P O T O F G O L D

Alright, time to get you up to speed.

After I spent some time in England and Ashley in California, we hung out with Stephen in Liverpool for a few days and then hopped on a plane to Ireland. We went to our arranged work exchange, gave it a week and decided it really wasn't what we had in mind. Out of respect for the privacy of that family, I won't go into detail about exactly why we had to get out of there - but trust me - we HAD to get out of there. We were scouring the helpx site, desperately trying to discover a better fit and found Heather and Paul. They rescued us last Sunday and we immediately clicked with them. Within the first 24 hours we felt like we were with old friends and have been having the best time with them ever since. I can hardly believe we've only been here five days. 

Do you see what I see?

 The next-door neighbors.

Paul is from Dublin and Heather is American but of Italian descent. She has family recipes that have been passed down through the generations which she prepares every week and then sells at local farmers markets.  In their profile, they said they were looking for people to lend a hand with the vegetables and the garden, and assist Heather with preparations for the markets. We've been spending our days working away in the garden and polytunnels, encouraging the tomatoes and various other fruits and veggies to grow, working hard in the kitchen making all sorts of delicious dishes and desserts, learning lots, playing with Scotia - their Newfoundland puppy, laughing and dining and having great conversations. I really couldn't ask for anything more.

All four of us are already whining about the day when Ash and I will be on our way. Paul and Heather feel like family to us, and the thought of parting with them is nearly heartbreaking! So we're considering  staying a little bit longer - we're just so happy here and having so much fun cooking, baking and improving our green thumbs. We'll see what other opportunities arise, of course - but it's hard to believe we could have a better time elsewhere than we are here!