eBook - ePub
Growing Grapes Might be Fun
How We Made a Vineyard out of a Junkyard at Cockatoo Hill
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
An honest, very funny account of a couple's move to the country for a fresh start. Bursting with optimism and a can-do attitude, they're on a steep learning curve as they establish a vineyard and learn how things are done in the country.
I imagined lounging on a veranda overlooking folds of hills striped with vines. I'd be clothed in linen and surrounded by friends. On the table would be tumblers of wine we'd picked in last year's harvest. Then we arrived at Cockatoo Hill and discovered a dump.
When Deirdre and her husband Roger decide to turn a sheep paddock into a vineyard, they are following the centuries-old tradition of family winemaking. Bit by bit they clean up the land, plant vines, protect them through storms and drought and turn a shack into a cottage. Slowly they start to read the landscape, appreciate the talents of locals and learn what to do when a snake passes by.
This is a humorous memoir with larger-than-life characters, hard slog and sweet triumph. It is also a story of a deepening awareness of our connection with the land and the rhythms of farming life.
'Deirdre Macken's memoir is more than a lively account of turning unpromising, trash-strewn hectares into a productive vineyard. It's a reflection on family, community and the rewards of caring for the land that sustains us.' — Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize winning author
'I simply adored reading this account of a life-change with a purpose, laden with honesty and Deirdre's characteristic wit. Above all, I won't forget the love on display or city-rural wisdom gained. All that's left is to try the wine!' — Geraldine Doogue, ABC presenter
I imagined lounging on a veranda overlooking folds of hills striped with vines. I'd be clothed in linen and surrounded by friends. On the table would be tumblers of wine we'd picked in last year's harvest. Then we arrived at Cockatoo Hill and discovered a dump.
When Deirdre and her husband Roger decide to turn a sheep paddock into a vineyard, they are following the centuries-old tradition of family winemaking. Bit by bit they clean up the land, plant vines, protect them through storms and drought and turn a shack into a cottage. Slowly they start to read the landscape, appreciate the talents of locals and learn what to do when a snake passes by.
This is a humorous memoir with larger-than-life characters, hard slog and sweet triumph. It is also a story of a deepening awareness of our connection with the land and the rhythms of farming life.
'Deirdre Macken's memoir is more than a lively account of turning unpromising, trash-strewn hectares into a productive vineyard. It's a reflection on family, community and the rewards of caring for the land that sustains us.' — Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize winning author
'I simply adored reading this account of a life-change with a purpose, laden with honesty and Deirdre's characteristic wit. Above all, I won't forget the love on display or city-rural wisdom gained. All that's left is to try the wine!' — Geraldine Doogue, ABC presenter
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Yes, you can access Growing Grapes Might be Fun by Deirdre Macken in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Social Science Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- COVER PAGE
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- TITLE PAGE
- COPYRIGHT PAGE
- DEDICATION
- CONTENTS
- 1 DUMPSVILLE
- 2 STARTING WITH A SCRATCH
- 3 CROSS-STITCHING THE COUNTRY
- 4 BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT, UNPACK
- 5 OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER
- 6 PUMPED FOR PLANTING
- 7 STICK BY STICK
- 8 HARD GRAFT
- 9 WINDED
- 10 BACK TO SCHOOL FOR A CONTINENT
- 11 AN IMAGINARY FRIEND
- 12 THE DRY
- 13 HUSBAND GETS A FRIDGE MAGNET
- 14 PITTER PATTER
- 15 YOU DON’T KNOW ME, BUT YOU KNOW MY MUM
- 16 LOCALS ONLY
- 17 A BAKE-OFF
- 18 BORING MY KID, BLOODING THE NEXT GEN
- 19 RECOLLECTIONS OF RUBBISH
- 20 SHOW AND TELL TOO MUCH
- 21 SUCCESSION: TOO SOON AND NOT SOON ENOUGH
- 22 A FEAST FOR THE APOCALYPSE
- 23 DO MY UNDERPANTS LOOK BIG HERE?
- 24 BETSY, ZOE AND PARSLEY ARRIVE
- 25 DUMPSVILLE REVISITED
- 26 DINNER ON THE HOOF
- 27 THE PANTONE FARMER
- 28 A SILENT SHAME
- 29 MY BOM IS BETTER THAN YOURS
- 30 THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN
- 31 THE GHOST WITHIN
- 32 PLEIN AIR
- 33 NETSCAPE
- 34 A RAGTAG OF DESIGN
- 35 LETTING GO
- 36 HARVEST À GO-GO
- 37 ILLEGAL STILL
- 38 FERMENTING
- 39 A NAME TO FORGET
- 40 WINE PROSE
- 41 THE CALL OF COUNTRY
- EPILOGUE
- PICTURE SECTION
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS