Breaking for Christmas!

I should have done the last blog by now....sorry too much going on of course! 

We had a lovely Christmas Lunch with all the students, their carers, and our volunteers here in the kitchen - 24 in total!  I couldn't have managed without Steve, Bev & Tom, stepping in to 'bring everything together' at the last minute - while i was rushing about like a headless chicken!  Lots of laughter and of course dressing up...from Danny and Steve! 

It has been a great session, with our two new students, David and Jon fitting in really well with the group.  I have really enjoyed the two sessions a week with school children, from Paternoster, and a small autistic unit from Christchurch School in Cheltenham. 

A big thank you to all my volunteer helpers - i could not manage without you, and i hope everyone has a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year.

We start again on Monday 9 January 2012 - anybody interested in coming out to see us - do get in touch via email.

See you Soon!

Nearly there!

We had a successful Christmas Fair last weekend - sorry it's taken me most of the week to recover!  Our stall took over £100, selling 6 dozen mince pies made by Bev & Simon, and decorations made by Paternoster & Christchurch School, and our students.  We have a few items left, and so i'm going to take a stall at the North Cerney School Christmas Fair next Saturday (10th Dec)

Danny feeding our fowl!

Down on the farm, we have been making lists for the next session - thinking about what we would 'like' and what we 'need' to do.   General tidying up of all the raised beds, and the poly tunnel - amazingly our broad beans are through outside - it's been such strange weather! 

We had a visit from the Horse Dentist last wednesday, which the students all found gripping - Rupert had a magnetic torch attached to the headcollar, so when he winched his mouth open we could see right up to the back of Manny's mouth - so many teeth up there!  In the afternoon, we had the Chiropracter to see Manny - so he should be really sorted now!

Manny having his teeth done!

We go into our last week now, so we are having our 'Christmas Lunch', sorting the Poly Tunnel, and raised beds and animals, and getting ready for Christmas!

REMEMBER - CHRISTMAS FAIR AT NORTH CERNEY VILLAGE HALL, SATURDAY 10TH DECEMBER - 11am to 2pm!

Week 8 Winter Session!

Dandy meeting March!

First things First - We have a RAM!! - I picked him up last Sunday - 'BRINKWORTH DANDY' - He has been lent to us by James, who we bought the four Ewes off earlier in the year.  He is extremely handsome - and the girls LOVE HIM!  So does Helen, who was SO excited when she finally met him on Monday!

'BRINKWORTH DANDY'

Secondly, we have Electricity!! - i know, it should have gone to the top of the page really - i still can't believe it...We have lights in the main porta cabin, heating and hot water! - Mind you, i will be really mean with that...now we also have a meter!  Our light sensor and the toilets are being finished on Tuesday - so not all there yet!

We spent most of last week getting the Christmas Decorations started - lots of glitter and glue - next we're trying CRACKERS - let's hope we sell them all at the Fair next Sunday!

Lastly, the 'Mushroom' photo from last week has a name...'EARTH STAR' - thank you Hilary!


We had a short article in local paper this week under the heading 'i can do that!' - however they managed to put the wrong address, and said the project was in Northleach! But, i've had some calls from hopeful volunteers already, so that's great.

Week 8!

STILL NO ELECTRICITY!! But, at least everything is now 'hitched up' and they've found enough 'earth' after trenching up most of the field -we are now waiting on EON to install the meter...next Friday!

This week, we've been busy finding more 'hedgerow' goodies to make christmas decorations for the Christmas Fair on November 27th.  We discovered a very strange 'mushroom/fungi' whilst out looking for pine cones...don't know if anyone else has ever seen one like it?? see photo...

Anyone recognise this?

Or this?

We are hoping that this week our four Wiltshire Ewes will have a visit from an extremely handsome Ram....! i will keep you posted on developements!  We are aiming to have our first 'lambing' after the Easter break 2012 - if all goes according to plan

Winter Week 7

Still no electricity! They've been back again and dug a further 30 /40 metres of trenching and disappeared again - let's hope they return this week to say they've found enough 'earth' now!!  Luckily it's not too cold yet - so no complaints from students. 

We welcomed Hilary back from her holiday to Australia to see her family - Helen was thrilled to have her back - i expect it was rather a shock to the system to be outside working all day again.  We had a visit from Paternoster school again in the afternoon - Helen took charge, and took them off to feed the ducks and hens, and to look at the sheep!  We are looking at ideas for Christmas decorations, as we are having a stall at a Fair at the end of the month.  Danny bought a lovely Haloween Pumpkin with him on Wednesday, and Simon had baked a Pumpkin pie, and some lovely little 'spider' cakes, that we gave to the children from Christchurch School, who visit in the afternoon.  Danny insisted on cutting up his Pumpkin, and with the help of Eli, Miranda, Anthony & Lily, he fed it to all the hens and ducks!  It is great to see our students interacting with children of school age - they all seem to get so much out of the day.

Ernie working on his Bird Box with Bob

Unfortunately we seem to have had some unwelcome visitors at some point recently - the goats i think - we've had four fruit trees eaten, and the roses outside the front door - amazingly they didn't touch the sweet corn growing!  The roses don't mind at all, but i'm not so sure about the fruit trees....!

Update on Electricity!

All these just for our electricity...!

We had a break for Half Term last week - with Daisy and Ben's wedding at the weekend - which went off beautifully but it was great to then have the rest of the week to recover, and tidy up!
  
We had organised for the SSEB to install our electricity during the week - hoping to be fully ELECTRIC by this week - however, like lots of best 'laid' plans, it hasn't happened.  They were on site all week, with Lez and his diggers - see photo - but unfortunately they couldn't find enough 'earth' to make it safe - they have dug over 40 metres of trenching so far....now of course theyv'e gone off on another job, so we are left without for another week - let's hope they can get it all sorted by the end of next week!
Fortunately the weather is lovely and mild at the moment!

Wintery Weather Arriving!

Last week flew by again - Monday, Ben & William made us a much needed book case to put in the porta cabin, whilst Helen, John and Linda focused on the animals.  We've been 'working' the sheep each day, trying to tame them to make it easier to check them over.  Helen loves working with them - and gets very excited when 'March' her Ewe comes up towards her!

twin calves  born recently - now out in the field with their mum

Wednesday, we had a very busy day - we had to bring the sheep in again, this time we let them through with the Portlands, and brought them all down to the crush - a device for singling out sheep in order to check them over.  Each student took a turn to 'trim' their feet ready for the winter - great excitement all round!  The students worked really hard, raking leaves, & bringing hay down for the horses.  In the afternoon, the 3 children from Christchurch school, came over again, and had a lovely time pulling out the pea plants, and feeding caterpillars to the ducks!  They have planted up 3 tyres in the poly tunnel, with onion sets, and winter salads. 

Thursday, we only had Simon here, and it was D day for the 3 bantam cockerels, and our HUGE Cotswold Legbar Cockerel - they'd all got rather aggressive and attacked us when we went into their runs - so they had to go...We took  them to the market at Kempsford - hoping to get a few pounds for them.  Unfortunately, not so - we got 20p each for the beautiful Bantam Cockerels, and £2 each for the other two....!  We made a loss overall, as we came home with 4 new laying hens - Lahmans - who had already laid 3 x eggs at the sale!!

This week we're frantically tidying up for Daisy my niece's wedding at the weekend  Potting up violas & pansies for the church, and strimming and tidying everywhere.

Ben & William made us a wonderful Hay Rack on Monday, out of old pallets - with the weather forecast getting worse by the day - we will need it before long i reckon!  Monday afternoon, we had a visit from 3 children at Paternoster School - it's their second week's visit, and they thoroughly enjoyed going for a walk and collecting 'hedge row' fruit, and helping to pick tomatoes to make Tomato Marmalade for the wedding breakfast!  Both John and Helen were very helpful with the children - it's great to see our students working alongside other children with Special Needs.