fcbBI_uwg17dRIxJ2wqVL5sRrTRX_EWXOW-Z6tYnCLw2vVEptLy7gthbQ8C7alh5e-t7XfurdArbTCzBdzKp767oKCRmguLKb4gUOaDfiUzrUeswm5AsZbshhnKynJziVE/s2048/IMG_20210412_163839.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSYiRCspz_fcbBI_uwg17dRIxJ2wqVL5sRrTRX_EWXOW-Z6tYnCLw2vVEptLy7gthbQ8C7alh5e-t7XfurdArbTCzBdzKp767oKCRmguLKb4gUOaDfiUzrUeswm5AsZbshhnKynJziVE/s320/IMG_20210412_163839.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTO3AxpOdc1KEK2cFhIaOs61Ps17DURq_XEc24xmY80lXdw-78tUB3W-nduYPiTzm_cfMvN51hTsJTRlpFCrAx-EhLGvUiaOwXdXL_3s9dBjbmxiqCQVqfhHjy9UNm1AXa18B8tJsKD0/s2048/IMG_20210417_151405.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTO3AxpOdc1KEK2cFhIaOs61Ps17DURq_XEc24xmY80lXdw-78tUB3W-nduYPiTzm_cfMvN51hTsJTRlpFCrAx-EhLGvUiaOwXdXL_3s9dBjbmxiqCQVqfhHjy9UNm1AXa18B8tJsKD0/s320/IMG_20210417_151405.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFtdPNtF-GhOZRf2_a9MAPLA6zChiSVHugPQtAQbwsUP-Qcn18KklQuuG58MsVCwIDZWwT8xWyiyEHr3TwBHbNv071-2-0FiiUNcukXPvuT5GRP_YBgq9hd2coBZYl47Jc_iMpVrj_-E/s2048/IMG_20210417_151429.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFtdPNtF-GhOZRf2_a9MAPLA6zChiSVHugPQtAQbwsUP-Qcn18KklQuuG58MsVCwIDZWwT8xWyiyEHr3TwBHbNv071-2-0FiiUNcukXPvuT5GRP_YBgq9hd2coBZYl47Jc_iMpVrj_-E/s320/IMG_20210417_151429.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWgy61kPio27jJwO9js96fh2dO63Kdfh7DjfygEeJ7b6L6WC9lSXKE37QgOQn9GjpTEdlQsO4jsm_9ROSSkOt25259JgdCi6LW1QeFuP-P45mrZA7CGWPQfcQit60M4bLvkxx7MAoXBQ/s2048/IMG_20210423_092833.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWgy61kPio27jJwO9js96fh2dO63Kdfh7DjfygEeJ7b6L6WC9lSXKE37QgOQn9GjpTEdlQsO4jsm_9ROSSkOt25259JgdCi6LW1QeFuP-P45mrZA7CGWPQfcQit60M4bLvkxx7MAoXBQ/s320/IMG_20210423_092833.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsvQMGUbnxHwr5j1r31eRs7r8J15YATUu3fzpzIYaJiLJnGjbV-cu1wQai5xbybyskd8emHv7UslOiY-eAiODD-TiLfuTgl-J3azuVOX2gRUFjOHcbobPmGrkexPixM3AtxT-OTrFjso/s2048/IMG_20210423_094436.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsvQMGUbnxHwr5j1r31eRs7r8J15YATUu3fzpzIYaJiLJnGjbV-cu1wQai5xbybyskd8emHv7UslOiY-eAiODD-TiLfuTgl-J3azuVOX2gRUFjOHcbobPmGrkexPixM3AtxT-OTrFjso/s320/IMG_20210423_094436.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDj8H4BvEOJy8A1bbDyZXxVZhSSDCRzlGWyLCTfXbh1mVyXSK44_CdODac3bvrY2u4XvoKO_3UK56kOJA3X1OfFqnfcq7UrbUTr-OVHiZJBYUtssxOYazxN6rdLjFusX6b05h_84JHzAw/s2048/IMG_20210423_121919.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDj8H4BvEOJy8A1bbDyZXxVZhSSDCRzlGWyLCTfXbh1mVyXSK44_CdODac3bvrY2u4XvoKO_3UK56kOJA3X1OfFqnfcq7UrbUTr-OVHiZJBYUtssxOYazxN6rdLjFusX6b05h_84JHzAw/s320/IMG_20210423_121919.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5CpgtaqBm2lqknHhxBzDA2rTPgOfM8L1AkX82vxumw0H2N7fZ6LZ-y64xXs9EBUILavPsiVUzbtGCROmdd1J3jFs-t5IWtlKw4brGWyceFg0W112menHhIDGXMlF5NOiTRQOgLlWGbk/s2048/IMG_20210424_082045.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5CpgtaqBm2lqknHhxBzDA2rTPgOfM8L1AkX82vxumw0H2N7fZ6LZ-y64xXs9EBUILavPsiVUzbtGCROmdd1J3jFs-t5IWtlKw4brGWyceFg0W112menHhIDGXMlF5NOiTRQOgLlWGbk/s320/IMG_20210424_082045.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaiOCBuYSVSYbnridqmidXJC5h0Fg7IDjOLrHfuDS2C72vus8DBg_Hu5ZD1bRq5JdBP-x7tkHs0rDIv_rXsJG7p7QkARY1_UuiqfoQfXZ9G4CYohOIIk55HVBQybSIlxl9chTaqh7W_eM/s2048/IMG_20210427_144520.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaiOCBuYSVSYbnridqmidXJC5h0Fg7IDjOLrHfuDS2C72vus8DBg_Hu5ZD1bRq5JdBP-x7tkHs0rDIv_rXsJG7p7QkARY1_UuiqfoQfXZ9G4CYohOIIk55HVBQybSIlxl9chTaqh7W_eM/s320/IMG_20210427_144520.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcPArP6FWAn2qaeXk_rMuXuLWUigqztnHl6vefG8YAhsWB256q_-YgYHOT1Aek1Hu00O88n5rWsISBvQa9kEBQp90Tf3oZ1SzkZ07eLp_BFmlUDr8PmStEy8qnvBkL66dp0q8Ti7gC7s/s2048/IMG_20210504_123708.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcPArP6FWAn2qaeXk_rMuXuLWUigqztnHl6vefG8YAhsWB256q_-YgYHOT1Aek1Hu00O88n5rWsISBvQa9kEBQp90Tf3oZ1SzkZ07eLp_BFmlUDr8PmStEy8qnvBkL66dp0q8Ti7gC7s/s320/IMG_20210504_123708.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNrqS8RZIfhfTVALAzxin-FqF18CH28Soum43G7gEJpn2PTLvsdp6FeC9dQcBppypFP6OliomRCi20reKPTL4ok4hWgsHYXz_19188SPrxm6_ijJBjWR4qYovhL0vUjolHH2_2KDv7vc/s2048/IMG_20210504_123910.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNrqS8RZIfhfTVALAzxin-FqF18CH28Soum43G7gEJpn2PTLvsdp6FeC9dQcBppypFP6OliomRCi20reKPTL4ok4hWgsHYXz_19188SPrxm6_ijJBjWR4qYovhL0vUjolHH2_2KDv7vc/s320/IMG_20210504_123910.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-r4Q7QSbpckVeY62b7k4FibSfO5wegRlOd0fzsgyrmzxSJaTuo_dAdSW_ilqRBcgjHJOAabmrU0thisRZOolfMHxq5FyhIYyFT5WlhdV0gUJEEATezEsVv5HECqIpr5hGsumODDFliEo/s2048/IMG_20210505_163811.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-r4Q7QSbpckVeY62b7k4FibSfO5wegRlOd0fzsgyrmzxSJaTuo_dAdSW_ilqRBcgjHJOAabmrU0thisRZOolfMHxq5FyhIYyFT5WlhdV0gUJEEATezEsVv5HECqIpr5hGsumODDFliEo/s320/IMG_20210505_163811.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIjwd2RvE_1ULDObIxSqZ6T5Wa_ps1qKwLrtF4uNkhUwR_8tJ2uNTfx1ipGv5mU5vUD9sSgqvNFrKWg519K7cJKQaCccGaUKCwO9pH6BLIYbTLEiGRTh6nr7TxIkN7ZkKIriruBmTOoH4/s2048/IMG_20210508_093724.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIjwd2RvE_1ULDObIxSqZ6T5Wa_ps1qKwLrtF4uNkhUwR_8tJ2uNTfx1ipGv5mU5vUD9sSgqvNFrKWg519K7cJKQaCccGaUKCwO9pH6BLIYbTLEiGRTh6nr7TxIkN7ZkKIriruBmTOoH4/s320/IMG_20210508_093724.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtJzQG1K9ioLq_PDq5hsQdwvKCNG3o5dZ5IDYFBo171Wy2XWGZ4_8BNnBDHs1uaClLZgLNBRlImqf3waUHKWSH7eIEORBfI96jCYYqhFMkpKS6_pL7ibESHrBD7RPfc3V4drm_UUSMOc/s2048/IMG_20210508_113639.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtJzQG1K9ioLq_PDq5hsQdwvKCNG3o5dZ5IDYFBo171Wy2XWGZ4_8BNnBDHs1uaClLZgLNBRlImqf3waUHKWSH7eIEORBfI96jCYYqhFMkpKS6_pL7ibESHrBD7RPfc3V4drm_UUSMOc/s320/IMG_20210508_113639.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyMogGWznB8zfi6wtM1UpgsdGgVgugmqpRS1wzFMDAHKWbfw4P2Opcu37THXm_65uqopdyJz0WnTNBBUie4j0Qu7-bIeX5vxmkrQ7eObjlg5vYMg-pRCYzSfsPBsOWK2MW0aX3eTT4IA/s2048/IMG_20210519_093555.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyMogGWznB8zfi6wtM1UpgsdGgVgugmqpRS1wzFMDAHKWbfw4P2Opcu37THXm_65uqopdyJz0WnTNBBUie4j0Qu7-bIeX5vxmkrQ7eObjlg5vYMg-pRCYzSfsPBsOWK2MW0aX3eTT4IA/s320/IMG_20210519_093555.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjStj-nUf5xdC4rppwFtEem9bGDu0iYGF_0W09-XuRcbMgzwWhIWfp_pOJW9oGJXmSn_rLdsBn_vzxdQ-UTtetTl00MJC59u02d2qbz3_L0TkKBZfly8mSyN-QiF_Pk6pU-WQHLHUkOTjE/s2048/IMG_20210520_165917.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjStj-nUf5xdC4rppwFtEem9bGDu0iYGF_0W09-XuRcbMgzwWhIWfp_pOJW9oGJXmSn_rLdsBn_vzxdQ-UTtetTl00MJC59u02d2qbz3_L0TkKBZfly8mSyN-QiF_Pk6pU-WQHLHUkOTjE/s320/IMG_20210520_165917.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaZEgAQ-K6-_XgeBAhzfJQayCZoX2UMb_-wO9URWTu5pKDPZIfCkXtV-w9TSvvQZEr6r4JgeR8dMA9S5TDYYQXXyyFm6wnFE1n_Vw6my5qrpSKrRMF3pfKPpQ0vJ_xeoqCtCyEmz_SXw/s2048/IMG_20210520_165928.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaZEgAQ-K6-_XgeBAhzfJQayCZoX2UMb_-wO9URWTu5pKDPZIfCkXtV-w9TSvvQZEr6r4JgeR8dMA9S5TDYYQXXyyFm6wnFE1n_Vw6my5qrpSKrRMF3pfKPpQ0vJ_xeoqCtCyEmz_SXw/s320/IMG_20210520_165928.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7d9PWpWbJlAXzXOYsKDcFqR7OdD8jCYkDUJc2YA7ehij0ekuo9MN4w5C3zhR65hZtyJd0Ui3l7MBnmvaUC9iWpCsVGNwRTRpS3CiO9OTf_vv0jrTaxe-HsIrNxh780_lMbZBXwPGCp1k/s2048/IMG_20210528_113713.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7d9PWpWbJlAXzXOYsKDcFqR7OdD8jCYkDUJc2YA7ehij0ekuo9MN4w5C3zhR65hZtyJd0Ui3l7MBnmvaUC9iWpCsVGNwRTRpS3CiO9OTf_vv0jrTaxe-HsIrNxh780_lMbZBXwPGCp1k/s320/IMG_20210528_113713.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGZS5cAGuSzjCO4I0sPQD7II2nE5XBjFj2Rpikg9839-nMu0dydav67rbzClQU9BABDnYyhANI6aE6MvzaPGZbQdol_sTD84APXJM3LIHcX_vpdD0RSGz6oCtjF7JZxmw4g_OYaA9rKY/s2048/IMG_20210504_182328.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGZS5cAGuSzjCO4I0sPQD7II2nE5XBjFj2Rpikg9839-nMu0dydav67rbzClQU9BABDnYyhANI6aE6MvzaPGZbQdol_sTD84APXJM3LIHcX_vpdD0RSGz6oCtjF7JZxmw4g_OYaA9rKY/s320/IMG_20210504_182328.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-41385386647541046442021-03-25T19:11:00.002+01:002021-03-25T20:56:06.288+01:00Hello spring<p>In our last post we were about to embark on the preparation work for the reconstruction of the next set of terraces down below the house. As it happens, today marks the completion of the project. It has taken us two months to do, the most part of which (possibly the hardest part of the work - although that's up for debate) was the felling of around 10 trees, the cutting of them into 1m lengths, the stripping of the bark from those 1m lengths and in some cases the splitting of the 1m lengths into two halves lengthways. And taking delivery of 100 2m chestnut posts. And moving all of those materials down to the terraces. </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCNATadSVdMVQeAqz102D8ugCLZ2xM6dtGEUQAlsrtIXM74C5gn0d45Gix-XR5Ch1yEKqotLZ5uq1hdcLTqPflbzjS0toyMGQHRrcsKvGdG3gkbKTQKgR0AO8k-btrqkyq4LDub4oaC8/s2048/IMG_20210227_113217.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCNATadSVdMVQeAqz102D8ugCLZ2xM6dtGEUQAlsrtIXM74C5gn0d45Gix-XR5Ch1yEKqotLZ5uq1hdcLTqPflbzjS0toyMGQHRrcsKvGdG3gkbKTQKgR0AO8k-btrqkyq4LDub4oaC8/s320/IMG_20210227_113217.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">102 two-metre chestnut posts delivered to the drive.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0Swlip3R2HfxdHOlO_WK16_hxOHZRwp4BvYExnZBf8CcKGirTOGaSFOWIDO1IiRSsqHflhWEXxfLeaCRek-RNzr-kqUawUJhbHwH38Ue8wjtBr1N6NIWxEtlYOl2tRVExB92uDBi_Rs/s2048/IMG_20210227_164316.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0Swlip3R2HfxdHOlO_WK16_hxOHZRwp4BvYExnZBf8CcKGirTOGaSFOWIDO1IiRSsqHflhWEXxfLeaCRek-RNzr-kqUawUJhbHwH38Ue8wjtBr1N6NIWxEtlYOl2tRVExB92uDBi_Rs/s320/IMG_20210227_164316.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10 tractor trips up and down the drive later, 102 chestnut posts stacked in the car park.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9gm6eHaIRXPWYUnbfD-u88hKIeYZ21dLi0WDyfTZXsJgAH-YYhCJvqejFGtJOYxWY7KY6M7VthY1BvYxC9HuIGCRZOC5uJCrloi11KOWnUmcGdDmFhlxhRsQr27Gp0a5TVH7MWfZZXc/s1728/logs2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="1728" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9gm6eHaIRXPWYUnbfD-u88hKIeYZ21dLi0WDyfTZXsJgAH-YYhCJvqejFGtJOYxWY7KY6M7VthY1BvYxC9HuIGCRZOC5uJCrloi11KOWnUmcGdDmFhlxhRsQr27Gp0a5TVH7MWfZZXc/s320/logs2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Around 200 (at this point) 1m logs with their bark stripped.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RS8gDMeYLqUVBtxuMc1VR7XrVR5lIxarbYR2JccySvUYa-DccH0nqAjW5F7k0zxzmB7ZR_KKjVXxonFFmb2ppayXTpRxrtaVSW0gI83Q_zxiyeMpN43KiAebzlQkM1LrRKak8v5g5ZU/s1728/before-terrace.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="1728" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RS8gDMeYLqUVBtxuMc1VR7XrVR5lIxarbYR2JccySvUYa-DccH0nqAjW5F7k0zxzmB7ZR_KKjVXxonFFmb2ppayXTpRxrtaVSW0gI83Q_zxiyeMpN43KiAebzlQkM1LrRKak8v5g5ZU/s320/before-terrace.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "before" photo.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>The actual terrace re-modelling/palisade wall building has taken "just" three and a half weeks of work - doing half-day stints almost every day.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXiCJgunbLD4QUZNCt9Fkjlomyye9Ra__iqekkfIHSpYu-UymXwuz3eexaSoH-jpI-XFRSrnjWxaKg9wLF6t5Gka8eFV6QOrfG0KxB3YdzCbAx86pf0FHSWBRek7hVd94yw9tOZL7h5M/s2048/IMG_20210325_155302.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXiCJgunbLD4QUZNCt9Fkjlomyye9Ra__iqekkfIHSpYu-UymXwuz3eexaSoH-jpI-XFRSrnjWxaKg9wLF6t5Gka8eFV6QOrfG0KxB3YdzCbAx86pf0FHSWBRek7hVd94yw9tOZL7h5M/s320/IMG_20210325_155302.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuFDkQpaLgAWqhFyLjrTD73GqJqe6kRS04cBgw3X7MOivBmqVBYzGY-OI4ojP7ErwvRBjcJoNhD6xrJSPza1ora4vqoHa4PUTat2kjyUIsg7rdzRf-_n20azeMfi4P-E1LotweDxrN0XQ/s2048/IMG_20210325_155315.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuFDkQpaLgAWqhFyLjrTD73GqJqe6kRS04cBgw3X7MOivBmqVBYzGY-OI4ojP7ErwvRBjcJoNhD6xrJSPza1ora4vqoHa4PUTat2kjyUIsg7rdzRf-_n20azeMfi4P-E1LotweDxrN0XQ/s320/IMG_20210325_155315.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBpZ2hki5UJvOOTchxWLQ26nG9qQCfcTaGyQsdJHDwIY7PSpLFSJ26wbSxegFcplnr__yKTPCbJUVu1obDjR89yQ_VgAIGik_5cicjmqge95Q0wE56fAz48mcurBcEEIYytOOmlUy9BU/s2048/IMG_20210325_155405.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBpZ2hki5UJvOOTchxWLQ26nG9qQCfcTaGyQsdJHDwIY7PSpLFSJ26wbSxegFcplnr__yKTPCbJUVu1obDjR89yQ_VgAIGik_5cicjmqge95Q0wE56fAz48mcurBcEEIYytOOmlUy9BU/s320/IMG_20210325_155405.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuMeknrtbAr0ax4lc0T-2d17SrmZ5kAWiGQ8MbVZHEb22oeFMUG1NUjm0x74_hHrpBQ7-ECUUzthL-e50xwaB5zIfmEiwYMPXlglx0f2xLLk8ThPclJLXdBwyqykb49ykcsjOmq5U3uw/s2048/IMG_20210325_155501.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuMeknrtbAr0ax4lc0T-2d17SrmZ5kAWiGQ8MbVZHEb22oeFMUG1NUjm0x74_hHrpBQ7-ECUUzthL-e50xwaB5zIfmEiwYMPXlglx0f2xLLk8ThPclJLXdBwyqykb49ykcsjOmq5U3uw/s320/IMG_20210325_155501.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0LwQGJYEmhVALlRmFPaPXxKmwo86huTA9DIHnwQFZP7-x8pHCw9Vrq8y9vIUbUEVIqXMC1utCuN7rxrCp6dKDhYJXrJ_QVJI3Ej-5M9uzIcal-fOv719-YhH36okEqbyVQyK5UGNNtY/s2048/IMG_20210325_155626.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0LwQGJYEmhVALlRmFPaPXxKmwo86huTA9DIHnwQFZP7-x8pHCw9Vrq8y9vIUbUEVIqXMC1utCuN7rxrCp6dKDhYJXrJ_QVJI3Ej-5M9uzIcal-fOv719-YhH36okEqbyVQyK5UGNNtY/s320/IMG_20210325_155626.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdGIt_LLwgkU_OCrpYCA3aGuFmDJmDVlzMhN0hkLq0-9xnmmGtTc-VPWiNOeaZC6w6wGiRUP94uWuumFLb3J-_NjDU8kLI1QihY5RrVKxE7ZY7VmGqnV83A-dBmSIpEjmXo3ddprTO0s/s2048/IMG_20210325_155912.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdGIt_LLwgkU_OCrpYCA3aGuFmDJmDVlzMhN0hkLq0-9xnmmGtTc-VPWiNOeaZC6w6wGiRUP94uWuumFLb3J-_NjDU8kLI1QihY5RrVKxE7ZY7VmGqnV83A-dBmSIpEjmXo3ddprTO0s/s320/IMG_20210325_155912.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>We counted 350 one-metre lengths of wood (most of which we felled, cut and peeled by hand and all of which we carried to the terraces by hand) plus another 60 two-metre posts. </p><p>The terrace below this one (which will be the last one that we plan to reconstruct/shore up) is a daunting prospect as it's even steeper and taller so will need even more materials. Hopefully we'll have forgotten how much work this one was by the time we start work on that one (which is planned for next year)!</p><p>As with the last set of terracing we did last year, while digging we unearthed countless pieces of broken pottery, some plain, some patterned, some shaped, some too broken to tell what it used to be - we really wish we had some way of finding where and when it came from!</p><p>The "find" that intrigued me the most in this round of digging, though, was this rather perished pair of leather gloves. Of course, it could well be that someone dropped them 10-15 years ago, but to a (very) untrained eye they appear to be finer and much more delicate than gardening gloves, and look like they belonged to a petite woman.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDc6MoxJkSWOY0pjMId53gROZIzF16O4sKyfC_1FqR-pVMz9kgcxD_bU-mFsgtpqh09nfCYepLXVOphMhCLYWKSiYVE7jDoTm0Zsdvs0XLrixEybAXwMycj-GSA1PTCxOCzKxgvDn_FHU/s2048/IMG_20210322_170552.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDc6MoxJkSWOY0pjMId53gROZIzF16O4sKyfC_1FqR-pVMz9kgcxD_bU-mFsgtpqh09nfCYepLXVOphMhCLYWKSiYVE7jDoTm0Zsdvs0XLrixEybAXwMycj-GSA1PTCxOCzKxgvDn_FHU/s320/IMG_20210322_170552.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDbKXHl21A_GKU_BeXm8QRwhUcft_tja52I87epGv2LndXtsxuUQ-8fpdvDod4r7LdZK_2azIW_N-hvHNr9RDVTE2DD5SmAHmgthQ5kXmEj5jmPklfbB0CSjjHwMJYoFJzjRZX0QazYQ/s2048/IMG_20210322_170603.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDbKXHl21A_GKU_BeXm8QRwhUcft_tja52I87epGv2LndXtsxuUQ-8fpdvDod4r7LdZK_2azIW_N-hvHNr9RDVTE2DD5SmAHmgthQ5kXmEj5jmPklfbB0CSjjHwMJYoFJzjRZX0QazYQ/s320/IMG_20210322_170603.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Of course, all of this work has been done during lockdown - just as last year's terracing was a lockdown project. While there has been no blanket national lockdown in Italy this time around, it has been operating regional "zones" according to severity of infection rates, with a sliding scale of severity of restrictions accordingly. Although the region of Tuscany has (so far) remained in the "orange" zone since early February, the province of Pistoia (in which we are situated) has been in the "red" zone for the last four weeks, with higher case numbers than elsewhere in the region. Officially that means lockdown, although this time around things have felt (to us at least) a lot less strict, with many more shops open than in last year's lockdown, fewer police checks, more traffic on the road and more people out and about. Unfortunately cases are currently still high in our local area - the more contagious Kent variant of the virus has unfortunately got a foothold, but perhaps the aforementioned less strict restrictions are also playing a part. </p><p>For us, lockdown isn't a huge hardship. We know that we are very, <i>very</i> lucky in that respect. We are happy here at our property and we enjoy the lack of interruptions to our daily life that means we can get stuck into our work and projects without having to stop and start. Of course we miss seeing our friends, and we miss being able to go out freely (even in a place as beautiful as this we appreciate a change of scene from time to time), but overall our lives are not significantly affected.</p><p>So aside from lugging many tonnes of wood up and down hills and building palisade walls what have we been up to? (I have to think about that one as it feels as if we've been working on the terraces for a lifetime.)</p><p>Well, we've built on a small <i>indoor</i> project we started before Christmas: making soap. The batch we made before Christmas we mainly gave away as Christmas presents, but since then we have upped our soap-making game a little, learning about how the different essential oils behave and how well they hold in soap, developing different fragrance combinations, and coming up with a packaging theme.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdoYtCZJIiBGVZWdcK-jzAyiSTGPYffFS25HS7oaLuPA90TQnWrPCR71KjpGTf9H4EQZBIYY30mFBjkYlykN0u3f12wqSRpoyMnzAFmb-nsiG6UAue6dqS1NqZTAz9Lr0qryu74VBhZg/s2048/144391991_10158045248796658_4663827648481747642_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdoYtCZJIiBGVZWdcK-jzAyiSTGPYffFS25HS7oaLuPA90TQnWrPCR71KjpGTf9H4EQZBIYY30mFBjkYlykN0u3f12wqSRpoyMnzAFmb-nsiG6UAue6dqS1NqZTAz9Lr0qryu74VBhZg/s320/144391991_10158045248796658_4663827648481747642_o.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0mTVcRfdrX-ZpWUC7cyer3EHGAhsl0PmUeC27ADwHbN4lvsPsw2SDmChxVj3rpRXaPqOxCO_a1f7mWZRIndg3k7l4GR1M7MIYYs1gQHrlomfv4z7jBaGJ5VB1O4SkPtpy1T_h7RAWmI/s2048/144405277_10158045248646658_3768247409115614786_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0mTVcRfdrX-ZpWUC7cyer3EHGAhsl0PmUeC27ADwHbN4lvsPsw2SDmChxVj3rpRXaPqOxCO_a1f7mWZRIndg3k7l4GR1M7MIYYs1gQHrlomfv4z7jBaGJ5VB1O4SkPtpy1T_h7RAWmI/s320/144405277_10158045248646658_3768247409115614786_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtmE_6d5v5laI8-mqnD4ZHKC6v9IxFtGB4yrOdtGi1Mnez4_RnjTk9xy3k7mdZ-Llky5EM7xwqkbwZpKEtkr0AEfQJcSByYAyPjemXJYJIp6mlib0Wr6U3IDsj0GUTETn-EyWap5vZ68/s600/144808832_10158045248286658_624179723013171358_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtmE_6d5v5laI8-mqnD4ZHKC6v9IxFtGB4yrOdtGi1Mnez4_RnjTk9xy3k7mdZ-Llky5EM7xwqkbwZpKEtkr0AEfQJcSByYAyPjemXJYJIp6mlib0Wr6U3IDsj0GUTETn-EyWap5vZ68/s320/144808832_10158045248286658_624179723013171358_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKL3pYadh2x4YpeCWnGhor2k0U6x9OTuG6Nqwg3Whs0fHyeb4RnvXulgXSCzA17ZB0VEPR9Wifis8iqy0LURKtCUouyVFt0bqOgHlu50cEz5lxPxYgceyCPNmhmR566KEiUKfW0WQeYA/s2048/144866804_10158045249551658_3390370957578060070_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKL3pYadh2x4YpeCWnGhor2k0U6x9OTuG6Nqwg3Whs0fHyeb4RnvXulgXSCzA17ZB0VEPR9Wifis8iqy0LURKtCUouyVFt0bqOgHlu50cEz5lxPxYgceyCPNmhmR566KEiUKfW0WQeYA/s320/144866804_10158045249551658_3390370957578060070_o.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-SWDTdNYsWULdXVDTMe9HQ3aP6G6CTbh6AxgmWZFELA79j6MLNQoFR98smjxuRDz85eNn7m30lr7lvBbofk6ww9pBoDLhWoqdtIVpUR8ZaA44-_ZLqS1DHo7Zr9etZOqwM83zi3OpkGY/s2048/IMG_20210127_164444.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-SWDTdNYsWULdXVDTMe9HQ3aP6G6CTbh6AxgmWZFELA79j6MLNQoFR98smjxuRDz85eNn7m30lr7lvBbofk6ww9pBoDLhWoqdtIVpUR8ZaA44-_ZLqS1DHo7Zr9etZOqwM83zi3OpkGY/s320/IMG_20210127_164444.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>We've sold quite a few to friends locally. For the time being this remains just a small project for private/personal use (we've learned there are many rules and regulations for selling to a wider audience), but it's something we aim to build on as time goes on (something to work on when the weather stops us from working outdoors!).</p><p>In the kitchen we've had a go at making sauerkraut, oat bread and buckwheat flour bread.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT904zkzX42pujvUif2NDRYIExWK-0Bj0Qq-UH9a2oTqvMyvlJVa-QudnCbY_b7QMDkir6ZQsZNID4zEgzyiB3bscuKWP9hFRW7JLByxdWPt23rv20YIe3zjk5JRvhayXtQpvAFX9xMsc/s2048/IMG_20210201_190208.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT904zkzX42pujvUif2NDRYIExWK-0Bj0Qq-UH9a2oTqvMyvlJVa-QudnCbY_b7QMDkir6ZQsZNID4zEgzyiB3bscuKWP9hFRW7JLByxdWPt23rv20YIe3zjk5JRvhayXtQpvAFX9xMsc/s320/IMG_20210201_190208.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sauerkraut pot.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVT6_rG9S_JQnUtgOWKCtUmSLXM1oxUNWgPVWrjyxobH4RehVaeZVPoALdASJaSzHShROv8Qg9-8cjWn3AkFMTB7A1Yt4RurAfuz8hlnZmt_io_7D0OHvovWu5t7gLfLDixPRKzHcaECY/s2048/IMG_20210314_095647.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVT6_rG9S_JQnUtgOWKCtUmSLXM1oxUNWgPVWrjyxobH4RehVaeZVPoALdASJaSzHShROv8Qg9-8cjWn3AkFMTB7A1Yt4RurAfuz8hlnZmt_io_7D0OHvovWu5t7gLfLDixPRKzHcaECY/s320/IMG_20210314_095647.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buckwheat bread</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPCE4li2BnWy8Nuk4YJoAQetEPqqKQljUFuyAC2p-NspVFP_gDCaTJb6GdiST1K5bUzKDU1KEB0vy-St3Kvx8lOgopnJ3IC1zoUArYt4Y7HutTbhXelqjC72HiT6RnqkkkkDzS2WnDRc/s1599/index.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPCE4li2BnWy8Nuk4YJoAQetEPqqKQljUFuyAC2p-NspVFP_gDCaTJb6GdiST1K5bUzKDU1KEB0vy-St3Kvx8lOgopnJ3IC1zoUArYt4Y7HutTbhXelqjC72HiT6RnqkkkkDzS2WnDRc/s320/index.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oat bread</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1b09EKeA24w8JbPl-HakDOjGWlVMO1ARLVQsq0iF89I_62XUBhkXdPRbsloWRm23Zs2qZcZ90kYNExBHMzXQyCDVk1Cuo_TIVCaqQ87ZGigGbJZSXU6PDZJpmSwwG27H5mH2ez6RohGE/s701/oatbread-kale-garlic-redonion-chickpea-egg-oliveoil.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="526" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1b09EKeA24w8JbPl-HakDOjGWlVMO1ARLVQsq0iF89I_62XUBhkXdPRbsloWRm23Zs2qZcZ90kYNExBHMzXQyCDVk1Cuo_TIVCaqQ87ZGigGbJZSXU6PDZJpmSwwG27H5mH2ez6RohGE/s320/oatbread-kale-garlic-redonion-chickpea-egg-oliveoil.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toasted oat bread served with red onion, chickpeas,home grown kale, a poached egg from the chickens and drizzled with our own olive oil.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>For the first time since moving here, we have had veg growing over winter (previously we just weren't organised enough to get it planted), so we've enjoyed being able to pick winter veg from the garden.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKf9WtObyFIc6BAVwpIJmAABX5ILUq0d1W3Yg31JCfUyFJh7opcekFY1RhYLvr9SryeRk9B9GIqVLmiueLob-tSHfu-X4zRB9ZPs7UwnAjyDuWgRRzrQJdUoRWU_CIeARVWOp7hKpXoSI/s2048/158874370_10158142135746658_7943405781780461606_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKf9WtObyFIc6BAVwpIJmAABX5ILUq0d1W3Yg31JCfUyFJh7opcekFY1RhYLvr9SryeRk9B9GIqVLmiueLob-tSHfu-X4zRB9ZPs7UwnAjyDuWgRRzrQJdUoRWU_CIeARVWOp7hKpXoSI/s320/158874370_10158142135746658_7943405781780461606_o.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fennels and garlic.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZcR0u8AylN5r1jjZOSqR-pjMiLzaj04WoAsNzSbyHbjXuu8hrAku53C6mV00nVqavjDdZcV2viT6rRW9LZ32aBastQO0TtUJ4-uUMLpVDmphyLc1ieGvmiXyp1_UYy7plZ04K2TEHuE4/s600/159596079_10158142135231658_3866017977283058034_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZcR0u8AylN5r1jjZOSqR-pjMiLzaj04WoAsNzSbyHbjXuu8hrAku53C6mV00nVqavjDdZcV2viT6rRW9LZ32aBastQO0TtUJ4-uUMLpVDmphyLc1ieGvmiXyp1_UYy7plZ04K2TEHuE4/s320/159596079_10158142135231658_3866017977283058034_o.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow chard and onions.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7aWN6W7QfXoCSt0fKqMov3MkMD2kWEmmaX2B6_8h8obKbmic87csbgvHLQzJnxAdKYgw7MjyF7ruz84iyivcRAvyWm55Hz919OR6iJMZn5bdEHlDW3eGHjsYJO1kI3OEpFbgyPsoImU/s2048/IMG_20210323_171638.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7aWN6W7QfXoCSt0fKqMov3MkMD2kWEmmaX2B6_8h8obKbmic87csbgvHLQzJnxAdKYgw7MjyF7ruz84iyivcRAvyWm55Hz919OR6iJMZn5bdEHlDW3eGHjsYJO1kI3OEpFbgyPsoImU/s320/IMG_20210323_171638.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broad beans.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRipRz05OhlutTPGvW9HOz4niq_bJ34f_Tv2tDkD1gxe9TRJVkFQxWkX1Nq-mP_n0QiI4ktJSvpsG3eLqlGHge4JXvSO8dBVmyMuS2TdnDVETZU-l_-JW7kQUPzj6yXtHGllPBDr3wSA/s2048/IMG_20210323_171654.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRipRz05OhlutTPGvW9HOz4niq_bJ34f_Tv2tDkD1gxe9TRJVkFQxWkX1Nq-mP_n0QiI4ktJSvpsG3eLqlGHge4JXvSO8dBVmyMuS2TdnDVETZU-l_-JW7kQUPzj6yXtHGllPBDr3wSA/s320/IMG_20210323_171654.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cabbages and broad beans.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>We also had a go at making some bird boxes.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuua-NLZA6dEJqUXOrDygfTjKDAitEWQDwtVc6iF4ZcDWKpmrPPDZNEdH6y9f_xOM8xIUqPV0q9d7unMdIpae-_oSRZ7Bxj82SmvNgvpvPmC49aX45mMYjgDFc3v_PJ7JtJjyRa7eNUUs/s2048/IMG_20210124_151526.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuua-NLZA6dEJqUXOrDygfTjKDAitEWQDwtVc6iF4ZcDWKpmrPPDZNEdH6y9f_xOM8xIUqPV0q9d7unMdIpae-_oSRZ7Bxj82SmvNgvpvPmC49aX45mMYjgDFc3v_PJ7JtJjyRa7eNUUs/s320/IMG_20210124_151526.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eoVFzKCR9DLo91OiwhiEmzIdNtmcFi7LNvAZSjHcZXPT3_USG6md5aEpvcjWmYjryHiLitA_z7hnVAnO7hQRwFo3w16z5nBoqjZ9dlBauwQvQde-UIQuX9lOQdmyShyphenhyphenFSiclvTf6dDg/s2048/IMG_20210124_151623.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eoVFzKCR9DLo91OiwhiEmzIdNtmcFi7LNvAZSjHcZXPT3_USG6md5aEpvcjWmYjryHiLitA_z7hnVAnO7hQRwFo3w16z5nBoqjZ9dlBauwQvQde-UIQuX9lOQdmyShyphenhyphenFSiclvTf6dDg/s320/IMG_20210124_151623.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLriN9BP3bKSpbLEo1WRyK6Q8DqdRkqCC4YF4Yn0-aOXDZjKP4k95PP0KezK5c5Byl22qvE5Q55BAC8eBjlVNU0dRtxciY4xDirKDR0GLxkkcD0xs_Oto3aPp9zoPdMJ8UeD-owjH5-hs/s2048/IMG_20210124_153805.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLriN9BP3bKSpbLEo1WRyK6Q8DqdRkqCC4YF4Yn0-aOXDZjKP4k95PP0KezK5c5Byl22qvE5Q55BAC8eBjlVNU0dRtxciY4xDirKDR0GLxkkcD0xs_Oto3aPp9zoPdMJ8UeD-owjH5-hs/s320/IMG_20210124_153805.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtjixIdKlMekjf6ZUWADgETOYNU4phbTwGG89I3MNIwglmMe9Z4ZTr1DPO0ZYYF_X8FNs_eQrpa4tRehG82564TYSk4YDwOTKJAuul4dIoUZghCwx8bGV_eGox-7IxDUJdLKASyRQuGU/s701/bird-box.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="526" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtjixIdKlMekjf6ZUWADgETOYNU4phbTwGG89I3MNIwglmMe9Z4ZTr1DPO0ZYYF_X8FNs_eQrpa4tRehG82564TYSk4YDwOTKJAuul4dIoUZghCwx8bGV_eGox-7IxDUJdLKASyRQuGU/s320/bird-box.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stuart was brave enough to scale the ladder to put them up. Now we wait to see who moves in!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>We had about a cubic metre of cut, chopped, split firewood stolen from our storage area near the gate - the less said about that the better! - shortly after which Stuart put his electrician/mechanic skills to the test and mended the electric gate.</p><p>We've had warm days, and eating lunch al fresco has become the norm.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNu-K9-zAejMQseYNW7NeQ-QIQjPB5H1nrlXkodR4VBaGp9SnDBJ0Cn-LkpRH6OIWISK2Ynm9jB4RG7ROQHSk7Okuc8J7f_ELApU8yf8I2VvBRho_kT7pyFx6JA8qrIva9K6xNXGt1Qlc/s2048/IMG_20210221_140629.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNu-K9-zAejMQseYNW7NeQ-QIQjPB5H1nrlXkodR4VBaGp9SnDBJ0Cn-LkpRH6OIWISK2Ynm9jB4RG7ROQHSk7Okuc8J7f_ELApU8yf8I2VvBRho_kT7pyFx6JA8qrIva9K6xNXGt1Qlc/s320/IMG_20210221_140629.jpg" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrCV30zOOgET4KA-Wh9EyCGyaExMArjBgBikZ6zC747sUcxCw9AtJydsKOFk4XDyQIbrOSEz28Us_Hhc1v_B0rWd6N3Hvyrx9VUl5xezykSUK8SCArBMc5h7sUXJGFVz5Z7da7LsKgd8/s2048/IMG_20210221_111709.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrCV30zOOgET4KA-Wh9EyCGyaExMArjBgBikZ6zC747sUcxCw9AtJydsKOFk4XDyQIbrOSEz28Us_Hhc1v_B0rWd6N3Hvyrx9VUl5xezykSUK8SCArBMc5h7sUXJGFVz5Z7da7LsKgd8/s320/IMG_20210221_111709.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some days have already been too warm for Reggie.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>But we also had a spell to remind us that winter hadn't <i>quite</i> finished, as this video of a local water wheel demonstrates!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzBmecKLgv5DNv56b8c1sbdMNW3w4pHQVR8zrg98asDjDlhhnFCYHO71bSt3wNZuiqLkAehSiEjZ_PBD70UBw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div>Since mid January Stuart has been to-ing and fro-ing to the physio on a weekly (sometimes twice weekly) basis in an attempt to help fix the very painful elbow and hip he has been suffering with for over a year. Apparently he has a very severe case of tennis elbow and the same condition (also severe) in his hip (which makes it, what, tennis hip?). The visits to the physio seem to have provided some relief in that, while still in pain, he is now able to do things he couldn't do previously. However, the physio has warned him that, without a period of rest, he can't expect to make any progress towards recovery, so although the physio has been able to prevent things from getting any worse, he hasn't been able to move things forward while we've been working on the terracing project. In addition to which Stuart has spent a few weeks doing some work for a guy we know who has been clearing land at a property further up the valley - earning<i> just enough</i> cash to hand over to the physio to try to mitigate the damage the work was causing... So, a two-week "rest" period for Stuart starts from tomorrow, with only <i>light </i>physical duties allowed. </div><p>We now find ourselves in that time of year when the fruit trees are in blossom, daffodils, tulips, crocuses, primroses, hellibores, hyacinths and even irises are showing their pretty colours. The air smells wonderfully sweet and spring-like and while the sun is warm there is still a lovely freshness in the air. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYS-p-h5auKsdyatEYQdPqfbUKoKjMffdaaOBKdPZoc_zRiKv4gnhoYypLOWZ1dOUP3sYvJdVbDH-qvan7MPfCzQ79OD6jco0qFFLdN9uJOiR2ue7YA3RLG662CGi53p7NeQ10S-1pO84/s2048/IMG_20210220_094806.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYS-p-h5auKsdyatEYQdPqfbUKoKjMffdaaOBKdPZoc_zRiKv4gnhoYypLOWZ1dOUP3sYvJdVbDH-qvan7MPfCzQ79OD6jco0qFFLdN9uJOiR2ue7YA3RLG662CGi53p7NeQ10S-1pO84/s320/IMG_20210220_094806.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqh1T7pEoAn2iNpaucyvG-hJduxeW8FMPDbIWnLMldE5h0hNnmsZd9BTS6tGhvHnaRwhsDOWFBrQ0YAeYJxUTumVBTNjBOlVOjMq3-Rlq5p9yLPP0q9bZM3yBL-4fYSrZWDwccBxjglMI/s2048/IMG_20210221_145519.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqh1T7pEoAn2iNpaucyvG-hJduxeW8FMPDbIWnLMldE5h0hNnmsZd9BTS6tGhvHnaRwhsDOWFBrQ0YAeYJxUTumVBTNjBOlVOjMq3-Rlq5p9yLPP0q9bZM3yBL-4fYSrZWDwccBxjglMI/s320/IMG_20210221_145519.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTN2seTw5bsqWs7Vy6ffp-OlhEQ9krhvVU20-6ROA2k0Y5obHPaxsmIh97GlvrGFu-EV2uCgNiLiL5S289cK6LPXIqsq-2PPUgOtG2fbTxGdxYm7Pq-v-4CJETNt8FmUqz3b9lw9FOZY/s2048/IMG_20210224_151250.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTN2seTw5bsqWs7Vy6ffp-OlhEQ9krhvVU20-6ROA2k0Y5obHPaxsmIh97GlvrGFu-EV2uCgNiLiL5S289cK6LPXIqsq-2PPUgOtG2fbTxGdxYm7Pq-v-4CJETNt8FmUqz3b9lw9FOZY/s320/IMG_20210224_151250.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_43PZE9i4dSBElskxuJg-Webd6xw1jBl3EnbzIe22qrgJ2lpTVD3Hi7lWyowkJfSRGdH3eKd2NknMwHw5rTVHa3OvGRB_4Mam5T5Ly_oH7p6AhnEhNDPGrG0IEHg669Jq-519161XyU/s2048/IMG_20210226_093036.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_43PZE9i4dSBElskxuJg-Webd6xw1jBl3EnbzIe22qrgJ2lpTVD3Hi7lWyowkJfSRGdH3eKd2NknMwHw5rTVHa3OvGRB_4Mam5T5Ly_oH7p6AhnEhNDPGrG0IEHg669Jq-519161XyU/s320/IMG_20210226_093036.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUa530oyBrZFM1PjrXPcpb2Gu3mmsz5zfcJ7fLR7tDgGKMUAvapNhKxP3_lXUrDEkahpj5pOwBHFa-PEMGX9ZdXAOZLPin_hKysLszRbT3MZ3iy2f18rJOVVhB-BRZ3sfWWpR-DdB3oc/s2048/IMG_20210304_120233.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUa530oyBrZFM1PjrXPcpb2Gu3mmsz5zfcJ7fLR7tDgGKMUAvapNhKxP3_lXUrDEkahpj5pOwBHFa-PEMGX9ZdXAOZLPin_hKysLszRbT3MZ3iy2f18rJOVVhB-BRZ3sfWWpR-DdB3oc/s320/IMG_20210304_120233.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglATejNBYb4mmDoJ2jdycNC9q7FUew1s0xMKLsViP-Ozx0fM5WM0048jQi5ZSykk9R2dRX-qnYOWS2GKyzii_ooVPDVDhyr7-MfPPLNboN3FVEus1Voqi0fprfT_tQ3Zr5lYaSbXUeRdo/s2048/IMG_20210304_120241.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglATejNBYb4mmDoJ2jdycNC9q7FUew1s0xMKLsViP-Ozx0fM5WM0048jQi5ZSykk9R2dRX-qnYOWS2GKyzii_ooVPDVDhyr7-MfPPLNboN3FVEus1Voqi0fprfT_tQ3Zr5lYaSbXUeRdo/s320/IMG_20210304_120241.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItNg29GnKObS4cWx5RfJY5-vFYwpFrVdy_UzPfTYTxhPJUNPgFbRzXN825JETm3iSkInPniqCWl0BUyl5ZJivDRd16jG5zBK2lyAzEr9RgBOaJK30MZ0iDOFcsMFeP-MH1gb47TACUxA/s2048/IMG_20210307_093754.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItNg29GnKObS4cWx5RfJY5-vFYwpFrVdy_UzPfTYTxhPJUNPgFbRzXN825JETm3iSkInPniqCWl0BUyl5ZJivDRd16jG5zBK2lyAzEr9RgBOaJK30MZ0iDOFcsMFeP-MH1gb47TACUxA/s320/IMG_20210307_093754.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLGR37IyfetcSBlzr_8WIN5lSfloXknfWzKLrUbsT1KvNYwFTZzXU3ye_CyCdEEfWfC3LNc-c7G61Y3hIo9lXHbqThGo8aZ9SYUB9rzBROs88OfDVfYTETAkArPpoeri22K0c7eI1344/s2048/IMG_20210309_093332.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLGR37IyfetcSBlzr_8WIN5lSfloXknfWzKLrUbsT1KvNYwFTZzXU3ye_CyCdEEfWfC3LNc-c7G61Y3hIo9lXHbqThGo8aZ9SYUB9rzBROs88OfDVfYTETAkArPpoeri22K0c7eI1344/s320/IMG_20210309_093332.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-AX7ppKdE44iiu6Z5R8iYDWon0f57ixy5t52EC_uSmHtjofIKmUnNc4J-n19McyM2IjISzztLRquwfK6g3jMV56yzFhCAZNaAyrcAR_DxwxWi-RY6sT0UO4AEsMpkE3yasjIYWsub2io/s2048/IMG_20210309_093408.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-AX7ppKdE44iiu6Z5R8iYDWon0f57ixy5t52EC_uSmHtjofIKmUnNc4J-n19McyM2IjISzztLRquwfK6g3jMV56yzFhCAZNaAyrcAR_DxwxWi-RY6sT0UO4AEsMpkE3yasjIYWsub2io/s320/IMG_20210309_093408.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_qAzrsEMeKhzH0777T1iSGtsGfgY3Wigeg64-WWR1k5q67DhRFIQJeTUWqzzkMpWGd42PYIMmJPnZEAjCt_pn_VUNby8KIUy8stDFhYZF_6ieoc3ILxVOXVcTXRwFSudvkDJZnWzgxo/s2048/IMG_20210319_170004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_qAzrsEMeKhzH0777T1iSGtsGfgY3Wigeg64-WWR1k5q67DhRFIQJeTUWqzzkMpWGd42PYIMmJPnZEAjCt_pn_VUNby8KIUy8stDFhYZF_6ieoc3ILxVOXVcTXRwFSudvkDJZnWzgxo/s320/IMG_20210319_170004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-CoOswXG0__2OPHeyWlYpfv_FWcjt0uPYqhvN5CBufI8McoNx68jEL-r5hQ2sKX0I1H6ghAli6r0EoVazbMQqAFVvcqG2IVhmXtoEPs6tNj41Yrf3BxbyI8Nh0NxJVcpmvd4Oy0IVhE/s2048/IMG_20210320_093401.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-CoOswXG0__2OPHeyWlYpfv_FWcjt0uPYqhvN5CBufI8McoNx68jEL-r5hQ2sKX0I1H6ghAli6r0EoVazbMQqAFVvcqG2IVhmXtoEPs6tNj41Yrf3BxbyI8Nh0NxJVcpmvd4Oy0IVhE/s320/IMG_20210320_093401.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTpQbbF7wrs4CxhHFSCQNSYio7wQVbXNkTXVXvllb2LsfIlIxsnO18EWNnJBYpN7-71XSD-Mzy1zr_U3oJAO0urwBRwEzYDkb0wRPcpkjuEsvlld84SiETE-eZ48re88ANoxeenup4HY/s2048/IMG_20210320_093416.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTpQbbF7wrs4CxhHFSCQNSYio7wQVbXNkTXVXvllb2LsfIlIxsnO18EWNnJBYpN7-71XSD-Mzy1zr_U3oJAO0urwBRwEzYDkb0wRPcpkjuEsvlld84SiETE-eZ48re88ANoxeenup4HY/s320/IMG_20210320_093416.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilenfZsRRMMvl3WlQRj3lGEjcDrt5UEkGK5drHRZH9gc9rRCFh5bo988C7Y1CssJgOQTFB6fphjV0rJV4e8JYueUaB12kNweIlEu8HDTE_dNLFEPEFM9pc9SiQ2VCGK72nzXqk_cMGBes/s2048/IMG_20210320_093429.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilenfZsRRMMvl3WlQRj3lGEjcDrt5UEkGK5drHRZH9gc9rRCFh5bo988C7Y1CssJgOQTFB6fphjV0rJV4e8JYueUaB12kNweIlEu8HDTE_dNLFEPEFM9pc9SiQ2VCGK72nzXqk_cMGBes/s320/IMG_20210320_093429.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JR38VYla_yuXHAvIwdlKMoFY9se89ghya7vwba_QSGQyzh0kDfZ5V7waYGIC-j1KejSzNhbGNi6btP_Z8Lt2NiuQd3_08XF-Ka6inJm7oHoI1IfK8ZZx9IgZBobLf30OwvQimGkCIR8/s2048/IMG_20210320_125433.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JR38VYla_yuXHAvIwdlKMoFY9se89ghya7vwba_QSGQyzh0kDfZ5V7waYGIC-j1KejSzNhbGNi6btP_Z8Lt2NiuQd3_08XF-Ka6inJm7oHoI1IfK8ZZx9IgZBobLf30OwvQimGkCIR8/s320/IMG_20210320_125433.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMXeMXbAyqhTPWccMsvY5glEtsfJ-0ZyNiHm-0rYM1PxCd5rkECBBeAcA-9-QI3wKyslcji-fI4Wwrvcvz0dnkgf-8qHJwUcAScOy2C8M8DqhyVUBvzot0dAReTrbOAzUaW3MwvL3xmg/s2048/IMG_20210320_125446.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMXeMXbAyqhTPWccMsvY5glEtsfJ-0ZyNiHm-0rYM1PxCd5rkECBBeAcA-9-QI3wKyslcji-fI4Wwrvcvz0dnkgf-8qHJwUcAScOy2C8M8DqhyVUBvzot0dAReTrbOAzUaW3MwvL3xmg/s320/IMG_20210320_125446.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc07izJmkg6fDOUiDvkkhScaVTodUX26mPa2iKJYLlDHIwiTvy4s-yuJ55eJ49IFIgdHU_PFl9kvy4jlkitQ6QaQYY6LZqLkRZziNulPX6qeOnrw7AnuoCG2b5kXfqlpMkHcc6m0OUivo/s2048/IMG_20210320_125456.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc07izJmkg6fDOUiDvkkhScaVTodUX26mPa2iKJYLlDHIwiTvy4s-yuJ55eJ49IFIgdHU_PFl9kvy4jlkitQ6QaQYY6LZqLkRZziNulPX6qeOnrw7AnuoCG2b5kXfqlpMkHcc6m0OUivo/s320/IMG_20210320_125456.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwKMiROQlnky01jFQBw0_lFa5acTOrvrGj_jD3rCVanKcHtXVRkeYSM7-0d2m4sN7vj-54Wq_E6g1H04X9FEhpntS5sfizU7V8QDESo7gISLhdhyE_KNzn1iETfkkwx7MBBdc6R7H34S8/s2048/IMG_20210321_115953.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwKMiROQlnky01jFQBw0_lFa5acTOrvrGj_jD3rCVanKcHtXVRkeYSM7-0d2m4sN7vj-54Wq_E6g1H04X9FEhpntS5sfizU7V8QDESo7gISLhdhyE_KNzn1iETfkkwx7MBBdc6R7H34S8/s320/IMG_20210321_115953.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfs0bRoS-JsMTjfvlwb1uI7we5Eu3KVfiVTYDZ1nMlesgeb3A8J2hANd_rEqpByu-3Z4k9ASJGgwrVkeIOqd2YsC4QTMrhZLa0lGbj8sB2vVh1up0JMiFE_o3wCEX8YmPoJY9cMmcGUA/s2048/IMG_20210324_142455.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfs0bRoS-JsMTjfvlwb1uI7we5Eu3KVfiVTYDZ1nMlesgeb3A8J2hANd_rEqpByu-3Z4k9ASJGgwrVkeIOqd2YsC4QTMrhZLa0lGbj8sB2vVh1up0JMiFE_o3wCEX8YmPoJY9cMmcGUA/s320/IMG_20210324_142455.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2HQ5ozb4NPKe0v0BdSR8lwbKlWLy64dnn4i_L2nPVv1FnuNbKT2ZeNrL0gd64-RHdGVzozJH_cB3RhnJY46ucQ7EvbjBDake-PTa7RhIOzbbJ3Putf_-lubF-KDHgJjQGRGv57aRUOB8/s2048/IMG_20210324_142512.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2HQ5ozb4NPKe0v0BdSR8lwbKlWLy64dnn4i_L2nPVv1FnuNbKT2ZeNrL0gd64-RHdGVzozJH_cB3RhnJY46ucQ7EvbjBDake-PTa7RhIOzbbJ3Putf_-lubF-KDHgJjQGRGv57aRUOB8/s320/IMG_20210324_142512.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Of course, this time of year also means the grass is growing like there's no tomorrow, so the first round of strimming will start next week. Stuart is banned from strimming (too much stress on the elbow), so I will start to tackle the job - it takes a total of around 16-18 person-hours to cut all of the grass, and cutting it into 2h stints means it ends up being like painting the Forth Road Bridge - so I will probably be strimming non-stop until the autumn!</p><p>While I'm strimming Stuart will be coming up with a plan for putting in some irrigation, re-plumbing our rain-water collection tanks (which are currently out of action as we removed them to swap them around with some new ones), planting more seeds and tending to the veg beds.</p><p>We also plan to plant around 6 more fruit trees, and it will soon be time to prune the olive trees, which is itself quite a major job. </p><p>So, about that 2-week rest period?!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-89880206161848000242021-01-22T13:47:00.003+01:002021-01-22T13:52:07.618+01:00Flying through January<p>Already the Christmas festivities seem like an age ago and we are almost peering into the start of the second month of the year. A somewhat alarming prospect as we know that February can start to bring warmer temperatures and the wakening of everything all around us. Of course that's a delight to behold but at the same time we often feel panic stricken at the prospect of only having a short amount of time before we are faced with the barrage of jobs there are to do in the spring.</p><p>Winter has proved to be rather wet this year, and instead of being able to use our downtime over Christmas to get outdoors and get lots of jobs done, we were confined to the house for the most part thanks to two weeks of almost uninterrupted rain. A good excuse to sit by the fire, read books, watch films, but we did begin to feel a little stir crazy by the end of two weeks of it.</p><p>Soon after Christmas the weather also turned very cold - not extreme sub-zero temperatures, but cold enough to form a ground frost most nights and for us to make a fairly significant dent in our winter wood pile. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0mzoAZbYay0gxKRBJhmjjd3I9YDvNisvGNskVk81eTf0tly208ow13so1z7t85Ddavv9wEmNt90nsmgNVb39Dtlr0H7BVa0RJgQhyphenhyphen2jLMiNBsLtEUkkpfIeox3DrjpMQDKedVkeIRhE/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-11+at+09.13.11.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0mzoAZbYay0gxKRBJhmjjd3I9YDvNisvGNskVk81eTf0tly208ow13so1z7t85Ddavv9wEmNt90nsmgNVb39Dtlr0H7BVa0RJgQhyphenhyphen2jLMiNBsLtEUkkpfIeox3DrjpMQDKedVkeIRhE/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-11+at+09.13.11.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A frozen pond.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2za6WIg0MDKjUx38ep1fSHfE58mIeu9QGIJlPTQMcVKGPHdWfCq4f_EjViuv2-YKcYaSUs0MHkWDITVyY_TumUUkGoSw-VtgkWaRcph_tW4OuSMRPfShQpnHmGM0vpvXzhx3F9XgeE9Q/s2048/IMG_20210118_093241.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2za6WIg0MDKjUx38ep1fSHfE58mIeu9QGIJlPTQMcVKGPHdWfCq4f_EjViuv2-YKcYaSUs0MHkWDITVyY_TumUUkGoSw-VtgkWaRcph_tW4OuSMRPfShQpnHmGM0vpvXzhx3F9XgeE9Q/s320/IMG_20210118_093241.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heavily frosted chestnut.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYM_tDVX9YYvkjdQIg2Y80zSMb6Mdoob-LeN8u2oCP4mNjkDJ7ymTKQuDeFryc3OSP8yyeqKgHgUgStySKkK3SHlmpVYcEPWB09A-L_TApHT7ceWIThpaFVoxSmsXS38DdS6oBLfgNdo/s2048/IMG_20210118_091115.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYM_tDVX9YYvkjdQIg2Y80zSMb6Mdoob-LeN8u2oCP4mNjkDJ7ymTKQuDeFryc3OSP8yyeqKgHgUgStySKkK3SHlmpVYcEPWB09A-L_TApHT7ceWIThpaFVoxSmsXS38DdS6oBLfgNdo/s320/IMG_20210118_091115.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful frost patterns.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>We were also treated to our first snowfall of the winter in early January. It only lasted a day here at our house, but stuck around on the ground for a week to ten days just a little further up the valley. The snow caused a fair amount of damage and disruption in the area, causing many trees to topple, the weight of the snow simply pulling them over and uprooting them in the soft soil. A lot of chaos due to roads blocked by fallen trees and unfortunately several people suffered damage to their olive trees.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0i6zPim-UsUllqmaVerPXePJbkaV_awmfsX6_cZrjIW-5NqzdwFw-muoQA7LlDPiSmMYD4h_DuvqiDVNmZjjHTKVjcU7DIlYLwEB79MteOOyeNhOJ8YBBnQT4PtDQc9BTsRsp0q9gCw/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-06+at+09.03.56%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0i6zPim-UsUllqmaVerPXePJbkaV_awmfsX6_cZrjIW-5NqzdwFw-muoQA7LlDPiSmMYD4h_DuvqiDVNmZjjHTKVjcU7DIlYLwEB79MteOOyeNhOJ8YBBnQT4PtDQc9BTsRsp0q9gCw/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-06+at+09.03.56%25281%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqa5iqG7e-ymmMccvHiMUF1ahKIK5LYKw8sVCjSJQPEavtb3K8vpOZ02EFko72PNUyz2ajklw-65tW0EDDUfktsf8mEqExKJamA6oHedy_5ohYEXM9qDEAoYNYtX7C2BVdQWMWQjuo9hs/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-06+at+09.24.28%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqa5iqG7e-ymmMccvHiMUF1ahKIK5LYKw8sVCjSJQPEavtb3K8vpOZ02EFko72PNUyz2ajklw-65tW0EDDUfktsf8mEqExKJamA6oHedy_5ohYEXM9qDEAoYNYtX7C2BVdQWMWQjuo9hs/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-06+at+09.24.28%25281%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUsUkIv1cVRDAmoBAwN5nKHBPGu5qeTfXEYgvu4A7G9HOfxB9QOY1OcTl8dAVqznUhp6mIzdPfWI60SYC-Uk0EV_jt26VccNI2aQojEa-qlnXOqL6h8YFa42vMZzVwQm7sk2O13gtlqU/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-06+at+09.24.29%25283%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUsUkIv1cVRDAmoBAwN5nKHBPGu5qeTfXEYgvu4A7G9HOfxB9QOY1OcTl8dAVqznUhp6mIzdPfWI60SYC-Uk0EV_jt26VccNI2aQojEa-qlnXOqL6h8YFa42vMZzVwQm7sk2O13gtlqU/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-06+at+09.24.29%25283%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZlsYuaUUzp5ve_NhogfX3bKEGeX86l3rl9UstNT14nMbOiUge1WUut4Srbn7THqCP8qLxX8KGWBlHkEil6UDpBNmxfPUKVyd1qv4B5Q1XzKgEGc7FTPIwSKDris9K8gdEdXs64KqUB0/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-06+at+09.24.29%25284%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZlsYuaUUzp5ve_NhogfX3bKEGeX86l3rl9UstNT14nMbOiUge1WUut4Srbn7THqCP8qLxX8KGWBlHkEil6UDpBNmxfPUKVyd1qv4B5Q1XzKgEGc7FTPIwSKDris9K8gdEdXs64KqUB0/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-06+at+09.24.29%25284%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidh5gYeFvR1ZChyphenhyphen-JZVKE2T8wb7D-EUi_jMnHfx7GDyHh0mI-bWvtx-zPMLgTb1TNmOWiDmsl0VQ6t8od9zjvmn8OqknH2D_UYzgV-bVAKm6NleSxj_HC7BPh3HG8wbVyHpa81oa-JCFE/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-06+at+09.24.29%25285%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidh5gYeFvR1ZChyphenhyphen-JZVKE2T8wb7D-EUi_jMnHfx7GDyHh0mI-bWvtx-zPMLgTb1TNmOWiDmsl0VQ6t8od9zjvmn8OqknH2D_UYzgV-bVAKm6NleSxj_HC7BPh3HG8wbVyHpa81oa-JCFE/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-06+at+09.24.29%25285%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAh4R_FkAOIbgZSmOyYLYMFd1UrMAbsbxoV32RcD_lHD4CheVipuSPKaifNcZQOKOk0mM6DvKGRJyPtvtXb06cKB3-AOGsJD99Y5stYFsi_eE7hkRcM2BFQYwzZZd_xAEAv3nUBe7D1JI/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-06+at+09.24.29%25286%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAh4R_FkAOIbgZSmOyYLYMFd1UrMAbsbxoV32RcD_lHD4CheVipuSPKaifNcZQOKOk0mM6DvKGRJyPtvtXb06cKB3-AOGsJD99Y5stYFsi_eE7hkRcM2BFQYwzZZd_xAEAv3nUBe7D1JI/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-06+at+09.24.29%25286%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSET2aSDSEn1b8LFq1Y_hIfi8qnuiGXVwVbvwsyW4VepvhuLMzT-0SBjRlDJ0K85VE9wPIXqpOq2Cwpk34Tf8vQhMoetYUxe-L7iVWbwJXrbETux-OAC4AGSqEEkCGOTOcMehtjE7Pinc/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-06+at+10.25.20.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSET2aSDSEn1b8LFq1Y_hIfi8qnuiGXVwVbvwsyW4VepvhuLMzT-0SBjRlDJ0K85VE9wPIXqpOq2Cwpk34Tf8vQhMoetYUxe-L7iVWbwJXrbETux-OAC4AGSqEEkCGOTOcMehtjE7Pinc/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-06+at+10.25.20.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-agtloPb6gyynlX8A1_9y-FHEDqwwIhQncZadCDg8j3_XGun828BLc48cP8vjMxbe26MQjjY9i9dXx0RNHAGswRDMAQ7XOfa6yO-sM7f38aRK08RFj4nI-snYcL9DgIobxRTQCIW2ypw/s1080/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-08+at+14.03.54.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-agtloPb6gyynlX8A1_9y-FHEDqwwIhQncZadCDg8j3_XGun828BLc48cP8vjMxbe26MQjjY9i9dXx0RNHAGswRDMAQ7XOfa6yO-sM7f38aRK08RFj4nI-snYcL9DgIobxRTQCIW2ypw/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-08+at+14.03.54.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We love this photo taken by our talented photographer friend Mara. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Having had such a lot of rain and inclement weather we've made the most of every dry spell that has come along, and have been lucky to have had some stunning weather during those brief dry spells. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuCpgk2xCl1s_NXR6qBQJ2-NyTZKTkBxe-P_CTk8y2HTy1YILNAQpkdRT1fKhvCuPUwO_MX-73Jta7TRqpCblczlvVRwDchW8ZEtNMNbaXbbIdJgzMD_tPWIqAUxEYYfVYfCH3k78OrE/s1440/136957709_2860368504210159_5222237034739515132_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuCpgk2xCl1s_NXR6qBQJ2-NyTZKTkBxe-P_CTk8y2HTy1YILNAQpkdRT1fKhvCuPUwO_MX-73Jta7TRqpCblczlvVRwDchW8ZEtNMNbaXbbIdJgzMD_tPWIqAUxEYYfVYfCH3k78OrE/s320/136957709_2860368504210159_5222237034739515132_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfvrNh4C83Uz5XZtcEJlkSKCt_bQ9l69x3T7WPQ7XzhsuCaMrxx4mtvvvl4FYe2i2H5SjtCPtWJi14kY0kHZJs4lsZErcyDWrtP_R1f6s7CE29A_DibxV9kM0_9jGLkRgiLHhzNDQzjs/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-13+at+17.03.47%25283%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfvrNh4C83Uz5XZtcEJlkSKCt_bQ9l69x3T7WPQ7XzhsuCaMrxx4mtvvvl4FYe2i2H5SjtCPtWJi14kY0kHZJs4lsZErcyDWrtP_R1f6s7CE29A_DibxV9kM0_9jGLkRgiLHhzNDQzjs/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-13+at+17.03.47%25283%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBp_wld-B-Wu6a3Zj2nSQTWinFQDjXKsYGasIxcAoWOYJZMRrKnKL-bMKMqHgLqlhhB-vjpfSOoY-h357huWl6vaTPfQ7bgfB-x3TGb1qYO5gneICGba7Zd2szOImBIKvwYswjtqHs-d0/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-13+at+17.03.47%25284%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBp_wld-B-Wu6a3Zj2nSQTWinFQDjXKsYGasIxcAoWOYJZMRrKnKL-bMKMqHgLqlhhB-vjpfSOoY-h357huWl6vaTPfQ7bgfB-x3TGb1qYO5gneICGba7Zd2szOImBIKvwYswjtqHs-d0/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-13+at+17.03.47%25284%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3I_Vv7KwbgFOd_BS0mc0kUuX4TbKOytdRaHvlcX1jstn7UVpkwC67HM8-hSyddfJzUw8LAAjWhjMtsArxAtndfrOnNHVZc_I_-DXoj5PMHJEkPzriptvVhh5-xf3nLLsDo3cyAydRxM/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-13+at+17.03.47%25285%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3I_Vv7KwbgFOd_BS0mc0kUuX4TbKOytdRaHvlcX1jstn7UVpkwC67HM8-hSyddfJzUw8LAAjWhjMtsArxAtndfrOnNHVZc_I_-DXoj5PMHJEkPzriptvVhh5-xf3nLLsDo3cyAydRxM/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-13+at+17.03.47%25285%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigr04zFlhLcgawkrSyD2nH5KJYs6A5klDPln4xLQAEJwoK2efUn51RhUOcCPZYeC5TayZZwL2BhFxhyphenhyphenZ9HsEtMrGmEcOKsWVZl4zDb9yCaW9MICsGCU4P_JfgEjF63fXjzMX-fDYirwWY/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-13+at+17.03.48%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigr04zFlhLcgawkrSyD2nH5KJYs6A5klDPln4xLQAEJwoK2efUn51RhUOcCPZYeC5TayZZwL2BhFxhyphenhyphenZ9HsEtMrGmEcOKsWVZl4zDb9yCaW9MICsGCU4P_JfgEjF63fXjzMX-fDYirwWY/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-13+at+17.03.48%25281%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><p>As a small project to fill a short two-day dry window that lasted from 26-27th December, we finished cutting and washing out the 1000 litre plastic tanks that we'd had delivered some months ago, in preparation for turning them into raised veg growing beds.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotLVjgNuKH_dJpn_ikREMcHTMLBTHpeOjG7KnzJO5cresTR19dTph2EhCSt5Ey_FMDynbk2ckAwEhAIlNyHV2PwpRDnPR78ThkHQ5byomIoB9OIROEqqU8SOvNT3zEMn4OCTHe3I0CxI/s600/132272318_2849528888627454_7525718994727274907_o+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotLVjgNuKH_dJpn_ikREMcHTMLBTHpeOjG7KnzJO5cresTR19dTph2EhCSt5Ey_FMDynbk2ckAwEhAIlNyHV2PwpRDnPR78ThkHQ5byomIoB9OIROEqqU8SOvNT3zEMn4OCTHe3I0CxI/s320/132272318_2849528888627454_7525718994727274907_o+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkbN5to_574wwT57zOQa2P2Nf2QroNDLBmLqJs-bwZuMHGt64ZpkgGy4TbnqLpZZJvnzU3Yp_EAerNJrutfioVTUWxxiAPtwBcbrePSWAYx79R_O_x-_rW8AE6pthRnc-3G9-aw-eKLs/s2048/132670694_2849529035294106_2912007765177486588_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkbN5to_574wwT57zOQa2P2Nf2QroNDLBmLqJs-bwZuMHGt64ZpkgGy4TbnqLpZZJvnzU3Yp_EAerNJrutfioVTUWxxiAPtwBcbrePSWAYx79R_O_x-_rW8AE6pthRnc-3G9-aw-eKLs/s320/132670694_2849529035294106_2912007765177486588_o.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslFPVKCju4AnHqKLc_hhR_hyzudlAoZjwuB-w61v8S7cpo-_52H_i600thXoeLnA3FGenR9ixdzV5XYWo-IdohbIElbiy_SnjcXYtmMCicKNln_Pu7W-rKHyw3dWTFbVm3wvOd_jwe7g/s2048/132801552_2849528941960782_4776299748774880417_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslFPVKCju4AnHqKLc_hhR_hyzudlAoZjwuB-w61v8S7cpo-_52H_i600thXoeLnA3FGenR9ixdzV5XYWo-IdohbIElbiy_SnjcXYtmMCicKNln_Pu7W-rKHyw3dWTFbVm3wvOd_jwe7g/s320/132801552_2849528941960782_4776299748774880417_o.jpg" /></a></div></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4g-Fj9ZAV1qA-zO6HPTQ_IrPXU6k_CopK9cmFG3PP2d0YZv4jaGbiSAr64vIpVGhJTTI7ip2IdnX_I4ppweFbmbYkOnOSOoEc6tPaFgAaj8e1PwQkDWedlpRGgUhTlH6GnrziMb0BnOE/s2048/132742047_2849529125294097_9078193967289689055_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4g-Fj9ZAV1qA-zO6HPTQ_IrPXU6k_CopK9cmFG3PP2d0YZv4jaGbiSAr64vIpVGhJTTI7ip2IdnX_I4ppweFbmbYkOnOSOoEc6tPaFgAaj8e1PwQkDWedlpRGgUhTlH6GnrziMb0BnOE/s320/132742047_2849529125294097_9078193967289689055_o.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>In the next dry spell - which, thankfully, came as a run of a few days - we spent several days attempting to porcupine-proof the fencing around our upper terraces after having caught a porcupine on camera simply stepping through the pig fencing. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxBCLx58C1omk6aF7ms02aNyveBDf6UBSZdotqM_H1xF0jdQFkjLLUZEty7K_gmH9Fc0oIiAzeGSXrWDiA-cw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">For the porcupine it's as simple as stepping through the fence.</div><div><br /></div>Porcupines seem to be particularly partial to a particular plant that we have growing all over our terraces and at the edge of the drive: Arum italicum. It would almost seem as if at this time of year their diet exists solely of the carbohydrate-rich roots of this species, such is the extent to which we find them dug up all over our land every morning. The plants grow wild, so that's not a problem for us, but their digging leaves sizeable holes (the roots are relatively deep) and destabilises the soil in the banks. For that reason, we decided to attempt to introduce some porcupine defences by running wire across the bottom section of the pig fencing, in the hopes of making the gaps too small for the porcupines to clamber through.<div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPM-KN8FzKErxJHJSiqZktcDsnI18Bilwm8pfhVn1lRA_MF4n5bKr39npwu-ODqzAmuiOho9RnSFJaPNjH6qu3WWhrOqfNV445qKxCc2bXbyvsucw2hXg4vcI-i-1mpy5bnPMzSsXb2GE/s2048/IMG_20210110_140823.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPM-KN8FzKErxJHJSiqZktcDsnI18Bilwm8pfhVn1lRA_MF4n5bKr39npwu-ODqzAmuiOho9RnSFJaPNjH6qu3WWhrOqfNV445qKxCc2bXbyvsucw2hXg4vcI-i-1mpy5bnPMzSsXb2GE/s320/IMG_20210110_140823.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We hope this is sufficient to stop porcupine incursion.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>We also caught foxes, a red squirrel and some form of marten (pine or beech, we're not sure which) on camera going about their business on the terraces.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw0IqhfVUug0rYZSqnJjyV3N_3BBf5KPMlgMSyviWknRw8jyzcMZ2nn1wslKYaXPNMxea3wsyANDPsx-9SjGw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pine or beech marten.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyA0t0zKNFeDgZDGfQ4XO46Y9cx-bBbA9DEQlM37KCBFHcZ5gbFY48hc7dE2uHbbVkx_FO5VA5cQfH-EvmsTQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">Red squirrel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Finally, we have finished dismantling the <a href="http://themovetotuscany.blogspot.com/2020/11/more-things-that-go-bump-in-night.html" target="_blank">old shed</a> below the lawn, and we have dismantled the rather wonky guest pergola (discovering that the ash poles we'd used to build it three years ago had rotted at the bottom) and reconstructed it using more robust chestnut poles.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvgR2GpAuazBWhbS3ktGxvTMxodVX-cTDnynsFIzU7jCUuF18v3F0Fo8PlzZYBjpMkz760Sx4ETfaCF5u2XeFH3LCTLVrTdNsvvA4XafV7BHKkVtW8GYUxBXFmBq2HWHaoD1FSm0tI8k/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-19+at+09.20.23.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvgR2GpAuazBWhbS3ktGxvTMxodVX-cTDnynsFIzU7jCUuF18v3F0Fo8PlzZYBjpMkz760Sx4ETfaCF5u2XeFH3LCTLVrTdNsvvA4XafV7BHKkVtW8GYUxBXFmBq2HWHaoD1FSm0tI8k/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-19+at+09.20.23.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All that remains of the old shed - we hope to use some of the lengths in the next phase of terrace reconstruction below the house.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHPv7y7GsqFfq5KdfhbfbGUi3ESotWgHxSB2DeI7Ml7H4h1_03JgxP-5YDrfFNSYbEk9O66y9eZokps_jq5jSfn_EmN7yJ1Ff7ucqXBvVcLBPSUG_a2FG3uOAZVgYOSM25sRnNIA1S-c/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-19+at+09.20.22.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHPv7y7GsqFfq5KdfhbfbGUi3ESotWgHxSB2DeI7Ml7H4h1_03JgxP-5YDrfFNSYbEk9O66y9eZokps_jq5jSfn_EmN7yJ1Ff7ucqXBvVcLBPSUG_a2FG3uOAZVgYOSM25sRnNIA1S-c/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-19+at+09.20.22.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old, wonky pergola.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9zcGqJK5d1nRdq-Jvdil0fHY_w2YHbakCcPnBRZrd0OXjB_j5Hql1udi7oQvJdmKVHegr__nYeqyEgbBbAP0KcK-YMSXkaIP_ivcG6OdTqX03CGEIu4f9Ls3smXMlUaT0C9NwssZurU/s2048/140882425_2869464236633919_6877300457391192869_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9zcGqJK5d1nRdq-Jvdil0fHY_w2YHbakCcPnBRZrd0OXjB_j5Hql1udi7oQvJdmKVHegr__nYeqyEgbBbAP0KcK-YMSXkaIP_ivcG6OdTqX03CGEIu4f9Ls3smXMlUaT0C9NwssZurU/s320/140882425_2869464236633919_6877300457391192869_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ash doesn't like getting its feet wet, these posts even with gravel drainage beneath them have rotted to this degree in three short years.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbrqI1DBQ9fb7XMhnkclrZw-kej7mz-_Tkx2E_KwtbMcRGZ27EhLjcL_K__8l63o89cG8NNLnT7tKWrG7WS6O_q4NlG0THoZM9mL3W_KQyLJsdeN7nx8JHYtnfGC4VNmJZIqN420OVWs/s600/140683509_2869464333300576_4285542619773206191_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbrqI1DBQ9fb7XMhnkclrZw-kej7mz-_Tkx2E_KwtbMcRGZ27EhLjcL_K__8l63o89cG8NNLnT7tKWrG7WS6O_q4NlG0THoZM9mL3W_KQyLJsdeN7nx8JHYtnfGC4VNmJZIqN420OVWs/s320/140683509_2869464333300576_4285542619773206191_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shaving down the ends of new chestnut posts.</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WsJ8G4hZXxNpzVyGcy-AC5FK6XthjydB_W59rtP4g22z24qMvJm6laY8-8Aq1q3LFYVcuhhX8uy68ttc6O1kF6tYHdQHFp-VanqF6VHq4In9BQqkhyphenhyphenAoLsiZeuI3FlY-wfUB5SllwsM/s2048/140328374_2869464436633899_6460402916197934236_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WsJ8G4hZXxNpzVyGcy-AC5FK6XthjydB_W59rtP4g22z24qMvJm6laY8-8Aq1q3LFYVcuhhX8uy68ttc6O1kF6tYHdQHFp-VanqF6VHq4In9BQqkhyphenhyphenAoLsiZeuI3FlY-wfUB5SllwsM/s320/140328374_2869464436633899_6460402916197934236_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A new, chestnut post pergola.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha20QCI35CNrp_NunWvUz_ME3Pfm7xQDxP-jmXK6FgwLjH6-DD6liHtDZPuR5w5bm9RFX_HhWd9_GnUcmBU2wXie8dsqV961rdAPP8DRhTeyvu_dCOUOF5hWWGilMGC-tR1zrwZoUtM_Y/s1420/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-18+at+19.03.06.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1420" data-original-width="1420" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha20QCI35CNrp_NunWvUz_ME3Pfm7xQDxP-jmXK6FgwLjH6-DD6liHtDZPuR5w5bm9RFX_HhWd9_GnUcmBU2wXie8dsqV961rdAPP8DRhTeyvu_dCOUOF5hWWGilMGC-tR1zrwZoUtM_Y/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2021-01-18+at+19.03.06.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunny reflections</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Our next major project will be to get going with the reconstruction of the next set of terraces down below the house. Having reconstructed the first set of terraces during the spring (full details <a href="http://themovetotuscany.blogspot.com/2020/03/project-planning-and-preparation.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://themovetotuscany.blogspot.com/2020/03/life-in-lockdown.html" target="_blank">here </a>and <a href="http://themovetotuscany.blogspot.com/2020/04/industrious-in-isolation.html" target="_blank">here</a>), we are keen to move onto the next set of terraces down - the eventual goal being to have all of the terraces below the house shored up and reconstructed in the same way and to be able to remove the ugly black weed fabric that covers the banks. It's a big project though, which will have to start with the felling of several trees - so we're hoping for another run of dry weather to enable us to get started!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-71532649521397031582020-12-26T11:45:00.003+01:002020-12-26T11:46:50.519+01:00Tanti auguri di buone feste<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5T1yHjEyKJeRsgf3_pJm3GMayWQ4lVbikUpk9eGDNxI5A7FFU3_QIT5siynMoiQNbkbsxyRoDykBT2j8zbrZVlRB06twtMQ-nVTiKF5f6i7H6v3Z2VrgR3mK-U_iml6S4hTUUHGyp1I/s827/christmas-card-2020.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="585" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5T1yHjEyKJeRsgf3_pJm3GMayWQ4lVbikUpk9eGDNxI5A7FFU3_QIT5siynMoiQNbkbsxyRoDykBT2j8zbrZVlRB06twtMQ-nVTiKF5f6i7H6v3Z2VrgR3mK-U_iml6S4hTUUHGyp1I/s320/christmas-card-2020.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Wishing all our family, our friends both near and far, and everyone who reads our blog a very merry Christmas and a wonderful happy and healthy new year. <div><br /></div><div>As for many people this year, our Christmas has been quiet, with no visitors this festive season. Although we miss seeing our family and friends, we have actually really enjoyed taking things at our own pace and we have been making the most of the downtime.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJWNr0e-faD1nGpGJIrFhY62-QuOMqVYjxzDKfsyXv0o_08hN9uGtgbysC0zgZEw7vth7k_t70zVXx7cGDUyQv1RgXbftMywwpVJScugkmAaLxxj5Xf64vVyt51h2igrRrNoPkoHgGOY/s1594/christmas-day-2020.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1594" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJWNr0e-faD1nGpGJIrFhY62-QuOMqVYjxzDKfsyXv0o_08hN9uGtgbysC0zgZEw7vth7k_t70zVXx7cGDUyQv1RgXbftMywwpVJScugkmAaLxxj5Xf64vVyt51h2igrRrNoPkoHgGOY/w320-h210/christmas-day-2020.jpg" title="A different Christmas this year. Beautiful masks handmade and given to us by Helen's clever sister!" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A different Christmas this year. Wearing beautiful masks handmade and given to us by Helen's clever sister.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Christmas Day brought us a whole spectrum of weathers, from torrential rain and strong winds to hail and eventually sunshine - maybe not traditionally Christmassy weather, but quite spectacular nonetheless and we enjoyed watching the changing skies (from the comfort of indoors!)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxjeGdqY01MbE7vgesxSlh8PdSVL4S6kFHHteYiUgBceo3iFrtlVreGX5PFN3a421o1KQHgOYebpPPuLXGk4Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuyFwXmrBVJiSzTYn7kyFIjOkwvoDUTabJEPG7fC2LFfR7p4fPWYuVIxKcSErJrSyO7Y15vd9cQrkgm-9EUZBX61uIN4apUeUigAN6nlwI6hmi-NIG5OX2e1rSYubHzVnm19WR0fTuz0/s2048/IMG_20201225_124316.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuyFwXmrBVJiSzTYn7kyFIjOkwvoDUTabJEPG7fC2LFfR7p4fPWYuVIxKcSErJrSyO7Y15vd9cQrkgm-9EUZBX61uIN4apUeUigAN6nlwI6hmi-NIG5OX2e1rSYubHzVnm19WR0fTuz0/s320/IMG_20201225_124316.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgp_BeC00qKUVTflCCVZXjnlYdmRXwzPRVzV819KluM2BzOZG2J6BdxAzfJDGyHlAsS-I38yPP5qupz7l_XfHhDjIgwvx-i_ebC-GVk6OwhTM_WV8XAxdvPjmYh787UgNc3UtWApayAg/s2048/IMG_20201225_123711.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgp_BeC00qKUVTflCCVZXjnlYdmRXwzPRVzV819KluM2BzOZG2J6BdxAzfJDGyHlAsS-I38yPP5qupz7l_XfHhDjIgwvx-i_ebC-GVk6OwhTM_WV8XAxdvPjmYh787UgNc3UtWApayAg/s320/IMG_20201225_123711.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uERV9-4uBYt01g3JilydcOoK58LV48hrpVh452w-hbW-liJIf_U54xQ3-87QNaewGsQw83z6t-HfPMJDuSRTT-TSUulhY1VfZyxfJ-7I6gaxB6CHGxCZVaFtzgw9nFT5-7M46yKFPQU/s2048/IMG_20201225_153447.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uERV9-4uBYt01g3JilydcOoK58LV48hrpVh452w-hbW-liJIf_U54xQ3-87QNaewGsQw83z6t-HfPMJDuSRTT-TSUulhY1VfZyxfJ-7I6gaxB6CHGxCZVaFtzgw9nFT5-7M46yKFPQU/s320/IMG_20201225_153447.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>To follow that, Boxing day has brought us more strong winds and much chillier weather, with a fair dumping of snow on the higher hills we can see at the top of the valley.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMNHFTduHJC6asqKESDW5tGKw-d8nBzXix_GrznUo-BNTW_B5RuscDfHj5RVfXa1uFvqJHXPnnH6kdkb9s7Y4jpV_3S9diff9HKzxE7viCs2RH-o2UX0ooLSok4TfB0U0VB0eZ3lNmNs/s2048/IMG_20201226_101226.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMNHFTduHJC6asqKESDW5tGKw-d8nBzXix_GrznUo-BNTW_B5RuscDfHj5RVfXa1uFvqJHXPnnH6kdkb9s7Y4jpV_3S9diff9HKzxE7viCs2RH-o2UX0ooLSok4TfB0U0VB0eZ3lNmNs/s320/IMG_20201226_101226.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>We wait to see if the wind calms down enough for us to venture outdoors to do some work - for now it seems pretty uninviting and the alternative - sitting by the fire with the dog and a book - is considerably more appealing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy holidays to everyone, stay safe!</div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /><p></p></div></div>The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-22903884544898602102020-11-25T13:03:00.003+01:002020-11-26T13:04:04.009+01:00More things that go bump in the night<p>In this case, perhaps it was less of a "bump" in the night and more of a "creaking slide" down the hill.</p><p>When we first moved here, at the edge of the garden there was a shed, which quickly became affectionately known as the sh*t shed. It was a pretty old, barn-like construction (decades old, if not more) with a corrugated tin roof, and it housed all manner of rubbish and clutter - when we arrived it was literally full to the rafters with rubbish that we had inherited from the previous owners.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qHMYfcPBsEbpPTTT6ndzcENgR1jTnQgMugI34z_K2zcPMjO6fkIu4v5heW5BBX6u9a2pOaNjMgIZEMudoEtGPHijIIFYZpy99QCvoUrdn71RRrVdjRMEXD4xC3FU8slOR7zq7mOtrSg/s1109/DSC_4877.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1109" data-original-width="803" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qHMYfcPBsEbpPTTT6ndzcENgR1jTnQgMugI34z_K2zcPMjO6fkIu4v5heW5BBX6u9a2pOaNjMgIZEMudoEtGPHijIIFYZpy99QCvoUrdn71RRrVdjRMEXD4xC3FU8slOR7zq7mOtrSg/s320/DSC_4877.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div>The first of our many concerted attempts at clearing it out was in November 2014, when we had our HelpX friends Nick and Tess with us and Nick spent a grubby afternoon amassing piles and piles of rubbish that he had extracted from the shed.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisktMwPMC63l4FvRurKP2Uh5_8GUVs7YWrm_PaUjYgcK5r_M8uFp_voItCzNH2PJj2m98cwXI4YaYShLnIaAQaqc2xBB0BLlycUBfjLw1a-x5qP7ERhC3sswkMXNraTtgkZTAaCG1eFr0/s1600/nov2014-shtshed1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisktMwPMC63l4FvRurKP2Uh5_8GUVs7YWrm_PaUjYgcK5r_M8uFp_voItCzNH2PJj2m98cwXI4YaYShLnIaAQaqc2xBB0BLlycUBfjLw1a-x5qP7ERhC3sswkMXNraTtgkZTAaCG1eFr0/s320/nov2014-shtshed1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1y7JdA-NQP2v6bj5wAdcGm8ES6wijSUNA0E4N1vpyuVs5xveGZj7UnbGhl4G7AAlB7IsQqy8eW80m5zwXtQMnXvgZLnEz_tUzUmSdaaGHesFQVqJZch9_oz4GqQhgiQRLdOTYKjIblos/s1600/nov2014-shtshed2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1y7JdA-NQP2v6bj5wAdcGm8ES6wijSUNA0E4N1vpyuVs5xveGZj7UnbGhl4G7AAlB7IsQqy8eW80m5zwXtQMnXvgZLnEz_tUzUmSdaaGHesFQVqJZch9_oz4GqQhgiQRLdOTYKjIblos/s320/nov2014-shtshed2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>The removal of some of the rubbish and clutter allowed us to use a small section of the shed as overflow storage for our own things - tools and various items that didn't fit into the other storage areas we had set aside. So the sh*t shed briefly became a useful storage space for us until, in late July 2015, we received the bombshell from our geometra (architect/surveyor) that we needed to take the shed down.</div><div><br /></div><div>This was all due to the fact that we were applying for planning permission to build a new tool shed (as well as erect a pergola and erect a polytunnel), and in order for permission to be granted for these things, we would first need to be visited by an inspector from Florence, and... because technically one is only allowed to have <i><b>one </b></i>outbuilding (the shed for which we were applying for permission), the geometra advised us that we would need to dismantle the poor old sh*t shed (he didn't call it that), as well as the chicken house (which, at the time, was a goose house). The full story is <a href="https://themovetotuscany.blogspot.com/2015/07/havent-we-been-here-before.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>When we reacted with alarm at the news that we needed to dismantle the shed (and would need to do so in double-quick time, as the news came just a week before the visit from the inspector was due to happen), our geometra relented, and said that maybe if we just took the roof off it, it would appear as if we were <i>in the process of</i> dismantling it, and that would probably be sufficient. So we opted for the less destructive (and less disruptive) approach, cleared out as many of our own things from the shed as possible, and prepared ourselves for the roof-removing task.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYDNlSfg_uXvstB2ZhuAHLqoc4vmhPLPlkupofxO1PI24CWSFqAqoOW4IH8ODQgR_xbYXxDXJ961SCyOxCJAyw8hMjEt3YLFOOx7fo4bDOCZMWiadpgBbdnv_CZpnPPF7VHo7zwS1eWY/s1600/DSC_4878.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1064" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYDNlSfg_uXvstB2ZhuAHLqoc4vmhPLPlkupofxO1PI24CWSFqAqoOW4IH8ODQgR_xbYXxDXJ961SCyOxCJAyw8hMjEt3YLFOOx7fo4bDOCZMWiadpgBbdnv_CZpnPPF7VHo7zwS1eWY/s320/DSC_4878.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New homes were needed for our items.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7K3gJUm0wURs0EMSgBAxJ8ZscWfi5Op2gS9oMyPKj_ZB79x4Pf_k96rshZW2qJuSpQUjhcs7gz_QzRY6qUk4uSLZEz0fNXfkuMMj10SdSrLxDLwvSNnBs2InmuWMAzrsR9lZwh7HiI0/s1600/DSC_4879.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7K3gJUm0wURs0EMSgBAxJ8ZscWfi5Op2gS9oMyPKj_ZB79x4Pf_k96rshZW2qJuSpQUjhcs7gz_QzRY6qUk4uSLZEz0fNXfkuMMj10SdSrLxDLwvSNnBs2InmuWMAzrsR9lZwh7HiI0/s320/DSC_4879.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shed was mostly cleared out.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjHw1hRX_oU83fFIGmdhxHWv7UPH1cwzpI1dX4te225fqbvDZ_wFndMgfFpS23ewZmNXoa4K40QzXcP1xExPlB_9pJ7_FMiaSMx5XpBdHBEhsxD3JLjzIVlrqN-9BpoIuN1zRFLjDEHY/s1600/DSC_4880.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1064" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjHw1hRX_oU83fFIGmdhxHWv7UPH1cwzpI1dX4te225fqbvDZ_wFndMgfFpS23ewZmNXoa4K40QzXcP1xExPlB_9pJ7_FMiaSMx5XpBdHBEhsxD3JLjzIVlrqN-9BpoIuN1zRFLjDEHY/s320/DSC_4880.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-63dhUTD1xbkqHA_A0hOWFG17kgfKfJk9JAhlht-iJq3sr1105fzy26BCbaTi5jJdQCju6O8vhIX8R3PF9v7rjaA7FlJX9cMEJ3higIGadz3CM53bKhDZ_9TXBrdttW9j87Mmx7r7kW8/s1600/DSC_4881.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-63dhUTD1xbkqHA_A0hOWFG17kgfKfJk9JAhlht-iJq3sr1105fzy26BCbaTi5jJdQCju6O8vhIX8R3PF9v7rjaA7FlJX9cMEJ3higIGadz3CM53bKhDZ_9TXBrdttW9j87Mmx7r7kW8/s320/DSC_4881.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTf3B0aNDHSsUvzQUH3S73nojvvyQwhCSiDV05in2IlGmZvt0_AjNLcWY080rtayjpeKonpVIWfDS9-mDkd0yNwoQSlQYJvcLlWz5B36V2hddhzhI_-7yL1hLKKhAQ8aNDuZLKfDC6Qw/s1600/DSC_4882.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1064" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTf3B0aNDHSsUvzQUH3S73nojvvyQwhCSiDV05in2IlGmZvt0_AjNLcWY080rtayjpeKonpVIWfDS9-mDkd0yNwoQSlQYJvcLlWz5B36V2hddhzhI_-7yL1hLKKhAQ8aNDuZLKfDC6Qw/s320/DSC_4882.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YQhG1KmfS7yCG6Y-bFuL6kKStFYX2-X-61bFdFbW7uz8WD6cl_AvH_ZFptle6SDBu5WFG_SdKrv64w8VpKFnWvHLXJQXQRVK9PT9ddzhJubPyrRIjqvUAjwghsmMSPKqAJniTAiFZ08/s1600/DSC_4884.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YQhG1KmfS7yCG6Y-bFuL6kKStFYX2-X-61bFdFbW7uz8WD6cl_AvH_ZFptle6SDBu5WFG_SdKrv64w8VpKFnWvHLXJQXQRVK9PT9ddzhJubPyrRIjqvUAjwghsmMSPKqAJniTAiFZ08/s320/DSC_4884.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>And so it was that a week later, our friends, the Phillips family, came to our aid and <a href="https://themovetotuscany.blogspot.com/2015/08/never-been-so-sociable.html" target="_blank">spent the afternoon</a> helping us to remove the roof from the shed (as well as the sides from the chicken house).</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjP0328k449IxbfkdBCOo70eMeW-PS7ZSbzycGnEZJJSIIo8abqKO8E2CsYawG-gfNeY7I9vxL84Al5fGh31_EdnxOnUyTHJQMAag_SXN66XgmCYPOVcMUZfkNSaTCO9rsUTARoWxfREE/s1600/DSC_4888.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjP0328k449IxbfkdBCOo70eMeW-PS7ZSbzycGnEZJJSIIo8abqKO8E2CsYawG-gfNeY7I9vxL84Al5fGh31_EdnxOnUyTHJQMAag_SXN66XgmCYPOVcMUZfkNSaTCO9rsUTARoWxfREE/s320/DSC_4888.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2sXBMBHdK5wDNR6hLBv32Cxy4WBX2m7sG19wr-ds0UgqfNRNQJevdzhgqgWshiBInCFhBaxejea2U0z6uHqQuGfbEDmetd_UCEjnyKpcVmStsak3EQtz9UFvrdT7JzLgF2jYxDBww9-A/s1600/DSC_4889.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2sXBMBHdK5wDNR6hLBv32Cxy4WBX2m7sG19wr-ds0UgqfNRNQJevdzhgqgWshiBInCFhBaxejea2U0z6uHqQuGfbEDmetd_UCEjnyKpcVmStsak3EQtz9UFvrdT7JzLgF2jYxDBww9-A/s320/DSC_4889.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrOxRjKRmBPyf0nkNY9zN1PBMD1nxlsMQFx8osgJr40JrJWP5hcCyv9MRot9g-TMSedy_324lsPcVFti2x4nUNvhFbNvJZVoA8l5-_YgEepCzOqabR05DVjb2iu3gxjqQPemHNiDovsT4/s1600/DSC_4891.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1064" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrOxRjKRmBPyf0nkNY9zN1PBMD1nxlsMQFx8osgJr40JrJWP5hcCyv9MRot9g-TMSedy_324lsPcVFti2x4nUNvhFbNvJZVoA8l5-_YgEepCzOqabR05DVjb2iu3gxjqQPemHNiDovsT4/s320/DSC_4891.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBT2EMCsUczRbHcMy32Tqebgn5VBjMC_ABrnXQJrPTDZ8zHZzZw30ies_Iwyl0MdOWn3CDlgCB2wnXWU_pHgadQJIcl5QNIs29O42NxgXfAzsQd1RkEeUToNuLoRNKg0Dl85Umn69ODI/s1600/DSC_4892.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBT2EMCsUczRbHcMy32Tqebgn5VBjMC_ABrnXQJrPTDZ8zHZzZw30ies_Iwyl0MdOWn3CDlgCB2wnXWU_pHgadQJIcl5QNIs29O42NxgXfAzsQd1RkEeUToNuLoRNKg0Dl85Umn69ODI/s320/DSC_4892.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJlsF4BnsOBZVZUpPrwmrMoI2-COOI0K0ZNdcKHsWvL0SrHsexhYylRI8sKCYHcs6AOPtoDLUhLLgucGBf8xl3LoQKNaXux8Vzkf_LCuGDNSP_FrbO43s8eF8bjc1Obsx27HzFgdMFHs/s1600/DSC_4898.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJlsF4BnsOBZVZUpPrwmrMoI2-COOI0K0ZNdcKHsWvL0SrHsexhYylRI8sKCYHcs6AOPtoDLUhLLgucGBf8xl3LoQKNaXux8Vzkf_LCuGDNSP_FrbO43s8eF8bjc1Obsx27HzFgdMFHs/s320/DSC_4898.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>And thus the sh*t shed was rendered bare. The inspector from Florence was seemingly appeased by what he saw and didn't raise it as an issue, and so there the shed stood, and continued to stand, in skeletal form, for several years, a reminder of times gone by, a nod to the past history of the house.</div><div><br /></div><div>The shed continued to gift us more finds along the way. In April 2017 we unearthed more, er, "treasure" from in and around the shed:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZiBd44zqPTPjhHhj3u4bE3g2zy181NKOode5BF2GA2K8h8hCMJix-FgKnkBK_Lwxat6xvJ8IYDX9Xx_ajvQEznzTUgLaKWCSfBwDTeIZ6ooN-fm8LV5QCR6YIJHsIWgPuvmcOkASj8zY/s720/april2017-shtshed.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZiBd44zqPTPjhHhj3u4bE3g2zy181NKOode5BF2GA2K8h8hCMJix-FgKnkBK_Lwxat6xvJ8IYDX9Xx_ajvQEznzTUgLaKWCSfBwDTeIZ6ooN-fm8LV5QCR6YIJHsIWgPuvmcOkASj8zY/s320/april2017-shtshed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gift that kept on giving.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>And even in April 2019, there was still rubbish to be pulled out, as well as the rusty pieces of corrugated roofing to dispose of, until finally the shed was clear:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGy_Z_6B0zp-q8JZ7dhPczhYBH3mddkufe_J4Tr8giPbJsPQLx4bqssW8GCKgaHvk26FbFf6rtZfrkggFAU-IbSTKOnKpEhjtYamGrd6Hx7xIa-3QgzF0b-P6S8m_sgI6zikrk7WNP3s/s1600/20190408_181919.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGy_Z_6B0zp-q8JZ7dhPczhYBH3mddkufe_J4Tr8giPbJsPQLx4bqssW8GCKgaHvk26FbFf6rtZfrkggFAU-IbSTKOnKpEhjtYamGrd6Hx7xIa-3QgzF0b-P6S8m_sgI6zikrk7WNP3s/s320/20190408_181919.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhopntyke8_3YBxv7FKb6keB43vOuk6mUv9oE9j3WLsORbWM8ZVmEancGVKAOY-skBQR1Wkjm_-bAsiVtcJznBm9tfOew3ef4ue8V1jeIUcKq8pRJ9DTSTtFvJIZdjVcPhTRdlo_FFDqks/s1600/20190408_182036.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhopntyke8_3YBxv7FKb6keB43vOuk6mUv9oE9j3WLsORbWM8ZVmEancGVKAOY-skBQR1Wkjm_-bAsiVtcJznBm9tfOew3ef4ue8V1jeIUcKq8pRJ9DTSTtFvJIZdjVcPhTRdlo_FFDqks/s320/20190408_182036.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Over the years we came up with a few different thoughts and ideas as to what to do with the shed. We loved it as an old agricultural structure, and we considered putting the roof back on, shoring it up, re-building it, turning it into an indoor gym area, and various other ideas.</div><div><br /></div><div>In recent months we noticed that the uprights were no longer entirely upright and a bit of a lean had developed on the whole structure and we realised that we would need to do something with it soon if we were to keep it standing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then, one morning a few weeks ago, Stuart said "OH! look!" and I looked and said "What?", completely mystified as to what he was trying to show me... until a few seconds later my brain clicked in and I registered that where once had stood the skeleton of the sh*t shed, there was now an empty space.</div><div><br /></div><div>Peering over the edge of the garden fence we saw the sad collapsed heap of the old shed. It had finally succumbed to gravity and the elements and had quietly slid down the hill.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimW2IR0J7bhZgFXxEoblY9roAbR2GfJIT0NzBBEqQAhRqX5AD2aVKaolJ-MXssBraM3oOLtYt_0ij3b64Lk3B9OsMwe3EcSh1s9U70-inCUsOzGzQY-w28ASF3ZjOQvHEQsdI7iy5bp7k/s2048/IMG_20200927_170746.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimW2IR0J7bhZgFXxEoblY9roAbR2GfJIT0NzBBEqQAhRqX5AD2aVKaolJ-MXssBraM3oOLtYt_0ij3b64Lk3B9OsMwe3EcSh1s9U70-inCUsOzGzQY-w28ASF3ZjOQvHEQsdI7iy5bp7k/s320/IMG_20200927_170746.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something's missing!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFUIZ_fcQQZHm0b5nmnmoPXV6_K3LCDpDOeuFYkJ8-qpEpCg_bDZp2q4a2zN3dXXkXPWt3dKRgN4pA1r1lscP49Ehc5cXTqdvwD5Nqx1RrSIj0H2K-3DX-6952A3owv4cp0jyI4eBnoQ/s2048/IMG_20200927_170757.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFUIZ_fcQQZHm0b5nmnmoPXV6_K3LCDpDOeuFYkJ8-qpEpCg_bDZp2q4a2zN3dXXkXPWt3dKRgN4pA1r1lscP49Ehc5cXTqdvwD5Nqx1RrSIj0H2K-3DX-6952A3owv4cp0jyI4eBnoQ/s320/IMG_20200927_170757.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A different view.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYwCJcHLU-T2uTf8JOpa4KLNb8PuonxjzaNBup9utD0ut3MHtCZVnepLDRYCacNWMBava9ojnOKTO7nEXiE780gneSAsfh5ZTLQr57Zl83r7bPtZi05dEm_1eKnZ5Ll6cWwX9GzrmVNQ/s2048/IMG_20200927_170814.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYwCJcHLU-T2uTf8JOpa4KLNb8PuonxjzaNBup9utD0ut3MHtCZVnepLDRYCacNWMBava9ojnOKTO7nEXiE780gneSAsfh5ZTLQr57Zl83r7bPtZi05dEm_1eKnZ5Ll6cWwX9GzrmVNQ/s320/IMG_20200927_170814.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sad heap.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We were saddened by the loss of the shed, but Stuart had already begun thinking of how we could re-purpose it to give at least the sturdier elements of it a new lease of life in a completely different form. So, chainsaw in hand, I began cutting free the flat beams and we began constructing a form of raised bed at the edge of the lawn (just outside the fencing), using the beams - held in place between pieces of rebar - as edging. We then added some wire fencing to the top of the edging (in an attempt to keep wildlife out), planted the cypress tree that Dean & Gavin had bought us back in August(!), re-sited the bird feeder to the new bed, then mulched the entire area with wood chippings.</div><div><br /></div><div>And now, the view from the garden looks like this:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAP6seeMAELIExjHJVLaVXe01AW37Pic45ZaKMwqb3epzyDWojOILH0A5laQimSE_-2v00bMMYuHbP6pv6lnYWZv1aXqziNTF7Is2Vrb-O-TdD6dpTniZh__3cNQ6TyHK2MkTHX08ywjY/s2048/IMG_20201125_120254.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAP6seeMAELIExjHJVLaVXe01AW37Pic45ZaKMwqb3epzyDWojOILH0A5laQimSE_-2v00bMMYuHbP6pv6lnYWZv1aXqziNTF7Is2Vrb-O-TdD6dpTniZh__3cNQ6TyHK2MkTHX08ywjY/s320/IMG_20201125_120254.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5qcWn7aKhsgG83akaAaEFBa3wYnPCBv7vuaEZAKw6KRQnP0VL-iWZf7tYtCmEokph-KxhMS8WJN_wMTiSLFaT8o1RH_i6ceXDk9jRSgLIrFAShBJbgOhVyXv04S1FvEYxeNhJMsNDxg/s2048/IMG_20201125_120307.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5qcWn7aKhsgG83akaAaEFBa3wYnPCBv7vuaEZAKw6KRQnP0VL-iWZf7tYtCmEokph-KxhMS8WJN_wMTiSLFaT8o1RH_i6ceXDk9jRSgLIrFAShBJbgOhVyXv04S1FvEYxeNhJMsNDxg/s320/IMG_20201125_120307.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkp1jwGXppLtiCyQIL_mQOr4XgGO5tugyGh3SZ998bpvC8OEqeGlHEcH0szruCKlnzWV8SPivccZ1zhMtMmAffWIFc-yA_V96xzf3eJf2r2VKgp9cGVC3xVTJcXcCPiePpgYVdopePAc/s2048/IMG_20201125_120317.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkp1jwGXppLtiCyQIL_mQOr4XgGO5tugyGh3SZ998bpvC8OEqeGlHEcH0szruCKlnzWV8SPivccZ1zhMtMmAffWIFc-yA_V96xzf3eJf2r2VKgp9cGVC3xVTJcXcCPiePpgYVdopePAc/s320/IMG_20201125_120317.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>There still remains the large part of the shed in, shall we say, "flat pack" form, halfway down the hillside. We intend to rescue it all and sort through the pieces, keeping aside the sturdy beams to be used in future projects (let us know if you have any ideas!), while those in more of a sorry state will be added to the winter wood pile. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, a bit of a sad tale, but the sh*t shed lives on, just in a different form and different location(s). </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-3026320317613261172020-11-13T11:26:00.002+01:002020-11-13T12:08:14.366+01:00Things that go bump in the night<p>One Saturday morning a few weeks ago, I got up, I did my regular daily exercise routine, I went back to the house to collect Reggie and my coat, and we set off on our daily walking route - up to the top of the terraces behind the house, cutting through the woods to join the top of the upper donkey track, then dropping down onto the drive.</p><p>As I walked, Reggie ran on ahead of me and I pondered the day ahead, I was planning to try to finish off the strimming of the upper terraces (cutting the grass to make the upcoming olive harvest easier, as well as it being the last grass cut of the year).</p><p>As I descended the donkey track Reggie, who was by now way ahead of me on the drive, broke into a volley of angry barking. I assumed (as is often the case) that he had reached the gate and found a car parked up on the tarmac outside (and very often with an Italian, er, <i>gentleman </i>relieving himself next to the car). I quickened my pace to go and make a half-hearted attempt at telling him to be quiet (in fact, we usually secretly praise him for barking at people having wee-stops at our gate).</p><p>As I got to the bottom of the donkey track to join the drive, something didn't quite look right, and the barking wasn't coming from the gate, but closer to me. As my brain whirred and computed the images I was seeing, I realised that we had a bit of a problem. Reggie was outraged not at someone having stopped near our gates, but at something else that shouldn't be there: an enormous chestnut tree that was now lying across the driveway and completely blocking all access to or from the end of the drive.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwby7z6Ni6lJwJ-Q1_Vdq0rIUdvIFxY5CFM2T3BFwoA8YIleGwi7wwos5bflpe_ld5_f1C-kZ3tjl9p97SlIhKQwLwb6sh1Yqdg7RObXysF5K_rFCB61KkLBkrjaCgrBPJU2nPEdfYpGY/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-17+at+10.23.05.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwby7z6Ni6lJwJ-Q1_Vdq0rIUdvIFxY5CFM2T3BFwoA8YIleGwi7wwos5bflpe_ld5_f1C-kZ3tjl9p97SlIhKQwLwb6sh1Yqdg7RObXysF5K_rFCB61KkLBkrjaCgrBPJU2nPEdfYpGY/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-17+at+10.23.05.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WbArbRDjg7JlfUTczq1-2osqAgWGQCVoGbYQ4yP_2p2WmSZrpBz0ZwQg3ZcuHfZEVqiZ9dB2JNJjPnVtwtKUoVTJovH_r04ppqbT6AUZnCbU_5L76PvqQYVb_313bHDpIY36IBzBMXA/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-17+at+10.23.06%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WbArbRDjg7JlfUTczq1-2osqAgWGQCVoGbYQ4yP_2p2WmSZrpBz0ZwQg3ZcuHfZEVqiZ9dB2JNJjPnVtwtKUoVTJovH_r04ppqbT6AUZnCbU_5L76PvqQYVb_313bHDpIY36IBzBMXA/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-17+at+10.23.06%25281%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnEMnT9ccYfr7725FPhQ4kIwOrpln2Dztdno007c1Pi2HQiFtv0_Z1C-8ahuJ8fKJUg2CZ_sqXVEMh3nzWtUgMPczhAJeUAORDLHQ1jch-lnvw_4LBOu1uqTrSJXv55kmF7YjwQhjx2A/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-17+at+10.23.06%25282%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnEMnT9ccYfr7725FPhQ4kIwOrpln2Dztdno007c1Pi2HQiFtv0_Z1C-8ahuJ8fKJUg2CZ_sqXVEMh3nzWtUgMPczhAJeUAORDLHQ1jch-lnvw_4LBOu1uqTrSJXv55kmF7YjwQhjx2A/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-17+at+10.23.06%25282%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZhGUEg_BiLH7wHcWuBGKIeGOcsu1Nbe_-jkL9ctmP_awJSSE96Gpy6MTn9Wur4_Pvw8n4icVYm0VY1ZnZEAgsnP-SI31EBcIMnSslT13BzloZi_s2txTCXz8iwQHXU0OcC0Nhsosv-A/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-17+at+10.23.06%25283%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZhGUEg_BiLH7wHcWuBGKIeGOcsu1Nbe_-jkL9ctmP_awJSSE96Gpy6MTn9Wur4_Pvw8n4icVYm0VY1ZnZEAgsnP-SI31EBcIMnSslT13BzloZi_s2txTCXz8iwQHXU0OcC0Nhsosv-A/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-17+at+10.23.06%25283%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpR1JB1thrWeRBx1var2yqDUaGSWNS1ddBAhPrGBbTBbJ_ZlmLidiZ7sjXGCiqF0hHrln-aDRCUnkuEGGi34qww8ZM0o0wjlfb1-HJtO_19h7F0scnl5bI023i7h9E5vcBgsfyDCGMf4/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-17+at+10.23.06%25284%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpR1JB1thrWeRBx1var2yqDUaGSWNS1ddBAhPrGBbTBbJ_ZlmLidiZ7sjXGCiqF0hHrln-aDRCUnkuEGGi34qww8ZM0o0wjlfb1-HJtO_19h7F0scnl5bI023i7h9E5vcBgsfyDCGMf4/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-17+at+10.23.06%25284%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1O_Bl5lQmPFvrKsc4dpsPstv6ev8EXYNmqyectaWglAztD5JoiZmpndrzkmfL1QFGCq5fhhSy5fLdhqUA01maql-DtUS5KZG-rTfDA39Ku7-zSpI35Z839B8uvmx26Wd39iDOBpYJdM/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-17+at+10.23.06.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1O_Bl5lQmPFvrKsc4dpsPstv6ev8EXYNmqyectaWglAztD5JoiZmpndrzkmfL1QFGCq5fhhSy5fLdhqUA01maql-DtUS5KZG-rTfDA39Ku7-zSpI35Z839B8uvmx26Wd39iDOBpYJdM/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-17+at+10.23.06.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, that was the end of my strimming plans!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Reggie and I hurried back to the house. Knowing that our friends Paul & Kathy are often out and about on a Saturday morning and that, like us, they also pick up a weekly bread order at Amanda's local shop in the village, I quickly sent a message to them to ask if they would mind collecting our bread and dropping it off for us as we wouldn't be able to get out to go and collect it ourselves. I sent them a photo to explain the situation we had found ourselves in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I then went to deliver the news to Stuart, who was only just coming round from sleep - and in the space of 5 minutes of opening his eyes I had blurted out "we've got a problem", our friend Jude had messaged him to say "we just drove past your house, did you know that there's a huge tree down, next to your gate?", and Paul & Kathy had messaged to say "we're coming to help!".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Stuart got up and while we were still sipping the first coffee of the day and shovelling pieces of toast into our mouths the gate buzzer rang to announce the arrival of the cavalry in the form of Paul & Kathy equipped with gloves and chainsaws. Since they couldn't easily get past the tree, they turned down the offer of a coffee and instead set straight to work, so by the time Stuart, Reggie and I had walked to the end of the drive to join them we were greeted by the noise of Paul's chainsaw, while Kathy was busy clearing away the large branches and stacking the logs Paul had cut.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We quickly got to work with them, and after just a couple of hours, between the four of us we had managed to clear the drive, pile up all the loose branches and stack up all the logs. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Teamwork certainly does make the dream work!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_t32bZO2NObuiTgCfaYwrkQ0-xtzxkKJASzFhLhCCqp9n56tbIFZx5D-0EuioFsTTNpzJ_JjnVjahJ4NOCw_UdOfJjl1mi2rbz8NSW7GrOnmpsHy_YRD0tpiKxzETiyMdcpV5Oqufoc/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-17+at+12.16.09.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_t32bZO2NObuiTgCfaYwrkQ0-xtzxkKJASzFhLhCCqp9n56tbIFZx5D-0EuioFsTTNpzJ_JjnVjahJ4NOCw_UdOfJjl1mi2rbz8NSW7GrOnmpsHy_YRD0tpiKxzETiyMdcpV5Oqufoc/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-17+at+12.16.09.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbg02wTB1ZLa_fFCTyXIfqFqVz4AiDCcPFjlrp_B8s7jx5DdBglz4y2DP4btGzK0NPr1ubwb9Zf91mkwvg28MS9pqe2avL04uezI4Q7d3XSHknldvDFqif8F2tUokumEQUzuI9v_P7yLk/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-17+at+12.16.17.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbg02wTB1ZLa_fFCTyXIfqFqVz4AiDCcPFjlrp_B8s7jx5DdBglz4y2DP4btGzK0NPr1ubwb9Zf91mkwvg28MS9pqe2avL04uezI4Q7d3XSHknldvDFqif8F2tUokumEQUzuI9v_P7yLk/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-17+at+12.16.17.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Superstars Paul and Kathy had to rush off to go and help some other friends out (this time with taking their olive harvest to the mill), so we weren't able to thank them for their efforts by providing them with lunch, but they did stay for a coffee once we had managed to clear the drive, and we were joined by Jude and Carl (who live a little further up the road from us), who had been the ones to send the concerned message earlier in the day and, on their return had seen us and Paul & Kathy just finishing the clear-up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once everyone had departed, we were left with some more clearing up to do, but without the pressure of needing to get the driveway clear we were able to work at a comfortable pace.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Amazingly, the tree that fell was one that Stuart had had his eye on for quite a while - he had identified it as being one that could potentially cause a lot of damage should it fall, and thus had mentally noted it and planned to fell it at the earliest possible opportunity. As it turned out, the tree did the job for us, and it couldn't have come down in a better position (indeed, Stuart acknowledges that even if he had felled it, it would have been unlikely that it would have come down in such a perfect position). Most importantly, it missed the gate and didn't do any damage to the driveway itself, and it also somehow managed to miss falling on the little three-wheel cultivator that stands just inside the gate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The tree didn't appear to be dead or rotten in any way - it seems it just got a bit top heavy, and uprooted itself in the soil that had become very soft due to a lot of recent rain. Thus we had been "gifted" an entire chestnut tree's worth of firewood for next winter. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The whole experience left us feel very fortunate, for the friends who are willing to jump to the rescue (and we know other friends would also have done the same), as well as for the lack of damage, the ticking off of a job on the to-do list (without having to do it) <i>and </i>the addition of firewood to our pile!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lXVBObdNEZdKMVCN9m7OYnURpSgcSB5ZX4S0ueQJruQZpQ_-qQou46MSi_4-bitsSvhSPKKzKYE79DJUF6rxpxfsJhUVbQw4B1ClWkUVCukPD9ZnASw4IJ_7txcjNEPBnyPwgd_uvxo/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-18+at+10.02.03.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lXVBObdNEZdKMVCN9m7OYnURpSgcSB5ZX4S0ueQJruQZpQ_-qQou46MSi_4-bitsSvhSPKKzKYE79DJUF6rxpxfsJhUVbQw4B1ClWkUVCukPD9ZnASw4IJ_7txcjNEPBnyPwgd_uvxo/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-18+at+10.02.03.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All that remains of the tree.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1ljxkCpS8pQzEeDnm3ZXR6jIOQWZK_lJ7U7KJds5aQt0Vmk8N50Kqb8HzaMcPFMmtMfxUk68fcoKlw4KQ_qlw1ZiyrdmQKEDKt6VOYXl2W-E462ul310hMQkP-8blAtYUceOmaZDnXo/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-18+at+10.02.03%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1ljxkCpS8pQzEeDnm3ZXR6jIOQWZK_lJ7U7KJds5aQt0Vmk8N50Kqb8HzaMcPFMmtMfxUk68fcoKlw4KQ_qlw1ZiyrdmQKEDKt6VOYXl2W-E462ul310hMQkP-8blAtYUceOmaZDnXo/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-18+at+10.02.03%25281%2529.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After counting the growth rings, we reckoned the tree was around 45-50 years old - about the same age as us! </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-61275931137822301162020-11-12T14:18:00.000+01:002020-11-12T14:18:28.863+01:00Three giant pumpkins and not a golden carriage in sight<p>Earlier in the spring, we emptied one of our compost bays and used the contents to fill the new veg bed that we had just erected. A couple of weeks later, two little shoots came up from the compost, looking like something from the squash/pumpkin family. </p><p>Stuart transplanted them into the newly created raised terraces and we waited to see what they would turn into.</p><p>Well, they grew, they spread across the entirety of the terrace (and then some), and then they produced some fruit. Which grew, and grew, and grew. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKPRSwjZ6OeAmrYbdhNBu1_iF1w21KSpNyWq9CY7L2VKPcqCr2R3QJIhFT_9YOoCAYHbrnOmqCpFpswuHCSckzervBvj7UWGO2YCYfs0DbDq0VmEK2TewC0G77JuihlhLMLvIrNJ48KQ/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-08-08+at+18.42.45.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKPRSwjZ6OeAmrYbdhNBu1_iF1w21KSpNyWq9CY7L2VKPcqCr2R3QJIhFT_9YOoCAYHbrnOmqCpFpswuHCSckzervBvj7UWGO2YCYfs0DbDq0VmEK2TewC0G77JuihlhLMLvIrNJ48KQ/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-08-08+at+18.42.45.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Eventually, we were left with three monster pumpkins (actually with four, but the fourth was a smaller monster than the other three).</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOF0fakjS9sjlt1TZ-IQMp_F2Og4iTPcj4fffzT6uhKoT85lpoTl9jbEhrXraEZWY-a-RIrJw8L6teTjRv_IpaVyufVHk9cxrvsaH01vCsfEnWhDa1EDsCXgDYvHa_P8vGVPUsl8w8fUA/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-25+at+12.04.08%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOF0fakjS9sjlt1TZ-IQMp_F2Og4iTPcj4fffzT6uhKoT85lpoTl9jbEhrXraEZWY-a-RIrJw8L6teTjRv_IpaVyufVHk9cxrvsaH01vCsfEnWhDa1EDsCXgDYvHa_P8vGVPUsl8w8fUA/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-25+at+12.04.08%25281%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDAE7uHs6BpJLHGjuaQhphLcdAPJE9ISSqn7YYoZ6UQJSQIr5kJ6L2GgmLjjv_08TNXncxejHTZ8W-aF4vipsU20NgD7T_Hi_pTEGrAyCtvs_SGzMOLR-sIXTRm2x4-7GiFyPst6TJlk/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-25+at+12.04.08%25282%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDAE7uHs6BpJLHGjuaQhphLcdAPJE9ISSqn7YYoZ6UQJSQIr5kJ6L2GgmLjjv_08TNXncxejHTZ8W-aF4vipsU20NgD7T_Hi_pTEGrAyCtvs_SGzMOLR-sIXTRm2x4-7GiFyPst6TJlk/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-25+at+12.04.08%25282%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifAmZKn6c0v95x3ZEJfbkJxHU0Y4wh11tMscHUNu7mnRCoCcEEPOomYG_OlIvobL3eARX_pgjQVqJKNmVigcYrpc6Bmd2eexXMvWXaxOmVYfGdPdPXGjkFwjMyIZUspen-jW-A7WkWAFY/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-25+at+12.04.08.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifAmZKn6c0v95x3ZEJfbkJxHU0Y4wh11tMscHUNu7mnRCoCcEEPOomYG_OlIvobL3eARX_pgjQVqJKNmVigcYrpc6Bmd2eexXMvWXaxOmVYfGdPdPXGjkFwjMyIZUspen-jW-A7WkWAFY/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-25+at+12.04.08.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div>Now, we all know the story of Cinderella, her fairy godmother and the pumpkin that was turned into a golden carriage. To remind ourselves, the Ladybird Easy-Reading book (hat tip to our friend Marie for sending us this excerpt) recounts: <i>"First, I want you to go into the garden and bring me the biggest pumpkin you can find," said the fairy godmother... </i><span style="text-align: center;"><i>She picked the biggest pumpkin she could find and took it to her fairy godmother."</i></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidULN6uFE0IX0yEsQTlzquZ_IqSRri-9RUbsUIP8QXzP_tQi_3xEsjxgvJzWq9PUUvhCkwGCplVXoDVRBPoXn6CD1cY36txMm7tlw1yILry7RrVANWiW9OTIFbOZ1I0IguVe2IfR-lWYA/s2048/122720934_2004534609853963_7461214064683700267_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidULN6uFE0IX0yEsQTlzquZ_IqSRri-9RUbsUIP8QXzP_tQi_3xEsjxgvJzWq9PUUvhCkwGCplVXoDVRBPoXn6CD1cY36txMm7tlw1yILry7RrVANWiW9OTIFbOZ1I0IguVe2IfR-lWYA/s320/122720934_2004534609853963_7461214064683700267_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She picked the biggest pumpkin she could find and took it to her fairy godmother.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I'm sorry to say (sorry Ladybird books) that there are two main things wrong with this imagery. </div><div><br /></div><div>1. Cinderella is running.</div><div><br /></div><div>The giant pumpkins that grew in our garden were <i>so</i> enormous and <i>so heavy</i> that even between two of us we couldn't carry a single one back to the house, let alone run while carrying one. (We reckoned they averaged about 40kg each.)</div><div><br /></div><div>2. Cinderella is smiling.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had to resort to cutting our giant pumpkins into halves in situ in the veg garden, and then struggling back up the hill carrying just a half piece each. There was certainly no smiling going on even when carrying just a half piece (each of which weighed in at around 20kg). Grimacing, yes. Smiling, no.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGh-6j5jl_5IiVlQ7K1xWLw0l4NRrr6rSxGcvMg3efoqkaa0Os1-kTXltu4qYko37LXFED_eBAMRUsQBy1HQdOm-aLT6CzTP7TndzdUOtWpatrYtud4KfmAaVFdkLN3cHySS6BKbuo6i4/s960/122717027_10157801430306658_7701054162196380549_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGh-6j5jl_5IiVlQ7K1xWLw0l4NRrr6rSxGcvMg3efoqkaa0Os1-kTXltu4qYko37LXFED_eBAMRUsQBy1HQdOm-aLT6CzTP7TndzdUOtWpatrYtud4KfmAaVFdkLN3cHySS6BKbuo6i4/s320/122717027_10157801430306658_7701054162196380549_o.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the half pieces were a struggle to carry.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After much huffing and puffing and straining and struggling, we managed to get all three monsters back up to the house (in pieces) and just about managed to find enough space to lay them out across all available kitchen surfaces.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyYV4qHYIvrifT5iE7HYv8VvYiXPcbwYerkpZmq2iLLQad18PBa_YkkM8CWLQ7F8TZs2HC45scwihuJJickocPX16KmQE3gVBLGt37E5MxLIbOQuxXb2N0LbUR4_9F33mVLYx6u0E-A1w/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-25+at+14.54.05.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyYV4qHYIvrifT5iE7HYv8VvYiXPcbwYerkpZmq2iLLQad18PBa_YkkM8CWLQ7F8TZs2HC45scwihuJJickocPX16KmQE3gVBLGt37E5MxLIbOQuxXb2N0LbUR4_9F33mVLYx6u0E-A1w/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-25+at+14.54.05.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD38TbmTEHqIi8n_0dShTtWnXtDp_4ytibJOpm65V_3esvf4gzVEeZXtQkdfo37gnUf72of151Jy0po6Mzf6U8AZCG0AeIHE5cI4r3FuSxiiC5iOZvwoUapY7PMaYT0-qbMM2yjY-_-y0/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-25+at+14.54.10.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD38TbmTEHqIi8n_0dShTtWnXtDp_4ytibJOpm65V_3esvf4gzVEeZXtQkdfo37gnUf72of151Jy0po6Mzf6U8AZCG0AeIHE5cI4r3FuSxiiC5iOZvwoUapY7PMaYT0-qbMM2yjY-_-y0/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-25+at+14.54.10.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We then set about prepping them for the freezer. Under normal circumstances, with a normal sized pumpkin (or squash), we would store it whole in our utility room until we wanted to use it - in the past we've kept squashes for over a year like that, still perfectly usable and tasty a year later. However, thanks to the having-to-cut-them-in-half-in-order-to-carry-them issue, we were faced with needing to preserve them in some way, and cutting them up and bagging them up for the freezer was the only real option. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Three hours later, we had managed to scoop out and dice just two of the enormous beasts, and we had bagged up over 50kg of pumpkin flesh and filled every last millimetre of freezer space. Poor Reggie was going to have to wait some time before we managed to order him another bulk delivery of his raw food and we joked that he might have to settle for eating pumpkin for the next 3 months. As if to prove a point, while we sat and prepped, Reggie sat at the end of the kitchen table and drooled on the floor, and begged for pumpkin scraps. So it appears he does actually like pumpkin, which we duly noted for future information!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61adBpO_Cb270rKxEbMm8m0XrDJv5dzpcAzN3Dxmzo9T7rZALxRWnCvGNhtGI5o_WXHD09wAbjEYPz3jn8_ULEMBXJNRcMpvEZ0K8fqXDeJh63o-k1jbcix93ZFLJ-LrYEZsTb4e4C9E/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-25+at+17.03.27.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61adBpO_Cb270rKxEbMm8m0XrDJv5dzpcAzN3Dxmzo9T7rZALxRWnCvGNhtGI5o_WXHD09wAbjEYPz3jn8_ULEMBXJNRcMpvEZ0K8fqXDeJh63o-k1jbcix93ZFLJ-LrYEZsTb4e4C9E/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-25+at+17.03.27.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>With no more freezer space available, we decided to offer the last of the monster pumpkins to our friend Amanda, and were relived that she accepted it - although she was somewhat taken aback when she saw the size of it!</div><div><br /></div><div>It will come as little surprise that we ate pumpkin soup for three days in a row the following week, and then made more pumpkin soup to feed to our friends when they came to help us with our olive harvest (slowly, slowly, Reggie is regaining a bit of space in the freezer for his food!). Unfortunately after being frozen the pumpkin flesh isn't up to using in whole pieces, but it is excellent for soups and purees.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our recipe for spicy pumpkin soup is as follows:</div><div><br /></div><div>1.5kg pumpkin, cubed</div><div>1 large onion, chopped</div><div>1 large potato, cubed</div><div>1 stock cube</div><div>2 apples</div><div><div>A teaspoon of fenugreek</div><div>A pinch of chilli powder (or more, depending on how spicy you like it)</div></div><div>Salt & pepper</div><div><br /></div><div>Soften onion in a large pan, then add all the other ingredients and cook it down. Once it has all cooked down, use a hand blender to blend it into a thick, nourishing soup.</div><div><br /><br /><p><br /></p></div></div></div>The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-43774313225031054992020-11-06T13:13:00.000+01:002020-11-06T13:13:57.377+01:00Chestnut preserving<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">October is harvest time for sweet chestnuts and for us, living surrounded by a sweet chestnut wood, they are not in short supply.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The sweet chestnut has an important role in the history of our area. In the absence of wheat/cereal crops (which wouldn't have grown up in the hills), chestnuts were ground to make flour and were a staple food - so much so that they became known as <i>il pane dei poveri </i>- poor man's bread.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sweet chestnut trees would have populated most of the mountain areas, up to about 900m, and in autumn they were collected, before being dried and eventually ground into flour.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can still find the small chestnut houses (<i>metati</i>) all around our region - usually adjacent to the house itself (indeed, we <i>think</i> that the sort of agricultural extension that once stood to the end of our house would have been a metato). In these buildings there would be a mezzanine floor, on which the chestnuts would be laid out, then a fire would be lit on the floor below, which would be kept burning for around 40 days in order to slowly dry the chestnuts. At the end of the drying period the chestnuts would be beaten by the hammers of a special machine, which separated the chestnuts from their shells. The chestnuts would then be sent to be milled into flour, while the shells would be stored until the following year and used to feed the fire.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course, with such a strong tradition of chestnuts here, there are plenty of different ways in which they are eaten, some of which include: <i>castagnaccio </i>(a sort of cake, made with chestnut flour and water, with optional raisins, pine nuts and rosemary), <i>necci </i>(pancakes made with chestnut flour and eaten with either sweet (ricotta, Nutella) or savoury (cured meats, sausage) fillings), <i>fritelle </i>(a type of sweet fried doughnut made with chestnut flour and sometimes pine nuts and raisins), or simply roasted over coals (<i>frugiate</i>) or boiled, often with wild fennel (<i>ballotte</i>).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are plenty of traditions and celebrations that surround the chestnut picking and eating season - our neighbouring village of Vellano usually plays host to a chestnut festival, or sagra, in early October, at which you can buy and eat chestnuts in almost any form imaginable. Sadly, of course, this year things have been very different and the festival was not able to go ahead.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That didn't stop the locals foraging for chestnuts - over a two to three week period in the autumn every year it's common to find cars parked at the side of the road and families out with thick gloves (if you've ever tried to pick up a chestnut that's still in its spiky outer casing you will understand why) and carrier bags, collecting chestnuts from the trees at the side of the road.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For us, we don't need to go very far at all. Our 12 acres of land includes around 8 acres of woodland, a large part of which is chestnut. Even a short walk from the house to the gate can yield more chestnuts than will fit in our pockets! This year we were struck by the very generous size of many of the chestnuts on our land, in particular those from a tree growing on one of our upper terraces. We could easily have collected sackloads, but since we didn't have grand plans for making chestnut flour or selling chestnuts and only intended to collect for our own consumption, we settled for just filling a bucket.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2QU7L9WDVaW42bqC6fQf4baww0uD3SPf1RVuub5UWZr0g072_h00d_6y906hyVf3mI09rqcAjWdpkGRbxbW9AlJoTzqepH4nlecSHv6xkZON2-FNpZTi5Q4j1CDWjmMqjDRCv-WE2PM/s2048/IMG_20201016_142503.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2QU7L9WDVaW42bqC6fQf4baww0uD3SPf1RVuub5UWZr0g072_h00d_6y906hyVf3mI09rqcAjWdpkGRbxbW9AlJoTzqepH4nlecSHv6xkZON2-FNpZTi5Q4j1CDWjmMqjDRCv-WE2PM/s320/IMG_20201016_142503.jpg" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh514TrMFj9ZykNJgI5ZV2lm61waR0YiReZlp9MKor0YYRWgGP9eBwHpWfZpIT684NcNrQRTokvR1YgeRv9HkiZeA5VU-FjilRIcL_UwmFGYxUSSRjeBWq832yREJffrc4ifsn8J1skj1o/s2048/IMG_20201016_142529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh514TrMFj9ZykNJgI5ZV2lm61waR0YiReZlp9MKor0YYRWgGP9eBwHpWfZpIT684NcNrQRTokvR1YgeRv9HkiZeA5VU-FjilRIcL_UwmFGYxUSSRjeBWq832yREJffrc4ifsn8J1skj1o/s320/IMG_20201016_142529.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This year's crop included some whoppers.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One perhaps slightly less traditional recipe that we stumbled across (certainly more luxurious than would have been the norm for peasant farmers of days gone by) was for chestnuts preserved in rum and honey. We were suitably intrigued and so set about gathering the necessary ingredients. Honey we have plenty of, thanks to the arrangement we have with our beekeeper friend who brings his hives to our property for the acacia flowering season and gives us jars of honey in return. So it was just rum and sugar that we needed to buy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The process starts with making an incision in the skins of the chestnuts (for which we found a handy device at the supermarket) then boiling them for 10-15 minutes. After that, you simply peel them. Ha! Peeling chestnuts is well and truly a labour of love. Thankfully it is quite meditative and slightly addictive - if it had been any less enjoyable we might have been in danger of throwing the whole lot away! We worked out that it took us 2-3 hours to peel just enough chestnuts for one jar. And we had planned to fill 12 jars!</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-y222LkhsTVdfDcF9qUH488XPecqy6ySW66zNQljbN7ExSwAk7GKTEBT-b_zc17VovDFSIkgGgsv7QfEfRX7FgTkzsTGfDKTRbic6orH7-q2nfaNo2SdEG-s2nl5F5dqbwm33ikB1wKo/s2048/IMG_20201027_173603.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-y222LkhsTVdfDcF9qUH488XPecqy6ySW66zNQljbN7ExSwAk7GKTEBT-b_zc17VovDFSIkgGgsv7QfEfRX7FgTkzsTGfDKTRbic6orH7-q2nfaNo2SdEG-s2nl5F5dqbwm33ikB1wKo/s320/IMG_20201027_173603.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A labour of love.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhJR-4hLJQ_qa-XH_3wpF8UXdCbjmpODygNk3tefsRc9mL04lf1QCBUonarR6ViMDliA5N0AQI1oK9OHP_LGWpIeuUMJ228yvg9EF1ok_dt1KEwqmvK2JOaXr7v6zgx7IoVQe7IAgXII/s2048/123047080_10157811958301658_507511688468377065_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhJR-4hLJQ_qa-XH_3wpF8UXdCbjmpODygNk3tefsRc9mL04lf1QCBUonarR6ViMDliA5N0AQI1oK9OHP_LGWpIeuUMJ228yvg9EF1ok_dt1KEwqmvK2JOaXr7v6zgx7IoVQe7IAgXII/s320/123047080_10157811958301658_507511688468377065_o.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tradition of eating chestnuts is so strong here that the supermarkets sell specialised devices for making incisions in the skins.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once the chestnuts have been painstakingly peeled, you heat sugar with a little water in a pan, before adding honey, and finally the rum. You then pour the liquid over the chestnuts in the (sterilised) jar, put the lids on and then place them in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes - to create the vacuum seal on the jars. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyUW5XOyk0LqDMQrmCe0J_i3shaEKzUnIUE0egZnzLPiqGFPfe6wf4gRHygAbxmVtfSz0etg-h05u0Pz3-jx3icqH2FVQNo2XF3ZphFyriOG89RVc1AsVzkcpt_RPIZInyPXfebFnvUg/s2048/123012806_10157811958946658_2202571672205722687_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyUW5XOyk0LqDMQrmCe0J_i3shaEKzUnIUE0egZnzLPiqGFPfe6wf4gRHygAbxmVtfSz0etg-h05u0Pz3-jx3icqH2FVQNo2XF3ZphFyriOG89RVc1AsVzkcpt_RPIZInyPXfebFnvUg/s320/123012806_10157811958946658_2202571672205722687_o.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The recipe states that you should then leave the chestnuts at room temperature for 15 days before trying them. So, we await to taste the result! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We calculated that for the number of hours of labour it took to peel the chestnuts, each jar is worth around €35-40!!! With that in mind, we hope they pass the taste test!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7GnDyKyZdlCm4ykAWWXhi1NqTSaf8diRtK-sF78ITFdyoCyBiR-43wy6XXekp4JLBvGMKzRkaeClACYDSZyS4in-9dTqE5hZe6IomicwppLhDLtKGvhXY4Ztv4e5NOA6wuHdIDDTpaY/s2048/123024228_10157811959546658_1891844952998194088_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7GnDyKyZdlCm4ykAWWXhi1NqTSaf8diRtK-sF78ITFdyoCyBiR-43wy6XXekp4JLBvGMKzRkaeClACYDSZyS4in-9dTqE5hZe6IomicwppLhDLtKGvhXY4Ztv4e5NOA6wuHdIDDTpaY/s320/123024228_10157811959546658_1891844952998194088_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><br /><p></p>The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-2434478660459592632020-11-05T13:11:00.002+01:002020-11-05T16:40:39.701+01:00Olive harvest 2020<p>In Tuscany, the tradition of harvesting olives begins in late October/early November and usually continues until mid-December, some people (although these days a minority) even holding out until January.</p><p>Although our olive trees are what you might call 'productively challenged' (of all the people we know our trees are the smallest, weakest, least productive), we were keen to do a harvest this year.</p><p>When we arrived here at our property 6 years ago our olive trees were all in a pretty sorry state and only three of them bore fruit. The story we have been told is that several (tens of) years ago, someone cut them all down for firewood, and since then the trees have slowly been re-growing (and are therefore very small and spindly compared with many others in the area). In addition to that, there was a very hard winter during the 1980s, which badly affected many of the olive trees in the region - so we guess that it may have been the combination of the hard winter in the 80s with the firewood-obsessed occupant that led our trees to the sorry state in which we found them. Over the last six years we have done our best to give the trees some TLC - clearing the grass and bramble from around them and giving them an annual pruning. We have watched them slowly start to gather strength year on year, and this year there were more trees bearing olives (although not necessarily more than a handful per tree) than ever before since we arrived.</p><p>Last year, there was no olive harvest at all - an olive fly problem caused the fruit to drop from the trees before harvesting could even get started. Very few people locally had a harvest and only the few that had used insecticides had any fruit to pick and press. The olive fly is a species of fruit fly that lays its eggs during the summer (when the olive has reached 7–8 mm in diameter), the female making a puncture in the skin of the olive, and depositing an egg inside. When they hatch, the larvae feed on the flesh of the olive. The population of olive fly (and thus the degree of damage caused) varies from year to year, with various environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, etc. impacting the numbers.</p><p>This year things looked promising - the olive trees were full of their delicate white flowers in the spring, which duly turned into fruits over the course of summer - and, having missed the harvest last year, we wanted to maximise our chances of having <i>some </i>form of harvest this year, so we experimented with spraying our olive trees with kaolin - a basic solution of clay mixed with water (which then dries on the tree) - to protect them from the olive fly. Supposedly the light coating of clay is enough to deter the fly from puncturing the olive to lay her eggs (at least that's the theory).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbqhq4QLkv7gOha3Dls4NmSZsIAAz2biwPVROskw3q7PKw5zOHMEKaW8ABvVPYJ1TXsF3lFa8zFoizejL-n7YbIqngR2_xN34CrWTEFw9IjQKUTJSWQJLmAABQ3JfmqHP23oVx3u4UJU/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-11-02+at+09.02.10%25284%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbqhq4QLkv7gOha3Dls4NmSZsIAAz2biwPVROskw3q7PKw5zOHMEKaW8ABvVPYJ1TXsF3lFa8zFoizejL-n7YbIqngR2_xN34CrWTEFw9IjQKUTJSWQJLmAABQ3JfmqHP23oVx3u4UJU/w240-h299/WhatsApp+Image+2020-11-02+at+09.02.10%25284%2529.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div>In previous years we have combined forces with our friends David & Sarah and done a joint harvest, but this year our calendars didn't quite match up and with our olive trees starting to show signs of dropping fruit, we were keen to get ours picked and pressed as soon as possible, even though it would mean having a very small yield. Stuart booked an appointment at the olive mill and was told that the minimum pressing weight was 250kg of olives. Well, we knew that would be impossible to reach, but we wanted to pick our olives to see how much we had, and we hoped we would be able to sneak in at the mill with a smaller volume that officially allowed.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnI-Lv7hhgAOIwqGmMU28x4CneoTK-XNBUWkmWhR5zKjKEJGzbNpS8sPeT6FgiVpvMbJ8pQPRtLjP6hRYlrN45I1VJQwDiL2LX44w1D5PSs318NBumGKaeLmtMBPNUYHVj_n4OcDuzveE/s1728/123025537_678124543132783_5985291516458554979_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="1296" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnI-Lv7hhgAOIwqGmMU28x4CneoTK-XNBUWkmWhR5zKjKEJGzbNpS8sPeT6FgiVpvMbJ8pQPRtLjP6hRYlrN45I1VJQwDiL2LX44w1D5PSs318NBumGKaeLmtMBPNUYHVj_n4OcDuzveE/s320/123025537_678124543132783_5985291516458554979_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwORpZJw7glgrdRau_hTBQ10eAm_-2EIKxv48bCg5jIgFtskmTEMNhUWOL5G5Azi4GTXAPenJp0W0ZNAuVrMl6cqv08iyk1pI_k1MRal6sqEx_wIWe4qy2Bf5xxuWM5Fjd4IxpuSlxuU/s1728/123138656_362731598268839_3679792231793375918_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="1296" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwORpZJw7glgrdRau_hTBQ10eAm_-2EIKxv48bCg5jIgFtskmTEMNhUWOL5G5Azi4GTXAPenJp0W0ZNAuVrMl6cqv08iyk1pI_k1MRal6sqEx_wIWe4qy2Bf5xxuWM5Fjd4IxpuSlxuU/s320/123138656_362731598268839_3679792231793375918_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMwnaOXwZarncq6JzFc3WbUWmbIg4xeSv8lb2cvpCvpP9dtLyPAa-j7oOZOWwN90UYYD0o4iPTMkx7NPykxoXgFRxwGzLQT1o19iKF5pRicgbL2hYMbd0YKyrkTm1u8EYpTbIl0XtA0Q/s1728/123139884_1699847153506265_1821330806330562597_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="1296" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMwnaOXwZarncq6JzFc3WbUWmbIg4xeSv8lb2cvpCvpP9dtLyPAa-j7oOZOWwN90UYYD0o4iPTMkx7NPykxoXgFRxwGzLQT1o19iKF5pRicgbL2hYMbd0YKyrkTm1u8EYpTbIl0XtA0Q/s320/123139884_1699847153506265_1821330806330562597_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So we started picking on 31 October, our friends Paul & Kathy coming along to help, but leaving Stuart on catering duties due to his injured elbow and hip. The three of us started from the very top of the terraces, carefully seeking out every single olive (and on some of the trees it really was a case of finding a single olive, or maybe 4 or 5 max). With such small yields we picked into upturned umbrellas or straight into the olive crate, there being no need to use nets, and before lunchtime we had reached more than halfway down the terraces towards the house. This was a bit worrying, but picking rate soon slowed down as we reached some of the larger trees that actually had a fairly decent crop, and we even needed to get the nets out.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq39yPTTjWZcfz0Lhy99dqwEwQvhkLbk91wnF3k033ljGJNKlKFVyr4NhedDjsWbyJvs_os5Nmn352UlUhmWiABQ2IALXS2KsClY0cTzB70sqOTrWpH5dlvuRvC1OSha7NsglrCaThbT8/s864/123141611_1701465236682941_7029542969716044794_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="648" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq39yPTTjWZcfz0Lhy99dqwEwQvhkLbk91wnF3k033ljGJNKlKFVyr4NhedDjsWbyJvs_os5Nmn352UlUhmWiABQ2IALXS2KsClY0cTzB70sqOTrWpH5dlvuRvC1OSha7NsglrCaThbT8/s320/123141611_1701465236682941_7029542969716044794_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>It felt as if we were picking lots, so to end the day with just two full crates (~50kg) was a bit of a disappointment - but, reflecting on it later that evening we realised that the first time we picked our olives (back in 2017) we had harvested a <i>total</i> of 50kg, so to have got that amount from the poorer-producing trees, with the bigger yielding trees yet to be started, was actually not so bad after all.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next morning we were joined by Paul, Kathy, Donatella, David and Sarah, and with an army of pickers we quickly stripped the remaining trees - including our star-producer on the lawn - before lunchtime, allowing us to enjoy a leisurely lunch (the catering department (Stuart) had made a delicious spicy pumpkin soup followed by rounds of pizza in the pizza oven).</div><div><br /></div><div>By the end of the day we had a total of just under five full crates, which we calculated left us at around 120kg. I was a little disappointed, having hoped that we would at least reach 150kg, as we had done the last time we picked in 2018 (which was a <i>bumper</i> year for absolutely everybody, so likely that such a high yield two years ago was unrepresentative), but on reflection it was good to have picked all the trees and positive to have had olives on many more trees than previously.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NcyI85FNCqyraDDdKa8iQobJ9-Lo6qJ03YWmIwtghM19NMWUSiXZiZghEjVwLcyibCA1-NXrthqHrVLofnCfsx3ID_IPGVWndtF6TljK_MSC12vS92ZhffgT0ygthBQWGegI5OwAwkc/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-11-02+at+09.02.10.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NcyI85FNCqyraDDdKa8iQobJ9-Lo6qJ03YWmIwtghM19NMWUSiXZiZghEjVwLcyibCA1-NXrthqHrVLofnCfsx3ID_IPGVWndtF6TljK_MSC12vS92ZhffgT0ygthBQWGegI5OwAwkc/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-11-02+at+09.02.10.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All that the numero 182 olive trees could give.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWNky2_LWc3SLYF6RtmV_e09LmQhqVz4ms9obZN9r6TJLA0Q7y4xC4KExJJDjLpxh2ZSqPvwlB3Q0W6wtfe1UaJbjOYiP9TWq55MhK2kju3SPUlSZQNroNq-Wd4s0jfem105Y77R6UUKs/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-11-02+at+09.02.10%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWNky2_LWc3SLYF6RtmV_e09LmQhqVz4ms9obZN9r6TJLA0Q7y4xC4KExJJDjLpxh2ZSqPvwlB3Q0W6wtfe1UaJbjOYiP9TWq55MhK2kju3SPUlSZQNroNq-Wd4s0jfem105Y77R6UUKs/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-11-02+at+09.02.10%25281%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDh_JY7NXWqH_pLfQqw7SEVvN-Ht5OiVPGq7Dwol74IxQcDsO1BFM0ZGwXNPeMqP8utfiNu_3kzH7AUfkMT4dZX0P8wmg3NId8nlrWLrUaRviyDThRKL4Z5kfGbQNeAjBMym0R2Gz48A/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-11-02+at+09.02.10%25282%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDh_JY7NXWqH_pLfQqw7SEVvN-Ht5OiVPGq7Dwol74IxQcDsO1BFM0ZGwXNPeMqP8utfiNu_3kzH7AUfkMT4dZX0P8wmg3NId8nlrWLrUaRviyDThRKL4Z5kfGbQNeAjBMym0R2Gz48A/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-11-02+at+09.02.10%25282%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZMjj8T_m_XtDN0Pgg0FSrn5eMbmHQq6mAOCQyuJzC66kY7btFmI2YkkCRyxRIq9XFWcIlSnnB9diLZMLbQ2Rjbwnk1XvvVhqbjxWWqTAtRTxfaGKvK6rrvEMEyUc470DqUpK-pgftbQ/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-11-02+at+09.02.10%25283%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZMjj8T_m_XtDN0Pgg0FSrn5eMbmHQq6mAOCQyuJzC66kY7btFmI2YkkCRyxRIq9XFWcIlSnnB9diLZMLbQ2Rjbwnk1XvvVhqbjxWWqTAtRTxfaGKvK6rrvEMEyUc470DqUpK-pgftbQ/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-11-02+at+09.02.10%25283%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We finished picking on 1st November, but our appointment at the mill wasn't until 3rd November and, having mulled things over the next day, and admitted that we were a little disappointed, we took up the kind offer of our friend Sue to go and pick some of her olives to top things up. So, after a morning in the office, we had an early lunch and headed over to Sue's in Pescia with our nets and rakes. After just three hours of two of us picking we had filled two crates (compare that with the first day of our harvest when it took a whole day with three of us picking to fill two crates and you get some idea of the yield on Sue's trees - it wasn't a case of Paul, Kathy and me picking slowly at ours but rather a reflection of how much more difficult and time consuming it is to pick when yields are low, whereas when the trees are literally dripping in olives they can be stripped off very quickly and efficiently). So, happy with the addition, we thanked Sue and took our extra olives home, calculating that we now would have around 175kg of olives.</div><div><br /></div><div>The following day was (as forecast) wet - so we were glad we had gone to Sue's when we did. With our appointment at the olive mill at 5:15PM, we loaded the crates into the car, Stuart spent the afternoon washing out the oil canister, and then we set off, unsure but hopeful that they would press our paltry offering.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXwTAoueOlsRSj4X1pc5TQDxfzzbd4Dkxn3IaKoROQLi1M_dzkYHGmtJpk972m8ChuqaoDfgpLZBnICrT8Ey7AqqvZyHoYpS6A9h6FU9Akes2RllBViwh7awTlNPl4Z_AGTGW9aro7NA/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-11-03+at+13.12.30.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXwTAoueOlsRSj4X1pc5TQDxfzzbd4Dkxn3IaKoROQLi1M_dzkYHGmtJpk972m8ChuqaoDfgpLZBnICrT8Ey7AqqvZyHoYpS6A9h6FU9Akes2RllBViwh7awTlNPl4Z_AGTGW9aro7NA/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-11-03+at+13.12.30.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for the off.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>On arrival at the mill, the young lad who works there looked at our crates and said "is that it?". We ashamedly confirmed that we didn't have any more than that, and he duly took them off to be weighed. He came back to us with a weight of 165kg and explained that we would have to pay the same as for the minimum weight, which we readily agreed to, just relieved that he wasn't going to send us and our olives away.</div><div><br /></div><div>We tipped our meagre load into the hopper and watched as they bounced off up the conveyor belt to be washed and then on to the masher.</div><div><br /></div><div>The olive mill was quieter than in previous years, but we were allowed to wait while the olives were pressed, just being careful to stand a respectable distance away from other people, and when the oil was ready to be collected only one of us was allowed to go and stand by the tap to fill our container.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZEmTvVDHbhk82kuTYY_rCli5inYnnetbhXmMv3A14spbM5-5cVmNsMEgHM2pknNRiO6Qu9k_SCPsH2Aawp65tNYOAwOBs9HXBsPLbrTSEqXKzpTvNVeUPs_XVSvp3k32llv2kwP67XU/s1600/IMG_20201103_173510.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZEmTvVDHbhk82kuTYY_rCli5inYnnetbhXmMv3A14spbM5-5cVmNsMEgHM2pknNRiO6Qu9k_SCPsH2Aawp65tNYOAwOBs9HXBsPLbrTSEqXKzpTvNVeUPs_XVSvp3k32llv2kwP67XU/s320/IMG_20201103_173510.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The olive mill was quieter than we've seen it before. (Sadly those are not our heap of olives in the almost-overflowing hopper.)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>As we waited we watched other people come and go with sackloads of olives and I found myself feeling quite downhearted and somewhat embarrassed at our seven measly crateloads. Nevertheless, an hour and 20 minutes later we were leaving the mill with 18.6 litres of fully organic extra virgin olive oil, fresh off the press. The <i>resa</i> - the figure that everyone here is keen to compare (weight of oil produced as a percentage of the weight of olives that went in) - was 10.3%. Not great, but we had heard that it has been quite low across the board this year, so not too disappointing either. Besides which, unless you are mass-producing oil for sale, the resa really isn't terribly important (although that doesn't stop the locals asking and comparing figures). For us, the important thing is that we have 18.6 litres of our own olive oil to enjoy through the year, and that we like the taste of it. Of course, we rushed home to get the bread out and try it - still warm from the press - and I can confirm that it passed the taste test!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPl4tOF-KKhOG9u4LLVo6mh3Bbax8o9GdetP8Fs6uar0ah_D4HKMHQryKklY6mpR7wI42ng3QPmtAGAnwwStFshCaxCWI2m7YnZXtGd2KIWt_CIue8HYjrE61eXT3PBRp7ykHZOL3UvNY/s1250/WhatsApp+Image+2020-11-03+at+19.15.14.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1247" data-original-width="1250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPl4tOF-KKhOG9u4LLVo6mh3Bbax8o9GdetP8Fs6uar0ah_D4HKMHQryKklY6mpR7wI42ng3QPmtAGAnwwStFshCaxCWI2m7YnZXtGd2KIWt_CIue8HYjrE61eXT3PBRp7ykHZOL3UvNY/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-11-03+at+19.15.14.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liquid green/gold.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-85933590478140219662020-11-05T11:19:00.001+01:002020-11-05T12:19:07.038+01:00Pond life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiyVSPzKxCUZodWEOhLi-3McAmbIDmiIE9ErDCLO5dopmtk1q2B0fr-8mZOOMHogF6B_bVEMFFwi-Y_M69HgYr09pwaGbMwp62-HdXcTEIDz4rPMZbuWx0zlSI3HwUiofIF5Zr32S6P8/s2048/IMG_20201021_135537.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiyVSPzKxCUZodWEOhLi-3McAmbIDmiIE9ErDCLO5dopmtk1q2B0fr-8mZOOMHogF6B_bVEMFFwi-Y_M69HgYr09pwaGbMwp62-HdXcTEIDz4rPMZbuWx0zlSI3HwUiofIF5Zr32S6P8/s320/IMG_20201021_135537.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Ask me some years ago how I felt about garden ponds and I would have been ambivalent - not really my thing. However, when, a little over two years ago, we set up our mini-pond on a purely functional basis (to attract toads to eat the slugs that eat our cultivated mushrooms), and filled it with aquatic plants and a couple of goldfish, it looked so pretty that it seemed a shame to have it so far from the house and out of view.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwx8J-MtVROzBzpiDD7zY_34XXgRepKM5XDOF05IVzl8kwLjUYfi16NhDE4Zjr_EA3QtC_DdM6gxJG941TOrismIMNzu-MDSMQ5ujp86TZT-8MaRlwHt8ryyIxlS5DjfyMqlTiyGE4SkA/s1600/20190606_164713.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwx8J-MtVROzBzpiDD7zY_34XXgRepKM5XDOF05IVzl8kwLjUYfi16NhDE4Zjr_EA3QtC_DdM6gxJG941TOrismIMNzu-MDSMQ5ujp86TZT-8MaRlwHt8ryyIxlS5DjfyMqlTiyGE4SkA/s320/20190606_164713.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pond v 1.0.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />We came up with various plans to build another pond closer to the house, but they pretty much fell by the wayside as other jobs muscled their way to the top of the priority list - until a couple of months ago. Back in the summer we paid a visit to our friends Gianni and Serena, who have no fewer than 4 ponds in various spots around their outdoor space. Visiting them and seeing the beautiful aquatic plants that were growing in their ponds, as well as the mesmerising fish and the gentle sound of the trickle of water on a hot summer's day renewed our enthusiasm and our resolve to create another pond. And, with a birthday gift from my dear Dad to spend, I decided that putting it towards a pond would be a great thing to do.</p><p>And so it began.</p><p>First, we identified the location for the new pond - the scruffy area at the end of the house on which there once stood a sort of agricultural extension to the house (what we believe would have been the metato, or chestnut house), and which has been awaiting a full tidy-up for the last 6 years.</p><p>To begin with, I made a half-hearted attempt at starting to dig down to create a cavity for an in-ground pool, but due to the fact that this area has for the last six years been the dumping ground for all forms of building rubble, on <i>top </i>of the fact that our land is naturally packed full of stones, digging seemed like a lost cause. It wasn't long before Stuart came up with a new idea: an above ground pond built using gabion cages.</p><p>And so I spent my birthday money on 10 gabion cages. When they arrived, despite being a long way off ready to start constructing the pond, we got one out of the box to see how it fitted together. We were mightily impressed with the ingenuity of the kit - simple but effective engineering:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxAj6ksREIXRAsVWN_k14Rt7568gc_QJyLV2lZv4aNZtLd3Ud8TTyk7fVKAeLEBzY6vVRz1FtX5ngS6mm9Rew' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p>We finally started construction of the pond at the beginning of October - when temperatures were much more favourable for working in and when my office workload had reverted to more reasonable levels. </p><p>We started by levelling off the ground and adding a couple of gabions and filling them, little by little, with stones. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS31QFyOdE90TsKYFcoAeWgjp0l0ANNFkx0UwUruMdGTlFb7VYzJFDN0rUCyVoQEiU-MyexK9C0WdeUeZn86_gL5AM0i04iJZj_ZPKlwcUdVJSLaBWwIqhqJf1Ffn-xwqrLtxQgXQYviA/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-04+at+16.12.57.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS31QFyOdE90TsKYFcoAeWgjp0l0ANNFkx0UwUruMdGTlFb7VYzJFDN0rUCyVoQEiU-MyexK9C0WdeUeZn86_gL5AM0i04iJZj_ZPKlwcUdVJSLaBWwIqhqJf1Ffn-xwqrLtxQgXQYviA/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-04+at+16.12.57.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As the ground sloped away, we had to prop up the gabions with other rocks to achieve a level surface.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgzUubn9N5KFbedHFrKhCS0OUMk9-7lSopJJF0ArCHZFXtQYXDX6QG3z_s-YTQxISzXK1BdT00GqsZ65787y1d1E7YrIa7JwrXwg7flnwNvp3xoPbLzuOXwNeQfAO59Wp7ZC8YIX094I/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-04+at+16.12.58.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgzUubn9N5KFbedHFrKhCS0OUMk9-7lSopJJF0ArCHZFXtQYXDX6QG3z_s-YTQxISzXK1BdT00GqsZ65787y1d1E7YrIa7JwrXwg7flnwNvp3xoPbLzuOXwNeQfAO59Wp7ZC8YIX094I/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-04+at+16.12.58.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After about 4 half-days of work, we had filled all the gabions and had the perimeter of the pond ready. We managed to fill all of them with stone that was just lying around - a large amount came from the car park area, a couple of wheel-barrowfuls came from along the drive and the upper donkey track, and a tractor load came from the grassy patch by our gates that the wild boar had usefully dug up (<b>not </b>a phrase you hear very often) some months ago.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1cGEcnZkdpgjd1noGpCQqUh2nJ6d9Ehn7KjyEl8e05RODvrobEWBCP5cTa_mKyT_usoNXOIXbWK6psq91Mn9vtnOavn-uHr-V1mHlF5KjrSGOelRjVhYxSK_ylzPg0daVwQC-AYgzREo/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-08+at+17.30.56%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1cGEcnZkdpgjd1noGpCQqUh2nJ6d9Ehn7KjyEl8e05RODvrobEWBCP5cTa_mKyT_usoNXOIXbWK6psq91Mn9vtnOavn-uHr-V1mHlF5KjrSGOelRjVhYxSK_ylzPg0daVwQC-AYgzREo/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-08+at+17.30.56%25281%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZnxIswuajXSyQ1c3OEGTZd9ZrsrbxZ7b3mgx1pGjuZJfuqW2PcqsFvr0_dVdJitX1LGIIeIeEwANI_tYDeuKE8XOtDbFUx5QhkqtLU63D0s-EW7tl8w6yOSVWvfMhh_pNon3sKoqFSA/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-08+at+17.30.56.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZnxIswuajXSyQ1c3OEGTZd9ZrsrbxZ7b3mgx1pGjuZJfuqW2PcqsFvr0_dVdJitX1LGIIeIeEwANI_tYDeuKE8XOtDbFUx5QhkqtLU63D0s-EW7tl8w6yOSVWvfMhh_pNon3sKoqFSA/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-08+at+17.30.56.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the next step, we lined the entire inside area with pieces of insulation foam - the idea being to try to prevent any jagged edges puncturing the liner under the weight of the water.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When we had done that, we laid the thick plastic liner in... and started to add water.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We began with a bit of mains water, just to see how things would go, but as soon as we were satisfied that the liner was doing its job we switched to using the water from our rain water collection tanks. It took a few days, but it got there eventually and we were even able to test the overflow mechanism that Stuart had put in, which worked perfectly.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next, in went some plants - some lilies and water hyacinths donated to us by Gianni and Serena, and a few other plants that we took cuttings from (split) from our mini-pond.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytpR-eOKiRmqlZiMsxnAAsO2jEM_IymPf8RfrfgrQhCVTho0-tYXFLY5k9Ncs5uWZ-oyZsj8KK7kbmfm5ktRseU9bq0xh8vqMxN7eW0gioOGIPKEJWK0PvwSKyrF1zVG27Zup0WO13S0/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-10+at+18.16.25%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytpR-eOKiRmqlZiMsxnAAsO2jEM_IymPf8RfrfgrQhCVTho0-tYXFLY5k9Ncs5uWZ-oyZsj8KK7kbmfm5ktRseU9bq0xh8vqMxN7eW0gioOGIPKEJWK0PvwSKyrF1zVG27Zup0WO13S0/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-10+at+18.16.25%25281%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdL5Jp2B4mAuQWMmwbqFwfwrlxMpnBXaMtajrrj5g1N9_iHR_cL7xW7DziOyXPb5FxrTtrmlrt3eJKATjkCkKCUjqXRZok7KV3ipaXfIfDaPGAFYt9RbwFrgwYI-vWyBQeW1oMzYCy19w/s960/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-10+at+18.16.25.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdL5Jp2B4mAuQWMmwbqFwfwrlxMpnBXaMtajrrj5g1N9_iHR_cL7xW7DziOyXPb5FxrTtrmlrt3eJKATjkCkKCUjqXRZok7KV3ipaXfIfDaPGAFYt9RbwFrgwYI-vWyBQeW1oMzYCy19w/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-10-10+at+18.16.25.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><p>Once the pond was full, we were able to trim the liner from the edges, attaching it to the gabions with short sections of water pipe to act as clips, and arranging stones along the edges to make it look more aesthetically pleasing.</p><p>Next came the addition of a pump to help oxygenate the water. We toyed with the idea of buying a fountain (a spitting frog? a weeing cherub?) but in the end came up with our own creation using a curved terracotta roof tile.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dym7OhzYS3DbH58Ejszmy6oWqAmFJZgHpgNL-UMwPiXzrW-zE8giRhVEIJKUzPyTy6J3TjWyWCdwiBSYpkBPw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p>The next addition to the pond had to be fish. We had originally planned to introduce mosquitofish, reasoning that they would help with the mosquito problem in the summer months, but after having read various articles suggesting that they may have a detrimental effect on biodiversity (essentially eating everything in sight, including amphibian eggs), and that they are not even very effective against the tiger mosquitoes that we are plagued with in our area (because, rather than laying their eggs in larger bodies of water such as ponds, tiger mosquitoes prefer to opt for much smaller accumulations of water, such as the water that collects in an upturned saucer, or a tire or the lip of a downpipe), we decided against that particular species and to concentrate instead on the less destructive goldfish.</p><p>We paid a visit to the aquarium section of the local pet shop and, after telling the assistant about our pond set-up, and being advised which fish would be suitable, we left with six goldfish and two koi carp.</p><p>After the required 45 minutes of floating the fish inside their plastic bags of pet-shop tank water in the pond (to acclimatise them to the temperature of the pond water) we excitedly added them to the pond, only for each of them to swim out of the bag and promptly disappear to the murky depths. We did wonder if we had just spent a load of money with nothing to show!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwYcfyBQKEmtDLfpOYZXBlHSwiUHmCvaPUe74oHFsx-b-ZQPIvxPbwoCca3f-dDFpZ5WffJtHoFmhPznWv7Lg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p>A few days later we had a delivery of oxygenating plants via the post lady (ordered from the internet), and we spent an afternoon potting them up and sinking them into the pond - most of them (Persicaria amphibia, Butomus umbellatus, Elodea canadensis and Ceratophyllum demersum) are either fully or partially submerged, so for the moment at least there is nothing to show! </p><p>And so after a few short weeks, our pond is now fully functioning, supporting plant life, fish life, water snails, and already attracting dragon flies and other visiting winged insects. We are really pleased with the addition to our property - pleased for the increase in biodiversity we've already started to see, as well as more pleased than we even imagined we would be with the tranquility of the spot and the fascination of what goes on in the water. We are addicted to going outside to look for fish (all of which, after an initial week of shyness, have started to swim close enough to the surface for us to spot them) and just to stand and listen to the trickle of the running water.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnL6d5aPenooOUEXY1bLbEcWKHgsJ8kKb-e3Fj8h4-H5NnRfDujKQcV7BmbQeEPTXy9_PanLbQwv16Ga8TfIICzEYgb6J_g-ebrKy142rbm2rdiftTL3Mzylgpp8hpxe7oug0eDcUcmYw/s2048/IMG_20201105_111639.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnL6d5aPenooOUEXY1bLbEcWKHgsJ8kKb-e3Fj8h4-H5NnRfDujKQcV7BmbQeEPTXy9_PanLbQwv16Ga8TfIICzEYgb6J_g-ebrKy142rbm2rdiftTL3Mzylgpp8hpxe7oug0eDcUcmYw/s320/IMG_20201105_111639.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-34445961572904326652020-09-26T13:42:00.001+02:002020-11-05T14:23:44.284+01:00Family & pizza<p>The summer of 2020, of course, was very different from previous ones thanks to the global health and travel situation. Locally, we went to fewer village summer festivals (in fact, none - several of them did go ahead, albeit under slightly more restricted conditions than usual, but we didn't go to any), and whereas normally we would have had a stream of visitors throughout the year and especially during the summer (in fact, last year we calculated that we'd had friends/family staying with us for a whopping 104 days of the year), this year we have had only one visit since Stuart's Mum left in January.</p><p>That was a very special visit though - Stuart's eldest son, Dean, and his partner, Gavin, came out to meet us and spend a week with us in late August. And what a week it was! We had a wonderful time getting to know them, showing them some of the local sights and introducing them to our way of life and general surroundings. We were overwhelmed by what a great pair of young men they are, we all got on like a house on fire and we spent the whole week laughing and smiling.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSp5ynpCAbCkekY4qz12svkknSCoh5oIBe4mmCBB9Q7hyQDE8VdPzzzpH1sWFsigfcEyCfyHZJKdR1vS2AMOmJxcDiKzeGB4Fx6T8LkLWjFXLpSTyA4nmedwcsTWWmo6UVWu2usmIg4DU/s864/WhatsApp+Image+2020-08-30+at+14.55.10.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="864" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSp5ynpCAbCkekY4qz12svkknSCoh5oIBe4mmCBB9Q7hyQDE8VdPzzzpH1sWFsigfcEyCfyHZJKdR1vS2AMOmJxcDiKzeGB4Fx6T8LkLWjFXLpSTyA4nmedwcsTWWmo6UVWu2usmIg4DU/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-08-30+at+14.55.10.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitS4Y_KUStTe7_60rdeSoBjF5sILt5YASfPG04zBt4JmNjDOIhx-3-vOOJP5CdEjTgxMEr9vGNKGvUonQf6eiXwRmNq5kkfPShv5ei8gk1fJ4AB-hpyDZd9UI0Xn5KKV9jixlwEs0LQ4Q/s1080/WhatsApp+Image+2020-08-30+at+21.05.00.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitS4Y_KUStTe7_60rdeSoBjF5sILt5YASfPG04zBt4JmNjDOIhx-3-vOOJP5CdEjTgxMEr9vGNKGvUonQf6eiXwRmNq5kkfPShv5ei8gk1fJ4AB-hpyDZd9UI0Xn5KKV9jixlwEs0LQ4Q/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-08-30+at+21.05.00.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvmbNRWAXiI4VffYVvk9RRHBiHz2SDXahByeP71xZxEXqV5DAZ0EmfDzMXq__MV8lwsRwRhyphenhyphentpGeoSAxB7giYlJFyTlf25lFsQIWF3mfOwx4LgvQKSuxYm6zbgoqQfAQTKefHHRHVDpo/s960/WhatsApp+Image+2020-09-03+at+08.14.21%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvmbNRWAXiI4VffYVvk9RRHBiHz2SDXahByeP71xZxEXqV5DAZ0EmfDzMXq__MV8lwsRwRhyphenhyphentpGeoSAxB7giYlJFyTlf25lFsQIWF3mfOwx4LgvQKSuxYm6zbgoqQfAQTKefHHRHVDpo/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-09-03+at+08.14.21%25281%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZGYvPXqSFQEkG_sXGfYpz8bAVfDayFkjwj1cRRw6p55NDVoAE1jzl35FSGHdtRmbsf4lChrfubF7eoQWAg3bG3SaW9HwM9c5RVuPzHMVyuAQfmlGTmJgRtxilzZRML21dU5XRjEn0Jo/s960/WhatsApp+Image+2020-09-03+at+08.14.21%25282%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZGYvPXqSFQEkG_sXGfYpz8bAVfDayFkjwj1cRRw6p55NDVoAE1jzl35FSGHdtRmbsf4lChrfubF7eoQWAg3bG3SaW9HwM9c5RVuPzHMVyuAQfmlGTmJgRtxilzZRML21dU5XRjEn0Jo/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-09-03+at+08.14.21%25282%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFf4s60zvSsaP1txOyDFeOsxSckvrRrtOfoQYmAAkXaGY6h8Zc08U9s6iLtd69RrkGkuOxfOQWMjBN7oqipLVYWpRY4PgqNU6t8QDwYaBz1f3JyMKUvQn2FhAC_avWO6OfwGNNgRA7Lw/s960/WhatsApp+Image+2020-09-03+at+08.14.21.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFf4s60zvSsaP1txOyDFeOsxSckvrRrtOfoQYmAAkXaGY6h8Zc08U9s6iLtd69RrkGkuOxfOQWMjBN7oqipLVYWpRY4PgqNU6t8QDwYaBz1f3JyMKUvQn2FhAC_avWO6OfwGNNgRA7Lw/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-09-03+at+08.14.21.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVmHS6mi7YoOGkmHQeMW7p6HIPoVAjYddGxb2Mt4XLdhg6cwA95Dp39WRh7gAYUvm2A5AZNgp5Gr9r3J8Cp_lGkOvizDypKFVBR-SjOeB48wQz7gxA989lvWUT01DMgEm8hEdYimeXO8/s1440/118835824_2680534658940794_7937180766048978408_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVmHS6mi7YoOGkmHQeMW7p6HIPoVAjYddGxb2Mt4XLdhg6cwA95Dp39WRh7gAYUvm2A5AZNgp5Gr9r3J8Cp_lGkOvizDypKFVBR-SjOeB48wQz7gxA989lvWUT01DMgEm8hEdYimeXO8/s320/118835824_2680534658940794_7937180766048978408_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Dean and Gavin's visit coincided with one of this year's most exciting material additions to our home: a pizza oven. </p><p></p><p>For a long time we had thought about building a traditional style pizza oven, but we knew that - technically, at least - we would need planning permission to do so, and of course it was one of those jobs that would forever be on the would-be-nice-to-do list, being usurped by the absolutely-have-to-do list. Then, this summer, Stuart's mum, Sheila, very kindly gave us a gift that allowed us to consider another option: a pre-made, standalone oven. And so it was that in late July we found ourselves in a very upmarket garden furniture shop ordering a pizza oven!</p><p>The oven was delivered by courier during a short period when Stuart was away (of course, it would be!). It was so heavy that the courier struggled to get it out of the back of the van, even using his pallet lifter, but he eventually managed and left it for me (as requested) on the piece of grass next to the gates, and before long the cavalry, aka Paul & Kathy, had arrived to with the moving of it. Paul was game to drive the tractor up to the gates, and then the three of us unpacked the oven from the wooden box and pondered how to get it into the back of the tractor. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbNdFVUaswBE3cB_JjRnftUnBXDfXLT7CFVCy7pqU7b6gUXOyuQXPmvmlwH9T5VOt2zlJx5LfMyDt8KOHvBhNasuDSt-qqjOq3ni94IZQ0sPrIwxae0gFX8sT1A-gALOXXFRo5TrPb0c/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-08-27+at+11.25.39.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbNdFVUaswBE3cB_JjRnftUnBXDfXLT7CFVCy7pqU7b6gUXOyuQXPmvmlwH9T5VOt2zlJx5LfMyDt8KOHvBhNasuDSt-qqjOq3ni94IZQ0sPrIwxae0gFX8sT1A-gALOXXFRo5TrPb0c/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-08-27+at+11.25.39.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tardis? No, a pizza oven.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>We eventually managed to get it into the tractor, strapped firmly in and Paul very slowly, very gingerly drove it back down the drive, with Kathy and me walking behind ready to catch it (or get squashed by it!) if it wobbled out. We left it in the back of the tractor, reasoning that we would wait until Stuart was back and had come up with a plan for getting it from the car park to its eventual home on the patio outside the house.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SqQ8WjRO-X1H59nlV3z-csiVkL5T9eTQS5EhpFjTRXEmHfQwhBNwnp83ooFMSxTCuYsSr5WHPEb-mev2AFckIwdKdV4bFNwNeoMJDpyslgeLmjTIXE91wPROqFPzVgcZgBqFvgGhPII/s1599/WhatsApp+Image+2020-08-27+at+15.21.45.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SqQ8WjRO-X1H59nlV3z-csiVkL5T9eTQS5EhpFjTRXEmHfQwhBNwnp83ooFMSxTCuYsSr5WHPEb-mev2AFckIwdKdV4bFNwNeoMJDpyslgeLmjTIXE91wPROqFPzVgcZgBqFvgGhPII/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-08-27+at+15.21.45.jpeg" /></a></div><p></p><p>And so it was rather fortunate for us that the very next week we had additional pairs of hands available to help in the form of Dean and Gavin. Paul & Kathy also came round for the moving of the pizza oven and between five of us we managed to slowly lift and carry it from the tractor, up the steps to the back of the house, then round to the front. We soon discovered that the spot we had designated for is was too uneven for it to stay safely for the time being, so we moved it onto the gravel area until such time as Stuart could create a level base for it. </p><p>And then we lit it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxN8A8cDsURMdCdX7alZmA3cUhqUobwfO5eZnLiL2gSmrxkgva6YcAQrL6pAqVSXumFuZatVyFbZU6wPst8BESbL0u23vsBlsbEKm6s3HSbirXjspV8CkJb_FKVH_0xerESklFEhCjTU/s2048/118691263_10157660261436658_2248074096703288862_o+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxN8A8cDsURMdCdX7alZmA3cUhqUobwfO5eZnLiL2gSmrxkgva6YcAQrL6pAqVSXumFuZatVyFbZU6wPst8BESbL0u23vsBlsbEKm6s3HSbirXjspV8CkJb_FKVH_0xerESklFEhCjTU/s320/118691263_10157660261436658_2248074096703288862_o+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijL0xODeE8fdDWgudOA2ItsuAwXEHMgTSepxU9Epcopz8TIlOg-NqOvQDfJItxbC_kMm9mLuDr_1JxYmpR95JBlKVULXYLvr8OdgfOgthO89X7US5wI1hq77132dusLcbP6pPTnV-BVd0/s2048/118764349_10157660261511658_806086705968076040_o+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijL0xODeE8fdDWgudOA2ItsuAwXEHMgTSepxU9Epcopz8TIlOg-NqOvQDfJItxbC_kMm9mLuDr_1JxYmpR95JBlKVULXYLvr8OdgfOgthO89X7US5wI1hq77132dusLcbP6pPTnV-BVd0/s320/118764349_10157660261511658_806086705968076040_o+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>We had a great evening christening the pizza oven and taking it in turns to have a go. It worked like a dream.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCE_oJp5LPn1lM77h7_BGTaQEqDV1IEWWejm6OODVfMZ7iae2eY2EQ6JVmlwbMd4-J5JICKqKs-NckVMjNZ4nNP1oEgAGaRvYP43pp_u0WNgd01cPHwoHYtEVldB8INTz3jWhczyHYk4/s1440/WhatsApp+Image+2020-09-02+at+07.38.22.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCE_oJp5LPn1lM77h7_BGTaQEqDV1IEWWejm6OODVfMZ7iae2eY2EQ6JVmlwbMd4-J5JICKqKs-NckVMjNZ4nNP1oEgAGaRvYP43pp_u0WNgd01cPHwoHYtEVldB8INTz3jWhczyHYk4/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-09-02+at+07.38.22.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dgxI5aRL3Mh04CfBRJkbcoIUWtYJN8eZu61jnhmh_5pD9owY1fWAtAOoXEArP39MxvOiiFBzJohC-_CeBEq8FBrvX62Zx3XplXn2gyTY0Fo5tqbtmsp1usJL5KqH_LE9m6BrHIhLpHs/s1316/WhatsApp+Image+2020-09-02+at+07.38.22%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1316" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dgxI5aRL3Mh04CfBRJkbcoIUWtYJN8eZu61jnhmh_5pD9owY1fWAtAOoXEArP39MxvOiiFBzJohC-_CeBEq8FBrvX62Zx3XplXn2gyTY0Fo5tqbtmsp1usJL5KqH_LE9m6BrHIhLpHs/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-09-02+at+07.38.22%25281%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcF88fvqZajkJPHgZEz4-j3IhiqeTxof8zPZLLnwNxJIwkZ_rkvhU8TWw5FgUCZGUhQcBqfFSCkgGwAZD5SupD3ngKoG-muj4uW38ZqsL3D4HPTOCC3ItmwtT_QK_Bv7x8m52VEGmh-_M/s2048/118730054_10157660261596658_293724134143838590_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcF88fvqZajkJPHgZEz4-j3IhiqeTxof8zPZLLnwNxJIwkZ_rkvhU8TWw5FgUCZGUhQcBqfFSCkgGwAZD5SupD3ngKoG-muj4uW38ZqsL3D4HPTOCC3ItmwtT_QK_Bv7x8m52VEGmh-_M/s320/118730054_10157660261596658_293724134143838590_o.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While the pizza oven is here to stay as a permanent fixture, Dean and Gavin of course had jobs and lives to go back to in the UK, and all too soon our week with them came to an end. We had a fabulous time with them, making some lovely memories, and we can't wait for them to come out and visit us again.</div></div><p><br /></p>The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-42282071690414979792020-07-25T16:52:00.000+02:002020-07-25T16:52:47.255+02:00Overdue catch-up part 4: some of the things we've doneAnd so in this final part of the catch-up series, a look at some of the jobs we've done the last month or so in between the day job (sitting at the computer all day) and chasing rats around.<br />
<br />
We've almost finished cutting, splitting and stacking wood for the winter wood pile - the main pile is completed, but the pile of smaller sticks is still only about half done.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkxEn3T4ih6EjV4Ks8-z17HmbLEpXsnynn1EyL9o3xQnquXbMIy3a9RAlO3JE9pct3728itrTeg0U_BLuR8xaKH0Tk14FJIP5GlFV2XBxPIhzguDPJdTJzJ2VSmt-s3ZQAttOa6gMt7Q/s1600/IMG_20200531_154133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkxEn3T4ih6EjV4Ks8-z17HmbLEpXsnynn1EyL9o3xQnquXbMIy3a9RAlO3JE9pct3728itrTeg0U_BLuR8xaKH0Tk14FJIP5GlFV2XBxPIhzguDPJdTJzJ2VSmt-s3ZQAttOa6gMt7Q/s320/IMG_20200531_154133.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QIsMDCBPKNkAfgz5MCsmeVn0n8MzDFPJW_niiynsG-ZPyy5mzGNW3sCjQ0waO-sGEO57GeGexOtbPos40nB2ntzIKRePPx6mDZiJ4aalFaW8IbXAyI56wPnFxnz2E6XNfp8WjQpfT0U/s1600/IMG_20200531_162154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QIsMDCBPKNkAfgz5MCsmeVn0n8MzDFPJW_niiynsG-ZPyy5mzGNW3sCjQ0waO-sGEO57GeGexOtbPos40nB2ntzIKRePPx6mDZiJ4aalFaW8IbXAyI56wPnFxnz2E6XNfp8WjQpfT0U/s320/IMG_20200531_162154.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsAPPPKDcFKqWu0Jx-NnZL40pYe2ZHTecvIvsj7wbWAM6OLJ-0_gdfc4bxSyikSGxNHf6zQxVWzBODk5q9kk5ELSRv3DOfqtohpjlg62xMkFlPmsN6xH-4BdVn0MhoH5n3L51glM4POU/s1600/IMG_20200614_125515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsAPPPKDcFKqWu0Jx-NnZL40pYe2ZHTecvIvsj7wbWAM6OLJ-0_gdfc4bxSyikSGxNHf6zQxVWzBODk5q9kk5ELSRv3DOfqtohpjlg62xMkFlPmsN6xH-4BdVn0MhoH5n3L51glM4POU/s320/IMG_20200614_125515.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWRU3tHI2ODiu3sRGDjxyPjdg1nZaTSFFWbVe2sW2TQpjkLKzsz3R-CVvsk36eFrhXBGEqH87zdF2HGQKIB4_8GKEJ2pcJHjXuANE39lsn8Hb_vYDZuMkBYS3xWs4pQ4y4qfinNtoo40/s1600/IMG_20200614_125524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWRU3tHI2ODiu3sRGDjxyPjdg1nZaTSFFWbVe2sW2TQpjkLKzsz3R-CVvsk36eFrhXBGEqH87zdF2HGQKIB4_8GKEJ2pcJHjXuANE39lsn8Hb_vYDZuMkBYS3xWs4pQ4y4qfinNtoo40/s320/IMG_20200614_125524.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzAtRmqKNEe5wbJ61DCeymC27Wc8PTEIbIgrszn7fjms2QX7bfk4NVranoa5A99lFAc1HCTYg7vz2nysPXsBqXWDlj8Of0DLW19ex1tzBNccHkeRD8401A6gPne2KoXPwqNSBxx5mxOOk/s1600/IMG_20200628_124003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzAtRmqKNEe5wbJ61DCeymC27Wc8PTEIbIgrszn7fjms2QX7bfk4NVranoa5A99lFAc1HCTYg7vz2nysPXsBqXWDlj8Of0DLW19ex1tzBNccHkeRD8401A6gPne2KoXPwqNSBxx5mxOOk/s320/IMG_20200628_124003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdIKsV1euMg-4IKHHtO7xJg7ukFmRAqPFiFSUiyxVgAoSuJigYDt-Gx8N2Sct4x43hV-i7fFId2e_jeC1v_hsGkNNt5oAcCcAMrgT4RiejKBB2-MvHWK1UxvkMUFqaQ9p0-QVLynhnnE/s1600/IMG_20200628_132534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdIKsV1euMg-4IKHHtO7xJg7ukFmRAqPFiFSUiyxVgAoSuJigYDt-Gx8N2Sct4x43hV-i7fFId2e_jeC1v_hsGkNNt5oAcCcAMrgT4RiejKBB2-MvHWK1UxvkMUFqaQ9p0-QVLynhnnE/s320/IMG_20200628_132534.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqhNnk5oKGVUsureUARscKWkxOGiHCg3I7dcfPHjrjC1MP0F80kclevPjYrrmQKdW-XYOLVCWn0Sdi_WHFfqCqW-EgF1BnDa-UPCpaJgwQEG8kQqU91hMyyLuSPRLzyHCsvAF6mQVA3w/s1600/IMG_20200703_075315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqhNnk5oKGVUsureUARscKWkxOGiHCg3I7dcfPHjrjC1MP0F80kclevPjYrrmQKdW-XYOLVCWn0Sdi_WHFfqCqW-EgF1BnDa-UPCpaJgwQEG8kQqU91hMyyLuSPRLzyHCsvAF6mQVA3w/s320/IMG_20200703_075315.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We had a lovely day out for our anniversary - a trip to the very quiet Certaldo (a beautiful town about 65km south of us) and a picnic in a quiet square there. We loved it like that, but I'm not sure the restaurant owners would agree. Tourism does seem to be slowly trickling back into our area, so hopefully the local businesses are doing slightly better now and will have enough trade to keep their heads above water.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsO7hWS9-SjUnxGWIAM35Ha8cACrUkU28XrUsLW1jBhhDqnRp0iXKS5HCnE745hVovd4E5kkq-DArlRw430Ac3VZOZCHDRn74iy6sXUhN8EbJ0UhjESdMaWJnoxKFGCVdBlADnXJqnVE/s1600/IMG_20200606_131659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsO7hWS9-SjUnxGWIAM35Ha8cACrUkU28XrUsLW1jBhhDqnRp0iXKS5HCnE745hVovd4E5kkq-DArlRw430Ac3VZOZCHDRn74iy6sXUhN8EbJ0UhjESdMaWJnoxKFGCVdBlADnXJqnVE/s320/IMG_20200606_131659.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1D-NpkQK7BG_X7tXkXQ_HDJpjmOKEzIi5E-wBFLBQcGTEeKZv1ro-suDXBnHUC0IOr1WtpuJGilSMt8ltczsJH6oD_JKFeJxK59bgzOpumfGAwuP_9-zY-ZYAZ9v-_q6tRCnzM4J87I/s1600/IMG_20200606_131810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1D-NpkQK7BG_X7tXkXQ_HDJpjmOKEzIi5E-wBFLBQcGTEeKZv1ro-suDXBnHUC0IOr1WtpuJGilSMt8ltczsJH6oD_JKFeJxK59bgzOpumfGAwuP_9-zY-ZYAZ9v-_q6tRCnzM4J87I/s320/IMG_20200606_131810.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14TYljkKSXLmfoJHIYfugpSe22dieDqYkjWN0QnqjMnELdbSko16n__Q18z2VkKaYzBJYw2R6T4F1E_m6KkFvZA2olhlmoKvTeOZhK5TRGJx1I3YX_GD6Cdg011nZD8irlojelfy-BzU/s1600/IMG_20200606_131831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14TYljkKSXLmfoJHIYfugpSe22dieDqYkjWN0QnqjMnELdbSko16n__Q18z2VkKaYzBJYw2R6T4F1E_m6KkFvZA2olhlmoKvTeOZhK5TRGJx1I3YX_GD6Cdg011nZD8irlojelfy-BzU/s320/IMG_20200606_131831.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDohHPvjqJkXMtxvPW5ENDSic3xaWMn7fJ4Y5Bsj1vY6pde7QfwnLYlKxM-u9QPq1GonObnHMD9mwlOTgtEzP6PpMkP-MXcY_ARSK8tANf0GIOa-yXMxpbeIkucL_mEAPrjHj52jRhQOI/s1600/IMG_20200606_131847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDohHPvjqJkXMtxvPW5ENDSic3xaWMn7fJ4Y5Bsj1vY6pde7QfwnLYlKxM-u9QPq1GonObnHMD9mwlOTgtEzP6PpMkP-MXcY_ARSK8tANf0GIOa-yXMxpbeIkucL_mEAPrjHj52jRhQOI/s320/IMG_20200606_131847.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOrQirybyVlXr_RSg3MA6IJcQSn7Nq0p-Sw-5vom0KGnq-uozF2z5K2wJikr3QnnNBHcXnjjw28ONXKuLHHtz-QYI6tLVZaNaxBVC1Mgn2MztBxv75MwLOl_bv_ikezJIDxwdBMYDH_E/s1600/IMG_20200606_131913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOrQirybyVlXr_RSg3MA6IJcQSn7Nq0p-Sw-5vom0KGnq-uozF2z5K2wJikr3QnnNBHcXnjjw28ONXKuLHHtz-QYI6tLVZaNaxBVC1Mgn2MztBxv75MwLOl_bv_ikezJIDxwdBMYDH_E/s320/IMG_20200606_131913.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxm_BHEIztM5KnHBKl76LNyg90GHcxyPeS0IxHXiOr7vQoVm6HtB0BExdW3ZO-oNjJ6JXKeMRdmqBQkWFcVM5qpZNOrXWLQJfeVzY509dclO2JUeVfRx1Z2ZMxYjCw5LNWshhxM91kgZo/s1600/IMG_20200606_132038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxm_BHEIztM5KnHBKl76LNyg90GHcxyPeS0IxHXiOr7vQoVm6HtB0BExdW3ZO-oNjJ6JXKeMRdmqBQkWFcVM5qpZNOrXWLQJfeVzY509dclO2JUeVfRx1Z2ZMxYjCw5LNWshhxM91kgZo/s320/IMG_20200606_132038.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14ZUpGViysZ1hi9MNQScCPKFUfs-lEFy90nfajJuhxxOld0B293zBsmzPGoBryTBK3THHFOKPVsilN8FCnmQ2WdUVHmAZa6OmkPj8cT3651PUTlqXlXlf6fnujnaQr8DKiOzw3WGvE6U/s1600/IMG_20200606_132315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14ZUpGViysZ1hi9MNQScCPKFUfs-lEFy90nfajJuhxxOld0B293zBsmzPGoBryTBK3THHFOKPVsilN8FCnmQ2WdUVHmAZa6OmkPj8cT3651PUTlqXlXlf6fnujnaQr8DKiOzw3WGvE6U/s320/IMG_20200606_132315.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEriJhh4NM_Njzvyx3WRfuftNsTo5yAZDJopKYQ0ZsMzPuvuizVBTDpaO68xHxZAgJIUavLTte6xCc8TreWGocQVcwkVAB4UvymTDjMeVliGgzaPKTIvWGN5Gx-YAQG1Rbpeq07Ru_BaM/s1600/IMG_20200606_132343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEriJhh4NM_Njzvyx3WRfuftNsTo5yAZDJopKYQ0ZsMzPuvuizVBTDpaO68xHxZAgJIUavLTte6xCc8TreWGocQVcwkVAB4UvymTDjMeVliGgzaPKTIvWGN5Gx-YAQG1Rbpeq07Ru_BaM/s320/IMG_20200606_132343.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUp6teKtsmXmOTBtMmwka-enPslFkn5vX_nBUEP448cdmWQ9NlhmvPytyKybNg5iE3g_MneDDiqc_jmnAun2aC6h1E4qWvBIdxYpn_U7te5VlojO4J4w4R7DWVb9wZKo4jxMvMQF8RWI/s1600/IMG_20200606_132644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUp6teKtsmXmOTBtMmwka-enPslFkn5vX_nBUEP448cdmWQ9NlhmvPytyKybNg5iE3g_MneDDiqc_jmnAun2aC6h1E4qWvBIdxYpn_U7te5VlojO4J4w4R7DWVb9wZKo4jxMvMQF8RWI/s320/IMG_20200606_132644.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGZ-4zEAfNormqy8GaSpdMG5_eFzlGQRcvP8zUlXZg5YHM4JssSGyV23zr4pFsRQzpR5cP29zzzgoeCzRVxQPFNlFRL8XlHCBqYhUb9eVDVrNWSCiRgMl5apBBJVJXJwpInZGYNFk-Io/s1600/IMG_20200606_145124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGZ-4zEAfNormqy8GaSpdMG5_eFzlGQRcvP8zUlXZg5YHM4JssSGyV23zr4pFsRQzpR5cP29zzzgoeCzRVxQPFNlFRL8XlHCBqYhUb9eVDVrNWSCiRgMl5apBBJVJXJwpInZGYNFk-Io/s320/IMG_20200606_145124.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4HcTSaZzWEClBzlM2QasGMJqcniVnmjiQ7oJEuKQA3M3kg1GWRFWJCOGJq3kpMqKYGc2_inCILrKa99v9sgm43Sen3c6QAXnYuNf4JWnLRvNkqQB9B443PnAEyS4Mpsr96c-4cq3MIG0/s1600/IMG_20200606_145230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4HcTSaZzWEClBzlM2QasGMJqcniVnmjiQ7oJEuKQA3M3kg1GWRFWJCOGJq3kpMqKYGc2_inCILrKa99v9sgm43Sen3c6QAXnYuNf4JWnLRvNkqQB9B443PnAEyS4Mpsr96c-4cq3MIG0/s320/IMG_20200606_145230.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVUaiPf_n2uOj1GwibQXW4cP_2j5VcR82S4njOv5aYVuBnnFj6jOFCThfIw3a6MqOHi_2BnT83le_d_3uzbgo5HKQgPnx7b7xztX4ErT5yqniKri9y6IrfJuQ9freJSMI85-Ln5NOFR6o/s1600/IMG_20200606_145250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVUaiPf_n2uOj1GwibQXW4cP_2j5VcR82S4njOv5aYVuBnnFj6jOFCThfIw3a6MqOHi_2BnT83le_d_3uzbgo5HKQgPnx7b7xztX4ErT5yqniKri9y6IrfJuQ9freJSMI85-Ln5NOFR6o/s320/IMG_20200606_145250.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWGyc4i42fGirDlt5MlaAlC_pm5kSXZkVE1W9pm8wv7xJYY4wgY32kWQ3fBgvu2Z7npW-Jo9C5o-wG81k5uDSKtSvmnz6ixWp7rA4UapYC3qeWIfDOs0w5q6wnJM-BGL25LMGqFWLefA/s1600/IMG_20200606_145253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWGyc4i42fGirDlt5MlaAlC_pm5kSXZkVE1W9pm8wv7xJYY4wgY32kWQ3fBgvu2Z7npW-Jo9C5o-wG81k5uDSKtSvmnz6ixWp7rA4UapYC3qeWIfDOs0w5q6wnJM-BGL25LMGqFWLefA/s320/IMG_20200606_145253.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
We dismantled what had become known (between the two of us) as the "orangery" a rather grand name for the structure Stuart had originally put up to protect the citrus plants and other pot plants over winter and which had morphed into a green house for our seedlings and become rather more permanent than was originally intended. However, the citruses were starting to outgrow the structure so we decided it was time to re-locate it. The orange and the lime have been moved to the lawn, against the garden wall, and the orangery (which now no longer has any oranges in it) has been re-constructed at the back of the house.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCrz6bhpc0LNlBo1cVAGWKZ9BSDTQ9Tru5jb6vckP_KH_APXrzvi99CN1hiEVPsPa4K5mROXJ5BaMbebyxus2lZN8CwwWPv78siVAVzUNP8zetEsmj5K1kjbxw_5NaZsm9ZfrcOPUzZQ/s1600/IMG_20200608_183523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCrz6bhpc0LNlBo1cVAGWKZ9BSDTQ9Tru5jb6vckP_KH_APXrzvi99CN1hiEVPsPa4K5mROXJ5BaMbebyxus2lZN8CwwWPv78siVAVzUNP8zetEsmj5K1kjbxw_5NaZsm9ZfrcOPUzZQ/s320/IMG_20200608_183523.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where once there was an "orangery", now there is space and a view!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNrcLefNosUrUFN8SZjYbeNGjxFNRoj-C5bFO_QMmH1-CZ9UxvxWYxN3usB9j4_jK_j1bsRyskcJBnrQmdQPjLr_miycXU956aFE2gs5tsJhOaWMxxwOO4PkMfqsvR9-2cuCZW2Fe_pY/s1600/IMG_20200612_092333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNrcLefNosUrUFN8SZjYbeNGjxFNRoj-C5bFO_QMmH1-CZ9UxvxWYxN3usB9j4_jK_j1bsRyskcJBnrQmdQPjLr_miycXU956aFE2gs5tsJhOaWMxxwOO4PkMfqsvR9-2cuCZW2Fe_pY/s320/IMG_20200612_092333.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And a new fence to stop people going headfirst onto the guest lawn!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoT6IU7XMwcHq6_rGfw9f91VagtVC9uo6PlKWyjs-3mzTbfRG69ZEvyMZBvt_aSmSs-PJyvYwUNW4N4U4Uuroi8ilbSS_7iSDSPP58PpwoYZdIYO7xDshhVXaP_68lPLj-wdKDAaGwr28/s1600/IMG_20200608_163802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoT6IU7XMwcHq6_rGfw9f91VagtVC9uo6PlKWyjs-3mzTbfRG69ZEvyMZBvt_aSmSs-PJyvYwUNW4N4U4Uuroi8ilbSS_7iSDSPP58PpwoYZdIYO7xDshhVXaP_68lPLj-wdKDAaGwr28/s320/IMG_20200608_163802.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lime and the orange have been relocated.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDwY3k51sB97jHJ_XEFfNHK69NejWHiMhdbpDFgTFTOoHTM5cziU1sNWzY_IR4lvbTqCrjY5ny3gf3qKHtcQ8tdow4wi3p9nMkAhLektxZH9AyBCJrJzXpqbSyp0g0gghpEpGUKlRjaPE/s1600/IMG_20200608_163805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDwY3k51sB97jHJ_XEFfNHK69NejWHiMhdbpDFgTFTOoHTM5cziU1sNWzY_IR4lvbTqCrjY5ny3gf3qKHtcQ8tdow4wi3p9nMkAhLektxZH9AyBCJrJzXpqbSyp0g0gghpEpGUKlRjaPE/s320/IMG_20200608_163805.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ScbE5X6AyL0mw86VgBdcbTlCKoEcLDiJ-C26nfuf6gqT6Kq2oGfnNpQay89GtUwv_YIvoFkEBDzSgnZTyc8dBQtMLUA1l8t7zS0-V63c7dTRmpsKERTC4K861LwfEAGlB7-TwKEQi8Y/s1600/IMG_20200609_145823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ScbE5X6AyL0mw86VgBdcbTlCKoEcLDiJ-C26nfuf6gqT6Kq2oGfnNpQay89GtUwv_YIvoFkEBDzSgnZTyc8dBQtMLUA1l8t7zS0-V63c7dTRmpsKERTC4K861LwfEAGlB7-TwKEQi8Y/s320/IMG_20200609_145823.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The orangery has been relocated.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67NDBX-fo5Gvni3sVlkBybnh3SIloFAMqZKhs-MtvOkp-HU05cl9bbGXDWQrdiEh_5bvneNHdWNleq6xlqXjT1TjGl2QQ34mTb24YrQ5iNVT5NW1AkfnUABz6xw50R6S84N5rY1Lv_Sw/s1600/IMG_20200725_163225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67NDBX-fo5Gvni3sVlkBybnh3SIloFAMqZKhs-MtvOkp-HU05cl9bbGXDWQrdiEh_5bvneNHdWNleq6xlqXjT1TjGl2QQ34mTb24YrQ5iNVT5NW1AkfnUABz6xw50R6S84N5rY1Lv_Sw/s320/IMG_20200725_163225.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
The summer has been hot, but so far (mercifully) not AS hot as it has been in previous years (we have yet to exceed 34C). Nevertheless, the heat is a struggle at times, and in a bid to keep as much heat out of the house as possible Stuart has constructed an outdoor kitchen.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXCNW3IdSw3mYKrvIltpjHBcu6fa6Z9Hzhcq1EWHWyiASfENuirVGNBzyo6j4niGF-7pTbyqf_kucgzexd7k4ORNbRbIK3UouI4_d6qUxE6a9lqIvNw_DkqY5VCEjxG8YA87_JdwSNMY/s1600/IMG_20200713_202927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXCNW3IdSw3mYKrvIltpjHBcu6fa6Z9Hzhcq1EWHWyiASfENuirVGNBzyo6j4niGF-7pTbyqf_kucgzexd7k4ORNbRbIK3UouI4_d6qUxE6a9lqIvNw_DkqY5VCEjxG8YA87_JdwSNMY/s320/IMG_20200713_202927.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We also invested in some umbrellas - they make the world of difference and actually allow us to use our garden furniture. Without the umbrellas it's too uncomfortably hot to sit outside until about 8pm and prior to buying them we had been resorting to hiding from the sun in the car park!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithRjNahWA_DvWl5-sjV6tlFzOFJZBYfix_A8op2sXoOUrRxIA2n9t4q_bD1qgTkF7WuiaaITiF3z23L94N_Dx1NHavwGMzTrs94E_CpvaBAvJDFObwVtpNMIauxYAkceQM9ZaObAtyt8/s1600/IMG_20200602_190419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithRjNahWA_DvWl5-sjV6tlFzOFJZBYfix_A8op2sXoOUrRxIA2n9t4q_bD1qgTkF7WuiaaITiF3z23L94N_Dx1NHavwGMzTrs94E_CpvaBAvJDFObwVtpNMIauxYAkceQM9ZaObAtyt8/s320/IMG_20200602_190419.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This sort of umbrella is all well and good..</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9lqFULLWYCbJ95fcjsFPAxLNXQufCc3Ap3BBlWTVwCn-s4kNtMzWm52d-tkupw-2vpJzMktiBk5rSUY_WRgCaixjPclFB8NkW0vDC624CzEFiMJqka0pVzBGWosOR-48jgANDkoxW9k/s1600/IMG_20200711_143839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9lqFULLWYCbJ95fcjsFPAxLNXQufCc3Ap3BBlWTVwCn-s4kNtMzWm52d-tkupw-2vpJzMktiBk5rSUY_WRgCaixjPclFB8NkW0vDC624CzEFiMJqka0pVzBGWosOR-48jgANDkoxW9k/s320/IMG_20200711_143839.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But these are SO much better!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Following the rat saga, we are slowly making progress with the long-awaited tidying up of the end of the house. This area has been an eyesore since we first moved in, and is the last remaining job that dates back from when we moved here. We have managed (I say "we" but my part in the process has been the unskilled part of filling in, while Stuart has done the skilled part of the rendering process) to get the first third of the wall rendered and a small section of the ground levelled off and gravelled. There's still a long way to go, but it has already made a huge difference and we can see what difference it will make when it's all finally done.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuANXLsZnji6ZqPwqP6lnR-OGZGZHJn1n_KsghgW0OY37cwwcxTtB45moVgE7KtET6EE9zgGPgP4bKpk7i-leOvpahgMI8uilHywx9bc1zEMwJrtMhB1ru0iIDoKAtlOG8bzutNZaALI/s1600/IMG_20200712_093725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuANXLsZnji6ZqPwqP6lnR-OGZGZHJn1n_KsghgW0OY37cwwcxTtB45moVgE7KtET6EE9zgGPgP4bKpk7i-leOvpahgMI8uilHywx9bc1zEMwJrtMhB1ru0iIDoKAtlOG8bzutNZaALI/s320/IMG_20200712_093725.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMixhYQOlxidmxlm08zqLn5X0fLOoLWZOMaiHQcDsSF2lVgBe01cDPRVD4A6sS1o0WCtqGFdhzjwxFIhnZKD2LkaXmDff5K0cENsRDbOtCFgfOT0LrVTxRibA0wJMAbXu110UCPwigHlE/s1600/IMG_20200712_093735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMixhYQOlxidmxlm08zqLn5X0fLOoLWZOMaiHQcDsSF2lVgBe01cDPRVD4A6sS1o0WCtqGFdhzjwxFIhnZKD2LkaXmDff5K0cENsRDbOtCFgfOT0LrVTxRibA0wJMAbXu110UCPwigHlE/s320/IMG_20200712_093735.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We have experimented with spraying our olive trees with kaolin - a basic clay mixed with water (which then dries on the tree) - to protect them from the olive fly. Apparently the coating of clay is enough to deter the fly... but whether or not it will make a difference is yet to be seen.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3mLq_Y64x6j83Tk5QBYYBYfdDGSav4XZHzQmu8V_uFqkw8Np2xdVGERWZOY1V2461Bl6v61C4bwq-gz0htBXAWFBUgw4Dj2zm2g1hBiW6ifu4FeSgu_Tlml9OkpK4GmH-_aT9EXky1I/s1600/IMG_20200712_120937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3mLq_Y64x6j83Tk5QBYYBYfdDGSav4XZHzQmu8V_uFqkw8Np2xdVGERWZOY1V2461Bl6v61C4bwq-gz0htBXAWFBUgw4Dj2zm2g1hBiW6ifu4FeSgu_Tlml9OkpK4GmH-_aT9EXky1I/s320/IMG_20200712_120937.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxNLiMgll7DtEUv44uT3tWraiieWgP7hpb0uCrghk31E1k9L6F3YTzgrnK5vwF4X8jrjFY_srZNfuOHWYn8EEMwkojmIHFJiobMRxbbjZFIlwNEHw4WB3BSa6uf7hrQo53gdkUWiSDL8/s1600/IMG_20200712_120943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxNLiMgll7DtEUv44uT3tWraiieWgP7hpb0uCrghk31E1k9L6F3YTzgrnK5vwF4X8jrjFY_srZNfuOHWYn8EEMwkojmIHFJiobMRxbbjZFIlwNEHw4WB3BSa6uf7hrQo53gdkUWiSDL8/s320/IMG_20200712_120943.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQ0NdQVsb113vCiY4TlJeHVCRsnKx75inRxTknsE0ZljlCT4p8iMG0mp4ql9Z7FhuVymeCpz59i8k1Iggl0pWn6CB0oJ7QX6G_lJcOT6ofa8TSlkeXpzmO7cuxZY7U3Q6yq6GDWXzSq0/s1600/IMG_20200713_075343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQ0NdQVsb113vCiY4TlJeHVCRsnKx75inRxTknsE0ZljlCT4p8iMG0mp4ql9Z7FhuVymeCpz59i8k1Iggl0pWn6CB0oJ7QX6G_lJcOT6ofa8TSlkeXpzmO7cuxZY7U3Q6yq6GDWXzSq0/s320/IMG_20200713_075343.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the colour of the tree has changed where it has been sprayed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We have now reached almost peak heat of the year - the coming week has temperatures of 34C forecast, which almost certainly means we will reach 37C here. And that sort of temperature makes it almost impossible to do anything other than hide inside the house. Which is not such a bad thing when you have a day job that needs your attention for 8 hours a day, but can be somewhat frustrating as well! So a slow down in activity is expected. Although of course the daily harvests of vegetables (and the watering) will continue. And a second batch of spicy plum chutney is currently in the making!<br />
<br />The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-62542186330023949612020-07-25T15:49:00.002+02:002020-07-26T09:25:40.561+02:00Overdue catch-up part 3: wildlifeLiving in harmony with nature can be a challenge at times. I'm sorry to say that gone are the days when we were enthralled and excited beyond belief to hear the sound of an owl, a deer or a buzzard. These things are now so common to us that the thrill has subsided. That's not to say that we don't still appreciate the wildlife that surrounds us, but we do sometimes feel somewhat<i> under siege</i>.<br />
<br />
This year we seem to be overrun with rats (see <a href="https://themovetotuscany.blogspot.com/2020/07/overdue-catch-up-part-1-rat-gate.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>), with snakes, with tawny owls (what a noise they make!), and have had a lot more damaging porcupine and wild boar activity (not to mention the squealing of the wild boar as they run across the bottom terraces in the middle of the night which wakes us up and then also wakes Reggie up and precipitates a half-hour barking session).<br />
<br />
That all sounds a bit cynical, but we really are still enthralled by nature and every day find something new, something so beautiful it takes our breath away and makes us wonder at, well, the wonder of nature.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2WXO1KPpAyIW2C4tbQxbcKfXgLd4Fkq6LtOpsLB4YR92w2KefM14Ka0CYMMGdHxh5JYTghSxsU9TlbCVXYz8iHxF4NG8jV6GYUeCO7MqAg_p2sjp_6d8h6_X7EUArFR2WysS8CaBwPw/s1600/IMG_20200529_103155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2WXO1KPpAyIW2C4tbQxbcKfXgLd4Fkq6LtOpsLB4YR92w2KefM14Ka0CYMMGdHxh5JYTghSxsU9TlbCVXYz8iHxF4NG8jV6GYUeCO7MqAg_p2sjp_6d8h6_X7EUArFR2WysS8CaBwPw/s320/IMG_20200529_103155.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Wild growing Madonna lily. Lilium candidum.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBOG3PIXHvUXKWki_yrwWWXfsL8eGxVNjxtPgMWeaXvTGR9tXEUoRfE6IulB6_zl5HcO6_ugAnmpEu-TnX3RHWtS2LJf71CTb51e6Oh4bklEeq5eO2mrOH-Yl90VZvDIBgOfBH_KSL-8/s1600/IMG_20200529_103201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBOG3PIXHvUXKWki_yrwWWXfsL8eGxVNjxtPgMWeaXvTGR9tXEUoRfE6IulB6_zl5HcO6_ugAnmpEu-TnX3RHWtS2LJf71CTb51e6Oh4bklEeq5eO2mrOH-Yl90VZvDIBgOfBH_KSL-8/s320/IMG_20200529_103201.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1bkxXeGbVDsgjCm_lW9SzzmTDZ_WZMyDkSVDO1HPhww1n9YRtJ-xLSt5x1-_Osh1geVGdI6BaOcezO-4XCDVmi9SgrZNH5GWanXL2E4MXkzS6DZH2Wftj7GfQNyuWOwglth1Y74bVXM/s1600/IMG_20200530_145253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1bkxXeGbVDsgjCm_lW9SzzmTDZ_WZMyDkSVDO1HPhww1n9YRtJ-xLSt5x1-_Osh1geVGdI6BaOcezO-4XCDVmi9SgrZNH5GWanXL2E4MXkzS6DZH2Wftj7GfQNyuWOwglth1Y74bVXM/s320/IMG_20200530_145253.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An inhabitant of our wood pile.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJH_5IZZX42rmXxbOm6BilTOb8N01SPgw39pQenazDncJMVO-EzA9T2jDcz0M9zZs1QXNypfK9C763ft19a5t_azl4euLPrHqw7SP67VONUHdDYc1Kwc1fm6gXosPHkH5c1k9HmRSCkmU/s1600/IMG_20200530_145320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJH_5IZZX42rmXxbOm6BilTOb8N01SPgw39pQenazDncJMVO-EzA9T2jDcz0M9zZs1QXNypfK9C763ft19a5t_azl4euLPrHqw7SP67VONUHdDYc1Kwc1fm6gXosPHkH5c1k9HmRSCkmU/s320/IMG_20200530_145320.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(It's pretty tiny and doesn't do any more damage than an ant bite)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFaHxiQi7ZYXnS75ncIJ1bQ7QhznuNsSZpgJDB4x26G5V52AFKKjCeeva2YkfakrR0eAWBrmXZMIJpkaoR-rjdIRruIrq-adRdLIEzMckfKTYmZyXarQaLdy4DMPhLFeUZRqVW9fIMV4/s1600/IMG_20200531_144050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFaHxiQi7ZYXnS75ncIJ1bQ7QhznuNsSZpgJDB4x26G5V52AFKKjCeeva2YkfakrR0eAWBrmXZMIJpkaoR-rjdIRruIrq-adRdLIEzMckfKTYmZyXarQaLdy4DMPhLFeUZRqVW9fIMV4/s320/IMG_20200531_144050.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBPoikLGWJ1v_KW_F1KVHf9zaKLXHamBVrIacywLt6G-QA6nlB0ID91H9tv2G9EJteVOklTgcCg2qjNHJhkxwk7jK-D2fsnYEfxgEmtqMyPB4KX8l65O6Z_N4mc5vAZBdrKZTl4yy0Y8/s1600/IMG_20200531_144105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBPoikLGWJ1v_KW_F1KVHf9zaKLXHamBVrIacywLt6G-QA6nlB0ID91H9tv2G9EJteVOklTgcCg2qjNHJhkxwk7jK-D2fsnYEfxgEmtqMyPB4KX8l65O6Z_N4mc5vAZBdrKZTl4yy0Y8/s320/IMG_20200531_144105.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09dRfhdZJaQbWJL2ZE-9IfOpOOuAeyvivSHWtjNWaUJ1934ptGpDE1VZo766kVxRWo5Fg9k7YyEWtQ21-2YRLUszk5ImYdt0Nchou-4vIfRDlQAcQqGTSfk5crBXzn-XDWF4kCar9pU8/s1600/IMG_20200601_182920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09dRfhdZJaQbWJL2ZE-9IfOpOOuAeyvivSHWtjNWaUJ1934ptGpDE1VZo766kVxRWo5Fg9k7YyEWtQ21-2YRLUszk5ImYdt0Nchou-4vIfRDlQAcQqGTSfk5crBXzn-XDWF4kCar9pU8/s320/IMG_20200601_182920.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIE9VcORl1EVVsWPSOxuEzlSOQExA6K_1VzcrZ1VWZlYJRHB3YvwxZxU_M_lcbMAHGFWrZmVCCAfKiAk2LkXGg44I2dxldpCwKrMXOeqEu3SEvIjBHV9oMMdjbDcAPzzB2oKekc5sg6xQ/s1600/IMG_20200608_163627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIE9VcORl1EVVsWPSOxuEzlSOQExA6K_1VzcrZ1VWZlYJRHB3YvwxZxU_M_lcbMAHGFWrZmVCCAfKiAk2LkXGg44I2dxldpCwKrMXOeqEu3SEvIjBHV9oMMdjbDcAPzzB2oKekc5sg6xQ/s320/IMG_20200608_163627.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stunning seedpod of love-in-a-mist - Nigella damascena. (Something about its striking colouring reminds me of rhubarb and custard sweets.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHjyZPJgMtVrrPI49XuZ2GnwNk0zgkXl76ooQrG-KOPhpEBA3gx_3hdQMQn9wAcbQXO5FJScRkWTJH4KgMtLfwNwdNFGJw1jk753a2sxf38d2Q82iCPsGpbCDqBF7zrKUhvYWrOrOmJw/s1600/IMG_20200610_164114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHjyZPJgMtVrrPI49XuZ2GnwNk0zgkXl76ooQrG-KOPhpEBA3gx_3hdQMQn9wAcbQXO5FJScRkWTJH4KgMtLfwNwdNFGJw1jk753a2sxf38d2Q82iCPsGpbCDqBF7zrKUhvYWrOrOmJw/s320/IMG_20200610_164114.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coprinus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkCjQ8ujUJrhtxgv50vicT6RUrFLU2POEPb172T-rRlUPD2UqtYtFq1b9To4kJUQp-g_ZvqzomryT2fuW38Xm6nYNk7YM7hjo3DF3yp88De29K4AjNWAgKg8hMKgZu0AWFwHk5zD3s_Q/s1600/IMG_20200610_164123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkCjQ8ujUJrhtxgv50vicT6RUrFLU2POEPb172T-rRlUPD2UqtYtFq1b9To4kJUQp-g_ZvqzomryT2fuW38Xm6nYNk7YM7hjo3DF3yp88De29K4AjNWAgKg8hMKgZu0AWFwHk5zD3s_Q/s320/IMG_20200610_164123.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jQNXarYw-2TqWYHZxdH-jTcai8jUpAluwh2e-y6yN1FVojL1IvI2-FM-YXU3EaGKG6RAbT99sWhYRFHvc8ULlNH9tacnBO5OFyDVLWdWWsxuLb6g2r-pv0xjzNsGiMSTtuvHDCR3iuY/s1600/IMG_20200610_164306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jQNXarYw-2TqWYHZxdH-jTcai8jUpAluwh2e-y6yN1FVojL1IvI2-FM-YXU3EaGKG6RAbT99sWhYRFHvc8ULlNH9tacnBO5OFyDVLWdWWsxuLb6g2r-pv0xjzNsGiMSTtuvHDCR3iuY/s320/IMG_20200610_164306.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pond life.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaBjDgx53oMsHAWJLrpJaBZxTVToqiB04-7pM7ueLm4KFAviazqASG6NojR3Xthb2s7hmdEIH3G0kLZehY42TeyP4IaLx9Xrh1gD2WLgAYONsiG1OT1uF9otOi_2IOJxXLqI1yCQENgQ/s1600/IMG_20200613_140710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaBjDgx53oMsHAWJLrpJaBZxTVToqiB04-7pM7ueLm4KFAviazqASG6NojR3Xthb2s7hmdEIH3G0kLZehY42TeyP4IaLx9Xrh1gD2WLgAYONsiG1OT1uF9otOi_2IOJxXLqI1yCQENgQ/s320/IMG_20200613_140710.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZMbVUWMntUxfCykp5qOgpsstFt42r7lIM69vbgoUfFTvtn0l0-tAJdfXs-0RrG7TzvfPeSCGGjM3qVtYrOkDi-sznP2z1_l5wS6_lQPKEnkLLRLfaOMMovf0r4ZO9pdQiF8U5ab65ik/s1600/IMG_20200614_095527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZMbVUWMntUxfCykp5qOgpsstFt42r7lIM69vbgoUfFTvtn0l0-tAJdfXs-0RrG7TzvfPeSCGGjM3qVtYrOkDi-sznP2z1_l5wS6_lQPKEnkLLRLfaOMMovf0r4ZO9pdQiF8U5ab65ik/s320/IMG_20200614_095527.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wnd & rain casualty</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS52_cBemd0EX6WVL0QaEda3tIvRrmt44wzoMlN5So9HA9e42DACPh1pb6bQ8t-K1Bz8bfxoMgy0qhy6iEr7gxPlmeyyodLEhQhUMp7IVU30rjynyRzW1x8jbhn10flusJfOQlbb2-ank/s1600/IMG_20200614_095546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS52_cBemd0EX6WVL0QaEda3tIvRrmt44wzoMlN5So9HA9e42DACPh1pb6bQ8t-K1Bz8bfxoMgy0qhy6iEr7gxPlmeyyodLEhQhUMp7IVU30rjynyRzW1x8jbhn10flusJfOQlbb2-ank/s320/IMG_20200614_095546.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCMuThA2QYWc418dpIAdrpoq03b1igzssdut4LfvV_ge3-Or0IPjP4tpvGVqfm1KWjsOJ58napMheTT9DqnS0xx31kKQYaAple2SXmYEIwEWomTBG1tdoKWl5RM9DIwEhTLcjk4nJ_UA/s1600/IMG_20200614_150039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCMuThA2QYWc418dpIAdrpoq03b1igzssdut4LfvV_ge3-Or0IPjP4tpvGVqfm1KWjsOJ58napMheTT9DqnS0xx31kKQYaAple2SXmYEIwEWomTBG1tdoKWl5RM9DIwEhTLcjk4nJ_UA/s320/IMG_20200614_150039.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cob nuts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxStYAudIfLgdO73bwCz5yMwORyHZuVu3L6Uuyc5zOSKuL7T4THzKsYfgdN6qoG18Suf-58wr_iUIpl4fmHz5Vt1qDSxBBV50BR76PPRM98L_gI1oF8efJDSeglxT8b4RW3_vDCs0mwrc/s1600/IMG_20200614_203546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxStYAudIfLgdO73bwCz5yMwORyHZuVu3L6Uuyc5zOSKuL7T4THzKsYfgdN6qoG18Suf-58wr_iUIpl4fmHz5Vt1qDSxBBV50BR76PPRM98L_gI1oF8efJDSeglxT8b4RW3_vDCs0mwrc/s320/IMG_20200614_203546.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0lu0AdU7I1i-j7vEbRJY3PSCPCsWNgWq7Ha-8k3bqo0HBuofGnLJGqpv8hAFVt5uMslDTxbsQ2NQzd7HQy_PoYWrrFF_hVPPNxpaFeM_ll39y2y9tYGMipoX4cFxFRIUxSl3gbypSnQ/s1600/100045023_10157358315311658_7787903729268686848_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0lu0AdU7I1i-j7vEbRJY3PSCPCsWNgWq7Ha-8k3bqo0HBuofGnLJGqpv8hAFVt5uMslDTxbsQ2NQzd7HQy_PoYWrrFF_hVPPNxpaFeM_ll39y2y9tYGMipoX4cFxFRIUxSl3gbypSnQ/s320/100045023_10157358315311658_7787903729268686848_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natrix helvetica after a heavy meal! (Likely a toad).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUkiFtlWroM0Qm0LwydOnUhybLoWbbLurxSYKpKMTcnlWME7XjpuuOMD6iZEt5mSiTgmaaEd69R9nZFLfHAi7SVTgVciNY4QngWg4Jn_24OBWP9d3PY1HUv8W-dysG5YsTisSvbFOivU/s1600/104283401_10157443166401658_8787278028516515162_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUkiFtlWroM0Qm0LwydOnUhybLoWbbLurxSYKpKMTcnlWME7XjpuuOMD6iZEt5mSiTgmaaEd69R9nZFLfHAi7SVTgVciNY4QngWg4Jn_24OBWP9d3PY1HUv8W-dysG5YsTisSvbFOivU/s320/104283401_10157443166401658_8787278028516515162_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Lily Beetle (Lilioceris Lilii)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkXaIrFgiOaWkjntySVEiKLoWOzeUvPfoM1qNo5Tor4s1RZ9AJU09GaQXMBwXgdSZIvlMfIjdKnpdY5F7FmOhkcCTZSM6hkIpIli3OajpP8HauBXG9rRpZmQU4U4jRn9FvlBR4GhDIRo/s1600/106300853_10157468819661658_1062206858429645690_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkXaIrFgiOaWkjntySVEiKLoWOzeUvPfoM1qNo5Tor4s1RZ9AJU09GaQXMBwXgdSZIvlMfIjdKnpdY5F7FmOhkcCTZSM6hkIpIli3OajpP8HauBXG9rRpZmQU4U4jRn9FvlBR4GhDIRo/s320/106300853_10157468819661658_1062206858429645690_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moss Carder Bee (bombus pascuorum)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSeK3is_NBqb-yLr5czhjHrqkYY4Gc15uaKvP0i2YbznR10THaaLLFqGhYKidNDZV-yqwvcis0-H63zjSmV4e4RsxD5VFlnrlB7-0wDxWboh5lWoAjwVFQK59MDZeYckRHi0y3n_dMIpU/s1600/107917052_10157505874206658_6733515879697637570_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="793" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSeK3is_NBqb-yLr5czhjHrqkYY4Gc15uaKvP0i2YbznR10THaaLLFqGhYKidNDZV-yqwvcis0-H63zjSmV4e4RsxD5VFlnrlB7-0wDxWboh5lWoAjwVFQK59MDZeYckRHi0y3n_dMIpU/s320/107917052_10157505874206658_6733515879697637570_o.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">'Spotted Darner' Dragonfly (Boyeria Irene)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5ydWNpgWB_-C62YUSW0DR-7A-bJTo0ZRAWqJIaN7PFG_KtQmlkQOHXVN2ntlK9R1WtAam2o9BLIAZ4pUAy4veOzeZAMnbkAWWLSlpFcqvvU-Uk86uZtqT7_6oZuP79gX1KUxifBmRuE/s1600/IMG_20200620_084304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5ydWNpgWB_-C62YUSW0DR-7A-bJTo0ZRAWqJIaN7PFG_KtQmlkQOHXVN2ntlK9R1WtAam2o9BLIAZ4pUAy4veOzeZAMnbkAWWLSlpFcqvvU-Uk86uZtqT7_6oZuP79gX1KUxifBmRuE/s320/IMG_20200620_084304.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Z1ieTTgPm8XqkRXsmsr5_SPYiUqIAk03pkzbUZo7gvZMGfE_xf9z4I7Oil5R0Jm8R-Y5A5OkWfR4QYcnyuz3SeIb9ulMle3PYB-mow2Kj1Y90yzvz3OebF1cIAPrUHKXbRP83ZGBv1w/s1600/IMG_20200620_085530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Z1ieTTgPm8XqkRXsmsr5_SPYiUqIAk03pkzbUZo7gvZMGfE_xf9z4I7Oil5R0Jm8R-Y5A5OkWfR4QYcnyuz3SeIb9ulMle3PYB-mow2Kj1Y90yzvz3OebF1cIAPrUHKXbRP83ZGBv1w/s320/IMG_20200620_085530.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2G3-FPpapXJp2AyQnkvGb6bHTQeiJIK2qTIjh9a0CeEc2rL3bB9QML58oYEU52hhBlcS2CUNRY4YLXFLAME8d0znh1zi9J21ampCVjkHJGk7EJwTIV1HUuoyfaxuY5_XNaBtoldLJR5Q/s1600/IMG_20200621_091021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2G3-FPpapXJp2AyQnkvGb6bHTQeiJIK2qTIjh9a0CeEc2rL3bB9QML58oYEU52hhBlcS2CUNRY4YLXFLAME8d0znh1zi9J21ampCVjkHJGk7EJwTIV1HUuoyfaxuY5_XNaBtoldLJR5Q/s320/IMG_20200621_091021.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A giant puffball!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lEJ4XyVf4rJdRebyeJ2J5VO1i_nq5RTYPKCw0vGZGpmhm9KajAGh3UZ3YLIiOQJQtHrlTRKSRj9xADqejGgQ2DwFRjrkv2cEh925AfeWHmnIkbgTFq86hvEEy4v4yqP1r2YNfWfjKak/s1600/IMG_20200621_091025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lEJ4XyVf4rJdRebyeJ2J5VO1i_nq5RTYPKCw0vGZGpmhm9KajAGh3UZ3YLIiOQJQtHrlTRKSRj9xADqejGgQ2DwFRjrkv2cEh925AfeWHmnIkbgTFq86hvEEy4v4yqP1r2YNfWfjKak/s320/IMG_20200621_091025.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIAWrYGB18bsMREoDG7b6oxf7Ga-qxpkaol4F5OtExVAEC1UDV9otPK0q6ztcvQ9xaYyN6oLIxqM8jYADdPXZ2yD8P1czGbFU7uVF4kXTk6goyrtugeNjObfEkasAypSmT8jd_iTTnV4/s1600/IMG_20200621_091031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIAWrYGB18bsMREoDG7b6oxf7Ga-qxpkaol4F5OtExVAEC1UDV9otPK0q6ztcvQ9xaYyN6oLIxqM8jYADdPXZ2yD8P1czGbFU7uVF4kXTk6goyrtugeNjObfEkasAypSmT8jd_iTTnV4/s320/IMG_20200621_091031.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJl7o-1ng9LJZjCl13NWPV1bcg9SLjUEWwLt08bp8M-mLgwd_etLey9B4TuEu-o07l-MnJDvpRLFoJTNcROSdJLM77k2IfPuRhEsTwr2bwPlpjCRZhyphenhyphenTssHqalKJVYMOyZ2WxjFT_uno8/s1600/IMG_20200621_094716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJl7o-1ng9LJZjCl13NWPV1bcg9SLjUEWwLt08bp8M-mLgwd_etLey9B4TuEu-o07l-MnJDvpRLFoJTNcROSdJLM77k2IfPuRhEsTwr2bwPlpjCRZhyphenhyphenTssHqalKJVYMOyZ2WxjFT_uno8/s320/IMG_20200621_094716.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Pontedera cordata (pickerel weed)</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-b3iZJnyeqA-aj5g8b74_2SUuAifqQzdrcXdclAGrJgpEfR77XBN0l8UNEKe8IxobImzyF7CcHnGvXYLgEzzpVMY6W_G2y0wnq3g0yZBfqP11U6fLJ8wqQN8AG6ONopelMTSX8Ay-SI/s1600/IMG_20200624_131036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-b3iZJnyeqA-aj5g8b74_2SUuAifqQzdrcXdclAGrJgpEfR77XBN0l8UNEKe8IxobImzyF7CcHnGvXYLgEzzpVMY6W_G2y0wnq3g0yZBfqP11U6fLJ8wqQN8AG6ONopelMTSX8Ay-SI/s320/IMG_20200624_131036.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHF9Q6TEiOe6TwgzUCBrfhICGpeDHoj35-gzNl6pJGQlnk4hdZZyLH85ql-DZP6vCn9jxqB69CdY96lnOb8wk44DidwInLNnZ8qo7H8lXCgR6d9s2DUt7FkxunwtbdgjawodOcp-M50e0/s1600/IMG_20200627_171132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHF9Q6TEiOe6TwgzUCBrfhICGpeDHoj35-gzNl6pJGQlnk4hdZZyLH85ql-DZP6vCn9jxqB69CdY96lnOb8wk44DidwInLNnZ8qo7H8lXCgR6d9s2DUt7FkxunwtbdgjawodOcp-M50e0/s320/IMG_20200627_171132.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The nine spotted moth (Amata phegea) hitching a ride.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMp_d543IN7o8F9yOB1E89u5zLM2V27A2Opuys8hhabfpUlDqb1u7s8fk_FUOcopm139B9DD8w1UZjgvMdarAAkkww5rh2VXuSLz_Sm2924Qdtc0AuAXsDUsoNVkib61lkiog015225g/s1600/IMG_20200627_175852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMp_d543IN7o8F9yOB1E89u5zLM2V27A2Opuys8hhabfpUlDqb1u7s8fk_FUOcopm139B9DD8w1UZjgvMdarAAkkww5rh2VXuSLz_Sm2924Qdtc0AuAXsDUsoNVkib61lkiog015225g/s320/IMG_20200627_175852.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fennel flowers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-waxz4Fef5EYFrFjm4cQuMwpC5nIQcsFHsQ-3MIWLDJwTlYhONYCkZuQ55jOzEoPDWhH1wDpx0MHzdRfR7csbq1RhV26F28tXF4sbj6Ya6-v7jAXAmFJSBF3QjVupQ5Il3aImhNRc-6o/s1600/IMG_20200628_124451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-waxz4Fef5EYFrFjm4cQuMwpC5nIQcsFHsQ-3MIWLDJwTlYhONYCkZuQ55jOzEoPDWhH1wDpx0MHzdRfR7csbq1RhV26F28tXF4sbj6Ya6-v7jAXAmFJSBF3QjVupQ5Il3aImhNRc-6o/s320/IMG_20200628_124451.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The delicate and beautiful seed pattern of Lactuca muralis - easy to miss!</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJs-xggdZ7x6HZn8rrrMLCaC5KUswj1qbQk_c7mfKqJz02xukdnmkxOLMwgYLgbR5XaSpvRdC45JYWYjAeZjEN08qOxBnYKK9i9eR0UyN38UBv7glScKfQrmFxtRjQx5UPHczd8WNSXL4/s1600/IMG_20200628_124624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJs-xggdZ7x6HZn8rrrMLCaC5KUswj1qbQk_c7mfKqJz02xukdnmkxOLMwgYLgbR5XaSpvRdC45JYWYjAeZjEN08qOxBnYKK9i9eR0UyN38UBv7glScKfQrmFxtRjQx5UPHczd8WNSXL4/s320/IMG_20200628_124624.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4dnCPHL76-k6kaZnRxETReKMuYFGqT3kPv_uGbqTQe4-ltgwq9V0sU6iC6mu5drcYDVAYems022IAgv2oymVfcIlDevI47KbcOUnd_tWlP27SHWgjTetMEViz3LrJqALLBaECTl6pJw/s1600/IMG_20200628_124631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4dnCPHL76-k6kaZnRxETReKMuYFGqT3kPv_uGbqTQe4-ltgwq9V0sU6iC6mu5drcYDVAYems022IAgv2oymVfcIlDevI47KbcOUnd_tWlP27SHWgjTetMEViz3LrJqALLBaECTl6pJw/s320/IMG_20200628_124631.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDiULzz6m-XC9WzYmitMHGuIwdWNdDCOhEDiAykJPtdfscnS2AY5o4wjqABIKyefdruf4P9XePeZ7FoQYk0YzOf2yVZgqoLifbt6cOkf8_fPuONlm325UQCmSgVMfSwQygTeXYIvFgN8/s1600/IMG_20200628_124646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDiULzz6m-XC9WzYmitMHGuIwdWNdDCOhEDiAykJPtdfscnS2AY5o4wjqABIKyefdruf4P9XePeZ7FoQYk0YzOf2yVZgqoLifbt6cOkf8_fPuONlm325UQCmSgVMfSwQygTeXYIvFgN8/s320/IMG_20200628_124646.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJUCkGNgN9MbgFvAJWdDeOzxNp9LWVmbvME5WKtvUzBWVpYatS9aMphv5sZlVPKc4hO3N94TUsq8QfE-VmcqMtsccc4idoao_sSjj-koI0CThbOXFHcaxPTyFBTC1HMEQ5Ol3U5tEEhg/s1600/IMG_20200702_084528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJUCkGNgN9MbgFvAJWdDeOzxNp9LWVmbvME5WKtvUzBWVpYatS9aMphv5sZlVPKc4hO3N94TUsq8QfE-VmcqMtsccc4idoao_sSjj-koI0CThbOXFHcaxPTyFBTC1HMEQ5Ol3U5tEEhg/s320/IMG_20200702_084528.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stunning flower of the (cultivated) snake bean, aka asparagus bean, aka yardlong bean, aka long-podded cowpea, aka Chinese long bean, aka bodi/bora. So many names!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1mO5EbQGyym8nPNQge_G7ZkDSFhkJ2K9ZjRnjeeTjDjvcDAVmAOjjsTC8Qgted_FpIqNxff_KJrjkOYxUdNR2TDU6ebycdsokF-DkEN6s0zlLnodJgEts2BX0_CwZGWojuYrkxr29Lo/s1600/IMG_20200703_090130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1mO5EbQGyym8nPNQge_G7ZkDSFhkJ2K9ZjRnjeeTjDjvcDAVmAOjjsTC8Qgted_FpIqNxff_KJrjkOYxUdNR2TDU6ebycdsokF-DkEN6s0zlLnodJgEts2BX0_CwZGWojuYrkxr29Lo/s320/IMG_20200703_090130.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here come the elderberries.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvsOpbBtiyrtr3XEyGMXi5O8ajZPXJSZqGk-vfBkcQHaVpzi2wQTqyQphcUBerxtjpHbC9dkD5IARLzewhFJMCoX9h8lROrT9hpO8GUHcCtFBJgbz2kkypdc_lHZQ_Dh6IiaY8qKFy0U/s1600/IMG_20200703_090742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvsOpbBtiyrtr3XEyGMXi5O8ajZPXJSZqGk-vfBkcQHaVpzi2wQTqyQphcUBerxtjpHbC9dkD5IARLzewhFJMCoX9h8lROrT9hpO8GUHcCtFBJgbz2kkypdc_lHZQ_Dh6IiaY8qKFy0U/s320/IMG_20200703_090742.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting to ripen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqDq-iwbQ864pblbgpFLiv2F0Dr-ZpW1x_R8ukK2jBsU_cWe1-wEcDCbQG_XOrsH90udDe14mnGwsSiGW6CnS6J3Qiiur2MAsuLBQlhhNr1VgQJ_gxf93yYEJOpKYtY3N4sY5k9nKOus/s1600/IMG_20200704_093254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqDq-iwbQ864pblbgpFLiv2F0Dr-ZpW1x_R8ukK2jBsU_cWe1-wEcDCbQG_XOrsH90udDe14mnGwsSiGW6CnS6J3Qiiur2MAsuLBQlhhNr1VgQJ_gxf93yYEJOpKYtY3N4sY5k9nKOus/s320/IMG_20200704_093254.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The strikingly coloured Melanocoryphus albomaculatus doing its thing in a dandelion seed head </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggM-xdkX_xsJrK76yzVcONer2RP2YiT4CTevtFNUJ4Gi7WPh31rBTbciM1wI5Fr8EPu-wcMJmINCIbLdD5Mg1KwukOtFzYB4DpOSf_6iU44aF9jqCQ4JTYYdDGoe3S9N6NRG-vFqnzfU/s1600/IMG_20200705_095052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggM-xdkX_xsJrK76yzVcONer2RP2YiT4CTevtFNUJ4Gi7WPh31rBTbciM1wI5Fr8EPu-wcMJmINCIbLdD5Mg1KwukOtFzYB4DpOSf_6iU44aF9jqCQ4JTYYdDGoe3S9N6NRG-vFqnzfU/s320/IMG_20200705_095052.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first of the sunflowers (cultivated).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bdhm-rdll_YhcFmqrSUB64zSA1zZkR75jzhTwrrE3JtNo0-iaP0Y91mz2opacKRdV_dx8f8Xbv3d_lpDwaVfI0wrvL0CSWoSKkxT4j1k3B0vlm6mJffFUFb7saaMDi7aZrdRdI_ZoLA/s1600/IMG_20200705_205237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bdhm-rdll_YhcFmqrSUB64zSA1zZkR75jzhTwrrE3JtNo0-iaP0Y91mz2opacKRdV_dx8f8Xbv3d_lpDwaVfI0wrvL0CSWoSKkxT4j1k3B0vlm6mJffFUFb7saaMDi7aZrdRdI_ZoLA/s320/IMG_20200705_205237.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tiny visitor to a geranium.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEuT25aplahk13_PDw0FYA9wJEiQgAj0McuaYlKLEG-4L09zFr6tvCa1URGBDh1aDV1s5_xg8daIbXwgp7n4hZlUmAl3enY9Qnq-ghkdQunwAAvGlsn1terGjfLHuQAoA6ROZIIWbEb8/s1600/IMG_20200707_073348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEuT25aplahk13_PDw0FYA9wJEiQgAj0McuaYlKLEG-4L09zFr6tvCa1URGBDh1aDV1s5_xg8daIbXwgp7n4hZlUmAl3enY9Qnq-ghkdQunwAAvGlsn1terGjfLHuQAoA6ROZIIWbEb8/s320/IMG_20200707_073348.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Cultivated) lupin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WbZWIkUlmU6knfNLuYws_hdEwkRgwT6-KXMTGr968f9MhUWejHDV9s0ogSnRFPHDYImOU7cbIswyzVnMfc-i7E7oiVH9T4HAAjhzH3pGtMw6XvFN9eRXTXDgfM7K3q7DGlnhKaP705w/s1600/IMG_20200709_085111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WbZWIkUlmU6knfNLuYws_hdEwkRgwT6-KXMTGr968f9MhUWejHDV9s0ogSnRFPHDYImOU7cbIswyzVnMfc-i7E7oiVH9T4HAAjhzH3pGtMw6XvFN9eRXTXDgfM7K3q7DGlnhKaP705w/s320/IMG_20200709_085111.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Cultivated) sunflower.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0k9NzT4lg34A-guVwkr1NiON8CN3GnnbkNc-kM0aBNIc1rJWEGqryuYsYSJvvXpY0kYpIpoFTl6olDLwgN0OHHHl8vrqXANdjLZAh08Vsq2xysV5gEYg22k5kfx69vUBnzZ94qOePM6E/s1600/IMG_20200711_092315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0k9NzT4lg34A-guVwkr1NiON8CN3GnnbkNc-kM0aBNIc1rJWEGqryuYsYSJvvXpY0kYpIpoFTl6olDLwgN0OHHHl8vrqXANdjLZAh08Vsq2xysV5gEYg22k5kfx69vUBnzZ94qOePM6E/s320/IMG_20200711_092315.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A reminder that cooler seasons will come!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4lpMU4-JOa9IgvPa3RtbMmsOYuYqoa0c8Hr0WjNPEmvuSQC44eg7op6xfmkSFDGmn5GVnBXZ8iFmN7uc3XawWunhw1Gpa9L6j61LHOmLGIFWp4EZMEIL_AYv7QbC18whkzyzghhzA_3k/s1600/IMG_20200712_094500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4lpMU4-JOa9IgvPa3RtbMmsOYuYqoa0c8Hr0WjNPEmvuSQC44eg7op6xfmkSFDGmn5GVnBXZ8iFmN7uc3XawWunhw1Gpa9L6j61LHOmLGIFWp4EZMEIL_AYv7QbC18whkzyzghhzA_3k/s320/IMG_20200712_094500.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheery composite flower on the terraces.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi57f4K9XPVjYLIr6gDDmdok0q8Teyj7fzuffNqgleRAjhi80RBlByeHznVrLNATFJ8mIUrUka9ZyBR38HDHWXbq2BdTdtpuPS-uZBABtxTpfBia23DStBXCbwX6FF5fiDvQrW8m-K8hvs/s1600/IMG_20200713_090148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi57f4K9XPVjYLIr6gDDmdok0q8Teyj7fzuffNqgleRAjhi80RBlByeHznVrLNATFJ8mIUrUka9ZyBR38HDHWXbq2BdTdtpuPS-uZBABtxTpfBia23DStBXCbwX6FF5fiDvQrW8m-K8hvs/s320/IMG_20200713_090148.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setaria pumila, yellow foxtail. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzPerVpDLRCo3Ke9zZr_7CyeaN4TqS3adSVM58wI-GaKyLO2mjHgD5LxT5fFyTYVS4j6-0-F5Vbv6zno01ySlVdAda5CGOZb9lV9R2zxc8f6juL5KhcC2W6CrXonw53kqINSMBLP02OQ/s1600/IMG_20200713_090156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzPerVpDLRCo3Ke9zZr_7CyeaN4TqS3adSVM58wI-GaKyLO2mjHgD5LxT5fFyTYVS4j6-0-F5Vbv6zno01ySlVdAda5CGOZb9lV9R2zxc8f6juL5KhcC2W6CrXonw53kqINSMBLP02OQ/s320/IMG_20200713_090156.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A delicate beauty</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRRJqyTJmMw8wQ5eo-7uNb4RuajjfxDnLqUKY2GAEOhPB6ZEPK_YiVD-R5739G2tecYZWIQlr_GZSTzbDslRR2EBtK7ST3iPBxcI_7e1MURVZmK8YrziTc5kT5TntFX5lFtPjmzcbBAw/s1600/IMG_20200713_090711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRRJqyTJmMw8wQ5eo-7uNb4RuajjfxDnLqUKY2GAEOhPB6ZEPK_YiVD-R5739G2tecYZWIQlr_GZSTzbDslRR2EBtK7ST3iPBxcI_7e1MURVZmK8YrziTc5kT5TntFX5lFtPjmzcbBAw/s320/IMG_20200713_090711.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reggie investigates an attempt at penetrating the fencing!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmamteBRFmF9frUBsVGeD3fVbLA39XMgpJx1vgpuhmaSnaI48Z1KnoOF5FT_dE7I8eH3pFVavvMPj1cKGp1Di1dfdxGEJmcCLhSELcfn9Ysaqg0EDbdo8YyyeoaJjpnAeBmVNjPkVYf-I/s1600/IMG_20200715_090653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmamteBRFmF9frUBsVGeD3fVbLA39XMgpJx1vgpuhmaSnaI48Z1KnoOF5FT_dE7I8eH3pFVavvMPj1cKGp1Di1dfdxGEJmcCLhSELcfn9Ysaqg0EDbdo8YyyeoaJjpnAeBmVNjPkVYf-I/s320/IMG_20200715_090653.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something - Badger? Pig? Porcupine? Fox? - has been digging here too,</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SE-pTxm0N9l97Rx-s9ihlDc4JTofxHZhXQoxEyvaASdai_-MB31gDKU7pggs2bnwb5uRDhkXdzk4Q1D1aLq4MlnfK7NhqCSh2UeyCOu61FeHn-jlV7e8WgCXFudevy28afGbSwr-I54/s1600/IMG_20200717_080945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SE-pTxm0N9l97Rx-s9ihlDc4JTofxHZhXQoxEyvaASdai_-MB31gDKU7pggs2bnwb5uRDhkXdzk4Q1D1aLq4MlnfK7NhqCSh2UeyCOu61FeHn-jlV7e8WgCXFudevy28afGbSwr-I54/s320/IMG_20200717_080945.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dog vomit slime mould!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATreW4pPnnGYm7SxBdjdpWXLXJZZTqJT8vP0vARx_VcidKcA5jEIA1xlJ5TCdg3TOzJbrBmwFF9gRcPVnn9YLBuUdO-FrfyAQuXyKV0nZiQKsXtxuI-pamqWclme-s1oQt7QZ1Rep7PM/s1600/IMG_20200720_084208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATreW4pPnnGYm7SxBdjdpWXLXJZZTqJT8vP0vARx_VcidKcA5jEIA1xlJ5TCdg3TOzJbrBmwFF9gRcPVnn9YLBuUdO-FrfyAQuXyKV0nZiQKsXtxuI-pamqWclme-s1oQt7QZ1Rep7PM/s320/IMG_20200720_084208.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plumbago (cultivated).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjQDwqswrNp_F52uXg-S5zr3sVgtphbrsOZJUc1lQIqsNY97C3lkS1yZHpP9YsYFZP9NBL5Qat_BFIOesOe8dpRMC2D978teQGpuzE0zXQm9xzyhsFvuK9v9YPHl8ZFKEeEFA9haGDYY/s1600/IMG_20200720_085632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjQDwqswrNp_F52uXg-S5zr3sVgtphbrsOZJUc1lQIqsNY97C3lkS1yZHpP9YsYFZP9NBL5Qat_BFIOesOe8dpRMC2D978teQGpuzE0zXQm9xzyhsFvuK9v9YPHl8ZFKEeEFA9haGDYY/s320/IMG_20200720_085632.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Centaurium erythraea (common centaury)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwAAvEiPaKdIXI7fdbzr9skVfkfiOzKoV_cLmv_grLivfrz3pRwMWKwFv_sW6GvaHd7ra3EZziDALqFj-e4NWIXRcOFIc0Gm7SiLPmeup8is6anF49LO_-gIfT6Xd0deTk6b4d4kDb-Y/s1600/IMG_20200722_091801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwAAvEiPaKdIXI7fdbzr9skVfkfiOzKoV_cLmv_grLivfrz3pRwMWKwFv_sW6GvaHd7ra3EZziDALqFj-e4NWIXRcOFIc0Gm7SiLPmeup8is6anF49LO_-gIfT6Xd0deTk6b4d4kDb-Y/s320/IMG_20200722_091801.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As yet not identified beetle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-6183160345889222722020-07-25T14:59:00.004+02:002020-07-26T09:08:38.079+02:00Overdue catch-up part 2: produce<br />
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Of course, while the rats have been giving us the runaround the veg garden, fruit trees and nature's larder have all been busy doing their stuff. Not without daily attention I hasten to add (daily watering of the veg garden and daily opening and closing of the deer-protection nets (opening them each morning to allow pollinators to be able to access the plants and diligently closing them every evening to protect the plants from hungry deer wanting a quick snack).</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Having planted things quite late (due to still being constructing the terraces and raised beds at the time when we would usually be sowing seeds), things are a little behind where we might usually expect them to be - we are still waiting for tomatoes to ripen, we are still waiting for aubergines and peppers to form. But we have harvested (and eaten!) lettuce, beetroot, cucumbers, courgettes, potatoes and snake beans and have a daily crop of raspberries, strawberries and blueberries to add to our breakfasts, as well as having had apricots, plums and peaches.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2ZOVVfps3VH6K6dLgQKVaCmyQCpLR6xsSNvnC9RA6YgAuQfbr4iRUeTdDJ4ZuXxnHTiGmeZ2kgl2QPsKyPaAIHH6gYoIlGTQwdkvJDUKxDlkArOZfCoQAZox5iWLtI9yJumZq_oDlDk/s1600/IMG_20200601_173627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2ZOVVfps3VH6K6dLgQKVaCmyQCpLR6xsSNvnC9RA6YgAuQfbr4iRUeTdDJ4ZuXxnHTiGmeZ2kgl2QPsKyPaAIHH6gYoIlGTQwdkvJDUKxDlkArOZfCoQAZox5iWLtI9yJumZq_oDlDk/s320/IMG_20200601_173627.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daily harvest of soft fruits.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRjzS_idXq8xq0CM4mmb5OBHS0wrswWZ4tfhoPHTkTiTFi4SiUdDAnzBQyed_GQvfNVy_df3lsykIrAdlE2yTr5-1blOiDqp4DY-yfK7cwd13VHhQeyIYatDd1mQr6z4Krd-PW_SLwEQ/s1600/107379153_10157500565826658_1265912163351808626_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRjzS_idXq8xq0CM4mmb5OBHS0wrswWZ4tfhoPHTkTiTFi4SiUdDAnzBQyed_GQvfNVy_df3lsykIrAdlE2yTr5-1blOiDqp4DY-yfK7cwd13VHhQeyIYatDd1mQr6z4Krd-PW_SLwEQ/s320/107379153_10157500565826658_1265912163351808626_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Iris peaches, reale d'Imola apricots, dragon's blood plums and gold drop plums</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltFVLNPFSqQlP9_0o1DloeDxt3IxZTrSx4iLOkywuqxudFaPIDpJItSfqa8TXifME2hTGCLE02_BHShYq-tL3epqmltqMKnYY62-va27-UEmlB0SW3h9vMnbkpFzhYtcGIoejSx9rVLE/s1600/IMG_20200614_094327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltFVLNPFSqQlP9_0o1DloeDxt3IxZTrSx4iLOkywuqxudFaPIDpJItSfqa8TXifME2hTGCLE02_BHShYq-tL3epqmltqMKnYY62-va27-UEmlB0SW3h9vMnbkpFzhYtcGIoejSx9rVLE/s320/IMG_20200614_094327.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The year of the plum!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNEGXuSCp8qygKX2eqaLCEL80w00hb_y2iu5k6fh4jvzH5IoqwUaMshQ5D4btWL1AIBSUNxFXU0aTGXLI4iPVK-uGzVj0m_eeJOYNiPz59fX02xnXLYyxRxZuIpgg3N3YHvSWbHhhCrY/s1600/106101797_10157462324121658_3160011499435430204_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNEGXuSCp8qygKX2eqaLCEL80w00hb_y2iu5k6fh4jvzH5IoqwUaMshQ5D4btWL1AIBSUNxFXU0aTGXLI4iPVK-uGzVj0m_eeJOYNiPz59fX02xnXLYyxRxZuIpgg3N3YHvSWbHhhCrY/s320/106101797_10157462324121658_3160011499435430204_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spicy plum chutney in preparation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoQrzbzk9NF6QfjIbzWdBzTI5SH29hSIBKQ-T_q0yHbeD-6TC1pwQhFKXRng5vfStWW20jwWHZYf5y-8u8SXooIxSaYtfiSMP8jW3Oeqty1mqgMYZXgKLKy36pnpMA08JWNBWYq6chZE/s1600/106069818_10157462324256658_6150494353987057371_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoQrzbzk9NF6QfjIbzWdBzTI5SH29hSIBKQ-T_q0yHbeD-6TC1pwQhFKXRng5vfStWW20jwWHZYf5y-8u8SXooIxSaYtfiSMP8jW3Oeqty1mqgMYZXgKLKy36pnpMA08JWNBWYq6chZE/s320/106069818_10157462324256658_6150494353987057371_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrwCmjlASlahJHFt6nLn8s2u3lQUXvaqoETd6jVwGdxhWzHFjkiylNBjgQFMOqbNa7x5t35CWus6vOIE4LsAEdHsddHSHgrDWCIJU5gihaf9pejAS9OZJ83QAVR3gaJXDdINkLvWQ6jY/s1600/105740277_10157462324511658_633654018525995769_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrwCmjlASlahJHFt6nLn8s2u3lQUXvaqoETd6jVwGdxhWzHFjkiylNBjgQFMOqbNa7x5t35CWus6vOIE4LsAEdHsddHSHgrDWCIJU5gihaf9pejAS9OZJ83QAVR3gaJXDdINkLvWQ6jY/s320/105740277_10157462324511658_633654018525995769_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The proof is in the eating and I can confirm it is delicious!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXas9Orp44IXJyuamydeuONKKFAWvGY5cHf-mjVjd5MvjL_RTwkO5C1kbM2S27EX1df1GcJfAWmxMFqq9qzxHONr-XOxI3FRHOFoQRbUwb3CEKZGidpSsow2GduNiTd-nHaufK40P8D4/s1600/IMG_20200614_145352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXas9Orp44IXJyuamydeuONKKFAWvGY5cHf-mjVjd5MvjL_RTwkO5C1kbM2S27EX1df1GcJfAWmxMFqq9qzxHONr-XOxI3FRHOFoQRbUwb3CEKZGidpSsow2GduNiTd-nHaufK40P8D4/s320/IMG_20200614_145352.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the sweetcorn was small!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55bxqJ0sZYLniFFIwz5yoc1sy_h23_bdSoeBHuf69bDpixqQuDRUS8prCdZ_iLBxE2lLW6zi6rLy7mu3eeh9poV7TvEImTvjkv6OQEnOM1NNMaGsteZTxOqMIdQtoFaLH1vK_yKKhh0M/s1600/IMG_20200625_190344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55bxqJ0sZYLniFFIwz5yoc1sy_h23_bdSoeBHuf69bDpixqQuDRUS8prCdZ_iLBxE2lLW6zi6rLy7mu3eeh9poV7TvEImTvjkv6OQEnOM1NNMaGsteZTxOqMIdQtoFaLH1vK_yKKhh0M/s320/IMG_20200625_190344.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poor man's capers: pickled nasturtium seeds.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For the first time in six years, we have been able to pick walnuts from our walnut tree ahead of the squirrels stripping it bare. In fact, we have seen very few squirrels around this year - perhaps they have found an even more bountiful source of food or perhaps they are just giving us a break this year!<br />
<br />
So, this year is our (my) first attempt at making nocino - a liqueur made from green walnuts. If you ever attempt anything similar my advice would be to actually heed the advice of the internet to wear gloves while cutting the walnuts. My hands and nails remained an attractive shade of black/brown for about 5 days afterwards...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOttofgqh6iak86J0A152MTjoQbol6nCQQFoEjfT8F15pEhbQQa5hLgzwsxU_ENEnbhf2ocGh3QBM4RmLBnwpv7aI4RfeUEWSMl_CG7zoCCQYLXMBM9XxLqr_p7-ITR46CT1w5DVB6KAg/s1600/IMG_20200627_152604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOttofgqh6iak86J0A152MTjoQbol6nCQQFoEjfT8F15pEhbQQa5hLgzwsxU_ENEnbhf2ocGh3QBM4RmLBnwpv7aI4RfeUEWSMl_CG7zoCCQYLXMBM9XxLqr_p7-ITR46CT1w5DVB6KAg/s320/IMG_20200627_152604.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step one: pick about a kilo of walnuts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNiSrI1XPOqghmWrjGNdiQybLgOR_ve5fUuRCT0if01Dd2Dqp739fpn1IwEuXIHg1vqYoe-ZAvYJ4qdvSx7kkGOKXJL6wbEULUboQE1h3-qgAoahf9AO_YFQ0UquOyEfQQRMBQxAnyIrk/s1600/IMG_20200627_161113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNiSrI1XPOqghmWrjGNdiQybLgOR_ve5fUuRCT0if01Dd2Dqp739fpn1IwEuXIHg1vqYoe-ZAvYJ4qdvSx7kkGOKXJL6wbEULUboQE1h3-qgAoahf9AO_YFQ0UquOyEfQQRMBQxAnyIrk/s320/IMG_20200627_161113.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step two: cut the walnuts into quarters and place in a large, sealed jar with sugar. Leave in the sun for two days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFev4V5ud2xEnJ3hZmS7grVUSTq0xCL12owO5L_9YkMFoIo6LTFFsFXbSCks4jRfP6m_TsMvfvi_ycPBokWYSb4vSSUzNz5l1ivK881gscz2U1gYA3PZ2XVypg3PLobTx78E2o7Tx3YOw/s1600/IMG_20200627_182119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFev4V5ud2xEnJ3hZmS7grVUSTq0xCL12owO5L_9YkMFoIo6LTFFsFXbSCks4jRfP6m_TsMvfvi_ycPBokWYSb4vSSUzNz5l1ivK881gscz2U1gYA3PZ2XVypg3PLobTx78E2o7Tx3YOw/s320/IMG_20200627_182119.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and this is what it looks like after a few hours.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnBxD7emSlAi3vqfqb8jW6a6Qk9dresYKCGxktNrWYepn1ZgkRmsmFo9m4F_Jt_xZTtwd4wxlqWQzsNoNKCPYNz8i29rI44S0WFukqhJMBxQI3pz7tlehUsy_8gYmm-QdgRf9f3C_0Y8/s1600/IMG_20200629_122057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnBxD7emSlAi3vqfqb8jW6a6Qk9dresYKCGxktNrWYepn1ZgkRmsmFo9m4F_Jt_xZTtwd4wxlqWQzsNoNKCPYNz8i29rI44S0WFukqhJMBxQI3pz7tlehUsy_8gYmm-QdgRf9f3C_0Y8/s320/IMG_20200629_122057.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and this is what it looks like the next day!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37NW5w6NgRsy3XEIGzeAFBybYfFvaL0tVDE1CoCwfGmQJ8k5KLb72W9fjw2N4tKf5Rj9SQyYX2tUb0B9f1C9L8AnJrkKKgObm7s6-kwPjNyCZg9LM2RPdA53hmywor73WxJBrpaGWuB0/s1600/IMG_20200725_144534+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37NW5w6NgRsy3XEIGzeAFBybYfFvaL0tVDE1CoCwfGmQJ8k5KLb72W9fjw2N4tKf5Rj9SQyYX2tUb0B9f1C9L8AnJrkKKgObm7s6-kwPjNyCZg9LM2RPdA53hmywor73WxJBrpaGWuB0/s320/IMG_20200725_144534+%25281%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step three: add alcohol, cinnamon sticks and clove sand leave in a sunny place for a few weeks!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The nocino should be ready by the end of August, so watch this space!<br />
<div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9jeir2aSa_cpoZhwfO5mK4HbGFFCwCcrVInP7QvWMlgcdnk9at14r6RUUZe7leESy3GBkqoyNjPZ62pAy30Ddan_bFFE2AZXLnjBGQSbLz32B3Pyc7ghDzwvVKftSC_Sya-0tTgmmTBg/s1600/IMG_20200627_175508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9jeir2aSa_cpoZhwfO5mK4HbGFFCwCcrVInP7QvWMlgcdnk9at14r6RUUZe7leESy3GBkqoyNjPZ62pAy30Ddan_bFFE2AZXLnjBGQSbLz32B3Pyc7ghDzwvVKftSC_Sya-0tTgmmTBg/s320/IMG_20200627_175508.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soya beans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPH1Q9CAR0GpZJqldfp9E2EcQEl7dV07d411f-kUEZx7INfFt3OZeWBUweMXI9oyouO6KygQm_GPe9OR0VZKm5Uki8ubIScpTnNvM1fI5cYWz_Vst_HpFx74ekuSUG9ycCjG4dGoHALiI/s1600/IMG_20200630_091851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPH1Q9CAR0GpZJqldfp9E2EcQEl7dV07d411f-kUEZx7INfFt3OZeWBUweMXI9oyouO6KygQm_GPe9OR0VZKm5Uki8ubIScpTnNvM1fI5cYWz_Vst_HpFx74ekuSUG9ycCjG4dGoHALiI/s320/IMG_20200630_091851.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a bit of growth on the sweetcorn!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGburP2E3pTt71LqFp4Yn2Bo09PAyFQvTeQcjuybdYGp_G6tgTgUESgaKeJniKYY5d_eq3glf1pEJtvlUe2J48rdtz2J9XjfA_imUecprLQxcBRQgyXv3MA0r6L9__kJeo6f9NMj1_n8/s1600/IMG_20200703_085229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGburP2E3pTt71LqFp4Yn2Bo09PAyFQvTeQcjuybdYGp_G6tgTgUESgaKeJniKYY5d_eq3glf1pEJtvlUe2J48rdtz2J9XjfA_imUecprLQxcBRQgyXv3MA0r6L9__kJeo6f9NMj1_n8/s320/IMG_20200703_085229.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Field of corn (ok "field is pushing it).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIiJrpPly3bWPLiFE8Gbst6hYuwDFHtG-tXC8lW65O2Sa149SZ2IJ21A32upcwxoCWmaz0otjD1s2KUozjL0-j-t0coZfC-qz1RICm1OZKSMOg-FdDBu50OvC_VRr6TeRHyF_47WcuQmw/s1600/IMG_20200707_073330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIiJrpPly3bWPLiFE8Gbst6hYuwDFHtG-tXC8lW65O2Sa149SZ2IJ21A32upcwxoCWmaz0otjD1s2KUozjL0-j-t0coZfC-qz1RICm1OZKSMOg-FdDBu50OvC_VRr6TeRHyF_47WcuQmw/s320/IMG_20200707_073330.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A monster pumpkin next to the raised beds.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLdkBLCCeBNDamOzX8g3-eyDOGQmFSPy4cwsr8gIbwfyvawZax-dPEhqK76YHuCvmawe8FBa5m__ZW4dnB1fad5p1lcytpKWxG4nuAJseRzJJJ7gNwTBWrPlvyaeOe0Qf2Aol-OkcSzY/s1600/IMG_20200711_085322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLdkBLCCeBNDamOzX8g3-eyDOGQmFSPy4cwsr8gIbwfyvawZax-dPEhqK76YHuCvmawe8FBa5m__ZW4dnB1fad5p1lcytpKWxG4nuAJseRzJJJ7gNwTBWrPlvyaeOe0Qf2Aol-OkcSzY/s320/IMG_20200711_085322.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiny soya beans.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwBwnccJGAGNtWYTJIRgFrYfmUKNsPwS1cVq1-oAY9PGjAU70sPNrzZNAtAEgGZfFhvSmv8PYH8wJpQWEHHBFQOdMrfgKYvlnbzVgr-seaM2I7-EYy1iYYllsdhAG9Y8vNHE2rNimQoM/s1600/IMG_20200711_085352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwBwnccJGAGNtWYTJIRgFrYfmUKNsPwS1cVq1-oAY9PGjAU70sPNrzZNAtAEgGZfFhvSmv8PYH8wJpQWEHHBFQOdMrfgKYvlnbzVgr-seaM2I7-EYy1iYYllsdhAG9Y8vNHE2rNimQoM/s320/IMG_20200711_085352.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Still) green tomatoes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQMP9vVFApEVKRyNcBwNw4NOMDt_Pp3FxwfmSJs5eCTo5HY8VaGz3715OOKWz6tbEs_T-cC8kY016QQGL4KFWtLXlrPwTtU-S65v05cSt45FsQoWitBBeLgbuF69sDfcE_wRRQmMuZPY/s1600/IMG_20200711_085450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQMP9vVFApEVKRyNcBwNw4NOMDt_Pp3FxwfmSJs5eCTo5HY8VaGz3715OOKWz6tbEs_T-cC8kY016QQGL4KFWtLXlrPwTtU-S65v05cSt45FsQoWitBBeLgbuF69sDfcE_wRRQmMuZPY/s320/IMG_20200711_085450.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lupin hiding amongst the pumpkin leaves.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWptluLvmeQ2OZELzIo4yYsc6Qw5cuMkxismiCodBcX0HRUvd9izJbrSSSuPSRyUHkdtSLHw8VpQLnrVTI4GbVCW_ucbglPXMDIPeW9DAweHfRUQVV1T5c0k0PMvhxI63aE82KOik8YJE/s1600/IMG_20200711_092415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWptluLvmeQ2OZELzIo4yYsc6Qw5cuMkxismiCodBcX0HRUvd9izJbrSSSuPSRyUHkdtSLHw8VpQLnrVTI4GbVCW_ucbglPXMDIPeW9DAweHfRUQVV1T5c0k0PMvhxI63aE82KOik8YJE/s320/IMG_20200711_092415.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corn coming!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCcYZdqm2qqwpVXQLfJhrdakY26DKAZswHNV4trIf4S9neB7lbaSkwDRTh-lQyyxArGWdKiYDSMBQm4OQ1YG2rvHb1LtKbCghGFDzEuZXhSr4_Cqlgxjr5STUgtQJ9SDT8tKyTIFjXhA/s1600/IMG_20200711_092431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCcYZdqm2qqwpVXQLfJhrdakY26DKAZswHNV4trIf4S9neB7lbaSkwDRTh-lQyyxArGWdKiYDSMBQm4OQ1YG2rvHb1LtKbCghGFDzEuZXhSr4_Cqlgxjr5STUgtQJ9SDT8tKyTIFjXhA/s320/IMG_20200711_092431.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corn flower.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqpn4BcaoiUhSoQ-CVlEJDngGXYQJnulaJZfDw4AOvVhzWJp5faAqSMmsogWcFmO6ojU5amvOlk47GGrr9LoQjegnRDjHbIFI5hRVEEMxjGj3uUiEmsccHlOvdD0f9a6k9eRj-ryRY9I/s1600/IMG_20200711_154250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqpn4BcaoiUhSoQ-CVlEJDngGXYQJnulaJZfDw4AOvVhzWJp5faAqSMmsogWcFmO6ojU5amvOlk47GGrr9LoQjegnRDjHbIFI5hRVEEMxjGj3uUiEmsccHlOvdD0f9a6k9eRj-ryRY9I/s320/IMG_20200711_154250.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potato harvest.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheQY5f5SyCIs-TVneXfW-XM1bOk4SO7I4AZ7A9a_yY3KPTAnlzPOUs04H6cjQFs6raw5fh7mMAQEVfUJ4qknC8_2O7TokCairwGXVEoy9GPV3Pyw8rmYLWWNQain3NVDPFqdkZ96AyM0/s1600/IMG_20200712_131603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheQY5f5SyCIs-TVneXfW-XM1bOk4SO7I4AZ7A9a_yY3KPTAnlzPOUs04H6cjQFs6raw5fh7mMAQEVfUJ4qknC8_2O7TokCairwGXVEoy9GPV3Pyw8rmYLWWNQain3NVDPFqdkZ96AyM0/s320/IMG_20200712_131603.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first of the snake beans.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlBLvn35AwkTKoUS-fmBgbWEpSrs1wzo3VEYUN87ofZouSLyFqQyeuCo70fkyG_Tsz4seKLsxSqJHmgR0mzVHMFK-P9DcEUP-_elG_3LQt2DqxqeB7sxTrwfCyYr0375rGLofcxO95yw/s1600/IMG_20200716_180550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlBLvn35AwkTKoUS-fmBgbWEpSrs1wzo3VEYUN87ofZouSLyFqQyeuCo70fkyG_Tsz4seKLsxSqJHmgR0mzVHMFK-P9DcEUP-_elG_3LQt2DqxqeB7sxTrwfCyYr0375rGLofcxO95yw/s320/IMG_20200716_180550.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From a short walk along our drive.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXY8z2adaopbzmB_SlnjHbEkaxN18gMSwZLE6qFledQGZbZTxylMD7Ix-rtbqh0VqUhneXeHJ8K2KDbaeik9FbUxADZ0X0dfXrQxv8g7wLBUk1KMqPqlEwyAUCF3r4-hcliaEi5rkhbA/s1600/IMG_20200719_092924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXY8z2adaopbzmB_SlnjHbEkaxN18gMSwZLE6qFledQGZbZTxylMD7Ix-rtbqh0VqUhneXeHJ8K2KDbaeik9FbUxADZ0X0dfXrQxv8g7wLBUk1KMqPqlEwyAUCF3r4-hcliaEi5rkhbA/s320/IMG_20200719_092924.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost there!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSWWcM_Zy3FzMaz47cFjQO21rw2JR1qrlitMxFI6XvF98xXRdpsGlYNgFLfwXWt_6UtnH3vUVe3TUpbSIB0DJ8EULDqvQvx87CLfooRWdi0dGGOpfVqku8cHgsvbLcvy-eaLJmMluVw4/s1600/IMG_20200723_083528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSWWcM_Zy3FzMaz47cFjQO21rw2JR1qrlitMxFI6XvF98xXRdpsGlYNgFLfwXWt_6UtnH3vUVe3TUpbSIB0DJ8EULDqvQvx87CLfooRWdi0dGGOpfVqku8cHgsvbLcvy-eaLJmMluVw4/s320/IMG_20200723_083528.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost grape harvest time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-81474365429953859412020-07-25T14:09:00.002+02:002020-07-26T09:43:57.537+02:00Overdue catch-up part 1: Rat GateIt's been a while!<br />
<br />
Regrettably, everyday life has really stolen both time and motivation to write blog posts recently. (When you're spending 8 hours a day in front of the computer, spending more time in front of the computer to write a blog post isn't the first thing to spring to mind as an enjoyable or profitable use of free time.)<br />
<br />
What is there to update you on? Well, there's Rat Gate.<br />
<br />
Rat Gate has been going on since <b>mid January</b>, but we have been reluctant to report on it to anyone but our nearest and dearest until we could be sure that the whole saga was over. We are fairly certain now that we have won the battle, so here is the story with all the gory details.<br />
<br />
Mid-January (probably about a week after Sheila, Stuart's Mum, had left us to return home after her Christmas visit), we started to notice strange bits of grit and dust on the floor in the apartment. At first, we didn't think too much of it as these houses tend to shed dust and grit and all sorts, and it's not unusual for insects to start to burrow in wood/mortar and create dust either. But every time we swept up, the dust reappeared. And, to cut a long story short, after having put our wildlife camera in the apartment, we identified the issue: a rodent (ok, cut to the chase, it was a rat) was climbing across a small section of the wall and knocking dust and mortar off it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnZr4JdPg3O-142m4MVQuMLKLHdQUocc-Zeri1pfHjuF2MXaDbQS0EvaK09BXikeK0lMfcORgTVwn3LT3yE1hnCOquMKcmxGFcd5PeRsW8N9vzWVfCXFvezR0LUm4aDQibLAhzw_5Iuc/s1600/rat1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnZr4JdPg3O-142m4MVQuMLKLHdQUocc-Zeri1pfHjuF2MXaDbQS0EvaK09BXikeK0lMfcORgTVwn3LT3yE1hnCOquMKcmxGFcd5PeRsW8N9vzWVfCXFvezR0LUm4aDQibLAhzw_5Iuc/s320/rat1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Now, this is not the first time we have had issues with, er, "wildlife" in the apartment. We had the rather adorable but pesky pair of edible dormice that appeared when our friends Paul and Marie were staying in the apartment (and who named their companions Colin and Carol), and on other fleeting occasions we were aware of rats having visited (but thankfully not stayed). And, of course, there was the rather more unpleasant situation several years ago prior to having removed the false ceiling in the apartment bedroom when we found them effectively living in the void between the false ceiling and the actual ceiling, and when holes started to be made in the floor above (to feed the hot water pipes through when we were having the hot water system installed) they made their way up into what is now our utility room and ran riot in there. Not pleasant memories!<br />
<br />
So, back to Rat Gate. We worked out that, although the rat was traversing a section of wall, it was actually only moving from one part of wall cavity to another and not actually entering the rooms themselves. All of the internal walls in the apartment are cavity walls - the house is built into the hillside at the back, and a cavity is necessary to keep moisture out.<br />
<br />
We very quickly identified a point of entry into the house: in what we have come to know as the classic style of the previous owners of our house, they had patched up a hole in the stonework (where a waste pipe exited the house) with nothing more than expanding foam. And the rats had chewed through the foam and entered the cavity wall.<br />
<br />
Not wanting to have dead/dying rats inside the apartment, we thought we had come up with a clever idea and invented a sort of one-way cat-flap for rats: we placed a piece of tubing into the hole, at the end of which Stuart fashioned a one-way door made from a disc of perspex. The theory was that the rats (by this stage we knew there were more than one) could exit the house, but would not be able to get back in again. The expanding foam was then replaced with more permanent mortar and we were all set.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxV9DRkDUOMlJLqTzSCqxWDwZOWdLkMn3amK_bcWEbChEbNjOV9FRGtO7Tcj-PHD6Yx3iO532uDIrkOxtF71g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Except... the rats continued to appear in the apartment and their activity showed no sign of slowing (in theory they can only last a few days without a source of food/water, so the fact that they were still very much active in the apartment suggested they must still be coming and going).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy_2l36j9fKB6cGzF3VYU9q1085f-Fn00gRLWQLq3OvWVwShM2pydZJ-8Qy9JaAn5p4B9xHZtA3F5SvhRKxMQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Clearly our master plan (#1) had failed.<br />
<br />
Not long after that, we discovered a hole in the stonework at ground level. "Ha!", we thought, and after filling that hole with mortar, we celebrated and waited for the activity in the apartment to cease.<br />
<br />
Except it didn't.<br />
<br />
Every morning when I went to the apartment (I had my exercise equipment in there for the winter months), I could hear them squeaking, rustling, running around. They had nested in various parts of the walls above the front door of the apartment, above the kitchen window and along the false beams of the kitchen/living area. And every day when I sat at my desk in the office I could hear them running around below me. There even began to be a very unpleasant smell that began to permeate up through the floor into our living room (think cat's litter tray).<br />
<br />
Not nice.<br />
<br />
We didn't know where to turn - we couldn't see any obvious way in which the beasts were coming and going and we started to panic, thinking it could literally be <i>anywhere</i> and given that the house is built into the hillside at the back, they could be digging down and coming through the back wall, or they could be digging under and coming up under the floor (there is also an under-floor cavity - the floor being built on top of a series of plastic Iglu blocks (if you're interested see <a href="https://www.daliform.com/en/iglu-vespaio-aerato/">https://www.daliform.com/en/iglu-vespaio-aerato/</a>).<br />
<br />
Of course the obvious thing would be to er.. exterminate them. And many, many people suggested the various ways in which we could do this. But, for us, the problem was that if we got rid of them <i>without</i> finding out how they had got in, we would never be able to be sure that the same thing wouldn't happen again in the future. Meaning we wouldn't ever be able to host guests in the apartment again, for fear of beasties arriving during their stay or prior to their stay, and, well, it just being very unsanitary.<br />
<br />
At the end of his tether, Stuart decided to knock some holes into the various cavity walls in order to peer down and see what was behind them. He also bought two wi-fi video cameras to stick in the holes to see what the rats were getting up to. We found out that the cavity at the back of the apartment is nowhere near as large as we had been led to believe, but little else of any use.<br />
<br />
And still they kept coming, And reproducing.<br />
<br />
My gut feeling was that they <i>had</i> to be coming from the exposed stonework at the end of the house as they always seemed to appear on camera from the same spot (stage left on top of the bathroom ceiling). But we were still stumped.<br />
<br />
And then we found another hole! Whooopppp! Big celebrations. The hole was filled, and we sat and waited. This time we had <i>definitely</i> got them. Gosh it was such a huge relief to have finally sorted this problem out.<br />
<br />
But still they kept coming. And reproducing. And a week came and went (by which time without any food or water they would not have survived).<br />
<br />
Increasingly, the only "solution" seemed it would be a case of ripping down all of the internal walls (and floor) in the apartment to find the point of entry. After which putting the apartment back together would have been both an enormous job and almost certainly cost prohibitive too. We could wave goodbye to having a guest apartment. We consoled ourselves with the idea that we could use the space for storage, but it wasn't much consolation.<br />
<br />
Over the course of the weeks, Stuart had a few phone calls with our friend Steve. Steve lives in Oxfordshire and used to be a pig farmer (he's now a plumber in case anyone in the area is reading this and needs a recommendation!), so wondered if he could try to help, having had lots of experience of dealing with pests on the farm. I'm not certain that anything particularly brand new came of the phone calls, but they were a huge support and boost, and certainly got Stuart thinking about things again and even more convinced that the rats <i>had</i> to be coming in from that stonework on the end wall.<br />
<br />
Stuart spent a day breaking up an old concrete box that had been housing the old waste pipes - and found evidence of a rat run and holes that led into the house. He duly filled all of those holes, we celebrated, but once again our celebrations proved to be premature.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxP83NCTJpV2htxVL6-RU8G19S4_rfmZkSEnFeJpJYRh8G-GQXH2x_wDgP0xAFD_R_rsFAIZatIzIemUrI9gTEUMcAUK8aZlV6BUwPleP2w1-3ceA7NsUmIWXmdseO_B8ur7VbnZC0GcE/s1600/104072910_287308609340938_787749784164578294_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxP83NCTJpV2htxVL6-RU8G19S4_rfmZkSEnFeJpJYRh8G-GQXH2x_wDgP0xAFD_R_rsFAIZatIzIemUrI9gTEUMcAUK8aZlV6BUwPleP2w1-3ceA7NsUmIWXmdseO_B8ur7VbnZC0GcE/s320/104072910_287308609340938_787749784164578294_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtzR2Vr97aqiot_wzlNnWhWZEqJnRHpqMpoFp2kps_NsObbcR4alOvSeKCH4CtR3SAMbRX_FhK81N9PHQLV6JyQTlJh2gxdrHrhCudmPZdvQOUrXK3V5GsyEzrm1bk4ebYa90nU6sa3g/s1600/103849800_276516373539363_982972565543248837_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtzR2Vr97aqiot_wzlNnWhWZEqJnRHpqMpoFp2kps_NsObbcR4alOvSeKCH4CtR3SAMbRX_FhK81N9PHQLV6JyQTlJh2gxdrHrhCudmPZdvQOUrXK3V5GsyEzrm1bk4ebYa90nU6sa3g/s320/103849800_276516373539363_982972565543248837_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Another avenue of investigation was the section of house beneath the shed. Stuart donned knee pads and squeezed himself into the tight space of the gully that runs beneath the shed, but didn't find any obvious signs of entry. The very next day the camera caught an <i>enormous</i> snake (a type of grass snake) in the same spot as Stuart had been crawling around in - very glad that hadn't been there when he was under there!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyYgeZkM1FgBCzF68PsQ10bn20j_TS4HVSFfNcJl7iY3uJfG0uOfXNPMGhlMOIn1YwWthcS37KO9WeEczkWLQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
And so it went on, becoming ever more depressing and stressful.<br />
<br />
Until one morning, in sheer desperation, I peered at all of the stonework, inch by inch. It wasn't possible that there were any holes we had missed. We'd both been over it all with a fine tooth comb. Stuart had even taken Steve on a virtual video tour of the perimeter of the house.<br />
<br />
I did find a hole, but it was tiny. Very unpromising looking, but I decided to try poking a stick into it anyway just to see how far it went. The stick went all the way in. Hmm.<br />
<br />
I reported my find to Stuart, who confirmed that, yes, the stick did go a long way in, and it was <i>possible </i>that this could be a point of entry. He duly moved one of the video cameras to point at the hole and we waited.<br />
<br />
We didn't have to wait long. Early that evening notifications started appearing on our phones to say that he camera had filmed something. Lo and behold, there was a tiny pair of eyes peering out from the hole, followed by a body and a tail. And another pair of eye, body and tail. And another ... and so on.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyzHDEAiD2abpa9QOandvz8wlS6Xo0uQ3d6RV_PgIo9oHJbX8RbR2-QOyVDEaxnTnyGOLmk1K5M90eFNM6DyA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Well, this was promising.<br />
<br />
We watched rat after rat come out of the hole, and then overnight the camera recorded rat after rat going back into the hole some time in the early hours of the morning.<br />
<br />
So, we hatched a plan. We would wait until the rats had all (or mostly) left the house for their nightly activities and then (after rigging up a light by which to work) we would fill the hole and hope that the mortar set before they could come back in again. This way we hoped we would avoid shutting rats inside the apartment.<br />
<br />
We duly executed our plan. We watched and waited until we had counted 15, yes, <b>15</b>, rats coming out of the hole, by which time it was 11:30pm at night. At that point I mixed up a bucket of mortar and then Stuart swung into action with his mortaring tools. By midnight we had finished. So we went to bed and waited to see what would appear on camera overnight.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2G6QUr25zJB60QBM4pQnVm4lo4LuMf3F3DmyRNygItMQP_5dpZgq_oyc_IOsOZ3JMABDyN1ccAql7VpSzfZRg6deYk6hgzynGe_tBIFXwJcfDnC3nZdrsUnYYftk-kPoGIykh_4vHGS8/s1600/IMG_20200704_232434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2G6QUr25zJB60QBM4pQnVm4lo4LuMf3F3DmyRNygItMQP_5dpZgq_oyc_IOsOZ3JMABDyN1ccAql7VpSzfZRg6deYk6hgzynGe_tBIFXwJcfDnC3nZdrsUnYYftk-kPoGIykh_4vHGS8/s320/IMG_20200704_232434.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
As planned, the mortar set and by the time the rats came back around 5am the next morning, they couldn't find their way back in. They were stumped!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dybk0lK2g92x0pOfcv52keDPsQtElfiikile3lnXh3aHsdUZMbfeVqqKDiJj5LfvelTYE4si_CjASfP7Frthw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
I have to confess to feeling quite sorry for them - they looked so bewildered and probably just wanted to get home to their beds!<br />
<br />
And that, almost <b>6 months</b> after we first found evidence of them. is where the story of the rats inside the apartment ends. Since that day (now 3 weeks ago) there hasn't been a single rodent inside the house. Finally, finally the saga comes to an end.<br />
<br />
Rat Gate continues, of course, as we are now chasing them around outside - they are dancing on our roof at night (at least, that's what it sounds like) and stealing the chickens' food. But dealing with them outdoors is one heck of a lot less stressful than having them inside the house!<br />
<br />
Rat Gate has really overshadowed our lives for, well 6 months, and we are actually incredibly grateful for the fact that lockdown coincided with this episode. The whole experience has been stressful enough, but would have been immeasurably worse had we had people booked in to come and stay in the apartment.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-19482719927910723962020-06-23T19:54:00.000+02:002020-06-24T10:26:41.533+02:00L'acqua di San Giovanni (St John's water) & oleolito di iperico (Hypericum oil)Thanks to a lovely group of ladies that have welcomed me as their friend and associate, today I spent the afternoon walking the lanes of the hillside opposite us picking wild flowers and preparing l'acqua di San Giovanni (St John's water) and oleolito di iperico (St John's wort oil). (All at a suitable social distance, of course!)<br />
<br />
<b>L'acqua di San Giovanni</b><br />
June 24th is the feast of St John the Baptist (San Giovanni). According to tradition, on the day before that (June 23rd), you pick wild flowers and herbs from your garden or the verges and fields close to where you live.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2RqE-NJwi-lL3AGTbIKH4TTd5ObI360HLlsqFrSBqnlhL9HMUft6m4c0CFWKfvm8nTVNyle_Wzk1WoWjb-qPWfmfFq7vGFEoDrZlAAjP46GvsVjtI0iOajbaBhiajTtmO0coWOmSvp0/s1600/IMG_20200623_173550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2RqE-NJwi-lL3AGTbIKH4TTd5ObI360HLlsqFrSBqnlhL9HMUft6m4c0CFWKfvm8nTVNyle_Wzk1WoWjb-qPWfmfFq7vGFEoDrZlAAjP46GvsVjtI0iOajbaBhiajTtmO0coWOmSvp0/s320/IMG_20200623_173550.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dividing the flowers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRW1TL3U6hItkThHeFnKwFMor4hAeYVd5YFWcC_8allSMtDVB6Blpq8wE9t7zyezqzwgpen2oyPnDC5iGQ9Y33gvb5-StCg8W91ZGDvQrxjGbmgs3nVfpHMNcHtF_pxJg3vYyOayD95E/s1600/IMG_20200623_173556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRW1TL3U6hItkThHeFnKwFMor4hAeYVd5YFWcC_8allSMtDVB6Blpq8wE9t7zyezqzwgpen2oyPnDC5iGQ9Y33gvb5-StCg8W91ZGDvQrxjGbmgs3nVfpHMNcHtF_pxJg3vYyOayD95E/s320/IMG_20200623_173556.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bunch of flowers for each of us to take home and wait until sunset...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTeMdW5UPN-924RzxQBL60zXBfa08r9lrNkTOD4c7zD2N0oGGr432Hup21axWoSxYytEcg3ug1dXixGeGp7ElEwnFyabuIrJEU7JE0rS_hC38cnNj3Rjg0OqWo8ZgIL4NuD59CVW1kc2A/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2020-06-23+at+21.03.52.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTeMdW5UPN-924RzxQBL60zXBfa08r9lrNkTOD4c7zD2N0oGGr432Hup21axWoSxYytEcg3ug1dXixGeGp7ElEwnFyabuIrJEU7JE0rS_hC38cnNj3Rjg0OqWo8ZgIL4NuD59CVW1kc2A/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-06-23+at+21.03.52.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately Reggie found my neatly wrapped package of flowers... thankfully he left the flowers alone (on the floor) and only destroyed their packaging!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
At sunset (yes, it must be at sunset), you place the flowers in a large bowl of water and leave it out overnight to be touched by the<i> magical powers</i> of the San Giovanni moon and to collect the dew of the gods.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3aJPj_4uyyuMxUh_NwySsy0V7LoRTJm818DohTToUecyglb3W9O0QPOs91PDJ2nt-QLotsa0AIMCaMgi_ELFYcYcUYLhyfpGhcHptY4EVZ3RIZnQprW85mUBLIRY2bpOFzapIjTeZT0/s1600/IMG_20200623_210905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3aJPj_4uyyuMxUh_NwySsy0V7LoRTJm818DohTToUecyglb3W9O0QPOs91PDJ2nt-QLotsa0AIMCaMgi_ELFYcYcUYLhyfpGhcHptY4EVZ3RIZnQprW85mUBLIRY2bpOFzapIjTeZT0/s320/IMG_20200623_210905.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBNSe2Cz7nBRs-KA0uo8cMArxCucvqZw_SfTrzg1H1zyHxYtMFarLs2vCRT9s_WQwGDxq_JOpb1NbDip02cfC7yYfKmp8N91AAiFTCMJIHKm1hii6vfMQCG6pbQGLef4p1fwBw7DHzts/s1600/IMG_20200623_210912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBNSe2Cz7nBRs-KA0uo8cMArxCucvqZw_SfTrzg1H1zyHxYtMFarLs2vCRT9s_WQwGDxq_JOpb1NbDip02cfC7yYfKmp8N91AAiFTCMJIHKm1hii6vfMQCG6pbQGLef4p1fwBw7DHzts/s320/IMG_20200623_210912.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
The following morning you filter the perfumed water then use it to wash your face (and of course also offer it to family and friends). Its powerful magical properties will bestow on you beauty, health and prosperity. (So it's definitely worth a try, right?)<br />
<br />
<b>Oleolito di iperico </b><br />
Meanwhile, Hypericum perforatum (St John's wort) has many recorded medicinal benefits, being rich in active ingredients such as flavonoids, tannins, hypercine, chlorogenic and caffeic acid.<br />
<br />
An oil preparation made with Hypericum has anti-bacterial properties and is often used to treat sunburn, skin blemishes, psoriasis and is also apparently a good anti-aging remedy (it stimulates cell regeneration). (Also worth a try, right?)<br />
<br />
To make oleolito di iperico you pick the flowers, put them in a clean, dry glass jar, cover them in olive oil, seal the lid and then leave for around a month for the flowers to steep in the oil then apply the oil to the skin as needed.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7FevW8Y1cDb01q3N9I2TUjX5tGsFN7VyPoS5WUn_KH_2oc7YgM9Ac2r3JlZCUPXi9flp7mDuE4SGDECjYbewNUGjKzUuKkByWqUw9wHa1tYJMAHd0hEWSrOzRSXGxKRumgz96KaYv6hg/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2020-06-23+at+20.23.50%25282%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7FevW8Y1cDb01q3N9I2TUjX5tGsFN7VyPoS5WUn_KH_2oc7YgM9Ac2r3JlZCUPXi9flp7mDuE4SGDECjYbewNUGjKzUuKkByWqUw9wHa1tYJMAHd0hEWSrOzRSXGxKRumgz96KaYv6hg/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-06-23+at+20.23.50%25282%2529.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXY94MM2qNyJsLFNONQnuQa5Hez01E7vJOvmN-RA-eSwx5dADas4FrKVl0E5uv3wfqMLblmsUs4TGyui1cgNyjBFfXVpjMBXA9cnv07cD8tn_1t6w-SySjQjnMFiF9RYqJ-zYVPn27_U/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2020-06-23+at+20.23.51.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXY94MM2qNyJsLFNONQnuQa5Hez01E7vJOvmN-RA-eSwx5dADas4FrKVl0E5uv3wfqMLblmsUs4TGyui1cgNyjBFfXVpjMBXA9cnv07cD8tn_1t6w-SySjQjnMFiF9RYqJ-zYVPn27_U/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-06-23+at+20.23.51.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjntmpjaCNg41awGZzYEEi31pFu_JUkdt5Weat7EvytjxandzsOdc7uIB5ZTiEI3-0mZWxVsimddU6NDAva_E9TdtPwPuoOa7smNqzjzbmKNT4ne-oIspI0cgaJyH5jAOFuJzN1E2Pnmg/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2020-06-23+at+20.23.51%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjntmpjaCNg41awGZzYEEi31pFu_JUkdt5Weat7EvytjxandzsOdc7uIB5ZTiEI3-0mZWxVsimddU6NDAva_E9TdtPwPuoOa7smNqzjzbmKNT4ne-oIspI0cgaJyH5jAOFuJzN1E2Pnmg/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-06-23+at+20.23.51%25281%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5KAIRjoP0FuFgzONi-DawV9yBHUFwy5wh4Us-l68VuYnIiwmc0HrcJU7H35NcY9esJxOyNmMVyqe_QtVJ1dfZj5EjIoDQiH6TbLTudNewP6OcgPeaXkrviy56v-yEltjoxZV1i8InrQ/s1600/IMG_20200623_181916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5KAIRjoP0FuFgzONi-DawV9yBHUFwy5wh4Us-l68VuYnIiwmc0HrcJU7H35NcY9esJxOyNmMVyqe_QtVJ1dfZj5EjIoDQiH6TbLTudNewP6OcgPeaXkrviy56v-yEltjoxZV1i8InrQ/s320/IMG_20200623_181916.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Happy feast of St. John and happy start of summer!<br />
<br />
<br />The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-67030193836509562622020-05-15T16:15:00.003+02:002020-05-15T16:16:44.663+02:00Building a compost bioreactorTraditional home composting, as most people who have a garden will know, involves building a pile of cuttings, probably adding to it from time to time, and turning it at regular intervals.<br />
<br />
We previously built a "composting station" for this traditional method, consisting of five separate bays, four of which we filled with grass clippings, veg peelings and vegetation cuttings, with the idea being that the contents of each bay could be turned into the empty bay next to it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXqSfQKv_MesvAkPz_S1YSiYYS83CV4qeWDpNK84v-Nb8GZD1RhVX6wpkfWzcM_jgTkFBD7KQh8kM8cF1aTTbbk_CZ7H6_90YJ9liBTuEmcrezPZmsmhGVe7crzz_xOIF-9ogdHAktKs/s1600/20160928_143553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXqSfQKv_MesvAkPz_S1YSiYYS83CV4qeWDpNK84v-Nb8GZD1RhVX6wpkfWzcM_jgTkFBD7KQh8kM8cF1aTTbbk_CZ7H6_90YJ9liBTuEmcrezPZmsmhGVe7crzz_xOIF-9ogdHAktKs/s320/20160928_143553.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how the compost station looked when it was first constructed, in 2016 - it had suffered a few injuries brought about by slipping rocks and collapsing sides since then!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
While we have used this method successfully (and grown vegetables in the compost it has produced), it can produce an uneven compost (some parts of the pile perfectly broken down into lovely compost, others still in their unbroken-down state), not to mention the undesirable wildlife it can attract.<br />
<br />
In contrast, the material in the Johnson-Su bioreactor (no I had never heard of it before either) never needs turning, doesn't produce smells or attract flies or other wildlife, and in theory produces a completely even and rich compost. The material is composted aerobically, which encourages a complete biological breakdown of the compost materials.<br />
<br />
The design for this composter comes from Dr. David Johnson, Adjunct Professor for the College of Agriculture at California State University, Chico and his wife, Hui-Chun Su (if you're interested in finding out more, you can find instructions on how to make your own <a href="https://www.csuchico.edu/regenerativeagriculture/bioreactor/bioreactor-instructions.shtml" target="_blank">here</a>) .<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The downside is that it has to be filled all in one go - you can't add your veg peelings or grass cuttings to it here and there - but we found that around half a day's work, a large pile of olive prunings and some chicken manure was plenty to fill a couple of composters.<br />
<br />
The construction of the composter is something like this: a circular cage of wire mesh (fencing material/chicken wire) with a series of tubes in the middle (which will create the air flow). In our case Stuart ingeniously re-purposed sections of the old flue from the wood burner.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPYGkSVyzs58GrDZRAkGHSe82LG01FdumzoZP-r8dhdAe-oa_-LjZXp8oLWxfUkwZx8fplwRnRDJTUFvDuHZRqT69nWcyf6PAhBXDWo_-Wl3DLnIG1grfJlkqH1PS_cRW9m3Inb13l8k/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2020-04-05+at+13.11.17.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPYGkSVyzs58GrDZRAkGHSe82LG01FdumzoZP-r8dhdAe-oa_-LjZXp8oLWxfUkwZx8fplwRnRDJTUFvDuHZRqT69nWcyf6PAhBXDWo_-Wl3DLnIG1grfJlkqH1PS_cRW9m3Inb13l8k/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-04-05+at+13.11.17.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The cage is then lined with water permeable material (we used landscape fabric - kindly donated by our friends Paul & Kathy who had some leftovers to spare).<br />
<br />
You then fill it.<br />
<br />
In our case this involved chipping all of our olive tree prunings (a veritable mountain of them which half-filled the car park) and emptying a barrel's worth of chicken manure (maybe 6 months' worth of stored coop cleanings), then layering the two materials as if making a giant stinky lasagna, thoroughly dousing each layer with water as it goes in,<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElghvUyao9S3nyyq5HC_ITug9v229HFC_PdwdC8M3Kd01ZON1O9dwLUcfWwGmvqMsPtzuZe3dbq2dJVr7ywbLJ53GBS2VTdmtNNBxo6br4WMhzLQulEYRRkZ9ArZA-0jsImsPfsMnwc8/s1600/20200405_163455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElghvUyao9S3nyyq5HC_ITug9v229HFC_PdwdC8M3Kd01ZON1O9dwLUcfWwGmvqMsPtzuZe3dbq2dJVr7ywbLJ53GBS2VTdmtNNBxo6br4WMhzLQulEYRRkZ9ArZA-0jsImsPfsMnwc8/s320/20200405_163455.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making wood chip.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3NfZJ6KSgfq8uLwGA09Qd-01rRcpFNwOawsmbYsdkdM1QxI6sabDTaXcpTmW-oIh6iAjlVtrt4586wLd9B_gqt0jFr-9BIVOTaGEeeo1PnAS3ovQWGsoWVLm2Jc4_xdHfHm62dSiNO4/s1600/20200405_150028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3NfZJ6KSgfq8uLwGA09Qd-01rRcpFNwOawsmbYsdkdM1QxI6sabDTaXcpTmW-oIh6iAjlVtrt4586wLd9B_gqt0jFr-9BIVOTaGEeeo1PnAS3ovQWGsoWVLm2Jc4_xdHfHm62dSiNO4/s320/20200405_150028.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8 buckets of chicken manure.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36PwonCLYGYimfYBIpOpKx7hvz-co009MgkjCQgVQ3F1hcDp7GKWouss_Yma0mrLYP72LO_1-fX7gA4850S81kyTkfLdw4hUVNWA6jpE6WQAYPS5_u41_8uWsirXE3UfFKfbvonb0tc0/s1600/20200405_160529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36PwonCLYGYimfYBIpOpKx7hvz-co009MgkjCQgVQ3F1hcDp7GKWouss_Yma0mrLYP72LO_1-fX7gA4850S81kyTkfLdw4hUVNWA6jpE6WQAYPS5_u41_8uWsirXE3UfFKfbvonb0tc0/s320/20200405_160529.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Layering wood chip and manure.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrRe2ZMUqfbUacDLHU-AtjLJKQdv5ZDAKd3fGVptgoCXIuqTetxt3bjGL77bUrMWmI6tsovMwd2jLOIbBVcecaLeHqlEmRZEAK7wHQOqhzLNO4j0yBPRI4nKw6pGD0ICEaRq_kZlB0bs/s1600/20200405_164332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrRe2ZMUqfbUacDLHU-AtjLJKQdv5ZDAKd3fGVptgoCXIuqTetxt3bjGL77bUrMWmI6tsovMwd2jLOIbBVcecaLeHqlEmRZEAK7wHQOqhzLNO4j0yBPRI4nKw6pGD0ICEaRq_kZlB0bs/s320/20200405_164332.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watering each layer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Once full, irrigation pipes are added to the top of the pile, to give it a daily sprinkling of water to keep it nice and damp.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0MK1oG9Y6GaDWlhrHSp4jHNfs63nRFtpkUkFljqseXtQq-n3zRahfIZYE-DDeQfvZYyYYwm1W6glBtX07VkuGp59KUpKjDij7b2bOwDEmMUgNO8Jn7wDGPjxnz0I4xageVLCXS-tyMc/s1600/20200407_142149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0MK1oG9Y6GaDWlhrHSp4jHNfs63nRFtpkUkFljqseXtQq-n3zRahfIZYE-DDeQfvZYyYYwm1W6glBtX07VkuGp59KUpKjDij7b2bOwDEmMUgNO8Jn7wDGPjxnz0I4xageVLCXS-tyMc/s320/20200407_142149.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irrigation tubes in place on top</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The tubes are then removed, leaving voids in which the air can circulate, and the top of the pile is also covered with the landscape material.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDKRXCfdWF-MtyjZSZxU4imyarwmN4xCJl4PDtqbLfiBf5pSouU7YtPTSdAp8bdFE_KICuf7tWcmSnlv7ImYAwqJRxlvShvo1e57fribsxE5ZuRkR3ssoZMg2hRyxCbJCiqRqxYH6pbE/s1600/20200408_141704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDKRXCfdWF-MtyjZSZxU4imyarwmN4xCJl4PDtqbLfiBf5pSouU7YtPTSdAp8bdFE_KICuf7tWcmSnlv7ImYAwqJRxlvShvo1e57fribsxE5ZuRkR3ssoZMg2hRyxCbJCiqRqxYH6pbE/s320/20200408_141704.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">24h later.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Then all you have to do is wait...!<br />
<br />
We should have lovely usable compost in around 9-12 months.<br />
<br /></div>
The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-37772889857578188412020-05-08T17:59:00.001+02:002020-05-08T17:59:27.878+02:00Six years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today it is six years since we arrived here at our home in Tuscany. Six years ago today, we had to break into the house (because nobody knew what the previous owners had done with the keys) and were stunned and horrified by the chaos that greeted us when we finally got in. If you weren't a follower of our blog back then, or you need a reminder, read the <a href="https://themovetotuscany.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-delay-breaking-and-entering-trip-to.html" target="_blank">story here</a>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Indeed, we were so shocked by the state of the house that we didn't actually spend the night in the house that day, it's tomorrow that marks the anniversary of the first night we slept (or didn't sleep too well!) in the house.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The last six years seem to have gone in a flash <i>and </i>seem like a lifetime, both at the same time.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We have faced many (many!) challenges, battles, frustrations, disappointments, difficulties, but we have always loved our home here and not for a minute regretted our decision to move here or ever wanted to go back.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This year, we feel we have finally reached a point where we feel pleased with what we have achieved here - we finally feel as if the place is starting to resemble what we had hoped it would become. Of course, it has always been beautiful and we've always loved it, but we are finally <i>starting</i> to get to where we want to be with it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
To mark our six year anniversary, we spent an hour or so this afternoon going round attempting to recreate some of the photos taken when we first arrived (some a little later than that). </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We look forward to making more progress in the next six years!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh434AdQyjnljyumjqxWg5rf0V3pdlxwnXNIN93QPpNOwPhXFICvqm3P4RWRXzjXfEZaK63i-l4I0-bhbbNJm_guwAlbDkNlRx2eFb_LkIFeAfyJRoPJuwpSUZ4jLDnfyzMKDO6ugBP_wQ/s1600/big+bank+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1600" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh434AdQyjnljyumjqxWg5rf0V3pdlxwnXNIN93QPpNOwPhXFICvqm3P4RWRXzjXfEZaK63i-l4I0-bhbbNJm_guwAlbDkNlRx2eFb_LkIFeAfyJRoPJuwpSUZ4jLDnfyzMKDO6ugBP_wQ/s320/big+bank+01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiToXsaYHECPxQQqP5YvZlfTm4zk6NA7SEVQd5jptOtdVb5jMkedrP-PlxFoVqwcsYHwIfaCzRm1PPDGyW2ErYKKPLB97uh1_ih8TmR1t1HB1vYuAbMA6V-tMT-kOxPWFMmf5m8Dfkbzdo/s1600/big+bank+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="1600" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiToXsaYHECPxQQqP5YvZlfTm4zk6NA7SEVQd5jptOtdVb5jMkedrP-PlxFoVqwcsYHwIfaCzRm1PPDGyW2ErYKKPLB97uh1_ih8TmR1t1HB1vYuAbMA6V-tMT-kOxPWFMmf5m8Dfkbzdo/s320/big+bank+02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnweH7q0lk75Z8kRP6hjn7Y3ioutEUlAtYoD35VLbyWCplDkbJftEI4576FpXaSA_s_EZL9WTa4JBQn1mnyO1KFVeP4Z15dOvyEkieopnIe90u2rhwTLrdZ9GPjkQsvmDbrMNStcdnzWA/s1600/chickens+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="1600" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnweH7q0lk75Z8kRP6hjn7Y3ioutEUlAtYoD35VLbyWCplDkbJftEI4576FpXaSA_s_EZL9WTa4JBQn1mnyO1KFVeP4Z15dOvyEkieopnIe90u2rhwTLrdZ9GPjkQsvmDbrMNStcdnzWA/s320/chickens+01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMz_ORwIpi0JcdzBJsor1IPGY_xuwsD3imCWMwnliwcR4l_iRv3P06V_F2bLflA-uQsVrdrmW7uw_ySIS5bl0zKPvqTJ8eACo1G6KJWyPY85t-33ZosCM2pDLd0uikmv_qIxJitzqm1hE/s1600/lawn+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1600" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMz_ORwIpi0JcdzBJsor1IPGY_xuwsD3imCWMwnliwcR4l_iRv3P06V_F2bLflA-uQsVrdrmW7uw_ySIS5bl0zKPvqTJ8eACo1G6KJWyPY85t-33ZosCM2pDLd0uikmv_qIxJitzqm1hE/s320/lawn+01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBLRE00MddRyUKh5tDTke1fVC-3P0QZhfU36Wv45wxlXkZqn3URbnuFQ5-U-rkKpIkrGLTBhEX2jZrF_3lQv7qKA9GoszcDHxcgiy9Xa3gy8DfiP3hrcMKI5nQ6By89mCfhNZlMmXoeI/s1600/lawn+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="1600" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBLRE00MddRyUKh5tDTke1fVC-3P0QZhfU36Wv45wxlXkZqn3URbnuFQ5-U-rkKpIkrGLTBhEX2jZrF_3lQv7qKA9GoszcDHxcgiy9Xa3gy8DfiP3hrcMKI5nQ6By89mCfhNZlMmXoeI/s320/lawn+02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2T_3WsRYsqJCtVHONQwPZ0WGxAnCHRmiCl5McqBn8YBM2pr-iJaE30znJHhvw9JzvOJ3EH-JyIQg3UYQeNoI4ZYkzALqJPMEx05UVON0cqABLyIy5eZQNsgAInOjbdqUOq5ckL7RBd_0/s1600/lawn+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="1600" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2T_3WsRYsqJCtVHONQwPZ0WGxAnCHRmiCl5McqBn8YBM2pr-iJaE30znJHhvw9JzvOJ3EH-JyIQg3UYQeNoI4ZYkzALqJPMEx05UVON0cqABLyIy5eZQNsgAInOjbdqUOq5ckL7RBd_0/s320/lawn+03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJ2l33EDhvqzx46CODCfPkIzKfysrbvoPSHB8hLZvwJw5WiT0CnYE2Gdc4GcXiV8N7UJZ4-zb9UlSB1Qu_q14umDbb9R63voQIUwiq3DNesdMKBGtupKyOKQR6rB7PK3GqUdWqMx5E_U/s1600/olive+grove+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="1600" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJ2l33EDhvqzx46CODCfPkIzKfysrbvoPSHB8hLZvwJw5WiT0CnYE2Gdc4GcXiV8N7UJZ4-zb9UlSB1Qu_q14umDbb9R63voQIUwiq3DNesdMKBGtupKyOKQR6rB7PK3GqUdWqMx5E_U/s320/olive+grove+01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimmwNlu5mesFWrjH9-X7X5FuZyahNS90Z6HVn6BwgmbuNjMLYgz5-UJqm5LHUmb58P2azDV6J4twHvYRWAlrlzw4JqaaUMgLV5c7m9z-JTkBu5tBrFghjXTGfozAseu33qTY9jngCxIo/s1600/olive+grove+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="1600" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimmwNlu5mesFWrjH9-X7X5FuZyahNS90Z6HVn6BwgmbuNjMLYgz5-UJqm5LHUmb58P2azDV6J4twHvYRWAlrlzw4JqaaUMgLV5c7m9z-JTkBu5tBrFghjXTGfozAseu33qTY9jngCxIo/s320/olive+grove+02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsG4IepAqpsO25UvgDER7jKA2VSOVYOouXvq_c4SdpHuJ85MVPOK801u4jg7yVJQ5tRnRNgstCEMictLgH7MRerObanLNYjpHUE81Nel5c1d72aIphWrY5pQtwoSsxwvnXHutXSG5Qel4/s1600/olive+grove+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="1600" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsG4IepAqpsO25UvgDER7jKA2VSOVYOouXvq_c4SdpHuJ85MVPOK801u4jg7yVJQ5tRnRNgstCEMictLgH7MRerObanLNYjpHUE81Nel5c1d72aIphWrY5pQtwoSsxwvnXHutXSG5Qel4/s320/olive+grove+03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DmgPw3UH9FGuVr4VY5VvHY2ktVCDl4VdcLGLs_Q6icpS0UfyxQiK2IEN83vUEyR8l-JYVK-ZPmpN4cLik34PEUBOjZHSIQCABWEoO42eI6XKqh-uP4dN4zaGx3KYYuQyOZd2f3t-vco/s1600/olive+grove+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="1600" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DmgPw3UH9FGuVr4VY5VvHY2ktVCDl4VdcLGLs_Q6icpS0UfyxQiK2IEN83vUEyR8l-JYVK-ZPmpN4cLik34PEUBOjZHSIQCABWEoO42eI6XKqh-uP4dN4zaGx3KYYuQyOZd2f3t-vco/s320/olive+grove+04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Op3h8jjuV4o5FAgNw_DzTZCl_Cx4XnZL0nNI99OXYhjc0eyJ6mA5OItcTrg-QzgLyt9OpPPfbFTAeyYpollI4Z3qI23u6aptPDgyaxa1vfqrs4SlFxlgM3dnTcBvgLselGa_DzogmQg/s1600/olive+grove+05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="1600" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Op3h8jjuV4o5FAgNw_DzTZCl_Cx4XnZL0nNI99OXYhjc0eyJ6mA5OItcTrg-QzgLyt9OpPPfbFTAeyYpollI4Z3qI23u6aptPDgyaxa1vfqrs4SlFxlgM3dnTcBvgLselGa_DzogmQg/s320/olive+grove+05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzI2CkGm4LhVGjxU_0qAUeApEA62zSRkmDUnd-I5a5a8z_MWxAhAIPwH_QQfmjqM71u55yRUoWHtbfG1C61YFznSZItlAG7Jlwcv57mvif_NBa5AgY2rbYtB9iNJEg2gA2DAPNDE-zxY/s1600/olive+grove+06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="1600" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzI2CkGm4LhVGjxU_0qAUeApEA62zSRkmDUnd-I5a5a8z_MWxAhAIPwH_QQfmjqM71u55yRUoWHtbfG1C61YFznSZItlAG7Jlwcv57mvif_NBa5AgY2rbYtB9iNJEg2gA2DAPNDE-zxY/s320/olive+grove+06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLr2XC3i67EUdO2yWguzFmTuC05nL1B7jZ1KAjfAh_qJGvx_WHlE60bcFSIohqbs9jmkKQW6sGi7-riCmA1Jd5l8iT1PZS2BmMHGI5Xc8T16wbUtivM3vGG8U0hQk44-xJqXfEgXM7Jc/s1600/olive+grove+07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="1600" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLr2XC3i67EUdO2yWguzFmTuC05nL1B7jZ1KAjfAh_qJGvx_WHlE60bcFSIohqbs9jmkKQW6sGi7-riCmA1Jd5l8iT1PZS2BmMHGI5Xc8T16wbUtivM3vGG8U0hQk44-xJqXfEgXM7Jc/s320/olive+grove+07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXdzzcbIm3rB_v6BbX9kuW5HpeicMXhIeyJkmC-8LVOk8Y1rsj-mNbuOdIcVXxaOJntUkdibFGrHpYaiyEYKHBJlkRYzvgBDXz4k7OuG5pATJ6wbb6Iz0BMZuTpVkW7DzYm62rvHVjio/s1600/orto+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1600" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXdzzcbIm3rB_v6BbX9kuW5HpeicMXhIeyJkmC-8LVOk8Y1rsj-mNbuOdIcVXxaOJntUkdibFGrHpYaiyEYKHBJlkRYzvgBDXz4k7OuG5pATJ6wbb6Iz0BMZuTpVkW7DzYm62rvHVjio/s320/orto+01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZyIl2w6nzmORnzTBInRlLzK0Dw9vtshzLUX_sSi5Ms-69yU1AcOdDrutoj2gRS5EfnDRcdq84onTuEL5vXNPXDSdZmf2MZP11eL-IIiYONvLe4GtIMyAulsTlYwG4ldgUtGM8uCVAkQ/s1600/orto+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="1600" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZyIl2w6nzmORnzTBInRlLzK0Dw9vtshzLUX_sSi5Ms-69yU1AcOdDrutoj2gRS5EfnDRcdq84onTuEL5vXNPXDSdZmf2MZP11eL-IIiYONvLe4GtIMyAulsTlYwG4ldgUtGM8uCVAkQ/s320/orto+02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4r7xbEa0qLSPe6h3SxMYXM8JqqxcsyHaFlBeL2oUKRdCRbTEW7oq6gqUYvMbxHYrLHe-tEAqX-z7XAXbJtwTnlhRfwBwlhsELeMEeiV7i87TVUpxjv1EHH0bKjIo7Yaxlq_4CYRo6guA/s1600/orto+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1351" data-original-width="1600" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4r7xbEa0qLSPe6h3SxMYXM8JqqxcsyHaFlBeL2oUKRdCRbTEW7oq6gqUYvMbxHYrLHe-tEAqX-z7XAXbJtwTnlhRfwBwlhsELeMEeiV7i87TVUpxjv1EHH0bKjIo7Yaxlq_4CYRo6guA/s320/orto+03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJZTFz63pkLISKTTmKhlaFegHS15100JJM9hJIPDCcs6CgCgTeWfkS_5ZLGJJp7SPt7-eKNQg1dqDqKWdu5EKFpIY-ymQQUAp9q-6drEm_JEX2NxXYp5GokKGdi2WQiate0RW06eGzqU/s1600/orto+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1225" data-original-width="1600" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJZTFz63pkLISKTTmKhlaFegHS15100JJM9hJIPDCcs6CgCgTeWfkS_5ZLGJJp7SPt7-eKNQg1dqDqKWdu5EKFpIY-ymQQUAp9q-6drEm_JEX2NxXYp5GokKGdi2WQiate0RW06eGzqU/s320/orto+04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHAg9Tt3MxU1SfSOmUjiQruBhBFqHi33215gNQU-k0zy2olW0US5eswye5FdiyltLJ-fqsrBZdLPuI5ip-c5JDtMAprXz8H8_H9ADnEQvUNccCxe68mrNHntCuXzn_m25B0abmF7rYzQ/s1600/orto+05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1307" data-original-width="1600" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHAg9Tt3MxU1SfSOmUjiQruBhBFqHi33215gNQU-k0zy2olW0US5eswye5FdiyltLJ-fqsrBZdLPuI5ip-c5JDtMAprXz8H8_H9ADnEQvUNccCxe68mrNHntCuXzn_m25B0abmF7rYzQ/s320/orto+05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37oNxxfd48C7EzLch_iwY4oO_2aY4sgIG4ADfYKQ-zMFwPLj7ms3fWbjzNlBW-wpi17HqcEN8QbXrTvLBI4HEZFdVgjUE_vR0FJMj8UBmQeOGi5KaHpcVyeKTJVYNZOuENa5NOlOEkaI/s1600/pergola+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1338" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37oNxxfd48C7EzLch_iwY4oO_2aY4sgIG4ADfYKQ-zMFwPLj7ms3fWbjzNlBW-wpi17HqcEN8QbXrTvLBI4HEZFdVgjUE_vR0FJMj8UBmQeOGi5KaHpcVyeKTJVYNZOuENa5NOlOEkaI/s320/pergola+01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3g5O7ys6juoYJNi14P5XCPKCKYRtyXBZ6ZB0cmObRcPSmbzoISO7vXTCDkxADqv4TANOIfTsy93CqXYZ9SYQq94jtCinO5rYL0mJB7YZHUSB5ORMXcd23vuWEN6qYpfNH_92sop1SvAY/s1600/pergola+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="1600" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3g5O7ys6juoYJNi14P5XCPKCKYRtyXBZ6ZB0cmObRcPSmbzoISO7vXTCDkxADqv4TANOIfTsy93CqXYZ9SYQq94jtCinO5rYL0mJB7YZHUSB5ORMXcd23vuWEN6qYpfNH_92sop1SvAY/s320/pergola+02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPYBu785C9Yz8sde6T2N9ynYBoMfs63teb0KYhSEjH05weifRKAhd46ZAjfDNUMt6Mq2mFjK0eVLfBesnxa4Q1dL_fTT834yOimGgp3LY7y19Rzvee2UY8JEpSxBa8WuTFbpqPoUYxUY/s1600/shed+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="1600" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPYBu785C9Yz8sde6T2N9ynYBoMfs63teb0KYhSEjH05weifRKAhd46ZAjfDNUMt6Mq2mFjK0eVLfBesnxa4Q1dL_fTT834yOimGgp3LY7y19Rzvee2UY8JEpSxBa8WuTFbpqPoUYxUY/s320/shed+01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqtHlySfsh7SJ2mkZ5W-nfYucW73UpRimXBo_6YEKw7CDM-KKvzmbS63W3J4Vs1Vo_S85H4dFs5godfL0C35bcR0doAsJuaulOivO0rk82rh7YKLjmJj7rVbSaadrK7Lr69PCm_BATgA/s1600/shed+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="1600" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqtHlySfsh7SJ2mkZ5W-nfYucW73UpRimXBo_6YEKw7CDM-KKvzmbS63W3J4Vs1Vo_S85H4dFs5godfL0C35bcR0doAsJuaulOivO0rk82rh7YKLjmJj7rVbSaadrK7Lr69PCm_BATgA/s320/shed+02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlNZa5JaHRekuJXDVRtcWCIJQWGk0LtuHBweaRkNzs1pq0xrmV7Q5f2O4hWjqQV7GFuiaSKMWgaDbdvT20ysnmhrEG-aed7xmGucXD_PVgsWXdwal5WPaNMpx3RXvtVLI7PCYacbkpUM/s1600/steps+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="1600" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlNZa5JaHRekuJXDVRtcWCIJQWGk0LtuHBweaRkNzs1pq0xrmV7Q5f2O4hWjqQV7GFuiaSKMWgaDbdvT20ysnmhrEG-aed7xmGucXD_PVgsWXdwal5WPaNMpx3RXvtVLI7PCYacbkpUM/s320/steps+01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89CeDEgwH4Jts2GdODiCFBe-AUkxeP7BCc16KQOK9RzgIsqnljkuTs9Du1Nj7ddGnFSj6xolX41LoOcZMqZPpn92I8MmwJnjCY_bcRRLbDPLIeTmJRX4umRclPVAD1e4vlxHdNFmrJOc/s1600/view+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="1600" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89CeDEgwH4Jts2GdODiCFBe-AUkxeP7BCc16KQOK9RzgIsqnljkuTs9Du1Nj7ddGnFSj6xolX41LoOcZMqZPpn92I8MmwJnjCY_bcRRLbDPLIeTmJRX4umRclPVAD1e4vlxHdNFmrJOc/s320/view+01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDmXGX8X_wLSn0D_U7SXq-Qb7-4vxo179CA9n44XuiYrfmiKS2RzMQ2m-1a3RaGf8ZqZY6hEVAEJbNiJPRdc8obij9fM0E35qNEDtYeAwZFe6QMlY1QeYaV5UVFWswus17fbQNVtI0xk/s1600/view+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="1600" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDmXGX8X_wLSn0D_U7SXq-Qb7-4vxo179CA9n44XuiYrfmiKS2RzMQ2m-1a3RaGf8ZqZY6hEVAEJbNiJPRdc8obij9fM0E35qNEDtYeAwZFe6QMlY1QeYaV5UVFWswus17fbQNVtI0xk/s320/view+02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-6901154869824823442020-05-04T13:12:00.002+02:002020-05-04T17:14:36.821+02:00Phase 2 beginsI write this on 4th May, the day that the world's media is reporting that lockdown measures are being eased in Italy after 8 weeks of lockdown. It's true. Today marks the start of "Phase 2". But I remain baffled by the lack of detail given in any such reports and by the number of friends and acquaintances that say "hey, your lockdown's being lifted isn't it?".<br />
<br />
Well, yes, it is, but the measures that are still in place at the start of our "phase 2", aka the lifting of restrictions, are still currently <i>stricter </i>than in some other places, markedly more so than in the UK.<br />
<br />
From today (4th May) in Tuscany:<br />
<ul>
<li>You are allowed to visit family members (that is family only, not friends).</li>
<br />
<li>You are allowed to visit a second home (holiday home), caravan or boat in order to do vital maintenance, but you are NOT allowed to stay there (you must return to your main home the same day) and you must go alone.</li>
<br />
<li>You are allowed to visit the shops that are open (which are still <i>only </i>food shops, pharmacies, children's clothes shops, stationery shops and some agricultural supplies shops) but you must do so alone (one person per family).</li>
<br />
<li>You may now go for a run, walk or bike ride that is further away than 200m from your house (which has been the rule for the last 8 weeks). But you must be alone (or with people you live with), you must start and finish at your home, you must not use a car/other transport to travel to a place to do your exercise.</li>
<br />
<li>You may now do other "sport" activity such as fishing. You may travel to do so using your own transport (not public transport) but you must be alone and you must return to your home the same day.</li>
<br />
<li>You may now tend to your veg garden or other amateur agricultural activity and travel to get there using your own transport, but you must be alone and you must return to your home the same day.</li>
<br />
<li>Owners of dogs and horses may now carry out training, within the region of Tuscany but must return to their home the same day.</li>
<br />
<li>The use of boats for sporting activities and amateur fishing is allowed and, for safety reasons, with a maximum of two people who must return to the berth in the same day.</li>
<br />
<li>Pet grooming services can now be used (strictly by appointment only and observing strict social distancing measures for the dropping off/collecting of animals).</li>
<br />
<li>Restaurants may now offer a take-out service (previously only home delivery was allowed). This must be pre-booked and you must take the food away to your home to be consumed.</li>
<br />
<li>The sale of children's shoes is now allowed.</li>
<br />
<li>Petrol/fuel stations with attendants may now operate according to their own timetables rather than the previous very restricted ones set by the government.</li>
<br />
<li>In the region of Tuscany a mask is mandatory in all public spaces. A number of masks have been given out to residents free of charge and the cost of buying any additional ones will be capped at 50 cents.</li>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE53VU9kFHNjRfJy-hZVWIvOwEEN0cTnokiGlypRMPEMRxDUFDBG1y8Xl-10KLrQ-A25FQxUI5pdrJ3QBg9v0EM6UDAAP09u7VOC2jAcba5hlKG_cBh1JGfP92LCzSWJ91Lx7ept4qt6g/s1600/95608113_349881269306413_3381765710232420352_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="774" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE53VU9kFHNjRfJy-hZVWIvOwEEN0cTnokiGlypRMPEMRxDUFDBG1y8Xl-10KLrQ-A25FQxUI5pdrJ3QBg9v0EM6UDAAP09u7VOC2jAcba5hlKG_cBh1JGfP92LCzSWJ91Lx7ept4qt6g/s320/95608113_349881269306413_3381765710232420352_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have now received 30 masks delivered to our door. 28 of them are from the region of Tuscany (single-use masks) and two from our local comune of Pescia.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<li>Funerals are now permitted but with a maximum attendance of 15, who must all be family members and must wear masks. All other religious ceremonies (including weddings and regular church services) remain forbidden. You may now visit cemeteries but on a strict appointment system and the length of visit is limited.</li>
<br />
<li>Parks and gardens will re-open to the public, but children's play areas remain closed.</li>
<br />
<li>You may not travel between regions - you may only travel to a different region if you have a valid reason relating to health or work.</li>
<br />
<li>You must continue to carry a self-certification form whenever you leave your home (detailing why you are out of your house, where you are going, why, etc.).</li>
<br />
<li>Anyone with a temperature over 37.5C is legally obliged to stay at home.</li>
</ul>
<br />
You are now allowed to move from one comune (think local council) area to another - so if your favourite supermarket or (in our case) veg grower/seller is just outside the boundary of your local town council, then you are now allowed to go there.<br />
<br />
It is anticipated that from 18th May other shops will start to re-open, and museums and galleries will be allowed to re-open.<br />
<br />
For hairdressers, beauticians, bars and restaurants a longer wait is anticipated, with 1st June the provisional date on which they are to be allowed to re-open (for bars and restaurants with actual in-restaurant dining, although with distancing measures in place so operating with a reduced number of covers.)<br />
<br />
For us, then, little has changed. And we are quite happy about that. We have mixed feelings about the re-opening of activities, partly for fear of a second wave of infections (Pescia itself has had 59 reported cases of COVID-19 since the epidemic began, 58 of which have arisen since lockdown started, with the most recent cases appearing only last week - sadly, in 11 of the cases the patient has died), and partly because of the anticipated interruptions and additional pressures it will bring - the thought of which invokes distinct feelings of ill-ease and anxiety.<br />
<br />
We have established a good routine over the last 7 weeks and without any external pressures we have enjoyed being able to work to our own schedule and found the lack of social pressure both liberating and calming. We realise we are in the very lucky position of having outdoor space (and then some), a decent sized living space, to be surrounded by nature and beauty, to have plenty to do, and to have mainly had glorious weather for the duration. We know that there are many others suffering terribly in the lockdown, whether due to domestic situations, financial worries and/or the mental and physical effects of isolation, and of course recognise that the lifting of restrictions is incredibly important to begin to relieve those situations for those people. For us, though, for the time being, we are quite comfortable with the status quo.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmU11UKAenfFyGiZlqYlg6TQx3EfqH3ycOn_3ON0Ti9-uv3Y7V7ayh2bFjiNh72HfW2_Hw8O2denkPdBVA9TpptM4sruft4PJFmnic8opmrX3sORpkF1q0HJTThlV2W7vMQLkWV0rkpk/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2020-05-02+at+18.46.42.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmU11UKAenfFyGiZlqYlg6TQx3EfqH3ycOn_3ON0Ti9-uv3Y7V7ayh2bFjiNh72HfW2_Hw8O2denkPdBVA9TpptM4sruft4PJFmnic8opmrX3sORpkF1q0HJTThlV2W7vMQLkWV0rkpk/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-05-02+at+18.46.42.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkYckvgpgXyb1sZ-PBiFpYpkKR1rqN55paN6MFfLpJPjT2PH7h6-7Tur5Aq5njnA8gdgeT_SuNd3e1s_nabJ_O58mB8XNiKB5SOpiF3N4sM9dqk8Fv60Wy3UsrCY1twfpHfC_q-7c3tWw/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2020-05-03+at+09.59.26.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkYckvgpgXyb1sZ-PBiFpYpkKR1rqN55paN6MFfLpJPjT2PH7h6-7Tur5Aq5njnA8gdgeT_SuNd3e1s_nabJ_O58mB8XNiKB5SOpiF3N4sM9dqk8Fv60Wy3UsrCY1twfpHfC_q-7c3tWw/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-05-03+at+09.59.26.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-63489830656490821052020-04-29T15:24:00.000+02:002020-04-29T15:24:01.461+02:00Bursting with beauty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Every year when spring arrives it almost takes my breath away - in the last few years I have come to love winter. I love the magical mists, the intricate patterns of frosts, the clear, fresh air, the way the vistas open up and expose details that can't be seen when the trees are in full leaf, the chill that justifies the lighting of the fire and hunkering down, the beautiful sunsets and more. Yet, just as I think winter is my favourite season, spring comes creeping in and steals the top spot. The re-emergence of life, the incredible heady scents, the gentle warmth of the sunshine, the longer days, the intense green of the landscape - the incredible beauty in all that nature has to offer.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This year, more than ever, we are noticing and appreciating the way spring seems to be bursting with beauty all around us.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbnLOBXs1EmV45hhj4u8B2DrJYnF8FrtKjvAabv0sPNsZj1D-QZI6eRNp-5QoTdkQu_lh_3yqZyID9yoaH7pPUpbHo66ZHRUlsnbklyAL3xp-opbT5KRKYWK-5m4tDDWRwvy8EuBEGD8/s1600/20200320_085253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbnLOBXs1EmV45hhj4u8B2DrJYnF8FrtKjvAabv0sPNsZj1D-QZI6eRNp-5QoTdkQu_lh_3yqZyID9yoaH7pPUpbHo66ZHRUlsnbklyAL3xp-opbT5KRKYWK-5m4tDDWRwvy8EuBEGD8/s320/20200320_085253.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almond blossom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4mk5FOoG5Qi0EPUrX3RwdXyuPzOPbOf6ns7YxmcwAxU_fwiUuoXN2J0EFDsHcO6LUIgwUFBdIPDa0h50Lqf4vR9T9rKU_GazWvXTSJnNCBG_jJ8FoGr15J205TrEHHn1ql1ga_lFNzI/s1600/20200320_085304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4mk5FOoG5Qi0EPUrX3RwdXyuPzOPbOf6ns7YxmcwAxU_fwiUuoXN2J0EFDsHcO6LUIgwUFBdIPDa0h50Lqf4vR9T9rKU_GazWvXTSJnNCBG_jJ8FoGr15J205TrEHHn1ql1ga_lFNzI/s320/20200320_085304.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almond blossom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsswRn_QWfVDDXiSD-w9BkIjc2F1n3hqSiR2ozqbv8t96KmKdoLpudFEaXGcdU1B3Vlq8FbMwuFGoMHUhiPQvG9UYbCqhLYTyS5Ei4AEOzTjKaGTkY_eIXmnQ13fG1g_wfVmjDVt9PZGA/s1600/20200320_085509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsswRn_QWfVDDXiSD-w9BkIjc2F1n3hqSiR2ozqbv8t96KmKdoLpudFEaXGcdU1B3Vlq8FbMwuFGoMHUhiPQvG9UYbCqhLYTyS5Ei4AEOzTjKaGTkY_eIXmnQ13fG1g_wfVmjDVt9PZGA/s320/20200320_085509.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hyacinth/</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbC_z5-2a9XpN_v1smEn2VOxjO_cQuAC9G_JnXy0R03T-M-9uT83p9cGbAMt8H3wTg2BLdy18E-FORPaiQ9pS_hhyDnKfv9MRIlBPauXOuuxdFk77AddRdCxP-SUBQSEhai4iVu_d9oA/s1600/20200320_085518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbC_z5-2a9XpN_v1smEn2VOxjO_cQuAC9G_JnXy0R03T-M-9uT83p9cGbAMt8H3wTg2BLdy18E-FORPaiQ9pS_hhyDnKfv9MRIlBPauXOuuxdFk77AddRdCxP-SUBQSEhai4iVu_d9oA/s320/20200320_085518.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hyacinth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxf5ydnVytxcypHDrAh-dlMz0vdjeqCDRRiWYfSjpt_hPIc7dzI8SeNqQYXVEN7IjWJfc6Ub0wsVtZ8mtnAOhwNgALxCzLPwAoXtVsOFAHje3tCMIK4YU6W7WPhTMetPQ5leK3_-vTMrM/s1600/20200320_122127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxf5ydnVytxcypHDrAh-dlMz0vdjeqCDRRiWYfSjpt_hPIc7dzI8SeNqQYXVEN7IjWJfc6Ub0wsVtZ8mtnAOhwNgALxCzLPwAoXtVsOFAHje3tCMIK4YU6W7WPhTMetPQ5leK3_-vTMrM/s320/20200320_122127.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hyacinth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvNIminO2uVtNYX6qj2P3t6orZycr_l8wW3L0IuYeeCDf7gNPGoHKDQLe8BvjnJg3C36aB_yOVR-H6fgVRdZKfuvSOrs4JljVMgzeD7zu2929fLEi5qzPk9krNV3rXHGwE0sSrSrY1mo/s1600/20200330_172122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvNIminO2uVtNYX6qj2P3t6orZycr_l8wW3L0IuYeeCDf7gNPGoHKDQLe8BvjnJg3C36aB_yOVR-H6fgVRdZKfuvSOrs4JljVMgzeD7zu2929fLEi5qzPk9krNV3rXHGwE0sSrSrY1mo/s320/20200330_172122.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood violet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRkybU5Ykj8l5eaxAUB6zc6kRbn7sRkEqpE3x45uUWRJyC4CKZcRdysLcU72ssbgk1TkGvJbXh666qJaptOACRH_ojaKYXFInaY1K7LU7c1Zz9OtgNwWFP5wMq3EJlpwaNEDtZXNkSAw/s1600/20200330_172331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRkybU5Ykj8l5eaxAUB6zc6kRbn7sRkEqpE3x45uUWRJyC4CKZcRdysLcU72ssbgk1TkGvJbXh666qJaptOACRH_ojaKYXFInaY1K7LU7c1Zz9OtgNwWFP5wMq3EJlpwaNEDtZXNkSAw/s320/20200330_172331.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The humble but beautiful daisy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeI1TBTxD82wZOl5tSPe7pGQQzZXArMEWUuUMA7RPYYg418BRwaUrz42AgFHPtS8l9V6ZRuLQw8T5XUkDpzhorsmBzMxxRvfbNKvhMnAIMpEysyCP2HD-KUCKoFMaNjvF05j23gzen9QQ/s1600/20200331_145048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeI1TBTxD82wZOl5tSPe7pGQQzZXArMEWUuUMA7RPYYg418BRwaUrz42AgFHPtS8l9V6ZRuLQw8T5XUkDpzhorsmBzMxxRvfbNKvhMnAIMpEysyCP2HD-KUCKoFMaNjvF05j23gzen9QQ/s320/20200331_145048.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The much maligned but oh so pretty dandelion!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAv9EmXWu5gQtQfVX7VMTFQIMsBgrZEBJzICXRtb1gbdzJf-Zn-udQklqi2ydgW2UAcvzQStnPcfSeMvyJMYgnOcdkqAVL7OBEDKLu6-fzlB_X73ByGkjUH0m9aI5nazxu5AAruUUUpw/s1600/20200403_144139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAv9EmXWu5gQtQfVX7VMTFQIMsBgrZEBJzICXRtb1gbdzJf-Zn-udQklqi2ydgW2UAcvzQStnPcfSeMvyJMYgnOcdkqAVL7OBEDKLu6-fzlB_X73ByGkjUH0m9aI5nazxu5AAruUUUpw/s320/20200403_144139.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Star of Bethlehem.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7dMk5ru_vyYPdNjoY6S_4KWvbMtTcYe1crSt9SgfEtC96-9Ixg94a8OMN9uE0kB2BHQmMd98xYwxRht45h26RVd1Xz6WzWXlmqKGgXrxO9EG7wPmKNMhLVUStood_TLeRzDiQaeQW2k/s1600/20200404_081854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7dMk5ru_vyYPdNjoY6S_4KWvbMtTcYe1crSt9SgfEtC96-9Ixg94a8OMN9uE0kB2BHQmMd98xYwxRht45h26RVd1Xz6WzWXlmqKGgXrxO9EG7wPmKNMhLVUStood_TLeRzDiQaeQW2k/s320/20200404_081854.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garlic mustard - Alliaria petiolata. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GpnoGEpODvruDlfMSk3KcuZ2cpYa5oD-PPtKeaThMfKhuCTgj0Job2k_MX2360oflYha-DByQ3NeD1ryPk9f0JYVxUfxGdjdKE9IbychargpXPuq0Bvb4mp3umuJE0TBNj14gsqo6aU/s1600/20200411_105140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GpnoGEpODvruDlfMSk3KcuZ2cpYa5oD-PPtKeaThMfKhuCTgj0Job2k_MX2360oflYha-DByQ3NeD1ryPk9f0JYVxUfxGdjdKE9IbychargpXPuq0Bvb4mp3umuJE0TBNj14gsqo6aU/s320/20200411_105140.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wisteria.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDW27ZVk_Y6glJEKY7nWiivf8gu5GEb1Ris-lOl2LCe2f8TBxnu87zkn_WjrjacbEOts9HjHDk6pujoDSfBZaRgUSNEFmE9fhLyPY7l6muLjgTmIu6EHWRxaF_0HfsY-GOdDxf-Yat3t4/s1600/20200411_121359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDW27ZVk_Y6glJEKY7nWiivf8gu5GEb1Ris-lOl2LCe2f8TBxnu87zkn_WjrjacbEOts9HjHDk6pujoDSfBZaRgUSNEFmE9fhLyPY7l6muLjgTmIu6EHWRxaF_0HfsY-GOdDxf-Yat3t4/s320/20200411_121359.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elderflower.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAF7kfyYDyffh8yQLsEkMHCMX5JnRTe69AAhJk8AGl-4e9cEANhxzoqV38POVaSlkEGAo9e5SeMceMdDdj3fbzUgGnRWw7D66ZohfdNTbU8K5719SGeFfo0zBd5wdSL1HuVlPbs_tCkvA/s1600/20200411_122059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAF7kfyYDyffh8yQLsEkMHCMX5JnRTe69AAhJk8AGl-4e9cEANhxzoqV38POVaSlkEGAo9e5SeMceMdDdj3fbzUgGnRWw7D66ZohfdNTbU8K5719SGeFfo0zBd5wdSL1HuVlPbs_tCkvA/s320/20200411_122059.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bee busy in the borage.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT375oK8bptvVoBIh02AMYlK1pJGrDUD5tD9aoD_iGUP4c8DetqX9IGX-YpAUDA8K2Yh8zoh7SjoCUoqnYxenwLXJjVPTcv_fWUA-EAhBNlEiyo-kkgCNSZeqcadyT2KQ75XaYdABxQlc/s1600/20200412_112702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT375oK8bptvVoBIh02AMYlK1pJGrDUD5tD9aoD_iGUP4c8DetqX9IGX-YpAUDA8K2Yh8zoh7SjoCUoqnYxenwLXJjVPTcv_fWUA-EAhBNlEiyo-kkgCNSZeqcadyT2KQ75XaYdABxQlc/s320/20200412_112702.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vinca major/great periwinkle Pervinca maggiore.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1l-C1x_ICBmCLD83Kt_8-ZQ_A2IV46rnv0ia34gHhVXGUkmggpmukiIJwz1kbyxobfDODkePG4_1jQ7KsePu4OrUCEHOMoMad8bTABEZAYLeGCcQao48Uqamuslgv5vLnGl6HNyz9zc/s1600/20200412_112735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1l-C1x_ICBmCLD83Kt_8-ZQ_A2IV46rnv0ia34gHhVXGUkmggpmukiIJwz1kbyxobfDODkePG4_1jQ7KsePu4OrUCEHOMoMad8bTABEZAYLeGCcQao48Uqamuslgv5vLnGl6HNyz9zc/s320/20200412_112735.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vinca major/great periwinkle Pervinca maggiore.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cgsaTsvagJ2cQkA03ElynE5nt7eEHeej06Ee0p8zubKRrl5vNcLXLSkJhcE0isQovkCwORgDDJas3Gxi9xEpEfQYbQKmfJQ6fgNwf5G9ULjAgG36OnJgcew7NT-eVZhaJ-H1ZjqfSBQ/s1600/20200415_165019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cgsaTsvagJ2cQkA03ElynE5nt7eEHeej06Ee0p8zubKRrl5vNcLXLSkJhcE0isQovkCwORgDDJas3Gxi9xEpEfQYbQKmfJQ6fgNwf5G9ULjAgG36OnJgcew7NT-eVZhaJ-H1ZjqfSBQ/s320/20200415_165019.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cypress spurge. Euphorbia cyparissus.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXwHAsifdqFi3aVf54iJ9tVw-hhHgs7rXS3dKNmwaKiI-q6jT4bcf0mNlxxsmfpZu_PnnVA3SUOHMIxM0fauinrCVqdzmtJH-w2kGVjgz74UPfJAwzOJIelVnKcNKgGB9oubUkaaHJGA/s1600/20200416_145335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXwHAsifdqFi3aVf54iJ9tVw-hhHgs7rXS3dKNmwaKiI-q6jT4bcf0mNlxxsmfpZu_PnnVA3SUOHMIxM0fauinrCVqdzmtJH-w2kGVjgz74UPfJAwzOJIelVnKcNKgGB9oubUkaaHJGA/s320/20200416_145335.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morimus asper.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
He was in such a rush it was hard to keep up - faster than Usain Bolt!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyUi_-t64ZkyQCe2jQCgqJOAaumMcqtNXc263M4rvSwuRUVkmO5uu7jwRVkH_78MaNu2HNnhNfBCoJd1QWVvg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidt2zVlkE2qMfWb0zqeq4S7ieOOdw6cKkD7zFYimyzOiyrG3MHn-XBWLDPPWDL3_ygRMJHF_GMJ_C4Uqicm5yOQrqsbJ0loWK9Mgx898zIlRkgCxsUYqJwZrLmSICZe55JbNs-Ibweva8/s1600/20200417_122334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidt2zVlkE2qMfWb0zqeq4S7ieOOdw6cKkD7zFYimyzOiyrG3MHn-XBWLDPPWDL3_ygRMJHF_GMJ_C4Uqicm5yOQrqsbJ0loWK9Mgx898zIlRkgCxsUYqJwZrLmSICZe55JbNs-Ibweva8/s320/20200417_122334.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bugle (and photobombing daisy). Ajuga reptans.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlz9hsB8hj8m9VTTGxS8VAWqgth1sGruSDk749n3Zi8KRhIAugLJvWvy98SqYZEH5bF_jEohqMhD-orn1PrEBuR4EMuDMzdxuhcCOD7mJrdw3AZUfl6UfDCpW8ujArL36x-GP-V0hZcjc/s1600/20200417_163504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlz9hsB8hj8m9VTTGxS8VAWqgth1sGruSDk749n3Zi8KRhIAugLJvWvy98SqYZEH5bF_jEohqMhD-orn1PrEBuR4EMuDMzdxuhcCOD7mJrdw3AZUfl6UfDCpW8ujArL36x-GP-V0hZcjc/s320/20200417_163504.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An oil beetle with amazing blue sheen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGli0-9qpE4WyNWhfOv_k9rrjFWCxgMnfNGTzuiSTFqho-bOBp857K_7ZnMkaj0amM8Tt4PsLkyp56Vn9R6mZt3RB6wA35eprGQSXyKMICEoHvpelzGBElvZxWjl5_55HOf8qXHsw2zw/s1600/20200417_163644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGli0-9qpE4WyNWhfOv_k9rrjFWCxgMnfNGTzuiSTFqho-bOBp857K_7ZnMkaj0amM8Tt4PsLkyp56Vn9R6mZt3RB6wA35eprGQSXyKMICEoHvpelzGBElvZxWjl5_55HOf8qXHsw2zw/s320/20200417_163644.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfurling of fern fronds.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA82eHEsGWoybIQRnKkfzs5JIplBtSpsWHLTtYcdddyg_SCFAjhsRRmD8oUYFisFKnpzoLxKGQ_IWzCcVvRHnChx77-VrmqAysYMc0oqRBX7CCW4b6RZ80sqF_43W1q2eQbxQ06BV1AmI/s1600/20200417_163649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA82eHEsGWoybIQRnKkfzs5JIplBtSpsWHLTtYcdddyg_SCFAjhsRRmD8oUYFisFKnpzoLxKGQ_IWzCcVvRHnChx77-VrmqAysYMc0oqRBX7CCW4b6RZ80sqF_43W1q2eQbxQ06BV1AmI/s320/20200417_163649.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More circinate vernation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLu3Vvo9lDgPjeBTyFGMDGD_Od6H5N8ApZSdA6mBLyeZD7wAMCagMwsKkRpgGLcF09GHuFUTNDTKqMIuupYZ7XdZFVwadmW-WqUl5PCNwg66iqXgoDsJUAb4R7zZKh2rJwMcPE9Fj2XD0/s1600/20200418_080433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLu3Vvo9lDgPjeBTyFGMDGD_Od6H5N8ApZSdA6mBLyeZD7wAMCagMwsKkRpgGLcF09GHuFUTNDTKqMIuupYZ7XdZFVwadmW-WqUl5PCNwg66iqXgoDsJUAb4R7zZKh2rJwMcPE9Fj2XD0/s320/20200418_080433.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The much maligned dandelion part 2 - with tiny visitor!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotK8eMUlW4ZgyffIu_7N6I1Xmrt4T2bvE-KX0PK78q0OJaBUCvBYnlWYTm7fgbTDJMNXMcjDeD37lGlme6GToPcYnlVCcY5Xvh2vO3W12ufZoL0QVxrvHZdA0GsryAqTpmVJDzZNwHjI/s1600/20200418_101516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotK8eMUlW4ZgyffIu_7N6I1Xmrt4T2bvE-KX0PK78q0OJaBUCvBYnlWYTm7fgbTDJMNXMcjDeD37lGlme6GToPcYnlVCcY5Xvh2vO3W12ufZoL0QVxrvHZdA0GsryAqTpmVJDzZNwHjI/s320/20200418_101516.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mullein on the roadside.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTwQbmjnzad3zvHcgZNXI-wUYp_1mR1nT5xAZzJfBbYeKHprMdqBITfd6xGZ-j1Nzgw6bBcAX3UqfLxu3Ovd6PosM32rcOD0LkN78FBbsidadSrS8yTJ1Pcb_8Ofw_ZeYpmh2EVlitWI/s1600/20200418_130233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTwQbmjnzad3zvHcgZNXI-wUYp_1mR1nT5xAZzJfBbYeKHprMdqBITfd6xGZ-j1Nzgw6bBcAX3UqfLxu3Ovd6PosM32rcOD0LkN78FBbsidadSrS8yTJ1Pcb_8Ofw_ZeYpmh2EVlitWI/s320/20200418_130233.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irises. Iris pallida.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSG6-4lJmQ0W8qIUcAyxAde0M_nC-oOSXwiH_iayyXAMV8SbDgp3RRlPWOg8O2QGzmQOX8tCDjHVtP2kY2KRLhicHQ_u5S_uSDiYagA3-_-Cycj50CMEYeJYKHkUAOMs_Lvqrc_4POFsE/s1600/20200418_171334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSG6-4lJmQ0W8qIUcAyxAde0M_nC-oOSXwiH_iayyXAMV8SbDgp3RRlPWOg8O2QGzmQOX8tCDjHVtP2kY2KRLhicHQ_u5S_uSDiYagA3-_-Cycj50CMEYeJYKHkUAOMs_Lvqrc_4POFsE/s320/20200418_171334.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthwort. Aristolochia rotundifolia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyggk1RYM0LwsfGcN44J3CVngnaQf9WwO_aMTp-pbBI3dN8viATnaGlVucOkr72qXPaMdiRgCMrj66j3u6kvLjD8AReP6IdttnAyhI3EfNSbJ4dYEPLWwHo5alb-gNDrOnXBoEpae7kw/s1600/20200418_181443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyggk1RYM0LwsfGcN44J3CVngnaQf9WwO_aMTp-pbBI3dN8viATnaGlVucOkr72qXPaMdiRgCMrj66j3u6kvLjD8AReP6IdttnAyhI3EfNSbJ4dYEPLWwHo5alb-gNDrOnXBoEpae7kw/s320/20200418_181443.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More iris beauty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB1rkYTv0H5yDYKvMYc_kx6rqrY8xIrhT6caZyOef7G-Diwwy_BAYsdKuiNw40ZcuWBENXntKquVA-cdklYBhRsZspGs_KivxHMsSnTnzkLO4WoZ8dpL_wTvWyWhVxpqKkcJkpzrkK_No/s1600/20200419_101133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB1rkYTv0H5yDYKvMYc_kx6rqrY8xIrhT6caZyOef7G-Diwwy_BAYsdKuiNw40ZcuWBENXntKquVA-cdklYBhRsZspGs_KivxHMsSnTnzkLO4WoZ8dpL_wTvWyWhVxpqKkcJkpzrkK_No/s320/20200419_101133.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The delicate white woodrush. Luzula luzuloides.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-YPKS91sbWnw64dT7iXHJKW5KS-9_ujJmuIlAAGHrO0kldpiT1L6Fhbkh9zun8KI9EtixfGHCYiOnleTxpVgz_AOgJWAkS3LOGtk2WoTFtciwUFG67mOXl4cPQNsM80neOrPNIHAzDs/s1600/20200421_153759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-YPKS91sbWnw64dT7iXHJKW5KS-9_ujJmuIlAAGHrO0kldpiT1L6Fhbkh9zun8KI9EtixfGHCYiOnleTxpVgz_AOgJWAkS3LOGtk2WoTFtciwUFG67mOXl4cPQNsM80neOrPNIHAzDs/s320/20200421_153759.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sword leaved helleborine. Cephanthera longifolia.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGaiOijwd__VuF4Amhjs9iZH_qQHEaAa0ahRNrmcHqxP8sNjVnhot0dGRjMRFLag0gqFvxWKFILLiCuGEJ72Ma0DT-xDQYquZZugQ0HQiVTIzOQLu4RSYV6NfFnCXbD9-LhQpCkR8yQls/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2020-04-26+at+11.50.57.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGaiOijwd__VuF4Amhjs9iZH_qQHEaAa0ahRNrmcHqxP8sNjVnhot0dGRjMRFLag0gqFvxWKFILLiCuGEJ72Ma0DT-xDQYquZZugQ0HQiVTIzOQLu4RSYV6NfFnCXbD9-LhQpCkR8yQls/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-04-26+at+11.50.57.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hawthorn blossom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTSPDH7lkcvOUE1QNDL49NuJZxLg7mlIpgy0Yt0cO0z_0qD8rsMFVG691cogLsM4yI2S3fI2r9cs-9zM2oLn5-8MN9Uw2OjaV4Jr-l_xTVMsTkK80rhCUawYp8aa_WDgdEAYudd35cE7I/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2020-04-26+at+11.50.58.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTSPDH7lkcvOUE1QNDL49NuJZxLg7mlIpgy0Yt0cO0z_0qD8rsMFVG691cogLsM4yI2S3fI2r9cs-9zM2oLn5-8MN9Uw2OjaV4Jr-l_xTVMsTkK80rhCUawYp8aa_WDgdEAYudd35cE7I/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-04-26+at+11.50.58.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8HfVBl8JnSzER0OA3v8HxnzYBDPFZmxKFJP27D7YjQOw1Di-7zIBYLmwyaI47WrVQ4MpWDMaQJHw_a5-BAgqkUnCYiX51kxppm8FzNf2py9ABEw20iz3eB2473-iZanLopEzjKdCtFg/s1600/20200425_105125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8HfVBl8JnSzER0OA3v8HxnzYBDPFZmxKFJP27D7YjQOw1Di-7zIBYLmwyaI47WrVQ4MpWDMaQJHw_a5-BAgqkUnCYiX51kxppm8FzNf2py9ABEw20iz3eB2473-iZanLopEzjKdCtFg/s320/20200425_105125.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When your lawn is this beautiful why would you want to mow it?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-78752367424091801012020-04-28T17:40:00.001+02:002020-04-28T17:40:14.868+02:00Industrious in isolationIt is now seven weeks since Italy began its lockdown. What do you do when you are on house arrest, the world outside has gone topsy turvy, and you have 12 acres of land wanting attention? You make the most of the lack of interruptions to daily life, you get as much fresh air and time in the great outdoors as possible, and you plough on with projects, and revel in the satisfaction of taking great steps forward.<br />
<br />
Yes, we have been industrious in our isolation.<br />
<br />
We have: strimmed all the terraces, pruned all the olive trees, finished phased 1 of the great terrace reconstruction project, felled 6 trees, built 7 veg beds, planted seeds, planted 8 new fruit trees, built two bio reactor composters, reconditioned some 5-year-old cold frames, constructed more steps, put in irrigation, filled holes in the drive, made lots of wood chip... and (finally, after 7 weeks because today it's raining) cleaned the house.<br />
<br />
Presenting the veg garden 2020 and new terracing phase 1:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzR9mVAvcbcE2H2V2_vYaXaI18bLaOVm8rjC2J2daHfjqgQA2RRQ1jkI23bDp8qFM3qhGHZrJF6dDZXITCyJQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXfmTRuV_ZzhPwD0JSkSl_9MQZ42CpnHwyaHx_-wrg_pNRiMhhR5duKp1bwsSiUkEglbv4PATFjDFfZyyTI-hQfiIbafr6aMneTnZYlwng17XsNlZYYKrq9Q7fjCZP6mnTfiKUw9xlNE/s1600/20200319_165406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXfmTRuV_ZzhPwD0JSkSl_9MQZ42CpnHwyaHx_-wrg_pNRiMhhR5duKp1bwsSiUkEglbv4PATFjDFfZyyTI-hQfiIbafr6aMneTnZYlwng17XsNlZYYKrq9Q7fjCZP6mnTfiKUw9xlNE/s320/20200319_165406.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIeorZNWbHDZ96CyDZ84GgiZsq1N-wAGUTPedCerdVXNWiBGq0v_yZQFS1AWBou6jCdcmpTZIjO55beoC1Va-Iu6lqVY9wq7ITZl2fEhVEhJ8LmLe6J5-k4jhNdyRHMAjUGYqqjhPnq8/s1600/20200319_165507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIeorZNWbHDZ96CyDZ84GgiZsq1N-wAGUTPedCerdVXNWiBGq0v_yZQFS1AWBou6jCdcmpTZIjO55beoC1Va-Iu6lqVY9wq7ITZl2fEhVEhJ8LmLe6J5-k4jhNdyRHMAjUGYqqjhPnq8/s320/20200319_165507.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzayFO_PZAfmculDsXQ6krYoHefhK12RLXleTpdG3mgrXZ6vpmXetHPE14XX373XhGi4Sy4avJw4HRXay_amVwP4IACvKSrhRkuTIogh23-4OwjpLlbUqVRurxbnLwUIeTOOIK7PaHf5M/s1600/20200409_163257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzayFO_PZAfmculDsXQ6krYoHefhK12RLXleTpdG3mgrXZ6vpmXetHPE14XX373XhGi4Sy4avJw4HRXay_amVwP4IACvKSrhRkuTIogh23-4OwjpLlbUqVRurxbnLwUIeTOOIK7PaHf5M/s320/20200409_163257.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJg_O_Y8BjrrTnIXIxyJljj0AB52qccSDwiyR4J37D2w7ybXPtqdnlN8ROcPOtf3OUPTiLQJ8YSEu4Cp50AwMniYYxlhT8jBk-7LwWpjpW-y_9SFz4QG_DQjFbGSDGopfVY8xaZgjb2U8/s1600/20200409_163935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJg_O_Y8BjrrTnIXIxyJljj0AB52qccSDwiyR4J37D2w7ybXPtqdnlN8ROcPOtf3OUPTiLQJ8YSEu4Cp50AwMniYYxlhT8jBk-7LwWpjpW-y_9SFz4QG_DQjFbGSDGopfVY8xaZgjb2U8/s320/20200409_163935.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7eM5xYwhNefoEXWBcSrF5KT2_1LUSKhyNaH6A5lj4z9Oz0EoeK3YQDWE9N0wE_dolLzD-yb_F0J5sulzehbn9RfdCLDnzh02mPaQt9-GFyHaY3yZM0V5tLjeqWs2JfzFZow-Cml8I7M/s1600/20200411_123917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7eM5xYwhNefoEXWBcSrF5KT2_1LUSKhyNaH6A5lj4z9Oz0EoeK3YQDWE9N0wE_dolLzD-yb_F0J5sulzehbn9RfdCLDnzh02mPaQt9-GFyHaY3yZM0V5tLjeqWs2JfzFZow-Cml8I7M/s320/20200411_123917.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Zs2amxdb2m6Jbr4XxPwqZCuUrS5eF8moukGP_7vRlc_Xu5QuNdu0ku5idFFd3ujx2FtiHCh6Cqtro7SU6PsDdpEpT0J5yGNmXyzTxoYqelle5WGYkGzDeDkKOr9JzKkbERHYzxCs3eE/s1600/20200411_162516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Zs2amxdb2m6Jbr4XxPwqZCuUrS5eF8moukGP_7vRlc_Xu5QuNdu0ku5idFFd3ujx2FtiHCh6Cqtro7SU6PsDdpEpT0J5yGNmXyzTxoYqelle5WGYkGzDeDkKOr9JzKkbERHYzxCs3eE/s320/20200411_162516.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_mUXOSXQ0tREvEkAmCeDfVLiom7Zw2vxLoR4IglM6WhEgoavmz950X4kRqETSunuOKxz_yNX-6QaYi7UDjMJ9O_iJsjt70qj1rV2j0SWGUFmoGMpjL6zGMgFHC6EnhpsC_5tYz9THXY/s1600/20200411_162547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_mUXOSXQ0tREvEkAmCeDfVLiom7Zw2vxLoR4IglM6WhEgoavmz950X4kRqETSunuOKxz_yNX-6QaYi7UDjMJ9O_iJsjt70qj1rV2j0SWGUFmoGMpjL6zGMgFHC6EnhpsC_5tYz9THXY/s320/20200411_162547.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Digging into the terraces we amassed quite a collection of "archaeological" finds. Whether any of these pieces represent anything interesting (old) or whether it's all modern tat we will likely never know!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCBplk03L2268IMuS6LfBxFgEl4y8ORbuFKMOfc-LYTwNpIbg7-RspU5qOxeznaSaDJ7pbD98_UhNwFk0XOk2D7qNTfdFbL_THb0zu4gSHwDYFUi_MHS_rBf4VBbRvyo-j2tsaKR6DF0/s1600/20200321_155113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCBplk03L2268IMuS6LfBxFgEl4y8ORbuFKMOfc-LYTwNpIbg7-RspU5qOxeznaSaDJ7pbD98_UhNwFk0XOk2D7qNTfdFbL_THb0zu4gSHwDYFUi_MHS_rBf4VBbRvyo-j2tsaKR6DF0/s320/20200321_155113.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1DNSIMZdBXTsPkEbKOxF9yQVqGWXGveO9Wv3lh6yPDsUGir-1oBcJY1EqjTnZAlHNpEga2zYLwaE686XdVoEvXYXtLnFkvuV3BGh9zvpgcxwcriokjyAyc9zR2JkDtTiPBEKxVe70PY/s1600/20200321_155118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1DNSIMZdBXTsPkEbKOxF9yQVqGWXGveO9Wv3lh6yPDsUGir-1oBcJY1EqjTnZAlHNpEga2zYLwaE686XdVoEvXYXtLnFkvuV3BGh9zvpgcxwcriokjyAyc9zR2JkDtTiPBEKxVe70PY/s320/20200321_155118.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSbqOseCnqGtrzy_rEztQ0oURuMuG59kDKSmEjH9jox_x7Xypzfzvzv6PS3GKHPoOAqvAei6pMBmTT0c48_01EZmc-fEtoBNzaADTyQAbeRfHhrjpBk7jobJKPZKDQMMVvF2-HnWjdB4/s1600/20200413_123813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSbqOseCnqGtrzy_rEztQ0oURuMuG59kDKSmEjH9jox_x7Xypzfzvzv6PS3GKHPoOAqvAei6pMBmTT0c48_01EZmc-fEtoBNzaADTyQAbeRfHhrjpBk7jobJKPZKDQMMVvF2-HnWjdB4/s320/20200413_123813.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBz_lNP4rSdL-HvvhArOyttjI1-bbmgChHtg4APMydUKdh-9b8TEjcg2zjAvDsM0ZIVxxj9-V8A2K7rQRBN3spGucfpNGCE1_D63Zc6wZtpn3qZSFmR3lzFxt_aP7Ti8fQVt-gNyILc8k/s1600/20200413_123822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBz_lNP4rSdL-HvvhArOyttjI1-bbmgChHtg4APMydUKdh-9b8TEjcg2zjAvDsM0ZIVxxj9-V8A2K7rQRBN3spGucfpNGCE1_D63Zc6wZtpn3qZSFmR3lzFxt_aP7Ti8fQVt-gNyILc8k/s320/20200413_123822.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9q5JRMeUkaWuZRw6c9Y9AYTezToWyFh1EdIfJPbJIjnGaytI72MWdrI6JEvaXDIP26HCbWTgl46qga5ZAVnw-WE4z0cGnJFWuL9-UgA8UoORorn_7Yg0mpkCG1hYuRr57y9A0OCCOfXY/s1600/20200413_163159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9q5JRMeUkaWuZRw6c9Y9AYTezToWyFh1EdIfJPbJIjnGaytI72MWdrI6JEvaXDIP26HCbWTgl46qga5ZAVnw-WE4z0cGnJFWuL9-UgA8UoORorn_7Yg0mpkCG1hYuRr57y9A0OCCOfXY/s320/20200413_163159.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-51842226647097103352020-03-17T13:09:00.000+01:002020-03-17T13:45:52.432+01:00Life in lockdownToday (Sunday) is the sixth day of our enforced lockdown here in Italy. These are strange times indeed. On a normal Sunday the road that runs through the valley bottom below is is usually fairly quiet, but you can always spot the pre-lunch rush as people head in their cars into the valley to the various restaurants for their Sunday lunch, the post-lunch rush as people head back into town, the church-going traffic, the groups of cyclists puffing their way up the steep valley roads and the motorbike enthusiasts opening the throttle as they roar around the bends. Today there has been little to no traffic on the road. Eerily quiet.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPosgbyemswYHBfHMYeJAzSIoGsDloeTUMPcbEv2-emVV4w2iiWKQpC36dNX_Qg9zSBwWHkZU26XI70cmLU-YgljnDr9LOzNFY6pr17mcpN6r0a2_9ASmQk8LjIJ3AQUsPJRs-oDdiNz8/s1600/20200314_092941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPosgbyemswYHBfHMYeJAzSIoGsDloeTUMPcbEv2-emVV4w2iiWKQpC36dNX_Qg9zSBwWHkZU26XI70cmLU-YgljnDr9LOzNFY6pr17mcpN6r0a2_9ASmQk8LjIJ3AQUsPJRs-oDdiNz8/s320/20200314_092941.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Of course it has been for some time that we have been keeping an eye on the COVID-19 situation here in Italy and a week ago schools were closed, public gatherings were cancelled, restaurants and bars were only allowed to operate if they could guarantee a 1m distance between customers, and we were pondering whether or not to go ahead with our fortnightly English evening at the circolo. We had sent a message to the group of attendees to test the water and most (but not all) said they would rather not come, so we had taken the decision to put it on hold for a few weeks, feeling that that was the most responsible thing to do. Little did we know that matters would be taken out of our hands the very next day, with the Italian government announcing an enforced lockdown country-wide.<br />
<br />
Initially there was a lot of confusion - bars and restaurants were allowed to open but only if they could guarantee a minimum 1m distance between customers and only from 6am to 6pm. Yet at the same time we were all told we were only allowed to leave our homes for "essential" travel - going to and from work, doing essential shopping, or going to medical appointments, so who was going to be frequenting the bars and restaurants? Confusion reigned and while we dutifully stayed at home we heard stories of the streets being full of people, school kids meeting up and playing together, and it all seemed a bit chaotic. Little surprise, then, that the following day the government tightened the restrictions yet further, also closing all bars and restaurants and all shops other than food shops & tobacconists. At least this made things much clearer, and sanctions were brought in to deal with anyone found to be abusing the regulations. The police are operating random checks to make sure that anyone out and about has the required self authentication paperwork that states where they are going and why (the reason needing to fall within the limited number of allowed essential activities).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibrEARMvaaRlSAMPZYwDlAIbGxZy0Vp5Q4u8KZaum07Qq6KA4jZKlwBwUyCN2c2x75ucJ_N17a8CvymAADFpKsa8ThZE0nXgEYNAnDoYLIOCmcPcDl2IWMOv6yBOFPSlmaMfcighQmJk/s1600/io-resto-a-casa-regole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibrEARMvaaRlSAMPZYwDlAIbGxZy0Vp5Q4u8KZaum07Qq6KA4jZKlwBwUyCN2c2x75ucJ_N17a8CvymAADFpKsa8ThZE0nXgEYNAnDoYLIOCmcPcDl2IWMOv6yBOFPSlmaMfcighQmJk/s320/io-resto-a-casa-regole.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The supermarket now operates a system in which only a limited number of people are allowed in at once and only one person per family is allowed in. This results in people queuing for up to two to three hours just to get inside the supermarket. Larger supermarkets are closed at the weekends. You are only allowed to visit your nearest supermarket (a maximum of two times in a week) and absolutely are not allowed to cross into a different comune to do your shopping.<br />
<br />
We have been taking it in turns to go and buy our fresh bread from Amanda's shop in the village. It was my turn yesterday - the first time I'd left the property or seen another face in 5 days. The road was unusually quiet and when I got there both Amanda and Samantha were wearing face masks and gloves. It was hard to hear what they were saying through a face mask and there was a strange awkwardness as everyone did a strange sort of dance shifting around trying to keep 1m away from each other. Another lady was waiting to come into the shop when I left - she had seen I was in there and waited outside until I'd left..<br />
<br />
A lot of local businesses have started offering home delivery services - initially for the elderly population but also now extending that to others as well. We bought some sheeps' cheese from our friend Stefano the shepherd in Medicina (which wasn't exactly delivered to the door, but Stuart was able to collect it from the car park behind the circolo). We've just discovered that one of the local places that sells wine in bulk is also doing home deliveries, so will probably be adding that to the list at some point soon!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSW1asbDNAr6183EFFIqcpxyrk_dvOnWuVywQSJPLcICUjvjh7-RE63Q4BG0NljGcSoJJKHyUHutdObFUt033fLmOAfZYIM7yIxH2qJx3ntIZM9WV0io2k8YaV57RTGsTF9daZWLGois/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2020-03-16+at+13.28.28.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSW1asbDNAr6183EFFIqcpxyrk_dvOnWuVywQSJPLcICUjvjh7-RE63Q4BG0NljGcSoJJKHyUHutdObFUt033fLmOAfZYIM7yIxH2qJx3ntIZM9WV0io2k8YaV57RTGsTF9daZWLGois/s320/WhatsApp+Image+2020-03-16+at+13.28.28.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Update: We did add it to the list and 10l of white and 10l of fizzy wine were delivered to the house yesterday!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The weekly market ran in town yesterday - although only the food stalls were allowed to set up (none of the usual clothes stalls etc.) and everyone had to keep 1m distance from each other and wear face masks. There were civil protection officers on hand to make sure people followed the rules. They have even started spraying the pavements with disinfectant, which seems a little over the top (I'm not sure there's any evidence to support that as a form of prevention), but I guess it makes people think/feel as it something is being done.<br />
<br />
The last week saw the second confirmed case of COVID-19 in Pescia, although it was unrelated to the first and there's no indication of further cases relating to this one either.<br />
<br />
Of course, here at numero 182 we are already quite isolated in a physical/geographical/topological sense, and I already work from home, but the difficult part is the not being at liberty to go out and do what we want - to go for a coffee at the weekend, even do the supermarket shopping together, and not being able to meet up with friends at all (technically you're not even meant to go to visit family members).<br />
<br />
We are incredibly lucky to have 12 acres of land to roam around in, a beautiful view, and to be in the middle of nature, but even with all of this the prospect of not going anywhere else for the next few weeks is quite tricky, as is the prospect of not being able to socialise with friends and see others in the community.<br />
<br />
But, on the bright side, lockdown has - so far - been incredibly productive for us. With no errands allowed to be run, no Italian lessons, no Nordic walks, no friends to meet up with, all of our time (for me my time after having finished my office work) can be (and has been) dedicated to working on the land. We are also very fortunate that lockdown has thus far coincided with a period of dry, sunny weather.<br />
<br />
Just prior to lockdown Stuart completed his beautiful set of steps from the car park down to the lower terraces - a construction that almost rivals the Great Wall of China!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54wgsD2QFSk11JuROLgCJYwgAHZLu5g3bRXI1_bD-WMH4__GMCHTZJuOVFxjlGCH03Bgx2ObssrD9Cg11Gm0etFhtVz2rDiJykZV7ZyzfoS2clVjbg0o8DVRMYSi9AZkobWiZdxOHuGs/s1600/20200305_090347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54wgsD2QFSk11JuROLgCJYwgAHZLu5g3bRXI1_bD-WMH4__GMCHTZJuOVFxjlGCH03Bgx2ObssrD9Cg11Gm0etFhtVz2rDiJykZV7ZyzfoS2clVjbg0o8DVRMYSi9AZkobWiZdxOHuGs/s320/20200305_090347.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
We also put together one of the two metal-framed raised beds we had bought (from Amazon) a few weeks ago before we had managed to source the plastic containers that we will also be using as raised veg beds.<br />
<br />
You'd have thought that putting together a rectangular metal box would be relatively simple, but this thing (and its "instructions") made assembling an IKEA bookshelf look like child's play. It took us around 3 hours to get it all sorted, all the hundreds of tiny fiddly nuts and bolts in the right places, but we were pleased with the end result and look forward to filling it with seedlings soon.<br />
<br />
We have placed the bed on a double-thickness layer of small-holed fencing material - the idea being that voles shouldn't be able to dig up through the fencing material. With that to stop voles and the height being enough to stop porcupines, it will (should, at least) only be deer that we need to worry about, and we should be able to provide protection from deer relatively easily by putting some form of netting over the top.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtliVLe_q0o_vxs3V4dr2KD_hoZR6BJBtAFs_l5dPoSThKTPUQlPvMoc8OEfyrIRXj_XaNccJgcU9Lceis-E6DHQgNSTBvATSTxNY9Z9k7Pq4P5YuQOrre2XIhN0nVVkqAXg4X0p15bA/s1600/20200308_140523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtliVLe_q0o_vxs3V4dr2KD_hoZR6BJBtAFs_l5dPoSThKTPUQlPvMoc8OEfyrIRXj_XaNccJgcU9Lceis-E6DHQgNSTBvATSTxNY9Z9k7Pq4P5YuQOrre2XIhN0nVVkqAXg4X0p15bA/s320/20200308_140523.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHU9MxfhFeub6gVHj45u3tHedTFSvsA8iZOpKCsHmA_8jQLOC42YI-7q66C6f6q1tmZ0K-kfVuAC-iEWW_FTUW4q0l57_Ws_VxXHB0QsPtAy3JZKAWAvqIfjJxB_oHiEGPS_2GZXHiLyg/s1600/20200308_141939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHU9MxfhFeub6gVHj45u3tHedTFSvsA8iZOpKCsHmA_8jQLOC42YI-7q66C6f6q1tmZ0K-kfVuAC-iEWW_FTUW4q0l57_Ws_VxXHB0QsPtAy3JZKAWAvqIfjJxB_oHiEGPS_2GZXHiLyg/s320/20200308_141939.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KJLFYSu3nnX2k9y-UkP9huWkEqqf5bDakrmqvbsoxqJWZV5LMCvbN5c7huC8NWGSCIc-mDXEdn_ymQcFbRins3LrRz0aZvd5BkrBRH1pBdVeNgfqofyoQSLgmJaaSnScPYJaV9jELhY/s1600/20200308_152412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KJLFYSu3nnX2k9y-UkP9huWkEqqf5bDakrmqvbsoxqJWZV5LMCvbN5c7huC8NWGSCIc-mDXEdn_ymQcFbRins3LrRz0aZvd5BkrBRH1pBdVeNgfqofyoQSLgmJaaSnScPYJaV9jELhY/s320/20200308_152412.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaK05mSM0BbEG47lNyZ-bgdkBnW7iVSVqv40CYUHPomYulXUAc59qcVkMDz05izHx6KZlw-G2K4fqhFu0OX2bXApsqnLriGMnGiR3ZIvX4Z0U-38H58wq0vht2V4OMOsy7SEHZ_QH12X4/s1600/20200308_163705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaK05mSM0BbEG47lNyZ-bgdkBnW7iVSVqv40CYUHPomYulXUAc59qcVkMDz05izHx6KZlw-G2K4fqhFu0OX2bXApsqnLriGMnGiR3ZIvX4Z0U-38H58wq0vht2V4OMOsy7SEHZ_QH12X4/s320/20200308_163705.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_l6L6eNMmMPACqzjsBf_DwszNdEj6rYBGkFYdEEnFVoPyvPhwfZgW7r6zFn4V8NJg16j13y2raxHjwE9wfdqbjFgQqjtpq89TbO4PUD5p8riM_FEsqysJgvVq83Fe_YhQdbY4kvQpBA/s1600/20200308_170326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_l6L6eNMmMPACqzjsBf_DwszNdEj6rYBGkFYdEEnFVoPyvPhwfZgW7r6zFn4V8NJg16j13y2raxHjwE9wfdqbjFgQqjtpq89TbO4PUD5p8riM_FEsqysJgvVq83Fe_YhQdbY4kvQpBA/s320/20200308_170326.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWObQ3CPdGrQH7rkuojwcamZVwFLoyx1F6ixtAfC2G8zGbjBf1vHTTsbtH3EnKZxprxL2kSvuaChDaM1JoFfVCujh_wg6It-xNEiNScQM52DiJz0y-OzjXFXEuuvi3sTZJWxGeBK-GJBI/s1600/20200308_170329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWObQ3CPdGrQH7rkuojwcamZVwFLoyx1F6ixtAfC2G8zGbjBf1vHTTsbtH3EnKZxprxL2kSvuaChDaM1JoFfVCujh_wg6It-xNEiNScQM52DiJz0y-OzjXFXEuuvi3sTZJWxGeBK-GJBI/s320/20200308_170329.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3E2yhdQNQDszAGRPw3iVfU4rfcwd3kX0c0bxnM9Ip4JyPlhp2rjcaXvsVIAsD2d6AIgN3jFrhDe7IbtSz9krEigKUFubebLqvKzU0BWK-siH43DoiL14iNRnkle1K-zZsPfkp7_9u6fE/s1600/20200308_172932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3E2yhdQNQDszAGRPw3iVfU4rfcwd3kX0c0bxnM9Ip4JyPlhp2rjcaXvsVIAsD2d6AIgN3jFrhDe7IbtSz9krEigKUFubebLqvKzU0BWK-siH43DoiL14iNRnkle1K-zZsPfkp7_9u6fE/s320/20200308_172932.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHVj7lOw2UB8_8RqnuCGZoU6TMo8g8FlJ7msNCs9Ibt1rImt68L90uzpUjiYKE8m_rUIwwqWs4SZvxcRTOYwMHbyDoXjJB8jCDgbCbt8ESOyxQETMIl-y5-A8JV2-CoBmD-ZcD8E9tA0/s1600/20200308_172954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHVj7lOw2UB8_8RqnuCGZoU6TMo8g8FlJ7msNCs9Ibt1rImt68L90uzpUjiYKE8m_rUIwwqWs4SZvxcRTOYwMHbyDoXjJB8jCDgbCbt8ESOyxQETMIl-y5-A8JV2-CoBmD-ZcD8E9tA0/s320/20200308_172954.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7kWeAW7fHjl-k-t8UKvEMgUS7aG3vduIzhyzsDA8AdRyNBKuHy4GzOO5HrnyhiidcpoZU8RQm2cXnQaThVGQNDMKEssnn4EOT2TKTIs42r5kpaOKWLgdtikYntaDSG6BTsnw0X8h_ASw/s1600/20200308_175019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7kWeAW7fHjl-k-t8UKvEMgUS7aG3vduIzhyzsDA8AdRyNBKuHy4GzOO5HrnyhiidcpoZU8RQm2cXnQaThVGQNDMKEssnn4EOT2TKTIs42r5kpaOKWLgdtikYntaDSG6BTsnw0X8h_ASw/s320/20200308_175019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We took delivery of 100 chestnut posts on the first morning of full lockdown, which has meant that we have been able to forge ahead with the project of shoring up the terraces beneath the house.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4yxOPelBpfwVy6LyRJ66fxnoZMdqSkl4niw8KzLz6BYM0SYNJlAy_T2-UbJlceezSGBEVGLIy_JdnS5ccI8g4YOmIqHQV3-ADf7-c9aFb2-gdL6euFF7pW__mz6J6U85YjiheN18GPo/s1600/20200311_133619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4yxOPelBpfwVy6LyRJ66fxnoZMdqSkl4niw8KzLz6BYM0SYNJlAy_T2-UbJlceezSGBEVGLIy_JdnS5ccI8g4YOmIqHQV3-ADf7-c9aFb2-gdL6euFF7pW__mz6J6U85YjiheN18GPo/s320/20200311_133619.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4CBroacrJPqU6aU-9EvasS3kr7cyMva1UI9wf2wvPnA_m1beeiAHjn5x5JaMVjXNvgPGvfU8Fn8QLJKslMtYTcVG-sPRx-ViKdGAdJ9eQy4fcqummCSbSqWgUrHB44eI5_OuoIcbp2Y/s1600/20200311_133636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4CBroacrJPqU6aU-9EvasS3kr7cyMva1UI9wf2wvPnA_m1beeiAHjn5x5JaMVjXNvgPGvfU8Fn8QLJKslMtYTcVG-sPRx-ViKdGAdJ9eQy4fcqummCSbSqWgUrHB44eI5_OuoIcbp2Y/s320/20200311_133636.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Having borrowed the petrol-powered winch from (and which we co-own with) Franco, we spent a full day working on Tuesday felling around six more trees in the mushroom-land area. The winch was necessary because these were particularly large and particularly difficult trees - ones that were leaning the wrong way and required the winch to pull them in a different direction from that in which they would naturally want to fall. I can tell you that there's nothing quite like sitting to operate a winch <i>directly beneath</i> a tree that's being felled to get the adrenaline pumping...<br />
<br />
By the end of the day we had amassed an enormous stack of logs.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwdgGohYzxgo0Ab6AuZOEv8hutJ1OY9aen56k4WNi4q06w3NlC8ZMgeV3x2YPkBjRmi6gV6HwwTMbBM8XPY4A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
We spent the next few days continuing to log trees, strip bark from the logs, and tidy up the mess the tree felling had created in mushroom land.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmu86YoKlXzJdxM3js3nFDrGgsF2weCY0yOtRzz1KKfAnWpBfMRLONmR8i-d3H0djc5Vdzgxe0RRLkEfMGr3ZSqSFQGiBuc6rT9Fwt70u1b2DudB-oQCtumk_EZDdIo67770L-JohIaY0/s1600/20200310_153711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmu86YoKlXzJdxM3js3nFDrGgsF2weCY0yOtRzz1KKfAnWpBfMRLONmR8i-d3H0djc5Vdzgxe0RRLkEfMGr3ZSqSFQGiBuc6rT9Fwt70u1b2DudB-oQCtumk_EZDdIo67770L-JohIaY0/s320/20200310_153711.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQ6Aaah7V5R2d-O-fcRAMrNOzv6e9WkxHFiqJgXdUwlaoriy7_8eg2nsXcj1MReHD_yYHCNV5X1dxmL7vHS9aDfI6UEtHWPqsLTi0XhhpluunON7xvXrGYNkA1N8Kp8TsedJPvhRoo_I/s1600/20200310_162240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQ6Aaah7V5R2d-O-fcRAMrNOzv6e9WkxHFiqJgXdUwlaoriy7_8eg2nsXcj1MReHD_yYHCNV5X1dxmL7vHS9aDfI6UEtHWPqsLTi0XhhpluunON7xvXrGYNkA1N8Kp8TsedJPvhRoo_I/s320/20200310_162240.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9w4YHBKrgvg6r6O0kkZ56r5KuGQIDjnr9mv7-ltEJDuFnsdF6rT3enAmWZGshG9EGYWIFkiT6PTBkWaUP8mxDJ6XvLVWYcrp0Y1H39tKsNOWi5OqQ2StuBbLgg6XECR2HwEga7C5nfY/s1600/20200310_165129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9w4YHBKrgvg6r6O0kkZ56r5KuGQIDjnr9mv7-ltEJDuFnsdF6rT3enAmWZGshG9EGYWIFkiT6PTBkWaUP8mxDJ6XvLVWYcrp0Y1H39tKsNOWi5OqQ2StuBbLgg6XECR2HwEga7C5nfY/s320/20200310_165129.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha4CtiteSr1T18pLMeXhSqXiFDbUxO7zdDbrmeidpgYBJ6sgA4jK8epK-1sLTuVJHRnwizGFHZ0OCc9MebWPuGnkjSLQwPA2Set1eYQxq_fEBdiQOUB5O9ezkWO80iNnEWKlWd9lQDGJE/s1600/20200310_165227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha4CtiteSr1T18pLMeXhSqXiFDbUxO7zdDbrmeidpgYBJ6sgA4jK8epK-1sLTuVJHRnwizGFHZ0OCc9MebWPuGnkjSLQwPA2Set1eYQxq_fEBdiQOUB5O9ezkWO80iNnEWKlWd9lQDGJE/s320/20200310_165227.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhou4peTHfR26xeKcFl23nw5EKsktQdMUUnLwACX5kcOdzlyw6l5ARvKT4w65Q1srGOcgsjkuN4hEsSrLNte7kex0cSWbe4lbqcs1bfvqBS8eYj6kLDOe40xnyOXs7j0j9NhKsV8gmD1_Y/s1600/20200311_134101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhou4peTHfR26xeKcFl23nw5EKsktQdMUUnLwACX5kcOdzlyw6l5ARvKT4w65Q1srGOcgsjkuN4hEsSrLNte7kex0cSWbe4lbqcs1bfvqBS8eYj6kLDOe40xnyOXs7j0j9NhKsV8gmD1_Y/s320/20200311_134101.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Finally, we decided we had amassed enough materials in the preparation phase to actually have a go at starting the project.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5N4VJxysXAxC9QTi_1Pa77-RKa8rqLqbDBvP3r7LmzMhoFaYmuUZZoIGA01b8XQ84Q4-0Qfyd_AeGA9iUZnHM7D7YJ6wOzBO-otsn_5d6d5xN-7emYshx9DKbfOsdgpVku75J1ePdYLE/s1600/20200314_145306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5N4VJxysXAxC9QTi_1Pa77-RKa8rqLqbDBvP3r7LmzMhoFaYmuUZZoIGA01b8XQ84Q4-0Qfyd_AeGA9iUZnHM7D7YJ6wOzBO-otsn_5d6d5xN-7emYshx9DKbfOsdgpVku75J1ePdYLE/s320/20200314_145306.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before work began.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Even using the petrol-powered auger digging the holes for the chestnut posts proved to be hard work. The ground is so very stony/rocky (it's no wonder that our local village is called "good stone") that the auger struggles to get in very deep so we have to keep stopping, using a wrecking bar to break up rocks in the bottom of the hole, clear the rocks out, and then try again. The holes need to be around 50cm deep, with the posts needing to go around 60 cm into the ground. Slow and physically tiring work! But getting the posts into the ground seems to be the rate limiting step and once those are in it's a relatively fast and satisfying process to complete a section of wall by lying logs behind the posts and then back-filling with soil, in doing so beginning to create a brand new intermediate terrace.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9ZPIBPDExN0e0ltPWEABxu1GkoEDpJs4FWKj1ZcgT4zG7IbicnNftA5SaauPH7vc2mEhTondrLwPZxBdA-pqEZwRqXCc1-7z4dRpVo2Q06vKL6bm8SbcKTjKoqAig5I-xKxCXhbMqFQ/s1600/20200314_155316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9ZPIBPDExN0e0ltPWEABxu1GkoEDpJs4FWKj1ZcgT4zG7IbicnNftA5SaauPH7vc2mEhTondrLwPZxBdA-pqEZwRqXCc1-7z4dRpVo2Q06vKL6bm8SbcKTjKoqAig5I-xKxCXhbMqFQ/s320/20200314_155316.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First section!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We seem to be managing about 3m worth of wall per half-day - fairly slow progress but not so slow as to be disheartening, and we are finding that an additional 3m each day (6m on a full day's work) is enough to make us feel satisfied and very, very pleased with the way the project is going so far! We are ever hopeful of coming across a piece of ground that <i>doesn't </i>contain stones and that the auger will simply slide through like butter... but we are managing our expectations!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkIujyAJ-ji70dgDGzqSx6l6CK6Ti8ff6rXdaWHGKNZIBs7fCbKsZaHFpwXRSHxbFwjkOqXgFcxCrp7EGt5nM1SGYSCgVi5bz9hIG8XLW0oppr5lUSX9s6H-gA57wZ8F-M6V_Sg4cyMA/s1600/20200314_155335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkIujyAJ-ji70dgDGzqSx6l6CK6Ti8ff6rXdaWHGKNZIBs7fCbKsZaHFpwXRSHxbFwjkOqXgFcxCrp7EGt5nM1SGYSCgVi5bz9hIG8XLW0oppr5lUSX9s6H-gA57wZ8F-M6V_Sg4cyMA/s320/20200314_155335.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguku54oCIcRXTdrfc8wleBjsFD50ovVftLKZZmfzMhNyguQQOh1-CAdZ7WRnYzUkcg0B-zG5oNaPgltZyfwSMtudZScGWf-CW1pZyNDlM1OY9276mDJpiNWoPeAZPTpv7pMLams63ubWk/s1600/20200315_165001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguku54oCIcRXTdrfc8wleBjsFD50ovVftLKZZmfzMhNyguQQOh1-CAdZ7WRnYzUkcg0B-zG5oNaPgltZyfwSMtudZScGWf-CW1pZyNDlM1OY9276mDJpiNWoPeAZPTpv7pMLams63ubWk/s320/20200315_165001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIkAU_apCIjnzMEodwi7kR5aGyNr69Xu0LssGTYqBbUr5GIzCsot8MK2gMWsYbE1bXg8eYYlZubxhsxT_NYwZx4m0OrZgNqPGV3Bvup0l4iQD9OjsrxQnfZ6K88R_SKGwCdM16KbgASE/s1600/90392115_10157107878186658_7497582674706432_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIkAU_apCIjnzMEodwi7kR5aGyNr69Xu0LssGTYqBbUr5GIzCsot8MK2gMWsYbE1bXg8eYYlZubxhsxT_NYwZx4m0OrZgNqPGV3Bvup0l4iQD9OjsrxQnfZ6K88R_SKGwCdM16KbgASE/s320/90392115_10157107878186658_7497582674706432_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
While it can feel slightly frustrating not being at liberty to go out for a change of scene, we are mindful that there is good reason for it and we know that there are many, many worse places in which one could spend in an enforced lockdown. We are thankful every day for our beautiful, beautiful surroundings.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVYJuqtUilm1SowXHxjbeFN3b-Ft3V-28hIeAZb_njYNkpTzup6AYgOndSzhz5ZEi9hhm-DyRTdKk4A5ymCcrAI0xhZtEBbjmmb_sEsQM0OeC62RMs1iUng7G8wa6hACCTt6RkQDW2w4/s1600/20200308_094002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVYJuqtUilm1SowXHxjbeFN3b-Ft3V-28hIeAZb_njYNkpTzup6AYgOndSzhz5ZEi9hhm-DyRTdKk4A5ymCcrAI0xhZtEBbjmmb_sEsQM0OeC62RMs1iUng7G8wa6hACCTt6RkQDW2w4/s320/20200308_094002.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnO3lr-JYLa0SstZCAsVEHuBPdHcHxv4kIQjfJxdDFa0thSsCkwsTLcNJRyNoivRJLNdqchURt1OFFrjyoPPOb7f5JrqccwD7qLdzBSblHdvc_5cE7LPf55uNhuH1gVoXyBhOBu_ydAY/s1600/20200310_120954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnO3lr-JYLa0SstZCAsVEHuBPdHcHxv4kIQjfJxdDFa0thSsCkwsTLcNJRyNoivRJLNdqchURt1OFFrjyoPPOb7f5JrqccwD7qLdzBSblHdvc_5cE7LPf55uNhuH1gVoXyBhOBu_ydAY/s320/20200310_120954.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwpvNBW-q3DVqLGY55jfYCk2Iay4neB6nT0pg-EMoKZAAkpnajiwSAujso2mXmMflz6xfwMW4yyyLjsPl5fJVE-oVooiFLi9h0DKnjNgxyQfUiFDq1Q82bEF2axKAPqbuYi7jMncJiaE/s1600/20200310_121004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwpvNBW-q3DVqLGY55jfYCk2Iay4neB6nT0pg-EMoKZAAkpnajiwSAujso2mXmMflz6xfwMW4yyyLjsPl5fJVE-oVooiFLi9h0DKnjNgxyQfUiFDq1Q82bEF2axKAPqbuYi7jMncJiaE/s320/20200310_121004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1kFJQsKSjc16gz-vyzaTwZKF5Lja7XuQxCCj7x8aQ9tB7T2JA4sVfdkmDkNFZ61-O1lhztIJvBR7SwW9Ex5T8X0ROSYZ3nX7EkhORuO2_MyTRjhTn50jw7oeUrPlAve05YUd3IJG_GQ/s1600/20200310_121220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1kFJQsKSjc16gz-vyzaTwZKF5Lja7XuQxCCj7x8aQ9tB7T2JA4sVfdkmDkNFZ61-O1lhztIJvBR7SwW9Ex5T8X0ROSYZ3nX7EkhORuO2_MyTRjhTn50jw7oeUrPlAve05YUd3IJG_GQ/s320/20200310_121220.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MUGguqOtIOfE42DEJCwF6TDKv5IyP8y6FzilDOLpbFkTA1d5cKX4rQ-72Y5wfI88GTkNfSyBMt7u_sIf8AP8RZTlFRgUslNvBjfK1apcxJ_6fmtFWNB1BYuvOyGgHk4xfjUsXvyPUNc/s1600/20200310_121225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MUGguqOtIOfE42DEJCwF6TDKv5IyP8y6FzilDOLpbFkTA1d5cKX4rQ-72Y5wfI88GTkNfSyBMt7u_sIf8AP8RZTlFRgUslNvBjfK1apcxJ_6fmtFWNB1BYuvOyGgHk4xfjUsXvyPUNc/s320/20200310_121225.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJu2a0w9EzqFYKAoDX4XBe-k2KulGcV4KqWhPCRFoW7lxIpVHjNjHqE5xhMP6A53hSqa2kI9DJKcdp-bGs8tmTjAExbvzFLRQti-b9KNhBaoxs3Vx991SEs1_BttiMyp96AzkuOdHEN0s/s1600/20200311_133531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJu2a0w9EzqFYKAoDX4XBe-k2KulGcV4KqWhPCRFoW7lxIpVHjNjHqE5xhMP6A53hSqa2kI9DJKcdp-bGs8tmTjAExbvzFLRQti-b9KNhBaoxs3Vx991SEs1_BttiMyp96AzkuOdHEN0s/s320/20200311_133531.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHEa9ZWanFXU4o0opCO5PdmrHF5BcjFf8q_gZeprGFB9R8FztgXyiiPqnjO1_nWBLTdez1y5ipzwJyKn8RmU5bjkloG5jsgYNkaTyAUc9zm9kXcZFBRJ-QYb73I6FjupHU0RZGOj5PB4/s1600/20200311_133552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHEa9ZWanFXU4o0opCO5PdmrHF5BcjFf8q_gZeprGFB9R8FztgXyiiPqnjO1_nWBLTdez1y5ipzwJyKn8RmU5bjkloG5jsgYNkaTyAUc9zm9kXcZFBRJ-QYb73I6FjupHU0RZGOj5PB4/s320/20200311_133552.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUN3G0x0akWbuBGEZKr7CqAnQfzH9DQ3v6XRdR5wRiGTN94D0Q4xyXupH95PUqfE2FTYCzDdwrNdJcQsOTMlXMhIQCR3sgAmMRLWuBZ__rhgbQp7JqyDQAfadlvYTizgITRF9nlSkTwA/s1600/20200313_143610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUN3G0x0akWbuBGEZKr7CqAnQfzH9DQ3v6XRdR5wRiGTN94D0Q4xyXupH95PUqfE2FTYCzDdwrNdJcQsOTMlXMhIQCR3sgAmMRLWuBZ__rhgbQp7JqyDQAfadlvYTizgITRF9nlSkTwA/s320/20200313_143610.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHb6mCE8SqRcivHJXEzOtyBTSwuHbe4LLIV1LF8usYzqWuO8LfefSuILsbY2Xq-VdP8zfLLKsCKW5UQw2EVwAUbl8Rt87LtQRhyO9csGh10Gqa_4Cgexc80S4vcDMl9yf__pYMCuBH6fg/s1600/20200314_145318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHb6mCE8SqRcivHJXEzOtyBTSwuHbe4LLIV1LF8usYzqWuO8LfefSuILsbY2Xq-VdP8zfLLKsCKW5UQw2EVwAUbl8Rt87LtQRhyO9csGh10Gqa_4Cgexc80S4vcDMl9yf__pYMCuBH6fg/s320/20200314_145318.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNH0JiZx5Sttkyii6q-luT5W5V5u8fhdyPPLVmscvTMoPIk4eSBU_e4s6WtljRzfAHcR1Ga0CBSo6h3FAH9fPVdiXrmvSZ9OGkEdmG6Q41qmU1P5HtcXcjZq_uGA88WvdOjEM7-FQM8b8/s1600/20200314_145327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNH0JiZx5Sttkyii6q-luT5W5V5u8fhdyPPLVmscvTMoPIk4eSBU_e4s6WtljRzfAHcR1Ga0CBSo6h3FAH9fPVdiXrmvSZ9OGkEdmG6Q41qmU1P5HtcXcjZq_uGA88WvdOjEM7-FQM8b8/s320/20200314_145327.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3723593646784286148.post-76315888098057217732020-03-02T18:01:00.000+01:002020-03-02T18:15:54.375+01:00Project planning and preparation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Benjamin Franklin famously said "if you fail to plan, you are planning on failing", and with that in mind (and as spring pushes ever forward), we have done a fair bit of planning and preparing in recent weeks. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Most significantly we have begun to move forward in the planning and preparation stages for the mammoth project of shoring up the banks of the terraces beneath the house. In our last post we mentioned that we had decided on a reinforcement strategy using chestnut posts and logs, and since then we have: bought (in conjunction with our friends Paul & Kathy) a petrol-powered auger to help with making post holes, ordered 100 large chestnut posts, felled several trees and cut them into logs of 1m lengths, stripped the bark from those logs, and taken delivery of 10 large (1000 litre) containers which will eventually become raised beds for growing vegetables (not part of the terrace reinforcing project, but the ultimate aim is to put these on the newly secured terraces). Stuart has also nearly finished building a beautiful set of steps that will make access to the lower terraces during the project infinitely easier and safer.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoE2pAcKWi52qf0J8iI84-0opDCTOqUmrmKqQ6U2Vky8_-JmOsxIWwqDo3_tVacl4yb_cwr4BmJsfFskhrY3lXTj8XnSPV2tvNt0g6PEmJPtbJqN0NKF1suUHLHo-fhAR73wL1ZW17mA/s1600/20200220_170616+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoE2pAcKWi52qf0J8iI84-0opDCTOqUmrmKqQ6U2Vky8_-JmOsxIWwqDo3_tVacl4yb_cwr4BmJsfFskhrY3lXTj8XnSPV2tvNt0g6PEmJPtbJqN0NKF1suUHLHo-fhAR73wL1ZW17mA/s320/20200220_170616+-+Copy.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The auger is Reggie-approved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwFsNrwEN4zKzjTSIl2u3nXa0eFcGEzWJTAAIMYPIG0taukzuCvnYo0-1OnvTsdaTK1tkudteZeUEI6wZ56Dg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PH9ExbCxtFYwSoY166UKrbMu7qltMP-ZjB5B0u-C6YRBUAF7VbJKYIYSKdvaLKnUk-nivllNH43hZ2OKSLuoujVJGCSfSiEPCWf0yI1BhjzBDs7BdlrppzmxTlt1jBKdtGu_YD9gZjQ/s1600/20200223_134740+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PH9ExbCxtFYwSoY166UKrbMu7qltMP-ZjB5B0u-C6YRBUAF7VbJKYIYSKdvaLKnUk-nivllNH43hZ2OKSLuoujVJGCSfSiEPCWf0yI1BhjzBDs7BdlrppzmxTlt1jBKdtGu_YD9gZjQ/s320/20200223_134740+-+Copy.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nice clean post hole.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPUYQXOzaj1jh7GUrWKLlTOn0GyW-5u9TPmebQY0bo2JuXzV3hSyu0HWZEiYYNhrakKKAXmqg7hU_x48iC9UAmrj0z9MKMfEIHTwbuOaW4f9RtOC_lLYbmqSQRE5MFapBnrJSRnHPvVPQ/s1600/20200223_134832+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPUYQXOzaj1jh7GUrWKLlTOn0GyW-5u9TPmebQY0bo2JuXzV3hSyu0HWZEiYYNhrakKKAXmqg7hU_x48iC9UAmrj0z9MKMfEIHTwbuOaW4f9RtOC_lLYbmqSQRE5MFapBnrJSRnHPvVPQ/s320/20200223_134832+-+Copy.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and a post held firmly in place.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIoMBomXVjeZ9zYUDpfLqOSqm2aXgWRqUcx4iLfgwe8i9E-IaV7v0hEXjFcLSay6zaXRVOmepuVNISzb54gElnHx5HbdVy2_cK7STnAHyt6h9jryXMup26mnJQqiDAgC8r9UpFbwrl4ZY/s1600/20200223_094424+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIoMBomXVjeZ9zYUDpfLqOSqm2aXgWRqUcx4iLfgwe8i9E-IaV7v0hEXjFcLSay6zaXRVOmepuVNISzb54gElnHx5HbdVy2_cK7STnAHyt6h9jryXMup26mnJQqiDAgC8r9UpFbwrl4ZY/s320/20200223_094424+-+Copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10 tanks for future use.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We are now just a few more trees' worth of logs (and the delivery of the chestnut posts) away from having everything we need to embark on the project. It's a big project, but it feels good to have a plan coming together and the preparations in place. We intend to do it in stages - hopefully finishing one terrace this spring and moving on to the next one in the autumn. </div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfftCbkg0ypFu4myAsYFd6-V6PiarrwAisItssUTgVR8nkfyAcpQsG9CfkZC7sQ1Uz42dYMK-0w_03ANg-xrJbwAqY6Vye8mkXAPqbFBU_aLry4rubPXptsgLKvU2kIkEgjvV_B8l3NV8/s1600/20200229_160523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfftCbkg0ypFu4myAsYFd6-V6PiarrwAisItssUTgVR8nkfyAcpQsG9CfkZC7sQ1Uz42dYMK-0w_03ANg-xrJbwAqY6Vye8mkXAPqbFBU_aLry4rubPXptsgLKvU2kIkEgjvV_B8l3NV8/s320/20200229_160523.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful set of steps - and Reggie approves.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We have also taken advantage of the spring weather to plant some more fruit/nut trees, putting in three more almond trees, two walnut trees, a hazelnut, another persimmon and two blueberry bushes as well as a beautiful decorative (not for fruiting purposes) mimosa.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6z1fIwGdobwSo5HDlCvmee3HXdRGvRdhe_n1KSWRVaJc-9Z8o2fYBf7avp3c_nwYVWPI6GwpTz8w9m7vmJJmiCvl9KwRfE0Hw71sZ88FQOG_x_ODElptDFq3IcWKemjRAvN7ErAlHIOk/s1600/20200215_154417+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6z1fIwGdobwSo5HDlCvmee3HXdRGvRdhe_n1KSWRVaJc-9Z8o2fYBf7avp3c_nwYVWPI6GwpTz8w9m7vmJJmiCvl9KwRfE0Hw71sZ88FQOG_x_ODElptDFq3IcWKemjRAvN7ErAlHIOk/s320/20200215_154417+-+Copy.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Almond tree planting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0H4P95fvpyCRJvodYXW3Y8ATPrTcJmuCzA985-nb71prMY4WjYgqEoPKoTREvNsX5pnxRkzTL_zL2ttpUKaj52n-9EIDZSjtV3eQbu37IR5Z5oPzB_kGoUKHJoznwL9yfSBFRXZVnPrU/s1600/20200215_155450+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0H4P95fvpyCRJvodYXW3Y8ATPrTcJmuCzA985-nb71prMY4WjYgqEoPKoTREvNsX5pnxRkzTL_zL2ttpUKaj52n-9EIDZSjtV3eQbu37IR5Z5oPzB_kGoUKHJoznwL9yfSBFRXZVnPrU/s320/20200215_155450+-+Copy.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reggie's contribution to the tree-planting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Em305jB06H-6KJRTy8J22pJYEl1eEkDbIfi-UByLFENdCgCRt3VDU-cyo1abcnrYOnVg198sKfRSN7e1lEYsV0z1QxE6SZZU3HPZiqYx7uTFp1XSUpshyVF0Cj4lYwuz3i7ggXO944w/s1600/20200216_142604+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Em305jB06H-6KJRTy8J22pJYEl1eEkDbIfi-UByLFENdCgCRt3VDU-cyo1abcnrYOnVg198sKfRSN7e1lEYsV0z1QxE6SZZU3HPZiqYx7uTFp1XSUpshyVF0Cj4lYwuz3i7ggXO944w/s320/20200216_142604+-+Copy.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mimosa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2phaFhvHGy0fj8gSBuLJDX1B9YZZ0hwZl4XKyHqAfZ-PQ5OZdp5-AuLNlEmytsoPkTtj9-rDQukRxj1V4oDRC1YvjZiTVRhki7XUuN4CFGKWzZJhWYmXki9NTCxTWr56tn4UJ81KcEQ/s1600/20200216_155026+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2phaFhvHGy0fj8gSBuLJDX1B9YZZ0hwZl4XKyHqAfZ-PQ5OZdp5-AuLNlEmytsoPkTtj9-rDQukRxj1V4oDRC1YvjZiTVRhki7XUuN4CFGKWzZJhWYmXki9NTCxTWr56tn4UJ81KcEQ/s320/20200216_155026+-+Copy.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mini orchard is taking shape.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The spring-like weather has even afforded us our first opportunities to eat lunch al fresco and to enjoy a glass of wine in the late afternoon sun. Having said that, as I write this the rain is hammering on the skylight and the wind howling in the flue, so you can rest assured that we are still having our fair share of inclement weather!</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8sX-GCk6a48R-uIgDQb4YML8KbQEN1z2-mx_SpM8yLRkE48bwsxHsODlydbglYewBgUxOlbE1wnFXaEuZc08GLbPMVS22wYKx9d6kgx_LrZG6WNHCz1dfm3hNGfq160oSGIwUUhtdqY/s1600/20200215_163237+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8sX-GCk6a48R-uIgDQb4YML8KbQEN1z2-mx_SpM8yLRkE48bwsxHsODlydbglYewBgUxOlbE1wnFXaEuZc08GLbPMVS22wYKx9d6kgx_LrZG6WNHCz1dfm3hNGfq160oSGIwUUhtdqY/s320/20200215_163237+-+Copy.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First outdoor "cheers" of the year!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1GntQSdGertG74hxr7dOiy81TKfj1CIFQ5VZ-x-kwUEtjaCXz17B_lEAUfgLUDLeqYHGiUptjzQcoQX5yHdjztC4sp7WjcCSxI9zlIOS5w5NxVTc8whYEFGkaFwjzu78y6Vnfn49q18/s1600/20200220_100442+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1GntQSdGertG74hxr7dOiy81TKfj1CIFQ5VZ-x-kwUEtjaCXz17B_lEAUfgLUDLeqYHGiUptjzQcoQX5yHdjztC4sp7WjcCSxI9zlIOS5w5NxVTc8whYEFGkaFwjzu78y6Vnfn49q18/s320/20200220_100442+-+Copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From one side of the valley...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjztbXTZXot92VUqy5H1cUgLBrGC2-eiIw2P7tCm7KIXr1DRuzY60m-IhfdEDFjsv_SK3tU5A5iXKRPC_l5IpYFmS-fwktxfrYcZ7YvlJfxyPQ6vtZvWGONfAFlw36xCg5ME3gmXWk62l4/s1600/20200228_110347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjztbXTZXot92VUqy5H1cUgLBrGC2-eiIw2P7tCm7KIXr1DRuzY60m-IhfdEDFjsv_SK3tU5A5iXKRPC_l5IpYFmS-fwktxfrYcZ7YvlJfxyPQ6vtZvWGONfAFlw36xCg5ME3gmXWk62l4/s320/20200228_110347.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... to the other. The view from our friends Mara and Franco's house on the hillside opposite us.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The other form of planning/preparation we have been doing is building up some of the most basic stocks in our store cupboard. One could hardly fail to notice that Italy has been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus and we have been keeping tabs on the situation. While the worst affected areas are much further north of us (Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia Romana), there has been a confirmed case in our local town - news of which threw the local population into panic and the supermarket shelves were quickly stripped bare. The patient here in Pescia (who had been on a business trip to Lombardy and who quickly isolated himself once he felt ill) is reported to have recovered already, and none of people he came into contact with (who were quarantined as a precaution) have shown any signs of becoming ill, so it seems as if here at least the case has been well contained and dealt with effectively and efficiently. </div>
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For now, we are mainly only concerned about the possibility of the area ending up on lockdown (as has happened in other communities in Italy) should there be more cases reported locally and thus potentially having short supply of the essentials, but we have stocked up on store-cupboard items, and (most importantly!) wine, so we are not greatly concerned. Of course, like the rest of the world, we follow the news reports and we hope that the situation sorts itself out quickly.<br />
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfQR72Dqc1lPWR_a3KhyphenhyphenX579fu_rzhYBc3AHLY3iRQivNosZRNF_9cQ-1Ut8jSMDcSH9z8BnjQtSGoUzot3wYiHyKxUOKXmvq0AjRx_zPkA2TQc9L4mprfQWx3ki072A5uITDj8LRJa8/s1600/20200214_141620+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfQR72Dqc1lPWR_a3KhyphenhyphenX579fu_rzhYBc3AHLY3iRQivNosZRNF_9cQ-1Ut8jSMDcSH9z8BnjQtSGoUzot3wYiHyKxUOKXmvq0AjRx_zPkA2TQc9L4mprfQWx3ki072A5uITDj8LRJa8/s320/20200214_141620+-+Copy.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild crocuses currently line the driveway.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFw5wJjiB8sBEixooJjGMBcahqAstWwpom4nLaGWv1QP46UFZAKQgu3fQDdzJRNlZKEhZGEPahYXqFRM4USnxsfzfl3Kr1LPp4p-umZmZdfkP0OUm0N4yRznZbYCcRv98k5v2spGAdo0/s1600/20200214_141625+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFw5wJjiB8sBEixooJjGMBcahqAstWwpom4nLaGWv1QP46UFZAKQgu3fQDdzJRNlZKEhZGEPahYXqFRM4USnxsfzfl3Kr1LPp4p-umZmZdfkP0OUm0N4yRznZbYCcRv98k5v2spGAdo0/s320/20200214_141625+-+Copy.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvkcTVYwYWgD7IRCooxWtmD8Yguy7wBPVYe0kOzAAbxocvqXb3BQgIoeTqEWU5qNC-E9DSabU3zaFJC4FEc_ruNIWGEKRkrQScx3P_IJzrFqbJrmUfd8ZhV_uIOaHFYEG-Cl4Lj2JWg0/s1600/20200224_091913+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvkcTVYwYWgD7IRCooxWtmD8Yguy7wBPVYe0kOzAAbxocvqXb3BQgIoeTqEWU5qNC-E9DSabU3zaFJC4FEc_ruNIWGEKRkrQScx3P_IJzrFqbJrmUfd8ZhV_uIOaHFYEG-Cl4Lj2JWg0/s320/20200224_091913+-+Copy.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almond blossom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfY21x1fOqoPfsU1qzjQF_WxByEYMnd9T2TPpZhXPtxhI-fL2y7Xn2RTkUPOjoivlrigVZ51ttrx6ygO6Gohqde0DTVD4WRmEkvMdZHMJWy7dRWvuvoKTEwhUqa9flTqngY16ybR2m4s/s1600/20200220_094514+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfY21x1fOqoPfsU1qzjQF_WxByEYMnd9T2TPpZhXPtxhI-fL2y7Xn2RTkUPOjoivlrigVZ51ttrx6ygO6Gohqde0DTVD4WRmEkvMdZHMJWy7dRWvuvoKTEwhUqa9flTqngY16ybR2m4s/s320/20200220_094514+-+Copy.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzZ8PbPh7iu5mSe5kuoDEPQFy6EbPRege4D9aVHtatCrTn6FrgM2uEbEG2naFChuEwMHCoCtYDh8xLvSn15WZLYgoOjEmYn4M-dICPDEVmTA8DJ0RW0qVUJcy6njsc2_MQMHNXFXn5pQ/s1600/20200222_093911+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzZ8PbPh7iu5mSe5kuoDEPQFy6EbPRege4D9aVHtatCrTn6FrgM2uEbEG2naFChuEwMHCoCtYDh8xLvSn15WZLYgoOjEmYn4M-dICPDEVmTA8DJ0RW0qVUJcy6njsc2_MQMHNXFXn5pQ/s320/20200222_093911+-+Copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local wildlife - a coypu spotted on the roadside.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNQlBqzatoywVcKm-teIM42254iGVNmiQGurunJvB_B-Iw3xcW1n_yuCr8_mPTrNwzunz3dXG1EWUl7dMCtOlN2axqk2KawLtGuhhtSczfIKUUX3r-62DIKhyphenhyphenP_2loD0sfgjDyG5unjs/s1600/20200223_100000+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNQlBqzatoywVcKm-teIM42254iGVNmiQGurunJvB_B-Iw3xcW1n_yuCr8_mPTrNwzunz3dXG1EWUl7dMCtOlN2axqk2KawLtGuhhtSczfIKUUX3r-62DIKhyphenhyphenP_2loD0sfgjDyG5unjs/s320/20200223_100000+-+Copy.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black irises.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfeqhFKPUz3K4uNpG1ppbu9OTC8vACTFHLyN3ga3J5IWoZCWmAlodMrYp1C7rCDhCiGqQsd7V0AjGNYuGnVxAtkOeQtfxWxe7eRES3iOqMJAYEv4R-Zsq9tB4t2rBGuQOwp7VEofTVfCM/s1600/20200225_093909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfeqhFKPUz3K4uNpG1ppbu9OTC8vACTFHLyN3ga3J5IWoZCWmAlodMrYp1C7rCDhCiGqQsd7V0AjGNYuGnVxAtkOeQtfxWxe7eRES3iOqMJAYEv4R-Zsq9tB4t2rBGuQOwp7VEofTVfCM/s320/20200225_093909.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early wood violets.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qDgQuFWKdjutIQIg8Bf9yMUD3zvVqU8asSgw8xhh6g15Mk7HRiNNjokwM0t-WEJO3pB-vHV3a7veFJKInN0UYtp8MlFlpj2Zjj7eePq0LlWTVsOwW2xBF0le-mJ92S82TNTpsqW3rjw/s1600/20200223_180722+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qDgQuFWKdjutIQIg8Bf9yMUD3zvVqU8asSgw8xhh6g15Mk7HRiNNjokwM0t-WEJO3pB-vHV3a7veFJKInN0UYtp8MlFlpj2Zjj7eePq0LlWTVsOwW2xBF0le-mJ92S82TNTpsqW3rjw/s320/20200223_180722+-+Copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The new Mrs Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104940654458879424noreply@blogger.com1