Netting the grapes Feb 2015

Sizing up the job

 Waitangi Day Weekend and its time to net the grapes. 
Over many days during summer we have tucked and plucked the vines, taking off the leaves to expose the grapes to the sun, so they ripen. We have plucked the laterals off, and tucked the vines under the wires. Aussie colleagues Annie and Peggy were staying in January and became expert at this work within minutes. With their help we completed a couple of rows within an hour.

Annie points out the finer points

Admiring our work

Annie and Peggy happy in their work!

Working together doing something completely different was fun.

Now of course our work is to keep the birds from eating the grapes.



This year, David bought new nets. They are wider than previous years and hopefully this means we don't have to bend down to tie the nets - back breaking work. The Wairarapa birds are tricky in that they fly at the nets, bite a few grapes and fly off. We have learned we not to have the nets close to the grapes.

Richard places the nets over the vines

Richard came over to help. We have a little bit of experience with netting now, after 8 years. I'm drive the farm bike going super slowly, and David and Richard place the nets over the grapes.

David has made a belay contraption which delivers the nets, and Richard and David work out how tight/loose to have them. Off we set. its hot, around 28 degrees, the work is slow.

Richard and David sizing up the job

Belaying the nets and stretching them over the vines

There's a lot of reaching up with this job

the precision driver

Rich stretching the nets as we go

The nets are on!

We are selling our beautiful farm

Working most weekends for the past nine years, and we are ready to sell the farm. We have become avid gardeners, wine growers, and olive oil produces. We have made jams and jellies, salted olives. 

Our vege garden is abundant with red and yellow tomatoes, raspberries and strawberries, lettuces, beans and carrots galore, potatoes and fabulous sage, tarragon, rosemary, thyme, oregano parsley and chives. While I love all of this, I am ready to let go and refocus, and write the book I've wanted to write since I was about 30. 

I want to empty my being of all the complexities of being an olive and grape grower, home stay manager and farm minder to do this. Its time to think and write and not have a continual pull to be onto the 'next things'. David feels the pull too, more that the machinery is big and lots of the work tough and demanding, and time to put his feet up, paint, read, and focus on his business. 

Our summer here has been the best. Eating our lovely fresh produce, swimming in the river each day, sitting out under the trees and reading. our holiday activities have included tucking and plucking the grapes reading the for the nexus (this weekend), pruning the olive trees, mowing everywhere, trimming hedges and dead heading roses. a funny kind of holiday but one we like very much. 

I'm sad to leave the farm. I am delighted that where ever we look are gorgeous vignettes reflecting our hard work. When we came the farm had been abandoned and we have been good caretakers returning it to productivity, growth and abundance. 

Our gorgeous little cottage

the drive to the yellow cottage, olives on the left, grapes on the right

Our back yard

So many fabulous lunches and dinners at this table, surrounded by lavender and roses

the back courtyard

Paris….. David and my favorite breakfast spot

Paris

looking along the side of the cottage

the colors of the late afternoon sun from the courtyard

view from the Shearers Cottage lounge, patio and olive grove

I love the blue irises around the shearers cottage and in the tank garden

the Shearers cottage bedroom opening into the ensuite

Breakfast at the cottage

The 1932 Shearers Cottage we renovated to be a luxury weekend stay for guests

My dream bathroom in the Shearers Cottage

Lavendar and red roses surrounding the Shearers Cottage