Lizzie and Josh stayed with us for 3 months from February to April, and were amazing learners and a great help to prepare this year’s garden season! Here’s a contribution from them… written in March sometime.
Today on the farm we woke up to about 12 cm of snow set on the ground. The farm was beautifully covered in a white blanket. We have been living on the farm for 6 weeks now with another 5 to go. We have had a great experience learning how a growing self-sufficient permaculture is run and have helped with a variety of tasks. Since being here, we have been preparing for the arrival of chickens and goats who should be arriving in the coming months! The process of building and painting their structures, as well as creating a fenced area for them to live has been extremely rewarding. It has also been interesting to learn how to manage the early start of an orchard as well as other general farm maintenance. Even during the winter months there has been lots to do and learn about within permaculture. For the next 5 weeks we are looking forward to planting more seeds as Spring begins and the warm weather comes. We think this is a great opportunity for volunteers looking to develop their skills in farming, permaculture and construction.
We have also enjoyed the communal living aspect of La Ferme du Bout du Monde as the family and full-time resident here are friendly and welcoming with a collection of lots of knowledge and experiences. The community is actively social, having a communal dinner each night with all residents including the kids. Everyone takes turns in cooking the meal (apart from the kids) so it has been fun each night trying something different from everyone’s different cooking style.
