Planting Young Vines

The major project this winter has been replanting the old vineyard.

After weeks of preparing the ground, the field is at last ready and luckily help is at hand. The little workers turn up eager to participate and soon get the rhythm of opening the hole, gently positioning the vine, filling the hole with soil then water, and finally pressing down around the vine with a stick to push out the air bubbles. It's not long before Vassily quietly asks whether we will be joining them for the whole morning...

But he needn't have worried as the children are attentive and precise. There is no jostling or arguing, there is plenty of work for everyone and they approach it with a seriousness beyond their 2 or 3 years.

For a fitting end to a hard day's work in the vineyards, a proper worker's lunch follows in the winery.

There we find many more delights, such as bits of building materials. Bricks and a plank of wood come in handy to make a bridge for a train to go under and of course we come across The Tractor.

This has always been looming in the background, ploughing the fields or clearing the weeds and for some of the children it has been quite a scary thing. Today is the first time we stumble upon it, resting and it's a great opportunity to climb on and get a good look.

To add further excitement Flamour offers to take the tractor out for a spin and as it clatters down the hill the children run after, all fears dispelled.