A wee bit of room renovations...

After attempting to get a job, getting very disheartened and pretty much giving up, I decided that stressing about it wasn't worth my worry. So I decided to throw myself into other things. 

Like finally getting rid of the orange walls in my bedroom at Dad's house. It has been this way for many many years... it was definitely time for a change! 

            I started with the wardrobes, painting them white and then took a bit of a risk and painted the walls dark brown. I'm pretty happy with the result.

                                           Dad even popped in to lend a hand

TA-DA!

Still here!

I have been waiting on some photos off a mate who also did vintage at Tahbilk but he is being lazy and hasn’t had a chance to send them so I might have to post them later. 

The last few weeks of work slowed down a bit and we went from 12 hour days to 10 hour days, which doesn’t sound like much but boy does it make a difference!

More time for drinking… 

which always leads to someone passing out in the boat?!

  and funny moustaches

 I have to say, although the work was so new for me I really enjoyed myself and was very lucky to able to work at such an amazing winery.

Here are a few snaps I took in the last week of work…. 

Guilia got the chance to make her own wine… although just a small amount, she was very happy

 

-->and when it came time to pressing it out Laura and I were happy to lend a hand

After a few days of begging Steven (our superviser) to let me dig, I finally got involved and a group of us dug out four vats of grapes... two woods and two in ground concrete ones. By the end of the day I was absolutely exhausted, but went home with a nice helping of wine 

otherwise, there was lots of cleaning to do!If the pump doesn’t work… get in there yourself! 

(I’m sure my butt doesn’t normally look that big?!) 

 and plenty of antics to finish up a hectic 10 weeks... 

all in all.... certainly an experience!

so many photos and so little time!...

SO.... the 12 hour days are getting NO better!! But I have moved on from white grapes and on to the reds which is exciting! Here are just a heap of pics I've taken in the day... probably not blog worthy but hey, not doing much else at the moment! Work, Eat, Sleep. I feel like I live at this place!

16 pits/barrels full of red grapes and a 20 minute pump over per pit (which means taking all the juice from the bottom of the pit and spreading it out on top through hoses and a pump)... the good news is, I can tune out, put my head phones in and relax while I do this. And maybe wish that I was one of those people who create wicked art out of sand... or in this case... froth. 

A V is all I could successfully manage!

the barrels... 

Not a heap of places still use barrel's this size. I think it's really cool :)

Speaking of cool....

Giulia, my Italian housemate, makes this stuff look easy! She's a pro

and oh so Italian!

Definitely need a manicure!

A small shout out to all my baking equipment in London. OH HOW I MISS YOU! I made a cake for Laura's birthday on the weekend... 

It was an interesting process, to say the least!

 

It went down well though :) 

 

 Aaaaand we got very drunk to celebrate 

2 chairs broken, a fire extinguisher let off in our house and about a hundred beer bottles later... we all had a great night off! 

The vintage crew...

And still some beautiful spots in Nagambie... so nice :)

Whining about nothing!... mostly!

 Nagambie may be small, but it sure does have some nice little spots to chill out after work, have a beer and try not to drift off to sleep! 

Things at the winery are going really well. The 12 hour days are STILL killing me. I think I've figured out that there is no getting used to them! 

But physically I'm feeling stronger and some times I am even able to unscrew some of the tank and hose fittings the boys attach so tightly! (other times I can't even open a jar!)

It's still really hot here so we've been sneaking off to the river at lunch time for a quick 15 minute dip to cool down. It's the best part of the day.... the worst part is leaving the sunshine and going back in!

 Perks of the job make it all worth it ;)

 Last week the grapes off the realllllly old vines were picked. It only filled two barrels and is all done by hand. 

It was really cool to do it all the old school way!...none of this big tanks and pumps business!

Guilia (my Italian work buddy/house mate) did most of the work for them. This girl just doesn't stop! Always busy!

 We all gave the crushing a go though... Steven my boss said I could even get in there and stamp on them! Not sure how hygienic that would be!! 

 LOADS of insects around... most of them friendly enough :) this little guy kept me company on my tea break!

 All is well :)

Wine anyone?

Welcome to Nagambie! Population abooooout 1500.... it's tiny.

It has an IGA, a bank, 3 pubs, a post office, a beautiful lake and that's about it!

I have started work as a cellar hand at Tahbilk Winery and I have to say, even though its 12 hours a  day, 6 days a week, so far I'm really enjoying it. Despite being utterly exhausted, feeling aches in places I didn't know I had and probably won't be drinking wine for a couple of months! 

Here is a quick snap of what they call the 'New Cellar'. It was excavated in 1875 (and sits next to the 'Old Cellar', which was done in 1862). We aren't doing any work down here yet but I am looking forward to it.

 The part of the winery I am working in is a little less glamorous but equally as interesting!

 I can't remember how many tanks there are exactly... but roughly about 75 i think.
Who knew so much went into wine making! Not me!! 

My job is to FLOT the tanks!

this means hooking up the machine below to the tanks, pushing a heap of buttons in a certain order and adding the many secret ingredients that make the wine taste so winey :) It takes a couple of hours per tank and when it's done everything has to be cleaned down with caustic, acid and water.

I am now known as the FLOT girl, and this is my baby...

Look out boys, these are my smoking hot work boots on day one... (thanks Mum!)

these are my not so smoking hot work boots and slightly manly looking legs on day four!!

My job today (as there were no tanks to flot) was to pump red wine into barrels (after pumping the water out of them, power washing them and turning them)

 

 which resulted in my now manly looking hands.... :/ .....

  Although getting covered in red wine (mostly because I accidently over filled a barrel and it came raining out the top.... ALL over me! I'm trying out a new 'red wine hair treatment'.... results to follow) I did enjoy this job today. It took me about 10 hours but found it quite relaxing :) 

Now all I have to do is get used to those long hours and wait for a day off to soak in a bath for about 3 hours!!

Rabbit Duty!

I have spent the past couple of weeks lazing in the sun, reading my book and feeling very relaxed!

It has been lovely! 

 Mum is away on a lovely holiday at the moment so Aunty Bernie and I are on rabbit watch!

Mel’s rabbit Spike it a cute ball of fluff is who is quite happy to snooze in his cage all day. However we occasionally let him out and he leaps and bounds around the backyard like he’s auditioning for the nut cracker!

He loves it! 

 

Today he was Houdini!

I let him out, sat down to read my book in the sunshine, all very nice, but after a little while realised I hadn’t seen him in a good 10 minutes.

The little bugger had burrowed his way under the fence and into the next door neighbours yard.

SO, after trying to shoo him back under the fence with a mop (after knocking on the next doors neighbours door and realising they weren’t home) he hid himself under their wheelbarrow and wasn’t about to move any time soon. (spot the rabbit.....!)

In perfect timing Eliza returned home from school and I decided to send her over there!! (she got the tall genes, so it only seemed fair she put them to good use!)

So she climbed over the fence, sat on the next door neighbours hot water system, I passed her a step ladder which unfortunately could’ve done with an extra step because it collapsed on her attempt to come down off the hot water system, leaving her dangling from the neighbours gutter before falling into their yard!

I, like the good sister I am, nearly wet myself laughing!

After some persuasion and promise of some fresh vegetables to munch on, Eliza caught Spike and handed him back . Then returned over the fence a little more gracefully!

Don’t worry Mel, he’s safe and sound and I’m working on filling in that hole he dug ;)

I guess the grass IS always greener!