I couldn't postpone this any longer, it's time for me to tackle the clean up of the pond and its surrounds at Struan Farm. While I planted natives around the banks last year (shrubs, trees and flax), which look great and are good riparian habitat for ducks, frogs, etc., I need to weed around what I've planted again, and we haven't spent any time picking up fallen trees and branches, raking leaves, etc. etc. from the surrounding paddocks. Literally for years. So it's well past time for all this.
It's hard, physical labour. I've been sweating. At one point this week I found myself on my bum pushing a huge log down the hill using the strength of my legs (and hoping it didn't roll all the way down off the bank and break the fence below, or I'd be in big trouble with John!). Some might say I'm a wee bit old to be doing this sort of thing, but I like to think this makes me stronger and healthier, provided I don't break anything! It's the kind of intense project where I can work hard at it all day, but need the next one off doing something else (like spreading paddock grass seed) to recover.
Also the kind of project where the results are pretty apparent--think the bank that I've been working on looks so much better.
I'm also putting paddock grass seed on the bare spots once I've finished, which will help keep thistles and other weeds down. John will now cart all the branches and leaves away with the tractor to one of our burn piles, not his favourite job in the world but oh well. (Rumour has it that Aaron has been recruited to assist with this truck and bobcat to cart everything to the burn pile at the river, given the sheer volume of stuff I've swept off the bank....)
p.s. I know what you're thinking: this will look great until the next major storm comes through, and I'll be starting it all over again...Yep, that's a given!
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