How did our lives get so mad?
Monday – The crew were up with us filming in the morning and then they broke for lunch and said they’d be back with Ben. He was arriving on charter boat from Skye. They came back up at about 430pm with him and he came in to introduce himself and say hello. We then filmed the ‘pretend hello’. We did all the indoor filming with him that afternoon / evening which included watching QVC footage of Ady and them comparing presenter notes, me cooking venison sausages for dinner for us all and that being filmed. So, so strange! They all cleared off around 930pm and the four of us sat here in shock!
Tuesday – the fullest day of filming so far. They arrived at 730am and it was non stop in the way that all the filming has been in that there has been mostly lots of standing around. One their first day one of the crew said to us that the saying which sums up his career in TV so far has been ‘hurry up and wait’ and I totally know what he means now. Having been up so early I had made good use of the time and made cookies which went down *very* well with the crew. Having been caught out the day before I also made pizza dough as a precaution for later.
We got all of the filming with Ben done pretty much – kids showing him the piglets, him teaching them knots and talking about Home Ed, Ben and I at the polytunnel, the pizza oven, us all digging, Ady and Ben at the wind turbine, killing a cockerel. I cooked the cockerel which no one ate but was filmed coming out of the oven – several times!
Later Ben and I were filmed delivering eggs to the shop and then it was the ceilidh. The Rum Band – manager Mike, Jed and Sean the Rat were playing, the crew had put several slabs of beer behind the bar and the visiting student group had been invited along to dance and meet Ben Fogle. Easily the most surreal evening of life here so far. Loads of filming of Ady and I chatting with Ben, then me introducing the band and then finally me ceilidh dancing with Ben. They all left around 830pm with Ben due to sleep in Ivan the WWOOFers tent. I stopped him to say I would be feeding Davies and Scarlett so he was welcome to come across to the caravan for dinner with us. He said he would but I didn’t really believe him. D&S went up and Ady and I followed, rather later than planned. And there was Ben in the caravan, with Davies and Scarlett chatting about music! I got pizza sorted, Ady and Ben drank whisky, it was one of the most random nights ever.
Wednesday – a real schedule – Ady and Ben filmed bringing up animal feed in a wheelbarrow, walked some of the path the static took, Ben and I were filmed talking more about Home Ed and The Future. I made some more cookies. Â And the suddenly that was it, all was filmed and everyone was saying goodbye. I got Ben to sign our WWOOFers / volunteers book as he had been digging the house plot with us. We got all the crew to sign the calender across the days they were here and we all had lots of hugs and kisses. They were all very heartfelt in their goodbyes, telling us that we have made them think and reevaluate their lives. We exchanged contact details with several of them and actually have missed them since.
Thursday – oh to wake with no prospect of filming! And to a beautiful sunny day and the first Sheerwater boat trip of the season. We saw porpoises, gannets and shearwaters and it was just blissful. I developed a headache while we were out there and intended coming home to bed but felt a bit better once we got home, also Scarlett was worried about me so I didnt want to just disappear to bed. Ady was doing some flushing compost loo maintenance, Scarlett and I sexed the piglets (def 4 girls and 1 boy, still not sure about the 6th one) and then I got dinner started. Ady took over and I went to ring my Dad.
Today – Ady and I both worked this morning at the hostel so were up and out and on it by 9am. A good and productive morning after which we headed to the pier to meet Big Dave and Faye who were coming off the boat. They had bikes so we followed them back up and they came across for a cup of tea and catch up. The kids headed down to the village, Ady and I finished the duck pen around the broody duck, fed the pigs and then headed down for a beer. We stayed for a couple before coming home where on checking the duck I managed to walk into a protruding  bit of wood and am developing what may be my very first black eye.
Work again in the morning and I just got a facebook message to say the volunteer I was unsure about the details of is in Mallaig and coming on the morning boat. Ah well, craziness continues…