November « 2009 « Moon over Martinborough

Making olive oil labels at the MAD house

November 28, 2009

Squiggles the pig (image by Leanne French - www.madltd.co.nz)

When a 200 pound pet pig named Squiggles greets you at the front door, you know you’re at the MAD house.

I patted the pig on the head and laughed as she squealed a charming little hello.

My human friends Leelee and The Wolf stood just behind her, and I gave them both big hugs. I like these two humans a lot, and I was thankful that they were helping Rick and me out in such big way that day.

Leelee and The Wolf are the brains behind the Martinborough Art Department, or MAD for short. Walking into their charming colonial cottage is a little like walking into Peewee’s Playhouse. It’s a fun-filled place full of love and a little bit of madness in the best possible way.

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22 Comments | Neighbors, New Zealand, Olives & olive oil, Pet kunekune pigs | Tagged: bottling olive oil, labels, olive oil, satisfying work | Permalink
Posted by Moon Over Martinborough

Behind the scenes at Toast Martinborough

November 21, 2009

Escarpment wines

It was almost 9:30 am and the floodgates were about to open.

Literally thousands of wine lovers would soon be swarming around the large white festival tent and the outdoor stage at the Escarpment pavilion of Toast Martinborough.

I had already received my red Escarpment Vineyard T-shirt, and I was waiting to talk to a woman named Cath to find out what my duties for the day were going to be.

Based on my chats with the other volunteers, it seemed the responsibilities varied widely.

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14 Comments | New Zealand, Wine & vineyards | Tagged: Escarpment, Toast Martinborough, vineyard | Permalink
Posted by Moon Over Martinborough

Egg delivery gone wrong

November 14, 2009

Featherston station

I was carrying two dozen farm fresh eggs as I stepped up onto the train at Featherston station.

It’s not what most people carry during their morning commute, but when you live in the country and work in the city as I do, you start doing strange things.

For example, just the other week I took a bell pepper plant (called a ‘capsicum’ here in Kiwiland) to the office. It’s now growing beautifully in a pot next to my desk. Perhaps I’m on a slippery slope. Soon I’ll be taking in live chickens and setting up chicken runs in the meeting rooms.

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18 Comments | Chickens, Commute, New Zealand | Tagged: blue-green eggs, Chickens, lavendar araucana | Permalink
Posted by Moon Over Martinborough

Saturday morning fire

November 7, 2009

Rick and Uncle Oscar went away on a trip and I woke up alone on a very cold Saturday morning, so I decided to build a fire.

I had no idea that it would end in a moral dilemma and a nightmare.

Before moving to Martinborough, I had never relied on fire to heat my home. Growing up in suburban Detroit, our fireplace was for decoration. Heat came at the touch of a button.

Now heating our home involves touching trees – chopping, stacking, piling and lighting.

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14 Comments | Death, New Zealand, Woodburner | Tagged: birds, fire | Permalink
Posted by Moon Over Martinborough