My working conditions

These are a few views that I get when looking up from my organic food gardening.

one tomatoe two tomato three tomato four

Marvell at the colours and shapes of some of the varities of tomato that they grow at Worton farm where I work. Tasty too!

Shimmey Rivers and Canal

'Shimmey rivers and canal' (a very polite band) arriaved to Oxford as the muddy themes, Cherwell and Isis rivers burst their banks. Their set followed some local band who were playing in their home town for the last time, it was like they were never going to leave... the stage. Finnaly Shimmey Rivers and Canal adorned the stage in their eight member power force of quite undescribable sounds, Rod on vocals cutting through and rattling your rib cage causing a tremmor into the heart, for lyrics go to their website and learn them for next time you can be a groupie.

Six of the band came to stay with me and Rob, and for a parting gift the next day they left me this beautiful plant, its a rose. Flowing off to their next gig in their six day tour.

Not weather for chicks

My brother and his familiy visited from New Zealand, arriaving at Evesham on Friday 20/07/07 they were met by the river avon bursting its banks and flooding surrounding villages. Stranded in the recteation centre they could not reach their farm stay barn accomadation. After a few hours wait farmer Giles came to save them on his truck.
Earlier the farmers wife discovered their chicks floating in deep water about to drown, she rescued them and was greatful that her deep freeze would be full this winterafter all..

Blog suspended due to survere rain

It was our turn last week to experiance much rain in Oxfordshire and surrounding counties.
Life on the organic farm has been difficult what with crops of onions getting mildew, fields under water and general exciting missions to save the greenhouses from being flooded. Such is the unpradictable nature of growing food in a wet climate.

I have a month of being muddy until I start my new job as Bicester Arts Officer. I am very proud to announce that I have gained a job on the career ladder which my wonderful B.A in Art set me up for a mere seven years ago. I will start up a new blogg for my job so you can all see my exciting art future I will be having with Cherwell district council.

No pictures of my own today

This is a picture taken by Lindi of her dog Olga, they live in North West America. Please will someone throw the stick!

sea blue

A fresh walk along the seaside to clear my head from wedding reception jollies. Showing Javi the sights of Brighton for when he stays there for a month. We walked everywhere and then up Southover street for Hanover day, a little fiesta for the people who walk up thoes steep hills every day. We ate very tasty Indian snack food from a stall and lay in the park for a well deserved rest.

forcast

At the evening wedding celebrations, I was in the right place at the right time when the bride threw the flowers.
I caught the baton/ torch of wedding supersticion.

all fancy in alfriston

7/7/07 was the day my friends Paul and cathrine got married at Alfriston church. Idealic setting which could be the image on a chocolate box, meeting old friends and and basking in the sunshine lucky day.

The vale of the white horse

An abstract chalk line cutting representing a horse is drawn in the side of the hill at Uffington.
The day I visited someone had placed a single rose in the circle spot that is the horses eye.

Vale of the white horse
There is a ridgeway that you can walk for 30 miles from Uffington to Reading...
Hello to all you people inReading lets meet in the middle.

I have got a job

I have a job at Worton farm, early starts for me and I will be a proud owner of my first pair of wellington boots. (Worton farm) click on the highlited text for a few pictures of the farm and my supervisor Dave.

wandering view

My construction course isnt feeling so constuctive, when we ask our tutor if we will be covering an aspect of carpentry or playing with a certain power tool he says 'havent got time for that' and then we go home early every day.... with lack of things to do.

Cowley road Carnival

Sarah dancing samba, bringing glamour to the street.

Cowley road Carnival

Some fun and inventive eco friendly carnival floats. My favorite was the bycicle incets with automated moveble legs.

Visits

A brave troop of non-wellie wearing explorers on a river walk after months of rain. Where we litteraly did stick to the path.

storage

As England dwellers know the rain has fallen with abundance for some weeks now, and my visits to museums and galleries are becomming a regular indoor pattern. I visited the Ruskin degree show and this was an enclosed instillation, im sure many wives wish they could fit their husbands in the cupboard.

the chop

So in real life the haircut I got was more of a trim. I think the hairdresser was afriad to cut my hair off. For one day I had shiny ironed smooth hair, next time im in London I can pop in for a complementry fringe trim.

here there and every where

Some time has passed and I have had exclusive access into some of the wealthier colleges here in Oxford, well thanks to my waitressing job, Ive been to Merton College and St Johns college (click on the link and then you can go to a map of the college and click on 'Hall')
Apart from feeding the brains of the town, I am also going to my Jobs for the girls construction course
Right now im off to be a receptionist for a few hours before I waitress again tonight.
Soon I will tell you about the the community fun things I have been doing.

Bridges

This weekend me and Rob went to Bristol, on Saturday we drove twenty minuets over the brigde to the Wier valley.. not sure if we were in Wales? There we had a picknic a walk along the river in the unexcapable heat and a roam around a forest.
Later on we returen to bristol to a community festival in a city farm on the edge of the city St Werburghs
Around the corner from the farm is The Yard co-op housing site, where we were introduced through a friend to a couple who hand build their own home. Now there are about 20 other projects of sustainable affordable houses on this site.

Remember if the text is hilighted you can click on it for more info.

The next day we went for a city walk and visited the Arnolfini gallery and enjoyed emensly the brillient retrospective exhibit of The Black Audio Film Collective

haircuts you like

There comes a time when a Walton hairstyle just isnt practical. I have been cultivating these locks for about eight months and its time for a hair harvest. I found a website that lets you try out new styles risk free but costing 19 U.S dollars. So I got cutting and pasting in the media suite, no sweeping aprentice needed, and heres some options. I would ask what you think but dont want to put my audiance into a difficult position.

one step forward two steps back

This week has been a demotivating experiance looking for work, week five and Im lagging a bit with momentum. Ive watched the students come out of their final exames dressed in their black capes, carnations and white ties and came to relise that the final year students get sprayed with shaving foam, squirted with ketchup, bound up in cling film and drenched in champaigne...for all their studious efforts. The University and its rituals are ever present here in Oxford city but for a simple pleb these goings on are another world and seem like elitist eniciations into the creme de la creme of posh society. So now im competing in my job hunt with these students. Alot of adverts state that they want 'firsts' graduates, to me this is almost like saying no woman. Which brings me to my next endevour, I start my construction course next week so I will document my brick laying skills and share top decorating tips with you my lucky readers.
Last night we went to a Samba reggea dance class organised by Sarah who is involved in the Cowley road carnival. We were taught by the most energetic 50 year old Brazilian guy, who had us all gasping for breath and red in the faces, it was alot of fun.

Disguise

Sunday was a sun soaked day perfect for a drive through quitasential English villages in Oxfordshire of green. Ending up in a place called Charlbury. A very highly rated pub lunch was followed by a two hour walk around a country estate. This tree was pretending to be alive surrounded by younger trees, it was infact rotton through.
Inspired by all the beautiful cottoge gardens that evening I took a trowl and attacked the weeds in the garden. All this outdoor action was not fair on my allergic nose. Snuffle.

fields to oasis

I have been walking alot, discovering the vast amount of countryside and nature parks in Oxford city its self. I am so suprised at the amount of open space dedicated to allotments and will feature a whole segment on these amzing spaces.
Yesterday we went to the Hinksey outdoor pool. Perfect weather and the water wasnt too cold. The photo is of my friend Sarah and here boy Joseph, after taking it I was told by the lifeguard that it is forbidin to take photos!

Room with bad review

Recently I vesited the Oxford Brooks Art degree show, there were some excellent pieces of work. The college is in a realy ugly conversion and I feel sorry for the students, especially when I saw this petition about this horrible room! click on the photo of the petition to read their grievances.