Looks like it’s going to be a great harvest
A warm evening, an excuse to take the dog for a walk, and check the olive trees.
It looks like it’s going to be a great olive harvest this November at Bellaugello Gay Guest House
Tag: olive harvest
Are we really to be deprived of Autumn this year?
Only last week here at Bellaugello Gay Guest House near the sleepy but highly truffle scented and intensely beautiful medieval city of Gubbio we were basking in temperatures nearing 30˚c everyone was poolside topping up his tan.
And then came the rain and big winds. Firstly the wind was southerly, warm and pleasant, and then it slowly turned into a biting north easterly. The boiler was loaded up with wood cut from our estate, and on came the underfloor heating…. toasty warm feet in all the suites so cozy and comforting.
Guys headed for the sauna, and one brave guest even managed a couple of lengths in the pool the water now a blisteringly cold 14˚ yes honestly he was spotted by other guests on more than one occasion, brave guy! Sorry I do not have a pic for my ‘Bellaugello Backs’ series
Today again big winds, and rain, rain rain. Now I am delighted to at last be having some rain here in Umbria. We have seen so very little this year, and crops, plants, animals and humans alike are suffering, so rain is welcome, especially coming as it does, at the end of the season. But I do have to ask why is it that after a storm and large rainfall does every leaf have to end up in the swimming pool for me to have to fish out! But there was more….
Dramatic clouds draped the hills and mountains, fast moving stratus and big dumpy cumulus, and then lo and behold! when this afternoon the clouds lifted and the sun peeked through, the Apennines were dusted with SNOW!!!!
It seems we are to be deprived autumn and unlike the warmth of last year the upcoming olive harvest will be done in thermals and woolly hats and gloves.
Later this week I am heading off well wrapped up to the Gubbio Truffle fayre and Montone woodland fayre. Both will be fun, sampling hot roasted chestnuts and bruschetta drizzled with truffle oil, and deciding black – white – summer which truffle to buy which reminds me I must look out that Swedish Glog recipe for when we return to Bellaugello to serve hot in front of the blazing log fire in our dining room.
A walk in Valdichiascio
A glorious evening, a new camera, wonderful colours, happy dogs, chatty neighbours, and olives nearly ready for picking here at Bellaugello Gay Guest House
BTW I have just received an email from my web hosting company, they are upgrading their servers so my website and emails may be off line for a few hours within the next few days… sorry about that!! as they say ‘normal service will be resumed as soon as possible’ the situation is outwith my control
Olive Trees
We had a good olive harvest last year. Usually olives follow a pattern of one year good one year bad (how Orwellian is that?). Today we went exploring and to my delight discovered that the trees are heavy with young fruit. Maybe not quite as much as last year, but it is still early days, we harvest in November or December.
We also started work on clearing a further line of trees. These trees once formed part of a traditional olive grove, planted with olive trees every six metres with lines of grape vines in between and guelder roses at the end of the lines. Ok so far?
Well all the plants survive but not in the correct places, so today began a great clear-up, cutting back rampant vines and creepers and pruning mountains of wild thorny roses. Yes and the olive trees looked in good shape and will be brought back into production with a good prune this winter giving us further supplies of our own olive oil for our kitchen.
Good Morning!
I awoke to sun streaming through the bedroom windows, the gentle gyrations of the cement mixer, and the distant rumble of a tractor ploughing down in the valley. Another day has started early here at Bellaugello, my gay guest house in the sun.
Yesterday morning thanks to Ryanair Tom arrived here safely and on time off the flight from London Stanstead direct into Perugia San Egidio Airport. I am delighted to welcome him to Bellaugello, and look forward to jointly tackling some of the heavy undergrowth below the house and preparing land round the olive trees for this autumn’s harvest.
Had to post these pictures, it is just so lovely here this morning,
Have a good day and speak to you later,