Not last Post

Not last Post

Thanks for the interest.

Added the rest of the blogs consolidating MS, winemaking, geology advert, and hobbies and weirdness.
all the things posted elswhere apart from wordpress blog- thinking on that, no last post  there yet- but should I put Everything on one site. I know links go to the old sites, so that just confuses people. leaving them on the net. I imagine so anyway.

The way I write is not scoring hugely I note with dissapointment- maybe I cannot write whre people are just wringing their hands and grinding teth- "Just where/when is the next one Tony?

marvined memory kitchen

Woke up this morning  lalala

Dishwasher stuck in drain mode last 8 hours.
Call-Forgotten to be at friends place earlier in the week for vine pull.
wash sort hang out
Phone calls left right and center
travel
Buy gels goods
travel
wash sort hang
fix bastard machine
hang out
travel
pull
travel
buy
washing in
tidy
catch up messaging
dinner for one

post.....

Red Wine Pressings

arg- watery, okay, not as great as I expected.
Not being continuous with the order of where the blogs go!

And as I am a little slack, not going to move it here, so to the story click here

Red Wine Vintage 2011

There was not much to pick this year- I do not know why. About 50% of the bunches were no good, and it was almost individual berry selection! Some had dried up or were mouldy or rotten, painful.

The Pinot Noir was so promising too, so it went in with the Shiraz, and I ended up with about eight liters- should make nearly 6 bottles!

Plan to make port this year, use some of the distilled ex-wine from last year, just have to watch that density carefully, and leave some sweetness!

If the crop was going to be excellent, did plan to get in some pickers, and have a barbie. Ah well.

Vast mismanagement discovered in a local vineyard!!

I thought I had some chardonnay in The Portable Vineyard pots the last two years or more.
Wrong.

Not green, Not chardonnay!

netted today- renegade pinot at right

With some verasion occurring in the crop ( of two pots...) this last week (!) since they last were watered (it has been wet down here), this means they are Pinot instead (I think).
Or cross pollinated? 


I thought I had it all sorted AND labelled last year... 
I had separated the pots (5 + 4) according to the then ripened fruit displayed into 7 and 2, but now...


So I have (potentially) 9 Pinot Noir vines and maybe up to 12 baby vines coming along...


I am hoping to get more fruit than last year- I made nearly a whole litre and a bit, that turned into vinegar... 
But even then, it was a Great Tasting Vinegar!


So apart from probably no chardonnay after trying for nearly 5 years, I may have
A small amount fine wine or
B small amount fine vinegar  or 
C small amount of fine brandy...

DIY and activities monthly tally

Hmm. So far:

Webcam for weather watch project- failed- cost 54 dollars, software dependent... too hard.
Got a 10m USB cable tho!
Cracked car headlight, (too generous to senior staff!) got for $125, install...on hold, and:
Waiting on another bill for a cracked tail-light...

Garden Hedge and path- 17 plants- ten in- no path- started it anyway
Find spectacles in long grass at night- fail; new eyes midday & success due to a senior staff member.

Directors chairs two of, very wobbly; cannabalise seat and back; renew one not so wobbly- uncomfortable though; tight, hard...[at right above- new table middle- usual chair at left- comfy]

Garden hose trigger spray- oh, it is buggered, thanks for telling me junior staff: $4.95 to replace!!! Okay then.
Xmas tree- find, choose...chop down, $25, transport home, junior staff decorate, director to put up lights.!
Xmas lights- failing- too many to test- too old anyway, have to upgrade quality? I mean, 200 wee bulbs!?
Portable vineyard- watering, and cursing vivacious growth! Cuttings doing well. Fertilised. Sprayed.

Created backyard fire place for staff parties from old laundry machine- Nice One Dadda! The shelter is a bit cramped, but temporary...

Started on vitamins/fishoil/glaucosomine/good bacteria capsules.
Want to see a dentist for some CAVITIES.

Attempt to find out why a junior staff's computer screen (LCD) wont work, but a CRT does...??? Fail due to pc glitch, the "manufacturer/repairer/sales person" could not see a problem... Yet. But cheap as you get- expect that.
Three working LCD screens tested on it have a few moments displaying the desktop then No Signal- but a CRT keeps displaying- any suggestions?

Not DIY, but- over spent on the kids for Xmas- bugger, by 100% or more, Good Intentions my fat ass! If these practical gifts are not utilised- I will...I will...just...just...EXPLODE. Should be fun. So.

So Xmas cards are out of the budget, sorry dear reader.
Long list too. Family listing was forty or more, and friends same. Good thing, the Internet, I can send out Gigabyte Sized Family Movies instead...Enjoy!
Seriously- a message anyway, and Next Year- cards first in November, budget a hundred bucks and A4 size envelopes with A6 cards... Leave time to buy presents for Xmas Eve (nothing left in the shops to buy...! Cunning!)

So have sat on behind after all the above.
Ran out of reading material.
Started on the Bourne Trio Video Pack.
Slowed down alcohol intake- reduced nicotine intake a wee bit.
Nah, but will cut to zero New Years time...
Health kick (capsules etc), no results as yet... farting a lot tho.

Started school kids Summer Holidays- 17th December to February 4 new projects for staff...? What to do?

Okay.

Well.

TIDY YOUR ROOMS!!!!
Dentist.
Xmas with family
Adelaide?
Cricket For me and a senior staff member.
Pool time- if #1  item fulfilled?

Ah- holidays

When DIY wont, a comic tragedy of errors.

Asked a few days ago to help out a friend out with some DIY around their Bran Noo Hoose oota toon. That is, the next town.
Confidence misplaced I am thinking and saying, but no! Okay then.

After lunch today, did some homey stuff- laundry, garden, PV* stuff, then sorted out the job tools- this? or that? power cable- nah.
She called, late, to organise a pick up. Okay.

Waited for a pick up. Late. Drive to hardware store, checked the list, RTFM etc.
Shopped for the screws and bolts, okay. Noo mailbox at next stop.
Go home first? No. Drive on.

Oh oh.
Forgot cell phone- need it?
No. Drive on driver.

Ten minutes uncomfortable small talk.
Outskirts of town, before the bridge.
Oh oh.

No tools!

That was the point of going home first, you idiot-self!
To driver, Sorry, but I forgot the tool box, but I will drive my car back out? Sorry. It's okay?
Right.
Get back, say see ya later, and sort out the tool box, stuffed in the back, and eldest cadges a lift into town. Forgot to grab cell.

Drive on out again. 3pm now. Door locked- waiting again.

So. Mount a mail box? Here? Okay.
Yeah. Off to a power point. Drill 4 holes.
Back to mounting point.
Screw in but holes too small...
Back to power point and drill.
Back to fixing point.
Three screws in.
DA DAH! How's that? Yay me!
Last screw- a gap. Bloody hell.
Bugger it. Leave it- its fine- just have to bring a power cable or cordless drill next  time I visit for One Last Thing...

All righty then.

Laundry line- Yeah I can do it. Back brick wall. Easy Install!
Nah. Wrong drill, and drill bit.
One hole. 30 minutes.
Next hole- NAH, won't penetrate. Brick too hard?
Is it worth 150 bucks for a new drill and bit to do it properly? For 'free'?
Forget it! For now.
Maybe I do need some new tools?

Next job.

Mount the dryer in here up here over the washing machine. Okay, easy.
Knock knock knock - here! A noggin or stud. Good.
Drill pilot hole.
Nah.
No wood to mount the hanging plate. J.B.C.!!!
Proof- GAP behind the plaster board where it needs to go.
Another two drill holes later... Finally found the wood.
No good, the plate needs to be Here, Not There. Have to put a plank in.
Back to the drawing board Magoo. Cannot mount on plaster board!
Show the problem and talk about it. Drawing board.

Oh well, next jobbie?

The new HUGE flat-screen TV to be mounted on the wall?
I am saying NAH, I think I have done enough damage and dodgey shit work today, besides, it's knock off time.

"That's okay-  come back again when you can."

"Really? Well, okay then, see ya", weakly. Oh dear.

Get home, and #2 son says to me- "I called you".

Multiple Failures on my part- as do not want something to happen where injury will result, or utter humiliation at the dodgey job. Thank god I was not asked to do the painting out there. Well I was- but avoided the issue. Some how. 

I am sure I would have stuffed that up, even if it is so easy these days.

Gunna have to buck up there, boyo, and really do things properly.

Marvined again

*Portable Vineyard

Vineyard and Alcoholery Production (cof cof...)

The Portable vineyard is coming along fine, the nursery vines seems to be growing well and the cuttings are a low percentage success. The last three weeks have resulted in a few drinks being made.

Some liqueurs have been made up, like anise flavoured, cinnamon flavoured and vanilla bean flavoured. Half a litre high alcohol content with ingredients should make up a nice drink around Xmas time, just seive the stuff out and add sugar- about 300g and equal amount of H2O.

Will be making limonella too, the lemon tree has stayed the course after a severe hair cut, and the fruit looks good. Poor old thing may need some more cut off it next year.

Have not made chocolate milk stout for a few years, so out to the brewery- and now have two-dozen-plus long-necks maturing. Give them six weeks and that will be a nice little present for other afficiendos too.

From 8 kg of sugar, managed to 'scrounge' 5 liters of base, enough to make 10 liters of spirits, or about 14 bottles of whotcar. Carbon filtering should remove most smells, or will 'scrounge' it again. Need to 'scrounge' some afters too, and maybe the horrible wine off the garage vine will be added to that. Faux brandy even!

The Portable Vineyard as of middle September:

Shiraz

Pinot

Chardonnay

There are at least three Shiraz cuttings, 5 Pinot and two chardonnay budding at the moment, and last years shiraz cutting are really doing well.

The Portable Vineyard 2010/2011 season

Today

The Portable Vineyard was finally weeded, tended, fixed, fertilized and mulched. There were new buds on the potted vines on 1 September, and now the established vines are budding too

The nursery plants were also fixed up, with some re-potted.

Chardonnay and Pinot 2010

What is it?

Last count was 29 Shiraz/Syrah vines in pots at various stages- 15 fruiting vines, the rest the nursery vines. There are also 6 chardonnay and 2 Pinot Noir vines along the veranda that are producing, the birds got last years chardonnay, and the liter of pinot wine turned to vinegar, but it was a great red wine vinegar! there was a real sense of achievement when spaghetti bolognaise tasted just fine with it added.

 In a addition to the potted vines are the original 6 vines planted in 1999 out along the back fence (4) and next to the shed/bungalow (2). These are the origins of the Portable Vines, cuttings propagation.

Production currently

Last year I managed to coax enough fruit for 5 liters, or nearly 6 bottles of shiraz, and the same this year.

The wine from last year was really nice, I don't think any is left to mature more than a year! I could be wrong... I will have to check the Micro Wine Cellar. I am pretty sure there is none in the Alcoholery*!

[ *That's the Beer/Wine/Spirit Making Shed, abbreviated from "Brewery/Winery/Distillery Ex-car Garage". ]

But Why?

When we bought the place (1998) there was a vine against the garage. After the first summer there was HEAPS of grapes. I asked a home brew shop owner what could I do with it. I had to buy a beer brewing kit, and also enough ingredients to make Milk Stout. 

So that is why I make wine at home.

How

From a book published in Australia, I learnt that about 50 wine grape vines would be a fine idea to make enough for a years consumption- up to 50 bottles a year I think was the idea, but when you only have a quarter acre, you have to compromise... So when pruning three year old vines, I kept them to make cuttings propgation, and that started it all.

Now I have a shelf full of wine making and beer brewing books.

A garage full of brewing equipment. And bottling stuff and Bottles...

I read about Canadian Ice Wine- a sweet wine made by letting the berries freeze, and squeezing the unfrozen juice out to ferment. The vines were grown in old barrels, cut in half and mounted on trolleys!  I guess that this was so that they could be wheeled in and out of the barn or green house for winter. 

So that is why it is a Portable Vineyard, if I have to sell up, it all comes with me!