It's milk o'clock

Wow, so I thought I'd write today as it's been a super interesting day.
I got the cheese farm yesterday, it's in La Caunette, about a 20 minute car ride from Ventenac, where I was staying last week. Julia and Maureen drove me, and they took me out for lunch in Minerve, which is an enchanting little village, where the Cathars use to took refuge in. So I was really sad when they let me go. I think it's one of the saddest aspects of this HelpX experience, the goodbyes and the first day at new places. When I got here, Melissa, the host, was having a siesta, so her brother just told me to dump my bags in the living room and occypy myself with something til she got up. So I went out for a walk to check out the surroundings and on the way met the neighbour, a really nice woman who just started talking to me, and we ended up going on the walk together. When I got back Melissa was up. She can't be more than 30 and hasn't got very good social skills. She doesn't talk much and seems to find everyone annoying, or at least the helpers. She didn't show me around or anything, so I just waited til Elly and Jenny got here. Elly and Jenny are the American girls I met at Chateau Brandeau, and we got on so well I decided to rejoint them in this farm.
Ok, so today. Firstly we worked in the cheesery, a tiled room, very clean and sterile. We turned over the cheeses to help in the drying up process. She males mostly goats cheese, as it's goats' milk, but also does camembert and a couple other varieties. The interesting thing is, it's the same milk and the same additivies (ie a milk bacteria and a special enzyme) but different methods, like different ways of cutting the milk before it curdles, and different temperatures and drying times, and molds of course. So we also put the freshly curdled milk into molds and a lot of cleaning aswell, the place needs to be spotless.
After a very simple breakfast of bread and jam (nothing like the feasts at the chateau) we proceded to the garden to clear out the space around the fencing that keeps the goats enclosed. This was probably the worst job I've done since being on France. It was just cutting down bushes and brambles and sawing trees, and there were a lot of rosebushes and barbed wired, so we all got plenty of cuts down our arms. There were also these huge flies that actually bite, and really hurt, and that didn't make the job any easier. But that was only until lunchtime, then we have the afternoons to ourselves pretty much.
We were exhausted after lunch and just kind of sat around chatting, playing UNO by the pool, until half 5, milking time. So we had to move the goats around and get them reeady to be fed, and they don't often do as they're told, so you have to grab them by the fat on their neck and pull. I'm scared of hurting them. There are about 5 babies too, and they're the cutest things. I just watched the first few times and then Melissa let me milk one. You have to hold the udder in you hand and make a sort of milk pouch with your hand and then clench hard. It's not easy and the goats get anxious because they're not used to different hands, but very fun nonetheless!! And we eat cheese at all times here, it's yummy yummy.
After that, Elly and me did a bit of weeking in the garden and picked some strawberries. Then, at about half 7 we realised there was no wine left in the house so we jumped in Michel's camping car and drove the the neighbouring winery, and bought a 20 litre carton. Michel is a helper from Belgium, he's very funny. Then I talked to Michel for ages by the pool, and we talked about our HelpX experiences, then had dinner and now I'm in my room/shed, on the worst mattress I've ever slept on.
Getting up at 6 am tomorrow to help with the milking. We'll see how that goes!