25/03/2018
Back at the house in Locoe. I am on my own this late
afternoon and tonight. I went to collect some more wild asparagus and boiled
them ready for later to be cooked with the ricotta cheese given to us by the
shepherdess.
Weeding the broad beans you find wild edible herbs
Lesley will be back tomorrow afternoon. It is all very quiet
here at the moment. The “pastori” were weighing the lambs earlier on. Some of
the male lambs probably destined to supply the traditional Easter meal here in
Sardinia. A tradition which probably has biblical influence as the lamb is seen
as an innocent soul and the story of the sacrifice of Isaac to God has become a
symbolic act which is now performed at the dinner table. Understanding history
and traditions is important in order not to jump to conclusions which in terms
underline the ignorance and the lack of respect of the local population.
You see, the pastori here kills or sells the male lambs as
the females are kept for milk production. A female lamb is an investment and
the unlucky males are a bonus income as food from their meat. Meat consumption
has increased a lot in this part of the world, as it is cheap to buy and is
more a commodity rather than a necessity. In the past meat consumption in
Sardinia was very minimal. Once a week for the most wealthy people and only on
special occasions for the rest . Today the meal at my aunties' was simple.
Pancetta made by my brother from a local pig, Home-grown aubergines with cheese ( from Sardinia) and
tomato sauce( my brother’s production) , three types of greens ( two of which
from our land ) and a small steak fillet
again from the local pig. Home made bread and our olives to accompany the
dishes. Our wine and a couple of strong coffees to finish the meal. Except the
coffee and the fennel (!) bought in a local shop everything else was ours or
local.
27/03/2018
A good couple of days of sunshine and occasional clouds.
Wind is always present here in Locoe especially picking up in the afternoons.
We carried on weeding and earthing the broad beans and Lesley started seeding
new crops of a variety of vegetables. My brother Tonino ( Toni) was helping to
build the extension which is almost there. We still need to buy the roofing and
hopefully that will happen next week. One of the young shepherdesses came today
with fresh ricotta to enjoy… We have given them permission to let their sheep
graze in our land on the river side. When Toni came today he told me that he saw
some of the shepherd family (father, son and one daughter) all lying down on
the grass, enjoying the sunshine. surrounded by the sheep grazing – a classical
idyll? Well actually it’s more often we
see the girls on their mobile phones, looking up from time to time to shout
incomprehensibly at the sheep or the dog
- just doing what all young people do.
It is so marvellous to witness this merging of the old with the
new. Their brother Nicola had a long
blether with us at lunchtime, sharing his opinion of today’s generation – of
which he is one – no-one is interested in
30/03/2018
The potatoes are in, at the bottom part of the land. More to
be planted next week between rows of pea plants.
Two varieties of potatoes were planted, but we need more space to get all in.
Last day of March was like going back to a winter's day. Through the night high winds and a powerful storm made the temporary roof cover flap violently and make lots of noise. During the day strong winds and heavy rain kept us inside. Lesley carried on cracking almonds. We made the fire and looking out we could not see the mountain anymore as a low formation of clouds was covering the entire landscape. Some leaking appeared under the new construction, but hopefully not much damage has been done. We will see. We are really hoping that the weather will change to a dry and hot spell.
The evening before the storm we managed to cook and eat outside, which is what we were expecting to do on a regular basis.
We also managed to charge some of our lights when the sun was out.
Improvised BBQ
