Courtyard conversion begins...

We planted this apple tree in the centre of the courtyard last year. As you can see, it's now bearing fruit, and is a symbol of growth at the farm as we enter a new and exciting phase of development. This week the work to convert the courtyard buildings has finally begun...

This is the culmination of four years preparation to secure the funding, planning approval and all the details and conditions that have to be satisfied before the first section of scaffolding goes up and the real work begins.

And more than that, it's also been four years of soul-searching and learning from the land, as I discover what it is that is so special about this farm, and what it is that is seemingly destined to happen here.

Each of the five Pitch Shift events at the farm have helped inform that journey of discovery, not least the most recent when we gathered here at the end of July.

On the first day I was delighted to welcome several farmers from the local Thame Catchment cluster and the Real Farming Trust's progressive landowners platform, as well as people from the local community. I took them on a short tour which was followed by a BBQ with delicious food from local farms. We spoke about plans for the Pitchcott Farm cafe and terrace overlooking a new kitchen garden. And how to help reconnect people to nature through food.

And then over the following three days a small group of us camped and cooked together in the meadow, dancing and singing around the campfire. I encourage you to read Go Barefoot, Matthew Green's article about his experience. He describes Pitch Shift as a 'do-it-yourself micro-festival built on an invitation to "learn from the land"'.

This is apt - at any rate 'DIY' is one way of describing it. Another way is to describe an environment that empowers us to do what we didn't think was possible. Singing, dancing, DJing, cooking. Looking after ourselves and others. All fairly simple stuff that too often manages to evade us in everyday life.

The Pitch Shift Studio, an educational, training, community and creative space that will adjoin the Farm cafe, will be a place for learning and empowerment. You might find a local chef doing a cooking demonstration, or a healthcare coach giving advice on preventative health (clue: get outside and into nature). Our health is intertwined with ecological heath, so you'll certainly find farmers and ecologists talking about the benefits of collaboration in navigating the challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change.

At the root of these challenges is a dissonance between people and nature. How can we bring the two together to realise that we are one and the same?

A couple of weeks ago I took this photo of the Harvest supermoon as it rose into the sky on the east side of the farm. I had one of those moments that sent tingles down my spine. It was so incredibly stunning.  

Unbelievably that experience was surpassed a few nights later. I always thought I would have to go to Norway or Iceland to see the Northern Lights. Not so, they are right here in Buckinghamshire.

Similar moments of awe have been shared by the children who have come to the farm on recent educational visits. For many of them it's the first time they have been to the countryside. The Country Trust, a charity founded by my grandfather, organised the first of these visits to Pitchcott in July, and the new facilities at the farm will enable many more of them throughout the year.

This year I have been slowly building a Pitchcott Farm Instagram page and over the coming months I will be using it to send progress updates from the courtyard, from the re-roofing that will start later this month to the cafe / kitchen fit-out that will be completed next year.

This week I have posted photos and a couple of videos showing the first works underway including the scaffolding that now surrouds the courtyard.

Please do follow the progress.

And then come to see it next year

Tony