I was blown away by the first site of my next Wwoofing assignment. I approached it through a set of imposing Italianate (I found out later - I'm not that hot on architectural styles!) gates, up a third of a mile driveway through the remains of an avenue of oak, copper beech and sycamore trees, through another set of gates and round to the front of an amazing brick Georgian mansion (I did recognise that it was Georgian, all by myself!). I pulled up in front of the main house and surveyed the 2 acre lake in front of me. Unfortunately, there was no Mr Darcy pulling himself dripping wet and sexy from the reeds, so I got out of the car and went off to find the Wwoof co-ordinator.
I have a lovely little guest suite in the main house, overlooking the front driveway and the lake (still no sign of Mr Darcy). It has a very comfortable bedroom with carpet on the floor and good electric lighting; a bathroom next door with loo, washbasin and shower (and hot water on demand) and a little kitchenette with a fridge, kettle and toaster so that I can get myself breakfast and hot drinks, etc. After my first experience this is indeed luxury.
The set-up here is probably unique in that it is run as a co-operative community but each family unit owns its own apartment within the main house or the converted stable block; most families have at least one breadwinner who works outside of the community and there is no particular ethos (such as shared religious beliefs) that hold them together. The community was started back in the 1970s and seems to be a very stable and well-organised entity with consensus being reached on most things through meetings, which I think are held weekly. The farm and 2-acre walled vegetable garden are run as a co-operative with everyone sharing in the chores and also in the crops that are produced.
At this time of year there is a lot of weeding to do, so my services have been mainly used doing that so far. I have a grid pinned up on the wall in the dairy kitchen and people fill in either a morning or afternoon slot for me to work for or with them, and then they usually give me lunch or supper correspondingly. So far I have only had to cater one supper for myself and I just wandered round the garden picking salad leaves, took fresh mozzarella from the dairy fridge and hard-boiled a couple of eggs and served it all up with a slice of freshly-made bread (made for me by the Wwoof co-ordinator). There is one thing for sure - I am not going to starve while I'm here!
For some time until the community bought the house from Herefordshire County Council it was the local secondary modern school and at one end of the building is a later addition that was originally the music room, but was converted into the gymnasium. It still has the climbing frames and ropes along one wall and took me right back to my school days. I almost expected Mrs Gutteridge, our old PE mistress, to come out and tell me to climb a rope! It is now used for the occasional outside event, such as weddings or conferences, but is mainly used as a fantastic indoor playground for the children who play football and rollerblade round it when it's wet outside. The whole set up is ideal for children as they have 40 acres to roam around in and there are numerous dens dotted about. There is also an outdoor swimming pool that is unheated. I have been invited to use it if I want to but I don't think I will as I don't even own a swimming costume anymore and my days of skinny dipping are long gone!
I have a lovely little guest suite in the main house, overlooking the front driveway and the lake (still no sign of Mr Darcy). It has a very comfortable bedroom with carpet on the floor and good electric lighting; a bathroom next door with loo, washbasin and shower (and hot water on demand) and a little kitchenette with a fridge, kettle and toaster so that I can get myself breakfast and hot drinks, etc. After my first experience this is indeed luxury.
The set-up here is probably unique in that it is run as a co-operative community but each family unit owns its own apartment within the main house or the converted stable block; most families have at least one breadwinner who works outside of the community and there is no particular ethos (such as shared religious beliefs) that hold them together. The community was started back in the 1970s and seems to be a very stable and well-organised entity with consensus being reached on most things through meetings, which I think are held weekly. The farm and 2-acre walled vegetable garden are run as a co-operative with everyone sharing in the chores and also in the crops that are produced.
At this time of year there is a lot of weeding to do, so my services have been mainly used doing that so far. I have a grid pinned up on the wall in the dairy kitchen and people fill in either a morning or afternoon slot for me to work for or with them, and then they usually give me lunch or supper correspondingly. So far I have only had to cater one supper for myself and I just wandered round the garden picking salad leaves, took fresh mozzarella from the dairy fridge and hard-boiled a couple of eggs and served it all up with a slice of freshly-made bread (made for me by the Wwoof co-ordinator). There is one thing for sure - I am not going to starve while I'm here!
For some time until the community bought the house from Herefordshire County Council it was the local secondary modern school and at one end of the building is a later addition that was originally the music room, but was converted into the gymnasium. It still has the climbing frames and ropes along one wall and took me right back to my school days. I almost expected Mrs Gutteridge, our old PE mistress, to come out and tell me to climb a rope! It is now used for the occasional outside event, such as weddings or conferences, but is mainly used as a fantastic indoor playground for the children who play football and rollerblade round it when it's wet outside. The whole set up is ideal for children as they have 40 acres to roam around in and there are numerous dens dotted about. There is also an outdoor swimming pool that is unheated. I have been invited to use it if I want to but I don't think I will as I don't even own a swimming costume anymore and my days of skinny dipping are long gone!
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