>it’s not here yet, but it’s coming. wherever i look, i see preparations for spring; fields are being cleared, and on every sunny day, there are people on our mountainside tending their land, up from their winter homes down at sea level. we have been spurred into action, even though it seems so early. i am still getting used to the seasons here, but i can see that this has been an uncommonly mild winter, at least compared to last year. for one thing, our banana tree barely seems to have felt cold at all, whereas last year it shrank from the cold, reduced to a withered husk.
the pick axes and shovels are out, then, as we prepare our garden. i have been digging in green manure, and ali has been to antalya to buy agricultural lime and other things that we will add to the soil, like blood and bone meal. that was a smelly day indeed — our road is still in bad shape from the rain, so we had to drive to the lower gate and drag the huge, 50 kg. bags up together. it stank and it was heavy — all i could do after that was just lie down and stare at the ceiling for a while. i want to sow some peas soon. maybe in two weeks or so. we’ll see — surely there must be a cold snap in store some time soon…