Uncle Shaun & the Cherry Farm

As this was the most consistent element of the summer I thought I would start with Shaun's job at the cherry orchard....

...so back in April he gets the job and things start to get busy with the installation of the new plant machinery and the completing the new building in May and June....then there is a slight pause at the beginning of July, well, we thought it was a pause, but really it was hell taking a deep breath before it let lose!

In the space of a week or so the standard team of 40 odd was plumped to a stunning 350 odd collection of students, Mexicans, and Quebecois! Shaun's language skills have come on immensely and he can now say eh? in 4 different languages....(come to Canada and you'll get it!)

The reason for the loosing of hell - bumper, bumper cherry season and only 8 weeks to pick, wash, inspect and pack the little buggers before its over....all in about 12 hours!

Obviously there are fringe benefits to being the wife of a cherry farm manager (as well as being able to watch Grey's Anatomy, ER and Bones back to back with no interruptions as hubby works in the plant until 11pm - but more of that later!) - the first arrived in a small basket of beautiful juicy fruit, then we had a bucket, then 3 buckets and then bin bags full of the little darlings!

Needless to say we are now well versed in the variatels of cherry and have been scouring the recipe books - still haven't got bored of them though! and the freezer (thank god for the second one in the basement - when we bought the house we though, doh! 2 freezers? - slightly revised that opinion now.

Discovered a cherry wine recipe in a book from Mum so off to buy the home brew equipment at the weekend to turn them into even more deliciousness, plus Tess came up with the scintillating idea of cherry vodka (ala sloe gin, before I get carted off for illegal hooch making!)

Anyhoo, Shaun has worked like a dog (not Otter, obviously, otherwise it would be a summer of ball, ball, nap, ball, ball eat , ball, ball, sleep, eek theres a deer in the garden, sleep, ball etc etc) all summer with one 145hr stint in 2 weeks with no time off.

But, amazingly, he smiled through it all and impressed the socks off everyone (go, hubby!). The season finished at the beginning of September and he had a week off and very well deserved gun purchase!