20/03/2018
Low pressure in Sardinia is causing a weather pattern
which is going to last for another week or so. Through the night we had very
heavy rain and yesterday rain and strong wind, which concerned us as it potentially
could have damaged the broad beans plants in full flower. Luckily no damage
occurred but some jobs could not take place as hoped.
Nevertheless yesterday, with my brother, we managed to put
up the 4 posts for the extension, a job we could not start earlier as we were
busy on jobs mentioned previously on the land. This part of the building
project was the most difficult one, and hopefully the rest will follow relatively
smoothly
This morning, after heavy rain and a leaking roof which will
have to be sorted as soon as the weather improves , we decided to crack almonds
in preparation for having some of them
transformed into amaretti by my aunty after Easter.
Wild fennel
Between showers of
rain we had a walk about collecting our food and going down the river to see
how things are there. The river is high and fast flowing at the moment. We managed
to locate a walnut tree which we thought was taken away by the last flood, but
it is still there and hopefully we will get some nuts in future.
Fruits trees – peach, pear, apple - are all in flower and if no hard frost arrives
it seems that there will be plenty of fruits coming along. On the way back from
the river Lesley disturbed a hare which was hiding in the tall grass. This is a
good sign as the population of hares has been low in the past and it is not an
animal you see often in these parts.
Our wild asparagus keeps growing at a speedy rate, and it
takes only 10 or 15 minutes’ walk to find enough for a dinner. We collected more wild fennel which grows in abundance
between the vines and I decided to make a loaf of bread with it. Bread was
cooked in the “ Aga” oven, and although it turned out okay, the crust was a bit
too hard, but it was still tasty. Space for improvement here.
More wild orchids were spotted in other people’s abandoned
land, and generally the abundance of wild flowers is one of the best things
happening at this time of the year. The goji berry trees are also starting to
produce the flowers whereas the Kiwi is still dormant and has been pruned.
The almonds
The almonds being opened
21/03/2018
Another wintry day. Some snow on the high mountains above
1200 meters It did not rain in the morning but later in the afternoon we got
wet as we were working on the extension . We managed to put up all the support
beams and the extension is now taking shape nicely. We are making the fire
every night and this is for me what I was not prepared to do. Bringing wood
under the canopy to dry is something which I never thought to be doing at this
time of the year.
Having a burning fire is always pleasant anyway. We toasted some almonds with
a pinch of salt for a snack. Some evenings we play cards and having no tv is
not bothering us at all. In the morning we put the radio on, but briefly, and
internet is only an hour or less in the evening after we have done everything
else and after dinner.
Finally ( ! ) the snow arrived.
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