Re: Garden philosophy

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Dear Moira et al

Just back from our 3 days country living and gardening.    Hey!   Aren't we lucky to have our elderly, "sprite", partners!   Our 50th wedding anniversary was celebrated in February with 20 immediate family - children and grandchildren - And I am positive that our marriage has remained strong and interesting through our combined love of gardening.   We have worked out the best way to reach the goal - I am bossy and choose plants and positions in the gardens - Kees is the work horse, a terrific planter, more realistic in obtaining my dreams and gets dinner when I have spent the whole day weeding on my knees!

Our town garden has not received enough good rain falls but we did not have water restrictions this Summer [we did last year] but, due to the cutting down of our native forests, we are now troubled with wind storms.    The old growth forests are clear felled, burnt, poisoned and planted with non native trees and in 12 years the trees are sold overseas for wood chips.   Our latest fight is against a huge pulp mill to be built, taking millions of trees to feed the mill over 20 years, and using farmers' water from dams.  The outcome will be we will lose our farming productions - clean vegetables, wheat, wool, wood for houses and fine arts, probably our wonderful fish [by pollution pumped into the Bass Strait etc etc.

Thank goodness for our gardens - I do find peace and delight there and forget my old political angst - for a little while :=]  Particularly when I walk the garden paths with any of the 10 grandchildren, talking flowers and playing hide and seek with them!

I have always had belief that the new generation will realise that money is not the be all  - Perhaps they will make their leaders walk in a garden, for an hour, every day before entering parliament house!


Rgards to all, sorry for the rant!   Gay