WEEK TEN

Week two on the farm...

 It started off with some more joyous housework, including more hovering, which to be honest was being a bit of a tiresome job, as it was done everyday, and most of the time there was nothing to clean up, but anyway, as I was getting paid for it I dutifully pushed the hoover about for a couple of hours – just to make sure there! I actually got the afternoon to myself, which was lovely and I sat and read some of ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’, which I have pilfered from their bookcase. I still have no idea why, out of shelves and shelves of books I chose Thomas Hardy – I hated Tess of the D’Urbervilles, but as I had started I wanted to try and get it finished before leaving. Tiny print and 200 pages to go, I thought this may have been a bit ambitious, but, every little helps, and I spent a couple of hours ploughing though more of it, to little consequence really. 

I had day release the next day, and Will was coming to collect me on his way to Wagga Wagga to meet Gina – one of Mum’s cousins. The whole trip was planned in order to collect a kite buggy which Will had bought in Sydney, and so, after some more ironing in the morning I was pleased when Will turned up (complete with dogs!) and we were off on the road. I had bought plenty of goodies from the Farmer’s Market on Sunday to get us through to journey, but didn’t quite realise it was going to be a good three hours there and back. No worries, I was just pleased to get off the farm and have a day with Will. I was also surprised at how happy I was to see the dogs – after almost a fortnight with three nasty dogs, they seemed so well behaved and lovely (and much prettier than cocker spaniels too!) My one request for the day was that on the way, we could go past the ‘Giant Strawberry’ which was reasonably close in the grand scheme of things. Australia has many ‘giant’ things – crabs, cigars, lobsters, and, a strawberry – god knows why they have them, but they do, and it was my mission to go and see at least one of them. Apparently it was on the way anyway! And, safe to say it was pretty damned big – the dogs even go out the car for a look, and I marked the occasion by buying some strawberry jam (which would have to wait until I got to Melbourne, as my hosts don’t really eat bread at all, but I had it ready!) After an hour or so we crossed the border into New South Wales – another state ticked off the list. I had already briefly been interstate with my hosts, but as it was only for about 1o minutes and we didn’t stop anywhere, it barely counted. Many hours of straight roads, and not much to see later, we arrived in Wagga Wagga – funny name! We were slightly early to meet Gina so we found some water and took the dogs out for a walk and swim – admittedly the water was brown, but, beggars can’t be choosers and they both got in. After that, we met up with Gina and her husband, and, having never met them before I had no idea what to expect – and she is lovely! We had a gourmet lunch from ‘Hungry Jacks’ aka ‘Burger King’ of veggie burgers and chips, but, actually it wasn’t that bad, and after eating 2 weeks of strange food I rather enjoyed it! And then came the time to view to kite buggy – turns out it was taking up a majority of the back of their 4x4 and it looked like it was going to be a bit of a squeeze to get it into Will’s car! But, after a quick trip to the tyre place across the road to get the ‘wheelbarrow’ wheels off, it seemed slightly more manageable. It was much bigger than Will thought it was going to be, and takes up a rather large amount of the car, but we got it in, and there was even space for the dogs! They also informed us that Wagga had a beach – curious as we were miles from the sea, but the dogs needed a proper walk, so after saying our goodbye’s we went to find it. Using the word ‘beach’ to describe what we found was slightly misleading – a muddy river, with muddy, sloppy banks was what we actually found, but this didn’t stop Joey and she bounded it. As with all good beaches though we found a couple groping each other – in the thigh-high brown water – super romantic! They didn’t seem to care though, and were even sporting swimming gear – bikini and trunks. To be honest I’m not sure if I would have got in fully clothed looking at the state of it, but they were obviously duped by the name, but not willing to let it ruin their holiday! On the drive home we found another ‘giant’ thing, this time a spider, so again, had to stop to take the obligatory tourist photos, and when tempting the dogs into the water I noticed a ladder which went into a tree about 10 feet into the lake. I had to climb it. Slightly cautiously I took off my shoes and socks, worried about crazy Australian animals biting me – but after a little encouragement from Will, waded in towards the ladder. And after a few strides I made it – and climbed up! No idea why it was there, but I enjoyed my view of the water, and again insisted on photographs. The dogs probably thought I was mad. The rest of the day was spent driving back to the farm, and Will was taken hostage by their hospitality, and ended up having a chat, drinking tea and eating cheese – when he eventually escaped (after being offered a bed for the night!) I was a little gutted to be left there, but had solace that I would only be there a few more days.

The next day I spent doing more housework – boring boring boring. And, when the time came for lunch I swiftly realised there was nothing to eat, and a pear does not suffice as a meal.

The next day was another day for tractor driving, and after doing nothing the day before I was really looking forward to having some vaguely constructive to do, which didn’t involve an iron or a hoover. And so we headed off towards the paddock again – in the speedy 4^th gear! Woop woop! This time, instead of gates to contend with a had a mound of earth to get over, not so bad with an empty trailer, but with 6 bales on the back it was a case of revving it to the max and hoping for the best! This worked relatively well, until it started pissing it down. And this was proper e rain – rain which Edinburgh would be proud of! This made my little mound slightly more precarious, and also meant that even going along the track was tricky, and a case of low gear and high revs – even then I was barely making any ground, and terrified of stopping. If I stopped I would never get going again. So, we tried one more trip, desperately trying to work through the weather, and on this occasion the tractor got stuck. Or, more accurately, I got it stuck – on the mound. I didn’t think tractors were capable of a wheel-spin, but believe me, they are! And so, my only choice was to reverse, and try again – shite. It was less of a case of reversing, but taking my foot off the brake, and letting the weight of the trailer drag me backwards – safety first kiddies! Still, could not get it over the damned mound, so had to admit defeat, and my hosts son used his tractor skills to get me out of this mess, and, so after chugging back to the hay-stack, we called it a day. It was pointless trying to continue, and I was pretty glad when that call was made! By the time we got back to the house I was drenched – one of the disadvantages of driving a tractor with no sides! For the rest of the afternoon we all hid from the rain and watched the storm come in, and my god did it rain.

And when I woke up the next day it was my final day on the farm, and I was so excited to get back to civilisation again – somewhere where my phone works! I spent the day finishing off as many of the hay-bales as possible (bearing in mind a ‘full day’ was 6 hours, we sadly didn’t finish it!) but, we had a much more successful day of it all in all, and I didn’t need assistance at all with the tractor driving, so I didn’t feel like I had done a bad job in the end! The afternoon was spent making Chitty’s chocolate cake, and lasagna for dinner to say thanks. Both were very well received and we all went to be quite early that night, well fed and having to get up at 4am.

And so, at 4:30am we set off – complete with one of the dogs who was going on a holiday to Melbourne to try and stop them all fighting constantly – lovely! As we got to Nagambi the sun was starting to rise, and the lake looked fantastic, so as Sue was having a quick 40 winks in the van, I took the dog out for a wander to see the water – it was truly beautiful. And, catnap had, we were off again, with iced coffee and muesli bar from the shop we were ready to make the next hour and half as painless as possible. I say ‘we’ were ready – really, I was doing nothing and just patting the dog occasionally – it’s a tough life! The closer we got to Melbourne the rainier it got, which didn’t bode well for the market, but I didn’t really care too much! So, I spent my morning hiding from the rain and selling cheese, which was lovely really, and then when the rain stopped I made my way towards the train station – or so I thought. 5 minutes later I realised I was heading in the wrong direction. So, turned around again, and this time, was off. It wasn’t far to the station, but it was stupidly humid and by the time I got there I was ready for a drink – which was when I found out I had left my water bottle in the fridge on the farm. Shit! So, quickly texting her I thought I would get it back next weekend when she is in Melbourne at another market, crisis averted. So, when I got to Yarraville Toni and Will were coming to meet me, and I was rather chuffed as my bags seemed to be getting heavier and heavier! Thought I was tougher than this – nope! My day was spent in Yarraville not really doing much, but I did have a vague attempt at trying to figure out what I am going to do until Christmas, so I called an orchard, and then Will suggested that I could go back to the farm for another fortnight…nothing more was mentioned on that issue. I had organised work with the election, for the evening, but was swiftly offered work at the Snuff Party with Toni instead and the decision was made very quickly that I would rather be ‘Door Bitch’ there for the night, when the alternative was counting postal votes. So, I got ready for work, enjoyed a decent shower, got all dressed up and headed out for the night. And so, back to my box office days I had a hand stamp, a cash box and the novelty item of a bowl of lollies (or sweets for anyone in the UK!). As soon as doors opened I had a drink in my hand, and was ready to go – just a tad more relaxed than some other jobs I’ve had! I also got to see parts of the show, which was a pretty good mind-fuck! It was loosely based on the human body, and it certainly wasn’t the ‘head-shoulders-knees-and-toes’ show you get at school! And so, people paid, I stamped their hand, and they went to have a good night, and that was that. I also posed with the sponsor beer, and ate far too much sugar – not a bad night really….but it didn’t end there. Once they had managed to get all the public out, then we just sat about, ate leftovers from the dressing room, and drank, and drank, and smoked, and drank. We also phoned taxi companies constantly for 3 hours – which meant in the end we were up until 4am – and I had been up for 24 hours, and it seemed like drinking for most of them – safe to say I was in a bit of a mess when we got back, and promptly fell asleep in my clothes. A bloody good welcome back to the City night for myself!

When I woke up at 7am I am 99% certain I was still drunk – so, I decided the safest option was to go back to sleep for a few more hours. Sure enough, when I woke up again at 1pm I felt more sober, but also with a rather potent hangover. If I had my own way that day I would have not moved, at all. But, I had agreed to go back to the Drill Hall and help Toni take some lights down – thank god, this only really meant holding the hilarious ladder and praying to god she didn’t fall! By this point I was feeling pretty fragile, so, when Toni dropped a 4 inch steel pipe from the top of the ladder I was very close to having my skull cracked, so from that moment on paid slightly more attention – even if it did mean I had to crane my neck up – something that really didn’t help the hangover situation. Once we made it home (once Toni had to go back to collect her iPhone which was still sitting in the hifi!) we did very little for the rest of the day, but watched a Harry Potter film to refresh our memories before going to see the new one at the cinema – not excited at all!! And then I slept like a baby for about 12 hours...

So, I have completed my time at the farm, and am pretty chuffed really – I know I really do have to do some more before Christmas to try and get it over and done with, but for the next week or so I think  I will definitely enjoy being in the City and having the major convenience of it all!

WEEK NINE

And so, my first full week on the farm started...

Monday was the day when 80 old people were due to come and taste some cheese and have some tea and biccies - so we started the day with baking, and sorting out enough cups and provisions for the imminent arrival of them all!! My hosts son came and did some baking, and created a stack of beautiful biscuits - some Anzacs and some poppyseed and orange ones too - no idea what there were but they were tasty, and that's all that matters really! And so, after setting up a little table with all the goodies on it, the first coach load of them arrived, and, as expected with old people, they were all bursting for the loo, and very concerned about their cholesterol and cheese. Not the best start, but the refreshments went down very well, and I may have swiped a couple of biscuits to keep me energy up, and to test them!! So, the rest of the afternoon was spent tidying up after the first lot, and waiting for the second coach full, which was only about an hour and a half late! That's what you get when you have to try and organise a whole collection of elderly people. 

The next couple of days were spent wrapping cheeses and doing housework ready for the guests in the B&B, who turned out to be relatively young, and very chatty, which was lovely to have someone close to my age to talk to - novel! On Wednesday we had another dinner at the 'lovely' pub in Numurkah and this time I was treated to a bowl of noodles which was so heavily seasoned with soy sauce by the end of it I had drunk about a pint of water, and still needed more. Not the best veggie meal I have ever eaten anyway, but far from the worst too. And that night it was arranged that their son would come over, and we would start carting hay - which meant I would start driving a tractor. Oh shit! Part of me was really excited to get my teeth stuck into something new, but the rest of me was crapping it that I would be in charge of a tractor and trailer. 

And, so, next morning, before the tractor driving I washed the car to get rid of all the bugs - one of the bad things about having a yellow car, everything shows up, to the point I ended up attacking it with a toothbrush - the most thorough car-washing I have ever done. But, by the end of it the car was gleaming - a job well done. There was only so much I could do before the time came to drive a tractor, and when the time came. I was given a quick lesson, and was left to it. I think all of their trust in me disappeared when, on my first go. I put it into reverse instead of first gear and backed into the machinery shed. Not the best start in the world, but after that I was off - in the right direction. It is a proper old tractor, with lots of levers and switches, and after only being told which one was the brake and which was the clutch I avoided all of the others in case they did something silly. However, this also meant I had no idea where the accelerator was, but luckily enough it was happy to trundle along without the use of it! So, my job was to drive the trailer around the field whilst their son loaded it up with big round bales, and then drive it back to the haystack and wait whilst he unloaded it again. It really doesn't sound that hard, but after 2 hours of negotiating gates and attempting to learn how to reverse the damned thing with the trailer I was ready to pack it in and never get on a tractor again. But, I wasn't given that option, and after a few more cigarettes to calm my nerves I was starting to enjoy myself. I was pretty terrible and on more than one occasion I got stuck, or almost took out a fence post and had to be rescued by their son - not so good. But, I was very glad that it was him I was paired up with and not my host, as I really don't think he would have half as much patience with my driving ability. 

Thursday was planned to be a whole day of tractor driving, and after the mess which was the day before I wasn't exactly looking forward to it, but something had changed, and I actually managed to be quite good - well, at least I was terrible at it anymore. And so the day was spent driving around fields in the sun, and also getting paid for it. Really not bad in the grand scheme of things, I was still crapping myself every time we got to a tricky gate, but, apart from that I had learnt where the accelerator was, and also how to put the bugger into 4th gear. Oh, the speed! I also had my load increased, from 6 bales to 8, which meant everything was a bit trickier, and every time I went over a bump I envisaged one of the top bales rolling off and crushing me - that made me drive slightly more carefully over the bumpy bits! But all in all, loved it, and by the end of the day was enjoying myself! God forbid! I also learnt that their son's idea of a 'full day' was about 6 hours work, which was hilarious, and by the end of it he was moaning about how knackered he was - admittedly, he did more than me in the process, but, even so, six hours is not a full days work!

Saturday was spent pottering about the house, and not actually doing much, but I did help out in the evening to get stuff ready for the market in Mooroopna, which I was going along to - but not to sell cheese. I had found out that a friend from Uni was there picking cherries, and after 3 years, it was time for a catch-up - it's a small world, when someone you know from home can end up living 30km away. So, Sunday morning came, and as it was so close we didn't have to leave until about 7ish, which was a lot more civilised than Bendigo Market! And we were off, as Gemma had to work in the morning I spent some time selling cheese, and a lot more time wandering about the market and buying some goodies - mainly for Tuesday as Will was coming up and we were going to have a long car journey to Wagga Wagga, but some for my picnic lunch which I enjoyed in the sun - I'm not sure if biscuits, iced coffee and crisps really counts as a picnic, but I enjoyed it was soaking up the sun and finishing reading my book - glorious. The actual market was the first one there, and they even had a grand opening - which was a complete non-event, but in celebration of this we were given vouchers for free fried egg rolls - awesome! We got a coffee too, and half-way through it I realised that the lid didn't fit, and I had managed to pour most of it down my top. Great. But, it was a hot day and it dried quickly - but it was all stained a beautiful shade of brown! Once the market was all packed up I had the whole of Ferrari Park to myself, and, to avoid the bugs, lay on a picnic table and listened to music and finished my biscuits. Once Gemma got there - complete with a bag of cherries for me, the only perks of working on a farm I later learnt - got a true insight into the place, and with her local knowledge, we found a pub - just what I needed on a sunny Sunday afternoon. It was a pretty ghastly pub, but I had been warned, and we ordered a cider, amongst the multiple old men having, what I imagined was 'their usual' as they all looked quite at home in the place, and everyone stopped to look at us when we walked in! But, we sat in the beer-garden for the next couple of hours topping up our drinks when required, and when it finally came for food we went in to order - to find the whole place empty, and the chairs up on the tables. Seemed like it was closing time. So, we headed out into the metropolis of Mooroopna again to find somewhere to eat. Not too hard, but not a great choice, so after making the tricky choice we headed in the direction of one. When we walked in the place we empty - lots and lots of tables with candles lit, but no one in it, apart from the chef - who, funnily enough wasn't actually doing anything! It apparently was open, so we picked a table by the window and perused the menu - again, not the best veggie option - but at least there was a choice, which I swiftly ignored, and went for the classic of of a bowl of chips! I also ordered a 'Tripple Chocolate Mud Cake' only one of the many spelling errors on the menu! It had been arranged that I would be picked up by my host on their way through from Melbourne, and as I was waiting for my pudding the time came to leave, so once it arrived, and turned out to be HUGE complete with strawberries and marshmallows. Gemma declined the offer to help me out, and in the end, after scoffing a respectable chunk I had to ask to take it away as I saw the car drive past the end of the road - on the way to where I was being collected. And so, with cake in a take-away tub, not forgetting my cocktail umbrella, I ran down the road slightly regretting my choice to try and finish it in the restaurant. And so, my day of vague socialisation was over, shame really. It was a great day, and a really nice catch up. I was slightly worried that it would all go badly and we would have nothing to talk about - but thank god that wasn't the case, and if I am up here for much longer we really should meet up again! 

So, that was week one on the farm, and, in the most part it has been really good fun - a little trying being someones house-guest for so long, but it all seemed to be going quite well, and, despite the fact they are in their 60s, they are actually pretty good company! So, next week, I have a few more days tractor driving, one day with Will as we go on an adventure, and then on Saturday I am heading back to Melbourne! Actually really looking forward to proper civilisation, and some me-time! That is the worst thing about being here - I can't go anywhere on my own as we are so far from anything! Maybe I'll ask if I can borrow their car...

WEEK EIGHT

I woke up knowing that it was my final day in the City until I was off to live on a dairy, and to be honest, I was starting to think it was a bit of a stupid idea, but there was no getting out of it, so I packed up my bag, trying to figure out what I will need for the 2 weeks - I started with a manky pair of trainers, and then about an hour later I finally closed my bag, ready to go. I still hadn't actually asked where I was going to be sleeping, or how meals would work, but that was something to ask when she phoned. And so I waited for her to phone all day. And then I phoned her at 3pm to find out where she was - and left a message. And then I got a call, but missed it. So, I called up again, and eventually got to speak to the lady, and was told they would collect me tomorrow. What a waste of a day!! And so the waiting game began again, apparently she was going to phone me 'late morning/lunchtime'. 

 So, waking up today I wasn't sure if I was ever going to the farm or not, and so, waiting for the phone call again I just pottered about the house and got ready, just in case. And eventually at 4pm she phoned me to let me know she was 10 minutes away - or actually half an hour. So, I grabbed my bags, tried to figure out exactly what I had packed as both bags weighed a tonne, said goodbye to Will and braced myself. Once in the car and on the way, with both the lady and her son, and some of the awkward conversations had been bypassed, we were off about 250km north, and it seemed, a long way from civilisation! And, so, after a few hours we got to the signs directing to 'Locheilan Farmhouse and B&B' and we followed them, off the main road, off the sealed road, and ten finally I saw it. A lovely little house in the middle of a lot of fields. So, I was shown my room - which is in and B&B side of the house, but actually is just their store room for a lot of crap. So, with all my stuff vaguely put into the chest of drawers, and some on the shelf, I went outside to see the cows!! Well, I was on a dairy farm after all!! They were all rounded up ready for milking, and getting quite agitated, and with my already dubious relationship with cows, I stayed behind the fence!! Not a great start! I did spy a farm hand who was slightly closer to my age than my hosts were, and had a quick chat with him. First impressions wise, they actually seem really nice, they guy seems pretty ill, so I hope that is why he is a bit of a grump(?) they are also completely scatty, but are really nice, and have welcomed me into their home, so they must be quite nice really! They have 3 dogs, and 3 puppies at the moment, and they are great - sadly they are trying to get rid of the puppies, but for now I get to play with them!! Hurray!! On a little wander about, I did however catch a view of the swimming pool, which, looks slightly different to the photo on the website. The one on the website didn't look like a stagnent pond. Oh well, so much for that! I have also noticed a lot of tiny little bugs everywhere if you dare to leave a light on. That could get annoying. What I didn't realise was that there was also a few mozzies - they can't do that much damage can they?!

The first day was spent trying to be useful, so was ironing and mowing the lawn - not exactly the farm life I thought of, but all this work was punctuated with bouts of playing with the puppies, so I can't complain too much. Apart from the fact I learnt that the mozzies here are terrible, and whilst I was mowing the lawn they must have gotten into my t-shirt and just had a field day. Not the best start in the world, but smothered in anti-itch cream, I set off to finish the mowing. I had asked about helping out making the cheese and learning how to do it, but I was told that they only have one other person who helps the guy. All very secretive! I did help separate some cows though - they were all penned into one area, and we had to sort them out. I think I was a bit useless to begin wit, but once I had gotten over the fact I was surrounded by cows, I figured out that it is just like herding goats, but you have to be bigger, and shout louder cos' they are a bit more stupid! In the evening we went to dinner in the local pub, a cool 12km from their house! As we were running late and the lady had poured herself a glass of wine, there was no time to finish it, that didn't seem to matter, as she drove down the highway sipping on the wine. You know you are in the country when stuff like that happens. Anyway, dinner out on a Wednesday was a weekly ritual that they have, every week they meet their friends, and gossip about everything. So, having been introduced to this collection of the elderly, I picked up the menu and started flicking through. Nothing vegetarian. Nothing at all, not even the crappy token gesture, so rather embarrassed I had to go to ask them if they could make me something WITHOUT meat - they took on the challenge, and in the end I got a risotto. Hmmmm. Oh well, the night was finished, and we headed home. I must say now, that this 'lovely' pub that they were loyal patrons really was not that great - it was like an old man pub, trying too hard, and the seats and tables are all surrounding a plastic table cloth under a bunch of fake carnations. Oh god! 

The next couple of days were just spent helping out with random things around the house and factory, I hoovered floors, and packed cheese, and moved cheese, and made beds - all getting ready for the markets and the guests in the B&B at the weekend. They even trusted me to drive their car back from the garage, which I couldn't believe! Admittedly it was only about 10km, but, it was still nice to drive again. They also keep mentioning that I could help out hay carting by driving a tractor. Oh shit! But, they haven't actually made any concrete plans, so I haven't had that to deal with too. I also took to making them dinner, as they worked so hard in the dairy, I would feel guilty if I didn't at least do that!! So, on Friday night everyone went to bed early as we all had to get up early to give us time to get to the Farmer's Markets. I had chosen to go to Bendigo with the lady, so this meant we had to leave by 4:30am. And so I set my alarms.

I woke up when my door was being knocked, and I fell out of bed and into the shower as quickly as possible, and was outside, ready to go in 5 minutes, I even had time to make some tea in travel mugs to take with us. And so, into the darkness to drove, laden with cheese. It was beautiful watching the sunrise over the fields, and as it started to get light, it was also time to stop for some breakfast - is it wrong to have a cheese toastie at 5:30am? No, not when it is the only veggie thing the service station sold! So, back in the car we ploughed on through to Bendigo, and set up the stall. It was pretty rubbish weather, so I was grateful of the big gazebo, but was cursing my stupid choice in clothes, which left me wearing sandals and a skirt, in the pissing rain. Once the market was up and going I went for a little wander about Bendigo - with one place in mind. The Chinese Dragon Museum. I just thought this was such a strange place for it, so had to go and investigate. There is one section of the town which has a lot of Chinese Gardens, and Temples, and a massive museum depicting the history of the Chinese in the area. It turns out that they originally went there for the gold rush, but then stayed, and has resulted in a massive Chinese community there. Anyway, within the museum, there was the world's longest Chinese Dragon, and also the world's oldest Imperial Dragon, which are part of the Chinese New Year celebrations and the parade down the main street. Incredible to think that this was in a small town in Northern Victoria. As the rain continued, I went back to the market and started selling some cheese, and had a wander about to see what other stuff people were selling, and fell in love with some Christmas Puddings. Not really something I have every enjoyed, but I have found some that no-one could hate. They are just amazing, and sparked an idea, that I might have to start getting stuff at market's in time for Christmas,  however, it was still 5 weeks away, and therefore, after finding out they will be at other market's I'll be at, I reluctantly left them behind. Once we had fought with a lot of wet tent, and tables, we went off to an embroidery exhibition that my host wanted to go to. The joys of living with people who are born int he 40's! Actually some of it was really nice, but hardly any of it was for sale which was annoying, because some of it was actually lovely. I did  however fall in love with a blue and purple bag which was handmade and only $12 - I had to have it, so did. One day I will be able to compact everything into it!! After we'd had our fill of sewing, it was time for home - not before we went to 'Cold Rock Ice Creamery' an incredibly ice-cream shop!! They have about 50 flavours, and have all sorts of toppings and things to mix in with your choice of ice cream. It was amazing - so back into the rain we headed with a huge ice cream, and headed home. To say the next two hours was scary is a slight understatement - it was terrifying. She kept falling asleep on the wheel, and when I offered to drive she would insist she was fine. Eventually we pulled over to let her have a nap, and I was glad of it - I even managed to sleep too myself for a bit! That night we went out for dinner at one of their friend's houses, and having it described to me as a shed, I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was like the kind of big metal building you would find on Grand Designs rather than something you'd find at the end of a garden, and we had a lovely evening, drinking, eating and having a laugh - I am getting used to socialising with people 40 years my senior!! And so, after a lot of wine, and a lot of chatting we headed home again - it is probably a good thing that it was tiny roads all the way home as I am sure we were all over the drink-drive limit! When we got home, we all went straight to bed as another early morning tomorrow as we were off to Rutherglen Farmer's Market. 

Thank god we got a relative lie-in compared to the day before, and we were on the road by 6:30am off to flog some more cheese. We drove through some pretty terrible weather, and we both thought that if it was a bad as that in Rutherglen, it would be a crap market - people don't like going to markets in the pissing rain normally. When we arrived we set up again, and knowing how everything was done this time, it was done in record time, and as the first people started wandering about we were ready to go. It was a bit slow compared to Bendigo, so after a while I decided it was time to go for a walk about the market to see what other stuff people had, and got stuck on someone selling Nashi Pear juice - it was awesome, and to think, two months ago I had never even heard of a Nashi fruit! After buying some stuff, including some fresh pasta, yum, I went back to help sell some cheese. I couldn't have done much wrong, because people were parting with their cash in exchange for some lovely lovely cheese, also I caught the eye of the man selling coffee next door, as, once it got quieter he offered me a job at a music festival selling dumplings!! Hilarious, but if I get a free ticket to a festival I am up for it - free ticket, and get paid to be there, not bloody bad!! He also mentioned a couple of others later in the new year, but, after looking at when they are, I realised they are smack bang in the middle of Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne Comedy Festival, which is a bit gutting because Belle and Sebastian are playing at one of them!! That would have been awesome!! So, once the flow os customer got fewer, I went for a walk around Rutherglen, which is a tiny little town, but it does have some great shops, so after poking through the antique shop, and the book shop it was time to get back to the market and pack up to go home. On the way back we headed over the Murray River, and, once we got to the other side we were in New South Wales - I had officially been to another state - even if it was just for 10 minutes! We also stopped at a vineyard to taste, and ultimately buy, some Muscat, which is the best Muscat I have ever drank in my life, but chickened out of buying a bottle. Really regretted that once we had left, but hopefully I might go past there again at some point, and then I will have to give in!! I drove some of the way home today, and had my first chance with an automatic car - it is a really weird sensation, and the whole left hand side of my body felt really redundant!! 

So, I had managed to get through the first few days of my days on a dairy, and was really actually enjoying myself! They still keep mentioning me driving a tractor, but still no plans, so maybe I will get to do that this week, part of me is really excited, and the rest of me is terrified at the thought of it!! So, 2 weeks to go....

WEEK SEVEN

I will get this up to date…

On Monday I decided to do some baking for the BBQ which Will and Toni had organised for Tuesday, and chose to avoid the idea of frangipane tarts which were still not perfected and went a good old default of cherry flapjacks and chocolate and berry brownies – something I had tried to make for mum before, which hadn’t turned out fantastic, but I put that down to the vegan ingredients, so fully loaded with dairy products, I set to work. Once again, the flapjacks turned out great – but you can’t really mess them up at all. The brownies on the other hand, had the perfect consistency (as before) but still a rather strange taste. Don’t think I’ll try them anymore – I have plenty other brownie recipes and one of them must turn out nice! So, I fixed them up by smothering them with white chocolate, and it seemed to do the trick – kind of!

The whole reason for the BBQ was because it was Melbourne Cup day – a horse race, which means that everyone gets the day off work – it is mad! I can’t imagine everyone getting the day off for the Grand National, but hey – no ones complaining. So, everyone just has big parties and have a great day off work, but it is still weird having a public holiday on a Tuesday!

So, the day of the BBQ – Will and Toni set to work making a huge range of dishes, and I was trusted with the potato salad. Simple. And it turned out great – even though I say so myself. I invited Phil and Rowan (mainly cos they are the only people I know here, but there were a few fringey types too, which was nice. We all chose a horse to back for the race, but didn’t put money on it (which is a good thing because my one didn’t win!) and for 2 minutes stood round the telly shouting for our horse! And then it was over, and it was back to eating and drinking – sadly the weather was a bit crappy, so Will lit a fire in the garden and once we had enough of real food, we moved onto toasting marshmallows on sticks found in the garden, being slightly too eager I just picked up the nearest knife and used it – surprisingly I actually didn’t burn myself – everyone was expecting it though! So, as the day got a bit colder and rainier people started leaving and we were left with the biggest table of food! There were so many different types of salad it was great – welcome to a veggie bar-be-que! Even all my dodgy brownies were eaten, as were the flapjacks, so they couldn’t have been so bad in the end, people went back for seconds - still it would have been nice if they had turned out better!

The next couple of days were spent trying to sort out my computer in everyway possible, which was harder than it sounds – stupid computer. I don’t think I have ever spent so long intensively organizing, installing and backing up in my life, and hopefully never will again, it was just so frustrating and time consuming! We also ate a lot of leftover salads, not really venturing into the hot food department for a good 72 hours! Me and Will also went for another hunt into the City to try and find some new shoes, and we trawled Smith Street – apparently great for discount shoes. Shame the pair I fell in love with were in the only non-discount shop we went into. A beautiful pair of red doc martens which would replace my others perfectly, but at $150 I chose not to, and left, comparing all other shoes to those ones – and for the rest of the day nothing was as good as them. I did try on a very cool pair of Dr Suess Converse which were great, but sadly didn’t come in my size, so they were left too. So close, and yet so far. Maybe I’ll go back and get the red ones one day…in the afternoon I spent the time wandering about Northcote with the dogs as Will and Toni went to the dentist – something I really should do as my tooth is still sore – 3 weeks later!! Oooops, maybe I’ll go soon if it is still sore, or, if I put it off long enough it’ll either get better or fall out. Not the best idea in the grand scheme of things. We had the dogs with us so decided to take them for walk in the park, and when we came across the playground it was too much for Will to cope with, and resulted in getting Joey to go down the spiral slide, strangely enough she actually enjoyed it. Turnip didn’t. We had dinner at Wesley Anne which is a great pub, with a lovely beer garden – there is a caravan in the middle of it all, and supposedly one of the owners lives in it. Not sure if convenience is worth living in the middle of a beer garden. Had a great baked Eggplant thing – weird because before I came here I thought I hated aubergines – apparently not if they are cooked nicely. Still can’t stand the skin though – eugh! And so we made our way home, well walked and well fed.

On Saturday I had arranged to meet with a lady from a dairy, who we had dubbed the ‘goat lady’. She doesn’t in fact have goats, but does make bloody good cheese, and I had phoned them up to see if I could go and stay with them for a fortnight – partly to learn how to make cheese, but most importantly, start racking up the days for my second year visa. 88 days in rural Australia doing farming is my target, so I thought I may as well try and get some out of the way before Christmas – whilst eating cheese. So off I went to St. Kilda Market to meet her, with the idea of buying a cake each from one of the fancy shops – who can say no to someone to turns up with a cake? Apparently not her, and it was decided that she would collect me on Monday and take me to her farm. As we had some of their cheese before I thought I should buy some more, so just before leaving I decided which one and went to pay – she said I could have it for free. I like this lady! I gave her a cupcake, and she gave me cheese. A fair exchange I would say. I was going to spend the day in St. Kilda, but as it was getting hot and I had cheese in my bag, I ate my cake on the beach and jumped on the tram back to the City to meet Will, who had been shoe shopping. And I do not say this lightly - $700 lighter, but with 4 pairs of shoes, we left the shop in direction of the discount Levis store. On the way there we walked past a shop with more Dr Suess Converse – so diverted in there only to find some in my size – brilliant. Done and dusted – both of us had managed to get shoes in one day. That night we went to the launch of ‘Revolt’ which is a new venue in Edinburgh, and I was not expecting what I saw when I walked in. It was a huge dark space, with a couple of stages, a huge mural and a lot of people dressed up, in what I later learnt was ‘Steam Punk’ clothes. And my god they were fantastic outfits! Toni had managed to get us on the guest list under the guise that we were working with Snuff Puppets, and so didn’t have to pay the rather expensive ticket price, in exchange for 30 minutes work. We both had to watch the ‘skellies’ and make sure no one jumped on them, and if they fell over we had to help them up. So, after a mischief making 30 minutes, which included me being dragged to the floor by one of them and dragged about a bit, that was our ‘work’ over and we had another couple of drinks. The guys in the puppets must have so much fun in there – they just get the chance to do whatever they wanted, and no one really seemed to mind at all!! I don’t know how they think of some of the stuff they get up to! The last band who played were called Volgograd, whose main singer is the guy from Moulin Rouge who sings ‘Roxanne’ (not Ewan McGregor!) and they are absolute fantastic! They fitted the night so well, and if I ever get another chance to see them I will go! Great music, great puppets, great night!

On one of my many internet searches of Sea Shepherd I found out that the ‘Bob Barker’ was in Melbourne Docks and giving tours at the weekend, so on Sunday we headed off to find the crazy eco-pirates, and I couldn’t quite believe I was going to see it. Not quite sure if it is incredibly sad to be so excited about such a thing, but I was, well and truly. And, after turning a corner there was the big black imposing ship of Sea Shepherd. Amazing. When we got up there we had a little wait until the next tour went round, so, looking at their shopping list they had written outside went to the closest supermarket to pick up some supplies for them, boring vegan foods (of course) but they did request vegemite too, which makes me feel slightly better that they are humans under it all! So, laden with goodies we set off in their direction again, and went on the tour. It is such a great boat, and it is really inspiring that they are willing to give up so much for something they believe in. And, although it all seems quite ramshakled on ‘Whale Wars’ it is a very well run, very well equipped boat. I even went on the bridge – where it all happens! It did nothing to quash my feelings of wanting to go on one of their campaigns, but, I think it is a bit of a tricky process – funnily enough they don’t just let any lefty-liberal on there, you have to prove you’ll be useful! Dammit! So, anyway, after being thoroughly blown away but it all (and taking a few photos!) we went to see their small stand of stuff for sale, and I bought a patch for my rucksack. Something I have seen on their website, but vowed I wouldn’t buy until I have been on the ship – well, this visitor day may be the closest I ever get, and so I bought one.

The next stop on our day-out was ‘The Village’ something in Edinburgh Gardens that Will wanted to go and see, so not really having any clue what it was I went along too! It was a lovely tiny little festival , with music, and stalls and sideshows – not much of any of them, but it really gave me the feel of Strawberry Fayre in Cambridge, lots of people of all ages out for a nice day. We did however arrive right at the very end of it all and although some people were packing up we still got a chance to have a look about and get a couple of drink. We also ran into one of Will and Toni’s friends who was doing a couple of acts in the ‘Miracles’ tent! So, after doing a bit of Front of House work (Front of Tent?!) I went to see him do his escape routine, which was great. Love a bit of freaky circus tricks on a Sunday afternoon! So, as the day wrapped up we headed back home in time for Toni to get ready for her trip to Taiwan and eat adequate amounts of lovely lovely cheese.

All in all it was a great week, despite the numerous hours spent in front of the computer trying to fix it, but it is now all done and I don’t need to worry about boring things like that anymore. Also, hopefully, sorted out some farm work which’ll mean I can get out of the city and see some more of the countryside – I can’t wait!

Again photos being rubbish so they will come soon!

WEEK SIX

Here we go...

On Sunday I had planned to go to St. Kilda to see the sights, and I had left it because I wanted to go to the artist market which was only on Sundays, and as Will wasn't up to much either that day we both went.

It was a beautiful day, and as we arrived the sun was shining off the sea and it truly looked lovely - nothing quite like a good seaside town - although this is no Blackpool, it is a seaside town with style - and great cake shops (another reason for wanting to go!). So, we wandered about the market and inspected their wares - some of them were magnificently ugly - some of them really shouldn't have bothered! Amongst the better items were some lovely stuff made out of wood, the best one being a box made from a tree trunk chopped in half, hinged, and varnished...the only reason it wasn't bought was because it wouldn't have fitted in my bag, and weighed a ton! Not sure Emirates would like me if I tried to take it home. Next stop was Luna Park, to get to it though we had to walk past the Palais, where Rufus Wainwright was playing that night - why didn't I have a ticket? But, we continued - to look at some great old rides, including a great old carousel, and dodgems! Classic old fashioned fun! As you had to pay per ride you went on, we both decided that the 'Scenic Railway' was the best of the lot - being a proper old rickety roller-coaster, so old the brakes were operated by someone standing in between the two carriages - safety first! Sadly everyone else had the same thought, and the queue was considerably longer than for any other ride, so after about an hour (I chose not to time it, too depressing) we were at the front of the cart, hearing the 'No Cameras' announcement, and ready to go. We had already heard the message a few times, so, naturally, I had my camera stored up my sleeve and Will had his phone ready! It was 3 minutes of fantastic views across the sea, and some pretty impressive bumps and turns! Loved it! Next stop was down the main street, and past some of then est cake shops I think I will ever see in my life, with every kind imaginable...but we weren't going to them yet as we were on our way to 'Lentil As Anything' which is a great place run by volunteers and you pay what you want for the food - fantastic. We had a platter of different currys, which were all amazing, and then realised we only had $50 notes on us...they were good, but not that good, so we scraped our change together and decided that was enough! It is kind of like Forrest Cafe, but smaller, and the food is better! It was decided pudding would be a cake from somewhere, so after staring through the windows at them all Will went for a Vanilla Slice which was apparently  'The best in the State' - a big claim, and I had a Tiramisu slice. So, equipped with possibly the best cake I will ever eat, we headed to the pier to eat it, and after being blown about by the wind we sat and watched the kite-surfers and stuffed our face with cake. Mmmmmmm. There was one more place we had to go which was the 'Espy' - a pub, and no trip to St. Kilda is complete without a drink from there - or so Will says anyway! It is an amazing old building, a cross between Bannermans, and something much more grand...it used to be a hotel, and although it is all a bit shabby it is still great, and really busy too (and if I had all the money in the world I would buy it and live there!). So, after curry, cake and beer it was home time!

The next day had been organised for a while with Phil and Rowan, and we were off to Ballarat, to the wonders of 'Sovereign Hill' an olde worlde town depicting life in the times of the gold rush in the area. A cool $40 to get in, me and Rowan were trusting Phil that this would be a good use of money (he'd already told us it'd be tacky but amusing, so it had to live up to that - not hard!) The train was at some silly time in the morning, so I was terrified I would miss it, but dragged myself out of bed, and to the train station to meet the other two. Or, at least that was the plan. As the train pulled off Phil and Rowan weren't on it - I was off on my own. After panicking for a little bit that I was going to go on my own (not quite as funny if you don't have company) I found out they could get the next train and meet me there - Phew! As that was sorted I could sit back and enjoy the 2 hour train ride through some great countryside. It is just so flat and empty here! Some of the train stations we stopped at were in the middle of a bunch of field, with a little road leading up to them - I was tempted to get off at one of them, but decided that proceeding hour of waiting would not be as much fun as the initial novelty wore off! So, once I made it to the place (after somehow missing the connecting coach from the station and having to make my own way there) it was definitely   time for breakfast - something I had planned for the train journey, but hadn't had enough time to grab anything. The first thing I came to was a bakery - perfect! I had a moment of my eyes being bigger than my stomach, and chose a custard tart - it didn't look that big until I took it out the bag and it was about the size of my hand!! Very tasty though - I considered keeping some for later, but scoffed the lot! Once Phil and Rowan arrived, we spent the day learning about life during the Gold Rush, including a hilarious video, a tour of a mine, olde worlde bowling, drinking int he bar, and musket firing,a trip to the sweet shop, and gold smelting - I even got myself weighed in gold, something I had done years ago on a family holiday - funnily enough I am worth a lot more now! The day was finished with a horse and carriage ride, and I got to ride with the driver of them - so much fun! We bypassed the gold museum, thinking it'd just be more of the same, and headed back into Ballarat to find some dinner. After some wandering about, we eventually went back to the first place we had visited, and all ordered far too much food - surely they should let you know if the food you are ordering is actually enough for three people!! After stuffing our faces, and then eating a bit more, we headed to the train station to go home. 

A couple of days later me and Toni went to the Japanese Bath House  Somewhere Toni had suggested a week before, but not been to. It is, essentially, a huge, very hot bath that 8 people can fit in, and you go in, strip, and get in. Slightly odd to begin with, but as soon as the awkwardness had passed it was lovely. A great way to spend an afternoon - relaxing and slowly boiling myself. The afternoon of luxury was continued at San Churro on Brunswick St. a chocolate cafe which has an amazing menu of chocolate related goodies so we ordered hot chocolate, and I got a brownie too, which cam served in a glass with lashings of cream too. The hot chocolate was more like melted chocolate and cream mixed up, but it was beautiful - as was the brownie, however I'm not sure both were needed, and we went away feeling very full - and slightly sick. The day was only slightly marred by the fact  my beautiful red shoes fell to bits!! Couldn't believe it - they have been everywhere with me for the last 8 years, and then, all of a sudden the stitching on the back just came apart. Gutting! 

The next couple of days were spent pottering about at home (and not spending money!) however, on Friday the sun came out properly so I paced up a book, and a blanket and went to the park to read. I also went into town to get some lunch too, and have a picnic. What a way to spend an afternoon! No complaints here! The next day the rain came, and the skies well and truly opened, we did venture out to spend the morning trying to find shoes for both me and Will, to no avail, but we did get frozen yogurt! Once we came out the shop it was bucketing down so me Will and Toni decided to have an inside afternoon and watch Sex and the City 2 - it is as bad as everyone has said! But, with rubbish weather outside it felt like a nice way to spend the time. By the next morning it had rained itself out, and we took the dogs out for a walk - me and Toni had decided to go and see 'A Social Network', so after a while with the dogs we headed to the cinema, only to get there and find out it had sold out!! I didn't think there were that many people in Yarraville!! We bought a choc-top ice-cream anyway, and headed home, vowing to go and see it another day. 

So, that has been my week - done lots, spent lots, and eaten slightly too many sweet treats - nothing changes here then!! 

(Photos to follow - can't upload them for some reason)

WEEK FIVE

Right, I really have to catch up now, so here is my 5th week in Australia...

On Saturday me and Will set off for the snow - not at the 5am start we firstly considered, but we set off with the dogs to drive towards the hills until we found snow - Will had been checking the forecast for the last 24 hours and we had a vague idea what direction we were heading in...the white stuff on top of the hills!

On the way we took a small detour to Yarra Valley Dairy to taste some cheese and wine - which we did, then  we bought some cheese (called 'George') and wine - that wasn't predictable at all! We continued on our journey again, and at one point all the trees were burnt which was the Black Saturday fires that destroyed the whole area including the town of Marysville that the fire ripped through, and destroyed everything apart from a couple of buildings. It is a strange place to drive through, with so many new-build houses going up everywhere and people living in caravans where their house used to stand. Anyway, we continued into the Yarra Ranges National Park and continued into the hills until we found what we deemed a suitable amount of snow. Getting out the car made me very grateful I had brought my many layers with me, and donned my scarf, hat and an extra hoodie before venturing out into the cold. We took the dogs up a track and it wasn't long before they were frolicking about - Turnip really looked the part as she was running through the snow which was a good few inches deep - and Joey just looked ridiculous as usual! We found some more, much better snow and it really was like being back at home - I came all the way to Australia just to find snow! On our way back we stopped at a local brewery, and I had an amazing cider - it'll take a lot to beat that one, but Will had a beer whcih tasted of chocolate and coffee - even better! We got home and Toni had made Mac & Cheese for dinner - just what we needed after such a chilly day - comfort food. 

The next day I pottered into the City, and to Vicotria Market, which I have been meaning to go to for ages, and finally made it - and it is so worth it! Within about an hour I had wandered about, and bought myself a great bread roll, and a little chunk of cheese and sat and made a little cheese sandwich, and then had cake and coffee all bought from the market. Bloody great! It does also have a whole bunch of people selling absolute crap which you have never wanted - but that's what's great about markets! After I had wandered about enough I headed off to the Immigration Museum - which was an odd choice, but really interesting actually, and in a beautiful building too. Was really nice to just take it all in - and slightly curse at the fact it is now so hard to move here! It used to be so easy! The rest of the day was spent on the free tram around the city, randomly jumping off at points which I thought looked intriguing - including Phil & Rowan's work, and from there I just walked through Chinatown and eventually through some back streets back to the train station. 

As I judge all cities I visit by the quality of their zoo, I decided it was time to go and see Melbournes and be able to make an informed decision on this city. As Will had never been either, off we went to Royal Melbourne Zoo. Fancy name - good start. And, in my humble opinion, it is a great zoo - points being taken off for the strange lay-out that just get's you lost - but the animals are amazing. Also, saw one I have never heard of before - a Tree Kangaroo - and they had a whole bunch of tiger cubs which were just playing with each other and learning how to hunt - gorgeous creatures that I am certain would make a good house pet! The best bit was the monkeys though - as usual! They have a huge viewing area over the cages, and the orangutangs came and sat right by the glass so everyone could admire them properly. 

 The next day I went to the Botanics with Phil & Rowan and decided to cycle part way there as it was a nice day, and I think it has been years since I was on a bike, and as Will's one was huge it turned out to be slightly more annoying than a normal bike ride - as every time I stopped I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get going again without falling off, not the relaxing bike ride I had in mind, but it was still much quicker than walking, so one positive came out of it at least! The Botanics are beautiful and it was such a good day to be just walking about and enjoying the sun and the surroundings - and the lovely tea room by the side f the lake! We did see a turtle too, soaking up the sun which was pretty awesome, and I am sure there was much more wildlife there that we missed! We went for lunch in a great old American diner that Phil & Rowan had found before, and had a full meal of retro food, including an ince-cream float (called 'Spiders' here for some reason?) and a banana split for pudding - great place, complete with a proper jukebox and a full cabinet of Elvis photos and ornaments! So, after stuffing my face with ice cream and chips I was glad to have to bike to get home - and at least feel slightly healthier on the way home - as I rode along the river in the sun I really did feel like a kid again, until I fell off. 

                           

The next day I braved the bike again - to go up to Seddon to pick up some leaflets for Will, and everything was fine, until I realised that my bag was slowly wearing a whole in my knee. After a quick re-shuffle I was off again. Until I fell off again, and I decided enough was enough, that no-matter what bad things I have said about my own bike - I love it. With my one errand done, I decided I deserved a cake and coffee to soothe the growing pain in my knee (I like to justify the cakes I have with flimsy self-sympathy!). So, I walked the bike back to Yarraville, and went to investigate the Sun Theatre and to see Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps. The actual cinema is brilliant and old, and kind of like the Cameo, but slightly more modern on the inside. So, I got my 'choc top' ice cream and box of sweeties and went up to the screen to find out that there was only one other person there - so the two of us sat and watched the film, and I almost felt like offering him some sweets..but didn't. It's a great film, and I really enjoyed it, but I don't have the best taste in films, so don't take my word as gospel! 

The next evening was Will's Citizenship ceremony, which was all very official and Will was more excited about the Bulldogs scarf he got given, and didn't refrain from woofing when the speaker mentioned the 'doggies'. We went to the Station Hotel for dinner which is a great pub, and we had eggplant parma washed down with some pretty good beer! I am still not entirely certain what 'parma' is - but it is very good. 

As I had downloaded some recipes for stuff, I decided a day of baking was required, so headed off to get the ingredients before going to the end of festival Fringe party. It was an interesting afternoon with the Fringe staff - with a lot of dressing up and an interpretive dance by some of the management team to 'Circle of Life' in animal costumes...maybe you had to be there!?

The next day we all decided to go to the markets which were around the area, so started the day, in the rain at Yarraville Farmer's Market, which was all to be expected from a small rainy market - although Will bought some Catnip which apparently deters mosquitoes, so that'll be good if it works as I am being eaten alive! And we got a drink too, which was my first chai tea latte since I get here - not bad really! Then we jumped back into the car and were off to Abbotsford Farmers Market which had an amazing selection of cheese - some of which was purchased to accompany 'George', our cheese from Yarra Valley Dairy.The next market was Rose Street Artist Market which was full of lovely lovely thing, and it is a good thing I didn't have cash on me or I would have bough a lot of random but beautiful things! There was just so much there, and it'll be great to go back to for presents - maybe just presents for me! We then met Chloe for a beer in Smith Street with the dogs and then me and Will headed home leaving Toni and Chloe drinking...

When we got home I had a few hours to make my frangipane tarts, and then get ready for work, so started out and made the frangipanes, ready to get out the oven in 35 minutes - easy. Apart from the fact they took a further 35 minutes to cook, and even then they only came out the oven because we had to make dinner. As everything had taken much longer than planned Will had to give me a lift to the train station to get to work, and even then, when I got to the platform I got to hear an announcement saying the train was running 16 minutes late - this meant I really had to run at the other end, and even then I would still probably be a little bit late. So, Will came back to Yarraville and drove me to work - what a bloody disaster. The next four hours was spent bumping out the Melbourne Arts Festival venue in North Melbourne Town Hall - and still learning a lot about lights and projector screens! As I had just earned $100 I thought I could treat myself to some iced coffee and a snickers...what else would you eat at 1am? 

That's been my action packed week, still so much to do though...including perfect the frangipane tarts because although they tasted good, they really weren't cooked!