Help X tasks

I'm asked often about the tasks which are required to be undertaken when you are a helpXer. 

How long is a piece of string? Tasks really are anything that your host need assistance with.

Hosts can be from farms, have B and Bs, hostels or hotels, be on a boat or simply be a family. The agreement is that there is a cultural exchange available with a win win outcome.  I love it!

We are currently helpers in a family home in Scotland, who are a little overwhelmed with some of the tasks to be done in the house and want to free time up to be with their young daughter.

I'm not someone I ever considered over the top clean freak or organised, but I do like things to be 'so' and I like to have things ordered.. ok.. I'm a little pedantic.. but not over the top.

One of our first tasks was to sort out the fridge. This is a job I normally start with  and then move on to the pantry and rest of kitchen.  I've included some before and afters on this task.

M Mitchell Deli

We ran into the Mitchell Deli quite by mistake on our wander around St Andrews. We couldn't miss a photo opportunity like this - what with M Mitchell standing in front of 'his' shop.

We wandered into the deli and were amazed with the range and obvious quality of the foods available. It runs as a coffee shop, deli and restaurant. The smells coming from the kitchen and the line up were testament to how popular it was.

All of the deli items were sourced locally and from the looks of it , from cottage industries and small farm holdings. Many of the items were organic and all were beautifully packaged.  Even the beers were traditional, natural hand crafted styles. 

Super yum cakes and festive treats lined the counters.. Such a shame we had just eaten!

St Andrews

Welcome to St Andrews!

What a beautiful day to be out in Scotland as well. Azure skys and chilly breezes.  

We wandered about the town and the kids allowed themselves to be dragged into the museum and for me to do my arty shots int he graveyard and ruins of the cathedral.

Some interesting points about St Andrews I hand't known till I got here.  Its has the worlds third oldest universities. Far out. I knew it had a good name and was well established and all..

There has been a Cathedral there since the 8th century. It supposed to be the resting place for St Andrew. Its claimed that a monk brought a number of bones supposed to be the saints's arm, kneecap, three fingers and a tooth and they are believed to have been brought to the town by St Regulus. The medieval times were a pretty gross time with all those bones and bits of saints being touted about. 

The one thing that most people know of St Andrews is that it is the home of golf. Its the most frequent venue for The Open Championship, which is the oldest of golf's four major championships. 

People  travel to St Andrews  to see and play in several courses ranked amongst the best in the world. I can say it sure beats the rough old course in Stanthorpe and Warwick!

I have a number of photos from today - mostly the cathedral.

This is the ruins of the castle which was erected around 1200 as the residence, prison and fortress of the bishops of the diocese. It had a few major rebuilds as the town gained popularity and power, but as soon as the reformation happened and the Cathedral was ruined, the castle came down as well.

I am pretty obsessed with ivy... and there are plenty of old homes covered in it..