A day of jobs…

A flurry of activity at the farm at the moment so the day was filled with preparation.   We have our first private event at the farm this weekend so the glamping site was filled with mowers, woodchip, strimmers and tractors.  It’s looking alive and amazing again.

Then we’re warming up for harvest and our newly refurbished grain store is nearly ready.

Geoff, Stuart, Eric and team (I’ve even seen Dan in the cameras) have done an amazing job.   Old reception pits have been filled, the floor concreted etc.   The shed really is ready for it’s modern role.

The bad news of the week was a contribution from fly tippers into one of our fields.  They cut through the lock with an angle grinder and simply dumped lorry loads of waste at the end of the field.  We have to clear this at our cost as to move it to the road would make us the criminals.  They also stole an expensive chain which was used to secure the field.  It means we’re going to need to physically block the entrance causing access challenges for all.

We’re still working through what was left by the brewery, I moved (with the help of some new friends) 81 kegs from 30 different breweries to the outside of the barn ready for collection.  Some full,  most empty.  It does show how the business simply stopped one day and left us to clear what was left.  It’s quite frustrating,  particularly with the debts left behind and the ongoing legal processes.

The refurbishment of office and kitchen continues with huge strides being made:

And then we move into the next major event.   The long awaited driveway resurfacing which starts on Monday.   To be ready I’ve pegged out new passing places, cleared the entire yard (it’s never looked so stark), moved tractors, containers, water tanks and skips.  I’m really looking forward to the resurfacing being done as it will completely change the look of the farm,  make it more attractive to our guests and clients, and,  most importantly save my back from shovelling 5-10 tonnes of road planings/gravel a year as i try to keep up with the erosion caused by rain and traffic.

We also had news that one of our residential tenants is moving, they have been a great tenant and we wish them well in their new adventure.   At the same time we’re marketing their property we will be marketing the brewery barn so there will (hopefully) soon be some new faces around the farm.

Finally. Even with all this activity time keeps ticking and we can see that harvest is just around the corner.  The wheat is turning yellow and the rape (with its “pod stick” spray to prevent seed loss) is starting to become more brittle.   Geoff and team will soon be very busy!