Hi folks,
great to back, now attached to the Mothership and all the other little BTCV Scotland shiplets (hellloooo everyone!).
It’s been a busy few weeks (didn’t you just know I was gonna say that), especially for the Green Gym. We have been having a very productive season at the allotment (anyone for lettuce?) and so decided to celebrate our hard work with a BBQ. We had an open day where the public could come along and see us at work. The day started gloriously with lots of sunshine (you just know where this is going) and we worked hard clearing weeds and eating strawberries. Then time for our barbie…
The burgers were free flowing, as were the chicken wings and hot dogs. We even had Greek and pasta salads (oooh, get us). Just as we were ready for dessert, the rain Gods of Aberdeen (we know them well) send a thunderstorm no less. We had to quickly play “how many people can you fit in a BTCV allotment tool shed” – you know that old one. For the curious, the answer is seven. As we were playing this game, some stalwarts continued in the rain…
Our next foray for the Green Gym was a healthy walk and litter pick at Forvie nature reserve. We were treated to a look around the centre and a talk by Annabel, the manager, before heading out to pick some litter. As we wandered along the beach, we met the last person Annabel had caught littering…
The midweek group have also been working hard, as always, continuing with our projects at Rhynie and Balmacassie. One of our favourite midweek projects is the restoration of the Three Island Walkway at Delgatie (Joan, your cooking rocks). Having cleared the islands, we arrived to plant some wildflowers to support local biodiversity (and they look pretty), only to find a tsumani had been before us….
Actually, it was a combination of rain (what’s that?) and a digger draining the moat. So we planted our trees and flowers in a makeshift bed, ready to be translocated (posh word) when the islands have dried out.Bringing you up to date, I spent the weekend at Edinburgh taking part in BTCV’s BioBlitz extravaganza. As well as helping record as many species as possible in Holyrood Park over 24 hours, I had my face painted (all in the name of conservation) – please don’t let there be pictures.Finally, welcome back to Yvonne from her trip away and and good luck to Claudia who has been inducted into the exclusive club of minibus drivers (not that luck is required, of course) and will be driving us to Delgatie tomorrow. Go girlie!Have a great week