It’s the time of year when all the olive farmers are pruning their trees after the harvest. Every tree seems to be surrounded by a circle of prunings, silver and green twigs. 
It’s hard work, stripping off the new shoots and thinner branches at the bottom of the tree, cutting out weaker branches, channelling the tree’s energy into growing branches that will bear fruit. The prunings are raked into piles, then burned. 
Look across any landscape around here on a dry day and there are swirls of smoke rising into the blue. A faint whiff of smoke hangs in the air. It’s winter, with a hint of spring to come. 
5 to remember
rodeado de – surrounded by
un círculo – a circle
trabajo duro – hard work
la energía – energy
un montón – a pile
Notes on a Spanish Valley
Award-winning blog – Living in rural Andalucia
It is interesting to read of preparing for spring, such a special time of year, thanks, Annie
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Thx for finding my blog, Annie, and for being interested in the Spanish countryside! SD
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Interesting written, very well captured… 🙂
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Thx! The smoke spirals continue around us today. Some farmers are still picking olives, the harvest really is upset this year. SD
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Olives are hard work.
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Yes, I don’t think you realize how much until you see the farmers out there. Difficult to make money from it too, at the moment. A bad harvest this year. SD
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That is not good at all. Forgive me for my education on olives but is it Green Olives or Black? Certain variety? I know nothing about olives, but we eat alot of black olives.
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The olives around us are all used for oil, usually harvested Dec/Jan and are black on the tree. But if you pick them green, around October, you can preserve them in jars with seasonings and oil. Not sure what type they are. SD
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