Day 3

In which I wake up at 7am, take a shower and eat a late breakfast followed by some child protection training and a late lunch, after which some laundry is done and hung outside to dry whilst a number of us hike through the boggy hills to the bay and play on the beach, whereupon it begins to rain and we scurry to put our socks and shoes on over our wet sandy feet and tromp back through the bog (I without a rainjacket) and bring the clothes in from the line; and in which I video-Skype with my parents (for the first time in 3 months), enjoy a delicious dinner, play a funny word game, and diddle around on the guitar before dashing back to my bedroom in the rain at 11pm.

Camas

After a train, a ferry across the Irish Sea, a taxi, another train, a night at a hostel in Glasgow, a train through Scotland's gorgeous mountains and valleys and lakes, another ferry, a bus, and a 30-minute walk, I have arrived at Camas Tuath (North Bay), Ardfenaig, Bunessan, the Isle of Mull, Scotland - 25 hours after departing Kilcranny House.

Life at Camas will be quite an adjustment after life at Kilcranny, most noticeably as regards my personal independence, proximity and transportation to towns/cities, and access to the internet.  Because I'm living here with a staff team of 12 people, the daily schedule and chores are more structured (things will of course get even more different as soon as we begin having groups of young people in beginning in a couple of weeks!).  The Centre is situated at the end of a mile-long track, a half-hour's walk from the main road, and the nearest small towns are 5 miles away in either direction, requiring a bicycle or use of the camp van or the infrequent bus or a hitch.  We have internet access here, but only one on one computer which is shared among the staff and which is also the office computer used for work.

The team here is wonderful, and very musical, and I love having our tasty communal meals together.  We have staff from different parts of Scotland and England as well as someone from Australia, two of us from the US, and one from Sweden.  After our trainings this week and next, I'll be able to tell you more about the kinds of programs we'll be leading with the groups that come!

For now, I'll just close with a brief description from the Camas brochure:
"Camas is part of the Iona Community, an organisation rooted in the Christian tradition of social justice, action for peace, and an open and inclusive spirituality.  A commitment to providing a positive experience for young people and others experiencing poverty and social exclusion is at the heart of all our work, including with youth groups, young offenders, homeless people, and those seeking to overcome addiction."
And the mission statement: "Together we seek to enable growth in love, respect and awareness of ourselves, each other, God and the environment."

RHUBARB

these past few days my diet has consisted primarily of spinach and rhubarb.  they are the only two crops in the garden that are ready to harvest.  i didn't plant anything else early enough in the greenhouse... :(  in any case, i've been eating a lot of spinach & lettuce salads and sandwiches with hummus, and baking up a rhubarb storm in the kitchen!  unfortunately for him, Mike hasn't aquired the taste for rhubarb yet, because there's LOADS of it in the garden...
two weeks ago it was a rhubarb pie. 
so far this week i've made:
rhubarb crisp
rhubarb coffee cake
strawberry-rhubarb pie
and have plans for a rhubarb custard tart.
i won't have time to make rhubarb sauce or jam, or that would definitely be next on my list!

i certainly can't eat all of these things singlehandedly before i leave in two days!  i guess i'll have some happy co-workers...