Watched the vet ultrasound a mare. Mucked out a couple of boxes. Picked up poo from a foaling paddock (in the pouring rain with a wet bum from the quad seat) Caught a couple of almost wild youngsters & transferred them to a less boggy paddock. Watched, part horror & part amusement as one of the other girls, Kirsty, a wee thing, went mud-surfing along behind a nutter who dragged her around the paddock behind it. Cleaned out the feed room & lusted over the tractor which was being used to throw away tonnes of weevil-infested oats.
It confirmed what I thought on Monday.
I can't quite work out why I feel awkward there. Loads of neddies, beautiful grounds & on the face of it, a professionally-run operation. At morning tea, no-one spoke to each other apart from a few comments about the weather. I also know it takes at least a month for people to accept you in to their humour & to treat you like one of the crew.
The MD is an arse who man-handled me when he explained how he wanted me to hold a mare. I think you have to know someone pretty well to go hands-on in a work situation, especially if they are of the opposite sex. The least I think you should do, if you need to demonstrate something physical is adopt a 'may I ?' expression as you approach them. I had to bite my tongue & was very close to saying 'Who do you think you're shoving sunshine ?' He is very arrogant & most un-Kiwi-like.
The prevailing attitude seems very sexist & when the rosters were published yesterday for mare-watch which is 5pm-8pm one of the girls, Ellie was very put-out to find out she was doing it the same day ie.no notice for working overtime. She had to pay her neighbour to feed her horses. What struck me as odd is that they have an admin woman - why can't the roster be prepared a week, or even a day in advance ?
Anyway, I was very glad to leave there at 12pm & as I left I suspected I may not be returning. Brent gave me a contract to look through & says he wants to start me either the 13th/20th so I suppose that gives me some breathing time.
Spent yesterday evening on the net looking for other farming jobs.
It's a shame cos it's 20 mins away, pays reasonably (slightly more than Trish altho it's 6 days per week, rather than 5) & the Tanners have said I can stay in the flat for a very reasonable rate which means I wouldn't have to stay in their cheerless accommodation.
I would also be learning loads, when I listen to the staff talk, I can only just work out they are talking about horses, loads of it goes over my head.
I suppose it's what they call a safety net whilst I carry on looking. I am in 2 minds about the job-search. Half of me says take my time & get the right job & the other half wants to be contributing properly to the household.
Anyway, enough self-absorption for now, I only came in for a 5 min break from digging the veg plot. It's hard going as it has rained pretty much every day for the last 2 weeks but the results should be worthwhile. If Michelle's other veggies are as tasty as the leeks it's a job worth doing.
Night-night England,
Cx
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