When our neighbors John and Aussie Bronwyn announced that they were selling their property and moving away, CJ and I were mortified. More than anyone, those two have taught us how to live on 20 acres. How could they abandon us?
Aussie Bronwyn is our High Priestess of Chicken Wisdom. John lets CJ borrow and break his tractor on a regular basis. And every Tuesday we spend wild evenings with them – playing cards, accusing each other of cheating, and heading home to bed by 8:30pm. (We stick to a very civilized bedtime in the country.)
But for some strange reason, they wanted to be closer to their grandchildren. Go figure. And their large rural property had become too much work. So they wanted to move to Hastings for a quiet retirement with a small garden near family. CJ and I, being the generous souls we are, eventually found it in our hearts to forgive them for this unthinkable betrayal.
We did, however, threaten to have a big red phone with a direct line installed into their new house so we could call them in emergencies – like when we had a broody hen, or when one of the pigs was sick.
Then Aussie Bronwyn asked us a favor. “Will you look after our elderly cow?”
Everyone knows that CJ and I are suckers for geriatric farm animals. Of course we said yes.
An odd cow
The cow’s name is Blossom, and she supplied the cream for the countless homemade scones with homemade strawberry jam that CJ and I have enjoyed over at Aussie Bronwyn and John’s place.
Blossom is no longer producing milk, but when she was, she never let men milk her. That’s why I call her Blossom the Man-Hating Cow.
She is aloof and eccentric. Her face is oddly crooked. If you’re not Aussie Bronwyn then she prefers you to keep your distance, thankyouverymuch. If you get too close, she hides by looking away. She seems to think that if she can’t see you, you can’t see her. This might make some sense, except for the fact that she’s a sizable cow and she’s standing right in front of you. But, never mind.
Aussie Bronwyn is very fond of Blossom. She hand-raised that cow from a small calf and has dutifully looked after her for the last 16 years. But there’s no room for a geriatric cow in a small, suburban garden. So Blossom the Man-Hating Cow is going to live out her final days grazing peacefully in paddocks that belong to two men. Fate, it seems, has a sense of humor.
Before we knew it, John and Aussie Bronwyn had emptied their house and left Martinborough. CJ and I were so bereft that we practically started wearing black armbands. Not only did we miss their company, but we had come to rely on them for so much that we figured we’d be dead in a week.
Enter an artist
About this time I got an email from Anne Taylor, an artist in nearby Greytown. She wanted to know if I was interested in having a portrait done of one of our animals as a portfolio piece. I thought of Blossom, and I said yes. I wanted to thank Aussie Bronwyn and John for all the invaluable help they’d given us over the past 6 years.
Anne came over, and we shared a cup of tea. She asked all about John and Aussie Bronwyn. She wanted to know what kind of art they liked. Bold and expressive? Or subtle and low key? I talked about the surreal Dali prints in their house, John’s wildlife paintings, and Bronwyn’s love of flowers and floral art. Next Anne asked all about Blossom, her life, and her personality.
I then took Anne down to the bottom paddock where Blossom was grazing. Anne took photo after photo and laid out a blanket near Blossom to watch her. Anne truly wanted to capture the spirit of the old girl.
A few weeks later, Anne sent some sketches of different layouts, and I picked the one I liked most. A month or so after that, I got a call that the painting was ready. I met Anne at a little café in Greytown, and she gave me the painting. It was fantastic.
Anne had wanted the painting to tell a story, and it did.
There was a small image of Aussie Bronwyn bottle-feeding a calf, and Blossom with her aged, crooked face looked out at me. There were blossoms in one corner for the cow’s name, and flowers in front for Aussie Bronwyn’s love of floral art. It was a moonlit scene as a nod to the Moon over Martinborough project. The hills in the background were the hills we see from our paddocks here, where Blossom now grazes. It was the perfect thank you for John and Aussie Bronwyn.
A visit to Hastings
Shortly after I got the painting, CJ and I went to Hastings for the weekend to stay with them at their new place. We had nothing special planned – just meals together, a visit to a café, cards in the evening, accusations of cheating, and an early bedtime. It was fantastic.
We gave them the painting of Blossom, and John hung it on the wall in the lounge faster than you could say, “We love it.”
I said, “It’s to thank you for all your help over the years.”
“It’s beautiful,” Aussie Bronwyn said. “It sums up our time in Martinborough – from hand rearing Blossom to her retirement in your paddocks.”
When we left that weekend, we gave them both big hugs. It was so good to see them. We really do miss them, and not just because we’re inept and need help. We really like those two. We talked about having them down for a visit, and that’s when I realized another nice thing about good neighbors.
Of course things change. Your neighbors help you, you help them in return, and eventually someone moves on. Yet good neighbors, really good neighbors, transcend time and place. Naturally they stop being neighbors when they move away. But if you stay in touch, good neighbors really can become good friends.
See the various stages the painting went through: Blossom in stages (PDF)
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The painting of Blossom is wonderful and your friends will treasure it. How lucky for Blossom to have such good neighbours to accommodate her retirement so nicely.
Yes, I think the painting was a hit. And I’m happy to report that Blossom is having a fine time in our paddocks, although we’re not sure how much longer she’ll be with us. She is very old indeed.
So, there is suddenly prime real estate for sale in Martinborough? Do you have the agent’s contact? Laura wants to move!
Sold! New neighbors have already moved in. And thank the gods they’re fantastic. But here are the peeps to talk to about buying in Martinborough. http://www.propertybrokers.co.nz/branches/martinborough/
Forget it Gary and Laura, Gary and Victoria are going to snap that up and live next to J&R again……. oooooooooooo, too late! ;0
That’s it. I’m going to start selling real estate in our online shop!
Oh that was such a lovely story to read first thing in the morning. It’s sad when good neighbours go but lovely you can still stay in touch.
Thanks Lesley. Yes, we’re very happy to be able to stay in touch with Aussie Bronwyn and John. They’re very good people.
Nice story, good neighbours are very precious!
Yes, they are precious indeed!
Good neighbours are precious. When they leave it’s like a bereavement. I am so glad you are staying in touch! The portrait is beautiful, what an inspired gift. I hope your new neighbours – whoever they turn out to be – become friends too.
Yes, the new neighbors are great, thanks. Very kind people.
Good neighbours are a treasure. And I hope Blossom lives out her remaining years happily with her new owners.
So far so good with Blossom. Although she does have trouble getting up in the mornings, the poor old girl.
What a lovely story (and a great life lesson) Jared! You had me in tears (again!) – sheesh! Here’s hoping that you get fabulous new neighbors that also become great friends – who knows perhaps it your turn to be the ‘mentor’ for someone. Becks xxx
Us mentor someone? Oh, I can’t imagine I’ll ever know enough about country life to do that!
what a gorgeous gift that keeps on giving! the friendship, the cow, the painting and then the story.. 🙂
We joke that Blossom is really enjoying her life as a supermodel. 🙂
not to mention finally getting to that greener grass on the other side!
I have never, never impressed my grandchildren more than when I told them I had milked a cow; yes, that cow would be Blossom. Aussie Bronwyn tied Blossom to a fence, plied her with apples while i milked! (Me, girl from Chicago suburbs) I love Blossom and I love Aussie Brownwyn. Thank you, thank you.
Yes, we were jealous that you got to milk Blossom while we, being men, couldn’t!
Like you, our rural neighbors have played a big role in our integration into the Martinborough “lifestyle” life. Without them we might still be living in California and thinking of New Zealand as a nice place to visit. And Jared, you and CJ are our role models so get used to being the experienced ones in our eyes at least!
Oh, Mike. If we are your role models, you’re in worse trouble than I thought!
I am loving your blog, Jared. Thanks for allowing us all a peek into your life. Australia has been on my “must visit” list for nearly 40 years, and now I’ve added New Zealand and Martinborough to that dream. I also live in the Midwest U.S. and grew up on a farm, but nothing like yours.
Thanks Jonathan. Australia is great. But so is NZ. And yes, I suppose farms in the Midwest are very different than olive groves in NZ! It’s very funny how you never know where you’ll end up.
The friendship and assistance your neighbors extended through the years is akin to how they hand raised Blossom and then it was time to let her age peacefully. They helped you with their knowledge & experience and now you are ready to be on your own.. I loved this re-telling and bet Blossom is in reality one spoiled, crooked-faced cow 🙂
Well, I guess you’re right. I hadn’t thought about that. But I sure hope nobody leaves us in a paddock when we’re old!
tee-hee 😉
It’s always so nice to make art for someone special, create a work that really makes them smile. You can see the love in the painting you’ve made, it really does touch the heart and I’m sure they will treasure it.
Thanks Samuel. Anne has done a great job on the painting, it’s true. It’s a good thing to give art to special people!
Jared, this is such a beautiful and inspirational story that brought tears to my eyes. It reminded me of my dear friend Emma who I left behind when I left England. I was renting a maisonette just outside of London. It was a small place but I had a garden and that is when I met my neighbor Emma. She was sunshine and so completely lovely. She helped me with gardening ideas and I learned so much from her. Over the years, she and her boyfriend Dave became two of my best friends and to this day she continues to look after the cats (Laverne & Shirley) I left behind. I am going to write to her after I leave this comment just to say hi and that I miss her. Thank you Jared so much.
What a nice story, Benny. I hope you find that Emma is doing well!
How sweet. Neighbors can be the the most valuable friends sometimes. When I was recently recovering from an especially difficult back surgery, our neighbors took over all the cooking for the first two weeks afterwards. It was the best thing they could have done–I think we’d have starved!!
How nice of them! And how lucky you are to have such great neighbors. Hope you’re fully recovered. Since we didn’t really know how to cook when we moved out here, we would have starved without our neighbors too. 🙂