Dear Readers,

WE HAVE ANOTHER FABULOUS OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO WIN THIS INCREDIBLE PRIZE FOR A NEW COMMENT ON ANY COLUMN SINCE THE BEGINNING OF OUR BLOG.

This time the prize is this wonderful essential oil produced by McLaren Vale Lavender.  This Bush Blend oil contains hints of lemon myrtle, blue gum eucalyptus, and lavender. Essential oils can be used for massage, as a room spray freshener and deodorizer, for tissue, bath, foot-bath, hot and cold compress, mouthwash and gargle, oil burner, pulse perfume or to scent towels, linens and pillow cases.

We spent a pleasant afternoon visiting Tony and Christine Hitchin in the McLaren Valley and chatting with them about the challenges of owning and running a lavender farm.  Any boutique farm operation takes a prodigious amount of creativity, imagination and plain hard work to survive and flourish. Tony and Christine have made it and created a thriving operation.

The Hitchins have planted a lovely lavender field and built a shop set on a picturesque hilltop. We are admiring of their lifestyle and success at something Dana and I once thought of doing ourselves in New Zealand.

We ended our afternoon eating lavender ice cream under the trees next to the lavender field.

You can enter the contest by posting a new comment on any blog entry from Sicily, South Africa or Australia, the entire history of Medflies since the beginning. Once you have posted, your name goes into a drawing. The more you post the greater your chances of winning.  But even one new post is a contest entry.

We love hearing from our readers. It gives us an idea of what catches your fancy in the narrative and the photos.

POST IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS TO WIN!

The contest begins on Sunday November 11 (Veterans’ Day) and ends Sunday November 25th (Thanksgiving Weekend.)

Remember you can post a new comment on any column written since the beginning of the trip and any post is a chance to win. Just click on the “Comment” link below and give us your experience, observations and thoughts.