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The 7 Year Itch and How To Scratch It in 6 Easy Steps. |
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Success, Love, Fly - In everything you do
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By Michelle Zelli on
16/05/2010 18:01
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The old film Seven Year Itch starring Marilyn Monroe may not be so far from the truth according to The Office for National Statistics. With a recent survey showing 19% of divorces occur within four years of marriage, 27% between five and nine years and 13% between fifteen and nineteen years. In the UK the average length of a marriage is around 7 years for women who married between the ages of 25 and 34.
Should we accept our fate or ensure we have the tools to navigate us through choppy relationship waters, deftly avoiding contributing to the Seven Year Itch statistics?
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Dance Like Nobody's Watching! |
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Success, Love, Fly - In everything you do
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By Michelle Zelli on
26/04/2010 15:32
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When was the last time you really let your hair down? It’s alarmingly easy to become entrenched in the day to day drudgery of routine, worries and feeling not great about yourself. Maybe you have forgotten how to release the constraints of self-consciousness and let yourself go, have fun and start smiling from the bottom of your heart?
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What is blocking your potential? |
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Success, Love, Fly - In everything you do
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By Michelle Zelli on
20/04/2010 12:21
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WHATEVER YOU ARE CHOOSING TO BELIEVE ABOUT YOUR LIFE WILL COME TO PASS.
When was the last time your took time to remember the things that make you laugh, cry and feel overcome with joy? You might be surprised how few of us really know what fills our happiness bank, although we are pretty up to date with the things that don’t.
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BORED OUT OF YOUR MIND? |
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Success, Love, Fly - In everything you do
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By Michelle Zelli on
06/04/2010 15:40
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If you are feeling bored and tired with yourself, the fastest and most effective way to change the situation is to add more new thoughts and experiences to the mix. Stretch your mind out of that comfortable place you have allowed it to reside and grasp the opportunity to re-evaluate what you are constantly telling yourself!
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HOW TO FIND LOVE |
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Success, Love, Fly - In everything you do
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By Michelle Zelli on
22/03/2010 17:33
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If you are not too keen on your own company you might find yourself sitting in front of the TV with a good bottle of wine rather more appealing than getting out there and making an effort to interact with the world. Sure, you can tell yourself it will all change once Summer arrives, or once you have a new job, lost some weight, or….. the list is endless! Whatever your ‘reason’ for hibernation think again, it is time to get back to the big bright world that is waiting for you.
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Hunger To Be Slim & Healthy |
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Success, Love, Fly - In everything you do
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By Michelle Zelli on
01/02/2010 23:28
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With all we know of the pitfalls and poor success-rates of traditional food-restrictive diets, it’s surely time to consider other strategies for reclaiming our ideal body?
By understanding our key emotional triggers for over eating, we begin to identify and deal with the cause of weight issues and focus far less on the effect. A powerful place for any would-be-dieter to start.
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TAKE THE WEIGHT OFF YOUR MIND AND START LOSING IT! |
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Success, Love, Fly - In everything you do
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By Michelle Zelli on
21/01/2010 08:58
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What makes the difference between success and failure when it comes to hitting your weight loss targets? It comes down to only one thing..... Your mind-set!
Your mind dictates motivation and determination levels, nothing else compares to the power of our thoughts and beliefs. If we fire up our mind to think in a way that is conducive to achieving desired results, there is little else to do. What are you waiting for?
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The National Wedding Show - worth a visit |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
19/01/2010 00:32
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To all other MOBs out there, you may be interested to know that we are running a competition on AMG for tickets to the National Wedding Show at London Olympia – 19–21 February 2010 and. Birmingham NEC – 8–7 March 2010
I will be visiting the Show at Olympia, for the third time since my daughter got engaged. All in all, it is quite a good place to go first to get a general overview and later perhaps if you want to focus on one particular aspect of the wedding.& ...
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Bridesmaids Dressses |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
14/01/2010 16:02
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With this freezing weather, I am finding it really difficult to get my head around arranging a summer wedding. Strapless gowns and summer outfits seem a world away from the wellie boots, thick coats and scarves we are wrapped in at the moment. Have to hand it to the chief bridesmaid – she is proving to be an absolute star. Not only has she boundless enthusiasm for the wedding plans and is immersed in the very complex task of organising the hen weekend but she responded with her usual positive attitude when we suggested a first stab at shopping for bridesmaids dresses last weekend.
The rest of the bridesmaid squad were all doing something else but she happily joined me and the bride to be on a snowy journey to town to check out the 2010 bridesmaid dres ...
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A winter wedding - i think not |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
18/12/2009 15:31
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Although I am feeling a little frustrated today that the snowy weather seems to have disrupted all my plans, it could have been much worse. Today was the day that my daughter originally set as the wedding date.
She loved the idea of a winter wonderland theme but fortunately I managed to talk her out of it. So today I am feeling quite smug as all of the potential problems I pointed out have actually come to pass.
The winter virus is working its way around the family and the Chief Bridesmaid is recovering from a sore throat and cold. And, of ...
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The Hen Do |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
08/12/2009 12:08
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The bridesmaid squad came to supper this week. The idea was that we were going to plan the hen weekend, but, get five women chatting together, and the only decision we managed to take was the date.
One of the fun things about being Mother of the Bride is that it has given me the chance to get to know my daughter’s friends again. They first came to our house in their primary school days but times have moved on a bit since then. Their favourite dish still seems to be pizza but now I am pouring them glasses of wine rather than orange squash.
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Engagement rings and proposals |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
17/11/2009 23:29
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I am quite fascinated by the way that proposals seem to have changed over the years. I don’t know whether my engagement was typical but the ring wasn’t a really big deal. It was what we could afford at the time.
I haven’t a clue how much my daughter’s engagement ring cost but I have heard from a few friends that their sons fiancées have specifically chosen rings that cost £4000 and, in some cases, much, much more.
The fact that choosing the ring is becoming a bit mercenary was borne out by a press release that I received from H. Samuels that said that m ...
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Perfect venue found! |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
26/10/2009 15:58
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Having spent best part of a year investigating venues, my daughter and I returned to the first place she had chosen, with Father of the Bride in tow. After a fairly cursory look around he nodded his approval and contracts were signed. G2B did have that rather long-suffering look that suggested this could have been decided months ago.
Having done my research thoroughly I am convinced that our choice ticks most of the boxes. And, since my daughter has introduced me to her eighty/twenty rule I am happy with that. Her theory is that finding eighty per cent of what you are looking for is relatively easy but it is realising the last twenty per cent that is difficult and takes the time. In some cases maybe it’s im ...
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Finding the perfect venue |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
22/10/2009 14:05
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Moving on from the costume drama I thought I would talk a bit about the where this production will be staged. As usual, I have done my best to turn the search for the perfect venue into a three-act play. First I will tell you what we didn’t choose and if there is anything that you would like more information about, please send me a mail at chris@aboutmygeneration.com
With a two-year engagement I could see no rush, but the happy couple thought differently and found a venue they wanted to book almost immediately. Unbelievably the ...
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The question of doubt |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
20/10/2009 13:45
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A sharp little comment there from David who has obviously played the father of the bride role and seen it all fall apart. I suppose we can all make mistakes but you do raise a very important point.
Although I have been fussing about the detail of the day, the uppermost concern in my mind since the day the engagement was announced is that the B2B and G2B are right for each other. From what I can see, I am as sure as I can be that they love each other and are totally committed. But I can see that once the wedding hoopla begins, there is the risk that, even if the bride or groom had serious doubts it would be very difficult to back out.
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Some responses |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
19/10/2009 14:09
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Have had quite a lot of emails in response to my dress angst and the consensus is that I should get a life and stop worrying over such details. Although some mums empathised with my anxiety most have told me that the important thing is that my daughter loves the dress and it is her day.
Jean scolded me with the following ‘Are you sure you are not trying to create the wedding that you want rather than what your daughter wants? It sounds like you are buying into something that is not reality anyway. Catwalk shows do not feature real brides they use size 0 models. Why try to get your daughter looking like something that she is not.?
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More dress stress |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
15/10/2009 11:26
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Have continued to fret that we may have bought the wedding dress in some haste and have been checking the small print of the order to see if there are any get out clauses. There aren’t. I can remember the dress looking lovely but that is about all. I keep thinking back to the catwalk show at the Wedding Show with all the wonderful gowns that my daughter didn’t get to try on. Tried to discuss my angst with B2B and when I told her that maybe we should cancel she was horrified. She is so thrilled with her dress and reminded me that it is her wedding. I realised I was walking down a dangerous path when she referred to me as Mumzilla.
I may have mentioned that I set one rule for the wedding pl ...
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Dress Stress |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
13/10/2009 12:07
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Reaction to the wedding dress purchase has been mixed. B2B is ecstatic and has been telling everyone about it. G2B is also pleased. Not sure why, but he is keeping a close eye on costs (perhaps something to do with the fact that he is a quantity surveyor) and, apparently, the dress has come in under budget. Father of the Bride (FOB) received the news with the sort of relief that you might expect from a man that has just been given a slightly improved prognosis on a chronic illness. While he had been warned the bill would be twice as much, he was obviously completely baffled as to why we had bought a dress for roughly the same price of a short holiday. As a cautionary measure, we have only supplied him with the basic facts – we felt that telling him about the extra charges for fittings and alterations could prove a little too much information. ...
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The Wedding Show |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
12/10/2009 13:38
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Rounded the week of with a visit to the National Wedding Show. This is a fun day out and a great place to get inspiration and ideas for everything to do with the big day – flowers, cakes, photography, music, invitations and, of course, dresses. It is wedding dress heaven and a wonderful opportunity to try on dresses of all designs and prices under one roof. That said, we are not talking Harrods here and by the time it got to the afternoon it was a real bun-fight with brides-to-be queuing up for changing rooms and jostling to get a look at themselves in the mirror. It was also hot and pretty noisy.
B2B was still approaching the frock trying on with great enthusiasm which was something of a surprise to me.& ...
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Wedding Dress Shopping At Harrods |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
11/10/2009 12:28
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Spent a lovely girlie day out on Friday. Went along to the Wedding Department of Harrods with Mother of the Groom (MOG) and one of the bridesmaids, that I will call chief bridesmaid (CB2). (I will explain the bridesmaid hierarchy some other time).
At one time Harrods charged a fee of £25 to try on wedding dresses which would be deducted on any dress purchased. I had heard that this was a really nice experience and that complimentary champagne was provided so thought it worth the £25. But when my daughter made the appointment it was totally free – must be a credit crunch thing and I wasn’t expecting any champagne.
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Shopping for the wedding dress |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
08/10/2009 19:28
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Bride to Be (BTB) has never been a girl to like shopping. In fact she shops like a guy. She will buy the first thing she sees in the first shop if it roughly fits the bill, so really wasn’t sure how she would go about choosing a wedding dress. To my surprise she was full of girlie enthusiasm and we have spent quite a few Sunday afternoons trawling the internet and a couple of months ago she was in seventh heaven trying on all manner of creations at the Wedding Show. Having narrowed down the designer and type of dress she wanted, today we visited a wedding shop in South London that supposedly stocked them. After a nightmare trying to find the place and then trying to park, we finally arrrived at a fairly small shop with a rather unwelcoming owner. A cup of tea would have been nice after our stressful drive but ...
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Who pays and who organises? |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
05/10/2009 16:41
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A good response to my blog with lots of emails about who should pay. Quite a few of you tell me that the couple have paid a fair whack themselves and that they do much of the deciding and organising themselves. I have also had lots of mails saying that spending huge amounts of money on one day is ridiculous and that they intend or have given the newlyweds money towards a property rather than spending it on the wedding. I am inclined to agree with that.
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A bit about costs |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
21/09/2009 21:57
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Timeless says ‘I have two daughters and rather dread the day that we have to think about paying for weddings. Having read that the average wedding costs about £20,000 I now wished that I started a savings account for weddings when they were very much younger. Can I be rude Chris and ask whether you will be footing the bill or whether they are paying for it themselves?
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MOB (Mother of the Bride) Blog |
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Mother of the Bride (MOB) Blog
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By Chris on
09/09/2009 11:17
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With a daughter getting married next year, I am beginning to realise that weddings are a complicated old business and that I have a lot to learn. There are plenty of brides-to-be blogging away out there about their big day but mothers of brides and grooms are nowhere to be seen (or heard). Us mums are expected to taking on a starring role which includes being the planner, support system, mediator and diplomacy expert and, on the day, we are supposed to look good too!!! So I thought I would start this blog to share the joyful and painful expertiences of being a MOB over the next few months. I hope that other MOBs and MOGs out there will join in my sharing your views, opinions, advice, funny stories or whatever. All input is very welcome. You can either use the comments box at the end of the blog or email me at chris@aboutmygeneration.com
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The vines are OK |
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Setting up a small vineyard in NZ
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By martinp on
27/08/2009
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Late last summer, about March in NZ, we suffered from a mite attack on the vines that basically stripped them of all their leaves. I was really concerned that the vines had been killed, they looked bare and dead. It didn't take long at all for the vines to deteriorate, a couple of weeks from being so green and lush, to becoming brown and dead looking.
A friend, who owns and runs a commercial vineyard here in Kerikeri, Cotlle Hill Winery, said he thought everything would be OK, and that several other small vineyards nearby had suffered the same problem.
Well at the moment things are looking good. All of the vines have buds, and some even have leaves forming, so that's a good sign. I got some lime/sulphur spray and that should have removed any residual mite pests. Apparently, and after talking to local gardeners and horticulturists, this area does suffer from mites, and last years l ...
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Mid Summer report |
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Setting up a small vineyard in NZ
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By martinp on
27/01/2009
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The vines are looking very good, and a lot, but not all, have grapes on them.
The vines are forming nicely into what is required for the future. The vines will, at the end of the season and after all the leaves have dropped, be cut back to leave junst the trunk and a fruiting branch each side attached to the lower wire. The grapes will be cut off soon to allow the vines to put all their energy into the plant.
Next year the grapes will form on the lower branches, and the new leaf shoots will train upwards between the wires to provide the evaporation and nutrient canopy for the vine.
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Early summer report |
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Setting up a small vineyard in NZ
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By martinp on
14/11/2008
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The vines are growing really rapidly. Have got a bit of an insect problem with the leaves being chewed, so went out and got some insecticide this morning to combat that. We don't want all the leaves to be eaten as the vines need to strengthen this summer ready for the first crop next year. It's only 12 months since they were planted and it is amazing just how well they are looking. Every one of the vines is growing, some more strongly than others, but this is what nature is all about.
We could try for some grapes this sumer, but it is likely they will not be very good quality, and the work involved for only a partial crop seems hardly worthwhile if the results are unlikely to be very special. We would need to net the vines to keep the birds away if we keep a crop which is hard work and costly so we feel the right decision is to wait until next summer.
Not much else to report, the weather really is warming up now and this is why the insects have been active.
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Vines shooting up |
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Setting up a small vineyard in NZ
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By martinp on
14/10/2008
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All the vines are shooting like there is no tomorrow. I bet they grow 3 or 4 inches a week. We have removed the smaller shoots from the main trunk leaving the new growth on the main cordons. Most of the vines have flowers which will eventually turn into grapes if we let them. This Summer however we will not be allowing them to fruit so that all their energy goes into establishing stronger plants.
By the end of this Summer we should have the main cordons fully set on the wires. Vines produce grapes only on new growth, so the main cordons are established to provide the base for that growth and fruit in subsequent years.
We are still spraying against mould and fungus, but the copper and sulphur are not overly serious chemicals as far as pollution is concerned.
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