October
'10
Ready
to crop
The
last two months have seen a lot of work being done at the finca
to prepare the land so we can collect our first (relatively meagre)
crop.
We
have been ploughing regularly to break up the soil and keep the
weeds and clumps of grass in check. At the beginning of the month
we borrowed a 2 ton roller from one of the local farmers and spent
a week rolling all the terraces that we have ploughed to get the
earth as flat and hard as possible. This year it isn't up to the
stage where we can use mechanical olive collectors, so we will
still have to bash them out the trees into nets, so it is going
to be hard work, but we will at leats have some idea of what we
are meant to be doing when we get next years(hopefully more substantial)
crop.
We
have joined Sol D'Ebre, a modern cooperative in Tortosa where
we can get the olives milled, filtered and then bottled, so soon
you will be able to get your own taste of Southern Catalunya direct
from our finca.
Ready
to Build
After being shafted by the Catalan Water board on our plans for
the Moli, we we told about a piece of land in the village that
was available and designated for urban building. At first we were
not sure exactly where it was, but once we realised it's location
and potential, it was a no brainer to make an offer for it and
to persuade the people who owned the terrace below it to sell
us that as well.
It
is a relatively narrow terrace on the downhill side of the road,
with no possibility of having anything built in front of it. The
views, as you can see, are stunning. To the east you can see the
Ebro delta, with the Montsia hills directly in front and view
down to the coast at Vinaros to the south. The lower terrace can
only be used as garden and for growing fruit and veg. Handily,
it comes with a large water storage building, which we will fill
with water from our roof.
Ready
to bark
Theo's puppies are growing apace. D'oli leads the way (8.6Kg)
with Panda (6.6Kg) and skinny Piglet (6.1KG) bringing up the rear.
D'oli has assumed guard duties with a powerful bark that she is
happy to unleash whenever she thinks it is needed. Panda has a
bit of a squeaky bark and backs up D'oli when she lets loose.
Piglet just takes cover and watches the action from a safe distance.
Ready
to eat
It has been a gastronomic month. We started with a delivery of
a bag full of bits of wild boar. 1 1/2 kilo's got casseroled with
lots of leeks, carrots & garlic. Very tasty.
Then
we had a fabulous fish meal with friends in one of the smaller
local seaside villages. The meal was a continuous stream of different
shellfish and fish dishes all of which were delicious. And happily
it cost a lot less than you would have to spend in one of the
bigger towns.
Then,
yesterday we were given a plate of Panallets (local sweet patries).
Very naughty, but absolutey yummy.
PB
(Previous months are being posted as I find time.)
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