GREETINGS FROM CRETE
Crete – an island in the Mediterranean Sea – is where the Greek branch of my husband’s family spend their holidays. I’ve learned to look forward to idyllic Facebook posts of Greek landscapes, strong colours, and Mediterranean gardens.
The climate on Crete is very comparable to Perth: Mediterranean, with strong salt winds, rainfall mostly during winter, and dry hot summers with temperatures in the mid to high thirties.
Cretan gardens are a source of inspiration for me: wild saltbush, myrtle, and oregano thrive on stony hillsides; groves of holm oak and olives nestle into valleys; flowering bougainvillea, citrus and fig trees, and grapevines evoke Mediterranean abundance.
Drowsing away summer afternoons in the shade of a tree is a quintessential Mediterranean way of life (not just a pastime of fauns). During the hottest months of the year you work, rest, eat, and entertain under the canopy of your house tree.