This is what flying over the Great Barrier Reef looks like from 2,000 ft in a plane.

Secondary Fermentation of Chardonnay

There is a room here just for Chardonnay. To access it from inside the winery, you have to sideways-walk between tall stainless steel tanks and then bend over to reach through the little door, watching your step in. When the white grapes come in and we pick out all the wildlife bits, the juice is racked (aka pumped) into these wooden barrels. With patience and precision, the winemaker can time exactly how long it takes to fill a barrel to the right level without overflowing.

The little science experiment turning this juice into wine causes airlock gauges to gurgle, filling the whole wooden room with a curiously calming and soothing sound - it's almost like quietly walking into a room with a baby monitor where you can hear the infant happily burble, babble, and drool in its dreams.

The fermentation lock on top is needed so that oxygen doesn't enter, but the carbon dioxide can escape; the pressure inside is pushing the gas up and out causing the bubbles in the airlock. When the bubbles stop, it is a clear sign to the wine maker that the (here, wild) yeast has eaten all the sugar. 

When you run out of such contraptions however, you can brilliantly use a bag of sand that is still malleable enough to yield to the carbon dioxide pushing it's way out. I'm pretty sure the spilled minor-explosion of juice on the barrel in the picture above is not a very good sign, but the soon-to-be-wine can easily be transferred to less-full barrels and the sticky juice wiped off. 

It's most likely the worst 25 second video you've ever seen. And the noise in the background is probably less of the fascinating fermentation and more of the bird-scarer outside (yes, there is such a noise and unfortunately is not silent to humans like a dog whistle. #birdpeckfree #goodwinesacrifices). But walking into the room full of bubbling barrels turning the grape juice into wine in front of you is really quite impressive. dramatic. miraculous.wonderful.

At least adjective-worthy enough for me to try to capture it with a dinky video. 

"You Know What Happens When It Rains?..."

So Hurricane Irene is imminently approaching. If only "she" had access to Facebook and Twitter and who knows what else, this blog, she'd get a really big head. It's all anyone's talking about. At first I was nervous about being home alone and having the upstairs windows blown in - they comprise of two of the four walls.....now I think it's just going to be a heavy downpour.

This by far is my favorite.  Sums it up perfectly.

Where to meteorologists go for a drink? To the isobar.

Come on, Irene...

Let's drink Hurricane cocktails...

NYC evacuations and subway closures?


not really funny, but I think this is what people expect.

so true. 

And how am I supposed to straighten my hair without electricity?

BorowitzReport Andy Borowitz 

The language of weather forecasts is subtly shifting from "savage destruction" to "inconvenient wetness." #irene

Basically...

BorowitzReport Andy Borowitz 

Hurricane Irene has an amazing publicist.

From Nick

But hey, Sunday's market has been canceled and rain or no rain, hurricane or no hurricane, it means a Saturday night for me! And Juan Macclean is playing tonight at the Red Door! woo.

ps, to answer the question above.....YOU GET WET. 

Beet Cake

beet cake from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

not only do i love the idea of a beet cake, i love this video. the hands-on act of baking is so beautifully showcased here that it compliments the romantic idea of a gorgeously colored beet cake.

Although the recipe is basically in the video, which you should watch, here it is:

Beet Cake

By Matt and Julie Walker

1 cup butter or margarine, softened, cut up

1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar

3 eggs

4 squares semisweet chocolate or just 1 oz.

2 cups pureed cooked beets

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

In a mixing bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and brown sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Melt chocolate with remaining butter; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Blend chocolate mixture, beets, and vanilla into the creamed mixture (mixture will appear separated). Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Pour into a 9-inch cake pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in a pan before removing to a wire rack. Before serving, dust with confectioner's sugar.

There's a lot you can do when you've got nothing to do.

ok, technically I don't have "nothing to do"....thesis presentation powerpoint and preparation, packing my stuff, cleaning the apartment, planning mum's trip in Italy, saving S. Salvatore, job searching, making the most of my time left in Italy....but hey, it's the first day not having to work on the thesis! I think I deserve a wee break. So...I came across an old favourite clip that I would like to share. 

and I suppose, after watching this and imagining me sitting in my room, alone, watching this video and laughing out loud**, you would believe that I truly have nothing to do.


**...and then writing about it on my blog.

Chasing Sheep Video.

don't watch if you get motion sickness.