One down, 9,999 to go

That's what it must feel like when you start pruning one of these plots of vines. All manual work, done at the coldest time of year. The only advance in the last couple of millennia is the invention of electric secateurs, which at least save you from RSI. No-one has yet invented a machine to replace the human touch here -- each and every vine inspected, judged, and appropriately pruned to leave five shoots for next year's crop. Upside: however badly you prune, "ça donnera jamais des figues", as our neighbour reassuringly told us.

It was probably quite a pleasant job today though -- sunny, not windy, and well above freezing. Have a look large to see the scale of the job.