More sun

Pinot Noir vines lookin' good.

May was extraordinary. Less rain than ever before, only 48.5 mm for the month. Fewer degree days below 15.5 than ever. We are watering gardens every day, especially anything in pots, but not the vineyard. So far so good, but the forecast for the next week has no rain and temperatures higher than normal continuing. This is mental. 

Everything is growing so tall. Lupins, grasses at 6 to 8 feet tall. Poppies 5 feet tall. It's extraordinary. I am very pleased with the growth of the Pinot Noir vines, less so with Chardonnay, and quite disappointed with the Albarino. 

Albarino not doing well.

My shiny new bench at the top. 

Rondo and Solaris quite hopeful.

Phacelia

Cornflower

Barley

Climbing rose

New shed drying

Monthly values for NEWPORT up to 01-jun-2023

Total rainfall in millimetres for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2023	183.2	91.6	188.4	121.1	48.5	0.0							632.8
2022	98.8	260.4	67.8	84.0	107.0	148.0	59.2	104.1	97.3	233.9	187.5	154.6	1602.6
2021	225.6	147.6	141.1	45.6	113.5	64.1	59.7	155.6	137.0	265.7	183.3	186.6	1725.4
2020	139.5	342.8	178.2	25.5	54.7	164.5	187.9	137.9	153.4	228.0	206.6	232.7	2051.7
LTA	166.7	126.5	141.2	96.8	94.7	89.7	100.9	132.5	131.5	176.0	170.4	180.2	1607.1

Mean temperature in degrees Celsius for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2023	6.6	8.0	7.6	9.9	13.3	17.2							9.1
2022	7.2	7.1	8.0	9.9	12.6	13.8	15.9	16.2	n/a	12.2	9.4	5.2	10.7
2021	5.0	6.7	7.9	9.0	10.4	13.3	17.5	16.4	15.2	11.9	9.3	7.6	10.9
2020	7.2	6.0	6.6	11.0	12.8	13.8	14.4	16.0	13.8	10.5	9.1	6.1	10.6
LTA	6.1	6.1	7.3	9.0	11.5	13.8	15.4	15.4	13.5	10.8	8.3	6.5	10.3

Mean 10cm soil temperature for NEWPORT at 0900 UTC

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2023	5.2	6.8	6.6	9.1	13.7	n/a							8.3
2022	6.2	6.2	6.3	9.3	13.2	14.8	16.8	16.6	n/a	11.5	8.4	4.4	10.4
2021	3.6	5.0	6.8	8.2	10.9	14.3	17.9	16.3	15.2	11.3	8.6	6.6	10.4
2020	5.7	4.7	5.4	9.7	13.0	14.8	14.9	16.3	13.7	9.5	8.0	5.1	10.1
LTA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Global Solar Radiation in Joules/cm2 for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2023	6245	10639	21429	37277	55732	2992							134314
2022	6311	10756	33399	40555	51569	47246	48439	51169	n/a	15988	7869	6167	319468
2021	6620	13347	20370	45694	55690	45488	49455	40490	22413	16358	7235	3780	326940
2020	6263	10808	24545	46192	58476	43537	40215	40555	25558	18487	6319	5209	326164
LTA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Potential Evapotranspiration (mm) for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2023	14.3	20.9	33.0	56.4	83.3	4.6							212.5
2022	13.7	23.0	47.2	60.6	77.7	76.0	80.4	82.0	n/a	27.2	17.2	9.2	514.2
2021	7.6	22.9	30.7	62.9	76.3	70.7	87.8	67.5	38.3	25.1	14.1	14.6	518.5
2020	17.6	21.9	35.0	70.2	91.6	72.9	66.2	66.4	42.7	28.1	13.6	10.4	536.6
LTA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Evaporation (mm) for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2023	18.8	28.2	47.6	81.6	118.2	6.5							300.9
2022	17.9	32.4	66.5	86.8	114.5	109.2	111.1	113.2	n/a	37.0	22.0	11.4	722.0
2021	10.9	32.1	45.4	89.9	111.2	102.0	117.2	93.5	52.1	34.7	18.6	19.1	726.7
2020	22.4	31.9	51.8	98.9	130.8	104.8	94.3	92.7	59.1	38.8	18.1	13.6	757.2
LTA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Degree Days Below 15.5 Degree Celsius for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
2023	275	210	246	171	85	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2022	256	234	235	171	97	63	30	28	N/A	103	185	320	N/A
2021	325	247	236	200	167	79	20	23	40	114	187	245	1883
2020	257	276	275	143	111	73	55	31	71	156	193	291	1935

---

Notes on the Data

Evaporation and PE data are calculated using Penman/Monteith formulae.
The ‘LTA’ (referred to within a table) is average for the climatological long-term-average (LTA) reference period 1981-2010.
Data updated daily at Mid-day.
To view the Weather Events for Public Works Contracts data, select a station first, then click the link just below the map.

The floor is curing and the bees are busy

 

The concrete floor has been poured and is now curing. We are to keep it wet for the next few days so it doesn't dry out too fast. With these hot temperatures of 23-24C, it won't take long, so the project may be completed in a shorter timeline than expected. 

Meanwhile, everything is growing at exponential rates, I am watering every day, and yet some things are getting crispy and suffering from the lack of rain and the heat. 23C doesn't sound like a lot, but the sun is brutally hot. Everyone in town is wearing their Mediterranean holiday outfits. It's quite funny to see. 

On the water, it's much more pleasant. Going out on the Bay to fish for mackerel and distribute lobster pots was a true blessing. 

Pinot Noir is originally a cool climate variety

I found this article really interesting. Having grown up in Provence, studied oenology and viticulture in Montpellier, and made wine in Bordeaux, Hallgren found himself particularly drawn to New York State’s expression of the Pinot Noir grape. ‘It’s a good reminder that Pinot Noir, at least in its original form, is a cool climate variety,’ says Hallgren.

Well, maybe that's why it's growing so beautifully in Ireland and has the reputation of being difficult in warmer climates. Maybe we were meant to cultivate Pinot Noir! Maybe moving it to warmer climes introduced disease and pestilence it wasn't used to. Hmmmm! Climate activism of a different ilk. 

On another note, they poured and polished the concrete floor of the shed today. Hooray! It's beautiful, and we are closer to done. 

Concrete

They are pouring the concrete floor of the shed today. It wasn't supposed to happen until Thursday but the cement trucks were available today, so today it is. I have always used cement and concrete interchangeably, but in looking it up today, I realised that was incorrect. 

"A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel (aggregate) together. Cement mixed with fine aggregate produces mortar for masonry, or with sand and gravel, produces concrete. Concrete is the most widely used material in existence and is behind only water as the planet's most-consumed resource." per Wikipedia

We were supposed to get our fibre broadband installed this morning, but those guys haven't shown up yet. And that's a good thing or we'd be having pandemonium on the driveway this morning.  

Oh, I can't wait: fast broadband and no more workers, trucks, and mayhem. Long may we be content with the current state of affairs. No more building!

Now, if we could just have a little rain, please. 

Weather

 How very strange this weather pattern is this year. It's May and it feels like July. High pressure dominates and northerlies have settled in.