Training Grape Vines To Reach
The Wire
One of the things I'm proud of is that I had enough courage to post 7 videos on youtube (carobnjak1957) on how to grow grapes. I spent number of years working in vineyards and I remember the first day, and the big grin I had on my face. I fell in love with the job immediately. I was given a row and shown what to do. Vines were first season just reaching cordon wire, was told if they are pencil thickness at the wire to snip them and secure them to the cordon wire. I was with a group of 15 people that came from different parts of country and they all had a story to tell, no not boring at all. Next day I remember how I could hardly wait to get in my row and take care of those wonderful vines.During the day I started to think about how I made a decision just to leave a job and head out to middle of nowhere to do this tape of work.My conclusion was I was in mid-life crises he-wily under stress, depressed beyond belief at 42 years old...
This happened on the third day, about hour in to work I could see our boss on the phone, I noticed he was not happy.Must have been on the phone for good half hour. I could feel my blood rushing because he was heading straight for me. More or less he told me that he has been hit with a massive problem. Of all the things I did not need, he needed a supervisor. Apparently one of the other groups in another vineyard have gone the day before an practically butchered the vines so badly that the management stop the group immediately and told them to lave the vineyard.And they were 120km away. I tried to tell him to get somebody else that I'm not in a right frame of mind to do that type of thing, and that the responsibility was great, not to mention I didn't know anything about the grape training. In a nut shell he can not leave the group without someone responsible in charge. Management wouldn't like it unless it's a supervisor. I could see out of the group I was logical person,so I told him if the whole group agrees to this than I'll do it.
Towards the end of the day he came to me to tell me, his made a decision that tomorrow he wants me and my group to go and tray to selvage what ever we can in that vineyard. And the other group will come to work in the vineyard we were in.
He organised everything, accommodation in a caravan and after work that day I packed up my stuff and set of for the trip to uncertainty.
We all arrived at the vineyard and were told we can't enter till the management arrives.So much for don't get nervous. Finely big boss turned up and my boss introduced me as his supervisor. Little did he know that I started 3 days ago and had no clue. The big boss picked a damaged row right next to a good row. It was obvious he wanted to show good an bad. He explained in simple term what he wanted done, and what actually was done. Basically the group was asked to go along and prune the ones not reaching the wire to two buds. Some made a decision to snip as low as possible, snip here snip there. Well only 6 got the massage out of 15 people. While the big boss was explaining to us, he mentioned just how much damage was done.I felt a cold shiver go through me, not because of the damage but my boss lied to me. He told me 2 days the most, but the damage was done to 3 massive blocks, hundreds and hundreds of rows to go through.On the ninth day big boss came to me and told me that he was thinking not giving my boss a contact any further. Butt since I did a great job with my group he is willing to give him a chance on condition I'm in charge of the groups that he needs.Groups??? Hmmm...his going to ask my boss to provide another 2 groups of 15 people to work for 4 weeks on older grape vines.
Big boss insisted that I don't take a row,just stay behind the groups and make sure they are sticking to the plan. I started to relax and felt at ease with the situation I was in. Every day there was a lot of laughter and just a lot of fun.The people were fantastic, I learned a lot from people that had years of experience. They had there thoughts how the job should be done,and everything I know I owe to them.The most satisfying thing about there knowledge is that they used the term the old fashion way. So what I got is old way and modern way, which comes in very handy when you need to do something different with this vines. Getting to know the people and there different personalty's was enormous boost to my self esteem.
Before I knew it a year has gone by, yes I was still there and In good health. I cam to terms with may depression thanks to the people and the vineyards that have instilled in me toughness and passion to be able to resolve my life issues. We all worked hard and I honestly don't remember a time where someone has let me down. We had days of working in the rain, even snow on occasions and then there was the shocking heat of long Summer, but I would en have swapped it for anything. We done some amazing things in the vineyards and were reworded with ongoing work throughout the year. From training vines to reach the wires, pruning, thinning, tucking in the laterals, picking the grapes the most hardest job was planting them. I did it for one day and said to the boss never going to happen again. I'm to old to run behind a tractor like a mule. I was working away from my family for three years. Three hundred plus kilometres away and fortnightly trips home started to affect me. And after three wonderful years and wast knowledge on grapes I made a somewhat hard decision to head home and do another thing that I enjoyed and that is drive truck's...:)))
Thank you so much for reading my blog,
and share it with family and friends...
Cheers...Roy....
G'day there,
ReplyDeleteI will be updating this blog in future.29/5/2013 it's nearly winter. I'm looking forward to making a next video on pruning second year. Lot different to first. And there will be a story with it...Cheers ..Roy...
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