Harvest Widow – the other, though arguably not better, half of wine making

There’s a term in the the wine industry, a ‘Harvest Widow’. I’m a Harvest Widow. In fact this is my 6th time being a widow. No, I haven’t butchered 6 husbands and hidden them under the vines, though harvest time may give one ideas. Harvest season is the best of times and the worst of times, as it brings in the bounty (hopefully) but also means long, long, long hours, getting up before dawn, coming home well after dark, often working through the night. And as a Harvest Widow, I keep the home fires burning, food ready and on the table and to bring to work the next day, the animals fed, watered and walked, and I do lots and lots and lots of laundry.

Stealing healing time – take 20 minutes

When we changed our lifestyle almost the first thing I noticed was ‘time’. I suddenly seemed to have lots of it. And that is something to savour.

I have found that when one changes location, job, etc. it gives you a sense of having more time. Maybe that is why I like to embrace change. And I have also found it takes time to fill time. (Sounding very profound here.) That once I settle somewhere, after a fashion, after one has started to make friends, started to understand the new needs of work or found new projects to undertake, that time seems more fleeting.

So every now and then, fairly regularly really, I like to steal time back.

Making Friends in the Animal World – A Duckling Adventure

This morning I went to let the rabbits out and found a little red squirrel in with them. They seemed rather oblivious to him. He had a bit of a panic as he tried to find the way out, but in the end he managed. It is moments like this, when confronted with the unknown and unanticipated antics of the animal world, that I am reminded not to make assumptions but rather watch, wait and see what happens.

What’s In Store – From Us To You

We have been travelling the world for the last few years, making wine. In 2014, we took a leap, to follow our dream and make our own wine in France. To assist in supporting this dream, and with true entrepreneurial spirit, we are also putting our creative juices (or should that be wine?) to the fore in making a variety of additional items, crafted from the world around us, to sell in our shop Pumpjack & Piddlewick.

The Art of Letter Writing with Rabbits

One of my favourite past times of all time is to write and receive letters. There is something particularly joyous in this modern age, in treasuring the opposite of the instant. The anticipation of a letter is truly something special.

In the beginning … Creative Ginger supports letter writing and drinking wine

We’re Pumpjack & Piddlewick~

A redhead (Piddlewick) with a fun loving attitude and a quirky sense of humour, living with an eccentric, mad scientist oenologist (Pumpjack – he who makes wine). We have been travelling the world for the last few years, making wine in such places as Northern Spain, New Zealand and California. However, enhancing other peoples plans and lifestyles was not enough for us. We decided to take the leap, and Follow Our Dreams.