Man

What a difference a week makes!! Last week went really well. We got the Spring pruning (ebourgenage) done - that's where we go through and do both pruning of wild shoots and thinning out of the shoots without flowers - to concentrate the energy into those shoots where the grapes will grow...its ALL about the grapes !! you can see how nice and neat they are. This will last another few weeks,and then they will take off again. By the time harvest comes, it will look like we've never been 0out there!

Anyway, we finished that on Monday - most of the work is manual, with only a 'topper' on the tractor for cutting off the really wild-growing shoots Its like a multi-sided, multi-bladed weed whacker - it cuts off the long shoot on the tops and sides).

So this week was/is plowing and watering and spraying and weed killing week. I set myself up to be very busy (as is the case when the vines are growing like crazy). And that's when things started to go bad.............

First, on the wine side. I had sent samples of the reds to England to be tasted in a couple of competitions - Decanter Magazine's World Wine Awards, and The International Wine Challenge (a competition run by a reputable English publication - similar to the Dallas Wine Competition). Anyway, I sent both the 2009 Cotes du Rhone and the 2009 cuvee 'Ombre du Chateu'. One of the interesting side-lights in both these competitions is that they also offer entry into their "New Discoveries" show- for those wines that do n9ot have representation in England.

So, I thought..what a deal. I can hope for reasonable showings, and gain an audience with those folks looking for something new.

Welllll, &@^#& $, I got the results yesterday. In a nutshell, I got skunked. In BOTH competitions. Decanter gave out 8000 awards, and the IWC gave out 5000, and my wine failed to get an award!!!!! So much for increasing the PR; so much for having something to brag about; So much for finding potential clients; so much for having SOMETHING TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT!!!!............as you can tell....VERY DEPRESSING.

And then the week went on (today). With a litany of issues.

Seems that the attachment on the 'water wagon' for watering the new plants took the opportunity to fall apart - welding will be required...will lose at least a day.

Seems the red tractor's battery decided to go toes-up. Need to replace it....will lose 1/2 a day

Seems I failed to pay my hail insurance bill as I was suppose to (who ever heard of paying for insurance AFTER the year is up - I assumed you payed in advance, and I decided to cancel - turns out..NOPE)..so now iof course now I have to pay a penalty..so that's not days lost , just EURO's.

Seems the big pump, for filling water tanks, and cleaning the cellar, etc, decided to go bonkers. I don't know if its the pump..or that the water table has gone down and I might need a NEW WELL!..so this will lose a week.....

This has NOT been a good few days...ah well next week is coming soon.......................................

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