The Olive Tree

The 50 olive trees (Olea europaea) are planted and getting established. We have had decent rain in the past month so almost all are beginning to develop creamy white flowers now and the wind is doing its job of pollination. In Sicily the contadini shake the trees when the flowers are open to help release the pollen so that all trees are cross pollinated. Fruit setting will commence soon and we might get enough for the table though will be two to three years before we get enough to produce Daramalan organic olive oil.
The olive is a small, evergreen tree, averaging 20 feet or more in height. The lanceolate leaves are about seven centimetres long and delicately pale green above and beautifully silver below. The dark purple fruit is about 2 cm long, ovoid and often pointed, the fleshy part filled with oil.
The beautifully-veined pale grey wood not only takes a fine polish, but is faintly fragrant, and is much valued for small cabinet-work.



To eat the fruit the unripe olives are steeped in salt water to reduce their bitterness. The ripe fruits are pressed to extract the oil - Extra Virgin Oil, greenish in tint, is obtained by pressing crushed fruit in coarse bags and skimming the oil from the tubs of water through which it is conducted. The cake left in the bags is broken up, moistened, and repressed. The leaves are astringent and antiseptic and the oil is a nourishing demulcent and laxative. An extremely old cultivated crop and incredibly useful in a number of ways.
Let's hope that we have a bumper series of crops so that we can share the fruits and the oil with our friends

Ciao!!

Daramalan by Droege?

This print reminds me of Daramalan though the landscape portrayed is very much European and the trees are oaks not eucalypts.
The German artist Oscar Droege was born in 1898 and died 1983. As child he took lessons in drawing and painting and he studied at the Art academies of Darmstadt, Düsseldorf and Hamburg. In 1922 Droege was encouraged by his teacher, the count of Kalkreuth, to make woodcuts mainly of northern Germany. Instead of wide open landscapes with fresh colours and clear structures he prefered misty twilight and clipped views. He used daring colours and dramatic arrangements, but the overall impression still is one of distance and reserve.




We have two Droege woodcuts, one of mountain pine trees bent by the wind and one of a storm whipped ocean. Both will hopefully find a place on the walls of the new house when it is finished. Planning to have lots of wall space to hang some of our print collection to create a modern feeling. Might even try to reinterpret some of Droege's works to a more Australian setting.

Ciao!

Views back and forth

One view from the house towards the river and another looking back to the house from the eastern boundary. They are both spectacular views and when the pastures are green it looks awesome. Not always so good though and as we start summer the land will go yellow and brown and the grass will crack under our feet. The house stays cool though with its wide verandahs and there always seems to be some breeze to be had. No doubt we will be in the dam before January's out and discover the yabbies and whatever else is lurking in the deeps.... More news on the olive grove's progress soon.

Ciao