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Rondo grapes
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The vines have been progressing well and the Rondo grapes, though small, look promising. We've had a wonderful bout of fine weather, even when the southern part of the island has had torrential rains and flooding. But now we sit bracing ourselves for storm Ellen, the result of post-tropical storm Kyle and a new depression that will feed it to create a powerful cyclonic Force 11 storm. It's to hit tonight, with the strongest winds in the south which has a red warning. We have an orange warning and it looks like the eye is going to pass right over us, just as last year Hurricane Lorenzo's eye passed directly overhead.
It's obviously going to affect our harvest as the amount of rainfall will be high. At least we have a month to go before harvest, so maybe things will even out before that. You can see the wind damage on the leaves from the last storm that hit at the end of spring. Everything was just recovering and now this. It's getting tough.
But at least we have the bees, native black honey bees. A friend brought over a swarm for the hive we have had standing empty after the year that all the bees died from a very wet winter. I hope these guys stick around to help pollinate the orchard and vegetable garden.
The climate disruption and the Covid complication are wreaking havoc. At least we have the US elections to distract us.
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| Two systems merging: TS Kyle plus another low |
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The blue spot in the middle is passing over Clew Bay -- our house.
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It's already raining ahead of the storm
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I hope these don't become before and after shots
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| Alex checking the hive. |
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| I told the donkeys to seek shelter - they went over to the North side |
