Hola! This week started in the snow-capped mountains above our valley and ended with 23 litres of olive oil in the cortijo. In between: a lot of rain, an impulsive caravan purchase, and a tool that completely changed how we think about olive harvesting.
Let’s go.
⛰️ Snow Above the Farm
Our neighbour mentioned there was snow on the mountains nearby — and naturally, we went immediately. It’s easy to forget, looking out at the dry Andalusian landscape around us, that you can be in proper snow within a short drive. The kids were delighted. We were all delighted. Brief, unexpected, brilliant.
🌧️ Rain (Again) — Just Keep Going
Back on the farm, the weather had other ideas. Heavy rain through the night killed any hope of finishing the olive harvest that day — or the day after. The solar system was struggling, the generator was running constantly, and we were stuck inside staring at the walls.
This kind of thing used to feel more defeating. It doesn’t anymore — not really.
Jem put it well, standing in the rain in a waterproof coat with a cup of tea: every time they’re away from the farm, she and Callum think of all the things they want to do when they get back. Every time they get back, something delays those plans — the weather, the car, the car, the car. She’s beyond caring about it. The only answer is to keep moving forward, however slowly, because otherwise all you do when you’re not here is wish you’d just done that thing anyway.
So we kept going.
🪜 Clearing Access to the Lower Land
The rain meant we couldn’t harvest, but we could make a start on something we’ve wanted to tackle for a while: opening up access to the lower part of the farm — the scrubland below the grove that we haven’t really been able to reach properly yet.
Jem worked on digging out a proper access ramp down to the scrubland, protecting the acequia (the traditional irrigation water channel running through the land) with an old door for now, which will eventually be concreted in properly. The goal is to eventually get a tractor or digger through here to clear the scrub and get it looking like usable land again — we’ve been reaching out to friends who know someone with a digger.
And then there’s Hayden’s steps.
While all this was happening, Hayden had been quietly building a set of stone steps down onto the scrubland to make walking access easier. When we looked properly at what he’d done — well-placed rocks, solid construction, genuinely impressive — we were a bit speechless. Well done, Hayden. Seriously.
We called it a day when the rain got heavier and the forecast said it would be worse tomorrow. We’d made a start. That’s enough.
🚐 A Rainy Afternoon, a Marketplace, and a Caravan
A week and a half without proper sun. Solar struggling, generator on all the time, everyone getting a bit stir-crazy indoors. This is when the marketplace browsing begins.
And this time, it found us something useful.
A caravan, local, in good condition, at a really good price. We’ve wanted guest accommodation on the land since we got here — somewhere for family and friends to stay when they visit, sitting roughly where Dave the motorhome used to be parked. Hayden’s football goal is there at the moment, which tells you everything about the state of that corner of the farm.
We went to look. It was as good as the listing suggested. We bought it. The seller agreed to deliver it the next day.
Callum strimmed the area, we laid weed control fabric, and we got everything ready to receive it — all in the brief window of five minutes of actual sunshine, which the whole family celebrated with what can only be described as a large outdoor dance.
🚚 The Caravan Arrives
The sun came out properly. The caravan arrived. It’s a cute little thing with a nice awning — and we quickly realised we needed to adjust the space slightly to get it sitting in the right orientation so the awning could be used properly.
Callum did some last-minute earthmoving to open up the access, measured twice, and got it positioned. It’s in. It fits. It looks right.
One day this will be a proper welcoming space for guests. For now, it’s there, it’s ours, and the farm has just gained its first piece of accommodation.
⚡ The Electric Olive Harvester — A Complete Game Changer
With the sun finally back, we got the last of the olive harvest done. And this time we had a new tool: an electric olive harvester rake.
The difference was almost comical.
By hand, our previous harvesting had taken us the best part of two full days to get a meaningful amount done. With the electric harvester, we got the same amount in three hours.
We ran out of time before we could finish the whole grove — there are trees we simply didn’t reach this season. But with the tool now on the farm, next year’s harvest is going to be completely different.
Final tally for this season: 23 litres of olive oil. From trees that were choked and unpruned for over two decades. Our first harvest, our first oil, and already more than we thought we’d manage.
We’ll take that.
🌄 One More Thing — The View
With some of the access clearance done, we took the opportunity to cut back the overgrowth blocking one of the windows. The view that opened up was — well. That is what you call a view.
It’s still there every time we look. We’re still not over it.
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¡Hasta la próxima! 🌻