In addition to building and roof repairs, removing gates and fences, and relaying water and electricity lines, a lot of our work at the farm has involved cleaning up and opening out the property. We’ve cut down a number of dead trees, cut away dangerous branches and foilage on others, pruned the hedges to half height, removed all the dangerous climbing vines, and cut back the undergrowth before cutting the grass.

It’s created an incredible amount of wood and branches and debris. The wood we’ve chopped for the firewood that runs the heating system at home, and the branches and foilage we’ve mulched for the compost we use in the gardens and greenhouse. The debris and trash had to be sorted and taken to the local recycle bins. But the farm has been transformed.