March 2022

05 March 2022

It's been a busy time since we left Michael after his amazing ultra marathon. We made our way back to Denmark and have been busy netting the vines and repairing the holes before the silver eye birds come. Such a small bird, you wouldn't think it could do much damage to the crop, but when thousands come, it's a real problem.

Grapes

But with the nets on it is only a few weeks before harvest, then it will be feed and water the vines up before they hibernate and we go to work pruning and shaping their future for them. In the meantime we will be taking some time out to travel and explore the area a bit more and of course, get some more photography done.

24 March 2022

Time has been marching on towards the grape harvest, but we still managed a few days away with friends Bob and Julie at Lake Nunijup, a place we have camped before. Quiet, peaceful and near the lake it is the perfect place to unwind for a few days.

Kale Nunijup

Our campsite at the small but pleasant Lake Nunijup.

Nunijup Sunrise

Limited photographic opportunities, but this was one of our sunrises.

We spent three nights camped up and enjoying each others company before heading back to Denmark to get into the 2022 grape harvest.

And we have now taken nets off of all but the Riesling, and have harvested the Chardonnay, Sav Blanc and Semillon Most of the harvesting has been with the harvester that goes across the top of the row and shakes the living daylights out of the vines to make the grapes drop onto the conveyor where it is all then sent to along the belts and out across the boom and into the bins on the chaser bin tractor. But we have followed up with hand picking the left over's in the notoriously hard to harvest Chardonnay. Riesling, Merlot and Cabernet are next but in a few weeks time.

Mark Twain once said "...years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do that by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - and so we will.