Switzerland – Lady Bird

An eye on grapevines in December

December 8, 2019December 6, 2019Daniela - Lady Bird

Dear readers

How are you today?

Can you believe it is December and also the last month of this series on grapevines over the seasons? It has been such a journey for this awesome plant, don’t you agree? Feel free to wonder at it (all over again) by clicking on each month’s unveiling: October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February.

I got so lucky to see the beauty of a vineyard while it was snowing. Everything was so silent and magical in a very special way. I hope you can feel it, too, through this post.

Happy Advent season – Wundervolle Adventszeit

December 1, 2019December 1, 2019Daniela - Lady Bird

Given you celebrate Christmas, do you have a special name for December in your language?

We do in Switzerland. It is called Adventszyt in Swiss German or Adventszeit in German. This special time of the year starts with December 1st this year. That is today, hooray!

We have a tradition to make what is known as Adventskranz – Advent wreath – and light a new candle every Sunday for four weeks leading up to Christmas.

An eye on grapevines in October

October 27, 2019November 17, 2019Daniela - Lady Bird

Or rather grapes :-), because the harvest season has finally come. Hooray!

The header shows an image of the mind-boggling forest in the area (crossed by power lines in the foreground…) and the neighbour’s vineyard, which is very neat and tidy as is normal for conventional grown grapes.

The organic vineyard all my photos of this series come from is much wilder, more diverse, and of course gentle with the environment.

Greetings from the Engadin

October 13, 2019October 13, 2019Daniela - Lady Bird

Autumn is in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere and the Engadin in Switzerland transforms into a unique spectacle now. Read more →

An eye on grapevines in September

September 29, 2019October 24, 2019Daniela - Lady Bird

The vineyard has become colourful. Its leaves show us that the days have a bit shortened, cool to cold night temperatures are the regular and mornings may come with dew.

We have arrived in autumn, dear readers, and the grapes are almost ready to be picked. Mid-September is the time many winegrowers start harvesting their grapes. On the vineyard we have an eye on since February, it will only take place in October. That means, we can enjoy this bountiful crop a little longer.

Have you missed this series so far? Read all posts by clicking on each month to wonder at the changing of the seasons in an organic vineyard in Switzerland. February, March, April, May, June, July, August.

An eye on grapevines in August

August 30, 2019September 26, 2019Daniela - Lady Bird

Can you believe it is already end of August? 2019 has taken the express train…

End of month means we have our eyes on grapevines. Hooray! It is my seventh post on grapevines already. Thank you for your continued interest. I really appreciate it and am already thinking about doing a series also next year. Do you maybe have wishes on what that could be? Let me know and I might well take it into consideration.

New here? Hello! Wonderful to have you here. This is a series over the seasons of grapevines. Check it out month by month in order to experience the fascinating growth: February, March, April, May, June, July.

So, what is going on this month? Grapes are growing and slowly changing colours as is the vineyard. In the heading image you may recognise that the green has become darker, a bit heavier even, and there is brown grass and touches of brown here and there.

And the grapes? They are juicy little balloons now. Look how they come in rainbow colours, even though they are off the exact same plant. What we sometimes forget, nature mirrors us wonderfully: Everyone prospers at her or his own speed.

Majestic and mystic

August 23, 2019August 23, 2019Daniela - Lady Bird

Hiking along the so called 5-Lake route in the Pizol area, you will certainly not be alone.

daniela, muehlheim, danielamühlheim, ladybird, exploring, earth, abundance, Switzerland, alps

We were told that on this partly cloudy, mystical, and cooler Friday only a third of people, who normally hike in the area on weekends, were taking the route. 700 people were more than enough for our liking…

There was a fun side to it, though. The hiking trail often looked like a catwalk for Transa – a Swiss outdoor specialist – as hikers walked in single file with their top quality and colourful gear. Imagine a serpentine of windbreakers and hiking shirts in pink, grass green, orange, yellow, turquoise, red, purple, blue – basically any colour you can think of – making their way up or down a mountain :0).

The landscape, lakes, and views are surely worth a visit. And if you are lucky, you may spot an ibex or two (Deutsch: Steinbock) somewhere in the rocky areas high up. Read more →