A window into LandWorks

Since from October until now, I’m doing even better. I’ve got some structure in my life. Coming out here five days a week, doing gym, which is nice and healthy, a good lifestyle. I’m enjoying that. I’m doing my football still and seeing my daughter every week. So yeah, it’s pretty good really.

Yeah, life’s good. I’d say life is good at the minute. It’s not perfect, but yeah. For the last two years it’s been a rollercoaster ride and at the minute I’m sort of flying high again. Yeah, just push forward now.

I think I’m ready for work this year. I’m working with Sue. I get on well with her. She’s a nice lady. She’s sorting out maybe some job opportunities. I’d like to do something based around LandWorks, maybe council work or working in some sort of maintenance place or even gardening or working with fruit and veg. Just something around it. That would be ideal. I think I’d enjoy that.

I think I do prefer it outdoors. I think this has showed me something I can actually do and enjoy instead of just going into a … I know for a fact I could just jump into a factory job or a retail supermarket job, but it’s just a job I wouldn’t enjoy. I think if I could get in the council or something similar to that, I’d quite like it. I know there’s different aspects of the council that sort of maintain stuff, going out cutting grass or strimming hedges, maintaining gardens and stuff like that really. I’ll see what they’ve got to offer.

The ball’s rolling now because obviously I love coming here, but you know, it’s time where I need to get back out there, and I think it’s definitely time this year, at some point. I feel like I’m ready now. It would be a bit daunting if I was chucked into a job next week […] I want to leave here and go into a job, not finish the time here and have months of nothing. So, hopefully that’s the way it’ll work. I said to Chris, I appreciate however long you can keep me out here until I’m ready to go.

I enjoy coming out here. Everyone that works here I feel like I’ve got a bit of a connection with. I feel like we’re close, everyone… I suppose my highlight is making … having something to bring to LandWorks, which is my restoring, because that’s new and that was Steve’s idea. It’s out in the shop now.

We’ve got a big board out there with tools on and it’s just restoring tools and people can buy them. I’ve always wanted to leave something for when I go. Even though it was Steve’s idea, I’ve restored most of the tools to be fair. I enjoy that. It did take off […] It’s literally just get a tool, I’ve got a wire brush, which spins really fast, which takes all the rust off and just cleans it up. It makes it all shiny again. Do that and then I will replace the handle with a new one or try and bring the old one back just by sanding and then just give it a polish or something that brings the wood back to life… Some of it flew out to be fair. People have been donating as well…

I’ve matured. Lucy said something the other day, but I can’t remember. She said I was just different from what I was when I first came here. I’ve just like matured and wised up, I suppose. I’m a bit more focussed. I’m not so on edge. I’m totally different

I feel like I can just come here and work, have a laugh and just be part of LandWorks at the minute. I’ll keep doing that until I move on. They won’t get rid of me that easy because I’ll still come back. I will definitely stay in touch, probably forever, well, I will, and I’ll come out for some dinner or whatever, a cup of tea. Even for a day’s work if he wants me to. So yeah, this’ll be a part of me for

I will miss it, to be fair, but I will come back here for sure. I told Chris I’d stay in contact anyway. He’d probably want to see how I’m getting on. But yeah, I will miss it, but I think I am ready for getting out there and work in a job.