Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
'I was concentrating so hard, Carolinus. It was a split second of inattention as I drove
through Saussignac village and hit a bump.'
The power-take-off shaft was broken.
That evening Sean read the entire tractor manual from cover to cover, discovering in the
process that a simple twist of a button would have saved the breakage. Thereafter Monsieur
Bonny always checked we had understood by asking the same thing in different ways, but
that didn't help the broken shaft. We had so much to learn: I felt inadequate. It was yet an-
other expense we didn't need. We were drowning financially but also in the work in the
vineyard.
Our neighbour, Sonia, agreed to look after Ellie for a few days so I could help Sean with
shoot removal. Like roses, vines send out sucker shoots at the base of the vine that need
to be removed. This can be done by hand, by machine or with chemicals. We didn't have a
machine, so hand-work it was. It was tough work but it felt good. We were alone together
for the first time in weeks, laughing and making better time than we would have working
alone. There was something deeply satisfying about physically demanding work outside in
a beautiful place with someone who you love. It wasn't easy but I glimpsed how fulfilling
it could be, following this, our passion.
The weeds were so high they were growing into the trellising. At last the hoe arrived but it
didn't work. After checking the connection several times the sales guy explained that they
needed a hydraulic system different to the one on our tractor. They would have to manu-
facture a hydraulic oil reservoir to attach to the back of the tractor. It would cost €800 and
would take a few days. My face went red with fury.
'We're going to do it for free,' he said stepping back nervously. 'We'll have it ready in two
days.'
When the working hoe arrived Sean toiled from dawn to dusk to remove the jungle that
had leapt up around our vines. Cécile was delighted to see what he had achieved. At last
the vineyard was unencumbered by weeds. As we walked up the third row of Garrigue she
turned to me.
'
Je suis impressionnée
. You are doing so well.
C'est vrai
, when you arrived, I didn't think
you would make it. Your French has improved so much. You have both adapted so well to
the life here. The work Sean is doing in the vineyard is
impeccable
.'
I thought back to our first meeting, me stuffing myself with grapes while Sean looked at
Cécile mouthing incomprehensible French at him. Cécile was our lifesaver. Each week she
went well beyond advising us on what dose of copper and sulphur to use to beat the mildew
and odium. She would check the work Sean was doing, help to plan the week ahead and
show us how to do new tasks that were coming up in the vineyard cycle.
'I got the results of the count of the
typhlodromes
and your vineyard has three times the
average of the group,' she said. 'It's a good sign and proof of the benefits of organic farm-
ing.'
