The lows just keep coming

 

We've had quite a bit of rain lately, alternating with fleeting sunny spells. The pattern is weird, however, as this procession of tiny lows keeps passing through. It's quite pleasant here, even chilly, whereas Continental Europe is having a protracted heatwave in uncharted territory. Sixteen cities were put on heat alert today and tourists are being told they cannot go to the beach, they must remain indoors from 1100 to 1800h. 

The result of our weather is a rapid growth of the beautiful little morsels on the vines. We watch them plump up before our eyes. It's a glorious sight to behold mid-July. Grapes of joy! Let's hope the harvest is a good one. 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1680475482444144640 

We spent the afternoon picking stones from the field in which we built the shed. There are a great many stones in that field, lots of which have to be lifted with a crowbar. Alex noticed that we'd had an earthquake, as a fault line between the undisturbed ground and the backfilled land had opened up. Had we not put in the retaining walls, we would have had a landslide. Anyway, Alex spread grass seed today so hopefully it will soon sprout and cover the blemished land. 

Possible names for the shed:

• Highland Chateau
• The Office
• The Pension Pad
• Retirement Plan
• The Upper Suite

Climate change is improving British wines

A lost young man took over his family's newly purchased neglected vineyard and made an award-winning wine. He credits it to climate change altering the conditions sufficiently so that the old Baccus grapes made an exceptional British wine. He's got a new career path, his family has a viable vineyard and winery, and Britain has a new hero. 

Aside from that wonderful story, Brits are being told to plant Chardonnay for the future. Here is the original study that came to that conclusion. 

Weather potential for high-quality still wine from Chardonnay viticulture in different regions of the UK with climate change

Alex J. Biss, Richard H. Ellis

Vol. 56 No. 4 (2022): OENO One

Received : 7 March 2022; Accepted : 1 November 2022; Published : 5 December 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2022.56.4.5458

The last touches

 

Five electricians are installing the electrical systems in the shed today. The foreman, Rusty (Rostyslav), is Lithuanian, two are Irish and two are Ukrainian. Cool!

The garage doors will be working later today. They are installing lights, sockets, a fuse panel, etc. They are also grounding all the steel girders to protect against lightning strikes.  

They will also be wiring up the polytunnel to code. And they have to fix the heating system in the house. Lots of jobs at once. As they are also working on the Kenright's house, they can keep it all in the neighbourhood. 

First drought, now rain and lots of it

Met Éirann has posted a warning for heavy rain tomorrow and we are in the right place to get it. We've been having quite a bit, but not as much as many other places in Ireland. So our microclimate seems to be holding. 

It seems everything 'climatic' is accelerating. Both the US and Europe are having massive heat waves. NY and Vermont experienced record flooding with two months' worth of rain falling in less than 6 hours. China and India are having massive heat waves and torrential rainfall. Meanwhile, the southern land masses are drying up. El Nino will just accentuate it all. Power grids are failing. 

Tornadoes touched down near Chicago airport and near Dublin airport (Dublin?). Tornadoes are forecast for Quebec and Ontario. Tornadoes are ripping through Ottawa as I write this. The videos circulating are apocalyptic like in the movies. This is climate breakdown. 

The earth's average temperature just keeps climbing, Antarctic ice is at its lowest ever and it's winter there, the average SST keeps increasing, and the hot blobs in the Atlantic off Ireland and Florida are crazy - Florida waters topped 90F today. Can sea water boil? 

And on top of that, scientists say the oceans are becoming greener. 

The scientists are starting to say there's no going back now. Last week, I resigned myself to the idea that the rest of my lifetime will be spent in relative comfort here, where temperatures are to remain bearable. But the rainfall may prove to be problematic, we'll see. 

I think having access to wine will help. And the donkeys are just fine. 

Maria Moch came to visit from the States. She loved the projects here. Alex managed to hang the gate and the electricians are hooking up the electrics to the tunnel and the shed. We should be all to code. 

After the storm

We had high winds overnight into yesterday morning. Upon checking the vineyard, I noted quite a few branches broken off the Pinot Noir which is showing vigorous growth. I tied most of them up as high as I could and took a few branches to root. The Solaris and Rondo were looking good and the younger chardonnay vines seem to be struggling. The Albarino is starting to look a little stronger but still inferior. I stuck a broken stem into the ground to replace a dead vine if it roots. 

As I was tying, I noticed that quite a few of the Pinot Noir (year 3) have tiny clusters of grapes. I think I will try one or two in the polytunnel to see if they produce better crops sooner. The Vanessa grapes in the polytunnel are almost ready to pick. 

I bought a storage box for the vineyard at Lidl yesterday. It will let me keep some of my tools nearby so I don't have to walk all the way to the shed or the polytunnel if I see something amiss in the vineyard that needs attention right away. 

Meanwhile, the storm knocked a lot of apples off the trees, especially the big cooker. And Alex planted all the trees along the new fence by the shed and hung the gate, while I picked stones from the field. There are a lot of stones out there! 

I'm glad it's raining today as we need a break. The showers bucket when they come and the sun shines in between. The southern half of the country is under extreme thunderstorm warning. They said the winds were unusually strong for this time of year. The gusts topped 55 knots yesterday morning. They shifted from SW to SE and now we have easterlies again. What the hell is going on here? It was the warmest June on record, with prolonged dry periods and intense thunderstorm activity. 

Climate change is here, my dear! The prolonged heat wave in the Atlantic is indicative of climate change, Met Eireann says. Recent extreme precipitation, thunderstorms and above-average temperatures across Ireland could be linked to the elevated sea-surface temperatures and marine heatwave we have experienced in June 2023.

The Doors

Father and son arrived today to install the doors. They are in, they are fine. Are they finished?  No. Still need to paint some stuff and finish off the cement under the doors which were just s smidgen too short. 

The colour of the doors is a bit off from the rest of the green components but we don't mind. We'll hardly notice after a bit. 

Alex finished the fence today while I removed the spent raspberry canes. The flies are out in droves, which is annoying as hell. Green ban helps somewhat. 

It's been windy and on/off wet all day, but tonight will be very intense. Wind in the 40-knot range and heavy rain. The shed makes creepy noises from time to time as the metal expands and contracts. I guess the conditions overnight will let us know how well-built it is, but I do think it's about as solid as it gets. 

I'm getting used to the size and its exciting to see all the things we have built here, including really good lives. Alex set up tables and chairs for the CBOC workers to count oysters but they didn't need them. At least we now have facility. 

I continue in my role as Chief Butterfly Rescuer and every day I release multiple flutterbys from the polytunnel and curiously my office. I had a giant black butterfly in my office yesterday and others almost every day for the past week.

The Vanessa grapes in the polytunnel are almost ready for harvest. I harvested my first lemon today. I plan to make lemonade. Our first broccoli is ready for dinner and the grapes in the vineyard are coming along great. I love this place. 

The probate for Alex's mother's will came through yesterday, so lots of activity will follow. Perhaps it will all come to a close at last. 

Broken Records

 

The earth hit a record temperature on Monday 3 July when it reached 17C, topping 16.9C in 2016 an El Nino year. But that record didn't last. On Tuesday 4th July, it hit 17.2C. 

I wonder what today's result will be. I'll bet I can predict it. Another record. Curiously, I've decided to embrace the change as it makes living in Ireland decidedly pleasant. And as I as an individual can do little to change the world, I continue to do my best to alter mine for the best in my little sphere.

CNN agrees. India, China, Texas, Mexico are all under extreme heat pressure. Who is next?

 Meanwhile, the Antarctic was above-freezing temperatures today mid-Winter, so the ice just isn't forming.