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Dear Journal, it's been three weeks since we last wrote because all we've been doing is picking pears and eating pasta. This was Lee's contribution to the journal (minus a few swear words) which is why he's not writing it!
Since we last wrote, we started to run out of money again so got a job (picking pears AGAIN) in the Adelaide Hills. However after managing to secure a job we realised that we really needed our own car, as the orchard is in the middle of no where. So... we found a car for sale on the hostel notice board which was originally going for 3500 dollars and had been reduced to 2500. We offered them 1000. Now, we may seem like cheap skates but we hadn't really budgeted for it and weren't convinced of how reliable a car bought off dutch stoner backpackers would be. Anyway, they accepted and we found ourselves proud new owners of Steve the 1993 Holden Commodore. So, Steve seemed ok and we had to make a trip into the Hills to meet our new boss-to-be, so we took Steve out for a spin. After about an hour he started to overheat. We pulled over and put a bit of water in hoping this would suffice. Needless to say, it didn't and within 5 minutes he was overheating and there was smoke billowing from the engine. We pulled over and knowing we were over half an hour from the nearest town decided to call our new boss and ask for a hand. He said he'd come down and tow us back to the orchard. After hearing this we decided the car needed to be a bit further off the road and we should push it back. So I sat in the car with the handbreak off whilst Lee pushed... but it didn't go anywhere. At this point Lee really did have a near death experience as, in my infinite wisdom, I decided to get out and help him push....without putting the handbreak back on. As soon as I'd got out of the car it started rolling towards the edge of the road, which was a cliff, with Lee infront of it trying to push it back. I managed to get back in and get my foot on the break about a metre away from the edge at which point we decided it really wasn't going to do anymore damage to the engine to just turn it on and move back a few metres. So, after meeting our boss for the first time, he towed us back to their orchard, filled up the water with a hose (it was that empty) and pumped up our tyres which were looking a bit flat. Sorted! Well kind of....one of the tyres is punctured so we just pump it up every week... and the engine rattles when you turn it on... and the window doesn't do up on the driver side... and the button on the handbreak gets stuck in every time you use it... oh, and the fuel gauge is stuck on empty. But other than that,....sorted!
The next day we drove to the campsite which was the only accommodation anywhere near the orchard. We had every intention of camping and saving as much money as possible but when we got there we realised there was no kitchen facilities, so we decided to go for the slightly more expensive option which the campsite calls a cabin. In reality it's more like a glorified shed. Anyway we still have to use the toilet and shower block which is full of spiders and insects and not cleaned particularly well but we've had some pretty terrible weather so I'm glad to be sleeping inside and not in a tent with the wind whistling through it.
We started work three weeks ago (3rd April) and will be working for maybe 1 or 2 weeks more. The orchard is massive (2nd biggest in Oz apparently) and there are kangaroos that live in it, which is cool. The two bosses here, Mel and Rohan, are really nice people and they treat us a bit like we're on work experience with lots of breaks and not a great deal of work expected of us. The two group supervisors we started with are pretty old fashioned and kept calling me little lady and giving me easy jobs as they didn't think I could handle the work. I was originally kind of torn between being glad at an easy life and being annoyed at the obvious sexism but I've settled on annoyed. So far I've had them touching my legs the one day I wore shorts and then complaining they had nothing to look at the next day when i wore trousers, asking me if they wanted me to speak to the mancurian guys we were working with as they swore a lot and this language was obviously completely inappropriate infront of a lady, and telling me that we were going to be doing a job that they would all be ok with but there was no way I would be able to handle. Now, whilst I admit that I'm not as strong as the guys I'm pretty sure I can do the job at least as well as these two over 70 year old post heart surgery geriatrics! We did the job anyway and it was fine. The boss asked Lee to have a go on a cherry picker saying they were desperate for drivers. I offered as well which led to a lot of coughing and spluttering as they've never had a female cherry picker operator before. Anyway I had a go which led to a lot of funny looks from the vietnamese staff and the local old hicks. I stalled it when I was up a tree once and had to jump out to restart it but other than that; no problems. It was pretty s*** when we had a week of rain though as everything was soaking and we were freezing cold and then nothing was dry by the next day so we had to put on wet clothes and shoes and go again. The job we've been doing the past week is driving a 4x4 (toyota landcruiser) which you can extend bits of into the trees and this is the easiest job we've had and we get to do it on our own away from the sexist geriatrics. So overall, the money's good and the people are sexist, but mainly nice.
Met Lee's parents this weekend. They've been holidaying round Oz themselves. Was lovely to see them and be treated to some food that wasn't pasta or super noodles for once.
Hopefully get back to travelling soon and on the road to Perth!
- comments
Lauren Hey Sio!Sounds lovely, these blogs make me giggle! Glad you are having a lovely time! I so wanna go now! (-: Lots of love x
mum you seem to be following the bad weather around great reading about your adventures .please try to keep Lee alive love mum
Emma Holmes wow, lots of sexism in oz like. glad ur making money. wish i was there xx
Fionnuala OMG Sio you should be a writer the blog is excellent, well written and very funny. Glad to hear the two of you are having fun, disappointed that the weather has been so bed but if your head to Perth it should get warmer, fingers crossed . You driving a cherry picker, that I'd liked to have seen. keep safe ....... love fin
Dad Thanks for the phone call on my birthday. Did I tell you I'm 60 now? Great to read your blog. Keep on enjoying yourselves and keep safe!! xx
Louise Carpenter Hey Siobhan, your car sounds as good as the fiesta you had in the uk!
Siobhan Thanks fionnuala. The weather has been good enough to give me a tanned face and arms up to wear the sleeves of my t shirt were so hopefully Perth will erase my tan lines. xx