What a wonderful dream come true! You mention that you sell grapes to the wine producers at top prices. Would they consider paying you with bottles of wine with your label? That way you can avoid the expense of equipment and get the end results you want...your own wine...which you can then sell for possibly more than what they pay you for the grapes. Win-win!
The world slowed us down Fruit brings freedom. Work can be a grind but it opens your heart to other possibilities and you found something that can fill your soil. I was fine for a long time but now I'd like to go some place again. I'm waiting for the right time and location. We've been to many wonderful places. It will be interesting to see where all of us go after this. The pandemic has shifted perspectives. Looks like you have a great crew. Send our best to mother superior.
Your own vineyard - so cool It is so cool that you have your own vineyard and that you can grow grapes of such quality that you can make wine. I absolutely loved to read about it. Thank you for letting us all know. /Ake
:) It is excellent you have invested in something so unique and fun that it fills your heart with joy! I know that being outdoors gardening and growing is very meditative, and good for the soul. It's something I'll always do in some capacity! Wishing you safe travels when everything opens back up some day ?
Thank you so much. I love finding others that appreciate growing things & enjoy the great outdoors too. Stay healthy and we’ll be traveling again soon. Cheers!
Some little patch of dirt. Hi Andrea,
Wow... Really, wow. Wonderful to receive one of your blogs after a hefty hiatus, but what thrills is the eclectic content. We, like most I suspect here on TB, had no idea that you were a vigneron. What varietals are you growing.. Riesling, Weissburgunder, Muskateller? Regardless, we'll be sampling a bottle or two as soon as one crosses our paths. So glad that you've managed this shite year so amazingly and that you've been blessed with such a harvest. Who knows, maybe you'll be looking for excellent committed work-awayers down the line... and we haven't been to Canada in some time. Good on you. Here's to many awards for vintage 2020. All the best, A&A.
Hey A Team! So glad to hear from you. Alive & well I see. Great!! I’ll have to catch up on your blogs. To answer your question, My little dirt patch grows German Riesling. Ortega & Siegerrebe & a few Mad Angies. So that’s a bit sweeter than popular but the winery I sell them to manage to pull off a dry finish which makes it fantastic. The wine is like doing shrooms, you get clarity and crispness in each glass. And It’s f’ing fantastic with Thai food. If that’s all it’s known for, then I’m chuffed. I prefer reds myself but we can’t grow them this far north. So white it is. See you in Canada one day for a clink of the glasses! Cheers!! The other A.
Send some over please ;) Sounds like you found yourself the perfect plan for the future, pandemic included. But, optimistic Ralf says: the world will open up for business again soon and you will be able to travel, should you so wish, in between the vineyard work.
I don't miss travel much either. Not at the moment. I see this as a year off from travelling, like a staycation! I travel so much, a year more or less matters little to me. I would imagine it is different for somebody who had planned their one and only world travel, took a year of work and then... the pandemic struck! That would suck! Anyway, all well on this side too. Enjoy the vineyard, and I promise I will enjoy the wine...
Well Hi there Optimistic Ralf! Nothing wrong with enjoying your staycation. Especially where you live! I love your country. Well, I hope you were able to stay occupied and fulfilled. Any blogs? I will check. It won’t be long before we will all get our vaccine passports and be on our way. Glad to hear you are well, all the best from Canada.
We'd love to go on that hike We have also done a fair share of hiking this summer. The Teapot Hill seem to be a bit special though. We'd love to go there. So you are one of those who work in the ICU wards. I have heard enough stories about the daily life there to know that I do not want to get Covid-19. Take care. /Ake
Waving Back! Thanks Andrea. I agree also with everything you say here. It's comforting at least to know that such strange and difficult times indeed are shared, and that we are not alone. Me and mine are all well thanks, and I hope you and yours are too. I look forward to reading about the resurgences in travel when we all start travelling again, hopefully soon. Take care too.
Strange Days Indeed Thank you for your very positive and honest travel blog during these strange times. Even though we are thousands of miles away here in the UK, so much of what you say also rings true here. I also noticed a strong comeback in nature, particularly with the birds singing, as the traffic and cars slowed down. I have also come to appreciate the smaller, subtler things in life. And I completely agree with you on your wishes for there to be no more sensational news coverage, I think many of us have come to a similar conclusion. Great blog Andrea, and thanks for the encouragement that we will all hopefully be travelling again soon, in the not-too-distant future ?
Waving to you from across the pond! Hi Alex! Hope you and yours are keeping well. These are strange and difficult times, eh? I am learning the new normal and finding I can cope fairly well as my life already embraced social distancing. I do miss my extended family and friends, there have been milestone birthdays and illnesses I would normally attend, but cannot now. A simple hug seems almost foreign. And lastly I’m missing travel. As I’m sure all TBloggers are. I don’t even dare plan anything as to not jinx it. Take care, and thanks for the lovely feedback on my blog! Cheers.
Glad you are making the best of the situation And thanks for your service! Like you, I don't have a problem with social distancing, I have always been a bit of a loner anyway. But things are not so bad here. Borders between Holland and Germany have remained open throughout and social restrictions have been less strict then elsewhere (except for Sweden, where it's even less strict), plus living on the countryside there is more freedom anyhow. We have a huge garden, so plenty to do. In fact, nothing much has changed for me. I even managed to go down to Germany and visit my girlfriend, and she returned to Holland with me after, leaving only yesterday. It's good you are hiking around nature (and that you have that possibility), it all looks very beautiful.
Hi Ralf! Glad to hear you are making the best of the situation. I assumed the travel restrictions were stricter in Europe, so it’s a surprise that you can move around as you are. I agree, being in the countryside and working on a garden makes it feel like nothing is wrong. I love it. I do feel bad for those cooped up in the city apartments. After I completed my 14 day travel quarantine I did some vineyard work at my parents farm. Now that I’m back at work I cannot risk another visit/stay with them. In Canada, especially here in BC the crisis was managed very well and restrictions are now being lifted. I still can’t get used to lineups outside every store. It feels very communist!
Teapots... People seem to know when to push back against an overbearing government. I think that is happening now in the States. The police can't arrest everyone!
As always, prolific writing I am in Kyiv now. It started as business last year and has turned into a life. I also thought about return to the USA with the pandemic, but decided my fate is with winds and I feel comfortable with my choices. Love you're hiking daily to keep sanity. BC is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Peace and purpose. Take care.
Hi Eric! Thanks so much for the well wishes. Same to you. It sounds like you made the best choice to stay in Kyiv rather than return to the US at this point. Sometimes fate just helps things along. Be sure to stay safe.
When you are in travel quarantine you are forced to peer deep into your freezer, past the dried out fish fingers, and ta-da! Margaritas! ISO like this is a piece of cake!
This Canadian girl's passion for travel comes from my adventurous parents. My brother and I spent most of our youth traveling all over North America in the family’s camper van, airplane, and boat - going as far west as the Hawaiian islands, as far north as Tuktoyaktuk, and as far south as Mexico doing lots of adventurous stuff...canoeing, surfing, fishing, camping, hiking, skiing, exploring, jellyfish poking...it was the best childhood ever!
That same adventurous spirit fueled my travel passion for over 30 years. I’ve been all over the shop. Now that I'm newly retired, I split my lif... full info
Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
What a wonderful dream come true!
You mention that you sell grapes to the wine producers at top prices. Would they consider paying you with bottles of wine with your label? That way you can avoid the expense of equipment and get the end results you want...your own wine...which you can then sell for possibly more than what they pay you for the grapes. Win-win!