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Rebecca - Happy Birthday! And thank you for your comment and advice - I'm sure you'd do the same for me if I was in Australia!!

Tuesday  it was grey all day. Started off cold, then it was warm-ish and now it's freezing outside with a strong wind! We started at 9.30 as Sally went in to Geraldine to pick up Anya. When break time came around about 11, the girls decided that they didn't need a break – and I couldn't exactly say that I needed one (Sally had bought oat cookies I could eat!) so we worked until lunch at 1. I feel a bit useless. Sally asks me to do something, alone, like put wiring around the trees or put sticks in, without direction, I go ahead and do it. But then Emma comes around and tells me it's all wrong and has to be redone, and then Sally agrees with her. I can't do anything right. Today it took me 10 minutes to dig half a hole for a wee plant. Emma was like, do you want to go and help Linda and Remy? I tried with the hole, I really did. It would be easy if it were just soil and you all must be thinking, what a weakling! But there's carpet, then soil, then plastic wrapping, then huge rocks and tiny pebbles in every shovelful where you have to just get down on your hands and knees and just dig – or find a big tool to help – but I'm just not very good. I did go and help Linda and Remy. I was around the dreaded toi toi again, the stuff that cuts and scars me. I am covered in it. I had previously said tui tui, as Linda said, but the tui is actually a bird not a plant! I just had to get all the old toi toi leaves out the way, from the long grass away from the hand held motor that Linda and Remy were taking turns in. This time – I had long sleeves on all day! But unfortunately, since yesterday laundry day, I was wearing my shorts again. So I have cuts on my legs now too! I did think about wearing my pjs but didn't - I love them too much.

The dreaded carpet that's under the soil EVERYWHERE

Monday I managed to Skype from the house. I set apart 2 hours, 9-11, arranged with Sally, so I could talk to friends and family. The others started work at 9.30. My Dad apparently sent me a text to try and rearrange, as he went out for dinner for his birthday. But unfortunately, as I'm on the other side of the world, it costs me money to receive international texts as well as send them. And it seems I have run out of credit. Gah! I got a facebook message after I had sent him a brief birthday message, but it was no good. I did, however, manage a long chat with F and a tiny talk (bare minutes) with M. It was good to hear from both, especially F as I'm missing him quite a bit.

I've updated my credit now (Wednesday) but can't update my pack until 7th February, so I guess I'll get any international texts then. We have a surprise day off - so soon after the last one, I was pretty surprised! But she says we've been working really hard (which I really, really have) so when she and Emma went to Geraldine, and Remy and Linda worked on their car, I came online. I managed to talk for a minute with M again, mostly hello? hello? Are you there? Ha! We can never get it right. Email from now on, I guess! I managed to have a talk with my Dad which was good - finally - and a talk with my sister A and brother-inaw J. It was good to hear from all of them, and her knews of GJ and F&L. I managed to grab a lift into Geraldine yesterday with Sally when she went to drop off Anya and I spent the entire hour in the post office writing my remaining postcards. It's $1.90 to send a postcard, which is about 95p - seeing as a first class stamp within the UK is now about 60p, I'd say that's pretty amazing! So there are 8 postcards on their way to Europe, I'm not saying who yet!!

I've changed my plans again. Actually - I have no plan. My plan was to go to Mount Cook for a few days, as it's only 3 hours from here, but as a backpacker on a budget, I can't afford it. The cheapest backpacker is $35 a night, the bus there and back (only to Geraldine) is $78, and then there's food and expenses on top... I just can't afford it! So on Saturday, when we leave here, I'm thinking about maybe a night in Geraldine or Timaru, then somewhere else, then Christchurch - so I can make my costume for the Hokitika festival, which I leave for the Friday after next. I've been online for two hours, researching places but finding nothing. I thought of going to Dunedin for a few days, so I can look it out for when P and I come down, but it's too expensive to get there and I want to save my bus tickets for longer distances. I think I'll look at my lonely planet some more before deciding anything. I don't know when I'll be back online, but we're going for a walk soon so not any time today or in the next few days I expect. Please everyone, do keep in touch and do message me or leave comments or advice, it's all welcome! I would especially like someone to send me more muscles for the wwoofing because I feel pretty useless at it! Over and out, talk soon.

Kirsty

Days in New Zealand: 20