Liberty, Release, Freedom

I didn’t intend my last blog to take so long. But, there was pressure on getting the last of our planting completed at Tarras, and to do all those jobs you thought were on the top of the list 7 weeks ago and still needed doing. Plus, the cleaning, washing etc etc. I’m a bit anal and have to have a house spotless when leave. I hate arriving back to a mess.

The end of lockdown, I don’t know how you feel about our new lifestyle. My daughter in law commented : “Yeah all of a sudden it is weirdly back to normal”

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I need to thank everyone who have been following my blogs and travelling through lockdown with us in Tarras. We have had a special time completely isolated and were provided with the unforseen time to tackle big jobs on our property that we would never have achieved in a very long time. During these surreal days where the world has been closed down, we have become familiar with communicating through Zoom and Teams and achieved online classes in Yoga , gardening lectures and I couldn’t have done without National radio while I was gardening. We learn’d to draw on our resources like never before, use our energy in challenging ways and make sure our efforts will be beneficial in the future to ensure NZ will not only be kept safe but, at the same time restart our jobs and work on the formidable and onerous task of making our health safe but caring for our livelihoods as well.

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I have enjoyed writing my blogs and can’t believe how the landscape changed through the 6 weeks. Autumn came and went, the grapes were netted, harvested and nets removed next door. We had the pleasure of using the abundant apples, pears quince and chestnuts from the fruit trees in the vineyard. I have had a few comments like ” Does Philip eat like this all the time ” Well actually I have been cooking for over 45 years . Time as a Home Economics teacher in my early 20’s, years in our cafe business ‘Partners’ and 20 years of demonstrating cooking classes at home in St Clair, throughout Otago and Southland in many country halls and houses and the ‘Good Morning’ show on TV. Yet, living in lockdown I was inspired and it made me look again at how to make produce work in a variety of meals, using leftovers effectively, while making the most of locally sourced ingredients and sharing foods in abundance. I was lucky to collect bags of figs, feijoas and honey from Adrienne in Cromwell, to dig sheep compost from Lesley at Cluden station for the new garden and send our online purchases to Janet in Lake Hawea. I often thought of what I valued the most in the kitchen during lockdown and apart from the good old basics, plus extra virgin olive oil, Sea Salt, tomatoes, lemons and garlic. I would have to say it was the espresso machine and the fresh coffee beans delivered from Common Ground in Dunedin.

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We are now back in sunny Dunedin. Time to embrace another garden that never had a chance to be completed. I have so many plants potted up that need to find a home.

Keep Cooking everyone . I will write a blog periodically but it won’t be everyday. Thank you for all your encouraging comments and tolerance of my bad spelling and grammar. Although, Philip was incredibly tolerant and my patient uncomplaining editor.

To all my tour groups and previous travellers – Time for travel will come again and I will get to make contact with all my fabulous contacts in Scotland, Turkey, Italy and France. Believe me they are waiting to see us.

Stay safe. XXXXX Jude