KOKONA ELENI (Please view larger).

This is the mother of my bank manager in Cyprus who in his spare time

runs a small farm. In this smallholding he has some livestock, seasonal

vegetable produce and some trees. He is self sufficient in olive oil as he

has several olive trees which the whole family harvests in autumn. He

uses the manure from the livestock as a fertilizer therefore all his

produce is organic. Recently I asked him for a couple of sacks of

manure for my lemon trees that I have in my garden and he kindly said

help yourself. Early one autumn morning I arrived at his farm which is

near Nicosia and helped myself to a couple of sacks of manure. They

were harvesting the olives at the time so I took the opportunity to take

this environmental portrait of his mother. She is eighty years old and she

has the flexibility of a young woman. The term ‘KOKONA’ is an old

fashioned Greek Cypriot word of endearment for a graceful old lady.

Thank you.

This is a technically well done image with good color and exposure.  This image has meaning for you because you know the story and the context.  It is an important image and memory trigger for you and that is all that really matters.  The image succeeds because it fulfills the purpose for which it was made.

Dear friend, this one is really a great gift by you for the new year: I was waiting for you and for your shots from a...too much long time! Now I hope in a more constant presence of you in PN! Ciao, Maurizio.

Very good light and colours, great dof and composition.

Kokona mou :)))...what a nice phrase, hope it doesn't fade away.  Very nice portrait of the elderly lady still managing to get along with her life.  I wish her all the best.  Nice shot Dimitri!  ta leme file!

A superb image and the story is touching.  I can sense the many years of toiling in that bent frame and the composition shows all the elements to tell a story without being too busy... Excellent...  Mike

Thank you all for your comments, they are much appreciated. The story attached is certainly very personal, but there is a reason for that. Kokona Eleni represents a solution to the current economic crisis in the world...her life communicates many real messages, she is part of a real world and a true child of nature. 

Lovely picture, with a heartwarming story. Wish her a long, healthy life!

That's a beautiful image, reminds me of a painting. Makes me think that harvesting olives is good for you.

Ranga thanks for the visit and your good wishes. Warm regards, Dimitris.

Thank you Mike. Funny you should say that it looks like a painting....actually if you look at Van Gogh's drawings he has women in a similar pose, images that were indented on my mind as a child-:). 

Olive oil is, as you know, is the main ingredient of the Mediterranean diet. The rest of the world has fairly recently discovered it....In 1965, when I first came to England to study, olive oil was sold in tiny bottles only in pharmacies for medicinal purposes.... 

What a lovely word for endearment for this old woman. I am sure she is treasured by your 'bank manager' and his family. She continues to be a very hard worker. I think this is the first image I have seen of someone harvesting olives. A beautiful image Dimitris. I can almost feel the warmth of the afternoon sun.

Paul and Gail, thank you very much. Warm regards, Dimitris.

A very beautiful image. Thank you also for the story, which adds meaning to the picture. ed

Thank you again for taking the time to comment. Warm regards.