bonfire celebration this thursday…

This Thursday there will be a bonfire and hot dog and soup celebration at 12am, on the farm. This is to thank the folks who have been helping to mulch, these past few weeks.If you would like to come and save some trees on Thursday morning, we would love to see you. If you would just like to come for the celebration, you would also be very welcome.!
Being a lunchtime bonfire, it would be hard to see any fireworks so here are some for you to enjoy now, instead.

tree mulching teams roam the fields, saving the little trees..

The past few weeks have seen renewed energy, and focus, on the farm. Our Volunteers have begun to return, and are concentrating on the very important task of finding and mulching the trees we planted last year.

Thanks folks in years to come, when there is a lovely forest to forage in, you will see how important your efforts were!!

One of our Hen supporters ,Muriel, has made an amazing felted tabbard for chuckylowlegs, she looks snuggly in that, Joan will be tailoring it with some velcro patches, to fitt chucky a little tighter, soon.

We are hoping to rescue more hen girls this year, and so there will be opportunities for adoption, for those people interested.

Things are hotting up…

Greetings urban dwellers and country folk alike!.At last the snow has arrived here in Norfolk, to help kill off last years bugs, before we start the new growing season soon.Cant you just sense all that new energy poised to burst forth from the earth??..
Talking of which , there was some weird energy in the low yard last night when Claire was somewhat surprised, as she sat in her horse-box, minding her own business, buttering her hobnobs, suddenly there was a terrible commotion!Being Steve-less, and a little vulnerable she called Joan, who came out, with a candle, like wee Willie winkie, and the girls discovered that a blooming big dog, from the estate had chased two sheep into the silo. Where they took cover.Naturally, Joan did her kingkong impression and tried to wrestle the sheep out from under the steps of the Horse-box.Sadly she found she had the body of a middle-age woman, and the sheep would not budge.
Raymond, the cowman was summoned from his bed, why he only had to be up in five hours, anyhoo, and peace was restored.Joan and her body have been taking some lovely pictures of the hen girls, who are enjoying the sunshine days,the yoghurt, and the snowdrops.! see here..

whist we were away….

Here are two of the good fellows who have been beavering away on the farm, sprucing up our springy pathways, with the generously donated chippings from Bangor parks Department.They will guarantee that you feel a spring in your step on your next visit.!
Indeed the Chinese gymnastic team had to be dissuaded from practicing the vault, on that particularly straight bit behind the barns… we felt it wouldn’t provide the right kind of ambiance, that type of perambulation often results in the need for an ambulance,and our elf and safety policies would be outraged.!
Joking aside…we are very grateful for their hard work, they have made a big difference, and more people will be able to enjoy the farm safely, so thank-you chaps.!
Jim, on the left, and John take a bow.!

tonights countryfile episode….

Did anybody else catch this weeks episode of country file? I thought the article about the Tamworth boar, and his two new wives was particularly interesting. What an idyllic life those piggies were having, living together in that woodland. Now if I can just persuade Joan to spend thousands fencing off the woodland area, we can give the next herd of pigs we get, hopefully kunekunes, (fat and round) translated from the Maori the same sort of bliss.!
They also discussed British rose veal, which the RSPCA are hoping to promote and publicize, which involves rearing The bull calves that are at present, shot at birth, because its not viable for the farmer to keep them, in humane decent surroundings with shelter and bedding, until the age of seven/eight months, at which point they are then killed for veal. The public perception is that veal is always associated with cruel and inhumane farming methods, and that’s just not the case these days.

I remember eating breaded veal in Germany as a child, when I knew no better, I do remember it tasted delicious.!

Jamies Christmas Bomb!!

If you are tired of the stodgy christmas food that has been on offer, Jamie Olivers christmas with bells on it had a wonderful receipe, It looked like a big christmas pudding, and I thought oh dear, more stodge ill never bounce that off! But it turned out to be made of popcorn, bashed gingernuts, soured cherries, cranberries, nuts, and all held togther with melted chocolate, delicious. I think I can recreate it for our next gathering in the roundhouse, in the new Year…!!

Happy New Year to Every man, woman and beast…..

Well, some of the more observant of our people may have noticed that Joan and I are not on the farm at the moment…! We are researching back in Blighty and preparing fo the coming year. Everyone takes a moment to take stock at this time of year, the lull between christmas and new year, dont they? Comments would be appreciated you lurkers.! I know Im usually one of them.
The weather, though right blowy with you norn irish peoples, still has been incredily mild, hasnt it? we need that minus 15 c to kill off all the bugs and diseases before we start the new growing year, ask Rachel and Claire, the’ll tell you.
For two weeks last year we were snowed in at the farm, and spent the whole time carrying food and water to the animals ,keeping the fire going indoors, and eating our way through the freezer contents.! The best bit of all was sliding down the hill field, on a piece of black plastic, on the cresta run track that Steve and Claire had made in the snow.Congratulations to Joanie, who always managed to end up coming down backwards..!! in her usual dramatic and spectacular fashion, thats one of the many reasons we love her..! As the sun went down in the early afternoon, a white eaery mist would rise three feet above the snow and make the land disappear…
Im missing the farm, and the hard work, and the volunteers, I know Joan is too. Somehow civilization here is just as busy, and vey entertaining, but that connection with the land, and people, is absent,or different.
In the words of Joni mitchel, “you dont know what youve got til its gone..”
We wish you all a Happy, Healthy, peaceful, five ways to well being New Year. x

its that time of year again….

Theres no denying that the time for frollicking in the fields, has definetly passed…We have had a busy,fullfilling, friendly.enjoyable,stimulating,muddy,wet,windy,interesting year,and would like to thank all our volunteer participants for their company, their time, their efforts and their wonderful individuality, activities on the farm will resume in the spring, we are already researching where we will get our kune kune piglets from…
Heres a small but select group of our volunteers receiving their certificates, acknowledging their contribution.

We hope you all have a wonderful, winter. Stay warm and safe and dont forget to practise the five ways to keep your sense of wellbeing healthy! Connect, with the world around you, be active(pace yourselves if its christmas shopping) take notice,of yourself, your loved ones,your surroundings…learn something new, now theres google theres no excuse!, and give. Personally, ive learnt in the last few years, the more you give, of yourself, the more others are prepared to give in return…oh and if you get the chance watch arthur christmas, its great fun and explains how Santa gets round to everyone!!

Mulching like mad…

As we had a large group of our regular stalwarts on hand yesterday, as well as a number of visiting volunteers we decided to do a mammoth mulching activity, mainly in the Hill field. Many little strugling trees were cleared of weeds, and gently mulched with cardboard, collars, carefully prepared by our willing participants.

everybody worked very hard, the weather was glorious, and many trees were rescued from the thriving Down grass.!

Noone could accuse Brian of being unhappy in his work…

At least Sheila knows how we manage to get through so much cardboard now….

Agm and BBQ EVENING

Last saturday, twenty nine members attended the annual General meeting of GCNI.Members of the comittee read out personal Biographies, and outlined the activities of the group, undertaken during the last year.Following this short meeting there was a BBQ and Bonfire gathering for members.