Understanding each other.

On my walks in the morning and the afternoon,  I often come across an elderly Spanish gentleman who for the last 9 years has been  saying  'Are you the English lady ?'  to which I obviously reply yes  and  try to chat further.   Sometimes we get some understanding of each other,  other times not.

Recently there has been more recognition -  'Ah, you're the English lady,  where are you going today?'   And today I got a bit more out of him and thought, finally!  A break through! 

Until this afternoon that is,  when I saw him picking olives (and I mean picking, by hand, into a little wicker basket)  First he recognised me by saying 'you're walking again with your dogs'  then...

'Are these for eating or oil?  I asked.  

'For both' he answered. 

'But this year...'  I started to say that there hadn't been so many olives but he turned away and said   'I'm not saying anything more,  you don't speak Spanish and I'm busy now'    

Just when I thought we'd begun to understand each other....or not.  Maybe mornings are better for him than afternoons.  Time - or tomorrow morning - will tell.