Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: helga

  • Over the Hill and Up the Wall

    Over the Hill and Up the Wall

    In his very relaxed style, Todd Alexander brings us his somewhat lengthy thoughts on the process of aging, or rather learning to cope with aging parents and ponders just when is it that children become the careers of their parents, rather than the other way around, in his latest book Over the Hill and Up The Wall

    Todd and his partner Jeff left corporate life to move to the Hunter Valley taking up the challenge of a vineyard and Air B&B establishment; I mean how hard could it be, as well as collecting a menagerie of animals amongst which is Todd’s beloved Helga, the very spoilt pig.

    Covid saw them rethinking what they want to do, stay or go and as the market post-Covid for rural properties was booming to incredible heights they decided it was time to move again to something a little less busy.

    They eventually discover a new property, not all that far from the community they have come to know and love, but they have to convince Todd’s parents that this is the right thing to do, for all of them.

    We meet Todd and Jeff on a sweltering summers day, getting Jude and Pete into the van for a drive to deliver some wine, have lunch at a pub loved by them all and sneakily show Mum and Dad the new property. They have not left the drive of Pete and Jude’s and already the stress levels are mounting and the tension sizzles.

    Many who have lived with and looked after older parents, will relate to the pondering and tales told by Todd as he struggles to cope with parents who are past masters of manipulation, are definitely growing older, getting somewhat more forgetful and simple know how to create mayhem without really trying. It is s skill learned from their children over many years. 

    Funny, irreverent, filled with love for his parents delivered with a somewhat wry commentary, life in the Alexander family is anything but dull as they set out on a small journey, taken via a longer route, to eventually get to the new property and show Jude and Pete that it is not far from their home and they don’t need to move again.

    Readers who enjoyed Thirty Thousand Bottles of Wine and a Pig Called Helga will remember the trauma caused when they moved to a new home not far from Todd and Jeff. If it could be avoided no one wanted to have a rerun of the experience if it could be avoided.

    Funny, irreverent and very true to life, Over the Hill and Up The Wall provides amongst the trials and tribulations of the Alexander family, much to ponder such as why family Christmas traditions exist and when can you safely let them go and so very much more.

  • You’ve Got To Be Kidding

    You’ve Got To Be Kidding

    a shedload of wine & a farm full of goats

    You’ve Got To Be Kidding, the follow on to Thirty Thousand Bottles of Wine and Pig Called Helga is a leap into the real world of tree change, full of moments all too easily able to be related to life’s journey. In Todd and his partner Jeff’s case, their tree change from city life to country life on Block Eight, a 100 acre winery in the Hunter Valley, was one that began an often times hilarious journey into the world of ‘farming’, Air B‘n B, tourism and wine production, that hit a massive snag with the arrival of the summer fires of 2019-‘20, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Barely making a comfortable living from their acreage, they filled their life with friends and the addition of more rescue animals, all of which Todd fell madly in love with and Jeff simply took in his stride. The couple realised they  had to take stock of their life as farmers on Block Eight, add up the real balance sheet, find a way to sell off their shed load of quality red, and somehow manage to keep the Ark afloat, sick animals and all during the year that was 2020.

    Their idyllic lifestyle was under review, as it had been under threat for some time. No matter how they tried to manage their non-existent budget, somehow, between Todd needing to rescue a few more animals and Jeff’s love of purchasing cushions, it just never seemed to meet in the middle.

    But what next, as it is not easy to find somewhere else that can house two men and their collection of beloved family members, all of whom have become very used to a good life, with purpose built accommodation, thanks to Jeff and the best of feed, overseen by Todd, on a daily basis.

    Full of light hearted fun, real strength of purpose and determination to make everything come out all right, You’ve Got To Be Kidding makes you laugh at the antics of their beloved animals, cry at the sadness that can be life and gasp when the unimaginable needs to be dealt with, all making up a day of life down on the farm, and the wonderful world of ‘country living’ for real.

    If you are after a real feel good story that captures the very essence of the old adage ‘be careful what you wish for’, Todd Alexanders You’ve Got To Be Kidding, strips the ‘dream’ bare, with heart, honesty and hilarity.