A laid back day today. We still don’t really know quite what is expected of us workwise and veer between feeling fine with that and feeling slightly at odds with it. We’ve learnt loads here and T & M seem very nice but we are spending money on food and I feel a bit put out that the next host has arranged over our heads for us to stay on. I had an email from her saying she’ll see us in ‘a week or so’ which clearly she won’t as we’re due at the next host next Monday. So we’ve decided that host is probably not going to come to anything at all and have emailed the host we are due at from 28th to see if we can come early, either for a longer stay or to just bring our week with them forward. We have a cancelled week after them anyway so can try to re-jig from there as I have now had some emails offering places where I had previously assumed it was a no. We will either leave here early to go to the next one if they’re up for it or decide the universe is telling us something and stay here for another week which we’ve been told we’re welcome to do if not.
I had a really bad nights sleep as Davies was rolling into Tarly who was rolling close to the edge of the bunk and all of her soft toys, torch and then sleeping bag gradually fell down from the bunk and on to my head! I must have been woken 5 or 6 times by various falling objects, then I needed a wee, then I was too hot so opened the ceiling vent… so a later start to the day ensued. We fed all the animals and brought Benji round, caught four of the chickens, dusted them with mite powder and put them in a different coop where they are supposed to be eating some old crops and weeds in a veg patch. Ady dusted the pigs ears at the same time and then we came back to the van, I did some online stuff, Ady did some handwashing and the kids played in the park. Tanya appeared to ask if we’d be up for lighting the earth oven for a group arriving to stay who wanted to cook pizzas so we did that until the group came out to take over.
We walked into Glastonbury for some bits for dinner, having now decided we will take what is on offer in the farm kitchen if we stay another week as we’ve spent over our budget this week on food shopping. Back at the farm Michael and Tanya were now tending the earth oven so once we’d fed and put to bed all the animals we took over some bottles of beer to sit with them for an hour or so chatting while the kids played in the park. It was really nice and we had a good chat with them and learnt a bit more about them, the trust, how they got this job and so on. There is a slightly strange vibe about the place, some obvious tension with local people and rather too much casual drug use for us to be totally comfortable being here with the kids, but we’ve an open invite to come back any time, are being put in touch with some people in a similar venture who might want managers and have done some networking with the neighbour who is a really interesting and useful person to know.
Back at the van I made the kids tea, we all watched half a dvd til the battery on the laptop ran out, the kids went to bed and we had our dinner. Earth hour came and went with us remaining on solar powered lights only – our most effortless yet 😉
Looking forward to a nights sleep with nothing falling on my head!
hmm, sorry it is a bit of a qualified success this time, and some shenanigans with next placements too. but i guess over the year there will be all sorts of different places with a variety of plus and minus. at least not vegan and teatotal 🙂 [or even barleycuptotal]
Comment by HelenHaricot — 26 March 2011 @ 11:49 pm
It’s a shame that you’re not getting fed much, especially after the last hosts when you managed to not spend any money! Hope the positives are outweighing the negatives anyway – it sounds like it.
Exciting to hear about people who have ventures that might lead to something for you all.
Comment by Kirsty — 27 March 2011 @ 6:03 pm