Another season comes to a close

I walked up to the vineyard today to find that the Rondo vines have dropped their leaves, every one. The Solaris are still hanging on to a few but a good many have fallen there, too. And so another season has come to a close and we've learned a lot more this year than in previous years. I'll spend the winter learning about making wine and testing soil. We'll also plant out the roses and companion 'Gaia garden' plants. Then, while Alex erects the canopy stands, I'll prune the canes - all 65 - in the dead of winter. For right now, I'll take pause to just revel in the art of nature and the awe of cyclical seasons. Aren't we lucky? There's nothing boring about it.

Autumn in the Vineyard

The red grape vines have turned a lovely orange hue, the whites are turning golden. We had a spell of awful weather, including Storm Callum which wasn't as bad as it could have been, followed by several days of glorious sunshine. The leaves have been blown off the trees or burned by wind beyond hope. But the grape leaves are surviving well. As are the donkeys. Sweet donkeys keeping watch. No one got blown away by the storms.