Having passed the vernal equinox and the clock change to Euro summer time, it's now April Fools' Day and yesterday the real harbingers of spring displayed themselves for the first time - Freesia bulbs that have held their buds out through frost and rain for the whole of March, now brighten my morning stagger to the kitchen next door.
It's been a fortnight of steady outside work, with a couple of days' respite while it was raining, during which we cracked away at almonds by the fireside. We have now nearly finished weeding the vineyards and Battistino has received the expert tuition of his brother Pietro on how to prune them so that they are trained to reach the wires and continue their lives in an 'espalier' form.
Looks tedious? It was!
The old Sardinian vine-growing method was less technical, involving leaving the vine to grow low in its natural form. The method they are using this time will enable more grapes to grow, exposed more evenly to the sun, and will hopefully be less arduous for those maintaining the vines, as they won't have to bend so low down! Although they need pruning every year, this first year's pruning is the most important to ensure the vines achieve their appropriate structure.
One neighbouring grower has shared a bottle of his Vermentino wine, made from white grapes typical of the north of the island. We had thought to be the first in the area to have planted a few lines of this grape. But now we have a rival! (The Cannonau is the red grape variety grown around here and the other vines are all of this type.)
Meanwhile, the day after the full moon, the19th March, was a deluge - we were set to plant the first potatoes of the season as tradition dictates! So that had to wait of course. Covid was determined not to let Tonino come to give us a hand making the rows as straight as our neighbour Marcheddu's long potato furrows, but Battistino got his bit of string and twigs together and made a reasonable job of it.
Our lines of mixed vegetables are a bit less conventional in their geometry, but I'm sure they'll work. The main difference between planting here and in Scotland is making allowance for irrigation of the plants by making deep channels between the rows, including spuds. Not necessary right now, but it certainly will be by May. So far we have put in four types of onions, three varieties of lettuce, cauliflower, pointy summer cabbage, rocket, spinach, beet and basil. Oh, and it's forecast to snow here tomorrow.
Although the weather is blowing warm and cold, the plant and animal life is progressing steadily. I've spotted various familiar birds (bluetits, great tits, long-tailed tits, goldfinches) darting around the almond and wild pear blossom and pecking at the early fruit blossoms(plum, pear, peach) in the orchard. There is also the lovely Sardinian Warbler who hasn't wanted to pose for a photo yet. Then there is a regular visiting kestrel who comes into conflict daily with the crows. At night we are hearing the lonesome hoot of the Scops owl, interrupting the toad-croaking symphony.
Our equipment can be very basic....there's the very lo-tech-high-calorie-burn work, like carrying seemingly endless armfuls of olive and almond tree prunings from not-so-nearby slopes and Batti's daily wood-chopping for the fire. Then there's the weeding and hoeing of the vines etc, for which we use a 'zappa' which has a spady side and a large pronged attachment, for clawing out the weeds. To dig deeper, make furrows for the spuds and veg, there's another style of manual cultivator. Then there is also a rake (amazingly, very similar to those found in UK!). Footwear at any time of year involves boots, but also wellies, and beach flipflops for indoors. Anything else is inadequate to the terrain!
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In the course of my daily circuit of the surrounding lanes I get to see the changes taking place on a wider scale. At this time of year the shepherds move their flocks of shaggy, long-legged sheep, bells clinking around their necks from field to field. The sheep crop the new green growth, accompanied by a motley crew of dogs, barking, growling menacingly or rolling over on the road to be tickled. The shepherds drive battered pick-up trucks or 1990's Fiat Pandas, anything that will cope with the potholes and hold a couple of milk churns. There are new lambs in some flocks too, though it's mainly cheese that is produced. Maybe in 2022 the demand for lambs will be back to normal if families are allowed to gather again for their traditional Easter roast.
Cow! For a change.... mostly sheep, with the odd goat around here.
The hedgerows and drystone walls still provide a steady supply of wild asparagus, which we can now (fanfare) enjoy with our own hens' eggs. Graziano has given us a couple of his hens and they seem to be living the life of Riley in their corner under the Chessa bush to one side of the entrance. Battistino has re-used the remains of his previous henhouse (see earlier diary entry!) with revised architecture. Main advantage: it's portable! So when they run out of grass maybe we will move them to another spot.
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