Loading the timber beams 18th June 2009

With the drains now done, now is the time to start on the construction of the beams to hold up the gallery floor and the roof.

Our home grown and home sawn timber was loaded up to take to a local sawmill and timber framer who will now cut all the mortice and tenon joints, peg and number them in their frames. There will be 4 frames - one at each gable and 2 in the middle. The middle ones sit on the biggest beams - 22ft long and 12" by 9" in size.

Concrete pour 16th June 2009

Another busy day at Uncllys as the concrete lorry arrived sharp at 8am to concrete in the drains, the last pic shows the finished product.

Grow with Wyre Community Board Members tour of grazing sites Friday June 12th 2009

As Grow with Wyre gains momentum, new Community Board Members, Godfrey and Georgina, along with Project Manager Bob Griffiths wanted to see the sites that the Community land Trust was already managing.

The first pic shows them talking with Land Trust manager Mark Cleaver, the second pic is at Bell Coppice meadows admiring the fantastic display of orchids and the last one is a dying dragonfly spotted at bell Coppice

Replacing a culvert on the track

Well we had a spare bit of time with the digger - so time to replace a broken/blocked culvert on the track at the side of the farm that will be used for timber extraction over the coming years.

The first picture shows the water flowing over the track, the second the digger clearing out the track ready to lay a new pipe and the third with the new pipe in place.

Now the ground is drying out and we'll have a better track for the future.

Putting in the new drains

Here's Ron with the digger helping to put in a new oil trap and soakaway for storm water running off the concrete area in front of the studio

Farm Open Sunday - 7th June 2009

Once a year, on Farm Open Sunday, farms open their doors (gates?) to thousands of people to show them where their food comes from and how it is grown.

This year we ran a fairly low profile event - just registering on the Open Farm Sunday website and then putting some posters up at the Hop Pole Inn at the end of the lane.

25 people came along - some from the Hop Pole and others who had been listening to the Archers and then checked out where their nearest farm was on the web.

During the visit we had a walk around the farm seeing lambs, pigs, hens and the cattle before enjoying tea and cakes back in the barn.

Once the Ruskin Studio is completed we plan to be able to host more visits and build relationships with our local schools.

Glasshouse College students on their D of E residential

During the first week of June we had 3 wonderful girls (a support worker and 2 students) from the college staying with us and helping out with lots of jobs - including clipping the wings of our 26 hens, log splitting, weeding and planting in the vegetable garden and mending the track.

We hope that this will be the start of a longer term relationship with the college and its students.

Studio progress 29th May 2009

View from my fixed point - a gatepost. Ron and his crew have been digging out for the drains to connect to the new shower and toilet in the studio.

They promise that soon there will be a digger!

Studio progress 29th May 2009

Front wall demolished, gables taken down and work about to start on the drains

Art Group visit 4th June 2009

Here's the Art Group from Bewdley Baptist Church taking inspiration for their creative work from the plants and pond at Uncllys.

The new Ruskin Studio will give groups like this a base to operate from and provide indoor facilities that will make their visit more enjoyable.