All done! For now.

Albarino, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Solaris in that order

This morning I finished tying up the last few vines. It's looking very civilised and tidy now. Actually looks like a proper vineyard. I will continue to prune back and remove some leaves to help the grapes mature. 

Once again, there was rain in the forecast that did not materialise. At least we got some yesterday. 

I was using a device that sometimes works to tie up the vines. But I do not like it. It puts plastic into the environment, wastes a great deal of that plastic and makes it take a lot longer to complete a job. The unit pulls out a swathe of plastic tape, you slide it over the vine and wire, then clamp down and it staples and cuts the plastic tape -- sometimes. Sometimes it doesn't staple, sometimes it doesn't cut, and sometimes it gets stuck inside the tool. Very frustrating. And the tool often gets stuck on the vine if it's thicker. I wasted so much tape that I had to order more. 

What I also ordered were all kinds of things for securing viney growth, like stretch mesh tape, special cable ties and a new supposedly much-improved device. We'll see. My past use of nylon stocking strips was not as effective in the vineyard because they decompose every year, and I need them to last for several years until the vines are strong enough to stand on their own. 

Anyway, happy last day of July. I must say, the weather was much improved over June. I heard today that they are beginning to harvest Chardonnay grapes in Portugal, the earliest they've ever matured by far. The heat waves on the Continent have been brutal. 

A bit behind schedule

Until this week, it's been decidedly cold and stormy so far this summer. We went straight from winter to summer, trading in coats and boots for shorts and sandals. Bizarre, but at least it's better than much of the rest of the world. Europe is having an intensely hot and dry week, England's canals and Italy's rivers are drying up, and the US is facing earlier and more intense wildfire seasons. 

Today's visible satellite image shows a country mostly bathed in sunshine, although we did have clouds passing overhead. Yesterday and today were quite warm in the sun, but the air is still cool under cloud cover. Last year, the buds started flowering around the 14th of July, which was pretty late. This year, they are not yet close to flowering, so again late. 

The good news is that the Albarino is coming on now, still very small compared with the Pinot Noir planted at the same time, but we've lost only four plants. I thought we had lost many more. I will be treating the vines with great care. I need to also tie some of the 5-yo Solaris up. 

Sadly we have lost a pear tree to disease in the orchard and may lose another. I am praying that whatever caused it has not spread to the other trees. It looks like we may have a good crop of apples this year, so may be pressing juice and/or cider. 

The contractor who is to install the telephone poles for the remainder of the vineyard has been stuck on another job but is supposed to come in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, it won't be too disruptive or destructive. Alex managed to secure lots of telephone poles for the vineyard from the Eir work crews who are replacing poles in our area. That saved us a lot of money. The $ has reached parity with the € for the first time in decades, but the rate of inflation is a killer. Everything is skyrocketing in costs. I've bought a bistro set for the vineyard so at least we'll be able to sit there and watch the progress. 

May in Mayo

It's May and everything is growing exponentially. It's been quite warm -- the polytunnel doors are open every day now. And we've had more rain already than in all of April. The vineyard is looking good. I am especially pleased with the Pinot Noir vines, which are coming along nicely. 

I am quite disappointed in the Albarino. I really thought that was going to be the winner. 

The good news is that the pollinators are out in force on our land. More bumblebees than ever, lots of honey bees and hoverflies. The cherries and pears are already forming but the pear trees are dying. 

We are waiting to see the extent of ash dieback on our land. It appears that a few have died and a few have survived. We'll see soon. 

The vine in the polytunnel is growing nicely too, as are the passionflower, passionfruit and kiwi. But my peach, which had three tiny peaches has lost all of them. Very disappointed. I don't know how commercial growers survive all that disappointment. 

Sunshine day

The view of Croagh Patrick from Kirstin and Michael's house where Alex's mum, Meike, spent the last month and passed yesterday is astounding on a good day. It was a spectacular weather day as we said our fare wells. We walked with the hearse down to the bridge over the creek. It was a lovely gesture. 

Back at home, the polytunnel reached 47C so we left the door open all afternoon. The crop of peas, lettuce and broccoli has kept us in veggies all winter long. What a treat. The new log hives are ready to accept visiting colonies of bees. The vacancy signs are up. 

The vineyard is still asleep but is starting to show signs of life. May the lifecycle begin anew. 

Hurricane force

An image from Twitter as Franklin approached the coast.

The third storm of the week, #StormFranklin, turned out to pack the biggest punch to us. It blew for a long time and it blew harder than the previous two, Dudley and Eunice. The highest gusts recorded at Mayo Sailing Club were at 2 am at 81 knots - that's 150 kph. But gusts in the 70s lasted for many hours. That's a category 2 cyclone for hours on end. Sustained winds were over 40 knots from 3 in the afternoon to 4 in the morning. 

Is this the new normal?  I was heartbroken today when I saw the damage in the garden. Nothing major - a gorse bush broke, Alex's Inukshuk was dangerously altered losing his midsection so he had to take it down. But every shrub and plant that has started to bud and bloom was devastated. Withered and burned by the salt wind. Every window in the house is coated in heavy salt. 

I walked the vineyard and there appears to be no damage. The ground is VERY wet and I have no idea what the salt will do. The Galicians claim that the salt air adds to the terroir, but this was more than salt air. It was more like a scouring. Thankfully the careful staking and pruning seem to have held. 

I've been adding wood ash to the soil around the vines to condition the pH. I've got 5 rows done and only one left to go. I have a pH testing kit and will give it a go after a few days when it's all done. 

I've also fed the fruit trees and soft fruit shrubs with an organic fruit fertilizer, thinking it may help. Not if this wind continues. 

At least the polytunnel survived and everything inside is thriving, including my peach tree which has flowered for the first time. And strawberries are coming. So exciting. I've been pollinating by hand with a brush. It's been great to have fresh broccoli, lettuce, endive, peas, rocket, and Swiss chard through the winter. Wonderful. Very happy with the results. Everything seems healthy for a change. I think the treatment with fulvic acid really helped. I've also added microbes to the soil in the raised beds. 

Meanwhile, the bees were quite active today as the temperature increased and the wind subsided. Alex has been busy building and thatching his natural beehives out of old monkey puzzle tree sections.

 

Let's hope the worst of the weather has passed. I have started propagating my seeds. We bought so many this year. I've also been a plantaholic this winter, buying up stuff from Lidl and the coop and online. Now I will have to plant it all.