Eponymous

Many Mallorcan village houses have if not a garden, a patio or corral. As far as I can tell, the vast majority of these contain a lemon tree, our own back garden being presided over by a squat but bountiful specimen. Not being much of a homemaker (yet!), I initially had a take-it-or-leave-it sentiment about our tree. Pretty, yes, but it was too cold to crave a tall glass of icy lemonade when we first arrived - I would have rather been gazing out at a palm for encouragement. But then I found that we were frequently nipping out to pick a lemon for our tea, or to squeeze over a salad or fish and I realized - they're really on to something.



The lemon (Citrus limon) is not originally native to the Northern shores of the Mediterranean but was introduced by the canny Moors around 900 - 1250AD and has infinite uses besides tarting up one's food. It can be used as an insecticide, to clean copper pots, whiten clothes and freckles, prevent colds and flu (scurvy, too!) and alleviate gingivitis. No job is too big or too small for this glorious fruit.

There are also plenty of orange trees in local gardens. O came home today for lunch with a huge sack of oranges and grapefruits from a coworker's property - they have far more than a single family can use and would go to waste if not shared. Contrary to popular belief, the Mallorcan people have proven incredibly warm and generous, not at all the walled-up stereotype I read about before coming here, the product of a long history of piracy, pillaging and siege. Our landlord/lady are some of the most helpful, thoughtful people I have ever met and Juana (landlady) told me their families are Mallorcan as far back as they can remember. As they say in Quebec, pure laine!

On another note, yesterday we drove Southeast to Cala Figuera, a little fishing village in a beautiful cove. The drive there was lovely but by the time we arrived, the sunshine was on the opposite side of the cove and we had the dogs with us so we couldn't really go inside anywhere to hang out. So back in the car and back home. It's so hard to get out of the house early when you have a baby but we really must make an effort - weekends go by so quickly when you want them to last forever.