It is not often I get requests. (‘Cept to stop writing and remove people from my mailing list). But I just got one. “How about a bit more on those Woofers?”

So, I’ll write a bit about our latest, Dave and Lindsay but, of course, I am not fooled. The request came from them!

D&L left us a week ago and went to J’s up the coast. There they did the chores, ate the food and generally got to know more of the BC coast in the process. Then they headed to L&R’s place. And more garden work.

But, if there is news about them, it is this: this couple were basically ‘footloose’ and looking for ‘something’ and I mentioned the Hong Kong teaching situation to them. They thought about it for a day or two and decided that they wanted it. The timing was good, if not serendipitous. Recruiting time was running out!

So this is a good thing. They both have degrees, they are both English ‘nuts’ (scrabble, crosswords, excellent vocabularies…….) and they are both ‘into it’. I am sure they will do well.

Mind you, it doesn’t rain but it pours and we also got several other good candidates immediately thereafter. And I mean, immediately! So, I have an abundance of riches (applicants) all of a sudden.

Woofers are an interesting ‘variable’ in the life of rural folks. They come from all over the world. They range in age up to and including sixty-year-olds and there have even been some ‘families’ apply. Typically, tho, they are the 21st Century version of the kids who went to Europe with backpacks in the 60’s and 70’s. They are young people who are just not quite ready to ‘settle down’ and who want to see a bit of the world without the benefit of having a lot of resources available except their labour.

And that is what makes it so interesting. These people are good people in the sense of willing to work for their supper. But they aren’t going to get work permits. So they ‘volunteer’.

Because of their youthful energy, they are basically good at most everything but sometimes very good at one thing or another. Christian worked like a Clydesdale. Aline worked hard, too, but was also a real ‘sweetie’ who spoke with a sensuous French accent. Two young, female English school teachers were both raised on farms and ‘knew stuff’. Leo, from Japan, didn’t know anything and could hardly speak English but put out the attitude and the energy to make up for it. Every one of these W’fers has been good for us despite bringing young, bottomless appetites.

As we’ve gotten older and a bit more experienced at the W’fer game, we realize that the best time for W’fers is in mid to late Spring. It is then that the wood needs getting in and the garden needs work. It is then that the bigger chores are started. We need the muscle and the energy in late April and May.

By the time summer is on full blast, the guests come and less work is accomplished which is the way it should be.

So, if you are thinking of W’fers,“Git your W’fers in early!”