Farm 10...

Farm 10 wasn’t part of the original plan. However, my injured wrists meant I couldn’t go to the farm where I was intending to go (the work consisted of 2 weeks of digging...). So, instead I headed to Hornby Island, to a farm where seed saving makes up a considerable portion of the winter work. Not only was this work that I can do with my injury, it’s also something I was keen to learn more about.

However, I had a moment of concern on my way to the farm. To get to Hornby Island, you have to get the ferry from Vancouver Island to Denman Island, cross Denman then get the ferry to Hornby. But as there’s no public transport on Denman, you have to knock on car doors on the Denman ferry to ask for a ride to the Hornby ferry. I got a ride from a lovely woman who’s a musician, but after chatting about what I was doing on Hornby, she commented that the family I was going to stay with were a little... strange. Oh great, I thought. In the back of my mind, I was already making a plan b. Another farm, some more travelling...

Greeted by a woman wearing a skirt over jogging bottoms and a scarf in her hair, the word strange popped back into my mind. During the tour of the house, when I was assigned my own personal drinking glass, which was then marked with a sticker and put on a certain hook on the wall, the word recurred again. When I was given a complete guide to what to do in case of an earthquake (reminders to which litter the walls of the house), and told about their supply of food in case of such a disaster, I was wondering what I’d got myself into.

And you know what, the family are a little strange. But in good way. Yes, they have slightly peculiar crockery preferences and dress a bit oddly. They all call each other by their first names (even mother and daughter) and are more than a bit worried about natural disasters. They're conspiracy theorists, home schoolers and hippies. But they are very kind, generous people and good wwoofing hosts. They’ve been very understanding about my wrist, and regularly check that the work I’m doing isn’t hurting me, and the work is varied and interesting. They also take the time to explain the reasons behind things and love to teach. As well as learning a lot about seed saving (when I asked a few questions about how it all works, I was given a full scale presentation on the matter), I’ve also learnt a lot about permaculture, the different types of wheelbarrow/spade/fork, how to prune a raspberry bush, and how to identify a good quality goat (yes, seriously...). There's three generations of the family living here (the farmers, their children, their children's spouses and children), and meals often include the whole family round the table. But after dinner, evenings are quiet, sometimes involving a game or three of cards (with cribbage being the favourite option), but often I just read or do some writing.

And Hornby is a pretty special place. As I mentioned, to get to Hornby, you have to get across Denman Island to get to the ferry. As a result of this, it’s remote while still being accessible. With a population that oscillates between 1000 in the winter to 6000 in the summer, I’m obviously here at the quieter time of year, which suits me well. As I expected, Hornby is bustling with alternatively minded types – organic farms, musicians, artists... There’s a close nit community amongst the year round residents and people unite together over issues. Years ago, people noticed that good things were being taken to the tip, and so the community formed a free store, where unwanted things are donated, sorted and then offered for free. Hitching is the main form of transportation, with a ride never being hard to come by. A network of (well signposted and documented) walking and mountain biking trails criss-cross the island, making it easy to get around and get to some beautiful spots.

Living off grid has been a great experience. The cabin I’ve been staying in has just a woodburning stove for heat, and with temperatures dropping below zero for several days at a time, I’ve got good at building fires. Bathing facilities consist of a small bathtub and a short hosepipe. The sink is your washing machine. All the toilets here are composting outhouses, and all food waste goes to the goats, chickens or compost. The pipes are currently frozen (it got down to -8 last night), so all water is being hauled in buckets from the tank outside and heated on the stove as required. Some aspects of it have been easy to adapt to, others I’m looking forward to leaving behind.

I'm leaving here on Friday, looking forward to new adventures, but having learnt a lot about farming and life, and realising there's nothing wrong with being a little strange.