We got quite a shock earlier this week when we got a phone call from Jeanette in Blue Horizon with the news that Goodman’s son had died in a car accident. We have exchanged messages and obviously he finds it difficult to cope.
This is most likely my last post of the year. We had our agm with a presentation of all we have done this year and it is quite an impressive list. We tackled some major items such as the bird hide, new trails and signage and the overhaul of the shade house plus all the maintenance items in the nursery and elsewhere in the Reserve. Not to mention the cleaning up of blue gum and pine tree remains. No wonder that our small Wednesday group is rather tired and needs a break.
It is difficult for me to remain motivated when I see the powers that be show less and less commitment to the reserve, equipment such as the tractor being used in Settlers Park so the mowing program cannot be maintained, plants from Wesley’s garden been removed to who knows where, the house looking more and more like a ruin, visitors leaving a mess in the braai and so I can continue.
On the positive side I think that we have now done most of the things we needed and wanted to do and we can concentrate next year on the more enjoyable and less strenuous things. If traffic circles and picnic sites will be overgrown because of lack of weeding and mowing so be it.
This Wednesday we gave it a final push, hung up some curtains in the FOVS room to keep the sun out, levelled the soil in the Shade House annex, put down plastic and moved plants. Rob and Cathy did some Podalyria hacking while Ellie did some de-grassing of the entrance circle.
The tap by the greenhouse now has a soak-away which should be a little more hygienic and finally the misting house got a good hose down as algae started to grow on the walls and floor. We also collected some seed as the growing must continue even though another 80 plants got added to the nursery today, all grown by Fovs members at home.