No this is not a book review, but instead a little post about our small crop of olives that are currently being harvested. Although, if we can steal a quote from Carol Drinkwater’s earlier book, The Olive Farm, there may be some parallels between us in addition to a shared surname 🙂

I am moving the rudder, shifting the course of my life. I have not thought of it this way before, but that is what I am doing. Taking my fate into my own hands, turning dreams into reality. And there is nothing more sacred or precious than that. To choose a direction: but how often do we miss the signposts?”

We can of course recommend all the books in Carol Drinkwater’s Olive Trilogy; they provide moving insight into life, love, olive oil, and particularly the trials and tribulations of growing a small business in rural France. Michael and I are no longer cruising aboard Ilorin, but we are still trying to turn our dreams into reality here at Palatz!

Last year we bottled our first harvest to produce an – admittedly tiny – amount of oil, but since then we have been a bit more diligent in pruning and tree-whispering (sweet nothings) in order to encourage a bumper crop this time around. However, given that our mirabelle trees are still bi-annual producers and in need of much, much more love, we may be being a bit hopeful. Still, we are eternal optimists: our wine glass remains half-full and after draining that we’ll be even more confident!

Watch this space for updates…