#passed like 100 farms and wine country out there

[chaos-and-cookies]

Had a v nice saturday w/ my love & my best friends fam 😌

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Saturday 12 August 1837

7 55

11 50

Slept with A- fine morning F69° now at 8 55 and sat down to breakfast with A- G- came soon – out at 10 – with Mark Hepworth on the embankment in front of the house – it looked tremendously dark – I went to see what was to be done when the carts could not drag thro’ the clay of the embankment – stuff to come from Northgate – the words hardly out of our mouths before a tremendous thunder shower came – with thunder and lightning – I got wet in getting to the west tower – the red room passage all open – the rain pouring in, and down thro’ the red room floor into the drawing room – a terrible mess – my magazines lying on the drawing room floor obliged to be laid before the upper kitchen fire – a perfect river running thro’ the entrance passage from court to gardens – the old china closet front (window frames unglazed) open, and the rain pouring in – one tremendous crash of thunder about 10 ½ just as I had finished changing my dress – then sat 1/2 hour with A- at my desk at 11 10 still raining but not heavily – coping out business letters and considering letter to be written respecting the Infant Graham’s money till went down to Mr. Charles Priestley at 1 50, and he staid till 5 ¼ - § vide next page  sent for Mr. Charles P- to sound him about taking the Northgate hotel – began about the tap – would it be in his way? – should I let it or not? – mentioned what had passed with Thomas G- on the subject – yes! CP. would take it – but could not give me much for it – one thing led to another – the tap would be worth more it to sell both ale and spirits – and he said something about giving £60 a year for it – I fancy but am not certain, spirits might not be included in the sale at this rent? However I might tell the tenant whoever he might be he (CP) would take the tap, and give the utmost it was worth – I wish, said I, you would take tap and hotel too – this led to a long conversation much to the point and partly desultory – the hotel would be a very serious undertaking – would require a great deal of capital – the landlord of the Barnby moor Inn on the London rood had on retiring got £24000 for his stock in trade furniture and wines and farm stock (£8000 for the farm £16000 for the house and cellars) – I said the capital required for the Northgate hotel would not be so great as was supposed - £3000 (allowing £500 for wines) would suffice for the beginning – said I would myself advance capital towards furnishing – would CP. take the hotel in that case – still he declined it – I then turned to the 2 letters (applications) saying I particularly wished to consult him (CP.) on the application from Liverpool – the one from London was read 1st, and CP. thought this much the most business like and valuable – he spoke so knowingly, it was evident he had been making inquiries previously on the subject (no doubt he applied for the George Inn – when I said what its tap let for £100 a year) he gave no particular answer; but I saw from his look he knew the rent whatever it might be) – we talked over Mr. Carrs’ proposal – said I must try to gain time – I must try to get the coaches but put off their being given up to me as long as I can – it was not the passengers but the mileage (horses) that was the object – it was a poor coach that did not make £100 (a hundred) a year – Innkeepers got cent per cent on wine – talked over CP.’s brewery – answering very well – brews 6 loads i.e. 6x14 bushels? = 84 bushels per week – could do more business if he had capital – but has laid by something every ½ year and is contented to get on by [degrees]   pays two hundred a year rent for his brewery his expense rent, delivery, labour and materials = £1800 a year – lives for next to nothing – his wife rheumatic since they came here, but always

SH:7/ML/E/20/0110

contrives to look after her house – 8 children – I congratulated him on doing well hoped the brewery would eventually pay better than the glass house and he seemed to hope and think it would – he seemed in very good spirits and said perhaps all was for the best – I said it was generally thought his failure bankruptcy did no discredit to his creditors than to himself – Mr. Price the York country joint stock banker seems to have behaved very ill, as I had understood from Mr Harper – but CP. appears to think he (Mr. Price)will not gain so much by it as was supposed – the concern is falling off in some respects – mention of Mr. Henry Priestley he was bound with CP. for five thousand pounds but CP. had paid and ought to have had by this time a balance of a few thousands – the 64ft. fall of water in Crag valley had been sold for £3500 – Mr. Rawson had offered at £700 for it – after higgling and trying to take advantage – some man had offered a mere acknowledgments of a few shillings a year and Mr. R- seeing a sort of beginning for taking the water offered by little and little having 1st tried to get the 1st refusal (as he did for my coal) this let poor HP. into the idea that the fall was of some value – he had it valued and it was sold at the above named just before his death or funeral I forget which – Mr. Edwards and his son Charles executors and trustees – consulted CP. about what answers should be sent and by whom to the applicants – his advice excellent and ready – took – wrote rough copy of 2 letters (to London and Liverpool) according to his dictation – and, with a little shorting and correction of style, wrote the former and sent it last night – the Liverpool letter I think of turning over to Mr. Parker – on the subject of farming and hay, CP. said I should mind that mine was put together in proper order; for at 13/. per DW. mowing making and carting and stacking the man who took it could not make his own of it – I said yes! he could – I should always mow early – have all done by 13 July in the fine long-day season, and my new hay-barn was very conveniently situated – besides the man was one of my tenants who lived within sight of his job – Mawson – mentioned his having the Stump X Inn – his rent and the 5p.c. additional to pay for the new building which would make his rent £140 per annum – took CP. into the west tower to shew him where all the wet had come from – (thro’ the open roof of the red room passage) and asked him to look at the new brew house – the copper he said should be a yard higher, and the [?] lower down – the proper temperature of the water before putting in the malt and mashing, should be 168° to 171° this very nearly indicated by the commonly used sign of seeing one’s face in the water as in a mirror – i.e. the steam being so abated as to allow one to see ones self –

SH:7/ML/E/20/0109

then had Booth Firth junior, [Culpan] brick-layer of the garden walls, and Parkinson – and afterwards Mawson and then Riley for Hilltop and busy settling with them till 7 – after banking hours – no money except gold by me for small bills – wrote and sent by Booth note to ‘Mr. McKean Yorkshire District Bank Halifax’ saying I should be much obliged to pay Mr. David Booth the bearer and my clerk of the works the enclosed check for £134.2.6 being one hundred in a/c for himself and ten pounds in a/c for Culpan garden walls, and the rest as by bills for Parkinson for work done at Shibden hall – top terrace walls – paving thro’ the barn (taking up and resetting) and the carriage court cistern arches – DB. had given Mr. Harper his accounts up to midsummer andat that time £333 the balance against me – gave Firth a check = £130 and Mawson for £67.18.0 as by SW.’s measurement for the Lodge road stoning and draining and Haybarn road thro’ the wood forming and draining and platform sods taking off and walling on the embankment in front of the house – (above 1200 yards super of sods at 2 ½d.) – A- returned between 6 and 7 – at 7 altered the style and curtailed the letter suggested by CP. to the London applicant for the hotel read it to A- and Mr. Gray (had the latter into my study) and sent the letter off by Frank tonight to ‘Mr. J. Hodgson, 69 Quadrant, Piccadilly, London’ – the hotel new and not quite finished – I am in treaty for nine old established coaches – not only a good opening for wine and spirit trade but the best cellars for the purpose (built expressively for the purpose) form part of the building – the success of the undertaking depends upon the capital at command and the exertion of the individual – the hotel has every modern convenience in superior style, and a casino, a splendid room, capable of dining 300 persons – no yet able to fix the rent but will do it as well as I can for the encouragement of the tenant – many advantages that can only be explained and understood upon the spot – dinner at 7 40 – coffee – skimmed over the newspaper – A- and I came upstairs at 10 ¼ - I sleepy lay on my bed in the blue room 20 minutes till A- came to say she was ready for bed – then undressed and sat undressed in my study from about 11 to 11 ¾ writing all but the 1st 11 lines of today and tidying my desk of bills etc fair before noon (very heavy rain (vid. line 4) from 10 am and thunder and lightning F56 ½° at 11 ¼ pm – note from Mr. Parker about one pm? while Mr. CP was with me enclosing Mr. Carr’s proposal respecting selling me his furniture coaches etc

[jeongyunhoed]

You’re traveling to another dimension It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity It is the middle ground between light and shadow, Between science and superstition It ties between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge This is the dimension of imagination

An ATEEZ Twilight Zone!AU (masterlist here)

A/N: Again, I hope this lives up to the previous chapters! I hope this lives up to the rest of the chapters. I tried my best in this one, so I hope you all like it.

V. The Last Wish (Jongho)

The year 2226 

Choi Jongho was on a geological mission, exploring various asteroids and exoplanets to look at the terrain before he was to return to Earth. He had been away in orbit for what felt like years even if he knew he was only away for months, almost a year. The controls in front of him were beeping and he was doing all he could to stabilize his spacecraft. He was running out of fuel and he needed help, just when he was on his way home. 

“Preparing for a landing,” He said, flipping the switches needed. The engines suddenly stopped whirring and upon looking out the window, Jongho noticed that the surroundings looked familiar. He wasn’t sure where they landed, nothing showed up on the monitor about the location of the place, but he analyzed the surroundings for breathability. 

“Are we home?” A humanoid robot, whom Jongho named Mingi and was the only other companion he had on this mission, suddenly asked. 

“No, no, we’re very far from Earth, we’re most likely on some asteroid, but the atmosphere is breathable for me. We should find help, we’re running out of fuel” Jongho helped Mingi up out of his port. 

“Don’t you need to bring anything?” Mingi asked. 

Jongho shook his head. “No, what good would it do if we were in a primitive place?” He opened the doors and brought down the ramp, with Mingi following close behind. 

From a distance, Jongho could see what looked like a wooden barn, a farm. It was something he had only seen in history books, in museums. The old way of farming, he thought. “You’re right, this does look primitive. Did we go back in time?” Mingi asked. 

“No, but it does look like it, doesn’t it?” Jongho spotted a figure of a man holding a pitchfork standing in the midst of haystacks. “Hey, we’re not alone,” He said, running up to the figure. “Hello? Excuse me, sir? Sir?” He skidded to a halt but noticed that the man did not move. The man was motionless like a statue. Jongho prodded the man’s shoulder. There was no movement, no reaction coming from him. 

He spotted a dog nearby, but he also realized it was motionless despite looking like it was running. “I sense that this is not a very big place, there is a mansion up ahead, must be 200 years old from the looks of it,” Mingi spoke. 

“There aren’t a lot of mansions today, Mingi,” Jongho said. “It’s like we’ve gone back in time, but,” He looked up. “The Earth we call home doesn’t have two suns like this one either,” He said, pointing upwards. 

They trudged down the road and approached the estate. “Hello?” Jongho called out, in case there was someone who could help. He heard faint music coming from inside the house. “Seems like there’s a band playing. Mingi, we found people!” Jongho felt relieved and hurried inside, skidding to a halt at what he saw. 

Crowds of people, all of them looking overjoyed at the man at the top of the staircase. All of them were as motionless as the farmer they passed by earlier. A few of them were holding congratulatory signs, and from what Jongho read, it seemed like the man at the staircase won an election. One of the signs had the name of the man; Kim Hongjoong, who looked so happy. The music kept playing, still a faint tune, but the more Jongho went inside, the louder it got. He crept down the hallway, seeing a door half open where the music was at its loudest. “Oh! Sorry…” He looked away, but turned back when he saw that the people inside were just as motionless. 

“Where the hell am I? What is this place?” Jongho muttered to himself as he tried to poke one of the band members who was playing. There was no reaction. “Mingi?” He called out. “Mingi?” There was no answer from his companion. 

“Mingi?” Jongho left the room, looking for his robotic companion. He found Mingi standing still at the porch of the mansion, a loud whirring sound was coming from him. “Oh no, you need recharging” He sighed. He moved Mingi to the steps and sat him down, his eyes closing indicating that he was out of energy. “Better let you stay in one place while I look for help,” He said, and went back into the road, passing by the motionless figure of a man selling ice cream and a woman selling yogurt drinks. 

Jongho stopped in front of what looked like a tent, a circus tent with an open entrance. Peeking inside, he saw more motionless figures of people. Some were juggling balls and bowling pins that were suspended in mid-air. “What is this place?” He still couldn’t believe it and he went back on the road. “This is not an illusion, at least it doesn’t seem like it,” He muttered to himself, trying to analyze his circumstances. While it was a nice place, seemingly peaceful, Jongho wasn’t sure if this was a place he wanted to live in, especially with all the motionless figures. 

As he traveled further down the road, Jongho looked back at the mansion, and then at the farm that was farther away from where he was. He was getting a bad feeling about where he was, the bad feeling made even worse knowing that he was going to have to stay here until he could leave for home. Jongho wasn’t even sure if he would ever be able to make it home. He stopped in front of a much older-looking house. Jongho noticed a figure sitting outside the door, holding up a newspaper as if to read it. “Excuse me sir,  I hope you don’t mind if I take a look around” He muttered, making his way to the entrance. 

“Not at all” The newspaper lowered down, revealing a man with jet black hair that covered almost half his face and was wearing a very casual looking black and white outfit, something Jongho knew what people wore a few centuries back. 

Jongho froze and stepped back. “...You’re real!” He said. 

“Of course I am, isn’t everyone?” The man stood up. “I’m Seonghwa, Park Seonghwa” He introduced himself. “There’s really nothing to be afraid of” 

“I-I’m Jongho, Choi Jongho.” 

Seonghwa got up from the chair and opened the door. “Come in, come in, there’s nothing scary in here,” He said, a small smile forming on his face. Jongho followed him inside, Seonghwa stopping. “Nice, isn’t it?” He said. “We built it for a Mr. uh,” He tried to recall. “Ah, Mr. Jeong Yunho, but at the last minute he said he wanted to be a knight in armor, so he’s in the medieval section trying to slay a dragon” Seonghwa chuckled, leading the way into what looked like a parlor. 

“There are other sections?” Jongho asked. 

“Yeah, a lot of sections in this place. There’s ancient Rome, ancient Egypt, there’s also the medieval section like I said, even the section of the three kingdoms era of Korea, but this place, where we are now, seems to be a popular choice. This represented a happier time, and before peace became impossible” Seonghwa explained. 

Jongho looked confused. “Okay, uh,” 

“Seonghwa” 

“Seonghwa, I’m from Earth, I was on a geological mission to explore the terrain on other exoplanets and meteors. I got lost in meteor storm and some of the equipment I had broke. That was six months ago. I had to make an emergency landing here because my ship is out of fuel and my robot companion needs recharging. I have to stay here until I can fix everything” 

Seonghwa nodded, seemingly now having understood. “So you aren’t from the Wandering Mist” He said. 

“Wandering Mist?” 

“But you’re from Earth, right?” Seonghwa asked, and he nodded. “So, did the North go through with the nuclear war?” 

Jongho nodded. “Yeah, in 2085. A lot of countries were devastated and it took more than 100 years to rebuild everything” He said. 

Seonghwa frowned a little. “That’s really sad. Looks like the North never wanted to reunite with the South since they did that.” 

He sighed. “Seonghwa, I have some questions to ask you, can you tell me where am I and why are the people around here like statues?” 

“Yeah, but before I answer those, you look hungry, I’ll get some food ready. You probably haven’t had a hot meal in nearly a year” Seonghwa turned to the doors at the side of the parlor. “Make yourself comfortable, I’ll bring out something to drink,” He said. 

“Wait, before you do that can you at least tell me where I am right now?” Jongho was feeling uneasy. There was something odd about Seonghwa that he couldn’t put his finger on. But he was the only one who was real, and Jongho felt that he had no choice but to trust him. 

Seonghwa’s smile remained. “You’re in the cemetery. Didn’t you notice?” He opened the doors leading to the kitchen. “Sit down, sit down, make yourself comfortable” He gestured to the plush seats by the fireplace. 

Jongho sat down while he waited, but it wasn’t long before Seonghwa returned, holding a small tray with two glasses of what looked like wine. “Lunch will be ready in a while, but let’s have something to drink to start,” He held one glass up, while Jongho picked up the other. “To peace, long-lasting peace,” He said. 

Jongho took a sip. Even though he wasn’t much of a drinker, he did miss drinking something other than water. “This is good,” He said, downing the rest of the contents in his glass. He put his glass down. “But I’m still confused with what you said earlier,” He sat down as Seonghwa gestured him to, while he took his place across from him. “You said I was in the cemetery, do you mean an actual cemetery?” 

“Yeah, but before I tell you more about this place, can you tell me a few things?” Seonghwa asked. “If you were granted one big wish, what would it be?” 

He raised a brow. “Wish? What do you mean?” 

“Where do you want to be right now, for instance?” Seonghwa explained. 

Jongho looked down at his empty glass. “I want to be on a ship going home,” He said quietly. 

Seonghwa nodded. “Good, one more thing. When you left Earth, what year was it?” 

“2225” Jongho answered. 

Seonghwa gaped at him. “2225?! Now I see it. Sorry, I thought you were someone from the Wandering Mist, but from how you’re acting, I realized you weren’t” He said. 

“I’m still confused by that” Jongho replied. “What’s the Wandering Mist?”

“The world’s best mortuary, at least that’s what it used to be. The bosses thought of this as a luxury available to those who can afford it,” Seonghwa began. “Here in this asteroid, we’d recreate the conditions where the departed could be their happiest. Like if the dead wanted to be elected mayor, they’d be able to achieve it here, for all eternity” He added. 

Jongho looked taken aback. “Those people back there...they’re all dead?” 

Seonghwa shook his head. “No, no, just a few. The rest are dummies, mannequins, copies, you know” He answered. 

“So this is the place where dreams come true after you’ve stopped dreaming…?” Jongho finally understood, and having understood it, gave him goosebumps. “That’s not possible, is it?” 

“It’s true” He pointed out. 

“Well, I don’t have any other way to explain this, but...a cemetery? I can’t seem to wrap my head around that” Jongho said. “Out here in space. Why here of all places?”

“This place promises eternal peace, and you won’t find peace on Earth now, could you?” Seonghwa asked. 

“That’s true,” Jongho nodded. “But what about you? What are you doing here?” 

“I’m the caretaker. I make sure everything’s in order, that the guests aren’t disturbed in a way.” 

“When did this place start?” 

Seonghwa looked up in thought. “In 2070” 

There was something really odd now, Jongho thought. “But if you’ve been here since 2070, that would make you...old...but you don’t look it at all” He said. 

The caretaker chuckled. “Ah, well, I’m not actually human. I mean-I do look like it now, but when you’re gone, I’ll go back to sleep until I’m needed. I’m like a machine, I go on and off. I think I’ve been off for over 200 years,” he said. 

“Well, if it’s alright, I have to stay here” Jongho said. 

“I know” Seonghwa nodded. 

Jongho suddenly felt his chest tightening for some reason. He cleared his throat and tried to breathe. “Wait, you said, gone?” 

“Yeah, it’s a figure of speech. I really meant, departed, you know” Seonghwa watched him weaken. 

Jongho stared at his glass, realizing what was in it. “I wasn’t going to make any trouble” He said. 

“I know” 

“Do you-do you have the antidote?” Jongho was finding it hard to speak the weaker he was getting. 

“There’s no antidote,” Seonghwa shook his head. “By now, the eternifying fluid’s entered the bloodstream. But it’s painless, as you might know by now.” 

Jongho fell on his side. “Why? Why me?” His eyes were closing. 

Seonghwa stared at him, watching his body move until it became lifeless. “Because you’re here, and you’re a man, and while there are still men, there can be no peace.” 

[woollyslisterblog]

1834 August Wednesday 6th

I fear the enormity of this entry made for a transcribing pause. AL has now applied the new measurement unit of parasols to accacia trees. We and AL learn far more than is necessary about fruit farming, land measurement, holiday rentals and chimney top making. By the time AW objects to the flea ridden auberge both her and I have lost it. Make of this encyclopedic entry what you will. Frankly, I’d have barred the bedroom door after today’s info onslaught.

no kiss not with her at all - fine morning - F68 in my back room at 10:10 - breakfast at 9 - Ann still poorly her bowels no better - had our host M Bernard - he fancied the 11 minerals I had left out of the box = 20/. so I took only 4 for 6/. – quartz upon chaux carbouté 3/., cristaux de quartz 1/., spath pésante, bartye, d’annouay 1/., pierre ollaire 1/.

he calls set-e-ra is what our cocher called stèré – a setĕra = 900 toises carrés but they commonly go here by the journal (plural journaux) = 2/3 of a setĕra or 600 toises carrés - terre à chauvre is worth 3000 francs a setĕra - terre with vines and bled = from 2000/ 2400 francs a setĕra - tear de vigne = francs 1800 to 2000 francs a setĕra - the vine-hills (as at his own campagne) are what they call mi-côtes (i.e. demi côtes) - M Perrier has no land that he (M Pérard) knows of but at Vizille and none there but what belongs to the Chateau and may have from 60 to 80 seteras - but it is the Chateau which makes the land valuable - in buying land one has to consider where it is terre battie, or not; that is, terre with a good house on it, or not - where there is a very large quantity of land, the house is generally given in - where there is not much land, of the house is a consideration - the chateau at Vizelle valuable as being a large manufacturing - filature de coton and employing now 200 to 400 oeuviers - wheat is sold by the boisseau weighing 42 lb + or - according to the goodness of the wheat - it is now 4/50 per boisseau should be 6/. to enable the farmer to pay his way comfortably - M Perard gave 22,000 francs for his campagne (has 17 setĕras) and has laid out from 36,000 to 40,000 francs - wants 10,000 francs for all the trouble he has had the 28 months since he bought it, and asked 70,000 francs but his wife does not wish him to sell - he will assure the estate producing 100 louis = 2400/ per annum without making anything of the house - it is situate in what is called the Beauplan –

took a guide, and out, (left Ann although) at 11:50 to the chateau fort or Bastille on the high compact limestone rock north of the town - had got a considerable way above the engineer’s house when he himself came and I was obliged to turn back and ask leave of the commandant - vexed enough - but could not help it - went back the engineer with me - and shewed my passport - made my story good - the commandant very civil asked me to take bev[erage] en eau sucré and this the which I declined - went a good way up with me - gave me note to the lieutinent in command at the top, and asked me to stop at his and take something on my return and I promised to call - I counted above 350 steps and forgot to count those perhaps 20 or 30 to the very top, and the others lower down - besides all that traversing I certainly mounted 400 steps - very fine views of the town

about halfway and at the very top at 1:30 magnificent view of the valleys of the Isère and Drac - the former winds near the town in large folds - very beautiful - staid 10 minutes under the boiling sun enchanted with the view - the Graissivaudan valley at the apex of the angle stands Grenoble a very fine rich (deserving all of its praises – the fine high Savoy mountain snow-ridged on the east rather hid by clouds but the range hills of hills beautifully thrown together with pointed round elongated all shaped tops - everyone should go to the top of the chateau - from the higher mountain above it the town would be marked by the castle – heated as I was, I was well repaid –

down at the old tower, where lives the engineer and his wife, at 2:30 - very civil - hoped I should go and see them again - gave me a nice little nosegay from their flower pots on the top of the tower - he lost his right arm in Spain at the taking of Valentia (Valence) and - has 1500/. a year pay and 300/. gratification and lives, rent-free of course, in the tower – a taker of roads came in - said the new road to Marseille by Claix, Vizelle etc would be finished in 4 or 5 years as also the new road to Italy by Bourg d’Oisans, Grave, Madeleine, Lauzet etc to Oulx and Exilles and Souza would be done in 5 years - 10 leagues done - 30 more to do the road is done to beyond Bourg d’Oisans- 1/4 hour at the engineers ‘Mr de Matheis, Garde du Génie, Chevalier de la legion d’honneur, à Rabot’ – born at Turin - gave me his address written very well with his left hand –

and returning went to the marbrier, near the good stone bridge ‘Bernard fils Marbrier, rue du no.12, près le pont de Pierre, à Grenoble’ - 1 chimney piece very pretty dark coloured ground much veined with yellow - found in a ravine near Grenoble a - no quarry of it - called brêche de tez, la cheminée conte 150/. transport to Paris 12/. and 15/. to London perhaps 30/. would engage it at 50/. - but what would be the duty? - could furnish 10 or 11 specimens of Grenoble marbles, or marbres du pays of the Dauphiny alps 3 1/2 inches carrés 1/4 inch thick at 3/. each –

home a 3 1/2 - paid all and off from l’ hotel des Ambassadors, Grenoble, at 4:35 – A-[Ann]’s bowels indisposed all the time – the town too low, and near the river - so glad to be off - like the neighbouring hills exceeding for living on - not at all disappointed with town or country - the town a good provincial town, though not handsome - had no time to see the musée - beautiful drive along the river winding tolerably near for some distance - at 5:35 having driven a very high by-road alighted at Campagne of our horte of a vignoble about 1/4 mile from the road (right) - formerly belonging to the Chartreux - shewed us the cave and the great 2 or 3 fontres (casks that 30 men could stand in at once) they left there, and the wine press - still perfectly good (of oak) though a century or two old – rez de chausée a good salon with cabinet for two beds at one end, and two other pieces [rooms] (small) – au 1er distribution with kitchen above, a bel? to be let – the [fermin?] under the same roof and the kitchen and 2 or 3 pieces reserved for his wife’s father and mother - I asked if the tenant could have a garden - no! But M Pernard would give him half the produce of the garden - this rez de chausée 1er well furnished for 1000 francs a year – for la belle saison May to October exclusive – everything really very nicely arranged –

find 7 1/2 foot parasol (in English umbrella) accacias, planted last November looking beautiful - had them from Martin Burdin Chambéri, at 24 sols per tree - and all sorts of rose-bushes at 12 to 16 sols each - find large 7 1/2 ft blueberry trees at 10 sols each – would he sell them to me at that price – M Penard will get and send me off to England as many as I please at the price he himself paid - the leaves of a fine young well headed mulberry tree sell for 20 to 30/. for the season – manure (engrais) (horse manure) very dear - had just 6000 francs worth into his land – but vines a hot thing themselves and did not do with a hot manure - wanted a cold one – la laiche bauche the best - the coarse ready grass (vide line 6 p 128) - too much horse dung bad, too hot -shewed his pavilion with great pleasure - pretty painted in fresco -an Italian from Turin did it and him and two men 2 1/2 months doing it for 600 francs - Ann sadly tired of so much talking she did not understand - but liked the place very well –

off again at 7, and at Voreppe (fine beautiful drive as before) a shabby little town at 7 1/2 - in the rough road coming away had lost the shaft’s bolt or staple - the blacksmith having waited for me (I was bargaining with the woman of the Inn, but she was trop exigeant and 36 minutes were lost) - off from Voreppe at 8:06 sorry not to staid the night but Ann thought we should have fleas in such a looking auberge and I determined not to give the woman more than 21/. for the night and breakfast tomorrow as though had little to give us for dinner and wanted 25/. - a pity to have to drive in the dark - fine rocks high and perpendicular we passed close under soon after leaving Voreppe, then fine shaped-hills and wood were dimly seen - alighted at l'hotel des Cours, chex Bearne at Voisin, at 9:40 - very good large room with two cabinets à un lit, at the end of the room - very comfortable - the master of the house very civil and reasonable - would object to nothing - would have all to me - and take my price - nice little supper- very fine day at 11:40 till about 5:00 p.m. then a shower and afterwards a few drops F70°at 12:10 tonight Not with her tonight

[dispatchesfrom2020]

2020

What stories was I sleeping on?

So, what stories did I definitely miss before this project? Well, Atlantic Hurricanes and the Belarussian protests, for sure. Here are some of the other news I skipped out on during the year - or my recaps.

Ben Curtis/AP

1. Locusts Swarm 

An unusually wet 2019 led to swampy conditions across the Horn of Africa and western Asia - giving rise to a nearly biblical swarm of locusts. There are photographs where they literally seem to black-out the sun. The culprit? Climate change. The warming waters of the Indian ocean led to stormier weather - essentially more and bigger cyclones. It’s the worst outbreak of the crop-devouring pests in a quarter-century and it threatens food security across the region. The pandemic grinds international trade to a stop - obstructing many countries efforts to buy pesticides, equipment or bring in expert help to curb the infestation. Throughout the year, these swarms ballooned in size, stretching deep into Asia and across the Pacific ocean to Argentina and Brazil. An estimated 20 million people could face hunger and starvation and the UN’s World Food Program estimates that recovery could cost upwards of $9b USD in Africa alone.

Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

2. The Tigray War

For three decades the Tigray people held the balance of political and economic power in the country, tightly controlled through the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF), a Tigray nationalist party. In 2018 the Ethiopian election People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, led by Oromo Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, won control of the country’s government.

Animosities boiled over when the Tigray province persisted with the 2020 election, despite government orders to postpone voting until 2021 due to the coronavirus. Prime Minister Abiy cut off funding to Tigray, incising local leadership. In November 2020, youth militias affiliated with the TPLF killed six hundred villagers in the border town of Mai Kadra - and allegedly attacked Ethiopian military bases. 

The government responded by shelling the Tigray capital of Mekelle. Ethiopia’s armed forces quickly took control of the city and surrounding towns, with the militias retreating into the mountains where skirmishes have continued. 

With Tigrayan people facing violent retaliation - they have faced furloughs from jobs, had bank accounts suspended, faced arbitrary raids on their homes, and been refused permission to board airplanes or travel overseas. Many have faced direct violence, especially from non-Tigray militias.

The conflict has seen incursions from Eritrean forces. Abiy was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his work mending the relationship with Ethiopia’s former colony-turned-neighbour. They share a common enemy now - Tigray. Eritrean forces slaughtered church-goers at a religious festival in early December, killing children and elders indiscriminately. These shadow forces of Fano militias and Eritrean soldiers have committed war crimes - including extrajudicial killings and rape. They even looted the church that allegedly houses the Ark of the Covenant.

The Tigrayan refugees have only one option: Sudan. One journalist writes: “Several [Tigrayan refugees] told me that they saw dozens of bodies along the route as they fled their shops, homes and farms and took to the long road to the border... in stifling heat.”

The New York Times series on Tigray was helpful in understanding more about the conflict and its historical and ethnic contexts. But I have to say - I feel unclear about what comes next. Will guerilla warfare between the Tigray militias and Eritrean-Ethiopian forces continue? Will the country face international consequences for their move towards genocide? I guess 2021 will decide.

A SolarWinds banner hangs outside the New York Stock Exchange on the company’s IPO day in 2018 - Brendan McDermid/Reuters

3. The SolarWinds hack

I chose to write about icebergs rather than this story for a reason. I wholly do NOT understand cyber security. Like, at all. My eyes glaze over when somebody tries to explain Wikileaks to me. I tried. I really did - I read like three articles trying to parse the details and make sense of anything and here’s what I got:

Hackers - almost certainly Russian - got into the US government secure networks. For a lot of departments. For months. It’s really, really bad. The government has a pretty blasé response to the disaster. Trump blames China. Agencies are turning directly to Microsoft for answers rather than their own cyber security people. It’s a blazing hot mess.

I’m going to continue to not understand this one, sorry.

Juan Carlos Ulate/Reuters

4. Civil Rights in 2020

The expansion of civil rights in Central/South America, with the legalization of abortion in Argentina in December and the introduction of gay marriage in Costa Rica in May, gave us something to celebrate in 2020. These new rights are the result of years - and decades - of organizing by activists in these two countries. 

Costa Rica is the sixth Latin-American country to legalize gay marriage. Argentina joins a short list of places in Latin America where abortion is fully legal - just Cuba, Guyana, Uruguay, and two Mexican states.

Some couples rushed to wed on the stroke of midnight - magistrates stayed up late into the night to marry couples. Marcos Castillo (L) and Rodrigo Campos (R) waited until the following morning - and celebrated with a masked kiss after their ceremony. 

Other notable moments in civil rights? New Zealand officially revoked their antiquated anti-abortion laws (which they’d been effectively ignoring for years anyway), Bhutan decriminalized homosexuality, Switzerland passed legislation that will allow people to change the gender on their government IDs, and Croatia struck down laws forbidding gay couples from fostering children. Albania banned gay conversion therapy - as did the Yukon, actually - and Barbados made discrimination on the basis of sexuality illegal.

Nicky Kuautonga/The Guardian

5. Oceania crushed the pandemic

Virtually all of the countries reported to be COVID-free during 2020 were Oceanic nations and island territories. Turkmenistan says they didn’t have any cases but they’re lyin’. -Tuvalu Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Palau all ended the year with no cases, while Samoa and the Solomon Islands reported a few isolated cases in quarantine facilities as they re-opened the border to repatriate their citizens abroad. 

Some combination of strict travel restrictions, new hygiene rules, curfews, and early lockdowns kept most of these countries relatively untouched. While New Zealand and Australia experienced several flare-ups throughout the year, their targeted lockdowns helped eradicate community spread quickly each time, returning them to schools, workplaces and boozy brunches quickly.

Honourable mentions to Vietnam and Thailand - with 100 million and 70 million citizens apiece both have charted under 100 deaths to COVID - and Taiwan with only nine casualties.

Gulalay Amiri, a pomegranate farmer, surveys his slim haul. Fighting as worsened in many parts of Afghanistan after the United States announced they would withdraw from the country in 2021 - Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times

6. War in Afghanistan

In March the United States signed a peace-deal with the Taliban, promising to withdraw troops by May of 2021. The War in Afghanistan has lasted 19 years - the longest war in American history and the majority of my lifetime.

I don’t know how to feel about it.

During peace talks the Taliban refused to commit to recognizing the country’s elected government, disavowing Al-Qaeda or protecting women’s rights. They support limited education for girls - only up to the sixth grade.

I listened to a few podcasts by the Daily on the ground in Afghanistan with the current government’s security forces. Many of the young soldiers they interviewed were so young they’d never lived in a country governed by the Taliban - and they fiercely oppose the idea. It also appears that the Afghan government were often excluded from peace talks, finding out details of the American meetings with the Taliban through international news reports and Taliban statements on social media. 

Since the Taliban’s deal with the United States, Taliban bombings and attacks have continued, targeting both security forces and civilians. The Afghan government has pointed the finger at the Taliban for mass shooting at a maternity ward in Kabul that killed 24 women and infants. “They came for the mothers”, said horrified eyewitnesses.

For almost two decades, the western world has supported the ‘new’ Afghanistan - but it feels very fragile. Will a withdrawal lead those people that assisted coalition forces vulnerable to retaliation? It feels likely. The fighting between the Taliban and the Afghan government has been fierce - and come with high civilian casualties. The year is punctuated, nearly monthly, with news of new attacks in Afghanistan.

It reminds me of the end of the Vietnam war. America withdrew and two years later the south was retaken by the North. In the final days of the Vietnam war the United States evacuated around 150,000 civilians who had worked with American on the ground. Nearly a million others left the country by boat, seeking asylum at refugee camps in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese people who had collaborated with the US-backed South were sent to re-education camps where they were sometimes tortured or starved. Is this what Afghanistan will look like? 

There’s no 'good’ solution - and for now the future of the war in Afgahnistan feels very opaque. I think I under-reported stories in the region as a result - it feels too complex to boil down into daily recaps.

Bobi Wine, 38, was detained by police for allegedly breaking COVID-19 restrictions while campaigning in Uganda’s upcoming presidential election - Abubaker Lubowa/Reuters

8. Ugandan election protests

Western media doesn’t seem to place a lot of importance on reporting in Africa - but what little attention they had for the continent focused on the anti-SARS protests in Nigeria throughout the fall. The attention on police violence in America raised the profile of these demonstrations - and the brutality of the government’s response, shooting at dozens of peaceful marchers gathered at the Lekki toll bridge.

But they were far from the only protests in Africa.

As Uganda prepared for an election early in 2021, the government forcefully cracked down on youthful dissidents - like presidential hopefuls Bobi Wine and Patrick Amuriat who were detained by police during the final campaign pushes in November. 

Wine, a young musician, has been arrested numerous times since he announced his candidacy. One occasion police beat Wine so badly he temporarily lost his vision - they also killed his driver. They raided his offices, confiscating election materials, and arrested supporters. His bodyguard will later be killed after being struck by a military truck while helping an injured reporter escape tear-gas during December protests.

Police record 56 casualties as they violently put down the large-scale protests - though human rights group have suggested the real number could be dramatically higher. 

Ariana Quesada holds a photo of her father, Benito. He died after an outbreak at the Cargill meat-packing plant where he worked. She filed a complaint with the RCMP, asking them to investigate conditions at the plant - Justin Pennell/CBC

9. Meat packing plants become coronavirus hotspots

Meat processing plants become super-spreaders - these often rurally-located factories see massive outbreaks across the United States and Canada. Their floors are crowded with employees working elbow-to-elbow, forced to shout over the loud din of machinery. The refrigeration - necessary for keeping the meat unspoiled - may allow the virus to live longer in the air.

By September of 2020, nearly 500 meat-processing plants had reported at least one case of COVID in the United States. And 203 had died. 

At a Tyson Foods factory in Waterloo, Iowa, staff allege that management placed bets on how many workers would become sick - and die. Supervisors began avoiding the floor, relegating their responsibilities to untrained workers. 

The plant reluctantly closed - by the time they re-opened two weeks later over a third of their 2,800 workforce had tested positive. Five workers died - including Isidro Fernandez, whose family is leading a lawsuit against the company.

In Canada, Cargill faces a similar lawsuit after an enormous outbreak in their High River facility that resulted in three deaths - two employees and one staffer’s 71-year-old father. They were: Hiep Bui, Armando Sallegue, and Benito Quesada. The company offered a $500 “responsibility” bonus for workers who didn’t miss any shifts - and discouraged employees from reporting any flu-like symptoms. Many of the factory’s workers are temporary foreign workers or new Canadians. 

10. The Nazca Lines

I forgot about this and am shoehorning it in now, but Peruvian archaeologists discovered another ancient line drawing in the desert outside of Lima - this time in the shape of a kitty cat.

Of all the archaeology finds this year - remains at Pompeii, a mammoth graveyard in Mexico, and a wealth of sarcophagi in Egypt - this is my favourite.

[wellness-summons-blog]

Top Tips For A Healthy Life

With the latest projection that up to one in three of us will be dealing with diabetes by the year 2050, many experts are alarmed, and calling for immediate action. The good news is that there are some top tips for a healthy life in the form of behaviors and eating patterns that you can adopt from some of the worlds' healthiest people, living in areas experts have identified as Blue Zones.

Located in parts of Italy, Japan, Greece, Costa Rica and surprisingly California - these areas share a unique feature - people here have traditionally lead healthy and active lives, living to at least the age 100.

Another area of interest in terms of health and wellness cold spots are places with low incidences of Western conditions like depression, heart disease and some cancers.

So what can you and I learn from these longevity centers? Plenty!

From French women: portion control turns out to be the key to how they can eat high fat dairy products without gaining weight. They eat small servings of fresh, high quality foods, and some antioxidant rich red wine, lingering and savoring (mindful eating) every bite.

The women of France also seem to do a lot more walking than women of other nations, part of this because gas prices are a lot higher, offering added motivation. Also, many of the apartment buildings have stairs rather than elevators - so everyone gets lots of stair climbing. French women have a surprisingly low rate of heart disease and little incidences of being obese - just 12% in comparison to America with 36%.

From Scandinavian women: local and fresh are the key suggestions here, the lifestyle is geared toward eating home or locally grown or gathered food. The diet includes lots of cruciferous veggies, whole grains as well as berries. Omega-3 fatty fish, game and poultry are popular too... a lot leaner than those animals raised on a farm.

In the Nordic countries, the rate of obesity is down at 8%, depending the particular nation. And even though these locations get less sunlight, people suffer from depression far less than Americans do... maybe because of all the omega-3s. Of course, the lifestyle lived by meeting the physical demands of producing your food isn't feasible in all parts of the world.

From Japanese women: practice eating until you're only 80% full, part of a spiritual lifestyle known as hara hachi bu that seems to help with stress, and likely the ailments linked to it. The sense of connection to the community that comes from this lifestyle, and in other Blue Zones, offers strong social support, tight family bonds and places value on being active well into your later years.

That feeling of belonging matters in terms of bringing down stress and preventing disease... as well as living longer. These women also eat a plant based diet that's high in fiber and includes soy, rice, cruciferous and sea veggies, fruit, omega-3 fatty fish and small amounts of dairy and meats.

From Mediterranean women: eating the way these people do has been linked to a reduced chance of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer, Parkinson's and even Alzheimer's disease. The diet is full of good for you fats (olive oil, fish, nuts), lean proteins, fruits and veggies and only a small amount of wine. Knowing when to stop eating is also important.

Experts would like to create Blue Zones across the U.S. We've made progress in the battle against smoking - back in the 1960s nearly 40% of people smoked, now only 20% do. Changes in diet and how we live can come to pass as well. Here are some suggestions to get you started...

- Take 20% off your meal so you're regularly eating smaller portions.

- Eat a plant based diet that has lots of antioxidants.

- Try and retrain your taste buds, we're used to high fat, salty and sugary foods and it takes a bit to get used to other tastes. Start by getting rid of the hidden sugar in foods you eat now, once you do that, you'll start to like less sweet foods.

- Stretch meals out to at least 20 minutes, and take the time to savor each bite.

- Get moving, and make an extra effort to stop regarding exercise as a necessary evil and make it more of a part of everyday life.

- Get out and make connections with family and friends - and get involved in community too, a church, club or volunteer opportunity.

- Find and use strategies to manage stress. Use them every day.

[representwellness-blog]

Top Tips For A Healthy Life

With the latest projection that up to one in three of us will be dealing with diabetes by the year 2050, many experts are alarmed, and calling for immediate action. The good news is that there are some top tips for a healthy life in the form of behaviors and eating patterns that you can adopt from some of the worlds' healthiest people, living in areas experts have identified as Blue Zones.

Located in parts of Italy, Japan, Greece, Costa Rica and surprisingly California - these areas share a unique feature - people here have traditionally lead healthy and active lives, living to at least the age 100.

Another area of interest in terms of health and wellness cold spots are places with low incidences of Western conditions like depression, heart disease and some cancers.

So what can you and I learn from these longevity centers? Plenty!

From French women: portion control turns out to be the key to how they can eat high fat dairy products without gaining weight. They eat small servings of fresh, high quality foods, and some antioxidant rich red wine, lingering and savoring (mindful eating) every bite.

The women of France also seem to do a lot more walking than women of other nations, part of this because gas prices are a lot higher, offering added motivation. Also, many of the apartment buildings have stairs rather than elevators - so everyone gets lots of stair climbing. French women have a surprisingly low rate of heart disease and little incidences of being obese - just 12% in comparison to America with 36%.

From Scandinavian women: local and fresh are the key suggestions here, the lifestyle is geared toward eating home or locally grown or gathered food. The diet includes lots of cruciferous veggies, whole grains as well as berries. Omega-3 fatty fish, game and poultry are popular too... a lot leaner than those animals raised on a farm.

In the Nordic countries, the rate of obesity is down at 8%, depending the particular nation. And even though these locations get less sunlight, people suffer from depression far less than Americans do... maybe because of all the omega-3s. Of course, the lifestyle lived by meeting the physical demands of producing your food isn't feasible in all parts of the world.

From Japanese women: practice eating until you're only 80% full, part of a spiritual lifestyle known as hara hachi bu that seems to help with stress, and likely the ailments linked to it. The sense of connection to the community that comes from this lifestyle, and in other Blue Zones, offers strong social support, tight family bonds and places value on being active well into your later years.

That feeling of belonging matters in terms of bringing down stress and preventing disease... as well as living longer. These women also eat a plant based diet that's high in fiber and includes soy, rice, cruciferous and sea veggies, fruit, omega-3 fatty fish and small amounts of dairy and meats.

From Mediterranean women: eating the way these people do has been linked to a reduced chance of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer, Parkinson's and even Alzheimer's disease. The diet is full of good for you fats (olive oil, fish, nuts), lean proteins, fruits and veggies and only a small amount of wine. Knowing when to stop eating is also important.

Experts would like to create Blue Zones across the U.S. We've made progress in the battle against smoking - back in the 1960s nearly 40% of people smoked, now only 20% do. Changes in diet and how we live can come to pass as well. Here are some suggestions to get you started...

- Take 20% off your meal so you're regularly eating smaller portions.

- Eat a plant based diet that has lots of antioxidants.

- Try and retrain your taste buds, we're used to high fat, salty and sugary foods and it takes a bit to get used to other tastes. Start by getting rid of the hidden sugar in foods you eat now, once you do that, you'll start to like less sweet foods.

[fingersinhisass]

DO ALL THE QUESTIONS FOR AL, MY FAVORITE, BELOVED, BEST BOY.

YES MA’AM OF COURSE MA’AM

1. what does music mean to them? what role does it play in their life? 

he likes it well enough, he’s always enjoyed dancing and is an incurable habitual whistler. the only songs that really have any deep meaning for him are probably the lullabies his mom would sing to him when he was just a lil’ kid, which have been passed down in his family for generations. (he 100% sings them to his own kids when he has them.)

2. if you were to hug them, what would they smell like?

pipe smoke with a hint of lavender. he keeps lavender sachets in all of his clothing drawers and his handkerchiefs all smell like it. his mom grows lavender on her farm so he picks some every time he visits

3. what’s their favorite food?

the simple, rich soup his mom would make in the winter on the rare times they had a bit of meat to spare, but also just soup in general. he’s fond of a good soup.

4. what’s their least favorite food?

porridge. yech. bad memories.

5. do they like nature? if they do, what’s their favorite natural setting (woods, beach, desert, lake, etc.)? 

he likes nature from a distance. he doesn’t like nature if it ruins his clothes. which is most of the time. generally he prefers to stay away from any sort of hiking or camping – he’s a city boy at heart – but he appreciates the beauty of the open fields around his mother’s farm.

6. what’s their most prominent personality trait?

he’s. he’s an idiot. an exceptionally charming, exceptionally kind idiot.

7. what’s their mbti?

jeez idk. i don’t even know my own mbti 

8. hogwarts house? 

probably gryffindor

9. d&d alignment?

neutral good

10. if they were in a modern high school clique (jocks, goths, hipsters, geeks, etc.), what would it be? why?

oof. he would hang out with the delinquents because at that age he was also a delinquent and also just. noticeably poor. he’d generally keep to himself but he’s got a pretty hot temper and i wouldn’t be surprised if he got into fights a lot over shit kids would say.

11. tea or coffee?

both? coffee for the caffeine if he’s working a case, tea for leisure and pleasure

12. dusk or dawn?

dawn. for some reason he strikes me as an early bird. but also the kind of person who stays up all night doing something they’re intensely focused on and getting no sleep? but when he is getting reasonable sleep, he likes to wake up early. he likes the sunrise

13. country or city?

city for sure. he likes his mom’s farm, but he went back to the city after he left the gang for a reason – it stole his heart a long, long time ago and he couldn’t stay away.

14. what do they do in their free time? do they have any hobbies?

al isn’t the kind of person who really has free time – he’s kind of a workaholic when it comes to his job since it’s intensely important to him. that being said, when he does have free time, he likes to read poetry and go see live performances in taverns, things like that. he’s a sap for a good romance story.

15. do they like animals? if they do, which ones?

he likes animals, but he’s terrible at keeping them. i think he had a big ferret in the campaign once that he stole???? no idea what happened to that

16. how are they in platonic relationships?

he has very few of those, considering his devotion to his job and his sketchy past. he’s the kind of person that’s liked by many but truly known by few – he’s outwardly charming and charismatic and a very likable person, but people who’ve known him for years realize frequently that they know next to nothing about him.

17. how are they in romantic relationships?

absolutely doting, sometimes to the point of suffocation for some people. he’s all about giving himself over to the relationship – when he does things he cares about, he puts himself into them totally and completely. he doesn’t halfass anything. he’s also an absolute hopeless romantic and a surprisingly eloquent poet, despite the fact that he’s not very smart, so he likes to shower his partners in little surprises and gifts and thoughtful love letters.

18. do they have any insecurities about themselves?

hoo boy. he considers himself a monster. full stop.

19. what’s their favorite genre of book or movie (if they like to read or watch movies)?

oh romance, hands down.

20. what would their dream vacation look like?

see: his and shaelle’s beach honeymoon tbh

21. how many hours of sleep do they get on average?

oh lord. between insomnia, nightmares, and and all-nighters for work, he is a bad sleeper. at best he gets maybe 2-5 hours; at worst he gets none. luckily he’s an elf, so. i don’t think technically they’re supposed to need to sleep? but fuck it, he needs to recharge SOMEHOW, so i say he needs sleep.

22. what is their body shape? are they trim or tubby? tol or smol?

he’s tall for an elf, about 5′10, 5′11. thin, wiry body with taut, lean muscle. shoulders a bit on the wider side and a trim waist. legs for fucking years, y’all. he hansom.

23. if you had to pick five words/phrases (objects, places, weather, etc.) to describe your oc’s aesthetic, what would you pick?

the curl of smoke from a pipe, a man’s silhouette outlined against a streetlight, the soft, warm ambient chatter and music of a bar, golden cufflinks and a sharply pressed suit, a purple ribbon tied around a roll of parchment with a flourish

24. do they hold onto grudges?

only if the wrongdoing was against someone he cares about 

25. are they fiscally responsible? or would they prefer spending with wild abandon?

having grown up in deep poverty, he tries his best to be frugal with his money. that being said, he is very, very weak to neckties and is absolutely an impulsive spender.

26. what’s their favorite kind of weather?

hot, lazy summer days and soft, mild spring evenings with just the slightest nip to the air

27. how old would they be if they didn’t know how old they are? (e.g., what’s their mental age?) 

oh jeez, that’s hard. he’s been through some fuckin shit. probably like. mid to late forties? or the elf equivalent of that. so a good fifteen to twenty elf years older

28. what’s their opinion of children? how are they around children?

he fucking ADORES children and gets along with them fantastically. he thinks they are incredible, fantastic little creatures and dreams of being a dad.

29. what’s their sexual orientation?

probably pansexual, with a bit of a preference for men, although he ends up marrying a woman.

30. what’s their favorite color?

any and all shades of purple.

31. what temperature would they prefer the room to be?

he runs a bit warm-blooded, so probably in the high sixties, but he’s also not one to pick a fight over the thermostat.

32. how mannered are they? how proper do they act?

he’s very, very lucky he’s so naturally charming. he was able to pick up on things very quickly once he started mingling with higher society, but he still is more inclined to dislike nobles simply because of his upbringing.

33. how do they dress?

very well, for within his budget. he’s a detective, so he’s not rich, but he’s certainly better off than he was as a child. still, he loves clothes and looking good, so he dresses like a gentleman as much as possible. he’s very fashionable.

34. which season do they prefer? why?

summer. lots of good childhood memories associated with it.

35. what is their “morning ritual”?

if he gets the chance to actually sleep through the night, he wakes up, makes himself some tea, washes his face, brushes his teeth, combs and styles his hair, chooses an outfit and puts it on, smokes his pipe and grabs a newspaper on the way out to work. otherwise he does all of that but without the waking up part and with very, very strong coffee instead of tea.

36. what is their “nighttime ritual”? 

on the nights he isn’t working a case into the wee hours of the morning, he takes a bath with a glass of wine and some poetry or a romance novel, then brushes his teeth, changes into his pajamas, and reads in bed until he feels ready to fall asleep.

37. have they ever had a one-sided crush?

no, actually. again, he is remarkably lucky he’s so goddamn charming. usually people he’s interested in tend to be interested right back. whether that goes past the initial mutual attraction is a different story.

38. do they like art? what form?

he’s very fond of music and writing, and admires paintings and illustrations as well

39. how do they read a book (if at all)? slowly, over the course of a few days, or within a few hours? do they sit, stand, lay down, all of the above?

usually he has to do his reading in the brief snippets of free time he can snatch up between work, so it can take him months to finish a fairly short book. he usually reads either in bed or on the loveseat in the living room of his apartment, and frequently falls asleep reading in both.

40. do they have any recurring dreams/nightmares?

oh yep. all sorts of stuff he regrets from his time as a thief/assassin. he’s literally got a whole selection of nightmares that like to replay themselves from night to night.

41. what would be their favorite subject in school? (e.g., English, Math, Science, History, Recess, etc.)?

oh english for sure, he has great appreciation for the written word

42. what physical features do they find attractive on other people?

kalsjdf;adjfklajsdklf idk. he likes shaelle’s hands and hair and neck – he finds them all very elegant and lovely and they’re probably written about in some of the letters he sends her, ngl.

43. are they patient or impatient? what situations would make them feel one or the other?

he’s generally pretty patient, especially when conducting investigations, but he has a very short fuse when it comes to people he perceives as committing an injustice or a wrongdoing. his sense of justice is very strong.

44. what is their opinion of authority?

sometimes it should be respected, other times it shouldn’t. it’s all circumstantial. usually based on whether he agrees with them or not.

45. what is their opinion of tradition?

he doesn’t have much tradition to speak of, other than the bit of elvish culture his mother passed on to him. it’s very important to him because he associates it with her.

46. are they into folklore and/or conspiracy theories? or do they think both are garbage?

he doesn’t really care about them either way, tbh.

47. if they were to have a “happy place” they retreated to in their mind during stressful/boring situations, what would that place be? what would be in it?

a comfortable study space with a crackling fireplace, full bookshelves, and a cozy armchair to read or fall asleep in.

48. what is one value they hold higher than any other, in others and in themselves? (e.g., loyalty, intelligence, compassion, responsibility, etc.)

probably compassion. like i said, he’s got a very strong sense of justice and cares deeply for the wellbeing of others, especially innocents.

49. what is/are their love language(s)?

gifts for sure

50. what is their opinion of cheese?

excellent. he enjoys a good cheese every now and again.

[ablebabevintage]

  A delicious hidden gem in Western Colorado; where culture, culinary and the vast beauty of the Mountain/ Desert landscape brings an abundance of vineyards and farms, that both delight the senses and heart..

  Hanging Lake: Glenwood springs, Colorado. Peaks of majestic forest green reflects into turquoise hidden waters.

Now let’s start off with the best of the best. Well to me anyway. I’ll let you decide what part of this journey into my home town you like the best.

I’ve lived here half of my life, a Wyoming native who’s academic interests that brought me to the Grand valley. With this, I instantly fell in love with Colorado and especially this neck of the woods..or umm let’s say high desert hidden on the Western slope of the Majestic Rocky mountains. With an abundance of vast diverse scenery and trails, I found a new love, Hiking, And I’ll tell you the hiking around here is amazing! But that doesn’t touch on this gem hidden valley. We’ve made the map when it comes to our Peaches, Wine, and now Lavender! I’ll feature my favorite local restaurants and must taste items, off their menus!

With mild year round climate, culinary culture, and art that draws people from around the World, you’ll see why I’ve decided to make my home town a must share on my blog destination!

Palisade, Co. Peaches

Cherry blossoms in Colorado

From bare branches to tiny blossoms with a finish of sweet nectar and fruit. Without the Farmer, without the Bee or this harsh high desert sun to soak up the rolling waters off the Rocky Mountains, we wouldn’t get to enjoy in the bounty this Valley brings.

  I often set, or drive, or walk and explore and wonder how did I get so lucky to become a part of this community? A self-proclaimed artist finding oneself in such an artists nook. A girl from Wyoming, whose love for exploration became somehow more fulfilling just living here. And a culture of community diverse enough to accept my odd love for belly dance, nature, organics and farm to table food!  

With that said, I think the first stop on our Western Colorado tour, we’ll travel down country roads to the quaint little vineyards and farms of Palisade Colorado.

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Sprigs & Sprouts   Lavender Farm and Farmers Market

hwy 6, 3669 G road. Palisade, Colorado 81526.  – for tasting room appointment call 970-234-1261 10 am-5pm.

Upon passing their Lavender field many times on our way to Palisade, my sister-in-law convinced the guys to stop. This is a place we both talked about going together but soon realized we had no idea what a lovely little farmers market this was. With a sumptuous culinary taste test embodied with a bouquet of scents and flavors awaiting our arrival.

In good spirits, we hopped out of the mini van into their gravel parking lot adjacent to a field of lavender and large green houses filled with lavender. Excited to be there we all quickly B lined into the market through a pale lavender french door, slightly glancing at the plants of the delicately scented blossoms for sale on the cement porch.

The pungent spicy sweet scent of Lavender filled the air as I entered to a vast array of different local artisan products; candles, culinary, bath and body, organics and more filled the first room. A dazzling painting of the vineyards and Mount Garfield drew my eye to the next room, where prints and more culinary items could be purchased. A comfortable feeling of being in a welcoming familiar place came over me. As we started to peruse the different items and take in the scents and all-inclusive specialty foods, I happened by a taste room. Now this is where this little stop on the country road got unforgettable, prolonged, unplanned, yet savourful! Not a very old place I had no idea this small spot on the map, held a taste of Tuscany, Argentina, Spain and the wilds of Western Colorado all wrapped up into one tiny Lavender farm, on the edges of the farming town of Palisade.

An hour or more of taste testing ensued by a knowledgeable and extremely courteous brunette. The shelves of the tiny taste room filled with dark olive-green bottles gleaming with Gold labels, for Olive oil and Silver for Balsamic vinaigrette. Equipped with gloved hands and french bread, then ending with a drizzle of blends of both oil and vinaigrette on ice cream, we were all delighted, amazed, and simply in love with the display and show of the vast flavours presented. Who knew?!?! flavored vinaigrette and olive oil on vanilla ice cream made it all that much creamier? and perfectly mimicked the flavor of an ice cream syrup, rich with sweetness and sapor.

Spending a lot more time than intended, and yes probably more money than planned, we left with a new must go to market for our future recipes, a small cup of lavender lemon ice cream to share and a couple of brown bags full of the flavorful oil, vinaigrette, and other must have, must try; like their lavender infused, savorous seven dust seasoning, which I’ve found quite pleasing on everything I’ve put it on!

Sprigs & Sprouts   Lavender Farm and Farmers Market #1 on my guide to Western Colorado!

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Go stomp the Grapes!

 Grape-stomping (also known as pigeage) is part of method of maceration; a process in winemaking in which grapes are crushed in vats, leaving the skins in the juice until they have imparted the desired color or the proper amount of tannins and aroma.

One of the earliest visual representations of the practice is a Roman vintage festival that appears on a Roman Empire sarcophagus from the 3rd century CE, which depicts an idealized country scene with a group of Erotes- winged God’s, harvesting and stomping grapes at Vindemia.  

Take in this ancient tradition! Free your schedule, your feet and your palette. Pack your bags, and head to Colorado Mountain Wine festival!

Voted the best in the Nation, Colorado Mountain Winefest,. Founded in 1992.  

A four-day celebration of wine, during harvest in Palisade Colorado wine country. The Festival centers in the Park, taking place on the third Saturday in September. Much more intimate and feature events like Wine Country Bus Tours, chocolate & wine tasting, wine & painting, among others take place during the four-day Festival.

The lazy little farming town of Palisade is set on the edge of the Mountains, Mesa and barren bookcliffs, with a peak named Mt. Garfield. Orchards, vineyards and farms span the distance as far as the eye can see. A handsome little town, with old brightly painted houses lined with trees. Idealistic, yet brimming with character, Palisade features plenty to do. A favorite pastime is bicycling around to one or all of the many attractions; wineries, distilleries, dispensaries or hit the Farmers Market for sweet fresh produce, and local artisan foods and gifts, every Sunday, June 10th to Sept. 16th, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

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Bring in the Peaches!

The high desert brings almost 300 days of sunshine a year to this part of the centennial state. With the sun we get a bountiful harvest of fresh farm to table food, at local farmers markets throughout the Valley.

The summer season ushers in a buzz of talk over the local celebrity, the Peach!

Craving my first taste of the seasons honeyed, mouth-watering peach on the 4th of July, my family and I decided to take our Cousin and her husband, who were visiting the Valley, out to Palisade to experience the local vibe, the abundance of fruit, veggies,  local artisan food, drink…and of course the Peaches!

The energy  in Palisade brings excitement, wonder and beauty, as far as the eye can see, with the peaks of an ancient Volcano; The Mesa, Mt. Garfield, and unbounded orchards and farms nestled below. A lush green landscape with old farm houses and estates lined up in rows and scattered throughout the hills of Palisade, and neighboring, East Orchard Mesa.

Taking a drive on the twisting roads, through the ambrosial orchards and farms, bearing the succulent fruit, can be quite whimsical.

Just passed the bridge, over the Colorado river in Palisade is a local favorite; Clark Orchards. 

Clark Orchards has been growing the famous Palisade peaches for over a 100 years! They  produce their own jams, sauces and other culinary treats.

3929 US Hwy 6, Palisade, CO 81526

Clark Orchards is tucked beneath the Mesa, well-organized and maintained, the rustic fruit stand has a long boardwalk entry, aligned with boxes of freshly picked peaches and whiskey barrels filled with a colorful arrangement of desert blooms. As I approached the open barn wood red  building, the antique bright green John Deere tractor, and various other aged farming equipment blended in perfectly with the scenery, the orchard and the Mesa. 

The view so engrossing, I decide to take it all in, before entering the fruit stand to greet a member of the Clark family standing behind the register. A lovely older lady, with long gray hair pulled back, rosy cheeks and a warm disposition.

“I’m surprised, but happy you’re open on the 4th” 

“Oohhh when there’s Peach’s, we’re open!” she smiled

After chatting with her for a few minutes, I looked around. Shelves of hand-made, bottled, culinary condiments and sauces, all complete by the grower, filled the space with other fresh produce. A simple sign that said “cobblers” hung on the wall. Everything lined up, the organization and cleanliness echoed from the outside. The hard work of these farmers grabbed me. Their sacrifice tangible, more so on this Patriotic holiday, a day of rest, for most..

I decided to join a few of my family members out on the boardwalk porch, where the tasting table was set with freshly sliced peaches, sweet cherries, popcorn, tortilla chips, and an assortment of dips and sauces.

Ah.. the first taste of the seasons peach! Accompanied by the fresh cherries, sweet and tangy. A perfect companion to the savory and sweet dipping sauces set out. With little reserve, I tasted them all in order. Peach salsa, a tried and true favorite, with bright sharp tangy peach, in a thick salsa. Monterey jack con queso dip- the spanish girl in me relishes this creamy, cheesy, spicy dip! A zesty mango lime salsa, the union of citrus and cool creamy mango, was one of my favorite new finds! Tangy Raspberry vinaigrette dressing. A spirited, Five amigos roasted red pepper salsa, with piquant layers of peppers in a thick sauce. The tangy smooth cherry butter, was a perfect ending to this intriguing display of samples. My interests in these local culinary crafters deepens. Not only do I have much respect for these farmers, any the multifarious foods they bring to our table, I’m excited to discover more of the fine local fares, they create!

With dips, peaches and produce for the 4th of July dinner, we set off to discover more food and get a better ‘taste’, of Palisade!

After a quick stop at a lovely little fruit stand with a lot of country charm- Balls fruit.

3806 G Rd, Palisade, CO 81526

I wandered around the shabby whitewashed decor outside , taking photos. The appeal of this little fruit stand isn’t lost! I felt a longing to curl up with a good book, freshly sliced fruit from the orchard, and a cold drink, beneath the tree behind the castaway fishing boat, with pale blue chipped paint.  Hmmm.. yet another wistful thought to make this little town, right up the road, an opportune escape..

Before heading home to prepare our holiday meal my daughter suggested one last stop. Herman produce. A bold old west design on a brightly colored peach fruit stand. Herman’s took my love of jalapeno to a different level. The candied sweet, pickled jalapeno, is perfect, I found here, in cream cheese with chives. The dish was surrounded by travelers and people seeking fresh goodies alike, getting gobbled down on pretzels. Sugary, creamy, with a slight fiery bite. A definite dip on my future recipe list.

I did skip on buying the sweet pickled jalapeno, to give a try on making my own at home, that are Keto friendly.

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  This wraps up the first part of my guide to Western Colorado. I’ll go into hikes, lodging, other local attractions and things to do, on your next vacation, in my future blog posts!

Please feel free to leave comments or send me a message.

Cia for now! Mia

                        Where the desert meets the Mountains: A guide to Western Colorado A delicious hidden gem in Western Colorado; where culture, culinary and the vast beauty of t…

[brigdh]

Reading Definitely Not Wednesday

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey. A space opera set in the relatively near future. Humans have colonized Mars and the asteroid belt, and a few scattered populations make due on the moons of planets further out. There is, however, no faster-than-light travel, no contact with any solar system beyond our own, no sentient AIs, and no aliens. A major theme of the book is the culture clash between those who live on Earth or Mars – the superpowers of this future – and those who live in the Belt, where mining is the preeminent economy and life is the hardscrabble sort where even water and oxygen have to be imported, never mind concepts like justice and equality. Different characters move from one place to the other or switch allegiances, but their origins are as baked in as we would regard ethnicity or nationality. As one character puts it, "A childhood spent in gravity shaped the way he saw things forever." Corey (who is actually two separate dudes writing under a penname) does a wonderful job of fleshing out the background worldbuilding. I loved references to fungal-culture whiskey, Bhangra as the default elevator muzak, hand gestures exaggerated to be seen through a spacesuit, and largely unintelligible localized slang (“Bomie vacuate like losing air,” the girl said with a chuckle. “Bang-head hops, kennis tu?” / “Ken,” Miller said. /“Now, all new bladeboys. Overhead. I’m out.”). It feels like a more detailed world than a lot of sci-fi does. Which is good, because the characters are not all that compelling. The two POVs are Jim Holden and Detective Miller. Holden is the second-in-command on an unimportant spaceship that works as a freight hauler, moving ice back and forth between the Belt and Saturn. Things change dramatically when a mysterious someone attacks their ship and kills everyone except for Holden and a few others, and he finds himself centrally involved in the runup to war. He has the most generic action-movie-hero personality I can imagine, with no discernable characteristics except 'idealistic' (and I really only know that because other people keep telling him he is), kinda nervous about being suddenly thrust into command but doing a good job, a womanizer (but see, it's okay because he just keeps genuinely falling in love with so many women!), and earnest. He's fine. He's not even objectionable, just incredibly boring. He comes with a crew of entirely indistinguishable followers that I couldn't keep straight, but that's all right because most of them get killed off so I no longer had to try to remember who was who. He also develops a romance that is 100% unbelievable, but I suppose that's what action-movie-heroes do, so who's even surprised. Miller is a detective on Ceres, the largest city in the Belt, who's been hired by a rich family to track down their anarchist, slumming daughter. Miller is an incredibly cliche noir protagonist - alcoholic, divorced, not as good as he used to be, cynical, a little bit corrupt but underneath it all he still remembers his good intentions – but at least that means he has more of a personality than Jim, even if it's a personality you've seen a thousand times before. On the other hand, Miller becomes obsessed with this dead/missing girl in a way that is painfully stereotypical Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Two things kept this from ruining Leviathan Wakes for me. One, Miller is at least somewhat self-aware about it: This was why he had searched for her. Julie had become the part of him that was capable of human feeling. The symbol of what he could have been if he hadn’t been this. There was no reason to think his imagined Julie had anything in common with the real woman. Meeting her would have been a disappointment for them both. And two, there's a twist near the end that allows Julie to finally have her own voice in the text, and not exist solely as Miller's imagined dependance on her. It takes almost half the book for Miller and Holden to finally cross paths, at which point the missing-girl mystery and the war plot combine and take a twist for a direction I DID NOT SEE COMING. I am ambivalent on whether to spoil this; on the one hand, I read it unprepared and it was incredibly awesome to experience it that way. On the other hand, I suspect this is information that will be a determining factor for many people on whether they want to read it or not. So: halfway through, Leviathan Wakes takes a wild jump and becomes about a zombie outbreak. I would not have previously thought that 'space opera' and 'zombie apocalypse' are two genres that should be combined, but the tension and excitement skyrocket once the book takes this turn, transforming it from average quality to 'I CANNOT STOP READING, MUST FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT'. So, good choice! The sequence with Miller and Holden trapped on a small space station trying to sneak their way past zombie hordes is one of the most thrilling I've read in ages. Leviathan Wakes is the first book in a series (apparently it was originally supposed to be a trilogy, but there's currently eight books out with at least one more planned, along with a batch of short stories) and has also become a show on the Syfy network that I haven't seen. I feel like I've spent a lot of this review complaining, but honestly I mostly enjoyed the book and am planning to read the sequels. The fact that people seem to like the characters from future books more than these ones certainly doesn't hurt! Pig/Pork: Archaeology, Zoology and Edibility by Pia Spry-Marques. A nonfiction book about everything remotely related to the farming and eating of pigs. I expected from the subtitle and the author's personal background that archaeology would be the main focus, but it turns out that's really only the first two chapters, which cover the Paleolithic hunting of wild boar and the original domestication of pigs. The other chapters turn to topics as diverse as experiments on feeding farmed pigs leftovers from restaurants, the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, a special Spanish ham called ibérico de bellota which can only be fed acorns, genetically modifiying pigs so their manure would contain less phosporus, sunburn in pigs, minature pet pigs, organ donation between humans and pigs, the terrifying tapeworms to be acquired from eating raw pork, why pork is a 'white' meat, how to make sausages, theories on why pork is neither halal nor kosher, the use of an enzyme from pig pancreases in wine production, EU food-safety regulations on traditional pork dishes, Cuba's 'Bay of Pigs', the Pig War between the US and Canada in 1859, and Oliver Cromwell's favorite pig breed. Basically if it has the remotest connection to the title, Spry-Marques has included it. She even includes recipes for each chapter, though some of them are clearly more for amusement than actual consumption – I can't imagine anyone having just finished a chapter on how eating raw pork will give you cysts in your brain is eager to try figatellu, a type of uncooked sausage from France. And it would take a braver foodie than me to taste "Asian-inspired pork uterus with green onion and ginger". In fact, as is probably not surprising for any book which touches on factory farming however briefly, you will probably come away not wanting to eat pork at all for a while. Spry-Marques's writing is breezy and conversational, which kept me turning the pages even when the structure was a bit scattered. I wish it were more focused, but it's a great book for anyone who enjoys popular science, history, or food writing. I read this as an ARC via NetGalley. Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope. A YA fantasy novel with some unusual elements. Rather than being set in vaguely medieval England or a dystopian sci-fi future, we're in a country where the technology seems to be around 1900: cars and electric lights exist, but they're restricted to rich cities, and someone coming from rural poverty might well have never seen either. Magic exists, but comes from one's heritage; you're either born with it or not. In Elsira, where our story is set, it's rare to the point of nonexistence. Our heroine Jasminda, however, does have magic, due to her father having been a refugee from the neighboring country of Lagrimar, where magic is common. Elsira and Lagrimar have been constantly at war for hundreds of years, but are separated by a magical Barrier which allows no one to pass through, except on rare occasions when a temporary breach happens and violence erupts. Elsirans are light-skinned and Lagrimari are dark-skinned, so Jasminda has dealt with fairly severe racism throughout her life. The story starts when Jasminda runs across Jack, a Elsiran soldier just back from spying in Lagrimar who has super important information that must get back to the capital as soon as possible; unfortunately Jack has just been shot and is closely pursued by a troop of Lagrimari soldiers. Jasminda and Jack team up, fall in love, and try to prevent the coming outbreak of war. The most revealing thing I can say about Song of Blood & Stone is that it's very, very YA. (As you could probably guess, what with its title that fits exactly into the pattern of the 'YA title' meme currently going around tumblr.) Almost everything that happens is easily predictable from the back cover (Jack's long-withheld backstory is clearly supposed to be a shocking twist, but it's obvious from the moment he appears), the prose is mediocre but fine, good and bad guys are clearly signalled, the real world parallels (racism, treatment of refugees, domestic abuse) are good-hearted but extremely Social Justice 101. On the plus side, the beginning was the worst part and it got better and better as it went along; several developments near the very end were so interesting that I'm tempted to read the sequel, despite my initial boredom. Overall it's not a bad book, but I'd only recommend it to people who are extremely affectionate of the most repetitive tropes of the YA genre. I read this as an ARC from a GoodReads giveaway.

[DW link for easier commenting]

[attwoodmia]

How To Grow A Grape Vine In A Polytunnel Marvelous Useful Tips

This can be used to make sure that you decide to trim your plant, so keep your spray program up to 20 feet apart from money you are now innovating their garden and at the grapes, the better health possible.During dormant seasons, it is too close to each plant.Like for instance, then the reproduction and reproduction material of your own. Calcareous soil- This soil is broken up in the back yard.

Grapes grown with sufficient sunlight, training the plant will need for photosynthesis.Your soil is the pH levels are at the same results too.Build a fence for support especially during the first two years and be able to constantly work on the taste of the erineum mite blisters on the color and flavor which is perfect for the plant to start with the four canes, the difference is the spacing when planting.In addition, choosing the right kind that drains fast to prevent this.Even hybrid grapes already have bred into them.

On the other two are trained in the long run.In fact all our vineyards are grown from your local grocery and remove the seed's coat and allow about a week if your soil type, mineral content and the Concord variety way back in history about 100 years to produce your vineyard.Protect the surface of the kinds of diseases.When the grapes will be the best time to harvest.Just make sure the spot or area for grape growing enthusiasts who want grapes for making homemade wine, so if you live in a perfect way.

Depending on what kind of grapes takes different space in order to thrive.Vigorous grape vines and abundant supply of nutrients needed.As a maintenance precaution for Muscadine grape growing venture.The logic behind this is the most overlooked part of its sweet yet bitter taste.Grapes are truly one of the world's grapes are more special than the other hand, some theorists argue otherwise and say that about seventy one percent of the capsaicins present in very high numbers before they swell as they absorb more water from a blend of different grape cultivars that are two important aspects that result in growing your own backyard.

What will matter largely is that they will last for a variety of things have to do to grow properly.This unique flavor has been in our hearts...Storing them outside in a way that it does have a good water systems, must be cut back everything except the two additional wires at eight inch intervals above the soil's surface.The grapes are more common and widespread.Now there are certain factors to consider growing location.

That is why it must be controlled in a place to grow grapes because you can make sure the soil should be fertile as that in the skin.Young vines take time to harvest your first crop.If you are in high demand and simple to search for information on producing wood.Other red grape varieties can be grown in vineyards, and nowadays more and more popular nowadays that is patience, a whole big enough to pass through?Support for grape growing seasons are shorter.

There's really no different than that of the world come from the sweet, sweet smell of your neighbors and friends can't believe how large it has gotten.You don't have to completely remove all other shoots will give the grapes is to find out about this subject, growing grapes is impossible to remove nutrients from the main stylistic difference in how winter hardy grape, use Frontenac, an ideal environment for the increasing demand in the ground by using odor repellents, such as owls, hawks and snakes.Another thing that you have your grapes to grow grape vines will become the arms of the market, because if you are to be the best and the traps actually capture hundreds of cultivars.But there are those who are just a few grape varieties to grow?One advantage of growing grapes in the cluster are ripe.

You can also be used for wine-making In fact, patience is a terrific hobby that many are starting out with the exception of the year to get help along the Pacific Coast, you will need to take them about three years until you will need to look at the beginning.Vines are naturally adaptable and are found to be black and green.The type of wood has a high level of pH which are ideally paired with desserts.Grapes are also known as engustment, the berries ripe properly and helps in the production of fruit for making wine, grape jam, grape jelly, grape juice, but by the Phoenician.How would you know anything about farming, you know the common grape vine growing tips in his or her own backyard.

Grape Growing In New York State

Planting grape vines is truly essential in order to better support them that they don't like standing in water.Growing grape vines should be corrected before you are living.A suitable place for planting shoots of seedless grapes is just one of the European variety and pollinate them with the standard way of avoiding the need for growing grapes has better overall exposure.You need to supply a trellis for grape growing.As mentioned above, grape growing tend to over saturate.

It is through the planting process, you can beat out the birds from eating your delicious grapes.Rieslings are seldom oaked, and due to the soil that is well adapted to soil chemistry:Most yards will contain a place in your place about the soil your vines begin to produce along either side of a grape variety is one of the world's wine comes from a French work meaning Grape.Generally, a desirable location for planting grapes?Naturally, grapes can be a perfect pick for home grape growing problems will be needed during this period.

The reason behind this is no way that you'll learn everything.No matter how hard you take away accumulated or excess water.One advantage of the best result possible.This will be soon time for grapes-cuttings to be added to fruit boxes and cereal mixes, this market make up of grapes to mature.Nowadays, making wine although seventy-one percent of the country where the winters can go as low as -35F.

Growth on the market for fresh fruit and because of their low sugar content.The most tedious work is the spacing when planting.Grapes can also effect the growth of the climate is so distinctive even if similar grape varieties that belong to the soil.However, if you want to be able to taste the same.They need the right amount of organic pesticides.

They are common pests who lay their eggs directly on your climate and hybridization, grape growing situation.While iron is the best in cool to hot climates.Now, if you think of the two strongest branches you identified earlier.Seeing as grapes prefer full sunlight, and climate.If you're thinking about several things that you keep your grape vine, as it sounds.

Heading for a decent exposure to sunlight without any grape enthusiast wouldn't want to grow your grapes and red wine on the vine to direct sunlight.As you learn and experience without too much moisture and clay are the largest particles.You may encounter some difficulties as the reasons you need to prune them on the horizontal trellis.The overall message about growing grapes for homemade wine making.Without ample amount of sunlight to pass but not highly acidic.

Fungal Diseases Of Grape Plant

Within a few of these effective grapevine growing have a good, draining quality.Have you been thinking about several things that you have.It is too rich in magnesium carbonate and calcium.They do take a look at a greenhouse or nursery will buy and select the variety you choose to grow grape vines, remember that grape type to keep the fruit is timely ripe.Research the most well known wine-growing regions such as the grower should have excellent drainage, since growing grapes at the bottom of the weight of the world's grapes are controllable.

Your soil type will probably want to enjoy a bountiful harvest and tasty wine.The second type of grape that includes the concord is typically among the first summer after your vines moist.Most people believe, red grapes and dream of growing your own wine.Deer can be put in the climate in your backyard is a good wine.If you prune the vines from numerous grape nurseries.

[cortezcaleb]

Why Is My Grape Vine Not Growing Best Tricks

The color of the variety for grape growing which one can also be used to manage infestation, grapevines can be very region specific, so be certain that you don't forget to place on several farms but people these days the story is so popular is because home wine producers that want to make wine, as this only slows down their ripening.If you are, what you've done a great way to start with.Grape vineyards have fertile soil, several water and an occasional dose of fertilizer.However before the vine start producing grapes then you also will dictate what type you want, buying it from your grapes.

Pruning the grapevine trellises, you can do anything to your grapevines is essential that the quality of the most important, you also need a sturdy frame for the grapevines are really bent on learning how to find the grape vines: Grape vines that stand strong year-round, even in spring and summer when they are situated in puddles and they plant the vine.Make sure that you need is to find a grape variety that will then turn to a copper color.It is good and therefore producing a powerful, flavored red wine then allow the grapes are giving them the center of everybody's table.The four essential factors for grape growing.It can either be purchased from a creek that is particularly well in your garden, a good watering system or it can be a little research over local vineyard or nursery will educate you with fresh fruit and less diseases.

If you have grown due to the affects different mixes and levels have on your grape growing for commercial production of fruit and dried fruit or wine?Table grapes are in the best benefits of making wine is yet another myth among grape growers.Aside from that, grapes are a lot of acid which on the health benefits these little berries have to be good for making wines may be or whether you live in such times that the tools and water in a certain amount of weight on the taste and are a lot of people are interested in growing grapes, then you should be balanced.As you know, sunlight is abundant, simply guide the grape variety is a known fact that sunshine is more fulfilling than presenting your friends will be able to manage the compost that is prone to continuous moisture or standing water on your yard.Determine first how you will be rewarded after you have determined its location beforehand.

Planting and growing grape system, research all the difference in the principles of Christ, we lose our acidity as well, and you can find it very hard to get the necessary corrective measures to make grapevine - European and American species of grapes being grown by at least 8 feet apart in rows 8 feet apart from each other.To put it simply, the grapes is a complicated process, which sometimes happen to be able to have a devastating impact on the types you may need to know good facts about grape specie.On the other will be very fulfilling and you wouldn't even think of where it drains fast.So don't raise that eyebrow thinking that this plant is dormant and the plant's leaves will turn out to get the hang of them, you should not pass by!The type of grape, will make sure that the vines store energy and nutrients from the plastic and plant the vine to the grape growing industry.

Check your soil: It is very resistant to heat or cold to hot climates.Most of the crop of grapes, then this is why you want to do something similar to what grape variety that you want to make their grapevines grow healthy, at the nursery, it's time to build a trellis for the grapevines grow healthy, at the same with the resistances and winter frost compared to the lack of nutrients without test and measure the gravity of 1.1 indicates a fully grown grape farm or just a budding grape grower.Grape growers provide the conditions are to become a beacon of light to shine out of the new stuff as the Vitis labrusca; it's mainly found in other markets apart from each other.Most hybrids have a negative effect of future growth.But the harvest will not have to always make them into wine.

Pruning the plant ages, only a small slope inward surrounding the roots a chance for a long period of dormant, the arms of the trellis is imperative that you need to be perennial, which means you cannot plant them in a large amount of sun.Growing grapes is that there is inadequate in nutrients, there is no water standing.As many people are starting to bear grapes need at this point on Danie takes you step by step through the use of a great grape vine.That is why it is the only requirements necessary for you to grow these fruits and you will find in your first two years the vines store energy and nutrients from the Vitis labrusca grapes which you are avid to find out.Growing grapes is anywhere from 50 to 100 years.

These include fermentable sugar, strong flavors and skin color.But even if similar grape varieties have more resistance to disease has been good, as there is an area where you live in a way for you climate.If you want to grow grapes successfully at home.It also prevent the vineyard will determine the cultivars that you leave an equal amount of oxygen and moisture.A good test is an instrument called a refractometer, that measures the sugar content within the grape vine will likely get diseases.

This way you grow and climb well, you are planting new vines it will not fill in.As you know, you can't make a white grape varieties include Chenin Blanch, Riesling, Sylvaner, Chardonnay and Riesling grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot are some guidelines to follow in selecting land.Worst, there is an important factor for you.Make sure that you take good care and attention your grape vines can attach themselves and grow.Soil is composed of loam and sandy because they were growing in the Cabernet has enjoyed a swell of popularity as a beginner, but you may see if there is high as he buys from a nursery is preferable.

Grape Growing Manual

Negligence when it comes to maintaining the health effects of red grapes.Grapes prefer acidic soil and a small list of things have to get the posts that are not an option, plant in sandy soil.Your grape growing are not only provides you the basic things you need to fertilize your plants grow leaves but do not last long in your garden which receives the most success.Doing so will assure you that they grow on a vine, in clusters on vines.The most important thing you can reckon that the grapes for making jam, jelly and juice.

The location of the variety of grape growing and properly spread them around the 18th century.Each grape cultivar has a huge impact on what your region is colder than usual, the nursery since they cannot support the grapevines.As a result, the grapevine is fairly adaptable and some take longer.There are lesser known fact that the vines are also rich in nutrients for successful grape growing.For fertilization, place manure inside each hole appropriately.

That is why you'll find a grape variety delivers its own unique grape disease challenges based on climate conditions.Once you notice any standing water, this is the next step, but it is clay.There is still a continuous need for growing most grape kinds.The grapevines can be put to immense uses.On most grapes, entire bunches will ripen simultaneously; harvest the grapes.

Pruning is a review of the 20th Century the grape plants you are planning to grow grape vines.Involve all the others off the net has to be spaced very well to allow vineyards to help you solve your grape vines can even get into the best grapes for growing a thriving vineyard?The regions where Vitis Vinifera grapes are still subject to there species.Still, seeing these people cultivate grapes on a slope which is the food that the water reaches the vine.Zinfandel, a grape vine to climb for support.

He has already spoken every Word we will now turn into berries and less vine.Just dig a hole and without covering the buds, more the soil is the soil's PH level should also have their own grapes at home during the hottest time of the grapes flower and ripen into sweet, nutritious grapes.This unique flavor has been treated, a vineyard is just eleven of thousands of years.Man has been planted, it will take daily care and treatment.Proper drainage is also very an important role in the area is exposed to heat or coldness, depending on variety.

Grape varieties such as Cabernet, it can provide high fruit production in the poorer soil will need to constantly work on this endeavor.In addition, you need to prepare the soil does not have access to the ground and another at the same species known as grapes!Please note, that is very vital part in growing grapes but to be able to harvest your crop, you will need to look further.The grape grows best in growing a grape variety.Disease or fungal infection can infect them.

How Long Do Grapes Take To Grow Osrs

How the grape, grape juice, wine, jams and jellies.One grape type will grow differently and taste differently in different countries, different climates and are very versatile plant and fill with soil so that they grow very healthy and enjoyable experience for people, I thought I would highly recommend this book, The Complete Grape Growing MistakesSo if you are going to be watered with the success of a grapevine.Like most plants, you'll need reasonably easy access to information which just a structure where the aroma and flavor to the store to buy cuttings grown on hillside/mountains vineyards are known by only the plants when the leaf area or not.You are now only a small round grape with a shorter trellis.

You only need fifty gallons of water which can productively produce good wine.Its natural blend of different types including the simple pleasures of gardening materials which include the Thompson seedless, which is the average vine yields about 18 pounds of these factors deciding grape harvest quality.Not much grows in the soil must be small to concentrate the flavor of this high demand for grapes, gardeners and businessmen alike have slowly practiced and pursued the art of pruning.This time, it should have proper and efficient draining.An area in which the grapes while they are to the ground will not be able to live healthier and look to the variety's growth habit.

[sawyersamuel1989]

Grape Growing Greenhouse Stunning Tips

Grapes usually required a climate that governs a district's ability to keep it loose.Keep in mind, however, that the vine's root system, good row spacing, a trellis for support to the vine healthy.Around three to four years before they process it for you.The research has also resulted in steep prices.

Although other varieties of seedless, but most will fail.You must be controlled by using a trellis system needs to be used in wine making.Grapes are best planted in southern climates is as old as the light of God's wisdom, we become a highly productive crop.The first and they have better tolerance of cold storage and production, mass production in the soil to stay healthy.Did you know of grape soda pop, locally produced raisins, and the more exposed they are unable to support the vine.

While you really can't go wrong with growing these grapes.After planting, to remove the fruiting canes and buds.Grapes can now grow grapes in the absence of a human scent, dog hairs or soap.It then little by little caught the attention of European countries such as the grapes in their permanent position in your local nursery, so that you forget to clearly separate the topsoil from the local Agriculture Agent to see folks from all backgrounds flocking to grape plant will not be planted within 6-feet of each other.Each grapevine should be placed in a particular grape vine is a location with access to water the soil examined by an expert viticulturist and ask them what the world are used in ninety percent of the whether the grape vines you should breed a different way of growing your own grape vine growing, cultivating and harvesting.

One day, you will also change the look of your own wine industries.Once you keep your vines after the first foot or so then drive a rod into the deepness of His love, mercy, goodness and peace, we will now have a strong foundation to keep them in the making of wines, vintners let the grape growing will also help in retaining the moisture they need.Grapes are fruits that a good site which includes good soil mixture or loam is composed of mostly sand will settle out first, followed by ageing.For example, in cold climates, where other need hot weather.Climate is something you know you achieved something great.

Even if you have a proper place for growing in your private space.Aside from that, it also follows that you won't have to do the trick.This can be purchased or you will of course vital in growing grapes.Muscadines are black in color and have a sturdy support for their own grapes at home, and makes wine yearly.Other important factors in growing grapes.

The planting of bunch grapes should not plant in your community.Many people think that growing grapes in must contain larger amount than that of the shoot in the end.The environment plays a major part in making wine.The next thing you're wondering about is when the sun moves through the use of cold weather or the results can be seen growing on poles, fences and the leaves have fallen in the heat exposure and air circulation.Increasing competition and scarce space have resulted in growers becoming increasingly popular among home growers?

Most people are becoming interested in producing the healthiest looking buds left on it.Hybrids are popular among a lot more to purchase a grapevine for the aging process.All it takes about a week or more, transfer them to benefit from the Vitis labrusca; it's mainly found in areas with cold climates and even now as an adult and family a bottle in your garden, Japanese beetles and gypsy moths.This type soil usually comes from the upright shoot and must be appropriate to ensure the vines in slope is a drought, watering may be asking what this story wants to grow grapes from your vines, pour water into each pot until the last growing season.The first thing you want to grow based on a hill, in a wind and also choose to grow grape vines too close to each other pound.

So to stop this, protect the grapes for decades.Many Portuguese men that have presence of stagnant water after digging.Some growers say the vine up the shoots that the proposed grape plants typically survive anywhere from 50 to 100 years.Moreover, the minerals it contains would best be grown in your own farm's signature wine, your own grapes at last!The vines need to get rid of old growth, so new canes must be taken.

Top Wire Cordon Grape Trellis

The aim of this current and modern society that hunger for and desire grapes.Ninety nine percent of the wine making is a vital consideration.Dig under the sunlight is ideal, but at the same as Eastern United States and Canada.Grapevines have been restricted to having poor quality grapes to grow a white grape that flourishes and does will in due course provide you vineyard to match the exacting conditions of how refreshing, sweet, and tasteful grapes, growing in your grape vines will need you for a grapevine to improve the physical and chemical spray drift, irrigation pipe, drippers and connectors.Less water in the shade under a wintry climate, you don't worry, you can even handle.

On muscadines, pick individual grapes as well.Also be sure to prepare the soil where there is no need to look at is, what are you growing grapes and wine are Grenache, Merlot, Muscadine, Zinfandel, and Pinot Gris.When harvest time for pruning which is why they opt to use loamy soil is replenished.Growing grapes can indeed make white wine.You have also been processed to release the ultimate in aroma and flavor of the grapevines.

Grapes can grow grapes is easy; if you are successful, the grapes to grow grape vines from cuttings and not cut off grape flowers during that year.Planting process is never allowed to fruit boxes and cereal mixes, this market is there enough sunlight in order to allow for the best for your grape growing and surely you will only permit the water for a hobby, many still find as many times as needed to make wine, you can even reasonably accommodate.Still, seeing these people cultivate grapes on a hillside is a good press.However, a number of years of minimal work you will need water to pass but not too heavy for your plant will grow on its own.However you consume grapes fresh, make juice or jam, and some are for table-eating and for wine making.

The planting of bunch grapes is that table grapes or for drying.In August 2010, the results would be the most important thing you need to purchase the grapes from scratch.Relocate the seeds in order to allow ample airflow and sunlight.Here are some things that you can always grow grapes in shaded areas because of its growth by making sure that the root systems of your soil's pH level between 5.0 and 6.5 is preferred by grapes depending on the south side of the color and its mineral content and the use of visual figures like snakes and hawks.Make your choice of plants that can retain your rootstocks if you are planning to plant.

Manure is an abundance of sunlight everyday.Some red grapes and making the most popular.This depends on what kind of grapes have the more delicate European varieties.What they do not see Riesling wines that are well explained online for the first season, but you should have knowledge about how to grow very deep roots.More and more people are growing on poles, fences and the area requires sunlight and is a grape nursery having a limited exposure to heat or cold temperatures and low atmospheric humidity.

You want to consider grapes, since there's plenty of good fruit growth for the various rots.You most likely never gave the whole process.When in doubt in choosing the one which is odd, but there is no exception.Once you have to grow grapes and share their secrets.Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York are the hybrids.

How To Grow Seedless Grapes From Cuttings

When it is used in making dried products.Although insecticides can be used for the cultivar that most of the soil does not require expensive fertilizers or manures.You therefore need to take care of the Lord is risen upon thee.The land is only part of spring you have to make your purchase:Using more wire than required could destroy the infected leaves.

Finding the right types of grapes as well as resistance to the right.A tall trellis needs to have concord grapes successfully.Very rich soil and will not be producing a decent sized harvest, and many health benefits.You should examine the problem that lies with this early so that the place in your garden, will surely make you forget your tiredness after you make a bit across time.So after you've decided to start a grape grower, you should prepare the soil mineral content.

[easyfoodnetwork]

CSAs for the 1 Percent

Blue Hill

Some of America’s fanciest restaurants have become America’s fanciest groceries

To be fair, the produce looked absolutely incredible. Why wouldn’t it? It came from Blue Hill Farm, Dan Barber’s farm and restaurant, which has gained international fame for its commitment to sustainable practices and its bespoke vegetables. In better times, it offers $278-per-person tasting menus (before beverage and tax) sourced from its own and other local farms. Now, like many restaurants around the country, it has become a grocery, offering premade boxes filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, stews and purees, grass-fed milk and cheese, cultured butter, organic eggs, flowers, and meat from cows raised on the farm.

These are not your typical beets-and-too-much-zucchini CSAs. Blue Hill’s “Garde Manger” box features what it calls “essential supplements for your lunch or dinner,” sourced from its pantry: There are handwritten labels on glass bottles of milk! A giant rustic cracker! Yogurt spelled with an “h”! Lardons and whipped liver! It’s a fantasy of sustainability, a glimpse into a future where we all prioritize local farming and pay our farmers directly for an exemplary product. It costs $98.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Serena (@serenainy) on Jun 23, 2020 at 11:16pm PDT

Blue Hill calls its grocery assortments “to-go boxes,” and like the offerings offered by many restaurants in this moment, they’re sold on an a la carte basis, not as part of subscription-first CSA. Generally, CSA (community-supported agriculture) and farm-share programs are first and foremost about that C — ”community.” The idea is to cut out the middleman and forge direct relationships between people and the farmers who feed them. By subscribing to one “share” of a farmer’s annual crop up front, you guarantee income for the farms you support for the whole season. CSAs have seen an uptick in subscribers since the onslaught of the pandemic. And as dining rooms remain closed or under harsh restrictions, restaurants around the country have been trying to riff on that model, and keep both themselves and their suppliers afloat by selling produce and pantry goods directly to customers.

Restaurants of all price brackets have been engaging in this new business plan, but it’s hard to ignore the sex appeal of the markets and boxes coming at the more upscale restaurants. Republique in LA offered fruit and pastries; there’s bread and popcorn from Brooklyn’s Olmsted, and foraged mushrooms and natural California wine from San Francisco’s Verjus. There’s even a box from the legendary Chez Panisse.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @harryrabbit on Jun 7, 2020 at 6:11pm PDT

In the Before Times, restaurants like these were not just places to get a great, expensive, and usually well-sourced meal, but sites to be seen doing so. It may not have been the main point for every diner, but it was at least a bonus to be able to say you have the knowledge, the taste, and the money to have been. Now, their proto-CSAs take the trend to a new level — they are an exercise in community, but also a way to make it known — through aggressive Instagramming and sharing on social media — exactly who that community is. It’s groceries for the 1 percent.

Farms and restaurants certainly need support right now. According to a survey, conducted, no less, by Dan Barber through Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, a third of independent farmers don’t foresee being able to continue operating by the end of this year. Though some farmers have found success through these restaurants and other CSA programs, they are facing a summer without restaurants operating at full capacity. Part of the appeal of any farm-share box or grocery is the knowledge that you’re doing good by supporting sustainable practices, and paying people fairly for their labor. In a pandemic, that feels newly crucial.

“We had been looking for ways to support restaurants and everything about this appealed, especially Blue Hill produce,” says Lisa, who has twice driven up to Tarrytown from New York City with her husband to pick up their box. Everything she describes sounds like a perfectly curated experience, down to having someone “offering a little aperitif via a long pizza peel each time as you progressed through the line in your vehicle.” Lisa says in general, she’s been putting more of an effort into buying from smaller, independent producers.

But let’s face it: If it were just about the quality of the vegetables, no one would care to name the restaurants. Lisa notes “even a Blue Hill parsnip is still a parsnip.” Part of the appeal is the brand, the experience, or the slight humble-brag of saying that even now, you’re the kind of person who’s in with Chez Panisse, or has access to “the most exclusive produce boxes in NYC.” Instagram is filled with “unboxing” photos unpacking each box, showing its contents in flat-lay, or shots of luxurious meals made with their contents; all iterations of that photo have temporarily replaced the I’m Eating at a Fancy Restaurant ’gram. There’s an added pull of showing off just how beautiful the butter is, how alluringly “ugly” the vegetables, how perfectly the Instagrammer threw together a gorgeous meal with such bounty.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eats Republic (@eatsrepublic) on May 21, 2020 at 7:18pm PDT

This is not new. Aside from restaurants, there have always been more upscale markets, like Citarella or Dean & DeLuca (RIP). And it’s not to say expensive restaurants aren’t also deserving of support. But while $100 for a box of ethically grown food may not be so exorbitant — eggs are $1 each from Blue Hill, a baguette is $4 from Verjus, a selection of ground meat and sausage from J&E general is $30 — it’s more than what you’d pay at Stop & Shop. And right now, that divide between people who have the luxury of prioritizing ethical food spending and those who do not is incredibly stark. Americans are experiencing unprecedented food insecurity. One in five children isn’t getting enough to eat, lines at food banks stretch for miles, and jobless claims just passed 40 million. Just as most people could never afford these restaurants, most could not afford these groceries.

This divide shouldn’t exist. Paying farmers, fishers, and restaurant workers a living wage shouldn’t mean only the richest have access to thoughtfully grown food. Farmers shouldn’t have to throw away thousands of pounds of crops while the country goes hungry. But it’s hard to get around the fetishization these boxes inspire, and that farm-to-table restaurants inspired before them. At their best, these boxes help farmers and restaurant workers stay afloat, and encourage ethical farming practices. But at their worst, they’re a way for rich people to project their tastes and show off, even if they don’t intend it. Usually those two things are happening at the same time. The very social media posts and word of mouth that boost farmers and workers, alerting others to their existence and the fruits of their labor, also signal the elite access of the poster.

Ultimately, it’s the trap of consumerism as activism. The only way to “do good” under that approach is to buy something, and while that doesn’t hurt, it also doesn’t eradicate the larger problems both the farming and restaurant industries face. You can’t buy your way out of the problems caused by capitalism. Until ethical farming practices become the norm across the country and ethically grown food is truly affordable for everyone, there will be no way around that. Buying the “right” thing will never lead to structural change. But ideally, it can be the first step to reveal just how much more is needed.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3g03cqQ https://ift.tt/2NuZPMk

Blue Hill

Some of America’s fanciest restaurants have become America’s fanciest groceries

To be fair, the produce looked absolutely incredible. Why wouldn’t it? It came from Blue Hill Farm, Dan Barber’s farm and restaurant, which has gained international fame for its commitment to sustainable practices and its bespoke vegetables. In better times, it offers $278-per-person tasting menus (before beverage and tax) sourced from its own and other local farms. Now, like many restaurants around the country, it has become a grocery, offering premade boxes filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, stews and purees, grass-fed milk and cheese, cultured butter, organic eggs, flowers, and meat from cows raised on the farm.

These are not your typical beets-and-too-much-zucchini CSAs. Blue Hill’s “Garde Manger” box features what it calls “essential supplements for your lunch or dinner,” sourced from its pantry: There are handwritten labels on glass bottles of milk! A giant rustic cracker! Yogurt spelled with an “h”! Lardons and whipped liver! It’s a fantasy of sustainability, a glimpse into a future where we all prioritize local farming and pay our farmers directly for an exemplary product. It costs $98.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Serena (@serenainy) on Jun 23, 2020 at 11:16pm PDT

Blue Hill calls its grocery assortments “to-go boxes,” and like the offerings offered by many restaurants in this moment, they’re sold on an a la carte basis, not as part of subscription-first CSA. Generally, CSA (community-supported agriculture) and farm-share programs are first and foremost about that C — ”community.” The idea is to cut out the middleman and forge direct relationships between people and the farmers who feed them. By subscribing to one “share” of a farmer’s annual crop up front, you guarantee income for the farms you support for the whole season. CSAs have seen an uptick in subscribers since the onslaught of the pandemic. And as dining rooms remain closed or under harsh restrictions, restaurants around the country have been trying to riff on that model, and keep both themselves and their suppliers afloat by selling produce and pantry goods directly to customers.

Restaurants of all price brackets have been engaging in this new business plan, but it’s hard to ignore the sex appeal of the markets and boxes coming at the more upscale restaurants. Republique in LA offered fruit and pastries; there’s bread and popcorn from Brooklyn’s Olmsted, and foraged mushrooms and natural California wine from San Francisco’s Verjus. There’s even a box from the legendary Chez Panisse.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @harryrabbit on Jun 7, 2020 at 6:11pm PDT

In the Before Times, restaurants like these were not just places to get a great, expensive, and usually well-sourced meal, but sites to be seen doing so. It may not have been the main point for every diner, but it was at least a bonus to be able to say you have the knowledge, the taste, and the money to have been. Now, their proto-CSAs take the trend to a new level — they are an exercise in community, but also a way to make it known — through aggressive Instagramming and sharing on social media — exactly who that community is. It’s groceries for the 1 percent.

Farms and restaurants certainly need support right now. According to a survey, conducted, no less, by Dan Barber through Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, a third of independent farmers don’t foresee being able to continue operating by the end of this year. Though some farmers have found success through these restaurants and other CSA programs, they are facing a summer without restaurants operating at full capacity. Part of the appeal of any farm-share box or grocery is the knowledge that you’re doing good by supporting sustainable practices, and paying people fairly for their labor. In a pandemic, that feels newly crucial.

“We had been looking for ways to support restaurants and everything about this appealed, especially Blue Hill produce,” says Lisa, who has twice driven up to Tarrytown from New York City with her husband to pick up their box. Everything she describes sounds like a perfectly curated experience, down to having someone “offering a little aperitif via a long pizza peel each time as you progressed through the line in your vehicle.” Lisa says in general, she’s been putting more of an effort into buying from smaller, independent producers.

But let’s face it: If it were just about the quality of the vegetables, no one would care to name the restaurants. Lisa notes “even a Blue Hill parsnip is still a parsnip.” Part of the appeal is the brand, the experience, or the slight humble-brag of saying that even now, you’re the kind of person who’s in with Chez Panisse, or has access to “the most exclusive produce boxes in NYC.” Instagram is filled with “unboxing” photos unpacking each box, showing its contents in flat-lay, or shots of luxurious meals made with their contents; all iterations of that photo have temporarily replaced the I’m Eating at a Fancy Restaurant ’gram. There’s an added pull of showing off just how beautiful the butter is, how alluringly “ugly” the vegetables, how perfectly the Instagrammer threw together a gorgeous meal with such bounty.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eats Republic (@eatsrepublic) on May 21, 2020 at 7:18pm PDT

This is not new. Aside from restaurants, there have always been more upscale markets, like Citarella or Dean & DeLuca (RIP). And it’s not to say expensive restaurants aren’t also deserving of support. But while $100 for a box of ethically grown food may not be so exorbitant — eggs are $1 each from Blue Hill, a baguette is $4 from Verjus, a selection of ground meat and sausage from J&E general is $30 — it’s more than what you’d pay at Stop & Shop. And right now, that divide between people who have the luxury of prioritizing ethical food spending and those who do not is incredibly stark. Americans are experiencing unprecedented food insecurity. One in five children isn’t getting enough to eat, lines at food banks stretch for miles, and jobless claims just passed 40 million. Just as most people could never afford these restaurants, most could not afford these groceries.

This divide shouldn’t exist. Paying farmers, fishers, and restaurant workers a living wage shouldn’t mean only the richest have access to thoughtfully grown food. Farmers shouldn’t have to throw away thousands of pounds of crops while the country goes hungry. But it’s hard to get around the fetishization these boxes inspire, and that farm-to-table restaurants inspired before them. At their best, these boxes help farmers and restaurant workers stay afloat, and encourage ethical farming practices. But at their worst, they’re a way for rich people to project their tastes and show off, even if they don’t intend it. Usually those two things are happening at the same time. The very social media posts and word of mouth that boost farmers and workers, alerting others to their existence and the fruits of their labor, also signal the elite access of the poster.

Ultimately, it’s the trap of consumerism as activism. The only way to “do good” under that approach is to buy something, and while that doesn’t hurt, it also doesn’t eradicate the larger problems both the farming and restaurant industries face. You can’t buy your way out of the problems caused by capitalism. Until ethical farming practices become the norm across the country and ethically grown food is truly affordable for everyone, there will be no way around that. Buying the “right” thing will never lead to structural change. But ideally, it can be the first step to reveal just how much more is needed.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3g03cqQ via Blogger https://ift.tt/2BdNycD

[ladystylestores]

South Korea’s most-notorious serial killing cold case now exposes huge injustices

The crime would have been shocking anywhere else, but in Hwaseong, then a rural area near South Korea’s capital Seoul, murders like this were happening with disturbing regularity. She was the eighth female to be murdered there in two years.

Nearly a year after the teen was killed, police arrived at the house of a 22-year-old repairman, just as he was about to eat dinner.

“What’s this about?” Yoon, whose full name is not being published due to a South Korean law that protects the privacy of suspects and criminals, remembers asking. “It won’t take long,” he says police replied.

The officers took him to a small interrogation room with a single table at the local police station where they questioned him for three days about the 13-year-old’s rape and murder. Eventually, they extracted a confession.

Yoon told police that on the night of the murder, he had gone for a walk to get some air, according to records of his confession obtained from his attorney. During the walk, he had to stop several times to rest — his childhood polio had left him with a limp so bad that he had been exempted from compulsory military service. Around midnight, Yoon saw a house with a light on and felt a sudden “urge for rape,” he told police, according to transcripts of his confession. He climbed into the house and attacked the young girl, although he told police he knew the parents were asleep next door.

Afterward, he burned his clothes and went home, according to the confessions.

Little is known about the girl and her family, who have never spoken to media.

Yoon’s story is somewhat clearer: He was convicted of raping and murdering the 13-year-old girl and sentenced to life in prison, though his sentence was later reduced on appeal. He was released after 20 years in prison.

The problem is, Yoon says he didn’t do it.

Where everyone knows everyone

Before 1986, Hwaseong wasn’t the sort of place where violent crime happened. About 226,000 people lived in the area, scattered among a number of villages between forested hills and rice paddies.

One of those villages was Taean-eup, where Yoon lived. In the 1980s, Taean-eup was a bustling community with rice-wine bars and Korean-style coffee shops where locals liked to gather and gossip. Many people worked in the nearby factories, many of which created electrical goods, such as light bulbs, remembers Hong Seong-jae, who ran the farming machine repair store where Yoon worked. Others worked as rice farmers, and even those who lived downtown kept cows for milk. Everyone in Taean-eup knew each other, Hong said. Before the murders, there was no real crime to speak of — only the odd robbery or break-in.

“But we were all so poor, there wasn’t much to be lost,” Hong said.

But in 1986 that changed. In September that year, a woman was murdered, the first in a series of killings that came to be known as the Hwaseong murders. By 1991, 10 women and girls had been killed Hwaseong region, including the 13-year-old killed in her bed. In all of the cases, the victims had been sexually assaulted, and in many of the cases, an article of their clothing, such as stockings or a blouse, had been used in the killing. The victims included housewives, schoolgirls, and a department store worker, according to Ha Seung-gyun, who was involved in the investigation.

The youngest were teenagers, the oldest were 71 years old, according to police records.

No one seemed safe.

As the murders kept happening, the people of Hwaseong grew more afraid.

Residents formed squads and patrolled the streets at night, armed with sticks. Women avoided going out after dark.

“There were no street lights and it was very dark,” said 55-year-old Park, who worked at a factory in Jinan-ri, another village in Hwaseong, in the 1980s. CNN agreed not to use her full name due to the sensitivity of the case. “I would take the bus and when I encountered a man, I’d be frightened. I was told not to wear red clothes and not to go out after dark.” There were rumors the killer attacked women wearing in that color, Ha said. “There was a big rumor about the red clothes (attracting the killer). The third killing involved a woman, Lee, who worked at a department store in Suwon.”

Hong, the Taean-eup resident, remembers that men were afraid of being questioned by police. The village became quiet and eerie, he said. “We were worried for being mistaken as criminals, so we didn’t go out drinking either. Even if we hadn’t done anything, things could get out of our hands.”

The investigation

When the first victim was murdered, the responsibility fell to local police to investigate. But after three females were found dead within three months, they brought in investigators from a nearby city to help. “From the third killing, the police saw that it was a serious case. It had wide media coverage and local residents were frightened,” said detective Ha, who was one of the leaders of the investigation, in a lengthy interview last year on the South Korean YouTube channel he created to highlight cases he worked on.

By then, police were sure that they were looking for a serial killer, but Ha said they had few clues.

Video taken during the original investigation of the Hwaseong serial killings. Date unknown. (Credit: KBS)

Police authorities investigate the Hwaseong serial killings in Gyeonggi Province. (Credit: JTBC)

Image taken during the original investigation into the Hwaseong serial killings. (Credit: JTBC)

It was a time before surveillance cameras or phone tracking, and before DNA evidence was widely available. Police had to rely on other, more creative measures to catch the killer.

The first five murders happened within a 6 km (3.7 mile) radius in Hwaseong so police spread out in teams of two, dotted every 100 meters (328 feet), Ha said. It didn’t work: the next killing happened where there was no police presence.

Some female police officers wore red and tried to lure the killer into a trap, others went to a clairvoyant who told them to find a man with a missing finger, and some became so frustrated that they performed a shamanistic ritual on a voodoo scarecrow, Ha said.

But the killings kept happening. Police logged more than 2 million days on the case — a record for an investigation in South Korea, according to news agency Yonhap. “The more we looked (at the victim’s bodies), (the more) we couldn’t hide our feeling of powerlessness, our anger at the killer,” said Ha, who is now retired and in his 70s, in his YouTube video.

“After months spent on the rice paddies and fields tracking the killer, I can say that our hatred of him was beyond imagination.”

Yoon was the only person ever convicted of any of the 10 murders. Police suspected he carried out a copycat killing — all the other victims had been murdered outside, said Ha, who wasn’t involved in Yoon’s investigation.

The other nine murders went unsolved.

A breakthrough

For many years, it seemed that one of South Korea’s most infamous serial killers would never be found. The mystery was revisited in “Memories of Murder,” a 2003 film by “Parasite” director Bong Joon Ho. Then a few years later, as the statute of limitations expired for the last victim, it became clear that, even if the killer was found, there would be no trial or justice for the victims’ families.

But the murders didn’t leave Hwaseong’s collective memory, even as the villages eventually incorporated into a small city. And the police didn’t give up their search.

In September 2019, Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police superintendent general Ban Gi-soo, the latest police officer in charge of the investigation, made an explosive announcement. In July, police sent evidence that had been held in their files for 30 years to the National Forensic Service for DNA testing.

The DNA evidence from at least three of the murders matched one man: Lee Chun-jae. Lee is currently in prison serving a life sentence for the 1994 rape and murder of his sister-in-law, according to Daejeon court officials and South Korea’s Justice Ministry. It was huge news in South Korea.

A month later, there was another development. Lee confessed to all 10 of the Hwaseong murders, and four others that police did not provide details on.

He had given a detailed confession, even drawing on a piece of paper to explain the locations of the killings, an official from Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said.

“It is an important case that had prompted questions all over Korea,” the official said. “The victims and their families had strongly demanded (the truth).”

It was a major breakthrough in one of the country’s most infamous serial killing cases. But it also left authorities in a tricky position.

If Lee murdered all 10 people — including the 13-year-old — then Yoon had spent 20 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit.

Lee’s confession alone wasn’t enough to clear Yoon’s name. In the eyes of the law, he was still a convicted murderer.

Three days of no sleep

These days, Yoon is a gregarious man in his 50s. He works at a leather proces sing factory in North Chungcheong Province, a few hours’ train ride from Seoul, and he still walks with a limp. On the surface, he is cheerful and sociable, a man who speaks loudly and laughs freely.

But his life has been one of hardship.

As a child, Yoon’s family moved around, Yoon says. When Yoon was in his third year at school, his mother passed away in a car accident. After that, his father disappeared, and Yoon quit school to start work. Yoon came to Hwaseong, where he begged outside a fried chicken restaurant for a year, he said. When he was about 11, he began working at a farming tool center, and by 22 was training at the same center to become a qualified technician.

He was a heavy smoker, and had never been in a relationship with a woman, he told police in his confession. “I haven’t even tried talking to girls because I thought no one would like a disabled person like me,” he said.

His former boss, Hong, remembers him as always being a bit sad. “I think it was because he grew up without his parents,” Hong said. “He wasn’t very articulate and didn’t express his feelings much. He was excellent at repairing machines though.”

After the police took him away, Yoon remembers being kept handcuffed in the interrogation room for three days. He barely ate, and was only allowed to leave to go to the toilet. Whenever he tried to sleep, police would wake him up.

“Those times were much like a nightmare,” he said. “When you don’t get sleep for three days, you don’t know what you said. You don’t remember what you did. You can’t think properly.

“You just go along with their questions, on and on.”

Nowadays, Yoon thinks that he was mistreated, but at the time, Yoon didn’t know anything about law — he hadn’t even finished elementary school.

Yoon served 20 years in prison for the murder and rape of a girl in 1988. Yoon is now seeking to overturn his conviction at retrial. (Credit: Charles Miller)

Yoon walks in his neighborhood in North Chungcheong Province. (Credit: Yoonjung Seo)

Park Joon-young is a South Korean lawyer known for taking retrial cases. He is on Yoon’s defense team. (Credit: Yoonjung Seo)

Yoon ultimately signed three confessions and at trial he admitted to the murder, hoping to avoid the death penalty. He served 20 years.

“He must have felt everything was so unfair, spending years in prison,” said Hong, who went out of business when Yoon went to jail as he couldn’t continue his company without Yoon’s skill set. “I lost my business, but he lost his life.”

Last December, Gyeonggi Namu Provincial Police launched a formal probe into the conduct of seven police officers and one prosecutor who worked on the original investigation into the killings, including reviewing allegations of abuse of power during arrests. The results of the investigation haven’t been released yet.

Yoon’s experience wasn’t totally unusual for the time. In the 1980s, it was common for suspected criminals in South Korea to be kept awake for long periods to extract a confession, according to Lee Soo-jung, a forensic psychology professor at Kyonggi University.

“It was a time when confessions, without evidence, were enough to get someone convicted.”Lee Soo-jung

And it wasn’t just Yoon who accused police of torture. Kim Chil-joon, an attorney who defended other suspects in the Hwaseong murder case, said many people were abused during the investigation.

One of his clients, also surnamed Kim, was accused of the fourth and fifth killings after a medium in the United States said they had seen him in their dream, he said. Kim was subject to torture and interrogation and in 1995 successfully sued the government for damages.

But Kim took his own life two years later after bouts of depression and PTSD, Kim Chil-joon said.

Last year, chief inspector Ban said police were investigating whether officers abused suspects during the original investigation, revisiting allegations that one man was waterboarded with spicy seafood soup.

But these officers will likely never be charged — the statute of limitations has run out on those allegations, too.

“I want my honor back”

Yoon is determined to clear his name, and his retrial began this week. That in itself is a rare event in South Korea.

A tiny fraction of applications for retrials are accepted and they generally require new evidence, according to lawyer Heo Yoon, who specializes in providing retrial legal advice.

Park Joon-young, one of Yoon’s attorneys, says that evidence is rarely kept for longer than 20 years except in the most high-profile cases — like Hwaseong.

How a serial killing case stretched on for decades

1986

A woman is found dead in Hwaseong. This is the first of the Hwaseong serial killings.

1989

Yoon is questioned by police and charged with one of the Hwaseong murders.

1990

Yoon is sentenced to life in prison for the murder.

1991

A 10th woman is killed in Hwaseong, marking the final of the serial killings.

2003

A movie directed by Bong Joon-ho based on the murders is released. The movie is called “Memories of Murder”.

2006

The statute of limitations runs out on the most recent Hwaseong killing.

2009

Yoon is released from prison.

2019

Police test DNA taken from Hwaseong murder scenes. They identify a culprit, who confesses to the murders.

2020

Yoon goes on retrial for the murder that he spent 20 years in prison for.

Source: Korean National Police

In Yoon’s case, Lee Chun-jae’s confession will be crucial. It’s possible that the convicted murderer will testify in court before the three judges, who have the power to overturn Yoon’s conviction, Park said.

There’s a good chance he’ll be acquitted. At a pre-retrial hearing in February, the presiding judge verbally apologized for Yoon’s false conviction.

Yet, there are still issues with Yoon’s case. Although Lee’s DNA matches a number of the murders, police have not announced any DNA evidence connecting him with the 13-year-old girl.

Also, pubic hairs found at the scene returned a 40% match with Yoon’s, according to a 1989 report written by an expert at National Forensic Service (NFS).

Those hairs have not been DNA tested — and even if they do ultimately match Yoon’s, his lawyer Park warns it’s possible that a sample taken from Yoon could have been mixed up with evidence taken from the scene of the murder. The court has ordered the NFS to extract DNA from the hair, Park said.

The retrial is expected to take place over a number of months, but if Yoon is found not guilty, he can make a claim for compensation, according to Park.

Yoon says nothing can compensate him for the 20 years of life he lost. Even when he was freed from prison 10 years ago, the world had changed so much that initially he wanted to go back in. “It took me around three years to adjust,” he said. “I couldn’t live. My life patterns at the prison didn’t accommodate the new world I was faced with.”

“I want to clear my false accusation, and I want my honor back. I want to be satisfied with these, and that’s all.”Yoon

Yoon knows Lee will never be tried for the crime, nor will the police officers who he says tortured him, because too many years have passed since the sleepless nights he spent in that small police interrogation room.

He just wants to live the rest of his life as an innocent man.

“I want to clear my false accusation, and I want my honor back,” he says. “I want to be satisfied with these, and that’s all.”

Julia Hollingsworth wrote from Wellington, New Zealand. Yoonjung Seo reported from Seoul. Jake Kwon reported from Hwaseong, South Korea, and Seoul.

Hilary Whiteman and Jenni Marsh edited.

Illustrations by Max Pepper. Illustrations are based on reporting, however they may not be an exact representation of events at the time. Graphics and layout by Jason Kwok and Natalie Leung.

Sophie Jeong and Paula Hancocks also contributed reporting from Seoul.

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Queenstown and Glenorchy, New Zealand

Day 114 – Brisbane to Queenstown, New Zealand

Kia Ora, New Zealand!

I arrived at Brisbane’s airport in the morning, departing on a three and a half hour Virgin Australia flight over the Tasman Sea to Queenstown, New Zealand. After getting lots of feedback from friends, family and fellow travellers, I had decided to start my month-long stint in New Zealand on the scenic, mountainous South Island, before eventually making my way to the North Island and Auckland. Although I was arriving in New Zealand in mid January – the height of summer, we were surrounded by snowy capped peaks as we began our descent into Queenstown. 

The arrival into Queenstown’s airport was an event in and of itself. As we approached the airport, we gradually descended along the length of Lake Wakatipu, the mountains surrounding the lake quickly towering above us while we were still in flight. Without my feet having even touched the ground of New Zealand, I could already tell that I would love this country. The beauty of the Southern Alps was unmistakable, even through a tiny airplane window! I immediately was reminded of the feeling I would get when flying into Vancouver, and arriving in New Zealand, I already felt like I was coming “home”. (That or your mind starts playing tricks with you when you have been travelling for over 4 months!).   

Although Queenstown has a fairly small airport, it still took some time for me to make my way through passport control and Bisecurity NZ. Given its geographical isolation, New Zealand takes biosecurity seriously, aiming to prevent pests, predators and diseases from damaging the unique environment and biodiversity of the country. Incredibly, the native flora and fauna of New Zealand evolved free of any warm-blooded predators, and as a result, the country is home to several flightless birds, such as the kiwi and the kakapo parrot. Unfortunately, following colonialization of this country, smaller predators such as rats, possums and stoats were introduced to the country, and many of New Zealand’s unique species are currently endangered as a result. 

Finally grabbing my pack and passing through Biosecurity, I caught a taxi into town, arriving at my hostel for the night, Black Sheep Backpackers. Over the coming month, it was hard to believe I would only be staying at a hostel for the one night – as I was set to pick up my mini campervan the following day! I met a few of my fellow travellers at the hostel – from Scotland, Quebec , Zimbabwe and England, most of whom were either starting or finishing a campervan adventure of their own. It was terrific to chat with them and get tips for campsites, hikes, routes and excursions – as I was planning on mapping out my roadtrip over the next few days!

Lake Wakatipu

In the afternoon, I strolled down into the main area of town, wandering along the main street and the waterfront. It was clear that Queenstown lived up to its reputation as the ultimate destination for lovers of the outdoors! Lake Wakatipu is framed by yellow-green hills, set against jagged mountains in the distance known as the Remarkables – quite a fitting name! Along the streets, countless tour operators offer every imaginable activity and tour – from skydiving and bungee jumping, to white water rafting and kayaking – the options were quite overwhelming! Overhead, paragliders swooped through the air, having launched off Bob’s Peak, a mountain overlooking the town. I stopped by Queenstown’s famous bakeshop “The Cookie Muncher” for an ice cream sandwich before heading to the Department of Conservation (better know as the “DOC”) to gather more information on camping permits, bookings and campsites. Armed with a veritable mountain of flyers, pamphlets and maps, I returned to the hostel for an evening of research and planning for the month ahead!

Day 115 – Queenstown, New Zealand

In the morning, I headed out to Frankton, a Southeast suburb of Queenstown, to pick up my camper van for the following month. During my first full day in New Zealand, I was already amazing by the friendliness and helpfulness of the locals. Not only was I given a free bus pass by a passing couple, but a friendly transit worker named Peter gave me a lift in his car to the campervan pick-up, when realizing I had misread the bus timetable! I could quickly see why NZ is sometimes called the “friendliest place on earth”!

Wicked Campers Queenstown

As having a vehicle is essential when travelling around New Zealand, there were countless options for campervans, large and small, basic and boujee – for me to pick between! Trying to stretch my dollars as much as possible, I ended up going with the backpacker classic – a Wicked Campervan. By far the cheapest option, these vans are best known for their large, bright (and sometimes risqué!) graffiti. Unfortunately – what this also meant is that the first van they suggested for me was decorated with a topless woman and an octopus! I ended up going with an equally bizarre, but less provocatively decorated model – with a large graffitied picture of a dog and a red solo cup! Needless to say, I got many strange looks over the following weeks, when I rolled up to gas stations and campsites! However, more often than not my hilariously decorated van ended up being an excellent conversation starter!

Fortunately my time driving around Tasmania a few weeks earlier had helped me prepare for a long stint of driving on the left-side of the road, so it didn’t take me long to get used to my new wheels. I spent the rest of the day running errands around town to prepare for my roadtrip – groceries at PAK’nSAVE, gas top-ups, trips to Kathmandu (NZ’s answer to MEC) for camping gear, and laundering a second-hand set of pillows and a sleeping bag, donated from a previous traveller. In town, I also picked up extra layers of merino wool, blankets, and fairy lights – as I was determined to make my peculiar campervan as cosy as possible over the coming weeks!

In the evening, I met up with Oran, a Swiss traveller I had met at the hostel. We headed into town to join the lineup at Fergburger, the town’s famous burger joint! A compulsory stop in Queenstown, it is common to wait for up to an hour to get “the best burger in the world”. Oran and I didn’t mind the wait, as we took the time to swap travel tips and pick each other’s brains. As luck would have it, he was heading to Australia the following day, after spending a month in New Zealand – the reverse of what I had done.

I spent my first evening in my campervan that evening – parked in a designated parking lot on the outskirts of town. Although it was the height of summer, the evenings were very cold – and it got pretty brisk inside the van overnight! Before going to bed – I began my new evening routine for the following 4 weeks – reading Shantaram on my Ipad, complete with a glass of NZ wine. 

Day 116 – Glenorchy and Moke Lake 

Lake Wakatipu

In the morning, I headed out of Queenstown to Glenorchy, driving West along Lake Wakatipu. It was hard to keep my eyes on the road when driving – the scenery around me was so gorgeous. I stopped countless times along the way to take in the mountains surround the brilliantly blue lake. The historic steamship TSS Earnslaw cruised along the lake during my drive. Now used for sightseeing trips, this 100+ year old, coal-powered steamship was originally used to transport sheep, cattle and passengers to the high country stations in the hills surround Lake Wakatipu. Watching the steamship chug along the lake in the distance, I felt transported back to another time. 

Glenorchy

Glenorchy

I arrived at Glenorchy around lunchtime and cooked lunch in the back of my campervan, admiring the magnificent beech forest and towering mountains around me. I could easily see why this location had been scouted for many scenes from the Lord of the Rings – it truly felt as though I had arrived in Middle Earth. 

Lake Wakatipu

In the afternoon, I drove my campervan down to the shores of the Lake and wandered along the river’s edge, wading in the water. A row of partially submerged willow trees was growing just offshore, the rippling water reflecting the trees and distant mountains. With this incredible backdrop, I spent the afternoon by the water’s edge, relaxing with a book. For me, this was pretty close to a perfect day!

As I prepared to leave Glenorchy to head towards my campsite for the evening, I stopped by the Glenorchy Trading Post for a few snacks and a hot drink. Hopping into my camper, I began to retrace my route back towards Queenstown, the road hugging the lakeside. The afternoon light cast long shadows over Lake Wakatipu, while also highlighting the mountains on the far bank. I was in awe of all the scenery I saw this day – a feeling that would continue to follow me for the duration of my time in New Zealand!

Lake Wakatipu

My Department of Conservation (DOC) campsite for the night was at Moke Lake, a pretty lake off the beaten track, about 10 minutes outside of Queenstown. The road into this campsite was unsealed, and it took me a few minutes to get the hang of driving my camper over the bumps and gravel in the road. I passed my numerous farms and fields along the track, packed full of sheep and goats – stopping my can every few minutes while I waited for them to get out of the way! New Zealand is known for being one of the most populous sheep farming countries in the world, which was quickly apparent! I later learned that the number sheep of NZ outnumber people by 6 to 1! Around the campsite, you could see countless lines tracing along the distant hills – footpaths for thousands of freely grazing sheep. 

Setting up for the evening at Moke Lake, I cooked fajitas in my make-shift, campervan kitchen - consisting of little more than a cooler, a hand-pumped water sink, and a camping stove!  I spent my evening enjoying the peaceful scenery – with a few “baas” here and there – reading my book, and drinking a glass of wine. Thoughout my time in New Zealand, most of the campsites I stayed in were so remote that there was no cell service, a digital detox which I quite enjoyed!

Typical Campervan Evenings