10/01/13

Those of you that follow my blog closely may have noticed that there are quite a few days missing. My last entry was on the 05/01/13, so why am I only writing an entry now? Usually I'm on the ball. Well, this all comes down to that night in the airport. I may have left my charger there before getting kicked out with everybody else. Hey, ho, a considerably cheaper replacement than what we're used to in the UK, coming in at $20 and delivered in 2 days (although not picked up until today), I'm reunited with my laptop. I've missed you.

Now, because I knew I wouldn't have my laptop for a few days, I wrote some things on my phone, so here it is: "My first view of Tasmania, from the airport runway, reminds me of Greece. The slightly yellowed grass, still clinging on to the last few pigments of green, hills dotted near and far. I ride near the back of the bus, slightly delusional from the little sleep I managed to grab on the plane wondering what the next couple of months have in store for me". Quite descriptive considering I'd only had about 2 hours sleep that morning! I'll fill in the gaps between my phone blogging; I got the bus to the Salamanca markets where I would meet Margie who runs Ann's stall whilst Ann is at another market. She let me put my bag in the van and told me to have a look around and meet back at about 3pm. Perfect, I had a brief look around and then opted for some shade in the park where I would grab a few hours kip. What I did see of the market was brilliantly fascinating, local produce everywhere, street performers and plenty of street food. Using the $5 I saved on the bus for having my VIP Backpackers card, I grabbed some Chinese. I know, I know, all this fresh produce and I grab Chinese. It's just what I fancied, okay?! So 3pm came and I helped Margie load everything into the van and off we set, to Ann's house! I have a self contained cabin which has a fridge, kettle, toaster, shelved stocked with cereal, tea, coffee & nibbles, a bunk bed, table and chairs and most importantly; a TV. Knowing I won't be working in the evenings entitles me to watch Neighbours every night. Fantastic. When Ann gets home from the Moma market I walk over to the house and instantly get handed a beer. I'm not naive and certainly not ungrateful, so I thank her and assume this is just a nicety 'welcome beer'. I continue on my phone after the evening: "Ann's house is gorgeous and has a fantastic view. After pre-meal nibbles, consisting of homemade dips; beetroot jam, pumpkin and chilli chutney & broad bean humus, the meal is served. Pork, broccoli, spuds and roast tomatoes. All well seasoned. I knew this would be a good choice. I get offered copious amounts of wine, my favourite being a 2009 pino noir called '42 degrees south'. Some deep conversation and a light talk about some projects I'll be helping out with, I hit the hay." What I didn't mention in that is that Ann's friend Francie was visiting from Melbourne, so there were the 3 of us at dinner. I also failed to mention that they both got pretty drunk. Welcome to Tasmania!

"Last night, when Ann said 'Tomorrow will be a lazy day', I didn't expect to be working today. I spent the morning using the 'brush cutter' which is essentially a petrol powered strimmer. Ear protectors and my ipod made life a lot easier. 2 hours work followed by lunch; fish salad. I did say I wasn't a fan of fish but I'd give it a go. My god, it was delicious. Likewise, cherries were placed on the table, not expecting to like them, I tried 1. There was nothing about it which tasted of cherry. This was perfect! Tasmanian cherries tasted like grapes! Expecting to go back to work after lunch, Ann and Francie are having 'Nana naps'. They said it was getting too hot for me to work in the after, so we'll touch base later when it's cooler, gives me the afternoon to, well, do nothing!" That was the end of my phone diary, only taking me up to the second day. The days between now and then, fairly similar, brush cutting, mowing and occasionally something more DIY orientated like sanding. The evenings have varied, Ann hosted a dinner party on Sunday evening, a delicious lamb roast and again, plenty of beer and wine. Every evening I get offered a beer, followed by wine with my meal. Monday saw me mowing, brush cutting and weeding until 8:30 in the evening. I guess, I'm working hard, but definitely getting rewarded well for my efforts. Last night, I crossed the road at the bottom of the drive to find myself stood on the water's edge. There are no waves lapping against the shore. As the rain started spitting, the sky graced me with a rainbow, showing me how beautiful Tasmania is. I was wearing my jeans and a hoodie, probably could've done with a scarf too, but it was still beautiful.

That was the last 5 days, and here on the 6th day, I guess I'm about 1/3 of my way through my time here with Ann. Tonight, as the tradition goes, every Thursday, all the locals gather in the pub. mooching on down there at about 6:30 (Dammit, I'll miss Neighbours!) followed by a meal at someone elses house. Ann really does a great job of including you in the local community, it's good to experience the real side of Australia, or more specifically; Tasmania.

Boy am I glad I'm able to blog about tonight! The evening started with a casual get-together at the pub as expected. Locals gathering together in a rather upmarket looking restaurant/bar area. Talking to some of the locals was nice, although I was asked the same questions a lot. After being bought a couple of beers, we headed up to Mary and Ross's house. They own an Olive Orchard just down the road and have asked to borrow me one day next week. Certainly mixes it up a bit! We stand around chatting and I get given beer, followed by wine. I'm really starting to get used to this! Mary, as I said on facebook, is a cross between Teresa Floyd and Linda Rendell. A cross which can only mean fantastic food, great hosting, interesting conversation and a sense of welcoming in her home. There were times last night, when I sat back and laughed quietly to myself. This is something you don't get if you do farm work, meeting real people. Sure, you'd meet the farmer and tons of other backpackers, but attending a second dinner party in 6 days, own accommodation and fed good food on a regular basis, you just don't, do you.

11/01/13

Crap. My phone is broken. Looks like it's a hardware fault, so I'm probably going to have to send it back to the UK and back to carphone warehouse to get it replaced. This will take ages, but after reading my travel insurance, I've found out it doesn't cover my phone. Good job I've still got my crappy samsung from when I first came here. Stupid blackberry. Now, even though I can go out side and use the internet, I feel cut off. A feeling similar to when I was at the bird sanctuary. Hell, maybe it'll pass.

12/01/13

It didn't pass, not really. All I had to do today was go to the MONA market with Margie, help her set up and pack away. So in the mean time I went into the contemporary arts gallery, this lightened me of $20 and was not worth it. If you're into art, this would be well worth a trip, but call me uncultured, ignorant or common, I just don't care much for that modern, interpretive art. I spent an hour and a half walking around the Museum of Old and New Art, looking mainly at the architecture of the building itself which was really something to be admired, the art, however, was the usual bulls*** you see in every modern art gallery. A few interesting pieces, don't get me wrong, but the majority was just s***. Tomorrow is the BBQ and hopefully some of the guys from Grandvewe should be coming so it'll be good to meet the people I'll be spending the next 2 months with.

13/01/13

So that was the party, a party which I, and I'm sure Ann too, thought would be bigger and last longer. Nonetheless, it was a very enjoyable afternoon. Everybody had fun, Ann got very drunk and I spoke to quite a few locals. Unfortunately, the guys from Grandvewe didn't show up, so I guess I'll have to wait until next Monday to meet them. I've just realised I haven't mentioned what Grandvewe is, and only the people I've spoken to recently will know! Grandvewe is a sheep cheesery, and where I'll be spending my time between next Monday and the 10th March. I'll be helping with any task involved in the milk to cheese process, from actually milking to working in the café. One guy I was talking to last night said that some of the helpers at Grandvewe work at local pubs to get some extra cash. This sent alarm bells ringing! Of course! It makes perfect sense to get a few bob on the side, and the fantastic thing is Grandvewe have a rosta, so I'll know what I'm working. Get a bit of structure back into my life again, for a bit anyway.

14/01/13

1 week today until I'm milking sheep! This morning I waited for a knock, but it didn't come. I was ready for 9am in case I needed to do anything, but nothing was asked of me. I found a spot in my room where I can use the internet, so I've positioned a desk there, and pilled cushions on my chair so I can sit down. It's still not very comfortable, but it'll do for skyping and stuff. So, after lunch and finding out that I'm not needed to do anything today I've been having a serious planning session, getting dates in place for when I leave here. Booked my flight out of Tasmania at the cheap cost of $68 including 25kg baggage! I won't let on about everything else, as want to keep some mystery in my journey. But let's just say I know what I'm doing and when I'm doing it until I leave Australia. My return journey has been shortened after looking at flight prices, but it's still on track to be an amazing journey.

15/01/13

Today I had a few minor jobs to do; planting raspberry plants, wiring up the vineyard and some brushcutting by the creek. Nice easy day! When I was moving wood from the 'burn off' pile, I noticed a small animal, a rabbit. More of the 'bunny' size than a 'rabbit', it was tiny and had burrowed into the burn off pile. If that thing goes up, so will a rabbit. Feeling good natured, I poked a stick into the hole to coax the rabbit out. 3 of the b*****s scarpered out and ran in different directions. One, into the creek itself. It almost drowned the stupid thing. Anyway, less about the rabbits, tomorrow afternoon I'm heading over to Helen and Ross's to do some brush cutting over there. Should be a nice change of scenery. Oh, I just had a wallaby on my porch, that's quite cool.

16/01/13

So far today, I woke up a smidge late, but after a quick shower and scoffing some toast I got to work, clearing an area of entwined chicken wire, discarded wood and other miscellaneous items. After this, I tended to the vines, attaching them to the wire and removing their supports. Now, whilst I await for either Helen or Ross to pick me up to do some work on their Olive Orchard. However, they said they'd pick me up this afternoon, and it's already 14:13. I've been re-watching the Spartacus series, so I'm into my third episode of the afternoon.

I didn't get to Helen & Ross's, but that gave me an afternoon off whilst Ann was out and about, I read up on the Great Ocean Road and started planning that in my head. When Ann returned, she got me to water the veg in front of my cabin. Whilst doing so, I saw a photo opportunity; Bees on a sun flower, the trees and water in the backdrop. It didn't come out as well as I hoped, but by the time you read this, I'm sure I would've uploaded the photo.

17/01/13

Well, not every host would take you over to and island to go spear fishing now, would they?! We left at 9ish to get the ferry over. It's a beautiful island, sparsely populated and has an aspect of raw natural beauty. The neck is the centre of the island which is a long thin stretch of land connecting the north and south. Standing on the lookout point, you are able to see Tasmania mainland to the west and semi-large waves lapping against the beach which stretches along the east side. I can imagine these, had they been a bit bigger, would be fantastic for surfing. Our first main stop was the lighthouse at the bottom of the island. The lighthouse itself, was just a lighthouse, but the cliffs surrounding the neighbouring bay were a stunning result of weathering over thousands of years. After we grabbed lunch at a café near Alonnah, we headed to Coal Point to do some spear fishing! This place was hostile, the sea harshly pounding the rocks below, a sharp and steep cliff face separating us from the flat rock below. Ann announcing she won't be joining us. Still, me and Aiden went down, climbing down and lowering the equipment down. As we were getting ready, Ann did join us. After seeing Aiden carelessly jump in, I decided to take a more British approach and after getting geared up, sat down and slid in. Tons of fantastically large Kelp swaying in the strong tidal waters made interesting swimming. Aimlessly, I swam around, hoping to find some fish to spear with the spear gun I wielded in my right hand. Unfortunately, I saw none. When I got out, I took a few pictures in the rock pool and we climbed back up.

When we got back, time ticked on and we eventually went to the pub, casual Thursdays anyone? You may remember that this is the night that all the locals get together, well it turns out we were a bit late. Within an hour of us being there, everyone had left. But, within the hour we were able to eat, drink, and meet the manager who I managed to talk to about working there around my work at Grandvewe. He told me there isn't anything right now but he took my number and said he'd give me a call if/when people go on holiday and/or leave. I'm not hopeful, it doesn't matter too much, but it would be a great opportunity to earn a bit of pocket money. One thing that upset me tonight, when I got to my room, I turned on the TV just as Nigellissamo was ending. Nigella's new show. b******s.

18/01/13

This morning I cut wire from a fence and did a bit of brush cutting around the top garden. This was swiftly followed by sorting out Ann's website, or at least finding a hosting website and picking a DNS. It's not like the bird sanctuary where they had it already set up, just needing updating and tweeking, this is a brand new website. Luckily I made the right call to start it today as it's now 14:30 and I've got it set up ready to edit on Sunday. Phoned up Ryan at Grandvewe just to make sure they're still expecting me and he asked if we could make it Tuesday.

21/01/13

Yes, 3 days have passed since I last wrote in here, on Saturday 19th, I woke up early, really early, 6am early to go to Salamanca Market and help Margie set up. I was picked up there at 8:30 by Ann to go to MONA and help her set up here. Once we were set up, she got me to pop back to the house to pick up a light as the stall was quite dark inside. It's a casual 50minute drive each way, so it's like 'popping' to taunton to pick up a light. Tasmanians say they're not like mainland by thinking a 5 hour drive is 'down the road' but this still seems like a long way to go just to pick something up and drive back. Anyway, I don't mind as I enjoy the drive, quite coastal and with tunes blasting, it's better than sitting on the lawn with all the try hard eccentrics. I walked past a group of people discussing the word 'Strength' in a deep way. The kind of conversation you'd sit there, listening to them all talk b******s for about 3 minutes before saying "WHAT THE f*** ARE YOU ALL TALKING ABOUT?!" So that was my afternoon, sitting on the lawn, not listening to them, reading a book. The weather was actually quite annoying. When the sun was behind the clouds I needed a jumper, when it was out I needed to change my jeans to shorts. By the time I helped pack up, got home and had dinner I was straight to bed.

Yesterday, Sunday 20th saw the rise of http://www.tassietastebuds.com.au It took me a day. I know it's only a simple website, but I'm still pretty impressed with my effort. Not to mention how good it looks. I'm happy with it. Just out of curiosity, I subscribed to a hit tracker and uploaded the website onto it to see where people are accessing it from. Following this I posted the link on facebook.

Today I just did some last minute tweaking and Search Engine Optimisation to make sure the site has the best chance of getting found. Also, I checked the map of the tracker and was pretty happy to see some hits in Sydney, Germany, California (thanks google), and quite a few in the UK, looking closer, I had a few obvious ones like Yeovil, Weston Super-mare, Weymouth and Cardiff so a shout out to my friends and family who took a look! Peterborough & Birmingham though? Odd. Moving on, Ann felt bad about last night's dinner being bad so she got me to drive to Snug, a town about 20km down the road to pick up two porterhouse steaks. Well then, the last supper will be a nice one indeed!

22/01/13

All packed up and ready to go, I have a couple of changes on the website to begrudgingly attend to, phrases I changed because they were naff or didn't make sense. But hey, it's Ann's website, so against my better judgement, I'll change them.

It's been a beautiful introduction to Tasmania, and getting another 17 days off my visa, that brings it up to 22 days down, 66 remaining! Now all I've got to do is hope that Grandvewe is a decent place!