Watching the Olives Grow

by Stavros Allanopolis

  “Stuart. Hi! It’s me. Do you fancy coming to London for a few days? The first week of July? I want you to work with me on our Summer Conference.”

  This was my client for whom I had previously done work for in January and March in the snow and ice of Prague.

  London? I hadn’t been there for over two years, and I never for one minute thought that I would return to the UK!

  “Just book your flights and we can work out the details during the next few weeks.” Just like that!

  I don’t actually recall saying “yes” but obviously I did because I booked my tickets the next day!

  During the last two weeks of May the plants continued to flower, and they gave us both a lot of pleasure knowing that we had grown them all, for the most part, either from seed or cuttings. They gave us so much joy, not only to look at but also in recognition of our achievements.

  Photo: Home Grown Lily.

  Photo: Home Grown Arum Lily.

  Every morning, without fail, we do a ‘tour’ of the garden to see what has grown overnight. One morning we ‘discovered’ some amazing red flowers growing on a cacti and also of the Indian Nut Tree; both had flowered overnight and they were simply stunning!

  Photos: Home Grown Cactus Flower.

  Photo: Blossom Of Indian Nut Tree.

  Also, during May, we noticed just how much the ‘spreading’ plants had grown. They had spread across vast areas of soil.

  Everywhere we had planted them they had ‘got away’ and grown at a healthy rate. We marvel at the sight of them, and we recall that they started out as cuttings of around 20cm in length, and now some of the plants measure well over one and a half metres each way!

  As ground cover they are perfect; they keep the yellow Oxalis at bay, and they are in flower most days. The flowers are beautiful; large and pink ‘blobs’, which is I guess why the locals refer to them as the ‘ice cream’ plants, as they look just like a portion of pink ice cream! In fact, they had grown so vigorously and so large that we have had to cut them back quite severely, but they are definitely a bonus!

  Nearly everywhere we look we see a green ‘carpet’ with pink spots!

  Photo: ‘Ice Cream’ Plant In Flower.

  Photo: Nasturtiums Flowering.

  Even the weed-like flowering Nasturtiums gave us pleasure as they grew and spread around one of the Olive trees.

  All in all it is very satisfying, considering we started with absolutely nothing but rock-hard red soil and not a green leaf in sight, yet alone a colourful flower!

  The last week of May proved to be just as busy and exciting as the previous weeks of the month.

  On Sunday 23rd May there was ‘News, Gossip and Scandal’ to be heard!

  The Owners and Managers of the four supermarkets (two in Agios Nikolaos and two in Stoupa) were arrested and charged with illegal trading on a Sunday! They were held in the Police Station for several hours.

  Only supermarkets in ‘tourist’ zones are allowed to open on a Sunday, and it transpired that neither the regions of Stoupa nor Agios Nikolaos have been registered as ‘tourist’ zones. Therefore, the supermarkets were deemed to be in breach of the Sunday trading laws.

  After their release, all of them returned to their stores and immediately put together a petition for customers to sign, stating that they considered the region to be ‘tourist’ as there were tourists from all over Europe and need the supermarkets to be opened on a Sunday; particularly those that arrive from the UK late on a Sunday afternoon.

  There may be a verdict before the end of the book. Read on!

  Meanwhile, on the very last day of the month we experienced two very, very exciting moments!

  The first was as I opened the shutters to the front bedroom window to look out at the garden, and the cacti garden in particular.

  As I looked down, I had to do a ‘double take’ at what I saw!

  There, beneath me, was a brilliant deep pink flower on one of the cacti that had never flowered before. I rushed outside to take a closer look. It was absolutely beautiful. It had obviously flowered overnight and it seemed to be resting its bloom on the rock alongside where it was growing.

  Photos: Cactus In Flower.

  When Valerie came outside to look too, we both stood in silence as we marvelled at this sight. About 10cm across it was truly awesome! Then Valerie said, “Looks there’s another one flowering too!” Sure enough, almost alongside the flowering cacti there was another type and it had flowered too. This variety was completely round like a tennis ball and it too had produced some deep pink flowers.

  These flowers were very small compared the other one, but none the less they were quite exquisite. It looked like there would be more to come and that they would form a circle around the top of the Cacti. Exciting!

  Photo: Cactus In Flower.

  The second exciting moment came later during the morning, and lasted to well past midnight!

  As I was ascending the stairs to the upper terrace to start my job for the afternoon (‘Watching The Olives Grow’).

  I noticed that the ‘Lady of the Night’ (also known as ‘Queen of the Night’) cactus, growing in a small pot on the stairs, had produced a bud.

  The cacti are so called because they only flower at night.

  Further, they only flower for one night only. The whole process is quite mesmerising!

  First the bud appears and it seems to have a ‘shine’ to it; some sort of moisture forming on its tendrils.

  Photos: ‘Lady Of The Night Starts To Flower.

  Photos: ‘Lady Of The Night Starts To Flower.

  Next, the bud starts to open during the heat of the day and into the late afternoon.

  As you look at it, you come to realise the intense energy this plant produces and uses because it literally shudders as it struggles to produce its flower.

  We were having dinner at the table on the terrace just below the pot where cacti is located on the steps up to the terrace. As we looked up, we could see the plant growing and flowering before our very eyes!

  Truly awesome!

  Photo: ‘Lady Of The Night In Flower.

  Around 11pm, the bud burst open to produce an absolutely stunning white flower with a soft, pale yellow centre.

  It is so hard to describe, and the photos do not do the experience or the plant justice. You just have to experience it to believe it!

  Photos: ‘Lady Of The Night In Flower.

  In fact the whole intensity of the experience was tiring; you just couldn’t look away!

  JUNE 2010

  I awoke on the 1st of June and I was exhausted. Yesterday had been so exciting, what with the two different types of cacti flowering! Today was the time to get back to work, so up on to the ‘Watching’ terrace I went.

  I took my glass of Ouzo with me and quickly settled down to work. Phew! It was hard work in the heat. It was 29 C and probably the hottest day of the year to date. Still, I persevered!

  As I sat there ‘Watching,’ it occurred to me that I had inadvertently forgotten to take photos of the tree during April and May. Well, despite me forgetting,

  I can assure you that I had spent a lot of time ‘Watching’ and that there hadn’t really been that much change in its development and appearance. Trust me!

  Today, however, was different! I detected a change in the foliage and I couldn’t figure out what it was that I was seeing; I needed a closer look.

  So, despite the heat, I stirred myself and went down to look at the tree more closely. Sure enough, the flowers had bloomed (March photo) and the tree had developed small fruits (Olives), and all before my very eyes! Now, up close and personal, I could see the formation of the Olives that would grow.

  Photo: ‘Watched’ On 1st June 2010.

  Each fruit was perfectly formed and the tree was covered in them. I took some photos of them and returned to my seat on the ‘Watching’ terrace.

  During June our neighbour Anne Grethe came to stay in her holiday home which is situated behind Meer
kat Manor. Also, one of her close friends Ingvild came to stay for a holiday. It turned out that Ingvild was one of Stavros’ biggest fans!

  At this time, I also acquired another ‘Watching’ assignment. Anne Grethe, had planted some grape vines at the base of the columns of her new pergola, and her plan was for the vines to grow up and over the pergola to create shade for her terrace. She was returning home and asked me to ‘Watch’ them for her. My reward would be to eat them as they would ripen before she returned for another visit!

  Photo: Ingvild No 1 Fan And Stavros

  Photo: Anne Grethe With Grapes To Be ‘Watched’

  My list of daily tasks was growing, and now I was about to add to it!

  Now I had to ‘Watch’ my Olives and Anne Grethe’s grapes, and search for Sally’s parcel.

  I forgot to mention the parcel, and it is a saga that has continued since Sally and Pete were unable to travel to stay with us due to the closure of the airports with the ‘volcanic ash’ problem.

  As we all know, the Internet is a great source of supply, and we regularly order items without any problem with deliveries to Greece. However, some companies will not deliver to Greece and so we have to have the required items delivered to either my brother Bill, or Valerie’s sister Christine, for them to post on to us. As we knew Sally was to come, we had various items delivered to her home in order for her to bring them in her luggage. A good plan that didn’t materialise! So, Sally packed everything into a box and duly mailed it to us. This had been on 19th April and now here we were in week one June and still no parcel!

  Therefore, whether we were expecting any mail or not, an item on my daily list of tasks to undertake was a visit to the Post Office to see if the said parcel had arrived.

  Having made my trip to the Post Office for the day (fruitless journey!), I returned to the terrace for my ‘Watching’ duty. As I sat there ‘Watching,’ I started to draw up some plans for our next development of the garden. We had decided to install a Gazebo in the turning area of the entry drive, this was in order to provide us with a shadier area than either of the terraces provided, despite them having large umbrellas.

  We do get shade from the umbrellas, but as the summer progresses, and the sun gets higher, we get less shade as every day goes by. Also, as the temperatures increase, and there becomes no hiding place from the glare and heat of the sun, we need more shade.

  So, a Gazebo became the answer to solve the problem of more shade! I decided that I would build a wooden deck and site the Gazebo on it. I measured up the ground, designed a framework to support the deck and a Gazebo, and the following day, we set off to Kalamata to find a suitable Gazebo. The Gazebo was quickly identified and acquired ,and we also decided to buy a table and chairs as we planned to eat our meals under the shade of the Gazebo; it would save us carrying the existing ones from the terrace every time.

  The wood for the decking was not quite so easy to source, so, it was back to Dimitris in the Builder’s Yard in Agios Nikolaos to order it from him, as well as the wood for the framework, and the sand, cement and shingle for filling the cavities of the framework.

  Quite by chance, I had found some off-cuts of decking at the side of one of the waste bins where someone had dumped them.

  Bingo! I now had a sample to show Dimitris just what I wanted. Just to remind you, it is common practice around here to leave ‘useable’ items at the side of the bins just in case someone else can make use of them. In this case, the decking wood had probably been left for someone who would use the wood for burning on their fire at home, but for me it became the ideal sample. Quite frequently, used mattresses are piled at the side of the bins and plastic chairs with only three legs! I’m not sure who would use the chairs!

  I took my sample of wood decking, my scale drawing, and the list of construction materials I required with me, and showed them to Dimitris.

  “What is this Stavros?” he said as I handed him the decking sample. “In 30 years I have been running this business, I have never seen this type of wood before!”

  Oh, oh, a problem! I explained that it is used as a decorative and non-slip material for path and outdoor seating areas.

  “Well, in all my years in the building industry I have never seen anything like it!” was his response to my explanation.

  Just think, on UK television, the ‘garden transformation’ programmes of the late 1990’s and early 2000 years featured the decking in every programme. They even used it on a ‘special’ when they transformed Nelson Mandela’s garden in South Africa when he was released from prison!

  Photo: Sample Of Decking Wood.

  “I will have to go to Kalamata to see if I can find it,” he continued, “I will let you know when I have found it. How much do you want?”

  I consulted the materials list and told him. He understood what I wanted to construct, but his reply was not good news; almost predictable even!

  “I will need to order these items especially for you. I will ‘phone you when they have been delivered to me.”

  “ ....... Maybe tomorrow, Stavros. Yassas!”

  I left the yard feeling a little ‘down,’ as, based on previous experiences, I guessed what was to come the next time I called.

  More of the same; “ ........ Maybe tomorrow, Stavros. Yassas!”

  And I was right! I should not have been surprised by his response, but I was a little bit deflated at the prospect of having to wait. I wanted to make a start! Notwithstanding, I ordered the sand and cement from him which he duly delivered within the hour. After it had been delivered, I set about landscaping the ground and preparing it in readiness to construct the base for the framework that would support the decking. I also started to put the frame of the Gazebo together.

  Photo: Landscaping The Ground.

  So now I had two reasons for going to the village every day; to look for the parcel and to see if Dimitris had sourced the wood. Day after day the result was the same; No parcel and no wood. At this rate, Sally

  would be here before the parcel she mailed all those weeks ago. At that time she had planned to take some Meerkat Manor Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil home with her, so as she mailed me the parcel, I mailed her the oil. The oil arrived at her house one week later. The Greek postal system is good!

  The Greek system for sourcing wood seems not to be so good!

  “ ...... Maybe tomorrow, Stavros. Yassas!”

  Whilst I waited for the deliveries, most afternoons, I lay ‘resting’ in my hammock planning the BBQ for our evening meal, and reflecting that at least the Olives and Anne Grethe’s grapes were growing, which was some consolation.

  Soon it was time to focus on my visit(s) to London. I had agreed with my client to make two visits; One to help them plan and prepare for their Conference, and the other to facilitate some of the Conference sessions.

  I was feeling quite apprehensive as I had not anticipated returning to the UK ever, yet alone twice within five weeks! However, I came up with some ideas to make it all work that much better, and to give me something to look forward to, as well as the work. The first visit was going to enable me to see my son Peter, his wife Mel, and Joseph my Grandson, before they left to go and live in Australia. A second ‘goodbye’ so to speak. The second visit was going to enable me to do a ‘book signing’ and meet all my friends who had bought ‘It Started With An Ouzo.’ We would meet in Henry’s Bar in Piccadilly. My visit to London would be the perfect opportunity for us all to meet again.

  We could have a drink together and ‘catch up’ on the last two years since I had said goodbye to them all. An ‘emotional’ prospect! Putting my emotions to one side, I concentrated on the tasks in hand.

  ‘Watching The Olives Grow’

  ‘Watching’ the grapes grow safely at my neighbour’s house

  Finding the parcel sent by Sally

  Getting the decking for the Gazebo sourced

  Preparing my ideas for my visit to London

  Ensuring that I rested every afternoon in t
he hammock

  BBQ every evening.

  Whilst lying in the hammock one afternoon, I pondered that every evening I seem to get the ‘Friday Night Feeling’ because somehow every night seems like a Friday night, having worked hard all week and with the prospect of a peaceful and relaxing weekend together to look forward to. Yet, I’m lucky enough to get this feeling every day, and every day I count my blessings of being able to live my ‘Dream’ with Valerie, so much so that I am often reminded of a poem that I once read.

  Dare To Dream

  Some people only look at life through eyes that seldom gleam, while others look beyond today as they’re guided by a dream. And dreamers can’t be side-tracked by dissenters who may laugh, for only they alone can know how special is their path.

  But dreams aren’t captured easily, there’s much work before you’re through, but time and efforts are all worthwhile when the impossible comes true. The once impossible comes true because of all who cared, and once its seen reality, a dream has just begun, for magically from dreams come dreams, and a walk becomes a run.

  But with growth of course comes obstacles, and with obstacles comes fear, but the dream that is worth dreaming finds its way into the clear, And the dream continues growing, reaching heights before unseen, and it’s all because of the courage of the dreamers and their dreams to live their lives together and to be seen to live their ‘Dream.’

  The poem is by John Turnispeed of SouthWest Airlines and reproduced from the book entitled: ‘Nuts!’ SouthWest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe For Business And Personal Success.