Plans can come together quickly sometimes. We have arranged a job picking navel oranges in an out of the way place called Goodnight, New South Wales, on the banks of the Murray river up the road from Tooleybuc. It's pretty isolated, we picked there five years ago, there was no cellphone reception, dirt roads, bad water. The job starts in early june so we've decided to head over to New Zealand for a week before it starts. Trans-Tasman flights are a bargain at the moment, even when booked at short notice.

The apple season is OVER!

The last apple was picked yesterday. So what now? Jen and I plan to pack up the car and head northwest, following the Murray river downstream. It's lined with citrus orchards and vinyards, all pumping water from damaged and depleted Murray. We hope to find work there, either picking oranges or pruning grapevines. First I think we'll rest for a few days.
I'll let you know how we get on.....

Hail damage on "rosy glow" apples, Lemnos, Shepparton

Went out to the patch with Bundaberg Bill to see whether or not it would be worth select picking the undamaged fruit, but with 90% of the crop damaged, the whole lot is destined to become baby food.
This fellow took a double hit - sunburnt in the summer heatwave, peppered by hail in the autumn - poor bugger never stood a chance.....