Oy, nearly two months after our last proper blog. How time flies. It was still winter when last we blogged and the toads were still sleeping. I think I’ve developed an obsession with toads. Two months and we’ve still not attached all those benches at Blackford Pond. Well, check back next week when hopefully we will be able to report the completion of that, at least, if not actually all the other things still to do there.
So last week began at Polkemmet Country Park. Strange feeling of deja vu. Disappointingly our ex-VO friend Gemma will not be starting there as Ranger this week, due to inter-park horse-trading she’s been moved to Beegraigs Country Park. Shame. Well it’s back to burning that huge pile of rhododendron. Or it was until we discovered Mrs Thrush sat on her nest in the middle of the pile, doing her wild animal freeze-and-they-won’t-see-you act. So we left her be and started on the several acres of rhodie some bright spark had cut several seasons ago and then left on the ground. For it all to re-root and sprout up again merrily. Well done you. Next week – Pond digging.
The rest of the week was back in my neck of the woods at Leith Links building this rather attractive chestnut pale fence for Greener Leith. The corner of the East Links past the bowling green is being turned into a community orchard by GL with Postcode Lottery money amongst other donors I’m sure. So our best and straightest (!) fencing technique were tested over what will be a 6 day project when completed. Anything to discourage the dog-walkers and council mowers from taking a fancy to new saplings. Congrats to Charlotte from GL for getting such a project up and running, providing apples, pear, cherries and many other fruits to the local community in times to come. Wednesday saw kids from the local Primary School, local MP’s, a BSkyB crew and the local papers all contributing to the feeling of slight chaos. Luckily enough of us had BTCV t-shirts on to grab some publicity for ourselves.
So come the end of Thursday the long run of fence posts was completed with only a short stretch of chestnut to go on. Next week we’ll tackle the tricky prospect of fencing up and over a wall, and up, over and down a slope. No one will we be doing any end runs around our fence. And while Chris is away we’ll be taking bribes for which group gets to do the fence and which goes back to Blackford Pond. I have my price.
Check our updated Picasa site for photos from recent projects at Telford and Drylaw Community Gardens, Polkemmet Country Park, Burdiehouse Burn and Leith Links
To view photos of past and present project and our volunteers in action please click here