The Johansens' Vineyard

Hi Everyone,

   Please forgive the tardiness of this blog entry.  Kathrin did drop me off at the Johansens’ home and vinery on the Wednesday the 18^th.  I had a wonderful stay with Rob and Heather, my hosts. 

The sign welcoming visitors to the Johansens' home and vineyard

Wednesday afternoon, Heather and I moved some of the horses.  We took one of her mares out to their other grazing land to be with their thirty-two year old gelding, Snoopy.  Heather had to trim his feet and just check up on him.  While we were there we also hiked through the paddocks to check on their cows.  The Johansens breed Murry Grey cows, which are basically a type of white Angus, and cross them with Galloway cows.  The Galloway are generally more fuzzy and a slightly darker grey.  During our walk, we only saw a few of the older cows. 

Looking for cows

The rest were either in the farthest paddock (which we didn’t bother to check since it was a long walk and very hot out) or they had cross the little river and were in with the neighbor’s herd.  When we returned to where we had left the car and the horse trailer, or “float” as the Australians call it, we were happy to find that the two yearling horses were already there sniffing around.  We loaded them up and headed back to the vineyard. 

   On our way, we stopped to pick up a neighbor and friend, also named Heather, so that she could ride her horse, which had been in with the Johansen’s stallion, home.   Heather Johansen and I decided to accompany her home.  So we saddled up Stormy, Heather’s blue roan mare, and Sally, the paint mare that I was privileged to ride.  We had a nice ride through all the neighboring pastures. All the young cows were very interested in the horses.  They would stare, and then try to creep closer, and follow behind us as we walked along.   

The next morning, Heather and I were out in the vineyard by seven.  We spent the whole morning picking the secondary fruit off the vines.  Secondary fruit is the second group of grapes that bloom after the first batch is already off and growing.  We have to pick them off because when harvest time comes around, the secondary grapes will not be ripe. 

Grapes on the grape vine to the left and secondary fruit
just starting to form on the right.

The work itself is not too difficult, but Heather was by far faster than I was.  She would have a row and a half done in the time it would take me to finish just half of a row.  And by the end of the morning, the muscles on my sides were a little sore from lifting up my arms so often to reach the higher vines.

Rob spent the morning spraying the vines against diseases.  He had to stop around lunch time though because if he sprays when it is very hot out, then the spray can burn the leaves on the plants.  So when we came in for lunch, we all took break for a few hours from the heat outside.  Rob and Heather enjoy watching sports on T.V.  So during afternoons and evenings we would watch Cricket, the Australian Open Tennis matches, and the Australia Down Under bicycle race. 

In the evening, Heather and I rode horses while Rob continued with the spraying.  My horsemanship education has been greatly expanded while I have been in Australia, and Heather added to my knowledge.  So far my main instruction about horses has been in training younger horses and learning to just ride while working livestock.  Heather helped me to improve my riding technique by teaching me the proper way to ride in dressage style riding.  As Heather explained, dressage is simply getting to horse to move where and how you want it to.  So I learned the proper way to sit up in an English saddle, how to hold the reins so that I can easily shorten them and steer the horse, and how to post more effectively while trotting.  To practice trotting we rode the horses up and down the rows of grapes.  The sky was a beautiful blue, the clouds pure white, and the grapes a rich green.  It was a serene scene as we raced up and down the rows and I improved enough to ride with the horse instead of bouncing up and down on her back. 

Looking up on of the rows

On Friday I spent the morning out picking secondary fruit while Heather worked on spraying the vines.  The spraying machine looks like something from a Dr. Seuss book. 

The spraying machine

Rob told me that the tank is filled with water and the chemicals.  The fan on the back turns and blows air out through the small fingers that protrude from either side of the machine.  Then water is pushed up small hoses and droplets of the water are pushed out by the passing air.  This causes a fine mist to cover the plants.  The plants can absorb the chemicals better this way and because the mist hits the plants without extra water dripping off it helps lessen any waste of the chemicals which can be quite expensive.  In the afternoon, we again went trotting along the rows of grapes. After we had finished our trotting practice, Heather coached me through her homemade dressage obstacle course.  I learned to weave the horse in and out of poles, how to trot and canter circles, and how to encourage the horse to trot over poles and small jumps.  Of course, it was a tremendous advantage that Sally, the horse I rode, knew all of the obstacles and was smart enough to figure out how to maneuver through them even with my inexperienced attempts at directing her. 

Sally and me

Saturday was a change of pace.  In the morning we went for a beautiful ride around Heather and Rob’s property and along some of the back roads.

A view from the Johansens' property
 of the farmlands around Tumbarumba

The countryside was gorgeous in the cool morning air.  We rode down to check on the cows that are in the paddock below the house, and we opened a gate to allow them into the neighboring paddock.  We saw some of the baby cows.  They were so funny.  They scoot about running and leaping.  And their white, fuzzy fur gives them a very lovable appearance. 

Happy herd of cows

 In the afternoon, we drove out to the other pasture that Heather and I had visited on my first day.  We took out some feed with extra vitamins for the cows in the first paddock, and then we went in search of the cows that Heather and I had wandered all over the hills looking for.  While we were looking, we got to see a new born calf.  Rob thought it was only a few days old. 

Little calf

Later that evening, we were fortunate enough to be invited over for dinner at the neighbor’s farm, the same farm that Kathrin and Barry owned when we visited four years ago.  It was nice to see the place and get to meet the new caretakers.  This couple, besides looking after the cows and the house, also have a chestnut orchard not too far away.  They drove us out for a personal tour.  After the tour we had a wonderful supper and had a nice time chatting until late into the evening.

Chestnut orchard

On Sunday, Heather showed me the new grapes that they have been grafting.  Heather and Rob grow a few different varieties of wine grapes, mainly Pinot Noir.  The plants they use for the base to graft onto are either other varieties of wine grapes that are not in high demand, or else older varieties that they formerly grew and are now intending to discontinue.   In order to successfully graft a new plant, the base plant must send out a healthy shoot.  Then one of the healthy new buds on the shoot is cut off and replaced with a bud from the desired plant. 

That day, Heather and I worked on pulling off any new shoots that were sprouting from the base plant because they take away nutrients and water from the grafted bud.   There were about eight rows of these new grafts that we had to go through and check.  If the graft had taken and was sending up a shoot of its own, then Heather would place some gardener’s tape around it and the old stem to help support it. 

Monday morning we went back to work picking the secondary fruit.  The Johansens have over 35,000 grape plants.  There are blocks of plants each with about twenty rows.  As I continued to help Heather, I eventually got faster at picking the secondary fruit. 

The Vineyard

In the afternoon we once again watched tennis and enjoyed a pleasant meal.  While I stayed with Heather and Rob, I assisted Heather in working with the two yearling horses we had brought back from the other property.  We did two sessions with the horses, each of us working with one horse.  Both horses are very smart, but it was a challenge to teach these horses because when they are younger they have shorter attention spans, and more energy.  I was able to work with Silver, and we did get a few things done together.  I will have to keep practicing my horse training skills though.  Silver challenged me, because I had to keep finding ways to hold his interest and teach him while still maintaining a calm attitude.  Young horses can be frustrating, but seeing them learn and improve makes the effort worthwhile. 

Tuesday morning we continued with picking the secondary fruit.  Hand picking the fruit takes more time than I would have thought, and I can see why Heather has developed such fast and efficient fingers to get the picking done as soon as may be possible.  In the afternoon, Heather and I took another ride out around the property and then we went back to work on the obstacle course arena.  I actually was able to ride Sally at a canter around the circle.  It was a great feeling. 

On Wednesday morning, we finally finished picking the secondary fruit from the rows in the block of grape vines we were working in.  Heather and Rob grow and harvest their grapes for a larger wine making company.  So their grapes are sent off to another place to be made into wine.  Later in the afternoon Kathrin can and picked me up. 

Rob and Heather

Thursday morning I was back to my regular duties of helping Kathrin in the garden.  Our task this morning was to chop out all the old canes from the raspberry and blackberry plants.  In the afternoon I watched and learned as Barry helped a young boy, Dylan, from Corryong learn to break in horses.  Thursday was Dylan’s third day working with Barry, and he was working on riding the two young brumbies that he had been working with. 

Dylan riding the brumby Amber

Friday morning Kathrin castrated one of this year’s foals from one of Barry’s mares.  Then we went down to the big garden to water and pick zucchinis.  Barry started up the excavator to drive back up to the house.  Along the way he worked on improving the dirt road. 

Barry working on the road

 In the afternoon, we all rode up to the goat pasture and mustered the goats out into the next paddock on top.  It took us awhile since we had to chase the goats through the brush, but we eventually got them through the gate.  Then we had to ride around the fence to make sure that there were no overly large holes that the goats would be able to escape through. 

Riding up to muster goats

On Saturday Kathrin and I went down to the large garden early.  I mowed the lawn while Kathrin pruned the fruit trees. Then we put some hail netting over the row of nectarine trees to try and save some of the fruit from the voracious appetites of the cockatoos. 

Nectarines

   In the afternoon we had visitors.   Caitlin, her boyfriend Alex, and another young couple came up so that Caitlin could look at the horses to see if she would be interested in buying one.  I took an immediate like to Caitlin’s happy, open personality.  And so Kathrin and I took her out to the horse paddock where we caught Sambo, Dakota, and Jillaroo.  Sambo was for me to ride, naturally, while Dakota and Jillaroo were chosen as probably the two best horses for Caitlin’s needs.  Caitlin has an older stock horse at home, which she can ride, but he is generally sore the next day.  So Caitlin was looking for a younger horse that she could ride and work with so that she might be able to enter into some of the local horse competitions for fun.  All three of us saddled up and we went for a short ride down to the river.  Caitlin rode Dakota.  We had a very nice ride,  just ambling along at a leisurely pace so that Caitlin could get the feel of Dakota and see how Jillaroo was for Kathrin to ride.  After we returned to the house, Caitlin and I had some fun riding around in the arena with Sambo and Dakota.  We had them trot and do a little cantering.  Then I showed Caitlin the seven Parelli games that I had worked with Dakota on, and we chatted about horse training.  Soon we retired to the house for some more conversation and a refreshing bowl of ice cream.  Later on, Alex and Barry joined us and we had a nice conversation until about dinner time. 

Caitlin and Dakota

Sunday morning was very busy.  Kathrin and I put out all the horses for while we are gone.  We set up all of the watering timers for the gardens and we cleaned up the house.  I packed up my bags and in the afternoon Kathrin dropped me off at Desiree and Andreas’ on her way to do some vet substituting at the town of Cooma. 

Today has been a very peaceful day.  It rained most of the morning, so I spent some time chatting with Desiree and playing with their border collie, Teddy, and the new kitten, Basil.  Andreas and I drove to the store for groceries.  I baked some scones, and now I am finishing updating my blog.

Teddy and Basil

I hope this finds you all safe and well. 

On Wednesday I will be flying home to Spokane for a stay of two weeks.  I have been invited to attend a full tuition scholarship competition at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio.  Therefore, during the second week of February, my Mom and I will fly to Ohio for the three day event.  I hope that I will have time to visit with everyone; I have missed you all so much.

With Love,

   Hana