Coming out of retirement.

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It's been a little more than a year my emotional retirement from vineyard work in New Zealand. Tearing myself away from the viticulture industry has rendered me a shadow of my former self. That is why I am pleased to announce my triumphant return from retirement.

I arrived in the small town of Busselton a couple of weeks ago. It is about 3 hours south of Perth. I'm playing it smart this time around and working before I am completely destitute, like what happened in New Zealand. This way I'm free to leave as soon as i get sick of my job. I'm working on a huge vineyard out of town by the coast. If you're ever deciding what kind of Australian wine to buy, be sure to pick up something produced at Bantry Bay. That special taste is my blood, sweat and tears. This time of year the major job to do is pruning. Basically I come to a plant that is overgrown with vines and cut everything off. It gets pretty monotonous after an entire days worth but the money is way better than it was in New Zealand. I plan on working for 3 more weeks, then buy a used car and travel around the South Western corner of Australia. I already gave the car I will probably buy a test drive. It was the first time ever driving on the left side of the road. Let's just say it may take a little getting used to.

As for Busselton itself, there is not a lot to mention. The backpackers I'm staying at is pretty small with only around 15 residents. It's the only one in town too, so it's not exactly right on the tourism trail. Everybody at the hostel is staying long term and working as well. The large majority, about 80%, are either Japanese or Korean. I haven't even met another Canadian since I've been on the west coast, which isn't a bad thing at all. The atmosphere is quite relaxed and laid back during the week and quite the opposite on friday and saturday. The town itself is quite small but still large enough to have all the necessary emenities. The only problem is everything is closed by six in the evening and it turns into a ghost town. The most mentional thing about the town is the two kilometer long jetty. It is advertised as the longest jetty in the sothern hemisphere and the local tourism board tries to build it up as a huge tourist attraction. It's nothing special, but still interesting to walk two kilometers strait out into the ocean. Another fun fact of Busselton: there is more broken glass on the streets per capita than anywhere else in the world.

The region around Busselton is quite incredible. The entire south west corner of Australia isn't a place i really planned on visiting; however, now that I'm here I want to see as much as I can. I added some photos of the various beaches and coastlines I've seen so far. After work we often swing by some of these places. They are just as incredible as anywhere else I've been so far, but there is absolutely no other tourists here. It's very refreshing after being on the east coast for awhile.

That's about all to report for now. I'll try to add entries more regularly in the future, but the next few weeks may be a little too repetitive to add another entry. Thanks to everyone who's been sending messages as well. It's nice to hear about what's going on in Canadia.

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Photos

The Before Shot
What a vine looks like before i get to it.

Jetty2
Jetty looking back at town

Rocky Coastline
Our playground for after work shenanignas

Comments

[Mel]

School vs. pruning
God I hated pruning! I don't know how you're doing it again! At least you don't have the dread of knowing you're going back to school in three weeks... I don't know which is worse. Great photos by the way! Good luck learning to drive on the other side of the road, it really doesn't take long at all to get used to. If someone like me can do it...well...

[Aunt K]

Oilers update.
So the oilers signed Peter Sykora and Dick Tarbstrom is gone (like a goose) to play in Europe. Hopefully the increased firepower will nullify the lack of three core defencemen. Otherwise, things here are going swimmingly. The Folk Fest was an unqualified success even though it rained pretty heavily on Thus and Friday. We, however, donned our super Wetskins ponchos and sayed dry and enjoyed some great music.We are now busy fringing and will head out on holiday by next Thurs. I'll be glad to get on the road so I can relax from our busy social schedule. Are you picking up any Japanese or Korean? One of Si's former school-mates was in China for a year and (according to his Mom) came back fluet in Mandarin. A good skill to have methinks, with the world going in the direction that it is. Anyway, you did a great pruning job on the grapevine. Keep up the good work.

[Yo' Dadde']

Comin' out of retirement
Hey Bri. Sounds like the idea of getting a car has merit. It is a big place. What kind of car is it? Would it be a japanese, or korean model, or a australianized-north american make? Your pruning job was very professional-looking. I can see a career here for you, if you are willing to work at it and achieve excellence. Take care dude. Continue to enjoy. D