Diary (19th July 2024)
Weeding dahlias for three days in a row. I’m here for a tulip project… but it’s good that they are growing so many different types of bulbs. We use the “weed-pulling car” to pull weeds while lying down and looking at the ground. The same position, looking down, puts strain on my neck and shoulders and chin where the bed part hits me. It starts to hurt as soon as I start working.
3FM radio is blaring inside the “weed-pulling car”. When I first visited this organic flower farm some years ago, I was surprised to hear blasting music playing behind the conveyor belts that sort the organic bulbs into sizes. My preconceived notions of ‘organic farm’ and ‘blaring pop songs’ didn’t seem to match.
Today the reason for this loud music became very clear to me. If you don’t get high somewhere, the physical work is hard. I was annoyed when Bob Marley’s laid-back “Everythings Gonna Be Alright” came on. “Singin’: Don’t worry about a thing, Cause every little thing gonna be all right!” I don’t feel like it’s going to be ‘all right!’ at all. Then it was back to dance music, which was somewhat of a relief.
The seasonal workers from Poland are very serious and do not cut corners. They pull the weed at high speed and with great care, using this “weed-pulling car” which the Dutch female employees don’t like to ride. Neither do I, but I do ride and weed.
