It was a simple stroll around the farm, so familiar and so ordinary. Except from a small detail. I was away for two and a half months and in a few days I'll be away for another five months and that's how it is going to be from now on. Kind of remote farming that has nothing to do with technology and futuristic applications. But since I am talking about olive groves, it is definitely doable.
May is a crucial month that determines, in a great degree, the next year's production. Olive trees are now in the process of blooming and fruit making and I am looking forward to see how it will go. In any case this stage is only an indication of what the actual harvest will be. I mean that there are many factors that can and will reduce the original fruits of each tree till the time comes to collect them. So even if everything goes ideal now we can't be sure that we'll have a good production but we can be sure that if now there are no fruits on the trees, we are not going to have any in November either.
For now I can see that we are not going to have an abundant year, like the previous one but it is a little early to say more. After all it is only usual for a good year to be followed by a bad one and so on. My job now is to monitor the process and make sure I protect the olives from the rival pests and most of all the notorious and practically invincible, olive fruit fly.
But there are many more trees in the farm that do not require my care. Of course I don't cultivate them for an income so my expectations are not very high. Anyway most of those trees are here before I come and will probably still be, long after I am gone :)
The almonds are fully formed, they will be ready at the end of the summer.
The baby carobs, aren't they very cute?
The pears (above) and the apricots (below) are growing beautifully but I'll probably won't be here when they are ripe. But don't worry they won't be wasted :)
Four pictures for the pomegranate blooming! Aren't they magnificent?
I don't have any worries about the caper, it's a hard fellow and keeps growing every year even if I keep cutting it every winter :)
And a nice surprise! Some strawberries that I had forgotten I had planted! They weren't many but their taste was divine. With no extra watering other than the (very few) rain, their aroma was skyrocketed!
A fig tree that 
The Blackberries are something that I'll miss, being away when they'll be ripe but I am sure that I'll find something to comfort my loss :)
I could name the picture above "welcome to the jungle" :)
This is a piece of land border with our own. We used to take care of it but not any more and apparently no-one does. The abandonment in combination to the regeneration of an old (former dry) spring that provided an abundance of water, led to this beautiful chaos!
The untended vineyard is all over the place creating a green carpet and expanding on the trees and to every available space!
It is the same spot that
The rosemary is doing great too, the vineyard is here too (obviously :)) and although our bees are not around any more, there are other nectar loving insects to take advantage of the lavender blooming!
All the pictures and the words are mine.
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