In November 2011, just after the olive oil fare, a tornado ripped through the Sta. Margherita olive grove damaging or destroying 92 trees. Our hearts were broken but still Silvano and Matej went to work healing the damaged trees and replacing those that were simply ripped up and spread around the local area up to a distance of 600m from whence they came. It was not lost on us the irony that a part of the damage was done by a road sign advertising the olive oil fare in Vodnjan.
This is working with nature – it is an elegant force but an all too powerful one at times. At BRIST our aim is to be in harmony with this great, giving and powerful force. We accept once in a while that it will do as it pleases. Check out the video below. It is not great quality and what is interesting is that you can see many thin posts sticking up. In each of these places was a 5 year old tree. Also there is a picture of the tornadoes that just one year later that passed us by. For one hour 5 tornadoes raged out at sea some 15Km away and the sound of them could easily be heard from Vodnjan. We were in disbelief at their power.
Perhaps this is a lesson to respect nature more. We do our best to do so and below you can see just how much of an effect such an event can have, as it cleared a clean path through the grove.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7Im-j6iirc&list=UUgOnpDd2jZ18icpgg_kcjgA