Week 45 - Woofing

On Monday, we received a tour of the farm and were explained our tasks. Woofing = Working on organic farms
We work 20 hours per person per week on the farm and receive accommodation and meals for free. We are here on a peony farm. Since it is autumn now, no flowers are naturally blooming. The season starts in October here, and the farm exports flowers worldwide. Three years ago, our boss Sacha took over the farm from her parents and has since opened a local store for B-grade products, as well as a small cafe and ice cream stand.

Our tasks include cutting the remaining flower stems so that the new flowers can be more easily harvested. In addition, the hedge around the farm has been trimmed, and the cut branches and leaves need to be gathered and thrown onto the trailer. It takes us quite a while to do this as a pair, so we definitely have enough work.
There are also always smaller, easier tasks, making each day varied so far. Sacha is a relaxed boss and always checks that we are doing well.
Her mother Kerry cooks dinner for us every evening, and it tastes excellent. She also buys the groceries, and we can write anything we want on the shopping list.
We have also become friends with the farm dog Emma. Emma is really sweet and sometimes accompanies us in our work on the farm.
So far, we really like it here.

Franzi is starting her new job on Monday. She is working at a van rental company as a 'Groomer'. The main part of the job will be the final cleaning of the vans. But also car washing and the New Zealand safety inspection are included in the job description.

Julian has also basically received confirmation for his job, but since there isn't much going on, he is not needed at the moment. Let's see if he finds something else or if he gets asked again.

Julian will work a bit more on the farm to relieve Franzi. On her days off at the van rental, she will help out on the farm. So it's going to be a few stressful weeks. What you do for love of money ;-)

If Franzi doesn’t enjoy the job, she will simply quit. In New Zealand, this is quite relaxed, and you can quit your job at any time.