A Week on the Estate: Freya’s Acting, Cattle Walkers & Busy Teas

“I did one year of sixth form but didn’t want to do something academic so I changed and went to horticultural college. I’m more hands-on and creative and less into paperwork. I’ve always been into acting. I played Pandora in ‘Pandora’s Box’ in primary school and I carried on acting at QEGS. Later, I played three parts with Louth Riverhead Theatre.

“I enjoy acting, improvising and creating. I’d love to do more of it but it’s good to have a back-up plan. I saw the job ad for South Ormsby Estate and found it very appealing. I wanted the flexibility to keep gardening while getting some performance time. Pretending to be someone else is great fun.

“I do two tours per day, Friday to Sunday, playing a different role in each. For the Walled Garden tour, I’m a down-to-earth, lazy gardener. I secretly stash Tristan’s gin in the potting shed and share it with visitors on a ‘don’t tell anyone about this’ basis.

“In the Hall, I’m quite upper-crust and snooty. I start uptight and get increasingly tipsy and rude. I’m one of the serving staff who doesn’t know her place. My main skill is pretending to be busy while gossiping about my betters.

“Before a big performance, I always get the shakes. It’s not crippling nerves, just useful tension. The job has been really useful for building confidence. It’s a lovely place to work and I’ve enjoyed it.”

In other news, If you’d gone down to the woods on Monday, you’d have been sure of a big surprise. Thanks and well done to the plucky volunteers who helped us move our herd Lincoln Red herd last Monday. They thoroughly enjoyed being part of the local cattle drive and we look forward to seeing them all again. They also seemed to enjoy the breakfast of champions provided by Mark Vines.

Finally, have you enjoyed one of our brand-new afternoon teas at the Old School? We’ve had to double our number of covers to meet demand so booking HERE is essential. Served Saturdays and Sundays from 1230pm-3pm, our afternoon tea is perfect as a one-off treat or  a reward for walking our autumn trails and tours.

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