‘And all because the lady loves…’

Overheard by a bonfire, last week :

‘I’d rather not get on my knees and blow today, thanks’

In Stackpole, Pembrokeshire, which if you haven’t been is like The Shire by the Sea.

Driving from Doncaster where I’d been rather Catweazled by a few days without power or mod cons, to a VERY remote and far away land that used to be a HUGE stately home and over 30km of paths and two beaches, no three..

Cast of characters:

Kev:  muscular but largely silent and self deprecating squaddie, unfazed by locked doors and once he’s made his mind up goes for it. Enactment of ‘All because the lady loves’ for the 21st century. Can’t see what all the fuss was about, ‘wouldn’t we have climbed up to the bedroom window and posted ourselves in like a letter’?

Room entered by our future SAS hero, Eleanor and Adrian, the couple who make OXO Katie and her husband from the adverts come alive for us. ‘So there really are married couples who live in harmony’ apart from our genial almost fairytale leaders, who seem a cross between St Nicholas and  Gladys Aylward and Larry David ( in appearance) with Felicity Kendal.

Beatific and be-haloed, smiling serenely as all around is mud and persons expecting help ( ranging from failed light bulbs to dropped sausages).

Gerry, who wants to be seen as the sarcastic sage but is really a tea making genie. Also fire expert, but wanted no credit for his skill.

Gemma, feisty young career girl who is unflustered by her rather unpredictable life, with egos demanding trousers to be found that are inches away from them.

Julie, who seemed to be always laughing and was the queen of the dishwasher. This dishwasher guru was so immersed in it she even quizzed the chef at the pub about their dishwasher’s foibles.. !

Lovely John, who truly was easy going- you’ve heard of this quality but rarely seen it.

Moss, who had a huge smile on his face as each tree succumbed to his axe action, with an apparently inexhaustible amount of energy that necessitated a lengthy walk after a *fairly* demanding day of sawing, dragging, lifting and plodding through sticky mud with brash…

Sonja, the German gal, keen to improve her English and mentor to Moss, with that characteristic straightforward German straight talking which we find quite humorous, when compared to our general vagueness and tendency for understatement..

Example( from a categories game later that week):

Me: Hairy Pear?.. I’m not sure if that’s…

Sonja: No. Hairy Pear is not allowed.

So what were we all up to? Coppicing in woodland that has the stickiest squelchiest slippiest mud, which made dragging brash to the fire quite a challenge.

There I go again with my British understatement.

Once again we have a group that would never have met if we hadn’t all decided that Stackpole in Wales and working in woodlands and volunteering our services for the NT for a week at a modest cost for food ( delicious) and accom ( actually very wonderful , a single room to ourselves each instead of a dorm) sounded like a frabjous idea.

Which it was.

Rain and mud notwithstanding, we had a super time and I got to do the bonfire and came away with a stool that I had made  from wood I’d chopped, shaped and fitted together ( mostly) and Julie and Adrian’s help at the end when time ran out was MUCH appreciated.

Thank you all -and the Vikings Adam and Alex- for another amazingly ‘green gym’ working holiday.

‘To the bunk house!’ a report

 

 

So I am now back from two weeks away, and will be offering my comparison of WRG versus NT working holidays. Tentative title: ‘Once more into the pleach” this is a hedging term.  Wow. Impressed?

Good things about WRG holidays: seeing all those familiar faces you know and love! Might also belong in the ‘less good things’  column, depending on your POV..

However now I’ve done a fair few NT hols I am seeing the same old faces ( old? Who you calling old?), and some of them are jolly fine faces at that.

GOOD food on both. Healthy *and* tasty, and learning new recipes and jolly FINE cakes in plentiful amounts.

Snorers on both, but luckily campy van saves the day, with judicious hot water bottle and new duvet, so *warm* and *silent nights* yayy.

BUNK beds on NT camps and accom standards roughly similar, BUT  usually no showers on WRG camps where there are on NT camps, and as we all know, WRG camps are actually HALF the cost.

Over heard this past fortnight:

‘I never let anyone hose me down”

‘I’ll have you working like you’re in a sauna, tomorrow!’ ‘Do you mean sweat shop??’

‘Is there anybody here?’ to a lounge full of people…

Characters, types and personalities:

See if you can spot who and where:

Is this you, dear reader:

1.Unwanted advice given?  The person who ( usually in a nasal voice of great  monotonous penetrative power) tells you how to suck eggs/cook bacon/ light a fire/ use a bill hook/ use any tool/ make a cup of tea /mop a floor.. you name it.

2.Radio wikkipedia?

Often the same person, will also discourse *at length* and not allowing interruptions , on a subject you actually know more about than they do, eg making bread and butter pudding, or New Towns,  Or Shakespeare… aaarghhh

3. The fitness guy/gal ; who wears sports gear and has his mountain bike; can also be a bit Radio Wikkipedia ‘ about his/her  ‘activities

4. ”All the gear, but no idea” how to perform the tasks on  the  ‘actual work’. Whether it be hedging or brick cleaning..

 

5.’ Just an hour’ contestants, who can talk without hesitation ( but often *with* repetition and deviation* )  on *any* subject of their choice ( not yours)  for as long as their breath holds out.. aarghh..

…often times this person is assistant leader so  exerts full force and you feel unable to tell them to ‘stow their gab’ and let someone else have some air time so we can actually get to know each other!!

Also you may experience a feeling of ‘wow, I have never been so bossed about in my whole life *ever* not even at work! Or as a child, and I am On Vacation for cripes’ sake!

6. LOVELY chaps and ladies, who although ‘perma single’ are completely adorable and you wish you could put them in your rucksack and warm your hands at their vibes of peace and humour, the utter darlings. Often painfully shy or very quiet, never monopolising the convo, often ignored but well worth the effort to ‘draw them out’ and gently ( without being too scary)  getting to know them. Brilliant sense of humour and a little chuckle like an elf.

7. The ‘should be ‘ (and probably is) leader,  an ‘enabler’ who is quietly confident, notices what needs doing or saying and does it or says it. Keeping things on an even keel like the good Capt with a steady hand on the tiller. GOLD.

Helps everyone to get to know each other and keeps the  conversational ball passing around, without trying to score any goals themselves… such glorious folk have been my pleasure to know on both WRG and NT camps, and long may they do the job that others struggle to do.