So.... first time blogging on the new site and I timed out and lost my post. Let's start again.

It's been a good year now since I started volunteering at Caenhill Countryside Centre. The blog posts and daily photographs might have eased off over the last couple of months, but I've still been taking photographs every week and will soon be making a shortlist of images to pass to Chris for the 2016 calendar. I've no idea how that came around so fast! June 12th will see the anniversary of when I first picked up a DSLR at the farm, and wow has that changed my life. I'm partway through a university foundation course in photography (learning how little I really know) and am on the cusp of an embarrassingly soft launch of my own business (ditto).

In a year it's hard to know which has changed more - my own life and passions, or the CCC that provided me with such wonderful opportunities. I'm photographing and writing about creatures, plants and structures that just weren't here 12 months ago. First generation turkeys are sitting on the second generation, pigs are starting to get frisky, Billy's getting very possessive over anything that's female and feathered, and my husband now measures all other eggs against the gold standard of CCC eggs. We have honey from Caenhill bees on our toast, and B got to help with planting potatoes. I got to photograph a team of amazing soldiers from the British Army who volunteered via Help for Heroes, what an absolute honour.

It's impossible to list out all the improvements that have been made and they all deserve far more words than I have here, so I think I'll run a series of blog posts now that I'm back in the saddle.

It really has been a busy week as we saw out April. Now into May and things look even  busier. All good though.
Today, the sheep were given fresh pasture so a little more food for them. They all seem very  happy with the move.
The weather certainly has not come along to the fact that we are facing the Summer season  very soon  just a little cold and fresh. Not good for the bees, the blossom and the delicate
plants. It will get better soon we hope. A new month brings new challenges but we can safely say that the team here at Caenhill CC
is up for it and ready to begin. The coming weeks we have several groups coming along to share their time and support the
project as we support them to achieve some new skills.

Here we are towards the end of another month, how time flies. How the weather and the farm has picked up too.

This week has seen a lively session just about every day as everyone works towards sorting and feeding and making good use of themed areas.

The sheep had their first treatment here yesterday. A great team supported the process rounding up sheep, sorting them all out, attending to all the lambs and finding out that we have the same number of ewe lambs as we do ram lambs! Who’d have thought it.

The work stretched us all but we were in there from start to finish. All is now calm out in the field and we know that each and every one of them has been checked over.

More planting this week so last night’s rain was very welcome.

The weekend team are here doing their share of the work. The little sheep have now got a pen outside and they can stay out there during the day. Plenty of pens to clean out.

A good dry month on the whole with Spring coming in with welcome warmth and sunshine.

Another week begins but we really didn’t see much of the weekend. A busy one with many people helping out with lamb feeding. Not long now, they are beginning to get stronger and bolder and enjoying the hay we have put in for them. How quickly little ones grow!

Once again the core team is setting a great example with their great skills they share here. Support for the animals, support for the CC Centre.

Today saw a table and some chairs arrive so everyone had to try it out - in the middle of the track. The lambs even had a run around it.

Not long now and the toilet block will be completed - what a great piece of work by a very special team member.

Lots of people planning events, visits, volunteering and courses here. Booked in a team for July already - how time flies.

If you have a team or would like to take part in our course work, do let us know.

A rather moving week! Several people have shared in the new births here at the Countryside Centre. Some getting stuck in to save a little life - a big learning curve with such wonderful smiles as the little one takes its first breath.

The team is going from strength to strength and some rather large groups here to help with lamb feeding. The little ones are loving the attention.

Now it seems that these poor little orphan lambs could go - home with lots of people -  hidden away in bags or backpacks -  even taken along as the office mascot. Now there’s an idea.

The weather has been very kind this week, just need to do a little more watering around the plants. The natural water collection in the large tubs is diminishing but we did have a little more in the sky today.

The peacocks are now roaming at large around the farm. If you want to see them, look up, they will be high up wherever they take a rest.

There is a great team in for the end of the week. So much has been learnt, so much enthusiasm there. Good to rely on this great team when we need a helping hand.

Well its back to school and back to work time for many. We just kept on going the whole time around the farm. It felt so much better when the sun came out to join us.

Today we still had a few young children here looking at lambs and feeding them as best they could. Not good to try the bottle out afterwards though - had to move the bottles quickly.

A good team around today and there was some planting help available at the start of the day. It makes all the difference to share the workload.

The toilet block is coming along in the best possible way, it will be in use soon thanks to a great team member.

A few youngsters here learning as they helped out with feeding times. There is so much you can learn as you walk around a farm. It is all coming out in blossom around here - and most of that is with the enthusiasm from those joining us here.

Spring joined us all this week and it had a really positive response with everything around the farm. Plenty of work going on and glowing faces each day.

The week began with 2 new volunteers who spent a day with everyone. Our project struck a chord with one person who returned on another 2 days giving time, effort and cakes to share with everyone. Great work. The boot wrestling session was particularly good after the pond digging. Now who is going to check those muddy hand prints to find the owner?

Several people turned up to join in the lamb feeding. The little ones are getting bigger and stronger and now have some real character in their faces.

Our team of young people on various credit schemes came along over the week. It is so good to help these young people on their particular pathways. Their work here is valuable, and we know it has value for us , the animals and them. Well done guys.

A little rain today did not dampen the spirits at all. It soon blew through and we were all enjoying more Spring sunshine.

All past the winning post today, on the grass, in the water, in the feeding bay. Great work everyone.

Well that was Easter. It started with a cold wind and driving rain and ended with bright warm sunshine, so we all felt great by the end of the long weekend.

The farm remained busy with a few more little ones coming in to be part of the animal team and needing some TLC. It was good to see many willing hands there to offer their time and care. Also to bring goodies and even better funds to help our little ones flourish. Thank you kind people.

An early start with lambing around 6 am today. It was difficult to spot a problem quickly with the thick fog hiding the flock from view for several hours.

A good spot with a rather troubled ewe and 2 of us were on hand to have a real hands-on (or should that be IN) experience and save 2 little ones.

Later in the day they were playfully bouncing around the field in the warm sun. A great feeling.

We will have a few weeks of the little ones needing our care. We can all watch them grow and gain confidence to be strong little lambs out with the flock eventually.

A good hint of a lovely Spring now with the sunshine and dry days. The farm also has plenty to do so the whole project blossoms in each area through the season.

It really has been a hectic week. We all moved rather noisily into Summertime, and the weather decided not to join in, just to howl at us. We all had to meet it head on, and came out smiling at the end.

The farm welcomed a whole host of young people on leadership courses,  Inspire project, and some to see and feed lambs today.

We also welcomed some 4 legged residents, of course they are new arrivals too, very new as all of them were born this week. The flock has twins and even triplets

A poorly sheep had to be helped with her new twins,and she is now coming along very well with the 2 little ones close by. Some little orphans were in need of some food and some care.

We are all looking forward to a little more sunshine, less mud, warmer days outside.

The farm is now becoming a real talking point to many people. We are looking to including more with coming plans, perhaps a Youngsters Farmers Club - working on this, we will let you know!

Wow what a week it has been - and we’re only about half way through!. No, there’s no joke here. We have reached April, no fooling, and we are rushing through another week.

Life here at the farm has been fast and buzzing. The sun has appeared much more than we had been told but the strong winds have come along to try our strength and our patience.

A night of howling gales saw the polytunnel give in and start to flap around wildly. It was the middle of the night, not a good time to be out there wrestling with it all.  A rather sleepless night followed by a busy day,

It was good to see the group from Youth Action Wiltshire here to share their handy work and take part in farm activities. The rain stayed away so no-one went home covered in mud, but all were smiling and chatting all the way back.

Today they returned to show a group from the Inspire project how to make raised beds, how to work on the goose house. So many keen and happy faces all glowing with the fresh air and with pride at what they had achieved.

Extra bonus for them all, twin lambs born just before they arrived so a visit just had to happen. Also last night the alpaca arrived and nervously looked around his new area today. No name yet!

It was good to meet one of the team who showed great skills, leadership and support and had talked his way into getting a lift and returning to help for an extra day. Thank you.