Somebody stop us

This is the only option that makes sense, assuming that you don't want to run
it yourself.

I'm thinking that it is probably big enough to be attractive for someone else
to want to rent it from you, given the sizes of some of the other smaller
non-contiguous vineyards nearby.

 

"Silence!!"

"Aye Keeel Yew!!!"

 

But there are still always better things to do with the money. Better
return. Less hassle. Easier to re-liquidate.

I nearly got sucked into such an idea in Mindanao. Land and Rubber. Yeah
rubber trees look live a very nice sideline. I caught myself up sharpish,
I'm going to retire and relax. Dealing with people, bureaucracy and such is
not in the game plan ;o)
Nice house, nice gardens, job done.

 

That's all true enough. We looked at another place - only one hectare,
nice garden, useful outbuildings, and an utterly appalling large house
which needed a fortune spending on it.

The guy selling wanted $300k, as well. Even the agent thought it was
worth no more than $180k.

 

Hold on, I thought you had the land and were building a Chateau.....

 

IIRC that was the original plan.

I did once entertain plans to retire permanently to 'the chateau' but I
can't see it happening now. Fortunately, being a modernish bungalow I
may be able to unload it to a local when the time comes.

--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Aprilia Shiver Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Whyever not?!!

 

Yebbut what would it break for?

 

There is a basic principle of business which you can ignore
at your peril. That being, "Invest only in an enterprise
that you know something about. Preferably, something you
know a *lot* about."

I'm not saying you can't do it. But how about renting a place
and trying to grow grapes for a while and find out what's
involved before you make a big commitment.

Besides, if I were approaching retirement I'd be more interested
in sitting around drinking wine than working like a serf, carl
or villein producing it, but that's just me. You might like it.

And while you're at it remember to invite me down there
to sample your product.

ps. If the vineyard is a going concern, why is it up for sale?

SQ

 

More than 2 hectares and you will never retire. Even keeping back 1 for
the house, and Good Life Patch the rest will keep you busy qualifying for
all them gummint development grants until the day you die.

 

Not a possibility until the lad at least leaves school, possibly
university. We should have done it 7 years ago when he could have
integrated better in to the school system. He does pretty well at French
in year 9 but being taught in it would be a different matter.

French health care arrangements. Though I suppose selling up here would
cover private insurance.

Isolation if too old or infirm to drive anymore (partly why the previous
French owners sold).


No bacon sarnies unless I visit Jen's cafe two hours away.

--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Aprilia Shiver Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

You realise that rules pretty much everyone here out of pretty much
everything.

Excepting perhaps bollocks, beer drinking and dirty women.

I wonder if that has the makings of a good gentlemens' club.

 

Large vineyard owner, with several vineyards. This one is on its own,
not contiguous with the others.

As for the rest, see other postings.

 

So really he ought to be selling TS250's to the unfortunates
when all the roads have fallen into a big hole.

 

Pah. Two out of three ain't bad.

 

"Easy repair for MOT"

 

Well lemme tellya a story. I live near Vancouver, west coast, Canada.
Our climate is something like Paris (roughly at the same latitude)
except twice the annual precip and sometimes we get lots of snow.

Well this guy I know tried to sell me some snow plowing equipment
including a Case 1845C tractor,
http://images02.olx.com/ui/1/08/24/7020424_1.jpg

....a double-axle trailer and a diesel GMC pickup truck to haul it.
All of this for only $20,000 Canadian.

He painted a rosy picture of all the money I could make with all this
machinery if we had a winter with heavy snowfall (like we had two
years ago). And of course there's a strong La Ninya in effect right now,
indicating heavy winter precipitation in our area.

Trouble is I've never owned or operated machinery like this and
didn't know what was involved. So I phoned up a friend who has
some acreage in the interior and a tractor. He told me his tractor
often breaks down and needs mechanical or hydraulic repairs and/or
welding. Well he has a shop and the skills and equipment to maintain
his tractor but I have none of the above.

BTW so far we've had hardly any snow this year; just a few inches.

So anyway it would make about as much sense for me to buy this tractor
as a vineyard, about which I also know "sod all". The difference
between the TOGster and me being that I've never wanted a vineyard.
The thought has never even crossed my mind. If he wants a vineyard,
great; I just hope he goes about it in a sensible way. All *I* know
about vineyards is (a) they grow grapes, (b) cute Italian chix crush
out the juice in bare feet and (c) it's a bad thing when foxes get in.

How do I know (c)? From history class, and the Papal Bull
excommunicating Martin Luther:

_Exsurge Domine_, Bull of Pope Leo X issued June 15, 1520

"Arise, O Lord, and judge your own cause. Remember your reproaches
to those who are filled with foolishness all through the day. Listen
to our prayers, for foxes have arisen seeking to destroy the vineyard
whose winepress you alone have trod."

More at http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo10/l10exdom.htm

SQ

 

Umm. There's a wonderful series called 'How it's made'. Gives a
lighthearted but still educational look at manufacturing processes.
Canadian in origin, I believe.

The one about wine showed automated stainless-steel screw presses, but
precious little in the way of Italian crumpet.

 

Yup, that would be it, yes siree.

 

Oops, correction to my last:

_Exsurge Domine_ merely *threatened*, but didn't excommunicate him.

Then the Pope issued _Decet Romanum Pontificem_ on January 3, 1521
which did.

SQ