This story was written several years ago now by my late Father in Law and appeared in the very first edition of the Between the Vines news letter and copied here in memory of a great friends unique way of looking at life.

LIFE - Amongst the vines by Old Bob

I was not born to the countryside. I started life in a city, and it is only in the last two years since moving to New Hall, that I have come to appreciate the countryside and it's joys. I have seen woodpeckers feeding their young, watched and worried over a juvenile woodpecker trapped in a barn for two days, until it escaped with a little help. Been disturbed early one morning by a barn owl and seen it fly away in swooping, gliding flight. Finding a pipistrelle bat on the ground and being afraid of picking it up in case I was bitten by it, and during the grape harvest, in those quiet moments that sometimes occur, I have seen hares pop out of hedgerows, no more than few feet away Pheasant, and foxes strolling down the sides of hedges. Nothing very exciting, but to me a 'Townie' a wonderous, exhilarating feeling of being in touch with Mother Nature. Just simple little things that a lot of people would take for granted, or not recognise as an event to be remembered and treasured. Now something out of the ordinary did happen one morning very early during the grape harvest. So please picture this scene. The grape pickers had just started, when I saw a hare hopping down between the vines being followed by a fox, who in turn was being trailed by a Stoat. The fox was obviously stalking it's breakfast, but who was the stoat after? I don't know. Now would a Stoat tackle a fox? The hare suddenly became aware of the fox and bolted between the vines smack dab into a bucket full of grapes, being filled by one of the pickers. She screamed in fright. The hare shook its head and bolted away. The fox and the stoat took off in the opposite direction through the vines and the harvest completely stopped for a few minutes. I would like to think that the fox and the stoat met up later on and commiserated with each other over the loss of a good breakfast. The only livestock we have on the farm nowadays are some chickens, two sows and a litter of pigs. The pigs are occassionaly named for us by vistitors to the vineyard... Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Supper, etc. There is also a chicken that has total freedom to wander around. She is called Geriada, but she unfortuntely thinks she is a dog and enjoys going for walks and getting into cars for a sneaky ride. A few years ago we had a herd of cows. One day two cows found them selves chewing over the same patch of grass. One of them looking rather worried, paused and whispered, "What do you think about this mad cows disease." The other replied, "I wouldn't know--I'm a tractor." 
BOB