Wwoof

I've been working for the last week and a half out at a horse stud farm (on the Wwoof scheme), about half an hours drive out of Nelson, with gypsy cobs(long tails, long manes and fluffy feet).The lady who runs it is into building mud brick buildings and building with old tyres which is why I went out. However my work mainly involved fence building and staining. Although I did get to go to a stud show down at Christchurch with the lady, so I spent a long time helping to wash the horse down and tease knots and dry horse poo out of his tail, a long job. I also had the great delight of of picking up horse poo from around one of the paddocks the horses were in at her farm and stacking it on the poo pile. In return for this I was put up and fed. I have been eaten alive by sand flies, which are a bit like large midges, so I am scratching all over the place now.
Kathy the lady who owns the farm, also has a small businness making kyacking gear, clothes and spraydecks and the such, so I even spent a bit of time cutting out cloth to be made into waterproof trousers.

Oh and I also took the friendly goat for walks up into the hills. I think I would quite like a goat.

Whilst down at Christchurch we stayed at a bee keepers house and I was shown the integral workings of a bee hive and also invited to come back and do some bee keeping work, later in my travels, which I think is an offer I will take up. We also visited a chap who restored old horse drawn carriages and machinery. As well as having a great long beard he also had the most amazing workshops, packed with every type of tool and machine you could want. I am having a great time discovering how other people lead their lives, without their having to go into the office.
Each time I meet a new person I think "I could do that". But I'll wait and see before I make any decisions about my future.

I have now left that farm and I start at a new place on Monday, but this weekend I am back in Nelson going to a couple of Salsa dances and the theatre. On wednesday just gone I started going to Salsa lessons, which is good fun, though harder than Jive as I have to concentrate on foot movements as well as all the Jive stuff.

I have also bought a car, which Kate is now usingaround Nelson and I am using her campervan, for my travels .

And that's you about up to date.