[themadsaxon]

Morning all,
                 After my last post received such helpful advice and convinced me that it would be better to get some practical lessons rather than an NVQ in smallholding I've taken this to heart and am booked on a few courses.  I've also come to realise that all the courses in the world are no match for practical experience so I am here to offer my services, free of charge, to anyone who might need a hand over the course of a weekend.  I'll pretty much do anything as long as it gives me experience of work that might need doing on a smallholding, stuff I don't already know how to do (I can paint fences already thanks very much), I'll even provide my own food if you can't stretch to the monstrous mountains of beef I require to keep going  all I need is room to pitch a tent.
any offers considered
Many thanks
Pete 

[tizaala]

Have PM'd you.

[henchard]

Might be useful if you posted your current location so people know how local you are.

Perhaps not much point travelling to the Isle of Skye if you live on the Isle of Wight 

[FiB]

Mmmm, that sounds like an offer! We are here and plenty of opportunity for weekend barter :-). Very happy with tent pitching and some grub for general help. In fact if booked you could stay in one of our caravans? How's your woodwork? :-)

[renee]

Well, it will take more than a weekend to visit me, but as I have posted before -any T.A.S'ers are more than welcome for a (working) holiday. Better wait until next year though when I slaughter my calf! And soon the major work is shoveling snow

[Womble]

(I can paint fences already thanks very much)

Damn!   

[marka]

Hi there, we're probably too far away from you seeing as we're in Keith, NE Scotland but any help more than welcome - we've got loads to do centred around drainage ditches, fencing, and repairs to outbuildings etc.
Regards
Mark

[SallyintNorth]

That's a great plan

I agree it would help to have an idea of where you are travelling from

Is it weekends only because you have a day job?  If not, you may get a *lot* more offers if you can do a week at a time - with a lot of jobs, someone who is only there for a day or two is a drain rather than a help. If you can get someone for a week, then by day 3 or 4 they are starting to make a real contribution to repay the effort in getting to know them and teaching them the job

We are very happy to have helpers at lambing time, shearing time and hay-time - but for lambing time especially, one or two days is no use and we can't spare the time to show people the ropes.  If they can come for several days a few times, or for a week or two, then we can invest the effort up front because they are really helping  later on

Of course, some people may be happy to give you a day's training in something new in exchange for a day doing something you already know - like painting fences .

When I was WWOOFing, I mucked out a *lot* of winter pens on a *lot* of farms, and I did a *lot* of weeding in a *lot* of different places.  There isn't anywhere I WWOOFed that I didn't learn something new, though

[FiB]

That's a great plan

I agree it would help to have an idea of where you are travelling from

Is it weekends only because you have a day job?  If not, you may get a *lot* more offers if you can do a week at a time - with a lot of jobs, someone who is only there for a day or two is a drain rather than a help. If you can get someone for a week, then by day 3 or 4 they are starting to make a real contribution to repay the effort in getting to know them and teaching them the job

We are very happy to have helpers at lambing time, shearing time and hay-time - but for lambing time especially, one or two days is no use and we can't spare the time to show people the ropes.  If they can come for several days a few times, or for a week or two, then we can invest the effort up front because they are really helping  later on

Of course, some people may be happy to give you a day's training in something new in exchange for a day doing something you already know - like painting fences .

When I was WWOOFing, I mucked out a *lot* of winter pens on a *lot* of farms, and I did a *lot* of weeding in a *lot* of different places.  There isn't anywhere I WWOOFed that I didn't learn something new, though

Wise words.  You can ask a lot of questions whilst doing something tedious like fence painting as long as the host is there with you :-) .... A days q and a and chattng could help a lot