10 awesome things about working in vineyards...

1. We don't work in the rain.  Except for when we do.  But mostly we don't.  Which means sometimes we get late starts and early finishes, which is a little awesome.  Not so much for the bank account, but awesome for every other reason.  As I write this we are on hold until some rain clears. 

2.  The scenery.  Stunning.  Here is an old pic.  All my new pics are on my phone so I will have to learn how to get those here some other time.

3.  I can listen to my ipod.  All day if I want.  I listen to music, but mostly podcasts.  History podcasts are my favourite.  I am nearly finished with my third time through Mike Duncan's History of Rome (my fav).  I also listen to the British History Podcast, History of Byzantium, History of Hannibal, and a few others.  So I can learn something new while I work.  Best of all, no customer service stuff involved.  All my other jobs involved being nice to people.

4.  Language.  I can swear.  I have to watch it in front of vineyard owners, and some of the older coworkers who don't like too much swearing, but I can still slip the f-bomb when I have the urge to.  I haven't done it yet, but telling a coworker to fuck off when they are pissing you off will not get you fired here.

5.  Vitamin D.  Unlimited.  And free sunscreen, which I need from about mid October to mid March. 

6.  Calorie burning work.  Mostly summer work, walking up and down hills.  Winter work is a bit less physical.

7.  Flexibility.  Except for during harvest time, it is very easy to take time off.  And even during harvest time it is still possible.  And overtime can be worked on Saturdays and sometimes Sundays, if you want to make up some hours or pack on a massive work week.

8.  Wine.  I get wine.  Usually just at Christmas time, but sometimes at other times.  And discounts if I want to buy any.  This isn't too much of a perk for me because I don't really like wine all that much (I'd rather have beer), but it is still an awesome part of the job.

9.  For about 2 months out of the year, if I am hungry between breaks, I can eat some fruit.  And I have never had any of the...um...side effects of eating too many grapes.  Which is good because one of the negative things about working in a vineyard is the toilet situation.  Or lack there of.

10.  Meeting new people from different countries and backgrounds.  Lots of seasonal workers come from overseas, which provides an excellent opportunity to learn how to swear in different languages.