Some pictures

Lesley getting friendly with the donkeys in Marazzino

Sheep grazing  just behind the house

The natural flower garden here offer more than you can think of

making  Sardinian bread

something new to learn

The very thin pane carasau

The beginning of the extension

Putting the post  at right level

The olive tree on the left side of the house

On the big rock on the river side

The interior of the extension. partially closed for windproof

View from north west

View from east. tiles roof on.

Looking towards the back of the extension

Peach tree

Home made Linguine with parsley pesto

March summary

Summary 5th March - 5th April

It is   a month since we arrived in Sardinia. Expectations were high , especially for good sunny days and work to be carried out. The unknown was part of this experience / experiment and certainly the days here  have given us many surprises, mostly on the weather patterns and also for the way the work was carried out. Indeed, here you cannot plan things and expect the plan to be followed precisely.  Many things can intervene from one day to the other or even in the same day,

Our shorts-t-shirt experience has had to wait for a while. We did have some  moments of very good weather but there we have not had a couple of days in a row without clouds. The welcomed rain was a blessing for the locals and Sardinia in general, but temperatures were more like winter and snow appeared on the high peaks a couple of times

As for the work on the vineyards and vegetable plots, we managed to do many different tasks, we think to a satisfactory level. Pruning vines and olive trees (admittedly not the ones here as yet), weeding  and planting new vegetable crops has taken up most of the time, There is so much to do that every time a job is completed another one awaits you.

The satisfaction will be in the fruits of the work done. We move about constantly and the most pleasant thing is being outside all the time. Here it  is mostly peaceful as cars are only arriving and going early morning and late evening . People coming to work the land. Whereas back home calling in at a shop for odds and ends, putting the TV on to see the odd programme or ‘news’, is part of our daily life, they play no part at all here, any more than hoovering, putting on the washing machine or looking to see if any letters have come for us.  No plastic-wrapped vegetables, no pre-packed foods, except for the UHT milk, the sugar and the coffee that the family keep us supplied with. Life is basic somehow, and as Lesley described it - like long-term camping. There are comforts though: good food, good wine, a cosy warm room and the feeling that you are at moments back in time in these surroundings.

Our front of the house display of floweres

Easter day was spent in Oliena at my aunties’ house. In Oliena,  On Easter Day there is a big celebration called “ s’Incontru” or “ the meeting”, where two groups, one carrying the Holy Mary, and the other an effigy of Jesus, meet in Saint Mary’s square. Following a noisy build-up of sporadic firing, he event culminates in a deafening crescendo of fire arms from numerous balconies around the piazza and beyond the town. Fire arms start to fire bullets from as early as 9.00 am. The climax of the procession is at 11.00 am. After that everybody goes back home for their Easter banquet.

Home made prosciutto, pancetta and capocollo.

The " Antipasti"

Ravioli

Roasted pig

 

In our case the starter consisted of  7 or 8 items  (small amounts of different things like artichokes, peppers, small onions, sliced cured ham and salami, olives – nearly all home-produced) , ravioli, pig and lamb roasted, salads, sevadas ( a Sardinia dessert), torrone (nougat – named after the town that is most famous for it here) and coffee. Of course, our own wine to wash everything down. We managed to escape the table at about 3.45 pm..and returned to Locoe. It was a good day and at the table, in true Italian style, discussion fills up the gaps between courses.

The " sevada", a Sardinia cake made with fresh cheese, lemon rind and topped with honey

Tiramisu'

Torrone

Next day is “ Pasquetta”, Easter Monday. Here in Italy, Pasquetta is the most important day of family reunion and is generally spent in the countryside. For the people who own a piece of land, that is where they go. For other city dwellers, sea side or a trip to the parks or nearby mountains is their option. We, lucky ones, we have our land and as far as the history of the family is concerned we always come to Locoe for Easter Monday.

Easter Monday roast

Preparations started early in the morning making the fire to roast …guess what? ….the pig and the lamb (donated by a friend of the family). Tables were prepared next door and as everybody arrived one by one, it was about 11.00 a.m. when the first drink was suggested.The party was made up of 14 of us. More food arrived with the “ zie” (Maria and Cicitta) in the form of home made lasagne, different vegetables, cakes and more starters. It was a very sunny day and after lunch  some of the company went out for a walk and for food foraging, namely wild asparagus and wild fennel. By 8 pm everyone had left for home.
So, on the whole our first month has passed as expected - adjusting, making some progress - some slower, some faster than predicted, surprising weather (but considering where we came from, no problem!), establishing working relationships and becoming involved in the day-to-day concerns of our relatives here.  Time is flying!

Next post will be a series of Pictures.

A cold Easter

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

Rows of broad beans

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.

our extension nearly completed

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.

Working at high level

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

More wonderful orchids

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

Back to Oliena

.

After two days of good sunshine in Esporlatu pruning olive trees and cutting some fire wood the rain is back here in Oliena. The plan to plant potatoes is now postponed; we might need to wait until the middle of the week. Also the extension can not be completed as we need a good spell of dry weather.  In Esporlatu we worked non- stop for a day and an half managing more tasks than planned. This demonstrates how working together often achieves more.

The olive trees have been pruned. A meticulous job. every plant needs individual assessment and attention.

We had some problems with the chain saws at the beginning, but nevertheless we managed to cut down 4 trees and chop branches to a transportable size. Lots of  broad beans and peas have been planted around the cultivated part of the land. I spotted two amazing lemon trees  which had lots of fruits. Graziano (my brother living there) gave us a full crate of lemons to take back and 40 eggs from their chickens.

The hills around. Paradise of oak trees.

The surrounding area is covered with oak trees and many shephards keep both sheep and goats. The little town of Esporlatu has a population of a few hundred and is slowly dying. No jobs around here and young people can only go away for better opportunities leaving the old people to look after the place. Little villages are disappearing in Sardinia. It is a shame that investment is not there to keep them alive and the place is just beautiful.

The trees we cut were selected. My brother's knowledge as a ranger helps and of course we do not cut trees unnecessarily. These ones were dying and some were creating access problems. Other trees will be planted nearby.

Some winter wood...

When back here to Oliena we decided to clean the wine barrels. Another job to be done and often people leave this kind of task for when they cannot do anything else outside.  The rhythm of life here is very different. Plans are not necessarily  kept as things change all the time and people are mentally trained to adapt to sudden changes. As many things need to be done, there is no risk of boredom.

Transferring the wine in order to clean the barrel.

Even when there is an hour to spare, a visit to a relative is an opportunity not to be missed. These aspects of relationship are considered very important and old people are always visited for a chat and kept in a good spirit.  In an hour's time we are going to see my Aunty Maddalena who lost her husband not long ago. She will be pleased to see me. 

Lemons to go...

Hopefully the weather will improve for the rest of the week so we can go ahead with the vegetable garden and the extension.

Snow and more

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.

Wild pear tree and sheep grazing

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 

Our first bread with 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

Sorting the almonds from the shells

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.

No comment

Spring still away

Since the pasta making we have been back in the Locoe house where we have managed to improve the stable door , not only by the addition of a handle – left over from the stove flue – and a complicated locking mechanism, but also , and more interestingly, providing a solution to our coat hanging problem , in the form of a very stylish , elongated, two tone ex-oven handle.

We have not started the extension as outstanding jobs on the cultivated parts of the land have left no time for it. At least the work on the vines is now over, after at least twelve hours of back-breaking work; here there are about 30 rows @ 40 vines per row to prune.  This involves BENDING DOWN (or practising squats) to scrutinize each plant to decide how to train its growth – taking into account a series of factors – some of which you have to guess at – such as the weather. You aim to end up with 2 to 3 shoots per plant.

One of our salads. Mostly wild  greens.

My brother was out with his rotavator (motozappa) preparing for the planting of potatoes and generally making the place look more like a garden (his words). Lesley has been busy looking after peas and broad bean plants, weeding and providing support to the plants.

Around the area there is a lot of activity and both young and old people come every day to work the land or to look after their flocks of sheep. Near to us a couple of girls still studying are working with their flock of sheep and today we had a delivery of their own cheese.  It is curious and creates a strange pastoral idyll hearing the shepherd(-ess) calling out to and swearing at the sheep.  You hear the sheep bells constantly, and the shepherds move their flocks in groups from one field to another as they graze.  Nothing like Scotland at all!  Every now and then the dogs which my brother keeps here to guard the land bark excitedly and you are aware that the sheep are on their travels again! Oh, and they look more like goats than sheep to me [Lesley] plus they have huge udders since they are a milk-supplying flock of course.

Risotto with wild greens

Almond trees are in flower, beautiful, as are the fields all around with orchids, vetches, all sorts of yellow flowers (!), poppies, wild lupins and every day someone reminds us how good some weed or other is to eat (lightly boiled, dressed with olive oil and salt and maybe mixed with potatoes, rice, pasta or cheese). Bees are busy pollinating and – very encouraging - many ladybirds have been spotted on the vineyard.

Flowers on the almond tree

Bread making day

After a couple of days in our seaside home, walking, cleaning, collecting some wild stuff and having a couple of spells lazing on the beach, we are back to the country home (please don’t confuse with Balmoral). Earlier than we thought as we were engaged to take part in a Sardinian bread making session in Oliena on Wednesday. Many pictures here. It was a very interesting day and we made lots of types of bread and salty cheese quiche-style ‘formaggelle’ for Easter. Weather is predicted to be cold and rainy again for the next 2 or 3 weeks, so this will affect the planned work on the extension and the work in the land. Finishing pruning the vines will be paramount, then potato planting and earthing up the broad beans. We will see if the good weather will return to Sardinia….

The beginning of the bread

making the start

bread sheets in numbered wrapped container

Cooking the bread

The end product. Very thin flat bread which can last months if kept right. In Italy the y called "carta da musica", music paper as when you eat it makes a noise.

Other bread. soft one.

Formagelle before been cooked