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....