April Newsletter
Hello!
Are you glad Easter is behind you? Ours has been wet although yesterday morning it cleared up and the sun is now shining and promises to remain with us for at least another week. Fortunately, the two days of heavy rain have really irrigated the land. It was in dire need of it. We have everything in bud or blossom here on the Olive Farm and it really is a joyous sight. The cherry trees are white and glorious. The soft fruits are open, too. We have grapefruits and grapefruit blossom both at the same time on the same small tree. I have counted eight grapefruits of various sizes. The avocado tree I planted from stone has grown tall and is becoming rather magisterial. It gave us a whole winter’s worth of avocados during its first fruiting season and now it is in bud again. Michel has trained the wisteria plant round the edging of our flat roof and as I walk in and out of my new writing room, its heavenly scent greets me.
As usual, we have left all the terraces to grow a little unruly so that the wildflowers can blossom and then fall to seed before we cut them back. This allows all the pollinators to take their pick and gorge themselves and then when the seeds have fallen, ensuring us of plenty of wildflowers next year, we will strim the entire estate, keeping us relatively safe against any unfortunate summer fires.
We are cleaning up the barbecues, awaiting our black ewe to lamb, still caring for our old dog who ‘doggedly’ fights on, holding on to life tenaciously.
I LOVE this time of year, writing with the French doors wide open, listening the birds, watching a million small creatures fluttering from one plant to another, lunches outside…
If you reading this in Germany, The Girl in Room Fourteen has just been published there. Here is the link for it: http://www.amazon.de/
I have joined Twitter, so if you are also a follower, here is my address Carol4Olivefarm Please do look for me and follow.
The publishing date for The Lost Domain, my new novel, has still not been settled. I am bursting to give you the news but I must hold off for a little while yet. Watch this space!

One of the few Olive Trees pruned in February
This afternoon I will be planting up a boot-load of small lavender plants. These are destined for a new bee-friendly terrace I am currently creating. Vines and lavenders. It will be an attractive addition to the land. The olive trees are in bud but slower than everything else to blossom this year. We have done very little pruning this year so that should offer us a bumper crop of fruits for our olive oil.
By the way, I know the thought of chocolate might be the last food you want to consider now that Easter is over, but a recommendation here: I ate no Easter eggs but did enjoy one chunk of a bar of dark Spanish chocolate made with olive oil. It was very delicious.
Well, that’s it for now. Enjoy these spring days. They are such a gift.
More soon!
All good wishes,
Carol
- Interview with Carol Drinkwater, author of the Olive Series The Good Life France. 0
- Where are they now? Actress and author Carol Drinkwater. STAGE and screen actress Carol played Helen Herriot in the popular TV series All Creatures Great And Small (1978-1985) with Robert Hardy, Christopher Timothy and Peter Davison. 0
- A Python’s Paradise: Carol Drinkwater Interview A Clockwork Orange 50th anniversary exclusive! 0
- The Irish Times, December 2017 From award-winning actor to bestselling author: John Rainsford discovers the emotional outpouring behind the writer’s latest novel. 0
- Interview for WAMC's The Roundtable, Northeast Public Radio USA An award-winning, nationally recognized eclectic talk program. 0
- NAW Interview with Carol Drinkwater New Asian Writing Online Asian Literary Community interviews Carol following the publication of Hotel Paradise 0
- Daily Mail: Emotional ties with actress and author Carol Drinkwater Carol on notebooks, her obsession with olives, getting married in the Cook Islands, showbiz running in the family and her days on All Creatures Great & Small 0
- Writer's Forum Where I Write: Phil Barrington visits novelist Carol Drinkwater at her French olive farm 0