Back To Normal.

 The festive season subsides into normality.

At least it wasn't as cold as one could have expected. A balmy 2 degrees this morning made the end of sleep-ins bearable. School's out and workers are about.

Bob, mum and I were working in the vineyard all morning attending to the re-stringing of wires. Well, Bob did most of the work and we did the bits in between. Gosh, Bob is amazing at how precise, sure and exact he does the work. Absolutely fabulous.

Part of my job was to stand at the side of the road and watch that the wire didn't cross over as Bob walked to the end of the row of vines. A lot of standing about and that is when I noticed how life had reverted to normal.

Cars were speeding up and down the road past us, a mum pushed her pram past and friends, who had spotted our red car, took a few minutes to shoot the breeze with us. The woman with her pram made sure to go past quickly as the little one had fallen asleep. On her way past she whispered; ' tedious teething last night ' 

Enough said.

All around us in the various vineyards the sound of working could be heard. Wires being pulled and gossip being exchanged. No, just caught the odd word so I couldn't make heads or tails of it. Wasn't meant for my ears in any case although, often the most interesting tidbits can be garnered by stint of gossip!

Without a lot of fanfare this new year has descended upon us and somehow it doesn't feel strange to say or write 2022. Almost rolls of the tip of the pen and tongue, doesn't it?

Mum and Bob concentrating on the work at hand.

Bob stringing the wires.

Biggi

A Perfect Burgenland Day.

Sun, summer and rural pulchritude.

The road home, the road of possibilities and the road firing one's imagination.

Eisenberg has a special magic. The sky mostly seems bluer, the fields richer and the budding vines more abundant.

A bit of a image cleanser...a neighbouring fence bejeweled with pink roses. A breath of fresh air.

Perfect symmetry between planted fields, hunter's perch and surrounding landscape. A fabulous sight that greats me most mornings on my walk regardless of it being winter, summer or any season in between.

I had to do them justice and show you some more. Aren't they divine? How little it takes to bring forth a feeling of happiness.

A view onto the Hungarian side of our Eisenberg, stunning and again bejeweled by many vineyards that are at the heart of Burgenland and of course, Eisenberg.

Biggi

Oh What Delightful Light.

A surefire sign of good times ahead?

There are those special times when the light is just right. The sun provided a nice foil to a dark looking morning thus making it a sort of ' snap crackle & pop ' kind of morning.

Yesterday the light had its own agenda...it was dueling with a cloak of mist for visibility. Regardless, I enjoy those cloak & dagger starts to the day.

A wonderful curve leading the way elegantly to Deutsch Schützen. I find that looking at it is akin to a mini meditation...a pause in speed, a pause in journey and yet one still gets to one's destination.

The play of light really is a delight. I love the sharp contrasts evoked by it. I haven't walked Quergasse for a long time but thankfully I did this morning as it highlighted the sheer beauty of our village.

Whichever way one takes pulchritude awaits...in fact, straight ahead leads to a new ' suburb ' which already boasts one new build and a tar road!

Even the dryness of winter can't eclipse how wonderful it is to live in a wine growing area.

Biggi

A Happy And Colourful Monday To You!

Colours have the ability to shift our mood.

After doing a stint of cleaning I happened to catch sight of a patch where grapes were left to live their lives until the end ( although, after taking this shot I took the liberty to taste them. Delicious. ) A simple image of a vine with a bunch of grapes has the power to send our thoughts into happier territory.

Greens and blues, what more does one need?

Bare, detailed and yet magnetic with its ability to channel our thoughts to happier terrain.

A view of upper Eisenberg through the prism of vines...old and new architecture interspersed on the hill called Eisenberg.

The green guards of our treasured vines. Soon they will be a memory or more accurately, compost aiding and abetting in the annual magic that never fails to amaze me. Great salutations to those geniuses from long ago who morphed grapes into wine. Surely there should be a national wine day?

Some more gnarly vine shown off to perfection. I just love the impact of a bunch of almost purple grapes being protected by now pale yellow leaves. Last of the summer vines...

Biggi

A Little Bit More Of Eisenberg.

A gentle autumn Sunday morning in wine country .

Romance, nostalgia and stuff of dreams. A scene that launched many a dream of a life spent in country idyll...

Apples and grapes watched over by avid hunters it seems. This year's harvest of both has markings of a great one just gleaned by looking at the bending branches of this apple tree.

At the start of our Hummergarben reside a bunch of eye-catching pink daisy bushes. Every time I drive or walk past them I feel some more happiness at being able to call this my home.

A Kellerstock and its awesome window boxes which proved rather difficult to depict accurately in the budding sunlight.

A glance backwards revealed bits and pieces of one of Eisenberg's main vineyards and the lucky folks living there.

Finally, the vista that greets us locals several times a day whilst walking, driving or just looking out one's window happens also to be part of Bob's office...How marvelous to have an office with such an ambiance and four new wallpapers each year.

Biggi

A Beautiful Morning In The Deutsch Schuetzen Vineyards.

A lovely outing for body and soul.

We had had rain the night before and some of the water laden clouds were still hovering in indecision about whether to stay the day...thankfully they moved along.

A cottage wrapped in cotton wool and mystique...

Almost coastal. The valley often disguises itself as an ocean and one could quite easily imagine sailing forth to other climes...

Another cozy cottage with that special something so coveted nowadays...quiet, solitude and endless possibilities to entice one's mind out of the monotonous slumber induced by smartphone & co. Imagine getting up in the morning, brewing a cup of coffee and sipping it outside only distracted by the hard task of turning the next page of your book...

Sort of reminds me of a maze of yore. Aren't the vineyards spectacular when the sun brings forth their emerald sparkle? Südburgenland, our small bit of paradise.

Biggi

For The Love Of Colours.

My Eisenberg magic...

A few crisp mornings yet again but aren't they worth it? Wonderful colour schemes that make winter real.

A winter's morning that sort of reminds me of South African winter days. Early frost and then glorious days of sunshine and pleasant temperatures.

I've yet to see anyone in those hunter's lookouts...they blend rather well into the surroundings that it makes one forget their true purpose.

One of the steepest vineyards in Eisenberg encircling parts of our village.

Another gem of or in the vineyards. Imagine living in this romantic cottage, book and wine in hand? Magical Burgenland.

An empty cottage standing lonely among the splendour of the Eisenberg vines. If it were mine I would make the glass room my reading cave...Sad that such a divine place isn't used to replenish one's soul...

Biggi

Pinks, Blues & Vines.

The magical mornings amid our vineyards.

A special time of the day where clarity emerges, coloured for good measure.

These leaves have been blown away and despite it left a structured view of the valley.

The famous green onion on the right is a great marker to find one's way home!

The older the vine the more tasty the wine...each and every vine has character and strength as you can see by the bendy way it has grown.

The steeple of Deutsch Schützen's church emerges through the early morning mist.

Remenants of last night's rain are slowly giving way to the strength of today's sunrise. The air was clean and fresh with the added bonus of nature showing off it's bare beauty.

Biggi

The Red Vines Of Eisenberg.

I heard it on the grapevine...

Most of the grapes have gone on their exciting trip of transformation but thankfully have left some beautiful scenes behind.

As far as the eyes can see there is a kaleidoscopic blanket across the fields.

...No wonder a siren is associated with red...

Vibrant, strong and simply stunning.

Isn't it amazing how leaves from the same vines can morph into various shapes and colours?

Last but not least, a bit of a luminous red vine from Eisenberg.

Biggi

A Rosy Tuesday.

The romance of roses...

These pale pink beauties are gracing my parent's garden. What was a mere stem a year ago has transformed into an arch of scented pink.

Not quite a rose but striking nonetheless. Strong colours are wonderfully visceral.

Last year, or it might have been the year before, my mum gave me their rose plant as they had put a new one in. Again, from a little stem with roots a colourful vista has made itself at home in front of our ' pigsty '.

A red siren enjoying a morning's breeze among the blades of grass.

A shadowy stage presence!

A yellow rose at start of a row of vine is more than a symbol of beauty...the wine farmers use the health of the roses as an indicator for the health of the soil...

Biggi