Julia on the patio during lockdown
Here’s a haibun from 2021. It had its origins during lockdown as we used to sit outside the back door and dream of freedom.
Across the Valley
From the garden we look down onto a jumble of red tiled roofs and trees and for a moment, I can imagine that we are in the Mediterranean, and not Nottingham. We eat cheese and biscuits, and warm figs, picked straight from the container-grown trees in the front garden. The back garden faces north, which will not do for figs. If I had known we would stay here long enough to become gardeners, I would have bought a different house.
crumbs
on a cracked plate
once I had dreams
First published in Blithe Spirit 31.2 April 2021
Once we were quite good gardeners
A fine poem reflective of the mood
Thank you Derrick.
The container garden is beautiful! And warm figs? Yes, please. They are only a dream in central Maine. Such a lovely melancholy poem.
Thank you Laurie. I’m hoping o extend my fig growing now we are a little further south and have some south facing walls.
Keep us posted!
I enjoyed the haibun, and the photos of your container garden. Figs at the elevation we live at here is problematic, though down in the valley people to grow them, and olives, too.
Figs are surprisingly hardy. I would never have guessed you could grow olives.
I don’t know if you will be able to view this article, but is on on olive farming in the Willamette Valley, the pros and cons.
https://www.opb.org/article/2023/06/05/the-pitfalls-and-potential-for-farming-olives-in-oregon/
$45 a bottle!? People must really be serious foodies to pay that much. Very interesting article, particularly his comments on the mixed blessing of climate change.
I tried a couple of olive trees here a long time ago. I forget what variety they were. They did not make it into the second year. Winters can too hard, and now we have wide temperature swings in winter which confuse many growing things.
It’s like apricots in UK – they are hardy enough to survive but our frosts are timed to nip off the blossoms so they need to be covered with fleece in winter. early spring if you want fruit. I used to nurture one for a customer – it’s hard wrapping an eight foot ree in fleece.
Some things are best left to their own climatic zones.
It makes life easier. I like the permaculture principle where you sow fruit stones from fruit that is on your land (when possible). No grafting or fancy stuff, but you get fruit that is meant to be there and it is better as a result.
A very fine haibun and a lovely picture of Julia.
Thank you. Looking back, I was more cheerful in those days.
“Once I had dreams” Four words – and a lifetime of memories.
🙂 It was actually a good time for me. Paid for not working, I planned proper menus, had groceries delivered and saw nobody apart from Julia.