Over the weekend..

Although last weeks afternoon walk was lovely,  we haven't been again yet.   On Friday we started to  prune - and I use the word loosely - the olive tree in the corner of the side garden.  I used to  think of pruning as cutting out dead wood, tidying up a bush, cutting off dead heads,  whereas pruning an olive tree is a far bigger job.  The tree in question is far too big,  the trunks hang out over a banking which is covered in brambles and so is impossible to harvest,  and we decided the wood was far more useful as firewood.  It's not the first time this tree has been pruned but this time it's coming down to a much smaller size.  The winds when they come in the winter, quite often blow from that direction so we are going to leave it with low growth, more as a wind break to protect the vegetables and flower beds.  

Friday morning John got some large branches down which he cut up and then I could cut  off the greenery and smaller bits.  In the afternoon a large trunk came down which he logged and split then we put that to dry for next year.  Saturday we spent time finishing off and tidying up all the smaller willowy branches and greenery.  None of it gets wasted,  we don't have a bonfire licence  but we don't want to waste the heat the greenery can produce so  we dry it out  and burn it in the wood burners.

Sunday was Epifania del Señor and a holiday and the sun shone even brighter and hotter.  Today was also a holiday,  can't have a holiday on a Sunday when you're off work anyway can you!  So today was a day in lieu of yesterday and sunny again.  And the reason why we didn't walk yesterday or today.......

4pm this afternoon in the shade...

and guess where I've been......