[stop press] olives perhaps too ripe too early

You can see how large these are, if you look closely.

I believe it’s a measure of a man that he can write pieces like the one below as a counterpoint to the cut and thrust of politics: Our olives are getting depressingly ripe and, just as last year, the mill isn't open yet so they are beginning to drop to the ground. However, that may be next week’s photo because I have something more interesting [to us olive fanciers at any rate] this week. Last week, while on the Ile de Porquerolles, I saw some interesting olive trees which seem to be growing olives that are far larger than normal. This image is … interesting because of their far more spherical shape than the average olive. [That was Porky-rolls, to the uninitiated.] L’Ombre de l’Olivier, may a bumper crop fill your casks this and every year.