Spring is here in the Vineyard

By guest blogger John

Happy Easter!

It's mid April and spring has, with a doubt -  sprung. 

The willow tree has new leaves and the pond is being enjoyed by a mallard duck who is sitting on the aerator/fountain just before it starts so I hope he doesn't get startled when it does, although he has done this many times before.


The vineyard is also showing signs of life with fresh young leaves appearing on the vines.

Following on from my report last month I can now show you the difference between cane pruning for the  Godello vines where on each vine 3 canes grow up and are secured to the wires, and cordon pruning, for the Merlot vines where there are shoots coming up off one long branch of the vine.

Godello cane pruning

Merlot cordon pruning

The Godello is a little ahead of the Merlot which is normal for white varieties which tend to be harvested several weeks before most reds. One exception is Pinot Noir which is harvested fairly early but as you know that makes a much lighter wine than Merlot.

Now is the start of work in the vineyard and already we have mowed between the vines to allow for better air circulation in case of late season frosts which can damage the tender young shoots.
Soon it will be dusting with sulfur to prevent mildew and then there is general monitoring of the vineyard.

We had lots of rain in March and early April so the ground will be wet enough to avoid any irrigation for some time.

Until next month.....

Monday's Millinery Musings:

By guest blogger Jennifer

This summer I received an email from a Sonoma photographer, Megan Clouse,  who found me on Etsy. You never know who is following your Etsy shop! Perfect example: Ruth and the New York Times.

Megan asked if she could  photograph my studio for her blog. Now, I must admit, my workroom is an absolute unrelenting shambles every day of the week all year long. Dangerous, teetering piles of what-not threaten anyone who has the courage to enter. So a few things spoke to me about this request: I would be forced to clean up the space, and, it was interesting to imagine how someone else would view the studio, and what would be attention grabbing enough to photograph. So I agreed to it . Reluctantly.

All the photographs included in this post were taken by Megan.

I spent the entire day before Megan's visit digging out the room and moving half of its contents into Dave's office. He was very lovely about that and agreed to remain lovely as long as I moved it all back after the photo shoot. 

It was hard to decide what hat Vivian should wear and in the end Megan decided on the gold metallic rose fascinator.

Vivian

I may not have mentioned Vivian to you before. That is a terrible oversight on my part as she is crucial to my operation. Vivian is the Queen of my Etsy shop. She  models every hat and allows me to photograph her at any time day or night. She is always enthusiastic, never tires, and her hair and makeup are flawless. She is chronically beautiful. Vivian is handmade from a vintage mould of a 1940's department store mannequin. She was made by Deco Eyes, a small family-run business. Did you ever see that wonderful movie, Lars and the Real Girl? It's a bit like that with Vivian and me, although our relationship is strictly professional.

Doesn't this bookshelf look neat? Too bad we don't have before pictures.

Thanks to half  the contents of the room being in Dave's office, it was finally possible to move furniture! When Megan came the space seemed so roomy, inviting, and dare it be said, tidy. This has been a great boon since I had been avoiding the studio for a month. It was too far gone even for me. But it has become a place to dream and work in again. I have so many ideas that need a place to be nurtured and grow into what they are meant to be. The French author Colette has written, "Orderliness cures everything".

All the hats are sewn on my mother-in-law's vintage Singer Featherweight sewing machine.

And so, it is time for me to get back to work. Did I mention that this is my last post? Ruth has been so kind to let me try out my little water wings in the vast cyber sea of blogging, and I haven't drown. Thank you to those who have taken the time to read my posts. Thank you, Ruth, for giving me the chance to blog. It has been so much fun.

Introductions - New Guest blogger Marly

I want to introduce you to a new guest blogger - my great friend Marly.  

Marly is an artist who works in fused glass, metal clay and lots of other things too.  She and Angie own and run Studio 28 in Waterloo, Canada (near Toronto).

Lake House View

The photo below shows Marly in my studio last year, when she and Angie were visiting.  While we were together, we had an incredible time making some collaboration pieces - three pieces with each of us contributing to each piece.  The process - and results - were amazing. Here's the link to the final blog post about our metal clay collaboration projects so you can see what we came up with.

Anyhow - I won't tell you too much about her, as she'll be doing that!  She will be blogging on alternate Mondays in her new slot "Mondays with Marly". So one week it'll be "Mondays with Marly" and the next it'll be "Monday's Millinery Musings" with Jennifer.  (Now why Jennifer's name doesn't begin with an M I'll never know!! Maybe she should change it!!!)

 Garden Window

I'm delighted she agreed to join our little band of bloggers, so we get to hear a little about "inside the artisan Marly".

See you Monday Marly!