Windy day on the radio

July 23, 2011

Radio New Zealand logo

It was howling a gale outside when Amelia from Radio New Zealand showed up at my door. We immediately headed out for a walk through the paddocks. She had a black box hanging from her side, and she was holding two very large, imposing microphones.

When the gusts picked up she would jump from one side of me to the other, trying to block the noisy wind with her body and always holding one of the microphones in front of my mouth. I tried to pretend like this was normal, and I continued answering whatever question she’d asked.

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20 Comments | Guest posts & media, New Zealand, Olives & olive oil, Pet kunekune pigs, Podcasts, River & sea | Permalink
Posted by Moon Over Martinborough

Tsunami of the lost purse

April 4, 2010
Tsunami warning sign

Lucy noticed her purse was missing just as the tsunami warnings came across the kitchen radio. It was early on Sunday morning, and the horrible earthquake in Chile meant that New Zealand was expecting a giant tsunami.

Lucy was one of our four good friends visiting from Chicago – including Russ, Joel and Louise – who had together enjoyed our earlier wine tasting at Escarpment vineyard.

We’d all been looking forward to spending the day at the coast visiting the seal colony and exploring the Cape Palliser Lighthouse. Should we still go?

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16 Comments | New Zealand, River & sea | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Moon Over Martinborough

Not in Lake Michigan anymore

February 6, 2010
Stingray

Stingray (image from Wikipedia)

Holly and Mia put their feet in the water and screamed. “Freeeeezing!”

It was hot in the Wairarapa that summer, and we were at a tiny beach along Palliser Bay, not far from Ngawi.

Unlike my most recent drive to the coast, this was a gorgeous day. The sky was perfectly blue, and the heat intense. It didn’t seem like danger could be that close.

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11 Comments | Family, New Zealand, River & sea | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Moon Over Martinborough

Storm at Palliser Bay

January 23, 2010
Palliser Bay before a storm

Palliser Bay before a storm

Rain had been falling all night and throughout the morning when we climbed into the trusty little Nissan Pulsar.

I threw four pairs of gumboots into the hatchback, started the engine, and headed for the coast.

I crossed my fingers that the road wouldn’t be washed out.

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22 Comments | Family, New Zealand, River & sea, Roads | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Moon Over Martinborough

Island Martinborough

September 5, 2009

Last week we were on the bus on the way home when Graham, the bus driver, called out to us. “Sign says the bridge is closed. Should we get closer and see?”

Image from freefoto.com

There were seven or eight Martinborough commuters in the back of the bus. (Although I  admit referring to that little beige shuttle van as a ‘bus’ is a bit generous. You may as well refer to our tiny Nissan Pulsar as an off-road utility vehicle.)

Everyone nodded to Graham or called out a hearty “yes,” and we drove on toward the possibly washed out bridge.

Rick, who was sitting next to me, reached over and squeezed my knee.

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13 Comments | Commute, New Zealand, River & sea, Roads | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Moon Over Martinborough

What the river taught me

July 11, 2009

There is a river at the bottom of our property. To get there you step out the front door, then walk along the rosemary hedge, across the top paddock and into the olive grove, through the bottom paddock and a dense cluster of trees, then finally down to the water’s edge.

The river in summer

The river in summer

The miracle is that you can do all of this without ever leaving home.

I fell in love with the river during our first summer here. Everything about it was perfect. Time seemed to stand still there.

I had no idea that the river as I knew it would soon disappear.

That first summer Rick and I were trying to prune the olive grove ourselves, even though we had no clue what we were doing and had only the weekends to do it. The trees hadn’t been pruned for years, and I found myself spending long afternoons in the Wairarapa heat just cutting out the ‘suckers’ – the tender, unproductive branches that shoot up from the trunk.

At the end of those afternoons I’d wander down to the river, sweaty and hot. I’d throw off my shirt, boots, and socks and fall back into the cool, clear water.

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13 Comments | New Zealand, River & sea | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Moon Over Martinborough