Showing posts with label portable vineyard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label portable vineyard. Show all posts

Monday, February 16, 2015

The End

End Of The Portable Vineyard

Due to lack of interest, time and patience, the Portable Vineyard has been Pulled...



Disease, water,no time to properly care for it, a low yield this year and no interest anymore. 
The winery apparatus is also on the way out. 2015 vintage not happening.
Crusher, destemmer sieve, a crap load of glass containers and large fermenting vats, ancillary gear and chemicals- all up for grabs if you live within 50km of Sale, Gippsland, Victoria, along with the pots, saucers and stakes... 

Go for it people, it is fun at the time! The products are always good to try

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Wind

Wind


Now I know what the wind in a vineyard is really for.

Along with dryness associated with the wind.

Currently, mildews have gotten into the wines, I seem to have missed sprying in time to get rid of it.

I am about to wreck the portable vineyard because time, disease and fruitlessness has passed by in a way I am annoyed enough with myselfto get rid of it.

But the wind the last week has gotten rid of the dried and damaged leaves.

Leaving sight of damaged and useless bunches, bare branches.

The Pinot is the worst off, the Shiraz not so much.

Being away when spraying is due is another reason the end is nigh. Small yield another.

Another disaster like a few vintages ago, and lack of prevention activity, oh dear.

The summer growth is poor, and the same with my ambition and dedication.

There may be some fruit left to keep from the birds for a rum to be made only.

The foxey Grapes are fine, and so too the established Shiraz.

In fact the Foxey bushes are so full and healthy the vines are weighing down their supports.

Fingers crossed for a nice little yield in a month or two.

If I think it will be worth netting.


Thursday, September 4, 2014

The start of the 2015 vintage in the Portable Vineyard

The start of the 2015 vintage in the Portable Vineyard

Ah there we go- budding time

Spring budding!
Looks like budding started mid August this year- Pinot was opening in the third week of August, below. Hmm.
The potted Shiraz, a few, started budding by first week of September.
The older six on the fence have not budded as yet though.
All the mobile vines moved 4 Sep, two lines- 48 pots of established and 9 babies of Shiraz.
Eleven of the Pinot.
Organising the irrigation now- small sprays to each pot. Still need a few more plumbing bits and pieces, and if I go away for a week or two, got an automatic irrigating thingamajig too.

Pinot

Shiraz


And- to recycle stuff- the still was fed a bunch of off old reds this last week to produce about 10l of spirit for port or sherry making. A few expensive Rockford Basket Press bottles that were Not Drinkable [2000, 2001!] and some other home mades that were also Not Drinkable - all emptied into the trusty spirit maker...

One of the old bottles that was actually okay and finished- on my own- over two nights- below. My friend Harry was also searching/making room in his cellar too- looks like another batch next week for the still.



Other wines that were tried lately- 
A Wine Society CabSav2000- into the still.
All of last year's wine made- into the still- 30 liters! Not good. Will try to make a fortified wine from what is left of the garage foxy grape wine this year [20l]- it does not taste too bad, but some syrup and spirit may perk it up heaps.
So- This years production- all but 20 of the 40l- INTO THE STILL, Bummer dudes- hopefully the brandy/rum at the end will be appreciated. No. It will be!
anyway
A 2013 Rockford Alicante- YUMMY!
A Rockford Pasket Press Shiraz- 2002- Yummy!

Well, that's all for the The start of the 2015 vintage in the Portable Vineyard during the start of the 2014 Spring Downunder.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Windsurfing and MS

Windsurfing and MS


Now that I have combined all blogs into one, means titles are going to be even more cryptic... And hopefully descriptive as to whether it will be worth reading through. As the SEO spammers keep on at me about! So there will more stuff on the family, and then hobbies like windsurfing, my state of health coping with MS, and the weird and wonderful rants and being Marvined of course. Maybe being Marvined means nothing to you now, but then when birds of a feather congregate, sparks may fly. [That's where the weirdness comes in, by the way.]

Selfie


Storm

Some Pelicans

The Prom


Since I have been back from the the drilling rig in desert - my MS symptoms seem to be at low ebb, which is good, apart from the loneliness feelings or paranoia of not being kept in or deliberately kept out of old friends or family loops of information flow. I know I like doing things myself, but really- am I that crappy to be with? And/but looks like I am going to need more help as when and or if the MS attacks become more often or severe or both. So where will that support come from? Flying backwards and forwards to work is okay IF there is going to be regularity and time off to wind down. With people- do I have to chase all the time, or be told no time, maybe sometime else. Retchereding. Look that up!

But then the winding down has to be put off as getting home means re-adjusting to the reality of rearing two young women and a young male adult. Which seems is not as easy as it was with the eldest child just a few short years ago! Having the friends of the YA around too much is wearing too, means the house is FULL- and EMPTY stubbies/tinnies (beer containers)  appear SUDDENLY on my - well it is not that neat but anyway- COFFEE table. AND things go missing while I am away- like the brand new remote control for the brand new EXPENSIVE blue-ray disk player/PVR! AND the relatively expensive yankee can opener is missing too!  AND the poor old portable grape vines were not that well looked after- the bunches are going to be the runts of the year- on all fifty pots! The ppo wee hoose was not looked after properly either- #2Son needs to be reminded that friends are not just there to tidy up after him! Even though they are staying over for freebies- Should I stop it?

BLAH BLAH- whinging and whining, and not appreciated. Just getting started- NO just relieving myself- I mean releasing some pent up up crappiness.

"Need money for this Daddy..." "Going to the pub with the mates, seeyas..."

THAT'S being Marvined- having a brain the size of a planet, and being used as the bank and cleaner.
But still I am doing it.

Being Un-Marvined, 

but still marvined as well, the last three weeks I have put nearly three tanks of fuel towards WINDSURFING and a thousand kicks on the vehicle's speedo, while actually being on the water for about sixty minutes all up. Yep, twelve hours travel for one hour on water time. To be fair, the wind was shitty or not there, or I was too tired(?) to stay out too long. My MS advisors have mentioned that- BE ACTIVE, be AWARE of tiredness too. Hmph. Bloody off putting the whole thing, I want to go SPEEDSAILING and am not up to it anymore. Throwing money at the shop for better gear means it will be worth more down the track cos it probably wont be used.... Ache and belly...

But I still do it.

AND today was a good day today- 30 minutes flat out after the wind came in at 1:10pm (2 hour wait... had nearly gone home at 12:10pm).  Very nice on the new board with the new sail and the new boom and new mast insert and new wetsuit and new floaty jacket, less time IN the water this time- bliss to be up to date almost- so now I need a new mast and another sail (a  5.5m). Then the wind relented so I packed up and and   and had a nap, as the tide was RIGHT IN! Again I had badly miscalculated, thinking that last weeks' high tide time would have occurred earlier today- idiot- NO. Ah well, very peaceful, puffing on a ciggie and drinking a packet of UHT coffee flavoured milk. Watching the pelicans and gulls floating in the shallows. Strange day, only me and two cars turned up, one a boater and the other a dad and son looking around- NO ONE else sailing. Bugger me.

Wish I were more positive- maybe I am normal- or just normalising things out. Wish the kids were just a little more house proud- not that I am a great example. Did do some retail therapy this week too though. New mower- self-propelled expensive little beauty, a new whiz bang Weber, a pole chainsaw for the bloody trees. Had the family wagon's electrics fixed up a bit for a grand... still needs more work!  And then I have my sister's wedding to look forward too, and all that jazz, going there in #2Sons new old car- nice it is too. And I have another desert job next week- means I miss xmas and the Boxing Day Cricket match at the Gee with the two boys, ouch, Ozzies V The Poms. Bugger.

PS the pics today were with a lens kit for the android phone- works well and as a macro for work, should be excellent too.


/*Retchereding- being pissed off at people and doing nothing about it as the effort may mean loss.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Winter 2013

Winter 2013


Lined up 

All the bunch ready potted vines line up down along the side fence for winter now, ready for spring bud time- about to occur quite soon.
Over forty portable backyard vines now, with eleven or so one year olds re-potted.
Re-thought the irrigation- get that lined up down the fence line this year, maybe a timer of 2-4 liters per day- or enough to fill the cut down and nearly buried 2 liter containers






one and two year old cuttings
The Pinot, and cat 

Monday, March 25, 2013

Vintage 2013

Portable Vineyard Vintage

Kids helped out with the Harvest for the Portable Vineyard Vintage this year, the pressing was a single handed affair.
result 7 liters of Pinot Noir and Shiraz blend- about 20-80%, and about 23 liters of the Foxey Garage Grapes
















Monday, February 25, 2013

Pre pick

Closer to Picking 2013


The backyard grape vines of the portable vineyard, IMBY, are set for vintage!

Pinot about 19 Brix
Shiraz close to 22 Brix
Garage Foxy Grapes about 22 Brix too

Looks like picking time this week or next!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

constant surveillance

Disease and Constant Vineyard Surveillance...

Dear me and Gosh


So it is the start, for the backyard grape vines, the start of the growing season!
Two days ago I found yellowing leaf edges on the new leafs! And drying out ones too. Diseases?

I am trying to "count the chicks" I suppose, watching out for the flowers on the vines.
It does not look like a great amount of grapes production this year.


The plan to cut back on how many canes grow each year on each vine maybe a bit outlandish, if there is only a few bunches per vine...

And if disease prevents the flowers forming...

I went down the street to the local plant nursery as some help required. Returned half an hour later with the evidence she [a North American?] lady needed to help me out with, from an old [looking] "plant growing advice book". The advice she gave was- I better get the Wettable Sulphur spraying program started asap for the required prevention activity.

Today 5 Oct

Advice day 4 Oct

That would have started straight away if the wind was not blowing the proverbial off it's dainty chest.

And it still is, so that is not helping my small apprehension. From the above pics, you can see not advisable to spray for two days now, and it did not help on the 4th that it was HOT...

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Flowers forming

Flowering time in TPV

I am a little confused about this. I thought there would be quite a few more branchlets forming before any flowers would arrive, because there may be less fruit from what I can see!
Maybe I am being a little pessimistic, as it is only the first week of October, and we have had plenty of rain as well as watering and feeding and spraying them...

Speaking of, there are a few degraded leaves, even a few yellowish ones today, so I will have to get the mildew sprays out so to avoid last years cockup!

Garage grapes

Shiraz

Pinot Noir

Shiraz

Shiraz

Last years cuttings Shiraz

Last years cuttings Shiraz

Last years cuttings Pinot Noir

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Spring is Sprung In The Portable Vineyard


Wondering around the yard today and Surprise!


Did not notice any activity during the week and then...

Buddding vines! 


Shiraz

Pinot Noir

The Pinots

Mulched the pots today, beautiful first day of spring!



Friday, July 27, 2012

Pre-Spring Preparations

Pre-Spring Preparations

The Spring of 2012

Winter

After pruning back the potted grape-vines this year, a look over the vines gave a sort of satisfying 'job well done Tone'. Some of the vines were pretty well pruned back to a few stubs really, accidental or not... We'll see later on. The cuttings from the Shiraz were successful, and you can see the fuzzy buds starting to erupt. On the Pinot cuttings, well, I think only a couple will survive the spring bud season.

Preparations

Separated out the older vines into the side yard for this years growth in order to avoid any contamination by the mildews again. After last years pitiful outcome, I want this year to be anything but pitiful! The "younger" ones I will leave in the backyard, and two year old cuttings will be transplanted into the final growing pots.

Last years inherited shiraz vines from friend Harry that survived last season that were not in the final growing pots were also transplanted this last week. [my baacckk...].
Shiraz

2 yr old Shiraz

Younger Shiraz

Pinot Noir

Shiraz Cuttings Winter 2011

Stock as of End of July 2012


  1. 6 planted Shiraz- 10kg
  2. 33 potted Shiraz- 10kg
  3. 6 baby Shiraz- 2kg
  4. 20 potential Shiraz Cuttings
  5. 9 Pinot Noir- 3kg
  6. 6 baby Pinots- 1kg
  7. 2 to 4 potential Pinot cuttings
  8. garage Foxey Grapes- 20-30kgs

At End of Winter or early September

I intend to transplant the baby potted vines into the final, bigger pots as I did with the adopted Shiraz vines the other week. 
Weather and back...

I will really have to think about spacing this year. At least a mowers width between them this time or more?