BLOG about PAINTING

There's an olive grove on the hillside across the valley. I have no idea how big the trees are, or what kind of olives they bear. I just see them marching down the hillside, grey-green against the bright green of the winter grass.

Jude has a bunch of her olives marinating on a shelf in the pantry. Imagine getting olives from your own trees! Unfortunately, they won't be ready before we leave. Sigh.

TODAY'S TIDBIT:

Kiwi kids are tough, too, and they don't appear to be coddled like North American kids. At Scandrett Park, there's a steep headland jutting out into the sea. Its sides are perhaps 100 ft. high, precipitously steep and unprotected by any kind of fencing. There is a notice just before the last bit of rough track: "Steep cliffs, Ensure that children are under control." That's it. You've been warned. If your kids fall off the edge, you're responsible, but other than that, nobody tries to keep you away. Compare that to the over-protective approach we have in North America, where if the stairs to the beach are a little wonky, heaven forbid, we have to shut the whole access down in case somebody gets hurt...