Contingency plans

I rang to get the weekly shopping list

from two nonagenarians.

Could you get me one of those very tiny bottles of wine?

Merlot. Sainsbury's do them.

When the curate came round last week to give Communion

 he found that his bottle of consecrated wine was empty.

A walk recently found us stumbling unexpectedly through a vast vineyard.

Gusbourne Estate grows Pinot Noir,

Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay.

They have followed the tradition of planting roses at the end of each row,

this supposedly acting as an early warning system because

grape vines and roses are susceptible to the same diseases,

such as powdery mildew and downy mildew.

The wine rack is empty and

we have an anniversary coming up.

I don't think they do very tiny bottles.

Dommage!

Peace and war

 We took our visitors for our favourite walk,

and then we went to Breaky Bottom vineyard

owned and run by Peter Hall, 

great nephew of Lafcadio Hearn,

a man much revered in Japan.

The vines are mostly Seyval Blanc, 

but new for 2007  is a Chardonnay 

which Peter let us taste.

Admiring the new labelling machine.

Lambs newly separated from their mothers

baahed plaintively on the sidelines.

 Toto the Bengal cat.

It couldn't have been a more perfect day 

but as we neared home 

we saw a plume of black smoke on the horizon.

I later discovered that it came from a furniture store

razed to the ground by rioters.

This shop had withstood two World Wars since

its opening in 1867.

We don't know how much our friends have understood 

about the ongoing situation.

It hasn't been referred to directly 

and we don't want to frighten the children. 

In any case, we don't have the words to explain it ourselves.

I would need the Japanese word for 'ashamed'.

Nice evening

Happily Bird Hits (anag.)

With the aid of rhubarb Bellinis,

the cards

slowly

revealed

the

birthday present anagram.

(Not quite there yet).

This evening we're off to hear our eldest singing in this

and to see these little birds...

Snow Ball

One of us

is preparing for a dinner party tonight.

A lavish menu has been planned

and every pot, pan, chopping board, knife,

ladle, worksurface, gadget,

and recipe book has been pressed into service.

The scene is set.

Guests to be seated by 8 p.m.

His younger brother's special champagne jellies

are in the fridge.

There may be dancing.

The rest of us are going out.

 It's pretty cold out there.

We hope that the Snow Ball will not go on until dawn.


Brambly Hedge Winter Story by Jill Barklem

The most beautiful vineyard in Britain

is Breaky Bottom.

And that is where we were this blustery October day,

just two weeks before the harvest,

visiting the wonderful vintner and raconteur, Peter Hall

and tasting his 2005 and 2006 vintages.

The new attraction this year is Conrad,

their Bengal kitten

looking uncannily like the cats in this post.

Full of fizz.