Saturday 5 February 2011

Leaves and light

Without the chilly north wind today would be a warm spring day (20 degrees C was forecast) and the light is clear and bright.

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Above: olive branches and a blue sky; aloe vera leaves in dappled shade; bay leaves.

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Above: left and centre, hopeful signs on our apricot tree which has plenty of flower and leaf buds.  It had the same last year but the blossom was killed off by late cold weather at the beginning of March, so we had only one fruit on the tree.  This year, I hope the crop will be better.  And, right, flower buds about to open on our neighbour’s almond tree.

This morning we collected another trailer full of well-rotted manure for the beds where we’ll grow tomatoes and peppers this summer.  We also picked two lettuces and some red cabbage leaves – that’s just about all we can eat from the garden at the moment.  The chard and spinach are beginning to grow again after a dormant few weeks in December and January, but need to be left to recover from the cold for a few days longer.

2 comments:

Jan said...

There are no signs of life on our apricot tree at the moment, but things do tend to be a bit later here than where you are. Fingers crossed that those buds don't get frosted.

michelle said...

Oh I do hope that the weather cooperates for your apricots this year, there is no better apricot than one straight off the tree.

What a glorious blue sky, it must be a lovely day. I'm feeling very fortunate at the moment to be living in one corner of the states where it isn't frigid, but we aren't enjoying such a magnificent sky.