As we’ve finally been making the transfer into Spring, I’ve been considering the idea of balance more than I suppose I usually would. We’ve had a lot of rain lately, does this mean that we’re going to have a long hot summer? Maybe. With bad luck comes good luck, with death, comes life and with light, inevitably, comes darkness. It’s how we deal with these moments that’s important.
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
Robert Frost
The constant change that nature presents us with is what keeps us interested! We love sunrises because they’re only around for a short period of time in the morning, in all their glory, then they’re gone for another day. We love passionate romances, they’re new and exciting but relationships take more work because we get used to one another, but there’s beauty in familiarity too. We love summer, a three month burst of activity, greenery and frolicking around. Winter is welcomed, snow is exciting again and so the cycle begins again. We’re taught to live a life of unchanging patterns, we go to work, we get home, we exercise and go to bed. This is why it is so important to be spontaneous, change things up, go out into nature and see what’s different, try something new, meet new people, find those moments that are different every single day and make life so very beautiful.
I feel very fortunate that I am easily pleased and naturally startlingly spontaneous, every morning I wake up early to see the sunrise, the different colours are enough for me. The swallows returning to the farm last week brought a tear to my eye. I smiled at a stranger, they smiled back. I picked up someone hitchhiking, listened to their story. I tried a new wine and enjoyed an old favourite. I learnt all about bees and tried all sorts of different types of honey. I went to Snowdon and climbed part of it in a wedding dress. I saw a hedgehog in the garden. Every week, whether it’s walking the dogs, riding Robbie (the horse) or going for a run, I discover something new and like a child I hold tight to that feeling and hope I remember it when I’m older.
One of the new people last week was the delightful Harish from Oakham Wines. I’ve recently started a new job (which I’m super excited about) as Editor for Rutland Pride magazine and Rob has been busy taking me out to meet everyone. Harish is one of those people you could talk to all day but it will have felt like an hour, it’s a very dangerous shop indeed. I explained that I wanted to buy my Dad some wine. Dad loves anything heavy, we’re talking Syrah, the darker the better and he really judges wine on whether it’s above 14%.
The Result:
Langmeil Barossa Valley Floor 2014 Shiraz
“The Barossa is famous for its viticulture, history and winemaking dating back to the 1840s. At its heart is the Valley Floor, a highly-prized strip of viticultural land which is the very foundation and forms the essence of this wine. A true wine of the Barossa.”
This wine is a deep purple, it smells as delicious as it tastes. Quite jammy with hints of incense. It’s seamless to the taste, Dad hid it after his first glass which means it’s good. It’s big, sexy and plush, the currant flavours are perfectly balanced. Very well structured with fine-grained tannins. A beautiful wine from a delightful local shop.
Wining Away The Weekend 