Had first day of work today.... picking and packing strawberries... It was only luck that I got to pack after picking as I heard the boss man talking to someone else abuot it, and I asked if there was space for meeee!

Hard day, am pretty tired but will be ok when I'm used to it again I suppose! Started at 7am and finished at 4pm. Glad to have a job... buttttt it's pay for what you pick and I am pretty much a slave! It's $5 fopr each tray you pick. They're 7kg and pretty big considering you have to fill them with tiny strawberries! It took me an hour to do two trays. I did 10.5 all together from 7.15ish til about 12.30. That's $10 an hour pretty mcuh and after 30% tax I'm really not left with much! Sooo I decided to get a bit og extra cash by packing.

That's paid for what you pack. For each of the same picking trays you sort and repack you get $2.80... I did 4 trays in about 25 hours. So I got $60 for a big days work. Take off the tax leaves me with $40. That's 20 quid. For 9 hours. Pitiful!

Hopefeully if I stick around though I'll get quicker at packing (and picking) and earn more. At the moment I'm only just covering my rent - this hostel is very expensive! $150 a week and then $5 a day for transport. $180 a week. After food I really am not left with much! But just have to stcik it out I suppose - for every day I'm working I'm not spending it I suppose.

Spoke to one of the farmers mates though who works there too and he has a house he lets out to the workers. There's 6 girls that live there, so am going to move in there after I've done my week here - he's said he'll hold it for me. He charges $100 a week, free transport and free net. And it's a proper house.

Big bathroom, spa bath and shower, real kitchen and lounge and a garden area. And a proper bed - the bed I haver here is so uncomfy! Its given me backache after one night in it! Here in the hostel as well the water is only on from 10am til 4pm, and then 10pm til 5.30am. I just managed to get a shower when I came back, but otherwise I would have had to have one late at night - when there's a massive rush. The kitchen is always busy and so I reckon it'll be better staying in that house even though the wages are so low.

The people are nice though on the upside! And today was really sunny so it was nice to work, apparently it's been raining and cold here for the last few das so thankfully I didm't have to work in that. Grrr.

I only have to stick this out for 3 weeks though, that' what I have to keep telling myself! And then I've done my 3 months picking! YIPPEE!