Reniella

As you come toward the house.

We arrived at the farm on Sunday Oct 17th, time seems to be whizzing by us here.  I can't believe it is already Thursday!  It was utter chaos when we arrived as Elfride and Bob (the owners) had just finished up with a group of 7 women who had come to the farm to learn how to paint in water colour.  (Elfride is an excellent artist and teacher), so they were busy getting ready for us to arrive. 
After we picked our jaws off the ground from looking at the landscape, we decided to take a wander around a bit of the 7 hectares farm.
They have approximately 400 olive trees plus a vineyard which they had just finished the harvest on.
First and foremost what you need to know, is these people work hard, really really hard.  Owning something like this seems very romantic but you have got to be made of some very hardy stock to want to take this one on. 
Bob gave us a tour of the surroundings and told us there had been a house on this spot for 400 years.  Their house isn't quite that old but it is absolutely older than Canada.  Apparently in the old days the owner of the house would rent it out to pickers, who would pick olives for their living accomodation then the owner would take all of the profits.  There is a man just up the road who still did that up to about 20 years ago.  He is 86 years old.
Our accomodation is just beautiful but then again with the view we have it could have been total crap and we would still feel like we died and gone to heaven.

our room

our terrace

our view

So as you can see we are not suffering here at the "farm". 

We had a day to get oriented, get groceries and find our way in the farm world then it was on to some kind of work.  Elfride put us to the task of cutting the succioni (suckers) off the bottom of the olive trees.  These snag the nets and tear holes in them so they must be cut as close to the trunk as possible.  Although I am sure in their world this really isn't such a hard job but more teadious and labour intensive so the more hands the better.  The weapon they use to do this job is called a pennato which looks more like a torture device than anything.

the pennato

cutting succioni

mending the net



After our lunch break at 2:00 we went back to the trees to cut back all the long grass that grows up on the bank under the tree.

This process basically took us a couple of days but I guess Jim Simpson knows this particular hill very well as he cleared the last time he was here.  Good job Jim, but it all grew back! 
At night we have dinner around 8 then collapse into bed, it is quite different from home. 
One night Elfride decided to make pizza in the wood burning oven. You have not had pizza until you make yourself and stick in an oven made of bricks in the back yard!  We made 6 different types, everything from anchovy and artichoke to salami with red chili's that would blow your head off.  Thank God for Vino Rosso!
The whole process was just so cool to watch.  I am sure Bob and Elf think we are just stupido tourists who have not been anywhere or seen anything the way I am clicking away at the camera.  I just am finding everything so amazing I want to capture it!

This is really fun.
Did I mention it is really beautiful too?
Have I told you how lucky we feel?
Tomorrow we are picking olives for the first time. Bob and Elfride want us up to speed by the time the other pickers show up so we don't hold the production back. (Apparently these guys are in serious competition with each other to pick the quickest!)  Okay, that's what we are here for...bring it on. 

I will leave you with a few of my favourite shots...so far!

under the Tuscan sun