I have spent a few days turning some small pieces of old olive wood and what a treat – it turns so well and these pieces are wonderfully marked. As well as the wood being very pretty, the pieces are cracked and wormy, which for me makes them even more interesting. Here are a couple and there will be many more to come over the next few days.
Beautifully marked olive - turned into small bowls, complete with their imperfections (≈ 9 cms wide x 8 cms high)
The same olive bowls - from above
My friends Eunice and Mark at Yavanna have just told me that they have some olive for me too, so I hope to be able to go and collect that in the coming days. Then Victorinho told me in the bar at lunch time on Sunday that he has some cork oak that has been wind blown – I went to see it and I am just waiting for the grass to dry – it is on a very steep slope and slippery grass and chain saws do not mix! Victorinho tells me there is an interesting law in Portugal that prohibits the felling of cork oak trees – windblown branches are fine. If you watch the link above you will see why.
Photograph showing the older cork bark harvested from the trunk of the tree
I read about a new film coming soon which I want everyone to know about – yes, another warning of how we are mistreating the planet, but one that suggests how we can remedy the situation too – it is called The End of the Line and from the trailer it looks very well worth watching.
