Theme - All Things Green/Living Green (11)

Judy, many thanks, he was a truly fine fellow with very high standards - you could see that in his stonework. And there was so much work to be done that another local fellow was hired to assist him. That local fellow had no experience at all, but Eric trained him, and he soon became extremely competent. And I worked with a Dutch fellow too, who was a munitions expert. It was a wonderful time in my life. ♥♥♥

That's a great memory, Nev. There are many people who prefer to "live in the moment" and they don't maintain contact with anyone from a previous life. So nice you have a memento to remember him. Thanks for sharing your story. "ees posseeble" made me smile. It reminds me of a baseball movie with a little kid whose favorite saying was, "It could happen."
Have a good afternoon and evening, Nev!

Lin, he was the sort of fellow whose personality you could almost pick. Though always friendly and courteous to those around him, you could feel that he was moving through life and thriving on new experiences. The next "experience" would eclipse the previous. Sort of like a "time traveller" - not one to be tied down by anyone, or anything. When I never heard back from him I wasn't sad: I then understood the life of this 'nomad'. ♥♥♥

Thanks, Nev, for sharing your experience with Eric. It evokes a really nice sentiment (his approach to life & openness to experience, and yours). Thanks.

Judy, Eric Jan came into my life like a breath of fresh air. From the north of France, he had been raised by his grandmother. Obtaining his qualifications as a Stonemason, he had travelled the world plying his trade, and arrived in Australia after overseeing the restoration of a sandstone cathedral in New York city. He had so many wonderful stories to tell, and I was one of several who always listened attentively. He took on the work with us here in Oz because he was extremely interested in how a home could be constructed made out of sandstone blocks - my former brother-in-law was in charge of this project, and I was employed by him as a "Driller" in the sandstone quarry on this property. Apparently his "piece-de-resistance" was the fireplace that Eric designed and constructed for this home (long story, but I never got to see it). Eric was a fabulous storyteller, but an equally good listener too - he was quite famous for his expression (after you had told him something): "Eees posseeble". I still smile when I think of that today.
After Eric left Australia, I tried to correspond with him at his next place of visitation. But I never received a reply - this is a fellow who "moves on in life" fairly quickly. But he did make me a memento during our "sandstone house" period - a sandstone dish with a place for a sandstone ball to rest in it. Truly, it is a 'work of art', and I still have it to this day.
As I said, I don't know what happened to Eric. But he brightened my life at a time when things were not quite so good, and I bet he did that to many others after that, who had the privilege to meet this really fine fellow. ♥♥♥

Nev,
What a nice memory. And very nice of him to show you a different way of eating. :-)) ♥♥♥

Marina, I hope it helped. ♥♥♥

Judy, my parents detested olives so I wasn't raised on this food. Though I did try them once, I didn't much care for them, until...
At the age of 38, I worked in a quarry, with a French stonemason. We worked and stayed on site all week, and then I went home on the weekend. During my mealtimes spent with Eric, he introduced me to olives/cheese/red wine, and how to eat/combine/enjoy all three, as the French do. And I really started to enjoy these meals, and of course olives. They were eaten in moderation, and now I love olives. And I have Eric to thank for that - what a great teacher he was. ♥♥♥

Linda, it is. And it appears that the humble olive is finally getting some recognition. ♥♥♥

Thanks Nev. Marina.

Lucky you, Nev! They are good on pizza. I don't think I'd ever eaten a black olive until I was married and my husband's family had them on every relish tray. For some reason, my family never put those out. xxx

Unusual sign! Love it! TFS!

Marina, the site AgriFutures Australia provided the following information which I hope will provide you with the answer to your question:
About 90% of Australian olive oil is produced from 10 main cultivars. These are: Arbequina, Barnea, Coratina, Corregiola, Frantoio, Koroneiki, Leccino, Manzanillo, Pendolino and Picual.
Varieties most used for table olives include: Manzanillo, Sevillano, Jumbo Kalamata and Verdale for green olives and Kalamata for naturally ripened black olives.
♥♥♥

It's good that Australia produces its own olive oil. I wonder what type of olives they are and what they taste like. Normally black olives produce olive oil and the green ones are eaten as snacks . I have a photo here, how we sell green olives https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153534840726130&set=pb.649301129.-2207520000.1571470281.&type=3&theater. Thanks for the lovely puzzle. Marina

Lin, yes, and they'd produce a lot of oil too if they were real. :-))) ♥♥♥

Those are olives, indeed!

:))

Judy, something a bit different for the Green Theme.
Marge doesn't like the black ones on her pizza, so I get all hers. :-))) ♥♥♥

Rebekka, we have the dry soil olives require, and all the sunshine they need, and we see many olive plantations in our travels these days. Unused farmland can productively sustain olive trees, so it's a good 'income earner' for farmers during the often 'tough times'. ♥♥♥

Janet, I didn't know it was there, and this is the first picture I've ever seen of it. So it must be reasonably new. ♥♥♥

Ardy, there are lots of "green things" in Australia, so I'm not short of pictures for this Theme. ♥♥♥

Bev, I like both. Marge is not so keen. The greatest "olive lover" in our family is our son Brad, and his favourite is the Kalamata. ♥♥♥

Jaklien, yes, 98kms. is not a big distance for us at all. It's really what we'd call "just down the road". An hour's road travel is 'nothing' to an Aussie. ♥♥♥

Bobbie, Australia is a big producer of Olive Oil. There are plantations all over the country - it is the "in thing" to grow olives these days. ♥♥♥

Redina, I didn't even know it was there. Will have to visit this place when next we are in South Australia. ♥♥♥

Great idea for a puzzle, Nev.
My husband eats a lot of green olives, but we both like both black and green.

Nev, what an interesting and different puzzle for this theme! I guess Australia has a good climate for growing olives, although you don't think of it as an olive-producing country. Since everyone else is stating their preferences, I'll vote for black -- that's my favorite kind. :-)

A fun puzzle thanks Nev. I don't think that existed when we went through there many years ago.
Hugs ♥☺♥

Two more very nice theme puzzles, Nev. I prefer black olives. Thanks.

Kalamata olive something about them I don't like.

I like olives, black and green. The only olive I don't care for is the Greek Olive. Thank you Nev.
10-18-19

"Only 98 km away" is peanuts for Australians, isn't it? ☺

I like the big olive. I did not know OZ was a producer of olive oil. Thanks Nev. :)

That's a great way to advertise. Thanks. :)