Pruning again.

I've started the pruning for the vines we are going to arrache this year. It basically just involves a brutal haircut and is quite therapeutic. I love being outside with the leaves and the silence... or a nice audio book on the ipod (at the moment it's Jamaica Inn, for the second time).

However it has decided me that I will be starting the pruning proper, earlier, this year. Last year we started in Feb and it was a rush with 8 hrs of pruning a day and sore, wrists and hands and leaking vines. This year I want to plod along without panic and do maybe 4 hrs a day and not feeling obliged to go out in a torrential downpour.

The only thing that is concerning me slightly, is that it's still pretty warm and I've found a couple of vines trying to put out new growth already... maybe pruning will give them the hint to put their heads down again till spring.

Meanwhile I guess the fact it's still pretty warm hasn't reached the cat yet...