It's been WAY too long, I know...

Many apologies for the 2 week absence. Working sure has a way of eating up all my blogging time. Unless someone would like to pay me to blog!!!! I would much rather blog a TON than prune or wrap! I really should have worked that out before starting this "working holiday." Holiday indeed... Though, we have been told that the pruning season is the hardest on the body. Like the weather, it can only get better! The light at the end of the vineyard block, grass is greener in the spring theories are really helping to motivate me. The promise of more fun and less pain is much more of a motivation than money... when pruning at 65 cents a vine, 130 vines a row, trying to make more than 12 dollars an hour, not working very fast-- not being very muscular or cheerful or confident or experienced or or or... the Kiwi money isn't rolling in... But thanks to a job in education the American money from paychecks for work already done have been rolling in until recently...But thanks to an excellent liberal arts education at Knox College the loan payments seem to be eating up the American money and Kiwi money will have to suffice. It is quite fortunate that we are learning to live simply (without some amenities) so that when we return to the states with no money we will be able to survive... if we can find a similar situation... or real jobs (eww). That was a long, multi-topic-containing paragraph, but it is ok because I took creative writing at Knox College.

I really love Knox College (and I really hope that there is a prize from Knox College if they google that phrase and an alum with debt has written it and then they give you lots of money, or make you a trustee, which just sounds like fun and gets you good seats for all those ceremonies and a few caf meals a year)! (Better make it an ! just in case).

Let's see--- Kiwi word of the Day--a dear friend reminded me---
Bugger-- what you say when you make a mistake while pruning/wrapping
Buggered-- to make a mistake while pruning/wrapping i.e. "I really buggered that one!"
Bother-- what you say when you make a mistake while pruning and you are a sweet old lady supervisor
Whoops-- what I say when I make mistake in the vineyard and don't really care
****, ****, or ****-- what I say when I am pruning/stripping canes or when I make a mistake and do care

In other news--

We walked to Highfield Estate over the weekend for an expensive lunch (which led me to decide that I really ought to be rich if I expect to ever eat like I am eating here or drink like I am drinking here when I return to the states, so my resume for the position of trophy wife is in the works... so is Brian's for trophy husband I understand...though I have a feeling that might not work out so well for our relationship-- plan B will have to commence--as soon as it is formulated) and a DELIGHTFUL bottle of Pinot Noir which we enjoyed thoroughly both during lunch and in the form of its after effects on us as we walked home. I haven't decided if my alcohol tolerance has improved-- or if I have just been drinking better booze. Half a bottle of wine! And I am not dead! Nor have I been the other times I have done it!

Which reminds me:

New Interactive Feature!
Go to your favorite place to buy wine and find out what brands/labels (use the lingo!) New Zealand (specifically Marlborough Region) wines they have--- Sauvingnon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir--- and then email or comment and we will put it on our list and find out some stuff about it. If you want to buy a bottle and try it and tell us if you like it that is cool too. We are trying to rate the wines we drink. We can find out stuff, visit the winery/vineyard where your favorites are grown/made and we can take pictures or talk to people or whatever. Or better yet, you could come visit and we could take you to our favorite wineries. Start drinking NZ wine! Or researching at your local wine merchant.

It is time to wrap this up so I will talk about the weather....

It has rained every day so far this week but today. (Which made work even less fun, so we only did a few hours 2 days this week) Rain keeps it a bit warmer. The sun was out today which was a lovely change, but a little cooler in the morning. August should have some cold days ahead but the little lambs are being born which means that spring is coming... and that we make detours to visit lambies when I feel like melting from their cuteness.

Finally, we are getting really excited to be Willing Workers On Organic Farms and are reading our handbook and marking some of the places we want to visit. When pruning is over we plan to hit Australia for about a week and then WWOOF our way around the country a bit--so as to see places, meet people and eat good ORGANIC food without spending much of our money.

I have pictures of Brian playing concerts at Le Cafe in Picton which I promise to upload soon.

Cheers!