I enjoyed today very much as I had a helper. Yes, James came to help me do some pruning. We chatted extensively about all manner of things and especially wine, terrior, viticulture, geology and holidays. With the company what is normally a long day seemed to fly by. Not only did we achieve a great deal but in some way it has rejuvenated my enthusiasm for what is after all a very monotonous job.
One of the things we discussed was the lifetime of wire used in trellising. I am not exactly sure of the life expectancy of wire but later in the evening after James had gone home I noticed one of our trees that had grown around a barb wire fence. As you can see it must be very old as the wire is ~1/2 way through a very old tree.
James says: A day among the vines in early February makes you appreciate the Herculean task Tim has taken on. Pruning is hard graft which has consequences for the future of the vineyard. But, as Tim says, conversation makes the slow crawl down the rows fly by. Could do with a warm sun, though!
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