The big switch on
No, not Christmas lights – at least not yet. Today we were able to switch on George – our 2kw solar pv array, and although the weather is far from ideal – heavy skies and no real sign of any sun, he is generating some useful amps. He joins...
A year of fantastic volunteers
It is that time when we look back at the year gone, and remember all the amazing people who have passed through the farm, and marvel at the things they did along the way. Volunteers came from all over the world – Spain, Italy, North America, Australia, England...
Polytunnels on the cheap (and not so cheap)
I answered a forum post the other day that asked about how to get a polytunnel on a budget. I won’t go over how useful polytunnels are here – it’s been covered a million times elsewhere. Needless to say that if you are growing your own veg, they are...
Meet George
Meet George. As our collection of solar panel arrays grows, I decided to give them names. As the panels were given to us by St.George’s Church in Belfast, George seemed appropriate. Plus when he stops working I have a name to hang the insults on. George...
Is winter coming?
As we approach December, and I wake to the first heavy frost we’ve had, I am reminded that winter hasn’t really arrived yet. The cold night is just a reminder of all the things we need to do – very soon – if the coming months aren’t to be...
Something new for Northern Ireland
Our friends are starting an exciting new venture – Freckle magazine. Freckle is an independently published magazine dedicated to celebrating the people and landscapes of Northern Ireland and beyond. Here is what you need to know – “We need your...
Power station progress
A bit of early evening winter sun means we get to catch a few last volts before it gets dark. There’s now 1.5kW of PV up on the roof, which suffers a bit from shading late in the day – just one of several issues to work around. We’re setting...
Should’ve built a bloody ark
Rarely in many years of working outside have I ended up as wet as I did today. It was raining when I woke at 6, and tonight its still going. Still, what better weather for working with electricity. Outdoors. Since we did the roof of the build, all the existing...
Empty nest syndrome
We’ve finally come to the end of our volunteer season until the new year, and its been a real pleasure to welcome Polly, Paul and their son Theo, who are on an amazing journey, and leaving us to head to Lammas in Wales, en route to a journey around the far east....
What a view
Sometimes I walk outside and am in awe of the sights that greet me. Some of the most beautiful times are first thing in the morning as the sun is coming up and the mist is clearing. I honestly couldn’t live anywhere else. Even without their...