English mummies.

Oh no! Mummies have been spotted skulking around in the English countryside by Thud. The undead are seemingly everywhere.

I visited this vineyard myself when I was home last May. Enquiring in the local farm shop as to who owned the vineyard, and which grape variety was planted there, was an almost surreal experience. Actually, it was like being in a scene from a Hammer horror film. You know, the scene in which all the villagers give each other furtive looks when an unwitting visitor in their midst starts asking awkward questions. Denying all knowledge of the nearby vineyard, the girl in the farm shop cafe promptly served me my lunch and disappeared into the kitchen. I ate my quiche, drank my latte and quickly left...whilst it was still daylight.

Let it snow.

This was the scene that greeted me this morning as I ran into the post office at Oakville with a couple of Christmas parcels. Straddling two counties at the head of the Napa Valley, Mount Saint Helena, (elevation 4,344 ft), was looking very pretty with a dusting of the white stuff. After two days of clouds it was nice to see the sun again. It was a spectacular December day.
The vines in the foreground? They belong to Opus One.

Brrr!

27 degrees F out right now...this is the coldest day so far this season. My poor vines are white with frost, so much so that it almost looks like a sprinkling of snow. The vines don't mind these low temps, they are mostly dormant now. The same cannot be said for Vinomaker however. He's eating breakfast with a wooly hat on!
Cold, but so Christmassy. I love it.