More snow than I have ever seen at Camas!!

We've finally caught up with the rest of the country and been blasted by blizzard conditions today. However, it did mean we had the chance to build a snowman with a spiky hairstyle made of Pavilion Shed icicles!

Josef and the chickens checking out a huge piece of ice, Growler checking out his new house!

Hard-working cats?

I should also say that although the cats may appear to be lazy (lots of eating and sleeping going on there) they are certainly good company in a very quiet Camas, and we've had hardly any evidence of mice in the buildings now for weeks despite the cold, so I think they're earning their keep and deserve a mention too. Keep it up Boo and Growler!

What's missing in this picture?

Hello from an icy Camas! It's giving me a new appreciation for the merits of chicken wire...and making me remember to say a (very belated) thanks to all the work weekers who spent much time and effort at the end of October chicken-wiring planks and digging out ditches to improve our track...although sliding up and down it in the last few days it's obvious that track work is a never-ending task!

Amongst all the other work week tasks such as painting, collecting seaweed for the garden beds, wheelbarrowing firewood and peat, making cushions, bringing the boat in for the winter, it was also time to say goodbye to one of our volunteer huts...sorry Darragh, Rachel, Andrew and many others, but your old lopsided home is no more! Don't worry we already have plans to replace it with a brand new one in March. Meanwhile Josef is busy using some of it to construct a cat shelter and feeding station, while other parts are currently keeping my office warm from inside the wood-burning stove!

So I returned to Camas a few days ago and I'm spending a few days doing handover sessions with Mary before she goes on maternity leave and I become Acting Camas Co-ordinator. Not long to go now until baby time! We're happy to have appointed Rosie (one of this season's hardworking 4-month volunteers) as the new Environmental Programme Worker and she will be back with us mid-March.

The garden's still providing us with plenty of salad (in the polytunnel) also leeks, kale, sprouts...no doubt Becky will be popping in at some point to check we're looking after it! Boo-cat is getting friendly again, this morning he let me pick him up and sat quite happily on my lap in the polytunnel. The chickens seem happy enough to keep on laying unless the weather is really wet and cold.

That's all for now...hope everyone's enjoying the snow...we don't have any!

Emily