Building Compost Bins – out of bits and bobs

Compost Pile – in the beginning, it was a heap.

When we first moved to our new home* in France, there were a few obvious projects that attracted out attention – the vegetable garden (maximising its space and putting in a mini-vineyard) and the compost heap. Literally. It was a heap.

Our First Harvest – Pursuing grapes, bees, birds, mildew and rot

We were given the go ahead to work on our vineyard in September, right in the middle of harvest time. Talk about thrown in the deep end. But the plus side is from the get go we would know what we were dealing with, which would then highlight what the priorities would be in the vineyard in the next year, as well as what would be needed in the winery.

Finding a Vineyard in Burgundy – Part 3

In conjunction with our How to find a Vineyard in France (Part 1 & Part 2), there is another story to tell in our unfolding wine making saga. This story began at a similar time, and developed along side, the discovering of SAFER and all we undertook with them.

The background… As part of living here, we are working to improve our language skills and start to fit in to the neighbourhood around us. The French are wonderful about inviting you around for drinks and nibbles of an early evening to get to know each other, and in our case a chance to practise our developing French, or sometimes their English. Either way, discussions about vineyards were generally soon to crop up and it was very heart warming how much everyone wanted to assist us.

It was at a reciprocal (very much how it is done here) drinks & nibbles  with some neighbours that we were told of a nearby Chateau that had vines that were going to the birds, literally. It was possible the owners might be willing to let us have the grapes, rather than the birds and bees, to make into wine.  Would we like an introduction? Can birds and bees fly?

In the beginning … Creative Ginger supports letter writing and drinking wine

We’re Pumpjack & Piddlewick~

A redhead (Piddlewick) with a fun loving attitude and a quirky sense of humour, living with an eccentric, mad scientist oenologist (Pumpjack – he who makes wine). We have been travelling the world for the last few years, making wine in such places as Northern Spain, New Zealand and California. However, enhancing other peoples plans and lifestyles was not enough for us. We decided to take the leap, and Follow Our Dreams.