Julie

Our neighbour, who also empties our bin. I asked her the night before so I could be out there soon after sunrise.

A nicer woman you could not meet. A wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister and a very hard worker. Bikes 5km to work and back. Manhandles the bin trolley and bins. Drives the truck into some tricky places. Backs it up narrow driveways. Takes away extra stuff for recycling. Looks after grandchildren at weekends. Takes baking to neighbours in need.

A former hairdresser I see she has some lovely highlights in at the moment. Julie has been a cow cockie and sheep farmer when younger.

When asked what it was she liked about this job she said "Being out there on my own". This week she has taken her truck over most of the roads that have had slips and flooding. "That was a challenge" she said, "but hopefully I was able to cheer up anyone I met." She would do that just with her smile.

For the Blip Community Challenge marking Womens Day.