Spring is around the corner...

The mornings are still frosty but one of the plum trees decided that Spring must be arriving soon
so do the daffodils
I have 8 more rows to prune by hand and this coming weekend we start on the old grapes. We use pneumatic pruners on them. Much easier :-))) My hand started to complain after the 4000-th young vine :-) but I have to keep going...not much more! Only about 800 more...and from next year most of the whole vineyard can be pruned by pneumatic force. I wish we could buy those electric pruners.....but they are sooooo expensive. Nowdays you can buy all sorts of electric tools for less then 100 dollars why are these pruners over 2000???? Using these, instead of manual ones, would save a LOT of pain and injury. In my mind this is a strong workplace safety issue! If these pruners would be reasonably priced I'm sure EVERY vineyard would use them and would supply their workers with them.
We planted out the Robinia forest.
Paul ripped the rows and churned up the pasture to the delight of our population of birds :-)) The photo is small but if you look very closely you can count 4 Red Robin boys busy collecting any grub, worm and insect unearthed. Here is one closer up
The girls are brown, they are not visible but a flock of 10 was working here. The lapwings, black birds, blue wrens and native hens were all there also. What excitement! Everyone chirping, twittering...clicking beaks, trying to chase the other one off the rich pickings :-))
Marking out the holes Paul dropped one tiny tree for me to plant
386 fitted in, the rest were planted in boxes to replace -next year- the ones which will not survive.
He finished my table also :-)) It will be used as an island bench in the new kitchen. A big chopping block is incorporated for meat and vegie preparations and drawers for utensils
Myrtle and Blackwood was used, the block is endgrain-cut Blue Gum.
The price is 2500 $ if you want to buy it before I get the chance to use it :-))) It is sitting in the half-finished gallery now. Once we move up there EVERYTHING will be for sale :-) If you want the chair you sit on, the table you drink our wine at, the display cabinets, outdoor furnitures, benches, gazebos and sculptures in the garden, the counter...no, you can't take THAT one but you will be able to order it made :-)) We deliver worldwide.