Another Save

Just walking around the yard
Another reborn vine

My good friend Travis was down to stay a few days last week. He has been in on a few vintages, and has a little interest in the Portable Vineyard. 

He also loves the cat, and she loves him, specially when the brush comes out!

I showed him around the PV, and to my surprise, I found another vine regenerating! Two in a fortnight.

The vineyard is expanding incrementally as the adopted vines stir into life finally, and there are a few to go yet [fingers crossed]. There looks like some fungus growing on the little ones, and some on a really vigorous adoptee- which also looks suspiciously like a chardonnay bush after all!

Pictures this week:

 Shiraz/Syrah

Pinot Noir

seemed odd afterwards

A family run around
Busy or what?

Last week, we had fish n chips n ChikoRolls midweek at my inlaws D and PD at the NuHoose

Friday, she picked the gels up from school for the weekend because I was off to see my mum, so did not catch her Friday arvo.

At 6 pm. dropped into see my eldest son in The Big Smoke for a coffee and to drop off of xrissy prezi.

At 8pm (late cos had to pick up some flowers!), arrived at Mum and Dad's place, by the sea and  river, not far from a 13 hole golf club!

Saturday, saw Dad off for his trip to help my sister boy and my broinlaw for the Garmin 24 at Redesdale, where the little guy got a third in his division. By the way, it bucketed down and the nobby tyres caused the portable showers a problemo, if you know what I mean...

For the weekend, sat around with Mum, fixed this up and that, installed a new weather station, formatted a slow laptop that they had given up on and hey presto, it just ZINGS along Now! Cos everyone wanted to put something on it for Nana to use, it was very cluttered, and glacially slow that they got another one... Should have taken it home to fix- for meself- but thought the better of it, it would be something the grand-kids can fight over when it rains...

Sunday: Did the leaves in the gutter thing, took dog for a walk once- cos it rained and rained and...Dad gets back and I take off home, with a washing machine for my brothers girl that has moved into a share house in the Big Smoke with mates and three dead laundry machines... cannot believe she has finished study and ready to work in the real world of Nursing. Their place was not too far out of the way, and a simple [NOT] drive home to pick the gels up. And catch up with D and PD again, and collect my gels.

No radar flashes or hidden traffic cops the whole weegen, cos I was Very Watchful of my poor empty wallet... And collected two nice hand knitted jumpers made by Mum for my gels!

The point: face to face time with family. Just doing it.

seemed odd after

A family run around
Busy or what? [repost from the family blog but fits anyway]

Last week, we had fish n chips n ChikoRolls midweek at my inlaws D and PD at the NuHoose

Friday, she picked the gels up from school for the weekend because I was off to see my mum, so did not catch her Friday arvo.

At 6 pm. dropped into see my eldest son in The Big Smoke for a coffee and to drop off of xrissy prezi.

At 8pm (late cos had to pick up some flowers!), arrived at Mum and Dad's place, by the sea and  river, not far from a 13 hole golf club!

Saturday, saw Dad off for his trip to help my sister boy and my broinlaw for the Garmin 24 at Redesdale, where the little guy got a third in his division. By the way, it bucketed down and the nobby tyres caused the portable showers a problemo, if you know what I mean...

For the weekend, sat around with Mum, fixed this up and that, installed a new weather station, formatted a slow laptop that they had given up on and hey presto, it just ZINGS along Now! Cos everyone wanted to put something on it for Nana to use, it was very cluttered, and glacially slow that they got another one... Should have taken it home to fix- for meself- but thought the better of it, it would be something the grand-kids can fight over when it rains...

Sunday: Did the leaves in the gutter thing, took dog for a walk once- cos it rained and rained and...Dad gets back and I take off home, with a washing machine for my brothers girl that has moved into a share house in the Big Smoke with mates and three dead laundry machines... cannot believe she has finished study and ready to work in the real world of Nursing. Their place was not too far out of the way, and a simple [NOT] drive home to pick the gels up. And catch up with D and PD again, and collect my gels.

No radar flashes or hidden traffic cops the whole weegen, cos I was Very Watchful of my poor empty wallet...

The point: face to face time with family. Just doing it.

Lawns- carbon UNsink of the West

"I Need The Lawns done BEFORE your aunt lands"
Yeah but no but.

!

Grreat. I really dislike the job myself [ mowing the yard ] and have an aversion to using the whipper-snipper brush cutter thingo too. It does not always start first off. A pulled shoulder hurts, man, for a week!

If the lawns have to be done by yours truly, then Someone is going to lose an hour or two of driving with the Old Man. Or a month of it if it aint done by next week. Zero privileges. So the warning and stuff goes.

And the rain comes down.
The mower is left in it,
the wannebe money maker slash learner driver is Still sleeping in- 1:30pm...
Obviously pitterpatter on the bungalow tin roof Does Not a Sleeper Awake.
Ho Hum.

[ a muttley sound may be heard though... sky? the sleeper?]

A Lazarus Effect

Reviving slowly?
A catch up on some lucky lucky vines.

A walk around the vineyard tonight, and a vine I have nearly given up on has revived.
Depending on how the weather treats it, it may survive summer.
That makes five adoptees adapting to their new yard.
One has bountiful grapes-to-be, one is vigorous, and three maybe okay by next year.

The rest of the Portable Vineyard is very vigorous- looking just great.

Shira/Syrah

Older Shiraz

Possible rivivees

Pinot Noir

lazarus A, B and C

Garage Foxey Grapes

Cuttings Collection

Close up on the lazarus vines

NuHoose Inhabitated

They're Back
And the heater is on

As is the usual seasonal happenings occur, some close relatives flew back to the new coop the other day, as mentioned before.

If this is a family blog spot, then I better get on with it.
So far we have shared a few meals and drinks, and cousins are enjoying each others company.
The weather has been a typical free for all- wet, dry, bright, dull, windy, warm, cold, beautiful.
Dee has used her new expensive heater- and kitchen- and The Decking.
I think she has enjoyed it so far- but the moving out of the old place to the new is tiring.
As PD puts it- just one trip per day...
And they will be off again in the new year, like swallows following the summer.
Which means lots of laughs, meals and good wine, heaps of iced confectionary and sweets between now and then! A bbq or two.
 Good wine. Oh yeah. That moderately, after last weekend- but welcome home times are like that.

I received a compliment too, via Dee, that the kids are so good, amazed[?] that I have done it.
Thank you. I will leave it at that. Nearly.

It has not been that hard- to me. I set my standards on what/how I have grown up with, and what others' expectations of how participants in a social and democratic and secular society are expected to behave so we can all live well, happily and together, supportive of each other.

You can tell I am a bloke, because "love" has not come up.

Cos it has to be there for the other stuff to happen I suppose.

In other news, #2 has been on a surfing camp at the Prom, and now we are after a wetty and board. Great. The lawns not been done and expects a handout like that? Hmm. And driving time?

The gels are nearly out of primary school, last few concerts... Hard to believe how the time is passing.

Son#1 should be "home" again soon, after completing his first year away at uni.

Should be fun, watching the four of them, verbally dueling- I mean- FOUR teenagers under the one roof!

Well, not quite, 19, 16 and two  @ 11 yrs.
There is a shared love of music too, they all have done Taiko drumming and City brass band time, and the iPods get a Workout...

Between the lake and the bush

My place, the Highway
But not for a feed

The other day, we had a drop bear drop in....

Can you see him?

The boys were riding their skateboards around the yard, and #2 came in and said something about "outside"!

Hmm.... what?

A koala had somehow made its way into our yard from the little town lake four of five blocks away, where it itself is not far from the river. And was definitely making its way North. 

After posing for us out the front, he/she jumped onto the fence and then onto the roadside, then after scaring an overawed audience, it scampered into someone else's property across the street.

Slow Weegen

Cup day Weegen at Sandy Point
Slow wind days

I took the gels with me to see my brothers and his family down at Sandy Point's shallow Inlet over the weegen.

Twice.

Sunday- First tried to call brother- signal shite- and nah, missed out. Hmph.So. Played first game of mini golf with the gels. Hmm, another time maybe. Then whizzed down to the sailing beach.

Little bro there.

The kids tried to fly a kite and played with step-cousin J in the dunes and worried about the rising tide and the car later on.

I blasted around the southern end and did my back in, as in, just EXHAUSTED meself! Nearly two hours with a big old sail and skeg and the nearly fifteen year old slalom board. It was fun, and nearly made most jibes.

The speed was good, but I was wondering- Need a new set up soonish? Yep.

A great afternoon.

Drove home, not promising to maybe stay Monday nite.

Monday- Sore as. Drove back down to the shack when school and work was over, on the way had a pub dinner that was just edible and too expensive for what it was. The pear cider was too amateurish and too expensive. Two meals, two colas and cider- Fifty One Dollars. Hmph

Tuesday- Early rise and shine at the rental house, and Pensive Looks at the waving trees...

Arrive beach side early- 10:30am like, and No Wind. Puffs only. Flew the 2nd kite.Also westerly swirling crappy breezes, and Left For Home at 1pm in Disgust.

Marvined.

Overall- family time and some speedsailing. Good.

November Vines

Pinot Noir

Shiraz

2 years old

The imported

The Lazarus Vines

The best imported Vine

The Cemetary Vines