THE OLIVE BRANCH VILLA
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EASTER, BAD WEATHER AND GOATS!

4/21/2012

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Well Easter has come and gone with amazing storms.  From Good Friday the weather was straight out of the bible - I could not even see the olive trees out of my window due to the torrential rain and incessant galeforce winds - thunder and lightening.  Everyone was getting slightly worried that the traditional goat/lamb on a spit BBQ would have to be called off and there were people trying to light their village ovens in the dark wearing wellingtons and holding umbrellas!.  Luckily on the Sunday morning there were blue skies and everything went ahead as usual.

The bad weather came back with avengence - seems endless when you have so much to do in the garden and can not get out there....  So many cupboards to empty - blankets to wash - clothes to air etc etc - all the normal things we tend to do at this time of the year.  Did I do this in the UK - definately NOT - I took the stuff to the dry cleaners or laundry there????  Also certainly could not put winter clothes and duvet covers away for the summer in the UK!  We are all starting to get ready for the summer - it is coming it really is - just seems to be taking its'  time this year - or is it me getting older and not having as much patience (more than likely)?

The three little kittens have disappeared - I presume the mother has hidden them somewhere else - we have searched everywhere but can not find them - no doubt they will come creeping out of the hedgerows one day.  Maybe they are waiting for better weather too.

The thing that is most heartbreaking is the damage to the plants and trees this year - ripped to pieces by the wind - some of the flowering bushes even torn in two - all the plums blown off the trees together with the apricots - these are the times when you think you feel like swearing - why bother - but this is what gardening in Greece is like - it is hard - the flowers nearly always come back and sometimes better than before.  That reminds me of some advice that one of my brother's in Australia gave me - "if a tree is not giving fruit - hit it very hard with a sledge hammer - the shock does it good - it almost always works".  Bit like the story of life - the more hardships that you go through the stronger you become.  So that could mean that all the hardship that Greece is going through at the moment is going to be worth it in the long run - I only hope so!!!

The icing on the cake (as they say) was the rain - the ground became water-logged and the goats managed to pull up their tetherings and get into the garden and eat the vines (which had been full of grapes), the night scented stock and the rosemary - if anyone fancies rosemary stuffed goats lightly flavoured with night scented stock and grapes - I know where they are!!!!
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FULL MOON AND BLACK CATS

4/7/2012

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I am writing with regards to yesterday - the day of the Full Moon.  One of my favourite days - mystical and magical - always something bound to happen!  Always try to keep myself away from dangerous things or situations on a Full Moon - don't really know why but I have always have...  The day started with a black cat running across my path - "bad luck that" Mum said - here we go I thought, that is a good start to the day.  Is a black cat running across your path bad luck - or is it good luck when it is the day of a Full Moon?  I think it is good luck - and I do always like to look on the bright side.

As usual at The Olive Grove there is soooooooooo much to do - sometimes I just do not know where to begin - usually back at the beginning again... weeds still conitnue to pop up from nowhere.  Different flowers are blooming every day - the gorse has started to flower now - beautiful yellow, the "carrot tree" (not a real carrot tree - sorry I forgot - carrots don't grow on trees!) has fantastic orange flowers, the Judas Tree (that is its' real name) is covered in pink blossom and the Wisteria has huge hanging mauve flowers - the garden is really amazing at this time of year - I get so excited thinking what is going to come up next.  I am really pleased with the mixed anenomes I put in in the winter - they have all done really well - and given amazing splashes of colour throughout the flower beds.  Oh, and I must not forget my tulips - 6 beautiful red ones have opened - I planted over 50 last year so these have not been so successful!

And, there are so many more to come.  Next week is Easter so the "Pascalitsas" or Easter flowers will open - very strange these are - it does not matter when Easter is - they always open during Easter Week.  Later the cineraria will flower followed by all the lilies of which I have too many kinds to mention.  There are still the sunflowers to come (they were planted on the day of the Full Moon - so expect them to grow gigantic this year) - should be over 50 and they always look so nice is a vase in the summer oh, and there are also the dahlias to come too - so exciting for me - it never ceases to amaze me how plants grow - completely die in the winter and then a dry twig will suddenly spring into life.  Of course, it is all the talking I do to my plants that make them so healthy - brings a new meaning to "Are you alright Petal?"

I was just thinking about how the smell in the evening in the garden is incredible - the scents of the iris, sweet scented stock, fresias - mixed with the scents of the rosemary, thyme, sage, marjoram and mint  - a dream - when, all of a sudden,  the mother-to-be cat started making funny noises - I made her up a nice comfy bed away from everyone on top of the central heating fuel tank (which is no longer used) and left her to settle down.  Less than a hour later - what do you know - 3 little kittens - and one of them was black - born of the day of a Full Moon - so bound to be good luck!


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    Hi, I am Kayt - someone who can do everything and anything - well that is what I like to think and it definately gets harder as you get older!!!  My husband (Manos) and I built the Olive Grove in 2001.  It is set in 4000sq mtrs and we have spent years trying to "get it right" - I do not think it will ever be "finished" - I will always find something else to do - but that's life....  I thought it was small in the beginning but then the little birds started leaving the nest and now we think it is time to share it with the rest of the world and hope that you love it as much as we do....

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