Wednesday 29 April 2009

Sharing Fernhill

We had our first proper residential group staying for a whole week! 24 people spent their time getting actively involved on the farm; feeding the pigs and our 18 baby piglets, attending to ewes & newborn lambs, collecting their eggs for breakfast and watching their first sheep being shorn with a few brave enough to have a go at shearing / sheep wrestling! They then spent their evening turning their freshly shorn fleece into a rug for their common room.
 
We had a team spud planting mission with a Mendip rain cloud for company, cooked sausages on our fuel-efficient stove in the garden. Then back to work using our home-grown willow to create pea and bean supports ready to take back for their own allotment project.
 
A true Mendip memory was their night nature walk with local ecologist Adrian Boots as their guide - discovery by starlight!
 
Next morning a lucky few opted to see dairy cows being milked, a visit to the cheese factory and ending up in the shop to buy their local cheese thanks to farmer Nick from Farmlink.
 
For their final evening here at Fernhill with the instruction from Alex (Chew Valley Charcoal) they completed the whole process of making charcoal ready for their party with their own hand made sausages and burgers. All washed down with the real taste of Cheddar ales and Somerset Perry. They even created their own entertainment for their party after a techno-team day VJ-ing using video images taken around the farm and mixing music and images, followed by an evening by the campfire with a sing-a-long.
 
A truely moving experince for all of us and one which we hope we can repeat. We love sharing with others the wonder of our lives at Fernhill Farm. 
 
Since then we have just recovered from our biggest function yet - the in-laws Golden Wedding Anniversary Party. A sit-down lunch for 75 and buffet supper with music. 

The Mendip Mind

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