The natural things are just starting to happen out in the vineyard. All the human-driven things — vine-tending, including pruning, chipping and grinding the trimmings, and repairing support posts and wires — are done now. Leaf buds are breaking out all over. The vines are waking up.
Now the weather is supposed to turn chilly again. Maybe that will be better for the vines. You don't want them to get ahead of themselves and produce flowers too early. According to predictions, we'll get two more nice sunny days, and then rain overnight Thursday followed by much lower temperatures for the weekend and all next week. Low temperatures in late April and early May explain why we don't set plants outdoor in the garden until about May 15.
Yesterday was the first day in I-don't-know-when that Callie didn't need a bath when we came back from the afternoon walk. I compare the poor dog to the character Pigpen in the Charlie Brown cartoons — sand and mud and burrs just seem to jump up and stick tight to her, especially when her fur is wet.
I love when those tender leaves shoot out. In my region, the vineyards are still patches of mostly brown, compared with the vivid green of the wheat fields or the zingy yellow of colza.
ReplyDeleteWe had light frost only a couple of times this winter, and I doubt that the saints glaces will bring it at this point. I haven't planted yet, but that's because of laziness!
Les saints de glace (11, 12, 13 mai, I think) are just a rule of thumb. But people around here like to remember a year not that long ago when they had 15 centimeters of snow during that period. It's supposed to be fairly cold here over the next week, but hey, it's still April, the cruelest month.
ReplyDeleteIt all happens so quickly- our Alabama woods are solid green already. Love that first photo.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were at Dinocheau just before meeting you and Walt for dinner, I believe Laurence Dinocheau said the vines were a little early. She also was worried about a possible frost 2 days later, but I assume that didn't happen.
ReplyDeleteIt was chilly here a couple of mornings ago, but I saw no evidence of a real freeze. On the other side of the Cher, I don't know.
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