After a lie-in and breakfast Maxi and I went to one of the numerous activity centres, where we booked what we wanted to do over the next few days. It was a shop too, selling lots of things from and to do with the area, and I decided to buy a beautiful bracelet with wolf charms and little blue-black glittering stone spheres, and a simple string necklace with a wooden black bear pendant. After lunch we took a walk to Tonquin Park, where there's a walking trail through the rainforest and access to a beach, which was really nice. It was cloudy but dry, and the sun broke through now and again.
While in the supermarket buying lunch and dinner supplies, Maxi suggested rice and fish for that evening, so when we came across a box of jambalaya-spiced rice, I suggested we buy that, a couple of vegetables and some seafood to add to it. She agreed and we had an easy, filling and very very tasty meal! After dinner we went to Jack's, the pub at the other end of the village where I'd been during the Moose trip. We arrived just as open-mic night was starting, and it gradually got busier. The musicians were all good, and their instruments and styles varied. One guy - to my utter, absolute and sheer delight - went up with a bodhran. For those who don't know what that is, it's an Irish type of handheld drum. It's pronounced "bow-rawn" and I sat enthralled.
Saturday, 19 October 2013
Sunday 6th October 2013, day 87 - Vancouver to Tofino for the second time
I was due to catch the 12:50 ferry from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver, so before I left the house I made a frittata to use up eggs and vegetables in the fridge and to take for lunch. The clear sunshine meant that, on the ferry, the glaciated cone of Mount Baker - an active volcano 121 miles south-east in Washington State - rose up behind Vancouver like a ghost. On days of exceptional clarity, the even more distant Mount Rainier can be seen from Victoria. Perhaps it was, there were more snow-topped mountains in the distance.
(The water wasn't that dark. I reduced the brightness and increased the contrast to make the mountain more clearly visible - of course the camera couldn't capture it as clearly as I saw it.)
I boarded the Tofino Express at Departure Bay in Nanaimo, Maxi got on five minutes later at the bus depot and we spent the next hour and a half travelling west towards Port Alberni. It was the same route the Moose bus had taken, but looked much different in the sunshine - that is, everything was visible, not swathed in clouds and rain. We passed Coombs Old Country Market, Campbell Lake, Sproat Lake, Little Qualicum Falls, Wally Creek and MacMillan Provincial Park. Cathedral Grove had looked like something out of a Tolkien story enough in the drizzle that accompanied my first visit there, but this time - with the low sun, the occasional maple providing a splash of gold, and the silvery ferns - it was utterly enchanting. This was just from the road, too, not in among the towering trees themselves.
During the forty-five minute break at Port Alberni, storm clouds were visible in the direction we were headed, and after reboarding the bus we soon hit rain and everything was as I remembered it. We arrived in Tofino at 7pm - the driver kindly dropped us off at the hostel door - and after putting our bags in our room we hurried to the supermarket before it closed at 8, to buy some pasta and a jar of sauce for a quick and simple (but tasty) dinner.
Our two dorm-roommates were from - of all places - Southampton.
(The water wasn't that dark. I reduced the brightness and increased the contrast to make the mountain more clearly visible - of course the camera couldn't capture it as clearly as I saw it.)
I boarded the Tofino Express at Departure Bay in Nanaimo, Maxi got on five minutes later at the bus depot and we spent the next hour and a half travelling west towards Port Alberni. It was the same route the Moose bus had taken, but looked much different in the sunshine - that is, everything was visible, not swathed in clouds and rain. We passed Coombs Old Country Market, Campbell Lake, Sproat Lake, Little Qualicum Falls, Wally Creek and MacMillan Provincial Park. Cathedral Grove had looked like something out of a Tolkien story enough in the drizzle that accompanied my first visit there, but this time - with the low sun, the occasional maple providing a splash of gold, and the silvery ferns - it was utterly enchanting. This was just from the road, too, not in among the towering trees themselves.
During the forty-five minute break at Port Alberni, storm clouds were visible in the direction we were headed, and after reboarding the bus we soon hit rain and everything was as I remembered it. We arrived in Tofino at 7pm - the driver kindly dropped us off at the hostel door - and after putting our bags in our room we hurried to the supermarket before it closed at 8, to buy some pasta and a jar of sauce for a quick and simple (but tasty) dinner.
Our two dorm-roommates were from - of all places - Southampton.
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Sunday 6th October 2013, day 87 - A week back in Vancouver between trips
I left the farm on Monday 1st and took the ferry back to Tsawwassen. The sky over Vancouver was dark with storm clouds by the time it docked, but the sun shone from the west onto the early-autumn trees creating a spectacular contrast I happily gazed out at through the bus windows. Apart from the clouds and the trees, though, I didn't like the journey between the ferry terminal and the house; it felt like being in London when I didn't want to be.
After three weeks on a farm, returning to a major city, via areas I haven't been before, after sunset, was rather disorienting. Well, I say "rather"... It felt exceedingly strange being back in Vancouver, and back in the house, on Monday night and Tuesday.
Two of my housemates, Anna and Hannes, a German couple who had moved in while I was in the Rockies, had asked if they could use my quiet bedroom at the top of the house as a work space while I was away, to which I readily agreed (their room was next to the busy kitchen so they were repeatedly disturbed, though they've now moved into the room opposite mine since the girl who was in it left). They sent me a long email when I was on the farm, asking how it was going and letting me know what was happening at the house, which was a pleasant surprise, and I got back to find a bar of chocolate on my pillow with a photo of most of the housemates, which had been taken at a house meeting the week before I went to the farm :)
The housemates I did see on Monday evening were very friendly and welcomed me back, asking how my time on the farm had been, what I'd done there, if I'd been elsewhere on the Island, etc. Arriving at dinnertime, I'd planned to have pasta with butter for dinner - having not much more than those two things - but Hannes kindly offered me some of the large amount of bolognese sauce he was cooking, and even heated up a slice of apple strudel for afterwards.
It was dark when I arrived back at the house, so when on Tuesday morning I opened the curtain to see the gorgeous blazing shades of red and gold on the deciduous tree out front, bright in the sunlight against the clear blue sky, I was thoroughly happy. (Actually, the curtain too had been a surprise, a new addition that Anna had thoughtfully put up while I was away: the skylight has a blind but the window next to my bed had nothing and I'd been using a blanket to cover it at night.) I spent a couple of days working on the blog, sitting in my room at the top of the house, listening to the rain on the roof, and glancing every now and then at that tree. Now, when I'm finishing this and posting it two weeks later, all the leaves are gone.
On Tuesday I went shopping. Knowing I would be away for two or three or maybe even four weeks, I'd used up all the perishable food I had before going to the farm, and finished most other store-cupboard basics. (Hence the pasta and butter.) I needed to restock. Fruit, veg, bread, eggs, milk, meat, cheese, pesto, tinned tomatoes and tuna... pretty much everything except peanut butter and pancake mix. I also bought some sardines, and had sardines on toast for lunch :)
I could tell from just a single glance at the apples in the grocery store that they were proper, seasonal, local ones. They were gorgeous. I love seasonal produce. For once they were that beautiful deep red colour, crisp and sweet. I even bought some pears, which I don't usually do. Kale and chard, which I hadn't seen in there before but of course I'd been handling at the farm, had also suddenly made an appearance.
Autumn! Yay!
October. Wow.
Happily, a slow cooker has been found and cleaned. There's not enough room in the freezer to make lots, but I'll be able to make stews! Hurrah. I've been wanting to use the barley on the 'Help Yourself' shelf in the kitchen for a long time.
On Thursday, for the first time ever, I bought clothes from a charity shop. I needed to buy some more warm clothes, but clothes shops here are of such great number and variety that I didn't know where to start. So I started at the charity shop opposite the supermarket, and came away feeling very pleased! I'd managed to buy several items for the same amount of money that would buy me two or three things in H&M, thus eliminating my need to go to said international big name shop. I am a convert, I will use charity shops more often. There were, however, two things I needed to get which weren't available in there, and I had to spend a lot of money on those - but they're much better quality than I've had before now and should last longer, so should be worth it.
I've spent some time considering whether to spend the winter in Vancouver or Victoria. Vancouver is very expensive (well, it is in Kitsilano, much cheaper in other areas further from Downtown and the beaches). The Downtown area is huge and daunting and I don't like it much. Victoria's Downtown is lovely, and much easier to navigate. Rent there is also cheaper.
On the farm and until I got back to the house in Vancouver, I was leaning towards choosing to move to Victoria. I know I would enjoy it there. However I really enjoyed being back at the house, with my housemates.
It was quite unsettled the week I was back: people had moved out, people were moving in, people were moving into different rooms, there was maintenance, redecorating and a thorough clear-out taking place. That's calmed down now, but there are still ten people in this house, which means it is hectic at times. Especially in the evening when five people want to make dinner at the same time, and there's only three working hobs, the oven and the microwave available. But I quite like it, they're nice people, there's a nice vibe to the place. I know I've been away on trips for half the time I've been here, but I'm only just starting to get to know them, get on well with them, and think that maybe if I stayed here long enough that proper friendships could be formed. If I went to Victoria I'd have to start from scratch.
I don't care much for Downtown Vancouver at the moment, but there's so much in Kitsilano that I wouldn't necessarily need to venture there often. The house is between two major retail streets, both with loads and loads of different types of shops and restaurants and cafes. I need to take time to walk around and explore and actually take notice. Next to the charity shop, there is a second-hand bookshop. Until Thursday, despite the fact that it's opposite the supermarket and I've walked past it a few times to the bank, I'd never realised it existed. There are bound to be more. There's an independent family-owned organic bakery that makes fruit pies by hand in the back of the store. There are probably antique shops. There are a few quirky stores selling crystals and incense and Buddha statues. I could try to find a job in any one of those sorts of places.
So I've decided to stay in Vancouver for the winter, and give the big city a chance.
Lastly... I'm working on a blog post just about food, and I'm not sure whether to include it in this Canada blog - it's related to my time on the farm - or start a new blog altogether, start a food blog. I don't know what I'd write about most of the time, or how often I'd post, but food is one of my passions. Also I find I quite enjoy writing, though it takes me a heck of a long time. Anyway, I'll decide within the next few days, I think.
After three weeks on a farm, returning to a major city, via areas I haven't been before, after sunset, was rather disorienting. Well, I say "rather"... It felt exceedingly strange being back in Vancouver, and back in the house, on Monday night and Tuesday.
Two of my housemates, Anna and Hannes, a German couple who had moved in while I was in the Rockies, had asked if they could use my quiet bedroom at the top of the house as a work space while I was away, to which I readily agreed (their room was next to the busy kitchen so they were repeatedly disturbed, though they've now moved into the room opposite mine since the girl who was in it left). They sent me a long email when I was on the farm, asking how it was going and letting me know what was happening at the house, which was a pleasant surprise, and I got back to find a bar of chocolate on my pillow with a photo of most of the housemates, which had been taken at a house meeting the week before I went to the farm :)
The housemates I did see on Monday evening were very friendly and welcomed me back, asking how my time on the farm had been, what I'd done there, if I'd been elsewhere on the Island, etc. Arriving at dinnertime, I'd planned to have pasta with butter for dinner - having not much more than those two things - but Hannes kindly offered me some of the large amount of bolognese sauce he was cooking, and even heated up a slice of apple strudel for afterwards.
It was dark when I arrived back at the house, so when on Tuesday morning I opened the curtain to see the gorgeous blazing shades of red and gold on the deciduous tree out front, bright in the sunlight against the clear blue sky, I was thoroughly happy. (Actually, the curtain too had been a surprise, a new addition that Anna had thoughtfully put up while I was away: the skylight has a blind but the window next to my bed had nothing and I'd been using a blanket to cover it at night.) I spent a couple of days working on the blog, sitting in my room at the top of the house, listening to the rain on the roof, and glancing every now and then at that tree. Now, when I'm finishing this and posting it two weeks later, all the leaves are gone.
On Tuesday I went shopping. Knowing I would be away for two or three or maybe even four weeks, I'd used up all the perishable food I had before going to the farm, and finished most other store-cupboard basics. (Hence the pasta and butter.) I needed to restock. Fruit, veg, bread, eggs, milk, meat, cheese, pesto, tinned tomatoes and tuna... pretty much everything except peanut butter and pancake mix. I also bought some sardines, and had sardines on toast for lunch :)
I could tell from just a single glance at the apples in the grocery store that they were proper, seasonal, local ones. They were gorgeous. I love seasonal produce. For once they were that beautiful deep red colour, crisp and sweet. I even bought some pears, which I don't usually do. Kale and chard, which I hadn't seen in there before but of course I'd been handling at the farm, had also suddenly made an appearance.
Autumn! Yay!
October. Wow.
Happily, a slow cooker has been found and cleaned. There's not enough room in the freezer to make lots, but I'll be able to make stews! Hurrah. I've been wanting to use the barley on the 'Help Yourself' shelf in the kitchen for a long time.
On Thursday, for the first time ever, I bought clothes from a charity shop. I needed to buy some more warm clothes, but clothes shops here are of such great number and variety that I didn't know where to start. So I started at the charity shop opposite the supermarket, and came away feeling very pleased! I'd managed to buy several items for the same amount of money that would buy me two or three things in H&M, thus eliminating my need to go to said international big name shop. I am a convert, I will use charity shops more often. There were, however, two things I needed to get which weren't available in there, and I had to spend a lot of money on those - but they're much better quality than I've had before now and should last longer, so should be worth it.
I've spent some time considering whether to spend the winter in Vancouver or Victoria. Vancouver is very expensive (well, it is in Kitsilano, much cheaper in other areas further from Downtown and the beaches). The Downtown area is huge and daunting and I don't like it much. Victoria's Downtown is lovely, and much easier to navigate. Rent there is also cheaper.
On the farm and until I got back to the house in Vancouver, I was leaning towards choosing to move to Victoria. I know I would enjoy it there. However I really enjoyed being back at the house, with my housemates.
It was quite unsettled the week I was back: people had moved out, people were moving in, people were moving into different rooms, there was maintenance, redecorating and a thorough clear-out taking place. That's calmed down now, but there are still ten people in this house, which means it is hectic at times. Especially in the evening when five people want to make dinner at the same time, and there's only three working hobs, the oven and the microwave available. But I quite like it, they're nice people, there's a nice vibe to the place. I know I've been away on trips for half the time I've been here, but I'm only just starting to get to know them, get on well with them, and think that maybe if I stayed here long enough that proper friendships could be formed. If I went to Victoria I'd have to start from scratch.
I don't care much for Downtown Vancouver at the moment, but there's so much in Kitsilano that I wouldn't necessarily need to venture there often. The house is between two major retail streets, both with loads and loads of different types of shops and restaurants and cafes. I need to take time to walk around and explore and actually take notice. Next to the charity shop, there is a second-hand bookshop. Until Thursday, despite the fact that it's opposite the supermarket and I've walked past it a few times to the bank, I'd never realised it existed. There are bound to be more. There's an independent family-owned organic bakery that makes fruit pies by hand in the back of the store. There are probably antique shops. There are a few quirky stores selling crystals and incense and Buddha statues. I could try to find a job in any one of those sorts of places.
So I've decided to stay in Vancouver for the winter, and give the big city a chance.
Lastly... I'm working on a blog post just about food, and I'm not sure whether to include it in this Canada blog - it's related to my time on the farm - or start a new blog altogether, start a food blog. I don't know what I'd write about most of the time, or how often I'd post, but food is one of my passions. Also I find I quite enjoy writing, though it takes me a heck of a long time. Anyway, I'll decide within the next few days, I think.
Saturday, 5 October 2013
Lockwood Farm - Week Three
Monday 23rd, day 75
We cleaned tubs and eggs for three and a half hours and had lunch slightly earlier than usual. For myself I made scrambled eggs with tomatoes, herbs and cheese - which was very tasty and I'll make it more often. In the afternoon we removed dead tomato plants and planted broccoli. Everyone had dinner next door with James' parents then, while Maxi filled the house with the smell of baking yoghurt bread, I sorted photos for couple of hours. Of course everyone tried a slice, fresh and warm with butter and honey :) We finished off the evening with a card game called Dutch Blitz, during which James produced shot glasses of milk with amaretto; the first sip was nice, but after that I found it too strong for my liking.
Tuesday 24th, day 76
In the morning I put on full waterproofs, and harvested/washed/bagged rocket and bunched spinach until elevenses. Everyone else warmed up with mugs of steaming tea, which (much to their surprise) I don't like - but happily they had some Ribena so I did have a hot drink. I harvested and washed kale and bagged salad mix until lunch, for which I reheated some leftover shrimp korma and had a slice of Maxi's bread. The weather was still rubbish so we were given tasks to do in the workshop: for an hour and a half we cleaned eggs, then started to pot stevia plant cuttings but Cammy would be late back so I went to start dinner. It didn't take long to prepare so I sorted photos while it was cooking. James had been out and picked two full crates of apples somewhere so made apple pie for dessert: yum!
Wednesday 25th, day 77
Maxi wanted to go to the Royal BC Museum, so we went into Victoria with James and spent three hours in there; two of those were on one floor alone. For lunch we headed to a fish-and-chip shack on the waterfront, but the queue was too long so we continued another couple of minutes to the pizza place, got a take-away slice each (and a chocolate-cornflake-marshmallow-peanut butter square to share) and sat in the sunshine overlooking the Inner Harbour. I bought some honey from one of the market stall holders and James told us to check out the olive oil shop opposite while he packed up. On the way back we stopped at Goldstream for a walk along the river. We were slightly early for the salmon run, which is probably happening now and would be quite a sight, but it was a pretty place and a nice walk. Some of the market stallholders exchange leftover produce with each other at the end of the day, so we had some gorgeous fresh corn on the cob for dinner, barbecued with potatoes, shrimp and salad. After that we watched "The Matrix", an excellent film which I'd never seen before.
Thursday 26th, day 78
This morning we were tasked with removing selected weeds from where the tomato plants had been. It was frustrating and I disliked that as much as I did weeding at home. I'd have preferred to remove all the weeds, leaving a clear patch behind me, instead of just having to find certain ones in among a tangled profusion of others. After elevenses James asked for help cleaning eggs - a chef he supplies had called asking to pick up fifteen dozen early afternoon - so while Maxi and Ryoko continued weeding in the sunshine I did that. Cammy made egg mayo to have with the newly-arrived bread rolls for lunch, and I spent the last couple of hours helping to finish weeding the tomato patch. We had corn on the cob for dinner again, this time just boiled and buttered, with runner beans, salad and barbecued chicken wings. Simple things can taste so good :)
Friday 27th, day 79
Thursday was the last day I wrote anything down, and the only thing I remember harvesting was basil. We had eggy bread for lunch, with blackberries, jam and syrup, and after finishing for the day went to Kinsol Trestle, a wooden railway bridge from the 1920's that's recently undergone an expensive restoration. It was really quiet and foggy, which gave quite an atmospheric feeling to the place, and the bridge was impressive. We didn't get back until nearly 8pm, but had a nice meal and apple pie from James' mum waiting for us and, after gladly tucking into those, watched the second Matrix film.
Saturday 28th, day 79
Ryoko, Maxi and I spent some of the day helping Cammy prepare for the baby shower she was holding for her friend that evening. I made dinner, a sort of stew of sausages, beans and vegetables. The sausages Cammy had provided unknowingly had chilli in them and were very spicy, so the flavour of the stew was a bit lost, but it was warming comfort food after a rainy day. The guests arrived shortly afterwards and we were welcome to join the party if we wanted to, but when James' plans to go elsewhere fell through he suggested taking the DVD player, some popcorn and blankets next door to watch the third and final Matrix film, to which we readily agreed!
Sunday 29th, day 80
The weather worsened as a storm arrived so Cammy and James decided it'd be better for me to get the ferry back the following day, and I spent the day mostly reading. James made eggs Benedict for brunch - it was intended as a late breakfast but was nearly noon by the time we ate. Poached eggs over bacon on a buttered English muffin, covered in Hollandaise sauce: I've never had it, and it was really nice! We had pasta for dinner, with vegetables and pesto made of rocket instead of basil, then filled jugs and pans full of water in case of a powercut - their water comes from a well on the property but the pump is electrically-powered, so if there's no power there's no water either. The last couple of hours before bed was spent playing Cluedo.
We cleaned tubs and eggs for three and a half hours and had lunch slightly earlier than usual. For myself I made scrambled eggs with tomatoes, herbs and cheese - which was very tasty and I'll make it more often. In the afternoon we removed dead tomato plants and planted broccoli. Everyone had dinner next door with James' parents then, while Maxi filled the house with the smell of baking yoghurt bread, I sorted photos for couple of hours. Of course everyone tried a slice, fresh and warm with butter and honey :) We finished off the evening with a card game called Dutch Blitz, during which James produced shot glasses of milk with amaretto; the first sip was nice, but after that I found it too strong for my liking.
Tuesday 24th, day 76
In the morning I put on full waterproofs, and harvested/washed/bagged rocket and bunched spinach until elevenses. Everyone else warmed up with mugs of steaming tea, which (much to their surprise) I don't like - but happily they had some Ribena so I did have a hot drink. I harvested and washed kale and bagged salad mix until lunch, for which I reheated some leftover shrimp korma and had a slice of Maxi's bread. The weather was still rubbish so we were given tasks to do in the workshop: for an hour and a half we cleaned eggs, then started to pot stevia plant cuttings but Cammy would be late back so I went to start dinner. It didn't take long to prepare so I sorted photos while it was cooking. James had been out and picked two full crates of apples somewhere so made apple pie for dessert: yum!
Wednesday 25th, day 77
Maxi wanted to go to the Royal BC Museum, so we went into Victoria with James and spent three hours in there; two of those were on one floor alone. For lunch we headed to a fish-and-chip shack on the waterfront, but the queue was too long so we continued another couple of minutes to the pizza place, got a take-away slice each (and a chocolate-cornflake-marshmallow-peanut butter square to share) and sat in the sunshine overlooking the Inner Harbour. I bought some honey from one of the market stall holders and James told us to check out the olive oil shop opposite while he packed up. On the way back we stopped at Goldstream for a walk along the river. We were slightly early for the salmon run, which is probably happening now and would be quite a sight, but it was a pretty place and a nice walk. Some of the market stallholders exchange leftover produce with each other at the end of the day, so we had some gorgeous fresh corn on the cob for dinner, barbecued with potatoes, shrimp and salad. After that we watched "The Matrix", an excellent film which I'd never seen before.
Thursday 26th, day 78
This morning we were tasked with removing selected weeds from where the tomato plants had been. It was frustrating and I disliked that as much as I did weeding at home. I'd have preferred to remove all the weeds, leaving a clear patch behind me, instead of just having to find certain ones in among a tangled profusion of others. After elevenses James asked for help cleaning eggs - a chef he supplies had called asking to pick up fifteen dozen early afternoon - so while Maxi and Ryoko continued weeding in the sunshine I did that. Cammy made egg mayo to have with the newly-arrived bread rolls for lunch, and I spent the last couple of hours helping to finish weeding the tomato patch. We had corn on the cob for dinner again, this time just boiled and buttered, with runner beans, salad and barbecued chicken wings. Simple things can taste so good :)
Friday 27th, day 79
Thursday was the last day I wrote anything down, and the only thing I remember harvesting was basil. We had eggy bread for lunch, with blackberries, jam and syrup, and after finishing for the day went to Kinsol Trestle, a wooden railway bridge from the 1920's that's recently undergone an expensive restoration. It was really quiet and foggy, which gave quite an atmospheric feeling to the place, and the bridge was impressive. We didn't get back until nearly 8pm, but had a nice meal and apple pie from James' mum waiting for us and, after gladly tucking into those, watched the second Matrix film.
Saturday 28th, day 79
Ryoko, Maxi and I spent some of the day helping Cammy prepare for the baby shower she was holding for her friend that evening. I made dinner, a sort of stew of sausages, beans and vegetables. The sausages Cammy had provided unknowingly had chilli in them and were very spicy, so the flavour of the stew was a bit lost, but it was warming comfort food after a rainy day. The guests arrived shortly afterwards and we were welcome to join the party if we wanted to, but when James' plans to go elsewhere fell through he suggested taking the DVD player, some popcorn and blankets next door to watch the third and final Matrix film, to which we readily agreed!
Sunday 29th, day 80
The weather worsened as a storm arrived so Cammy and James decided it'd be better for me to get the ferry back the following day, and I spent the day mostly reading. James made eggs Benedict for brunch - it was intended as a late breakfast but was nearly noon by the time we ate. Poached eggs over bacon on a buttered English muffin, covered in Hollandaise sauce: I've never had it, and it was really nice! We had pasta for dinner, with vegetables and pesto made of rocket instead of basil, then filled jugs and pans full of water in case of a powercut - their water comes from a well on the property but the pump is electrically-powered, so if there's no power there's no water either. The last couple of hours before bed was spent playing Cluedo.
Lockwood Farm - Week Two
Monday 16th, day 68
This was the day I was ill, and stayed in bed for most of it. I first began to feel not quite right when cleaning eggs so thought it was just the smell, but went to sit outside when I started feeling shaky and lightheaded. It soon passed, though, and I rejoined them. Lunch, however, was lasagne, and I don't know why I had even the single mouthful I did manage before being forced to hurriedly excuse myself. Needless to say I didn't join them for dinner, but did for a game of Monopoly and kept down a slice of watermelon.
Tuesday 17th, day 69
I'd been fine overnight so, after having just some plain porridge for breakfast, started harvesting rhubarb. Washing and bunching that was followed by doing the same for kale, bagging runner beans - which reminded me of Grandad - and harvesting/washing rocket and mizuna to go in the salad mix. After cheese on toast and a fried egg for lunch, I finished off said mix by picking edible flowers and then bagging it all up with Maxi. I made dinner, pasta with chicken in spiced tomato
sauce, and rhubarb crumble and popcorn were made before we watched "Now You See Me", which is a great film!
Wednesday 18th, day 70
I went into Victoria with James and helped set up the market stall, but
then had four hours to do what I liked before returning when the market
finished at 3pm. I spent an hour and a half in a bookshop, and bought a thick Lonely Planet comprehensive guide to Canada, before finding my way
to and having lunch at the pizza place I'd been to on the Moose trip. We
stopped at a viewpoint on the way back, and I helped unload the trailer back at
the farm before having Thai green curry for dinner.
Thursday 19th, day 71
After cleaning tubs, the remainder of the day was spent weeding carrots.
We finished early, though, when Cammy came back with Ryoko and James decided
we'd go to the old quarry while the weather was still nice. The old quarry is
now a lake and, despite the fact
that it's apparently private property, has been a very popular swimming spot with the locals for years. The weather was cooler and cloudier than
the previous week, but not so much that we didn't go swimming.
Friday 20th, day 72
With five people at it, most of the harvesting and market prep was done
in a few hours; so Maxi and I weeded leeks for a while before lunch (Ryoko
continued with James and Barry) and resumed afterwards for an hour or so. We
finished just as it was beginning to rain and joined Barry cleaning eggs.
Dinner was barbecued lamb-and-aubergine kebabs with potatoes, salad and Maxi's
homemade mayo. She made dessert, too: a kind of bread and butter pudding
without the butter, with apples and the custard on the side... we curdled the
custard, but it tasted good.
Saturday 21st, day 73
James and his brother-in-law had fixed the internet connection the
previous evening so, when he and Cammy left for the Duncan market in the
morning, I took the opportunity to catch up with friends and family. Maxi did
the same but Ryoko took a bike and explored despite the rain. Said precipitation stopped around
4pm so we went for a walk and found the Cobble Hill Mountain hiking trails, but
didn't follow them. Returning about 5:30/6pm we joined Ryoko talking to James' nine-year-old nephew, who was up a tree sawing off a branch to make slingshots.
He ended up making one for each of us. Dinner was eggy bread and I fried apple
slices to go with mine: yum :) James had arranged
to go and play video games with his brother-in-law for the evening so Maxi,
Ryoko and I watched "I Capture the Castle" (a British period drama which I thoroughly enjoyed), then helped Cammy finish making
another batch of plum jam and cleared up before bed.
Sunday 22nd, day 74
The morning was lazy, I
worked on the blog and looked at Cammy's recipe books. Ryoko and I went with
her for the short drive to the pretty little village of Cowichan Bay to trade
for shrimp, then spent two hours shelling 10lbs of them. Haha. A new skill, much
easier than cutting up a chicken. Of course we used some for dinner in a shrimp korma, which was followed by bread and
butter pudding with apple.
Lockwood Farm - Week One
Sunday 8th, day 60
It took about an hour and a half (and two transfers from bus to Skytrain to bus) to reach the ferry terminal at Tsawwassen, a little over thirty kilometres south of Vancouver in the agricultural flatlands of Delta. Apparently it's the biggest ferry terminal in North America. The bus became surrounded by fog very suddenly as it neared the three-kilometre-long causeway, that juts out into the Strait of Georgia and leads to the terminal - but because the rest of the sky was for the most part clear, and the road is flanked on both sides by water, it created a wonderful glowing whiteness that I happily marvelled at. It cleared just as
suddenly about five or ten minutes after the ferry left the dock at 3:15pm, and the straight line of cloud was visible sitting on the water behind us as we emerged into sunshine. I arrived two hours later at Duke Point, Nanaimo, where Cammy met me, and we took
the scenic route back to the farm, where James had a simple dinner ready for us, of carrotts, beans, corn and little Ukranian potato-filled pastries called perogies. After
clearing up, we watched Amelie (I'd never seen it... it's good, but strange) and had some homemade blackberry ice-cream.
Monday 9th, day 61
We met for breakfast at 8am, then James gave me a tour of the farm and
introduced me to his dad before we started the Monday tasks. Cleaning eggs, for
the most part by myself, took until around 4pm so I helped Cammy with dinner
after that. It was Thai shrimp soup, from a packet mix they bought from one of
their market friends, and we ate outside with James' parents. It was so
delicious!
Tuesday 10th, day 62
The morning was spent harvesting, washing and bunching radishes. Lunch was salad with tuna, banana, peanuts and cheese, which sounds odd
but was really good, and after that I sorted and bagged basil then salad leaves. We
ate barbecued steak with potatoes and salad for dinner, outside again with
James' parents and nephew, and after cleaning up watched "Oz the Great and
Powerful".
Wednesday 11th, day 63
I weeded coriander then rocket for a couple of hours before leaving with
Cammy for Duncan, a town about ten minutes north, where we picked plums, pears
and apples in the garden of the house they rent out. Dinner was scrambled eggs
with tomato and basil, made by me, followed by leftover Thai soup. After
clearing up, Cammy and I made jam with the profusion of plums we'd harvested,
and didn't finish 'til 11pm.
Thursday 12th, day 64
Planting seedlings into the ground was today's task. It was quite nice,
simple, but uncomfortable: like weeding, it involves a lot of leaning or
crouching down. Thursday is bread pick-up day so there were some cinnamon scones
which went amazingly with the plum jam. For lunch we had freshly-made egg
mayonnaise sandwiches and a cold fruit smoothie. Cammy's extended family came
over for dinner, which was chicken roasted with rosemary potatoes, accompanied by salad and
extra sides brought by the guests. One of them had bought a couple of rhubarb-and-strawberry pies at a bakery in the town of Ladysmith, for dessert. Oh they were ever so yummy! After cleaning up and everyone had left, we went out to the workshop
to process some of the chickens that had been sent to the abattoir on Tuesday.
They'd been plucked before being returned to the farm, so were as you see them in
shops, ready to roast. James and Cammy briefly showed me how to cut it up and remove
each part (thighs, breast, wing, legs) but it did take me over an hour and a
half to do just one, haha!
Friday 13th, day 65
An hour and a half of cleaning eggs preceded the harvesting, washing and bunching of radishes until lunch. I spent the afternoon finishing the radishes, bunching
kale and chard, and picking edible flowers for the salad mix. James' mum cooked
dinner so we ate next door, before finishing market prep until about 9pm.
Saturday 14th, day 66
I went into Duncan with Cammy and, while she helped James' dad on the
market stall, took the opportunity to go to the supermarket and buy some
cold-weather tops (there isn't a clothing section in Safeway and there are so
many clothes shops in Vancouver I don't know where to start). For lunch I bought some kushari from one of the market vendors; it's an Egyptian dish of rice, pasta and lentils covered in
a spiced tomato sauce and topped with crispy fried onions and a garlic-cumin
dressing. It was amazing! I've already looked online for a recipe, but I should
have asked them what was in the sauce. I bought muesli and an
oat-seed-fruit-choc cookie from the bakers' stall next to the Lockwood one. James returned from Victoria in the evening with Maxi, and we had a late but tasty dinner of pasta with pesto, leftover chicken, tomatoes and parsley, followed by rhubarb-and-strawberry pie. Then she and I had our 'initiation': balancing eggs on the table. I managed to get only one standing upright, but Maxi had ten or eleven!Sunday 15th, day 67
The family went to church in the morning, so Maxi and I read for a few hours before I gave her a short tour of the farm and we played with Enzo for a while before they got back around lunchtime. Reading occupied the afternoon as well until dinner, which was pancakes with cream, raspberries and syrup - they make a point of having breakfast for dinner sometimes, because they don't have time in the mornings to make nice things like that. We watched Stardust before bed.
Overview of first WWOOFing experience
After three weeks spent on a farm on Vancouver Island I'm now back in the city, contemplating what I'm going to do next. For those who are interested in the day-to-day activities and variations thereof, I will write three more blog posts about my time on the farm, one for each week with a paragraph for each day; but this post I've written as a more general (though long) summary.
Lockwood Farm is located in Cobble Hill, about forty minutes north of Victoria, in the agricultural Cowichan Valley. My WWOOF hosts were James and Cammy, a couple in their late twenties with two kids aged four months and twenty-one months. Enzo the four-year-old chocolate Labrador completed the household. The Lockwood family has been farming for centuries, but mostly horticulturally; when James started, only a few years ago, he decided to take the tradition in a new direction, by growing edibles and having flocks of chicken and turkey.
There are three houses on the something like eight-acre property (which is on the site of an old school): James' parents live next door, and his sister with her family next to them. Originally from Yorkshire, they emigrated to Canada twenty-two years ago and James' parents still have no trace of a Canadian accent - though they use North American words like zucchini (courgette), arugula (rocket) and cilantro (coriander), which was strange to hear. His father Barry co-owns and helps manage the business.
For the first week I was the only WWOOFer, but German girl Maxi arrived on the first Saturday, and Japanese girl Ryoko the following Thursday. The variety of tasks wasn't large, but there were enough that we didn't do the same thing two days in a row. Cleaning eggs, harvesting and preparing for market, weeding and planting were what we did most.
Mondays and Thursdays were 'farm days'. Mornings began in the workshop (the old school gym, complete with paintings on the ceiling) with cleaning tubs that had been used to take produce to market the previous day. After the table had been cleared of those, we'd sit down to clean eggs (and weigh and sort them into medium or large cartons), which would take until about lunchtime. Afternoon tasks varied, but on Thursdays was usually weeding. On these days a sign advertising eggs was put on the roadside, so now and then someone would drive up to purchase a dozen or three.
I spent most of my second Monday there in bed, with a bucket on the floor beside me. Unfortunately and inexplicably I was unwell, which I haven't been in several years: the worst I get is a cold. Thankfully it was just a one-day thing, and everybody else was fine - although both Ryoko and Maxi have since suffered the same. James did too, on the day I left, but only from eating too many meringues and caramel cookies the evening before.
Weeding wasn't as hateful as I was expecting it to be: at home I used to loathe it, though was pleased that the garden looked tidy when I'd finished. Here it wasn't so bad. Of course it was still incredibly uncomfortable, which is never pleasant, and my neck and shoulders ached the next day, but weeding carrots and leeks was quite satisfying. It probably helped that the soil wasn't hard-packed and stony like at home.
Each Thursday Cammy picks up from the supermarket huge sacks full of bread about to exceed its sell-by date. It would all go to the food bank, but the people who use it are ridiculously picky and want sliced white only. So the Lockwoods get free bread, and lots of it. Some things like scones go mouldy within a day or two but there's always more than enough to last everyone the entire week. Everything left the following Thursday is fed to the chickens.
Tuesdays and Fridays were harvest days in preparation for market, so we worked until all the jobs were done. On Tuesdays we had to harvest not just for the market but also for the CSA boxes - Community Supported Agriculture members pay to receive a box of produce each week. After harvesting whichever crop, we'd wash them, picking out any bad or bug-eaten ones, then bunch or bag them.
Wednesdays and Saturdays were market days, which meant it was relaxed and easy on the farm and we could take the day off if we wanted to, and everyone had Sundays off.
The weather for the first week and a half was warm and sunny, and I got a bit tanned. We ate outside as much as possible, though the wasps were unwelcome company. The second half of week two was slightly cooler and cloudier, but with the autumn equinox arrived the autumnal weather, and week three was wet and chilly.
Lockwood Farm is located in Cobble Hill, about forty minutes north of Victoria, in the agricultural Cowichan Valley. My WWOOF hosts were James and Cammy, a couple in their late twenties with two kids aged four months and twenty-one months. Enzo the four-year-old chocolate Labrador completed the household. The Lockwood family has been farming for centuries, but mostly horticulturally; when James started, only a few years ago, he decided to take the tradition in a new direction, by growing edibles and having flocks of chicken and turkey.
There are three houses on the something like eight-acre property (which is on the site of an old school): James' parents live next door, and his sister with her family next to them. Originally from Yorkshire, they emigrated to Canada twenty-two years ago and James' parents still have no trace of a Canadian accent - though they use North American words like zucchini (courgette), arugula (rocket) and cilantro (coriander), which was strange to hear. His father Barry co-owns and helps manage the business.
For the first week I was the only WWOOFer, but German girl Maxi arrived on the first Saturday, and Japanese girl Ryoko the following Thursday. The variety of tasks wasn't large, but there were enough that we didn't do the same thing two days in a row. Cleaning eggs, harvesting and preparing for market, weeding and planting were what we did most.
Mondays and Thursdays were 'farm days'. Mornings began in the workshop (the old school gym, complete with paintings on the ceiling) with cleaning tubs that had been used to take produce to market the previous day. After the table had been cleared of those, we'd sit down to clean eggs (and weigh and sort them into medium or large cartons), which would take until about lunchtime. Afternoon tasks varied, but on Thursdays was usually weeding. On these days a sign advertising eggs was put on the roadside, so now and then someone would drive up to purchase a dozen or three.
I spent most of my second Monday there in bed, with a bucket on the floor beside me. Unfortunately and inexplicably I was unwell, which I haven't been in several years: the worst I get is a cold. Thankfully it was just a one-day thing, and everybody else was fine - although both Ryoko and Maxi have since suffered the same. James did too, on the day I left, but only from eating too many meringues and caramel cookies the evening before.
Weeding wasn't as hateful as I was expecting it to be: at home I used to loathe it, though was pleased that the garden looked tidy when I'd finished. Here it wasn't so bad. Of course it was still incredibly uncomfortable, which is never pleasant, and my neck and shoulders ached the next day, but weeding carrots and leeks was quite satisfying. It probably helped that the soil wasn't hard-packed and stony like at home.
Each Thursday Cammy picks up from the supermarket huge sacks full of bread about to exceed its sell-by date. It would all go to the food bank, but the people who use it are ridiculously picky and want sliced white only. So the Lockwoods get free bread, and lots of it. Some things like scones go mouldy within a day or two but there's always more than enough to last everyone the entire week. Everything left the following Thursday is fed to the chickens.
Tuesdays and Fridays were harvest days in preparation for market, so we worked until all the jobs were done. On Tuesdays we had to harvest not just for the market but also for the CSA boxes - Community Supported Agriculture members pay to receive a box of produce each week. After harvesting whichever crop, we'd wash them, picking out any bad or bug-eaten ones, then bunch or bag them.
Wednesdays and Saturdays were market days, which meant it was relaxed and easy on the farm and we could take the day off if we wanted to, and everyone had Sundays off.
The weather for the first week and a half was warm and sunny, and I got a bit tanned. We ate outside as much as possible, though the wasps were unwelcome company. The second half of week two was slightly cooler and cloudier, but with the autumn equinox arrived the autumnal weather, and week three was wet and chilly.
Meals were eaten together, which was nice. Breakfast was porridge and toast. Lunch varied, but usually had something to do with eggs or bread or cheese, or leftovers. Dinners were good; we ate well with as much as possible sourced from the farm or elsewhere locally.
It wasn't just things directly related to the day-to-day running of the farm that I was able to do. I had my first try at cutting up a whole chicken into the separate meat parts: breasts, thighs, wings and legs. I helped with shelling however many individual shrimp it takes to make up ten pounds in weight. Preserving-wise, I helped make jam with the profusion of plums Cammy and I harvested. We dried apples and herbs, and made pesto to freeze. The amount of rhubarb that wasn't quite good enough for market but still perfectly usable, was enough to make two crumbles with. Their pantry had jars and jars full of cherries and peaches, jams and jellies. I loved it.
Even though I've had only one fairly short experience of working on only one type of farm, I don't think I could be a farmer, or do WWOOFing during the winter (at least at this latitude). With full waterproofs on, working outside in the rain wasn't too bad - but it was only once or twice for a short while in the mild early autumn, and in worse rain and colder months I'd undoubtedly have more of a dislike for it. Also farming is a business; I have no interest in business and little tolerance for The Customer. It's a great way of life, but as with anything you have to be passionate enough to commit to it despite the things that mean it's not so nice sometimes.
However, I would definitely love to be able to grow my own fruit and vegetables, and perhaps keep chickens and bees. That hasn't changed, though I have a lot to learn. :)
So, to finish up: I enjoyed my three weeks as a WWOOFer on Lockwood Farm. While the daily tasks can't be described as fun or exciting, they certainly weren't dull or horrible, and there were definitely some fun times. Not for a moment did I wish I hadn't gone. I learned some new things, made some new friends and I'm so glad I did it. It was my first experience doing something like that and won't be my last.
Even though I've had only one fairly short experience of working on only one type of farm, I don't think I could be a farmer, or do WWOOFing during the winter (at least at this latitude). With full waterproofs on, working outside in the rain wasn't too bad - but it was only once or twice for a short while in the mild early autumn, and in worse rain and colder months I'd undoubtedly have more of a dislike for it. Also farming is a business; I have no interest in business and little tolerance for The Customer. It's a great way of life, but as with anything you have to be passionate enough to commit to it despite the things that mean it's not so nice sometimes.
However, I would definitely love to be able to grow my own fruit and vegetables, and perhaps keep chickens and bees. That hasn't changed, though I have a lot to learn. :)
So, to finish up: I enjoyed my three weeks as a WWOOFer on Lockwood Farm. While the daily tasks can't be described as fun or exciting, they certainly weren't dull or horrible, and there were definitely some fun times. Not for a moment did I wish I hadn't gone. I learned some new things, made some new friends and I'm so glad I did it. It was my first experience doing something like that and won't be my last.
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