Olive Picking 17 - 19 May 2021

Sometime last year, my friend Rachel gave me the idea of pressing my olives into olive oil.  She'd either done it herself, or knew others who had

Anyway, this year there was a bumper crop, I already picked some green ones for table olives, and prepared them 2 ways - the old "favourite" - soaked in water for 30 or so days, and then put in a brine solution, and then also a pillowcase full of olives and rock salt - tied to a tree branch - and these would then shrivel up a bit leaching out the water and bitterness because of the salt.

Anyway, I not only had this year's batch - but previous year's batches clogging up cupboards, and I can only give away so many to family and friends....

So, the plan was to pick a lot of olives over the next 48 hours (that is apparently the longest time they should be allowed to stand after being picked) 

I arrived in Inglewood around 11.30 on Monday morning, unpacked, and then toured the garden, 

That self sown tomato is going gang busters

And the grape vines look pretty in their Autumnal colours

After this walked down the street, and said hello to Steve and Denise etc  - and then had some lunch.

Changed into my overalls, a beanie and headphones and took out my newly purchased plastic baskets (like shopping baskets)

And at 1.30 - started picking

To mitigate the boredom/repetition, I listened to a talking book from the Library

If I forget you - by Thomas Christopher Greene - was ok, didn't love it     

I picked til close to 6pm, taking about 2 hours to fill a basket. And I filled 2 and a bit baskets. 

I discovered that bigger olives are better to pick than smaller ones, and that you don't pick them one at a time - but pick them in "bunches" - sort of roll them off the stems

The branches are also still quite supple, so could bend down the higher branches to retrieve the olives  

Had a nice hot shower to warm up afterwards, and then a G&T and some modest nibbles, and then a left over dinner 

Then into bed and Netflix

Tuesday - the big day. Started at 9am, and finished at 5pm.....

Whew, big day, basically filled all of the 8 baskets that I'd brought - was pretty pleased

Some of the olives were like little mangos, some like cherries, others like grapes - I tended to have a bucket per tree (I left a couple of trees that had smaller olives - thought I'd come back to them if I needed to.

Maile also came and gave me a hand - voluntarily, no strong arming her, and she even went back home and picked up  David to come and help too - fabulous!

Now, the baskets were pretty heavy - maybe 15 kg each? - and if so that meant that we'd picked about 120kg - woo hoo 

Note, I filled up that red basket on Wednesday

And on Tuesday I listened to Heartbreak Hotel (by the same author as Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) before Maile came

It was more engrossing than the other book, but there are a lot of different characters - I guess they'll all end up at the hotel eventually.

Steve dropped by after we'd finished picking with a screw driver and other tools - as we'd said that he could have the saddle frame in the back hall for the Tivey saddle to rest on at the RSL.

Took a bit of persuasion to come off the wall - but he managed

We're glad that its going to be reunited with the original major Tivey saddle - look forward to seeing them together.

So, on Wednesday, Terry came with his and Arleen's olives - Terry had approximately 40kg, and Arleen had approximately 60kg

We loaded them into the Passat (luckily the boot was empty) - and I drove to the olive processor.

Luckily I called him on the way, as he wasn't there, and just said to leave them in the olive shed.  I was a bit disappointed at that as I had wanted to know how many kg I'd picked, and I'd also wanted to see the olives pressed

Maybe next time

Google maps said it was 48 minutes away - through Kangaroo Flat, and then beyond

Found the shed

Unpacked the car 

And assumed that the white thing was the press

He also seemed to have a fancy type of olive rake - perched on the wheelbarrow

And also had a trailer filled with what looked like olive detritus

I sent him a text with photos - asking if he could weight the plastic baskets as one lot, the 5 x big boxes as another lot, and the 5 x medium boxes as the third lot - so that we know how much we have - and then how to divvy it up - but I haven't heard back as yet.

He said he would do it on his return yesterday afternoon - hope it all went well, as I'm really looking forward to this home grown olive oil.  

And then back to Melbourne

 

More "unprofessional" plastering Thursday 22 - Monday 25th April 2021

I hate traffic!!!

There was still something that had to be finalised about Mum's estate - so I drove to Helen's to get her to sign some paperwork.

It's only 15km away - but it took me 58 minutes to get there according to Google Maps.

I was only inside there for 4 minutes  - and then back in the car, on the road.

And then another 2 hours and 41 minutes......to get to Inglewood.

It was excruciating!

I had left home at 3.40pm, and didn't arrive at Inglewood til 7.23 - almost 4 hours!!!!

Anyway, had some dinner and a good slosh of wine and watched some Netflix in bed.

Friday morning, and an electrician arrived to check out the house for putting in hard boxes for electric radiators

I also asked him to check the old powerpoints/light switches to make sure they weren't live, as I wanted to remove them in preparation for plastering/wallpapering etc 

I had assumed that they would be ok (ie not live) - but you never know, and better to check to make sure.

Anyway, he stayed an hour or so, and then I went down the street to buy some eggs, and I also had a coffee with Denise and Steve.

Steve also told me about an old Tivey descendant who had bequeathed Major General Edwin Tivey's saddle to the Inglewood RSL.  He said that she was still razor sharp and remembered that there was a saddle frame by the back door of our house

And yes there is 

We often wondered what is was - door stop? and we also wondered if it was for a saddle - and apparently it is.  

On consultation with Justin - we told Steve that the RSL could have the frame if they wanted it.  Steve then told me that they've already had a new one made up - anyway, we'll see. 

And then back to the house, and a quick inspection of the garden.

Was amazed that there were some jonquils in flower - so early in the season (they normally flower - Winter/early Spring)

I was also surprised to see that my self sewn tomato plant had a little green tomato on it.  I don't think it will get ripe though

 Anyway, then back inside - took the dining room light switch off

And also undid the wiring over the dining room door

And also removed the  very old bits from the previous owner's tv antenna on the window sill.  This could of course have been done years ago

And then onto the plastering - and my first introduction to fixing up the cornices.  

But first I had to get rid of decades worth of dusty cobwebs, and a load of dust in the bottom curve of the cornice.

I opened the front door to clean off the broom, and was surprised to see Maile and David standing there 

I reckon I did a pretty good job - we'll see what Justin thinks

So I did that pretty much all day, and then Saturday too.

Enjoyed a nice hot bath on both Friday and Saturday nights - to both clean and warm up - as it was certainly getting colder in the house.  Was warm enough while working though.

Sunday was Anzac Day - so I went to the ceremony - starting with the short march at 10.30

Was the 100 year anniversary of the cenotaph being there

Went back to the house when it was over, had some quick lunch - and then started sanding - very dusty business

Very much needed a shower when I finished

And finished - I very nearly did - there's still a little bit of wallpaper by the fireplace, as I couldn't get the scaffold there (furniture in the way)

And I also need to take down the smaller fancy pelmet to patch up behind it 

And there are a few cracks, small holes, and more work needed around some of the skirting boards in order to really finish up.  I think another couple of hours - but I always tend to under estimate, so probably more like another day or two.

But that said - then we could start with the painting - yay, and then the wallpaper