REFLECTIONS OF A WORKAWAYER

I’ve transferred my blog over to wordpress. From now on I’ll be posting everything at reflectionsofaworkawayer.wordpress.com

I’ve decided to sit down this morning and force myself to write a blog post, even if it’s just a little one, because I’ve been completely avoiding it the last couple of weeks whilst constantly thinking, ‘I really must write a blog post soon’. So here it is. 

I’ve been back in La Creuse for 2 weeks now, and I’m really enjoying it. I caught the ferry from Portsmouth at night time on Saturday the 4th, after driving down to Uncle Bernie’s with my parents who were going down for a visit. We had a nice pub meal there before I got very kindly dropped at the ferry terminal by Uncle Bernie and mum. I slept on the floor of the lounge area on the ferry, which actually wasn’t too bad, and got off in the morning in Ouistreham, the place I left France from in December. 

I was hoping to arrive at first light but actually I had to do a bit of dark hitchhiking, which I never like, but it was okay because I knew the day was coming soon. After someone helped me to get past Caen and onto the good road for the direction of Tours, I was super lucky to get one lift who took me all the way to Potiers. From there it was an easy hitch across in the direction of Montlucon. I got really lucky that day with easy and quick lifts, and arrived here by about 3pm. 

It was immediately nice to be back. Friends of Sam’s were visiting for the day, and his brother, who I met last time. I felt like I was back in a good place for me. However, for the first few days of being here and settling back in, I had a few wobbles and I didn’t know how I felt. I think that arriving here very quickly, in such contrast to being at home where there is so much going on at the moment, was quite a big change in energy to take on at once. I’m sure of this now, because I’m feeling super positive again, but for a few days I felt quite sad and unsure of myself at some points. It’s not surprising really, because there is a lot going on in my family at the mo, which I haven’t had much space to reflect on. And I think I also put a lot of emphasis on this place, and on Sam to an extent, because of the massive change that happened in me last time I was here. I think my negative feelings were just due to settling in to a new phase of the same place. I’ve had a lot of reflective time, which I think I needed, and I’m now really grateful for. Sometimes it’s really difficult to slow down and step back, but I’m thankful to have a place to do that at the moment, and to be able to get back into the swing of my own lifestyle again.  

So, so far it’s been all garden work, digging holes to plant trees on the land. It’s exciting but slow, with only two of us, but we’ve finished the holes now and will get the trees from Ropato over the next couple of days. For the last week or so the weather has been absolutely beautiful, and as the title of this post says: I can smell the spring! 

I love that feeling when you know spring is coming, it makes me feel like everything is possible. I am really looking forward to the year ahead. (Saying that, it’s already nearly the end of February - how time flies!). 

A few days ago we went to Sam’s friend’s house to help to make beer, which was fun. We arrived early in the morning and passed the whole day there, mostly spent eating and drinking outside in the sun. It turned out to be a right little party, and we stayed until about 3 in the morning. It was like a summer’s day and I really enjoyed myself. I love being here in La Creuse and just constantly meeting lovely, welcoming and like-minded people. 

I think that’s all for now. I’m going outside, in this glorious sunshine, to finish making the wire fences for the baby trees. I haven’t taken any photos yet, (because I managed to bring the wrong camera charger with me, correct one is in the post now, thanks Dad!) apart from this one of Cali; In her normal position on the window ledge, next to the poor cold little plant. I’ll post some more exciting pics soon! 

Now I’ve posted this, I promise to write more frequently again! When I get around to it I’m also going to transfer my blog over to wordpress and make more of a deal of it, with more info about workawaying and more interesting writing!

Pretty soon I’ll be on the road to Italy with my friends Becky and Adam, so there’s lots to look forward to. 

A very quick update! 2017. I am still here in England, at my family’s home near Liverpool. I’m hanging around until Feb waiting to put up my little exhibition at the Brink cafe, and, as of a couple of weeks ago, working back in my old job at Leaf. It’s all going alright, I am enjoying being back at Leaf in some ways. It’s nice to work with some of my old friends again and make friends with all the new staff there, but I am really glad that I know this time it’s only for a couple of weeks. It’s defo not something I could stick at for a long time anymore. Take me to a garden! I’m so excited to get back over to France, and continue my workawaying. I have a couple of friends who are going to be coming to meet me on my travels in March, so I’ll be travelling as part of a group for a little while, something different!

I got a new camera the other day. I say new, it’s second hand off eBay, but I’m super excited because it is better than my old one, and the sensor isn’t damaged so of course that is a big improvement! I’m looking forward to continuing to build up my photography portfolio on my travels. 

Not much to update on really, but I thought 2017 deserved a post now that we’re already half way through January. Hopefully the next one will be from France!

All this swanning around holidaying and christmasing has definitely left me with some sort of writer’s block. I’ve been putting off writing my blog, but have decided if I just crack on with it then something will come out! 

I last wrote from Sheffield. Since being there I’ve visited Huddersfield, (I actually hitched over!) and Ireland, which was fantastic! I’ll start where I left off... Hitching up to Huddy was pretty easy peasy, as it’s not far at all from Sheffield. I took a local bus which goes all the way to Chapeltown so I was well on my way by the time I got off that, and then in just two lifts I was on the outskirts of Huddersfield. Then I had a bit of a walk along the main road thinking I could get into the centre, but that was an error, so when it was almost dark I took another local bus along to my friend’s house. Of course everything happens for a reason, so when I resigned myself to that bus and stopped at the bus stop, I got chatting to a lovely woman named Sarah who ended up asking me all about my travels. After a long convo waiting for the delayed bus, she told me I had inspired her to make the change in her life she’d been thinking about for a while. She really wants to travel and she told me that after speaking to me she’s sure she will. She was lovely and I was so glad to meet her. It was great to hear that she was interested in the way I live and in workawaying and travelling, and to know I have helped to inspire someone to live their dreams! The bus driver was a once-upon-a-time Scouser, who let me on the bus for free simply for being from Liverpool, and answering the cruical question ‘are you a red or a blue?’ correctly (’my dad’s a blue’). 

I was only in Huddersfield for one night and half of the next day before leaving again, in which time I experienced the amazing vegan pizza at Bar Moroc, the joys of Parish (pub), and a nice catch up with my friend Tom. On the Saturday we went back across to Sheffield for my friend Paul’s gig, which was great. We stayed at Toby’s again, and went back to Huddersfield again the next afternoon. We ended up in Parish again ‘for one’, but we got chatting to the barmaid Minnie and ended up staying all evening. It turned out Minnie was driving to close to Warrington in the morning - perfect for us, we both needed to get back to Liverpool tomorrow. Tom was going to the xmas night out of the place he worked for his student placement year, and I was heading to Ireland from Speke airport. So we didn’t need to hitch back, we caught a lift with her. She was another amazing person who I was really glad to meet. We arrived in Liverpool quite handy and walked around attempting to do some Christmas shopping. Before heading to the airport that evening I went to see my friend Alex again, who I’m pleased to say is out of hospital and recovering alright. I had a late flight to Ireland, about 10ish at night. It was quite strange to fly but the flight is so short that it hardly feels like you’ve taken off and you’re already there. I arrived to my lovely friend Westy at the airport at about 11.30 Monday night.

Ireland was fab. The first full day I was there we had a grand tour of the area around Dublin. We walked up to an old abandoned hunting lodge up on a hill with an amazing view overlooking the whole city; we popped into a countryside pub where I had my first pint of Irish Guinness; then we drove down to the coast and swam in the sea! Swam is a bit of a strong word. We basically just plunged in and jumped straight out again. I jumped in twice. It was lots of fun. There were already quite a few people swimming there, I was surprised but apparently it’s a well known spot for it and there’s always someone there, even in December! Afterwards, to warm up, we went up to another nice pub called the Blue Light, where I had my second pint of Irish Guinness. In the evening we went out into Dublin and met some of Westy’s friends which was super fun, but we didn’t go in any typical Irish places. Dublin wasn’t how I’d expected it to be in terms of ‘typical Irish’ places. It wasn’t at all oldy-worldy as I’d thought it might be, and I didn’t hear any live Irish music! I’m definitely going back to Ireland and travelling to the West coast! After staying in Westy’s friend’s house that night in Dublin, the next day I was kindly tour-guided around by him and another friend, whilst Westy went for a super-radioactive-X-ray. This was my only proper time walking around in Dublin and unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me. I think I saw most of the main places and got a feel for the place, and the sun was shining which was nice. When Westy was finished with his X-ray we carried on walking around, looking in every single music shop in Dublin to try and find a ukulele bass. There are two in the whole city. Both were too expensive. Of course before we left Dublin centre we went to the pub (for a couple more Guinnesses!). The next day I got a tour of the Wicklow mountains, which were glorious and beautiful and very windy. Another nice sunny day, the weather was kind to me. The day ended with a rushed pub meal (and Guinnesses) and a dash to the airport - I’m not used to having to do things to time anymore!

Since I’ve been back in England it’s just been the typical Christmas stuff. I had a near breakdown in the shops in Liverpool the other day doing all my Christmas shopping in one day, but then I got to see my friend Hanny, who I met in Poland last year, which de-stressed me! She’s recently moved to England and was in Liverpool that day, it was fab to have a catch up. Christmas went by quietly but yesterday a little group of us went round to my auntie and uncle’s which was really good fun. I’ll be meeting up with friends over the next few days, and then deciding what to do about the continuation of my travels and workawaying in Europe!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2017.

I’ve been back in England for a week now. I’m writing from Sheffield, where I arrived yesterday for a little visit before Huddersfield tomorrow and Ireland on Monday. I’ve got flights booked for Ireland, because the ferry from Liverpool takes 7 hours and I’m running out of days before Christmas now! I also got a train here yesterday - yes that’s right, a train, actual public transport - for no other reason than I was feeling a bit too lazy to hitch. I felt like a cop out. I had intended to write my blog on the train, but instead I fell asleep, so then I felt like even more of a cop out. Admittedly I was in need of a nap though, after an early morning trip to the hozzy to have an x-ray on my (still quite painful) ankle, which confirmed that nothing is broken. Apparently sprains take a long time to heal, and I’m not doing very well at resting it because there’s just so many things to do and places to walk to!

England is eating my money, and making me aware that I will have to try to earn some more, relatively soon. This doesn’t coincide well with my recently re-found joy in freedom, and desire to stay on the road, but I’m still riding that wave of thought pretty well, and trying to formulate a plan of action for the new year. I don’t have a clue what to do, but I’m still feeling positive and living in the moment. 

I arrived in England just after posting my last blog from the ferry, last Thursday night. My Uncle Bernie picked me up at Portsmouth, and I spent a few nice days with him and his wife Lorraine at their place near Winchester; during which we tried to get into the festive spirit by generally drinking a lot, and spontaneously buying a Christmas tree, which we decorated whilst listening to some festive tunes. We had a lovely time, mostly because we have the same sort of low-key attitudes towards Christmas, and they are fantastic, easy-going and generous people. 

In general I’ve decided that typical Christmas in England is not for me. I’m not enjoying the adverts and the materialism and the crowds and Christmas music everywhere. Everything seems very false and stressful, especially in such contrast to my recent experiences, working in the garden and living in poor but happy conditions. I had been really looking forward to returning to (some aspects of) the English culture, but the novelty of cosy cafes, a pub on every corner, and being able to speak to people wherever I go, has worn off very quickly amongst all the festive-consumerism. I feel a bit frustrated with the way things are, and I miss hanging around with lots of like minded and challenging people, which I get to do a lot of the time when I’m travelling. It is, however, great to see my friends and family. 

I hitched back up from Uncle Bernie’s house in just one lift, after being picked up by a bunch of Westham football fans heading to the match in Liverpool. This was quite unbelievable, as I didn’t even have a sign for Liverpool, so I was very lucky. They were not my type of people at all, but clearly very kind and sound with me. It was around 9.30am when they picked me up, and the Jagermeister shots commenced quite shortly afterwards. Needless to say by the time we got to the pub in Anfield (of course I joined them for a pre-match pint) I was slightly tipsy. By the time I left the pub in Anfield to get home to my mum and dad’s, I was very tipsy. I even managed to lose my lovely coat which Lorraine gave me, on the bus to the city centre, which I regret terribly. So all in all, this was one of my most hectic hitchhiking experiences to date. One of the men was a sort of semi-professional snapchatter for the football. He had 7000 followers and was permanently on his phone, snapchatting everything. As a result, I’m now a famous hitchhiker, at least in Westham. I even got recognised by some away supporters in the pub in Anfield! ‘Look it’s the hitchhiker!’. It’s all a laugh.

I was delighted to get back and see my Mum and Dad, my Nan, and then my little sister Kate. Me and her boyfriend Anth had a pizza and then a pint together, and then went to pick her up from her work’s do; I crashed the last half hour to have a dance with her, which was fun! On Monday I went to see my (amazingly courageous and inspirational) best friend Alex in the hospital, and then had a lovely catch up with my friend Chelsea before bobbing by Leaf, the cafe where we used to work, to say a quick hello to Becky. On Tuesday night I went round to see my ‘God Mother’ (this is a title we have a little joke about) Donna, who is my reiki master, and we did a reiki exchange. I feel like I benefited a lot from this, to slow myself down a bit after the hectic homecoming and last few days! I had a nice coffee and lunch here in Sheffield with my friend Gez yesterday afternoon, and then a few pints with Paul and Toby last night. I feel so happy to see everybody. It’s nice to see Sheffield again, but I don’t feel really compelled to spend lots of time here as I sometimes do. Neither did I feel a current connection with Liverpool, or any desire to stay there at the moment. I want to keep moving and feeling free. (But I do need soon to stop going 100-miles-an-hour in my actions and thoughts!)

Huddersfield tomorrow, and then back here to Sheffield Saturday night to watch a gig by Paul’s band The High Hazels. I’m excited for this because we organised it spontaneously last night, and I’m enjoying spontaneity at the moment! 

I’m sure I’m going to slow down a lot after my trip to Ireland and after Christmas, but I’m hoping that I’m going to hold on to my current positive and open-minded feelings. Writing my blog, and reading it back, definitely helps me to do this. 

I have been told by a few friends recently that they read and appreciate my writing. This makes me feel so happy, and a little bit more purposeful and/or useful in my travels and experiences! I really am glad that some people take something from my reflections. Thank you for reading them! 

Updates from my (very first ever) trip to Ireland soon! 

I'm currently sitting in a cafe in Ouistreham waiting to try and hitch the ferry to Portsmouth. It's been a bit of a long journey since I last wrote about my ankle in Lyon! I've had a couple of hitchhiking adventures, and have been back in La Creuse.

In the end I stayed with my friend Laz and his fiance Louise in Lyon for over a week, waiting for my ankle to improve. I managed to go out for a walk a couple of times, and on the weekend after I arrived we had a little party with some of their friends which was fun. It was a bit of a pain with the ankle but I passed a nice week there, it was great to spend lots of time catching up with Lazare. I was supposed to go back to Christophe's in Millau to help with a big art exhibition, but with my ankle the way it was I was unsure I would be able to help efficiently, and so were Christophe and Jacqueline. They were super busy and doing everything very quickly to prepare, so I might have just got in the way. So, we decided it wasn't a good moment. I was disappointed, but I know I will return again next year, and maybe exhibit some art and photography in the gallery in the centre of Millau.

I had to leave Lyon last Friday, because Louise's dad was visiting, and I was able to walk okay-ish by that point. I wasn't really ready to go directly back to England, so I decided that I would pass by Sam's again. My original time there was really special in lots of ways, and I felt a bit strange after leaving feeling so content and ready for my travels, and then suddenly having to stop because of my ankle. It was a strange contrast. I decided I wanted to return and somehow attach the place and the people to reality a bit more, rather than just a very special moment which seemed somehow detached from everything else. It's hard to explain, but it was maybe something like waking up from a strange dream too quickly. I think I learnt a lot about myself and my outlook on things during my time at Sam's, and I took on a lot of very positive energy. It was incredible, but bizarre in contrast to then being stuck inside the apartment in Lyon for 8 days. I didn't feel very clear about my time there and my feelings, so I wanted to go back and say bye before England.

Four volunteers arrived just after I left, so they'd been working on the land for just over a week, there's lots of progress. Sam was taking them to the Moulin (the community at the old mill, I visited last time) for the weekend to help Pascal clear some land that he recently bought, so we arranged that I could also go there and help too. I hitched from Lyon to a village close by. I was surprised the day I left Lyon that my ankle was actually okay carrying my bag, I was walking relatively well, and over the weekend at the Moulin I helped with the land with the others. I just did things which didn't involve too much fast walking! I hurt it a bit helping to jump-start Sam's car, because I got a bit confident wearing an ankle-strap thing that someone offered me, and thought for a moment I was miraculously healed and I could help to push a car (?!). That was a bit of an error. I need to try and rest it a bit more once I'm back in England.

My journey back to La Creuse from Lyon was great because I passed through Clermont-Ferrand and out the other side over the old volcanoes where the countryside is really beautiful, and the weather changed within the space of about half a kilometre to glorious sunshine. I got a great lift with two really kind men who bought me a sandwich in Clermont and put me on a good road. Its so good to always try to keep an open mind to all sorts of different people.

I felt really happy to arrive back in La Creuse, and especially to be back in the countryside working in nature. It was really nice to meet the other volunteers. We stayed at the Moulin until Monday afternoon, helping Saturday and Sunday with Pascal's place, and on Tuesday we worked all day on the land at Sam's. The weather was lovely and we even ate lunch outside in t-shirts, on the 6th of December. I was delighted to see the progress in the garden and to help a little bit more there. I just love the place and feel really connected to it. All the beds are nearly finished now, and Sam & co are going to start planting the trees over the next few days. I'm hoping to return in the spring to help planting out the veggie garden.  

I left early yesterday morning. Sam drove me to Montlucon, again. After a really long wait at first, I got on my way to Le Havre. I chose there because I wanted a connection for Portsmouth so I can visit my Uncle on my return to England. I went without much of a plan, thinking there would be a few ferries a day and I'd just see what happens. I made fairly good progress, met some nice people, spoke a bit of French, and arrived close to Le Havre before dark. My last lift was with a lorry driver who had to stop to deposit his shipping container, so we waited at some of the docks for over an hour in a big queue, and during that time it got dark. Once he had put his lorry in for the night we swapped for his car and he took me to the ferry terminal, but the ferries were finished for the day. The lady there told me the next one wasn't until 5pm the next day, but that one was leaving at 11pm from Ouistreham. I decided to attempt to catch it. I never hitchhike at night, not because it's more dangerous with people (I think in the end it's the same), but because it's dangerous with the cars if they can't see you. I need a high-vis. However, everywhere round there was lit up like a Christmas tree, and I thought I had a good chance. I did have a good chance. But it didn't work. I ended up off the highway on a little road and quickly decided it wasn't a good idea because I wasn't so visible and I wasn't really on a good road for catching people going to the right place. I told the last person who stopped for me, Daniel, that I would search for somewhere to sleep for the night in his town. It was going to be really expensive, so I wasn't really sure what I was going to do, but Daniel very kindly invited me to stay in his home. His family were very welcoming, they seemed to find it completely normal that I was there, almost to a strange degree! But it meant I didn't feel awkward at all, and them either, so that was nice. I checked the ferries for today, and found that the next one from Le Havre is actually not until 10pm tonight, but that one goes from here, Ouistreham, at 4.30pm. So that's the one I'm waiting for now. I got one lift all the way here this morning, after Daniel left me in a good place, because the man who picked me up had a bit of time and offered to bring me to the port. So I've been passing time since 10.30am, but at least I know I'm here! If I can't manage to hitch I'm going to buy a walk-on ticket.  

So, hopefully, this evening I'll be staying with my Uncle Bernie and his wife Lorraine, and in the next day or so I'll be back in Liverpool. I'll just be passing, because before Christmas I'm going to visit Ireland, Sheffield and Huddersfield to see various friends. I've never been to Ireland before so I'm super excited. It's strange that a couple of months ago, when I wasn't feeling sure about my travels, or about anything really, I wasn't sure I'd pass the time until Christmas, and now it seems it's come around too quickly! The perception of time can be a weird thing.

So I'm going to try and post this now, but the wifi doesn't seem to exist so maybe I won't post it until I'm on the ferry or even in England!

Time to try and hitch.

A PIECE OF MAGIC

I wish to write something with meaning skill and grace, but I can't arrive to find my inspiration. Even here, with such a view, and all-consuming thoughts of you swimming before my eyes and mind.

If from the breadth of an entire city as beautiful as this, spread out before me daily, encompassing two million lives and loves and sorrows, I can not take a piece of magic, elevate and polish one shining detail into words, to shout out across these infinite rooftops,

I knew that I would squeeze a poem out eventually!! Brand new from Lyon.

TO WATCH 

To watch from A grand distance A large city Slowly falling asleep Can be a Very powerful thing.

Light sliding gently Over helpless rooftops, Countless lovers shouting More, business people Preparing dull ideas To clarify tomorrow,

Children conducting prayers, Drunken streetwalkers bargaining Life and death, Stubborn loneliness shifting Between infinite intimacy, Love and joy

Crying ever louder, All softly encouraging The quietly creeping Dawn, who patiently Is waiting to Deliver her promise:

It's so strange how so much can change in just a few weeks. Thinking back over my trip, and reading back over my blog posts, I feel like everything has been leading me to here, now. Sam's house in La Creuse, the place I have been for the last three and a half weeks. I really feel that I was meant to come here. I guess it's the same for all of life really, the past leads us to the present moment. I'm so pleased I've finally found my grasp on the present moment, once again. I feel as grounded as I did at the end of my trip last year, when I felt I had started to understand something about the greatness of the world and it's energies. Personally I don't identify at all with the word 'God', but that spiritual connection that some people describe as a connection with 'God' is exactly what I'm trying to describe. I just call it a connection with the Universe. I have found that connection again.

After returning from my travels last year, living at home following my Gaga's death, and eventually getting my job at the cafe in Liverpool, living a fast and temporary lifestyle, I became so disconnected from that sense, from my spiritualism. But I knew it. During this whole trip I have been searching for that contented knowledge again, and I think (especially from reading my last post) that I had completely given up on finding it through travelling. I had lost my sense of freedom, and felt worried for the future. I kept trying to think about what I needed to do to feel grounded, but nothing was really making sense.

But being here has changed everything. I no longer have a plan of action for returning to England, because I'm not sure that's what I really want. I know for sure that I am definitely going to focus on my exhibition, and I'm really excited for that, but as for getting a flat and putting some structure in my life in that way, I think I've changed my mind. I have a lot of time for that. I am a traveller, and I shouldn't have forgotten. There are lots of places I am inspired to visit. I feel lost and aimless all over again, but now, like last year, I have re-found the joy and freedom of my lifestyle and my options. Probably more than before. I feel free and happy. Tout est possible.

I have been practising my French a bit here, which is fun but tiring, and I'm still crap haha. It's been difficult though because Sam speaks perfect English, and during my first two weeks Sophie, another English workawayer, arrived, making it easy for me to be lazy with my language. Sonja, a Spanish workawayer, was also here at the same time as Sophie, they spoke French or English together, and Sam speaks perfect Spanish too, so we had a great multi-lingual group environment, with Sam's brother and Dad who were also visiting to help, and lots of friends and neighbours constantly passing by.

The project is great. Its a house renovation, and when I first arrived conditions were rough. We had no windows in the house, and no fire. Now we have both, and like to pretend we are bourgeois! Last night we threw a big party with all of Sam's friends from the area, and so over the last few days we've worked really hard making the house really nice to invite people to. We now have a sofa and two big comfy chairs to add to the list! We took them from Ropato, the name of Sam's other big project ten minutes walk away – It's a place in a valley in the forest, a community space for living completely with nature. At the moment, in winter, it's not really possible to live there, but in the summer time lots of people come to work in the gardens, bath in the river, and live completely disconnected from society. Its an incredibly special and magical place, helped by the fact that Sam has such a strong connection with the land and the project that he describes it almost as though it is a friend. Every tree, rock and plant has a story, the place is alive. Sam lived alone for six months at Ropato when he first bought the land, just in a tent for a while and afterwards in a caravan, just to be completely with nature. Now it's an open community space where everyone is invited to live equally, and build there if they want to.

There is a piece of land here too (upstairs, as Sam calls it - 'up' out of the valley, back in the real world! Ropato is in another dimension!), which is just down the track from the house at the back of the tiny village. We have been working there a lot to prepare a big permaculture veggie garden. We've built Hugelbeds (layers of – specifically in this order – twigs and branches, brambles, grass clumps, ash, cardboard, earth, chicken manure, straw) which will compost over the winter and be ready for plants in the spring, and a 20 metre polytunnel which we deconstructed at Sam's friends house and reconstructed here. All of which has required a lot of digging, I'm now an expert. I've really enjoyed working in the garden here. Even sometimes when its been cold or raining I've still felt a nice connection with nature, and I've felt quite inspired to help with the permaculture plans. We worked out in the garden a lot every day when we were a big group, but since the girls left me and Sam have spent some time off, visiting around La Creuse. We've really connected and formed a great friendship, I feel very privileged to have met him and spent such lovely times here.

La Creuse is an area just full of ecologically minded people, who are all great friends together, it's a great community. I've been to lots of little parties now, and then saw everyone again last night for our party, so it's been really nice. I've visited a fully-functioning renovated bread oven, and helped Perrine make her bread for the market. Sam and I went on a little day trip, and decided to visit a place he knows of but hasn't been before, belonging to a friend, a beautiful little piece of land in the forest with a yurt, and a cob house built in the trees. Nobody was home so we just looked around a bit. We then popped by his friend's big communal house, which used to be a mill so is sitting directly next to a beautiful big lake. We popped in just to say hello, but we were invited to eat a meal and sleep over. In the morning Antoine gave us a tour of the land, veggie gardens, goats, old mill, lake, and forest. Last weekend we went to a little party at Ruth and Jean-Luc's very modern straw bale house. And on Tuesday evening we went for a meal at Adrian and Camille's house, which is made up of two yurts connected by a small corridor. All these visits have been fantastic, and it's been great to meet so many lovely, interesting people. On a side note, everybody I have met, no matter how different their houses or their personalities, has a compost toilet. A small piece of information which says a lot about the mentalities and eco-lifestyles of all of these friends.

My time here is close to an end, as I get ready to leave for Lyon tomorrow, and afterwards back to Millau to help Christophe with a big art exhibition. I think I will find it difficult to go, but it's been a great moment, and now it's time to move on. I feel that I've really grown here. I felt an immediate connection with the house and the place, and I should have known at the start that something amazing was about to happen. I've learnt a lot from the work and all the people I've met, and from taking time to not worry about the future, to just try and understand the nature of life. And I've especially learnt from my time and friendship with Sam, who has inspired and encouraged me to seek and to keep exploring. I am so grateful for this.

Who knows what the future will bring. I'm just going to try and keep growing.