After a month away from work, our 2 kelpies were beside themselves with enthusiasm to get stuck into some mustering and yard work. Lambs were weaned and drenched, ewes’ hooves were trimmed while they were still soft. 2 tired & contented dogs tonight

Down at the winery in Rutherglen today going through all the 2025 red barrels & some 2026 whites. Making blending & bottling decisions. Got a fair few to get through..

The creek was a trickle this morning & this is after the storm but the level and velocity had already dropped. Still impressive

Massive hailstorm at our place today 35mm in 10-15mins. Smashed holes in skylights & flooded 2 bedrooms..Looks like I’ll be up on the roof tomorrow. Luckily there’s no more rain forecast. Seems to have quite localised..No-one in town seems to have been hit. Wangaratta maybe..

Drenching sheep on Sunday afternoon before heading to QLD for a week. Probably around the time I got a message from Qantas to say my flight was cancelled..very wet & muddy underfoot. (My other half must’ve taken this on the sly with my phone.)

This is our dam spillway just below the dam wall after yet more rain overnight..Absolutely charging…NE Victoria.

This is our creek meeting the dam spillway after another 30mm of rain overnight. Still raining…wettest winter since we came here in 2014 including the 3 La Niña years of 2021,22 & 23. Over 100mm ahead of last year’s annual total & that was a La Niña year. NE Victoria.

For you Marcus @marcuskelson.bsky.social www.facebook.com/share/p/1Ein...

This is our creek flowing after yesterday’s rain. It was a raging torrent last night & the sheep had to spend the night on the far side. So comforting having water in this landscape when summer can be so brutal

There’s 50 Ha of vineyard down there somewhere..another fun morning for pruning @ 1.5°C. At least it’s not a hard frost

I’m a huge fan of marmalade- eat it every day without fail. This is the best I’ve had, including my mum’s & grandmother’s, both excellent marmalade makers. Made by a local woman in the hills behind Benalla. Cleans up at the Aust. Marmalade Awards every year.. @marcuskelson.bsky.social

Slow-roasted venison shoulder- 5hrs on top of the wood stove. Smells great..just have to make a juniper/gin sauce to go with it @marcuskelson.bsky.social

I have a soft spot for Satie's music since my teens- melancholic & whimsical at the same time. Surprised there's none of his in my dad's vinyl collection which I inherited- has everything else. Nice to see Gymnopodies turning up in #abcclassic100. Hopefully Gnossiennes too..@marcuskelson.bsky.social

Lambs in the vineyard this morning..one was quite curious. The sheep spend the cooler months in the vineyard post-harvest.

Venison backstrap, duck fat potatoes red wine & gin demiglaze. Worth the effort

Venison backstrap…almost looks like a super lean beef fillet..can’t wait to cook some of it.

Picked 8T from our last block of Pinot Noir for vintage 2026 today before the forecast rain next week. After such a tough season with sfa rainfall, ridiculous heat & tropical humidity, the fruit quality looks excellent.

Vineyard view from where we’re fencing during a brief lull in harvest. Very thankful for the 50mm of rain we’ve had this week. We’d had 1mm for the year before then. #winecountry #wine

Smoke haze from the Longwood VIC fire in the vineyard this morning. Not great but at least the vineyard is visible, unlike 2020. Still hope that we may have a vintage 🤞🤞

My kelpie boys Ralph & Sam moving sheep to the back of the property. First day on sheep after the Xmas break & the opportunity to shed some Xmas kilos, after lying around bored witless for weeks..#workingdogs

Evie, our Xmas Eve orphan, truly a survivor. & sweet-natured. Got through the worst 3 days we’ve had in years..especially today..#lambs

One of the toughest gigs in radio has to be doing the Bushfire Emergency Announcements with all the weird & wild Victorian place names.

Sunscreen protection for grapevines with 3 days of 40+°C coming. First photo is without sunscreen, second photo of a couple of blocks with the first sunscreen application. #wine #heatwave #beechworthwineregion

Thought they’d come up to the house to put some pressure on for an early feed #sheep

Evie, our Xmas Eve orphan - a cute little survivor. Getting stronger by the day #lambs

3rd feed of 4 for the day for this little girl. Still trying to settle in.. One of our kelpies is keeping her company most of the day

Found this abandoned little newborn ewe lamb this morning checking stock. Thing is, this mob is due to lamb in April so there must have been a rogue ram lamb in with the girls. Not your typical Christmas lamb ..

Feeling a bit lucky..this old giant fell over the fence where I was working while I was at lunch.. Benign conditions- no wind..no warning- widow maker.. 15T CAT dozer for scale

Incoming storm- part 2…31mm so far. So welcome..

The ‘rat pack’- this season’s lambs. Still a few more to come..Can’t come quick enough. Need some sleep..