10/11/2010 Certaldo

I think I've worked out how to deal with the work - I tend to think "I don't have to be here, this is voluntary, and it's shit, so I want to leave" - but if I stay positive and think that in a couple of months I'll be at home missing the whole experience, then the work gets a lot easier to endure. It's pretty logical really, but hours on end of olive-picking can get you thinking, well, not clearly. It rained a bit in the morning today, so Roberto decided to show us around. This place is amazing, there is a wool workshop (and a shop selling its products: socks, hats, scarves...), a herb-packing workshop, milk workshop (also making cheese, yogurt, etc), bread (we saw Paula putting several loaves in the massive ovens). They also bottle juice and tomato puree, make their own pasta... they have jersey cows and milking cows (and a bull), and goats (and Billy - the male goat, with a very long beard). He also showed us the frantoio (mill) - so apparently the oil is produced when the olives are crushed continously and an enzyme is released.
I just cracked up laughing remembering a moment in the fields today. Rob was feeling very poorly and was sent to bed - I said I had some paracetamol he could take, but amazingly, Roberto had never heard of paracetamol and thought I could give Rob some parasites. Just remembering his puzzled expression gives me the giggles.
So Rob is sleeping here tonight because Roberto's sheets seem to be either full of dust or very damp - he can't breathe properly at night.
The sunset today was breath-taking. There was a storm just before 5, and when that cleared there was a beautiful light and a strong wind that made the clouds move very quickly and change shape and colour constantly. There were dark blues juxtaposed with light yellows, deep pinks with pastel oranges...
I seem to be annoying everyone with the light still on, so I'll say good night.