Patchwork #6

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I’ve had very little to blog about lately… but here is a small snapshot about victory.

The Battle of the Grapes

Every day they would squark in what sounded like an angry conversation. One day they were really noisy so I had been watching two of them as they perched on the wooden fence. They seemed to be arguing, their bird chatter sounded aggressive. The two Rainbow Lorikeets sat and looked like they were trying to claim dominance over my grape vine.

I intervened, saying neither of them were going to score my grapes. They could go and munch on something else. I was hoping for a small harvest this year, as we’ve had some decent rain, making my Pink Iona grapes plump and sweet with a nice pinkish tinge.

Ha! The birds had other ideas. They were ducking and diving into the leafy vine, feasting on a grape or two before surfacing again.

Two can play at that game! I got some netting, draped it over the vine. The birds were not put off, instead they went in behind the netting at the risk of getting caught up in it. I wasn’t going to help them out, this was their move in a grape -flavoured game of chess.

Then to add a twist, along came a strong wind that blew for days. It blew hard and my netting contorted and only half-covered the grapes. I felt deflated. Would I get a single grape this season? There’s not much I can do when I’m at work, so the birds did their worst with the exposed fruit.

But today…I was back. The birds were absent; they had deserted their post so I picked every grape I could find that didn’t have a beak-sized hole in it. I was amazed to fill up my kitchen colander. I wasn’t expecting such a haul, more like a couple of handfuls.

So if the birds return tomorrow for a free breakfast or lunch, they are out of luck. I’ve picked them. This is the first time in six years I have won the battle of the grapes. The birds always beat me to it, but not today…

It’s a small pick of grapes, but a tasty victory!

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Thanks for reading

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