Back to the Shack

We get INCREDIBLE sunsets here!

Great news in that John, the farmer whose house I was staying in, is back on his feet already. He only needed a stint instead of a heart bypass so it was only a minor procedure, not the big rib breaking one we expected. So he and Kathy are back on their farm, and I am back at the Fruitshack.

From a beautiful clean kitchen with every utensil you could think of, to one where you have to wash things up before using them, and be inventive in the way you use utensils – for future knowledge, yes you can mash potato with a fork and you can grate cheese with a knife. The kitchen has a mass clean at least once a week, but an hour later it looks like a bomb has hit, even though everyone gets frustrated and says “I don’t know who is doing it, because we all complain about it.”

1 hour later...

I’ve gone from a lovely big comfy double bed in a spacious room to a top bunk in the most crowded room you can imagine. 8 girls and backpacks with everything they own makes for a lot of stuff!

It's been a bit of a scary time, going through the EU referendum. The time difference meant we were able to watch as the votes came in, swinging from Leave to Remain. But the 4 English people here stood united.

We had a visit from Mr RedBack, one of the most dangerous spiders…

And we tried to discover how many idiots you can fit on a tractor?

There is a lot of work right now. I have completed 55 of the 88 days I need to complete to apply for a second year visa, and the days are still coming fast. The orange season has stepped up and orders are flooding in to all the local farmers. Which is great, until the orders start coming too fast. Yesterday I was ready at 6am to pick 5 bins of Valencias before 9am so we could complete a order. And right now I am supposed to be picking 12 bins of Navals for tomorrow’s deadline, but can’t because the trees are still wet from last night’s dew. You can’t pick Navels when the oranges are wet because they immediately start to go black.

I’m starting to count down the days now. I have 33 to do, maybe a month and a half. And then what?! The plan as it stands right now is to head to Melbourne and find a job that pays a decent wage so I can save some money. And then, Australia is my oyster…