Lavender Farms & Wellington

I want to tell you what I'm doing right now. Christine's parents arrived from Colorado on Monday, but last Saturday I left Christchurch to see the North Island. I was picked up at the Ferry in Wellington by a very nice couple, the Parkers. They live an hour and twenty minutes north of Wellington. I stayed with them for three days, helping out around the house. I picked apples from their backyard, peeled and cored them with a very handy little machine with a hand crank, stewed them, we added some berries and sugar, and in the morning in looked like a very nice apple sauce which I helped bag. They have 12 cows, 18 sheep, 1 ram, a vegetable garden, and assorted fruit trees. I spent the afternoons reading their cooking magazines, cook books, New Zealand art books, New Zealand fashion magazines. I knit some. I walked some. Sunday afternoon I went to a Francis Hodgkins exhibit, she's a very famous New Zealand artist, and Sunday evening Mrs. Parker went to the ballet with her two sisters, and I joined them for the ride to town and spent my night walking around. It rained my entire journey North, on the bus and on the ferry. But on my walk about it began to rain, and I ducked into a cafe with live Jazz music. I ordered a Chocolate Chip cookie, and then topped my evening off with a fruit salad and a wonderful berry coulis on top. I spent Monday at the Parker's, running errands with John, and reading some more on the couch. Tuesday morning was my big day. Mrs. Parker arranged for me to wwoof at her friend's Lavender farm. The old lady from the Orchard never got back to me, so last minute plans had to be made. I've now spent three days at Lavender Creek Farm. So far I've worked 3-4 hours a day, and spent the rest of the day running errands with the owner or reading/knitting/watching TV. The lavender had been harvested before I arrived, but tomorrow we are distilling Lemon Verbena, into oil, and on Sunday we will distill the Lavender. Along with lavender they also have 500 grape vines for wine. Susi, the owner, said that in Europe they have poisoned most of the birds so they can let the grapes grow without a predator. But here they have to cover the vines with a white mesh to keep the birds from eating the whole crop. I evening duties include taking a walk through the vines to insure that there are no holes, or gaps in the netting. Not a bad way to end the day. Susi and her husband, Vaughn, also own a Health food store in Wellington. So like I said about the errands, Tuesday we went to a licorice factory north of here to buy some licorice wholesale, and Wednesday we drove to Wellington to drop it off at the shop and do a few more things around town. I think I'll spend 4-5 more days here, maybe make a trip to Napier, and then back down to Wellington to see more of the city. I have 13 more days on the North Island before I go back to Christchurch for a Jack Johnson concert. I think Laura George, a new girl working with her from Florida, and Christine and her family are all interested in the concert so we'll see if they got tickets when I return. That's all the news I have now. Thanks for Reading. I love and miss you.

10 for 10

It's been a while, but don't think I've forgotten you. I think of things to say and never sit down and tell you. Although I still haven't told you how it is working with children I wanted to mention the best deal in New Zealand. The preface: because the US dollar has been so much stronger compared to the NZ dollar in the past things are priced quite differently here. Most thing are typically twice as much here or even more. Something that looks worth $15 will be priced $30. Due to this I've experienced sticker shock on the stupidest consumable goods. For example, I was in a home store and a metal pedal top trash can was $150. It wasn't big, maybe 2 feet tall, it didn't have some eco-friendly, ergonomical design that made it look special, it was a metal trash can. Please don't ever spend $150 on a generic trash can. Bringing me to my point. As I have mentioned before I have four clear television channels so maybe this matters to me for other reasons. But the best deal offered in New Zealand is located at Blockbusters movie rental. 10 movies for $10. No new releases, but its given me a chance to catch up on some classics. I've seen most of them before, but some are new to me. And the trick is can someone even watch 10 movies in 7 days. You've got to be quick. But that is my favorite deal in New Zealand. So I'm going to end this post and immediately start a new one. I've been gone for so long I want to separate my thoughts and plans. Thanks for reading. I love and miss you.