Real friends are who they are, and not what you’d like them to be.
They can be the gift of bonds forged decades ago, or more recently than that; what matters is the unquestioned connection of trust and mutual enjoyment. They’re the people who make for a healthy and balanced social life, and from whom our sense of belonging and community comes.
Without them, it’s easy to feel like there’s very little of you; and what little there is, floats adrift and unanchored in a world of little meaning.
Friendships require nurturing. Such an easy to do, before technology screened us out of real-life existence and into a virtual one where virtually nothing real actually ever happens. There was a time that friends would simply drop in; before the omnipresence of mobile phones (because they are our new god).
No prearranged day or time; no particular plan or reason – they’d just come by for a cuppa and some human connection. It was all perfectly normal.
If you were in the midst of something – which could be anything, other than an argument (duly overheard, and the impromptu visit terminated) – you’d have a willing pair of hands, or at least some good company to be doing whatever you were doing with. Were it that the untimed social call proved inconvenient, that’s all that needed to be said. No explanations needed, no hard feelings, no mental notes of score-keeping or payback. Certainly no whingeing on social media about how to handle the situation, because in those days of ol’ timey respect and common sense, there was no situation that needed handling.
Somebody went somewhere, unaware until they arrived that it wasn’t a good time, so they left.
The thing is, you dropped in on a punt. Mostly it paid off, sometimes it didn’t, and nobody choked down anti-depressants because of it.
Seems we’ve lost all of that. Now it’s highly unlikely to not at least text someone to let them know that you’re nearby, and wondering if they’re up for a visit. Apparently we have to give people the chance to lie and reply that they’re not there at the moment. In days of yore you’d just tell the truth if you weren’t up for it. Nobody took it as a personal slight. Mostly they’d ask if you were okay, and whether or not you needed anything.
What we need now, is a way to maintain these connections that can become less robust than we thought because like good comedy, it’s all in the timing. When everyone seems to be a little out of sync, it’s time to make time to hang out together.
Nothing beats a weekend away.
Not too far, and not too close; because a road trip full of favourite song lists and stupid singing is worth much, much more than the sum of its parts. So gather a group of those who make moments memorable, and head four hours north-west of Sydney to Heifer Station Wines, near Orange.
If you think that’s a long way for a weekend, you definitely need to do it. Life will pass you by fast enough, without knowing or remembering how beautiful it is to be out of the city, and how much more time there seems to be when there’s the space around you to hold it. Stop on the way to stretch your legs and your usual coffee-and-snacks schedule. After all, you’re away from home – and the Blue Mountains is always a good place to start.
Perched on the slopes of Gaanha Bula-Mount Canobolas, a spur of the Great Dividing Range, Heifer Station is a proudly family-owned vineyard. This extinct volcano is the highest mountain in the region, and a culturally significant site for the local Wiradjuri people. In what translates to “two shoulders” The Dreaming tells of two brothers who fell in love with the same girl, and the murderous outcome of the spear-throwing competition that so angered the spirit ancestors, the ground erupted and lava spilled over the sibling’s bodies.
Certainly worth deep contemplation and conversation over a bottle or two of Heifer Station’s exceptional Pinot Noir, or its sensational Shiraz.
As a premium wine destination, the vineyard boasts six varieties of grape: its near-perfect balance of elevation and sunshine means award-winners among those two, as well as its Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. Merlot is also a cellar door offering. Make your online booking for a tasting or a table with cheese platters and accompaniments, and spend the weekend remembering what makes your friends so great.
Orange emerged as a cool-climate, cool wine producer a decade or so ago; and it’s worth reacquainting yourself with it, its stunning eatery offerings, and your nearest, dearest and most entertainingest.
For a group of four, stay the night in Loft House at the winery, or install your herd 10 minutes away in Orange itself, in any one or more on offer at Cottages in Orange, and go wild with all that this town has to offer.
Open 7 days, 11.00am to 5.00pm
Heifer Station Wines
1034 The Escort Way
Borenore, NSW
Ph: (02) 6365 2275
Website: https://heiferstation.com.au/
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/heiferstationwines/?hl=en
