I have left Casa Debbio for a while. We welcomed our first guest for the summer and I have moved down to our apartment in Ponte a Serraglio. I have a different view for the next few weeks.
I will miss the view from Casa Debbio, but it is time to do other things.
These are the last photos from Casa Debbio until I return.
Some of the flowers on the lavender plants bloomed.
The hydrangeas are a riot of colours behind the house.
A couple of the oak leaf hydrangeas have managed to avoid being eaten and are growing flowers.
Some hydrangeas have moved inside.
The Daphne is covered in tiny flowers.
Filippo and I have been watching this plant to see what type of flowers were going to appear. We won’t be finding out this year. The goats delicately ate every pea sized bud off every stalk.
I don’t know the name of these bushes, but the yellow flowers they produce last through summer.
The fruit trees on the terraces behind the house are growing fruit. We have pears, apples, persimmons, quince and pomegranates. There are more trees on terraces below the house too. We have lots of fig trees. It remains to be seen if the fruit does well. Too much rain and not enough sun is not a great mix…who would be a farmer? The weather rarely seems to be just right.
The olive flowers are doing well on some trees.
The kiwi vine has flowers.
The cool, wet weather meant that some cherries ripened and are now being eaten by birds. Most split because there was too much rain recently…there is always next year. Unfortunately the damp means that some of the cherry trees, including my stunning weeping cherries have a fungus and their leaves are dropping. I hope the sun comes out soon and saves them.
The acanthus have produced dozens of flowers and the bees love them.
Some small pockets of garden are doing well.
The vegetable garden is producing eggplant, gooseberries, rocket, wild fennel and the tomatoes are growing. The goats ate the strawberry plants and keep nibbling at the raspberry plants and have eaten the zucchini plant.
Filippo found some wild parsley growing.
The pergola is the perfect place to eat lunch.
Angela the cake stand has had another outing.
The scarecrow, who is nameless, has a new outfit.
The garden bed has had mixed success. It is totally sodden with the rain and the flowers the goats haven’t chewed have been eaten by insects. Some warmer weather might improve things.
Just before I left Casa Debbio I managed to get a photo of one of our stunning bright green lizards. He was snoozing in the sun on a wall and stayed long enough for me to run inside and get the camera.
At Ponte a Serraglio I will be doing other things, no goats to worry about for a while. We have an excellent fruit and vegetable shop here at Ponte a Serraglio. I bought some zucchini flowers and stuffed them with ricotta for my first lunch here…life is good.
I will miss Casa Debbio, my garden and the views. It was the perfect place to be for lockdown. I hope the weather improves soon, I am completely sick of the rain! Maybe a day in Florence is needed.
I’m sure our guests will enjoy the house as much as we do. I will be back there in August.