SPRING SESSION - Week 1

Ella helping out!

We had a lovely week off last week - Ella helped with the hens & ducks, and feeding the triplets each day!

Our first day back this week, there was great excitement as Daisy the Duck has laid her first egg! (We've now had one each day - although it's quite difficult to find them, as they are very clever at burying them in the straw!)
As Daisy has started laying, William & Ben have made her a nesting box - but of course she just lays them on the floor! David arrived late (transport problems) and had lots of watering jobs to catch up on with Hilary. Then they planted herbs into our herb wall.  William and Ben spent the afternoon mending sheep hurdles ready for lambing.

Wednesday, we had a new student doing a 'taster' session.  As Helen, got out of the taxi (which i might add costs £15 each way from Cirencester!) she told me that her very favourite animal was a sheep - well of course, when i told her that the first thing we were going to do was feed the triplet ewes - she was virtually hysterical!!
We had a lovely morning, Danny & Helen got on really well, and mucked out the hens & ducks, while Simon & Gerry prepared the compost to grow the mushrooms in and assembled the tiny glass house - it's steaming up nicely!  Tom & Mike have been making 'edging' for our paths, from the ash seedlings that we have left from when we cleared the site.  All we need now is the wood chip - slight problem there - i thought i had found a lorry load of free wood chip - but when they went to throw it onto the site, it turned out to be full of green cedar branches and not much wood...!  Luckily i managed to stop them after one load, and they took the rest away - motto - DO NOT RUSH INTO THINGS!! Sue was in charge in the afternoon as i went off to Sadlers Wells to see a very bizarre ballet called The Centaur and The Man....

Thursday, Still no Steve - we really miss him, and i need him to help with the wood chip paths (when i find some wood chips!) he's takes such pride in making them.  As we had all the relevant pipework for the bowsers, Simon, Bob & Mike spent the morning finally hitching up the guttering to the bowser behind the portacabins.  Now all we need is some rain to make sure they work!  I don't mean that - it's been gorgeous today. We planted some more peas - mice ate the last lot, and Simon had hidden them in guttering, so fingers crossed this time.  We had another student here for a taster session, in the afternoon.  Ernie, helped all the guys stone picking, raking and getting the 'soft fruit' area ready for planting the Raspberries out.  He also checked for eggs with us.  We had a look at one of the duck eggs to make sure it's fertile, in readiness to put some under a broody hen at some stage.

Week 5

Monday - No David - he was ill, and no Ben, so Mike was our volunteer along with Hilary.   He and William spent a happy morning planning and making a 'hatch' through the fence to the sheep field, to make a pen for the hens & ducks.  We felt they needed more 'grass' stuff to scratch about in.  Coln House School arrived at lunch time, with 5 students.  We split up, girls doing mucking out horses, and the boys with me.  One of them came up with a really bright idea!  We couldn't find Lucy (sister's) electric pig fencing anywhere, so made a temporary fence out of some of the hundreds of tyres left from the 'sylage pit', we had cleared away from the site in August.
Meanwhile, William and Curtis helped with the 'trap door'.   Hilary & I have marked out a path at the back of the poly tunnel leading from the double doors.

the hens make their bid for freedom!

Wednesday, we had Danny, Simon & Tom.  Great excitement from Danny, as we had heard that one of the ewes in the main flock, had signs of a 'prolapse' (stomach starting to fall out the back end!)  Of course he was desperate to go and see if we could find it!  The guys finished off the hatch in the hen/duck pen, and watched as the first hens escaped into their new field (see photo) Bob & Simon had made a bird box for Danny the week before, and Danny painted it with Bob.  He and the guys then (when the paint was barely dry!) marched off up the track to find a suitable resting place for the box - the first tree he saw i think!   We took Danny off before he left and did indeed find the 'prolapse' ewe - with the green spot & blue eartag - thank goodness!  Actually it had only just started, so hopefully the special harness designed for prolapsing, will hold the stomach back inside until she lambs next month.  The guys worked really hard all afternoon, raking & working the beds for the soft fruit area out back of the poly tunnel, and filled our 'herb wall' ready to plant up.  They also finished filling our first raised bed.  Tom was so tired he apparently fell asleep before they'd got to the end of the drive on the way home!

Cerney House Gardens

Thursday, we had a more peaceful day - planting sweet peas, and sugar snaps with Tom.  We have been given a ladybird house, and Si and Mike de-constructed it, so that we can work out how to make one ourselves.  They had used silver birch wood for the main 'house' - our ash was much tougher to drill - we may have to re-think, or raid Mum & Dad's garden for a softer wood!  In the afternoon, we walked down to Cerney House Gardens, just below the farm.   We spent a lovely hour wandering around, getting ideas for ours, and admiring all the snow drops.  It really is a lovely garden, and we can't wait to visit again to see the tulips in April!  It's certainly given us a great idea for our paths...using wood chips; it would be much more accessible for disabled users, in the future.

Week 4

Monday, Sheep first of course - we were a bit concerned as there appeared to be 14 Ewes, not 13 from the previous day??!  Apparently Lucy (sister) had put one of our oldest pet lambs in the with triplets, as she wasn't getting enough food with the main flock.  She has a 'red' spot, meaning a 'single' lamb....Back to site - over the weekend, we had secured some telegraph poles to make raised beds.  (Thanks to John, Mike & Luke, for their help - very heavy things telegraph poles!) Will & Ben spent a very blustery morning, 'cleaning' the poles up; removing barbed wire, and some huge bolts - we've left the large yellow signs saying 'danger of death' - it adds a little something i feel....!  David, Hilary & I were blown over to dad's fruit cage, where we took some cuttings from his Redcurrant bushes - thanks Dad.  We stopped on the way back, and dug up some of my hundreds of 'Buddleia' seedlings, which we have planted in a row outside the poly tunnel (I've no doubt we will have to prune them vigorously to stop them taking over, but the butterflies will love them!)  We have decided our fruit garden is going to be outside the poly tunnel at the far end. We already have a long row of blackcurrants, wineberries, & gooseberries, overwintering there, and now have Rhubarb and redcurrants.  I expect we will have to 'net' them before they get too big though!
Wednesday & Thursday i was on a course at the Rural Skills Centre at the Agricultural College - CEVAS (Countryside Educational Visits Accreditation Scheme) what a mouthful!  It was exhausting, and we now have to put together a portfolio of information to be sent off and independently marked; along with the 10 minute presentation we had to do on the second day of training - my least favourite bit.   It was useful and interesting to meet other farmers all trying to provide facilities for education.  I left the students in the capable hands of my friend Sue, and together with Gerry & Ben,  they had a busy morning putting together the telegraph pole 'raised bed', and then filling it with gorgeous muck & top soil!  It's now 'settling in' for a week before filling it up a bit more.  Thursday, Bob & Mike were in charge.  The guys spent the first part of the day dissecting the owl pellet that Bob had been soaking for a week!  They then went and checked on their bird boxes - to make sure they had weathered the awful winds from the weekend....which they have.  As it was such a filthy day, they squelched off home after lunch - needless to say, it had cleared up by the time i got home at 3pm!

Week 3

Monday: Ben and William had lots of tidying and mending jobs today!  I discovered 2 'escapees' in the field over the weekend - and found a large hole in the fence - so that was there first job!  Then they made a nesting box to go in the hen house, and a tie back for theduck's door.  David & Hilary planted some rhubarb, that had kindly been donated, and checked & watered all the seeds. 
Lunch time 5 students from Coln House School arrived - it was lovely to see them all, and great to have William and David interacting with them.  We spent a happy hour raking leaves, and cleaning out a really disgusting water trough in the sheep's field that was frozen & covered in black rotting vegetation!  Shannon kindly got my horse in from the field for me, with Helena.  And - guess what - we had another burst pipe! (discovered by William)

Hard at work!

Wednesday, after the daily task of feeding and checking the Ewe lambs that are expecting triplets, the guys all went off with Lucy to check the main flock and make sure they had enough water.  I collared Steve to help rake leaves again with Danny, which helps keeping Danny's attention - as it seems to be completely obsessed with Lucy (sister) otherwise! We managed about 15 minutes, Steve working tirelessly, Danny talking non-stop and raking occasionally!  The others ..

Our Herb Wall under construction..

Pm Simon made a frame for the glass cloche with Roger, to put the mushroom compost in. Tom, Steve & Simon took turns to 'clean off the breeze blocks they had found up the track.  Hard work, and quite a challenge - risk assessment done, we provided masks & goggles (and plasters!)  And, we now have a HERB WALL, constructed by Tom & Steve to hide the drains beside the toilet block portacabin!  We just need some herbs now - A Rosemary hedge on top, and assorted Thymes to plant further down (see photos)  Tom, Steve and i searched the farm for plastic drainpipes & gutters to start preparing the bowsers to collect rain.  It was a beautiful, cold day. And, yes, another burst pipe was discovered as we turned the water on in the morning - so NO WATER ALL DAY!  Quite trying, as it was unbelievably muddy on site, and we had to all traipse down to the house to use the 'facilities' there!

the contents of the owl pellet!

Thursday, Bob arrived with arms full of information about Owls - he gave a wonderful talk on owl's eating/feeding habits, and showed us an owl 'pellet' (much talk about what it was!) - before being soaked, and after - lots of tiny bones/sculls of all its prey - it was really interesting.  They then set off with their bird boxes and ladders to 'site' them on 3 different trees up the track.  They guys will then keep a note of who/what has been using the nesting boxes over the year.  (they are primarily used by Great Tits apparently)

Tom & Simon helped put the White Board up in the Portacabin finally - thank you!  Tom had spotted some plastic guttering the day before in Ann's garden, and having checked it was up for grabs, we collected all the equipment on our list, for making the rain water collector!

Finally, i have come up with some telegraph poles - i've been on the hunt for some to make our raised beds with, and have been in conversation with all sorts of people!  We have been given 2 / 3 and are picking them up today (Saturday) so that we can get started on them next week!  Hopefully we can pick up at least 6 more the following weekend, from another source.

Week 2

This week has flown by - Ben & William made more raised beds for the poly tunnel out of old feeding troughs on Monday.  David & Hilary planted seeds - corn salad, carrots and acorns - then planted some chitting potatoes - that i found at home!  We also have a lovely door handle on the poly tunnel curtesy of Ben & William.
Wednesday and Thursday the weather was lovely - cold and bright.  We mucked out the hens & ducks with Danny, and then set off to collect top soil from all the mole hills in the field!  This has been put into the ex-feed troughs in the poly tunnel along with some lovely rotted manure from our horses. Danny helped rake leaves for a few minutes, but again his attention wandered very quickly - and he was really only interested in finding Lucy (sister) to go and check on 'his' turkeys!  We checked the portland sheep again in the afternoon - and cleaned out their water troughs.
Thursday, Bob brought his bird nesting box over, with some offcuts of wood, that Travis Perkins had kindly donated, so that the students can make their own boxes.  The morning was interrupted as the sheep were being 'scanned' before lambing, and i thought the students would like to watch - unfortunately we got there rather too late, but the 'scanning man' very kindly showed the students how his machine worked, and how it calculated how many sets of triplets, twins or singles each ewe sheep was going to have.  We have 4 sheep that are not in lamb.  Back to bird boxes then, and our three students have made one each, and painted them.  Next week, they hope to 'sight' them on the farm, and then keep a diary of 'who goes where'.   According to Bob, they will mainly attract Great Tits!
Steve did a great job helping me finish raking and clearing leaves in the garden - and putting them onto our compost.
I had a call last week from someone wanting to practise their dry stone walling - great news!  So, Rob turned up today and spent the morning working on our wall - in the bitter cold - brave man!

First week back!

Monday was pretty dreary weatherwise - but it was lovely to have William and David back with us.  We had a new volunteer, Hilary, who worked with David and I, making (or trying to make!) a hazel and ash tripod thing, whilst  William spent the morning with Ben making a tool rack.  We had some new arrivals Monday night - 6 Rhode Island Red chickens - Jake & Daisy were not best pleased next morning!  We had a lovely feedback form from William, saying the 'best bit about the project' was looking after his friend David - and the 'bad bit' was cleaning his boots!!

Wednesday and Thursday, the weather was beautiful - cold and bright.  Danny has decided to do just Wed mornings, and was hugely over excited to be back - and of course the first thing he asked was -"where are my turkeys?" - Actually they are still here on the farm, and so we may yet get 'turkey eggs'!  The students have been collecting 'breeze blocks' for the raised beds, and made a lovely bird table yesterday.  We are checking the portland sheep each day, as they are not far off lambing.  Great excitement, the Rhode Islands' laid their first egg - sadly it looks as if we will have at least 3 cockerels (we are undecided about one!) and so may have to take 2 back to the market to trade for some more hens.

We still have no electricity - and terrified of any more burst pipe incidents - i have resorted to turning off the water supply every time there's a hint of freezing temperatures, just in case....

It's great having the students back - we could do with some more - these funding cuts really are proving trying, but we are working on it.   They are full of enthusiasm and constantly thinking of fund raising ideas - so watch out!  We have four new volunteers too - Gemma wrote a great article in the local paper before Christmas, and we said we needed more help!  Last but not least i would like to thank Legs for her cheeky green gingham checked curtains - they have transformed the Porta Cabin - much more cheerful!

2011 Project!

We are starting the project again next Monday 17th January!  After all the exhausting snow (see photos attached) and now the rain, let's hope that next week starts off with some milder, dryer weather.
We have all the students that took part in the pilot project returning - and hope to have some new students joining us soon.

Ella (our daughter) named our two resident ducks over the holidays - Daisy the Duck, and Jake the Drake!  They have loved this rain - and it has become clear that we do definately have a male & female - and apparently they should start laying eggs in February!

Having had a great article in the local paper just before Christmas, we have some new volunteers joining us next week - so watch this space....