the snow (pea) queen

man. i've paid for my new guttering with a solid weeks worth of snow pea picking (bout $7 per hour) it's a ground level crop and you have to search through the foliage to find the pods so you're bent over at a right angle all day, picking, throwing them in the box, shuffling along the row, picking, throwing them in the box, shuffling along the row.. size G tits up top don't help none. if it wasn't for nurofen i would have quit after two days like everyone else apparently does. the 40 degree heat didn't help either, i had to wear long sleeved heavy clothing to avoid sunburn and got heatstroke instead but i've toughened up a bit now actually i started getting there around 630 in the morning to avoid the heat of the midday sun.. going back there on sat to re pick the row so hopefully it's grown back enough to be worthwhile as i get paid per kilo.. ($3per kg @_@ which takes ages to pick then pack) but i get as much free organic produce as i can consume.. which saves me a fair bit on food.. i'm getting pretty buff in the spine and am arising before the sun even on days off so it's kinda healthy even if it is FUCKING HARDCORE. hopefully the peas season will last long enough so that i can earn some money for some real live BENCHTOPS! *sighs wistfully at the thought like 50's housewife*...... tomatoes are coming on now i eat about 5 - 10 per day straight from the bush.. eggplants nearly ready.. capsicums getting there.. beans coming on.. not en masse but enough to feed off. cat ear good. but EW my finger! i slashed it right down the side of the nail on a pea box and then later i busted the nail off and it yanked the egde of my nail INTO THE GASH!! the flap was so swollen by the time i realised that i couldn't cram it back under so now i have this bit of raw meat hanging off my finger.. it looks like chicken mince.. so so gross.. and everytime i even BRUSH the fingertip against something.. the nail moving in the gash just fucking KILLS.. am afraid of getting gangrene actually! or scared that the whole thing is gonna scar up real weird and make the nail go all funny and demented looking.. oh well, gotta eat.. i think i've used about 100 bandaids since it happened.. hope i haven't bagged any of them up with the snow peas by mistake.. make for an interesting stir fry.. here are some of my sunflowers!