We were back at the farm this evening for more lifting and shifting and log chopping and burning!

We moved lots of pallets and gates from the top of the farm to the bottom and then chopped lots of wood to be burnt down and turned into ash to help the crops.

We had lots of fantastic new faces getting stuck in and helping out, it's always nice to see new people!

We kept ourselves nice and warm around the fire too!

Unfortunately not all of the photos will upload 🙁 but here are the ones which will!

Great to have Lauren and Mitchell join us for their first Wellow Toad Patrol. We set off just before it got dark and didn't find any toads to start with. Sadly when walking back towards the main crossing section we found 2 deads toads. All the toads found seemed to be heading back off to the woods and away from the breeding ponds now. My first save was a female with a male on her back. They were very close to being squished by a car! Kim, the patrol lead, had actually already saved them once and put them back towards the breeding ponds, but they were obviously determined they were back off to the woods. After this we didn't spot any more toads for a while and Lauren and Mitchel unfortunately had to leave before the rush started. At one point I found 3 toads, with the third one again being a very near miss. I had to run to save the little fella! It was nerve-racking stuff. You can look for ages and see nothing and then suddenly spot them on the road edge or half way across. There was a bit more rain which brought even more toads out. It was actually hard to leave as I kept finding them as I went back up the lane! In total I rescued 12 toads. I think 7 females and 5 males. I need to work on my toad IDing! The total successfully crossed over tonight was 38 toads and one froglet. That increased the success rate to 41% which is up from 33%. Sadly 14 dead toads were found which goes to show how important the patrols are as many more could have been lost. This was the second busiest night for the Wellow Toad Patrol.

Tonight we were tasked with helping to tidy up the supplies in the fund raising section of the loft and creating an inventory for raffle prizes/donations. First of all we had to divide into Spreadsheeters and Non-spreadsheeters! Those with IT skills set to work listing the inventory while those with a bit less IT skills begun sorting through the stationary and craft supplies. We think we came up with some logical yet novel categories. Everyone will know where to go now to find "Pegs + sticks" and "Feathers + Pom Poms + foam"! We look forward to planning our Rose Road session for next month where we will have finally made it back to lighter evenings!

We all set off very excited for our first evening of toad patrol on Hensting Lane. All day we hoped for rainy, mild weather and we were lucky the rain set in as we were setting off. The first stretch of the lane Mike showed us the ponds to release the toads into and told us lots of information about the toads including how to identify male and female toads. Our first find was actually a newt! On the walk back up the lane all the toads had started to make their way to the road. In total 14 male toads, 5 females and 3 newts were helped to safety. Sadly two toads got run over so it goes to show how important the patrols are as it could have been a lot more without our helping hands. Now we just have to hope for some more mild and rainy evenings in February and March so we can go help again!