On our way from Perth to Manjimup we stopped off at Margaret River looking for vineyard work, we were met by signs of no registrations for jobs until 28th June. Great. We went in a agency and they said maybe try next week but it didn't sound promising. We had also been told on the phone by the main hostel there the work wasn't due to start until July as the weather has been bad this year so delayed all their seasonal work which is just totally not what we wanted to hear. The agencies there also state we are meant to actually be living in Margaret River to get jobs there anyways which is a nightmare as it's so expensive there so it's not ideal to be living there hoping for a job. So off we went to Manjimup and checked in, it's like byker grove. A big open communal area with sofas, pool tables, a fire. It's quite cool to be honest. The kitchen is continually dirty though some people are massive tramps shame on them. Anyways that night I was offered a job that night doing something with wood so I accepted it woohoo. Cash in hand, and I was being picked up at 7am by a man called Hurdi or Gurdi. How exciting. So Igot up got ready and was picked up by Hurdi it turned out his name was. He was absolutely lush, a proper gem of a strayan. I got on so well with him we had the best day ever. I was helping to sort out the firewood, then throwing it on the truck then me and Hurdi would deliver it to the residents of Manjimup, we had 13/14 runs that days so we were well busy. I was working with Hurdi for most of the day but there was a lad called Dan who was 19 and Kim who was Hurdi's Son in Law and then Hurdi's Son. They always asked for girls on a Friday to help with the wood chipping/firewood as that was the one day they do it and they said boys don't work as well as the girls as they get bored and want to use the machines themselves. I worked so hard that day I was bloody shattered and my arms were killing me, I also was hit on the shoulder by some firewood when one of the lads was throwing it on the truck oh dear they weren't bothered though as it didn't hit my head haha, I have a lovely bruise of it now. I did get a good work out for the day and I got $150 cash in hand and then had 7 beers for free at the end of the day in the warehouse chilling by the fire I was smashed when I got back to hostel 12.5 hours after I started work that day! It was the best day work I have ever had to be honest. Hurdi had so much gossip on everyone and one of the people we delivered wood to had a puppy that I had to look after while he did thehard work, I had to put it on a lead and keep it away from the wood while it went mental and barked and cried as it was scared. So bloody cute!!

So Hurdi said come to the pub after you've ate and showered and hewould get me some drinks in so off me and Janine went and drank for free with him for the night it was wicked he is just one of those lovely people you meet in life and he took a proper shine to me obviously and was singing my praises all night to everyone bless him. Ryan our roomie turned up eventually and then so did James so we had a good old drunken night out. Janine and James had then secured some work for us for the next week so we went to bed drunk to get up early the next day for work picking apples woohoo.

Apple picking was so much fun. Exactly how you would imagine it perhaps. It was cold, wet, warm, boiling, painful and scary. The things we encountered on a daily basis were:

- Cockroaches

- Crickets

- Large scary huge hairy spiders

- Small spiders

- Wasps

- Millions of cobwebs

- Huge beetles (the kind I ate in Thailand…)

- Maggots

- Stick insects

- And many more probably

My least favourite were the crickets as they jump. One day Janine saw a Red Back Spider which are hugely poisonous they might actually kill I don't know for sure. But it transpired she actually saw a different kind of spider which was a purple hatchback. A non-poisonous spider with no sign of a red back. She may have spent too much time with me it appears as I am quite dramatic too some might say. James was also stung by a wasp on his hip. When we got back to the hostel that night Ryan had also been stung on his hip by a bee which is just more proof they are destined to by gay lovers. They have a real bromance going on.

On the day we started farming work it was actually my birthday. My 28th birthday. How the feck did that happen? I think I official now sound old. After work I opened my cards I got a lovely one from the girls I used to work with in the revenue those lovely ladies full of pics of me with them lot which was nice. Janine got me a lovely card perfect for me and a lush burgundy skull jumper which I have been desperate for. So she knows me so well!! James got me a box of goon bless him. These guys know me so well woohoo. So we got back from work and I was well in the mood to celebrate my birthday but them 2 miseries were too tired to celebrate so that was a fun birthday for me. Working with apples and bugs all day and then no partying. Oh how I missed Newcastle that night. Would have killed for a night out round the toon ending in Koo's for some drop it like it's hot action with the ladies. Nevermind a night in a scabby hostel cold hostel was just as good… I also got my own birthday cake. Tut. The next day Ryan did buy me some birthday cup cakes which was sweet I think I love him.

One of the funny things about the farm work was the huge dog called Brew who repeatedly tried to dry hump James and Janine which was very entertaining for me. He jumped on my back once when I was bent down picking apples and he weighs more than me I swear I almost fell over. So I proper shouted at him and he never did it again. When you are picking apples you have a kind of front backpack on which you collect the apples in and then dump them gently in a big bin. On our first day we thought we had done really well by morning tea with the 2 bins we'd filed (these bins were massive) and then it appeared Ed our farmer was not happy at all and we were behind schedule. Oops. Apple picking is s***. Fact. I think I have clearly being a spoiled office worker in the past oops. Nevermind. Character building it certainly is.

One day we went in and it was pissing it down so Ed said come to my farm house for a cuppa to see if it stops as we can't pick in the rain. So off we went and sat by the fire. His wife Tina had made homemade biscuits which we ate and were amazing. The rain did not stop and we ended up going home to the hostel and getting our little jobs done such as laundry which was a fun way to spend the day. We would have much preferred to be earning that day dammit. We have been earning $21.50 per hour which is nice earning for apple picking.

On the Friday me and Janine were offered work with Hurdi again and as Ed had told us work for one week only and this delightful French girl on the farm had told us everyone was pretty much finished on the Thursday we accepted as Ed hadn't told us anything then on the Thursday Ed offered us that one more day which as its regional counts more to us than working for Hurdi unfortunately although I would have preferred a million times over working with him for the day as it was good crack unlike the apple picking hell we had been living. So I called Gary our hostel owner and told him we couldn't make the Friday job and could he get some other girls (the board was full of names wanting work as the season has basically just ended on the Wednesday) hours later on the board he still had our names down for the Hurdi job and now it said 'please try to make it????' seriously. So annoyed it was 8pm so he had made no attempt to get anyone else so there was a chance no one would be turning up for Hurdi in the morning. So Janine rang Gary then and told him we def couldn't make it which was exactly what I had said 4 hours earlier. So he said well he wont employ you anymore just so you know. Haha oh dear?! However when I had worked for Hurdi he had said to me regional work is more important than working for him so he would understand but gary would now be making it look like we decided at 8pm we couldn't do the job which was not the truth obviously so we don't know really how Hurdi will feel about this lack of Tracy and Janine but anyways we didn't work for him on Friday we got our 6th day of regional done instead and then were paid a fortune for it which made us so bloody happy!! Yey. We finished that day at 12 lunchtime so we celebrated by buying cider and passion pop for Friday night antics as Friday night in Manji hostel is party night. Ryan was going to a work party until 4.30pm (no idea why a party would ever finish at that time) so he was expecting us to be drunk haha. He came back and he had won best apple picker award which was embarrassing haha, he was so proud of himself and he was very drunk bless him. So we started on the ciders and then me and Janine went and got us a takeaway pizza to share and some hash browns? Don't ask. And we then continued with the drinking and partying in our hostel like we were at some kind of Byker Grove party. We eventually ended up in the pub which is actually called: cocktail lounge and saloon bar. It's proper old school. One side for the farmers and tradies and the other side is like a crazy weird discothèque it is tiny and there was a DJ who was really fat. It was so weird in there. We danced like it was 1999 though and had a good night. When we were leaving me, James and Ryan were heading back to the hostel and the police pulled up so as me and James associate police with bad news we did a runner like naughty school children through the car park when then realised Ryan had not followed so we went back to get him and saw he was happily chatting away to them so we ran back away to the hostel and James insisted on going to sleep on the floor instead of his top bunk. He has been sick that night in the pub bless him. So I went to sleep then woke up and James was in his bed and I had loadsa facebook messages of Ryan asking if I was awake as my phone was next to my face and everytime he messaged me it lit my face up. Haha very random indeed that crazy Canadian.

We decided we would have a duvet day and we watched 3 movies in bed between eating donuts and coffees in bed. Having subways for lunch and then me and James going to Chicken Treat for tea which was nothing like a treat in my eyes it was horrible. We then retreated back to bed and watched more movies. So a very good value day. Manjimup is really s*** and yesterday which was Sunday nothing was open apart from Alfs Convenience Store so we went there and then went for a drive and our car started smoking so we had to top our oil up. We then headed back home to bed I had a productive weekend despite the lazing round I spoke to my sister, mam and dad and Veronika so that is good. And I ate plenty. And me, Janine and James played scrabble and I won. Happy days. On the Friday after work me and Janine also went for a run down the heritage trail which was nice although I left Janine behind as she wasn't doing much running shame on her. So all in all a good week kinda. 6 days of farm work down. 2 runs. And a party. Happy days. We now are thinking of leaving here tomorrow as there is no work and heading to a place called Canarvon in the hope of work there. If none there I had no idea what we are gonna do.

I hate job hunting haha. Anyways kids that's all for now lots of love xxxxxx

vc