The hilarious tale of how two American city boys learn to become olive farmers on a lifestyle block in New Zealand. For Jared Gulian, leaving the United States and coming to tiny Wellington, New Zealand, was switch from the bright lights of big cities enough. So when his partner CJ decided they just had to buy a rundown olive orchard in the Wairarapa, it was almost too much to cope with. First they'd have to drive over the dangerous Rimutaka range road to get there, and he was terrified of heights. And second, they'd have to figure out what on earth you do with 500 olive trees that hadn't been pruned for years, a geriatric rooster, warring hens, an obese kunekune pig, cast sheep, marauding cattle and understanding your neighbours when they said "yiece' but meant 'yes'. In this endearing, hilarious, wry and warm-hearted book, Jared Gulian describes the first four years of their new life in the country, its disasters and small triumphs, its surprises and pleasures. But most of all he describes the warmth of the local community that welcomed him, saved him from certain peril, taught him how to cook, how to care for animals, and how to understand and love the land.
Its specially commissioned line drawings set this book apart as a little treasure.
The hilarious tale of how two American city boys learn to become olive farmers on a lifestyle block in New Zealand. For Jared Gulian, leaving the United States and coming to tiny Wellington, New Zealand, was switch from the bright lights of big cities enough. So when his partner CJ decided they just had to buy a rundown olive orchard in the Wairarapa, it was almost too much to cope with. First they'd have to drive over the dangerous Rimutaka range road to get there, and he was terrified of heights. And second, they'd have to figure out what on earth you do with 500 olive trees that hadn't been pruned for years, a geriatric rooster, warring hens, an obese kunekune pig, cast sheep, marauding cattle and understanding your neighbours when they said "yiece' but meant 'yes'. In this endearing, hilarious, wry and warm-hearted book, Jared Gulian describes the first four years of their new life in the country, its disasters and small triumphs, its surprises and pleasures. But most of all he describes the warmth of the local community that welcomed him, saved him from certain peril, taught him how to cook, how to care for animals, and how to understand and love the land.
Its specially commissioned line drawings set this book apart as a little treasure.
Jared Gulian, author of the delightful memoir Moon Over Martinborough, is an award-winning blogger who works as a web strategist and advisor for the New Zealand government, for which he recently lead a highly regarded project to produce social media guidelines. He was born and raised in Michigan and has a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in English. In 2007 he attended the summer Iowa workshop at Victoria University's Institute of Modern Letters. His website is www.moonovermartinborough.com. After a number of years spent working in the north of Japan, and then Tokyo, he and his partner moved to Wellington in 2003 and now have dual New Zealand/US citizenship. They produce the award-winning Moon Over Martinborough olive oil from olives grown in their Martinborough olive grove, and have a popular blog by the same name.
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