Eventually I came out of my shell. Once I started involving myself in their daily life they really opened up. Most of the days were the same, we would milk the cows and horses which was so much fun, I really enjoyed getting dirty. It was a tough job, you had to make the babies go to there mums then once they had got the milk going you had to put the babies away so the girls could milk the mum this was really hard with the horses as they were so strong and very volatile. Everyone found my initial efforts hilarious often getting the wrong baby or getting pulled around in circles by a horse but eventually I was a pro. We would fetch water and chop wood, we went wild strawberry picking on a mountain one day, the strawberries were tiny but so juicy and delicious and when we bought them back people were so happy to receive them. We went swimming in the river and had races, the water was freezing but if you didn't get under everyone would throw stones at you or splash you so I always made sure I was first under then had great fun helping everyone splash Steve the louder he screamed the louder we all laughed. They took us to a part that narrowed and the river went fast pulling you along down the river. They really seemed to appreciate someone coming there and actually getting involved. One night a van got stuck in the mud so one of the guys took us in his car to help I thought we would help toe it but when we got there they handed us these huge horses and pointed for us to walk them back. After the guy invited us to his tent and we sat up drinking and eating and trying to communicate through sign language. I loved it. My favourite thing was getting the meat for dinner, no we didn't go to the supermarket, they would kill a sheep very humainly but I won't go into detail because I know it will sound cruel, but its actually a better way for the sheep, and they use every part, not a bit goes to waste even the ball bag, and 1 sheep fed everyone for about 3 days. I often got the job of holding the sheep and then its various parts, and i helped washing and hanging parts up. It just seemed so much better than buying bits wrapped in cling film and never considering how it got there or where it came from. We went riding and we went faster than I have ever been on a horse I thought I was galloping, then the horse would go faster and I realised that i hadn't been galloping, eventually the horse was leaving the ground and I was flying around on top and I realised that we must have just been trotting before, i really loved it, it was scary but exhilarating and we never used those bloody baseball helmets in the end. It was baking hot and tough going but so peaceful and everywhere you looked there was something to make you gawp.
When we weren't helping we played ball games or card games and everyone would come past and join in. The doors to the Gers were always open and people would just wonder in and out and get involved it really felt like we were part of a community.