2020 - Full of Fruit

The Gloria storm caused plenty of damage, but it also irrigated the Croft, and we have benefited throughout the year with better than average fruit harvests.

Happy to be olive...

First, our arbequina olive tree. This cultivar was - according to Wikipedia - first introduced to Europe from the Ottoman Empire in the seventeenth century by the Duke of Medinaceli. It is named after the village of Arbeca, in Lleida province. Last year I pruned and cleared around it, and this year it produced lots of wee black arbequina olives. I have stored some in salt solution, and for some I have used a salt-dried olive technique that has worked well.

Don't call me bitter

The Seville oranges Citrus × aurantium that I planted from seed years ago have, for the first time, given fruit. Yes, just the three oranges you can see in the picture, so a very small jar of marmalade.

Making a stamen

My neighbour picks and dries the stamens of the saffron crocus - ours grow under one of our fig trees - but it is a mighty job to gather even a few grams of saffron, so I am happy to let the bees enjoy them.

It is not only the plant kingdom that has done well this year. Our nightjars -  Caprimulgus europaeus there are at least three that regularly return to the Croft - hatched successfully. This despite the slightly suicidal method of building a ground nest next to the track, with two hungry dogs passing most days.

Ground floor apartment

 

And while we are on the ground, here is a fertile wee snail making the most of the moist conditions.

Slowing your wild oats

For next year, I have been clearing more of our olive trees. The target - many years from now - is to harvest 500kg of olives. With that quantity, we could press our own olive oil. Based on 2020's harvest, that's 496kg to go...

Oil have an olive, please

Glorious Gloria

Gloria, the storm that is currently passing over Catalonia, has left its mark at the Croft. We've had more rain in one night than we've had since records began (my records, anyway), with 128 litres per square metre (128mm) which is the maximum that my rain meter can read. My neighbour up the  track emptied his 45mm rain meter three times during the night, so likely ours ran over. The last rainfall to get near this figure was on 12th September 2006 when we had 122mm.

The donkeys don't like it:

Jings it's gey dreich here, pal

...and for the humans,  there is currently no way in, or out, except on foot. The track has been washed away, and is currently on the way to the Mediterranean:

Sink or swim

But the house is fine, we've got supplies and plenty of wood to keep us cosy, so nae worries, hen.

Update

The storm has gone, leaving us to clear up the remains. The good news is that we  now have a beach by the stream, so will be offering sun 'n' sand holidays to anyone who wants them:

Just add sun umbrella and a pink gin