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i'm still sick but i think i'm getting better. it must be pretty bad when you can't smell vicks vaporub, eh?

yesterday reuben and i went to castletownshend, a small town a few minutes from skibereen. he wanted to "fish" (i use quotations because his rod had a reach of about 2 feet and all there was to catch was seaweed anyway) and i wanted to go somewhere new so it was perfect. it was a gorgeous day and we had a fine time feebly attempting to catch seafood, looking for crabs and skipping stones.

once i'm feeling better i'm going to start taking day trips to nearby villages. barbara can drop me off at the bus stop on her way to work and reuben doesn't get home from school until 3 so it's plenty of time to explore. first on my list? baltimore!

barbara's also promised to take me to a garda station this week so i can see about getting my visa extended. i want to figure that out as soon as possible since i want to start contacting french farms but i need an idea of when i'll be coming. if i can get it extended then i'm planning on working here until the 16th, traveling around the country for 2 weeks, then starting on a new farm around april 1st. if i can't then i have to be out of here by the 16th, in which case i'll probably fly into paris and spend a bit of time there before setting out to my new digs. we'll see.

i've decided to focus my farm-search in the south, particularly around provence. ideally i'm hoping to find somewhere with lots of animals (especially horses and goats!) where i can learn some type of new skill (preferably cheesemaking, winemaking or building). i've found one that fits the bill perfectly and i'm hoping the host gets back to me soon. it sounds absolutely ideal.