Extras

One afternoon last week, I went down to pick some lemons but found the bay tree had grown so much the steps were virtually impassable. So I went back with secateurs and loppers and came home with about a wheel- barrow of prunings - plus the lemons that I went for in the first place. The bay branches have been outside drying and this evening we took all the leaves off and as the sun went down, put the twiggy remains onto the barbeque and burnt them.

Just recently, each time I go to the compost, I have been stung by the nettles that grow around it. They are funny (funny peculiar not funny ha-ha) because they don't really sting, certainly not enough for a dock leaf but enough to annoy. I had an idea you could make liquid fertiliser from nettles so have been pulling them out and putting them into a water store. It is starting to smell rather a lot so checked on-line and that's what is supposed to happen. Maybe we could start a nettle patch on some spare land and brew more of the stuff!

Friends came this morning and filled the trailer and their 4x4 car twice with our olive trimmings for their 17 goats and as a thankyou, gave us a dozen fresh eggs from their chickens which was nice of them and totally unexpected.

Another by- product of the olive pruning, is twiggy bits which are excellent as pea supports - and they also keep the birds away from the new shoots.

So more things for free, which is rather satisfying.

Last trip to the mill in the morning, we have enough other stuff to do without worrying about getting every last olive left on a tree. Maybe next year if the price is better!