More Updates

Didn't get to tell it all last time so here's some extras.

The Pond has been dug - but not quite as planned. It was decided by the Wildlife Team that a slightly* different arrangement would be more beneficial to wildlife and be a little more aesthetically pleasing.
The main pond has been moved south about 10 feet and made about 50% bigger than originally planned. And there will now be a properly excavated runoff (which will be lined and seeded as a 'marginal' area) leading into a lower pond about 1/3 the size of the upper one. I'll get Mike to sketch the new arrangement so it can be posted. I think it'll improve that aspect of the project significantly.

Work on the chicken house has been suspended until freezing weather is less likely as any foundations for the building need to set normally.

We now have a Twitter account. If you Tweet then follow us at @UnderLancheFarm

* I understate it a little :)

Ian

Updates

There's been quite a lot of activity offsite so I thought it timely to say where we're at.
Workdays have been a bit sporadic but then its been Celebration Season, and the weather's been pretty miserable. Subject to climate* the next workday is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. the 6th. At present we plan to start on paths and raised veg beds. but if other projects (chicken house) want to turn up we could make a good day of it.

Andy has been in contact with his polytunnel contact and will be negotiating the best gift he can get from them for us! Once it arrives it'll be all hands to the mill to erect it.

The girls have been hard at work with a bid for some of the Big Lottery Fund money. They've worked hard to get everything in that we might need. Let's just hope the Fund like our application and come up with a few pennies.

I've been in touch with the company building the Weymouth Relief road and their contact at DCC Roads Division and have secured a gift of a whole lot** of 20mm chicken wire. They've been using it as temporary fencing. It may not be available until April but I'll keep checking in the meantime.

The National Trust have been helpful with the design of a composting toilet. Construction should be simple but we still need a small shed. If you know of one anywhere that is serviceable but surplus to requirements please get in touch.

* If it's raining or completely frozen then check first before turning up. Or just turn up on the off-chance.

** There's miles of it in use - without exaggeration - honest.

Ian

Scuppered by the Weather

Hmm.
What can you say? We turned up last Saturday with all good intentions. At least it had stopped snowing on Friday so there was some hope some work could be done - but no sooner had we brewed up and supped our tea in preparation to get busy, it rained! Light at first but within 1/2 half an hour it was 'stair rods'.
The rain did hold off for a while so I got set to fill in a hole where there had obviously been a test scrape some time earlier. About 1 cubic metre of earth had been put to one side. Well, I tried stabbing the spade into the earth pile and promptly jarred my wrist! The earth was still frozen solid! Almost permafrost (I exagerate a tad!). I think that was the time we decided to abandon for the day, all cold and wet and some requiring a pee due to the tea!
We did discuss what the Duchy had offered to help us with. Kevin (God bless him) agreed to call in a digger to excavate the pond and Mike, with the help of Glenys, will be on site when we get word the digger be there, just to make sure its in the right place. That will save us some serious work.
Also outside the gate I noticed a huge pile of topsoil put there for our use. This for the raised beds and anywhere else we can use it. When Steve is free we can get set to form the beds then start importing soil.
If the Orchard is your thing then this Saturday is an Orchard Workday. PLEASE wear strong footwear - particularly hard soles (souls?) are required. We convene at 10 am. See you there.
Ian

It's a Laugh!

One of our number is Mark who organises the Comedy Club at various times and venues in Dorchester. He decided he'd like to donate the profits from these to Transition Town Dorchester for use on its projects.
The first of these donations, a little over £1 000, was handed over at the Farm last weekend and is for use by/for the Farm or Orchard. SUPERB. Thanks, Mark. Keep up the good work.

Mark presenting the Cheque to Jenny - with a few hangers-on standing by!

Ian

First Workday.

And a fine day it was, too.
About a dozen of us all turned out to mark out the areas on-site that had been agreed on the plan. We now have a good idea where the Chicken run, raised beds, polytunnel and pond are going.
The new gate has been installed, courtesy of The Duchy, along with a new fence on the east side of the site.
The bank to the east is mainly earth that has been deposited when the initial work at Poundbury started - and over the years its slipped a little, aided by some badgers and rabbits! Its taken maybe 10 years to push the old fence over. The new one is about 1 metre inside the old one.
The bank to the west has now been included into the site and this'll be good for bushes and small trees to coppice or crop as appropriate.

One needs to get one's priorities right, doesn't one.

Man with Tape Measure

Next planned workdays will be the weekend of the 13th and 14th November to get some paths installed and to plant 150 (yes 150) trees which have been donated by the Woodland Trust. Fancy a bit of hard graft for the Autumn? Come along.
There will be other workdays organised by individual groups and the first of these is this weekend when a few will be preparing the site for the chicken house. It's a bit uneven just there. They may even set the base ready for House construction. Help will always be welcome. Speak to Kathy or contact me via this post.

Ian