The earth moved

Some weekends we move mountains, literally and we did this weekend. In frustration after months of not finding the right thing, we bought a mower, with a 1 metre cut rather than 1.5, and a ride on rather than a tow and mow. I arrived 4pm Friday as it was being delivered so had the 'how to ' session, and promptly mowed a third of the front olivery in 40 mins. The castel is agile, slow and noisy. What's good about it is the slowness, no rushing and sitting easy and already I have decided to learn about pod casts so I can listen as I mow. What was also good as I can easily move around he trees, miss the raised laterals so I don't chop through them and dodge the lower branches. Its too slow to cut the mustard on the main property, but for the olives and grapes it will be great. We trial for longer before we decide what next. Sat am I completed the olivery in 1.5 hours and it looks like a park. Not bad for a first try. Cant keep those lines straight though. Waiting for DB, Claire and Bevan, i took to the wild and unkempt apple trees out the front. Paul S drove by and we had a chat, and he came back with his chain saw, and chomped through the big branches in no time, voila. I brushed pruning past over the cuts and we wait to see the new growth in spring. Just as the gang arrived, so did Jock and the digger. When Jock got out I thought, where is your dad! however he proved adept, agile and precise with the digger. so we now have 7 holes 900 x 600cm for the oak trees which i long to see in the ground. And the back of the shearers quarters is bereft of rubble and stumps. Fantastic. It was a delight to see the care and delicacy and care with which Jock worked with this huge machine. Bevan, Claire and I loaded the landi with concrete blocks, pipes and humungous tree stumps and DB and Bevan headed off to the dump on Sunday am. While they did that, Claire and I planted the roses. 9 climbing white icebergs around the water tank, two bright orange bush roses by the septic tanks, deep secret which is a black red, so we can see that from our bedroom window, and three westerlands, rich dark orange climbers along the fence by the shearers quarters. We dug holes, watered, put in the rose soil, spread the roots, and bedded in with top soil and watered, and gave our blessings to proliferate. Then, something of a miracle happened. Bevan noticed lots of the olive trees had olives, not just the one tree by the barn. So Claire and I worked out how to pick. when I say lots, well, some trees had between - 10 olives!! so I drove the farm bike, and when we got to a tree with olives, Claire stood on the back of the bike and picked putting them in the basket. We coverd the bottom of the basket and off course had to head off to Jane and Paul's, and Paul and Margeurite's with the spoils. A quick call to mum for her secret and long time successful recipe and our first 100 olives have been cut and now soak in their first of 10 changes of water, saucer on top so none float. As well as all of this DB mowed some of his vine rows, and added to the irrigation system so we can now water the almost here oak trees and the roses along the front fence. Bevan and Claire completed the mound of soil by the well so we can now sew that with grass, and DB and I unpacked my birthday glass house ready to set up in the next week or so. Somehow, this was a deeply satisfying and even relaxing weekend, and included Robert Carluccio's eggplant, tomato and basil casserole with fresh crusty break for lunch, the dvd crash on sat night, and Claire munching oceans of licorice. On June 1 I am here for 10 days, and can't wait!