Days 3-5

After a lazy weekend spent reading and walking round a bit of the creek.

Day3- more weeding! And then tucking, pulling up the wires as well this time to contain the vines better and tuck faster. Worked in a patch of pinot gris with M, the vineyard manager. Several crossed wires and pulled-up net wires in the rows... I realise everyday that anything done wrong at any stage will just snowball and lead to a lot more work a few months down..

Day4 - leaf plucking at rennock, a patch of merlot grapes on leased land, about 10km away. The land is in a valley with views of hills and pastures in the distance, with a small forest of oak trees next to the vines. 3 of us girls worked alongside M, and we learnt some things about the various hoops that have to be gone through - constantly- for organic certification. Even the fenceposts cannot be of a treated wood!

Day 5 - a half day, with most of the other woofers goimg to the beach. Leaf plucking again in the pinot gris. The sheep are wandering into the rows now but they really don't seem to be eating much. M has told us that once they start, they can leaf-pluck (or maybe i should just say eat) a patch beautifully in just 3-4 days. I hope they 'get the taste for it' soon! If not we humans have to fumble on.

Looking forward to tomorrow, when M is going to 'stir the potion' (mix up the biodynamic sprays) at the crack of dawn. I've heard from A, another wwoofer who was here for a month before, that there is singing involved!