Well, following on from Saturday's A&E and vet trips, yesterday and today have been rather like groundhog day. More trips to A&E and vet. My feline patient is still a bit dodgy but my human patient is doing fine today, though grounded for a few weeks - no golf or driving. However, he's relieved to be feeling much better today so he's handling being grounded really well.
But it is only Day 1 ...
So maybe I can get him to sit out in the pergola to enjoy some shaded sun. I wish I'd taken before shots of this but in recent weeks it's been smartened up, with staining and black paint and wisteria and grape vines tied back. Geranium and lobelia have been planted. Solar lights have been dotted around to that the space twinkles come dusk. It's looking welcoming again.
What do you think? I think it has a certain simple sophistication. Maybe a bit Scandi?
The grape vine is loving Summer 2017.
I'm finding little clusters dotted around the vine.
2006 was a good year for Chateau Pout. I'm hoping 2017 will be too.
I seem to recall reading some years ago that good summers go in an 11 year cycle.
We just may be in luck.
So, as my human patient was feeling so much better today, I drove him down to the beach and we went for a little walk on sand and in water. He enjoyed that. He paid the going rate for this treat. He bought me a super soft ice cream cone. Mmmmnnn!
A la perchoine.
Hi there is that your grapevine?, we have one which grows through our carport. It has lots of grapes like yours but every year it gets a sort of fungus, does yours? We got it in I.o.W many years ago and as we live in Northants was,nt sure if it would grow but it did. It is a wine grape,not nice to eat. I hope your husband will soon be ok.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Polly, he's doing well.
DeleteIt's a cannonhall edible grape which was originally grown under glass and exported. The vine is very old, here outside when I bought the house, it's original greenhouse having been taken down at some stage prior. Outside I guess damp conditions allow the fungus to thrive, I think mine may have had it but I can't remember for sure.
I built the pergola for support when I removed the shed it was growing on and I'm happy with its cosy sun shading and it looks nice - edible grapes would be a bonus though outside they don't get as big as under glass. My cousin has an under-glass old cannonhall which produces an abundance of huge clusters of sweet grapes each year. So I think Britain's climate isn't hot and dry enough for healthy outdoor grapes, hence the fungus you've experienced.
I planted a new red grape vine and it died after a couple of years, so you're so lucky yours has survived. It must look beautiful. Can you spray it? My peach tree usually needs to be sprayed early summer, though this year it's been OK.
Gosh, that was a long answer!
Thanks for that, we have sprayed on occasions. The roots are outside but the vine grows thro the carport along Perspex roof inside, but anyway it looks very nice, quite tropical, just don't use them.
ReplyDeleteIt's possible that the sun can't get through the perspex and doesn't properly dry the morning dew thoroughly which creates moist conditions on the clusters for the mould to thrive. But we Brits don't love our outdoor vines for their fruit but for the lovely med feel they create, eh.
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