Our first meeting is on Monday 8th February at Rupe Cheetham’s, 61 Benson Street. There’s lots of pruning and potting to do. BYO favourite gear and something for afternoon tea. Rupe will provide coffee and tea.
Elspeth Maconachie 0418 621 764
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A band of enthusiastic gardeners gathers once a month for an afternoon at each member’s garden in rotation. The working bee uses each member’s skills and abilities to achieve about six hours effect in an hour and a half. We meet on the 2nd and 5th Mondays from 2 to 4 pm.
Our first meeting is on Monday 8th February at Rupe Cheetham’s, 61 Benson Street. There’s lots of pruning and potting to do. BYO favourite gear and something for afternoon tea. Rupe will provide coffee and tea. Elspeth Maconachie 0418 621 764 "March 30th (email to Garden Team members) It's a pity that we won't be beavering away in Kathy's garden this afternoon but I hope you will feel inspired by the showers and that if we all get on our knees to weed at 2pm today there will be a communal energy felt. (or have I been doing a bit much tai chi lately?) Almost half of your donations back in September are quite well established here now and part of the nice reminder gardens can offer. Stay safe and strong. Elspeth" Garden team continues to work on a variety of projects while they're split into smaller work units. It has been good to catch up with reports and photos providing proof of dedication! “Member of Garden Team at work this afternoon“ "Shared proof of Frank's dedication" "Afternoon tea as always! Many thanks to Kirstin & Marcus for the delicious apple pie!"
Our break for the long weekend has grown fearfully long but please remember that gardening is good for mood as well as weed control.
Stay safe. Elspeth Maconachie We put in a good effort with minimal grumbling about the humidity and were well rewarded with an ample spread on a cool verandah. It was lovely to add Ellen to our task force.
We will take a long weekend break and gather at Kathy’s on the fifth Monday in March, the 30th. Elspeth Maconachie Shears and snippers trimmed and tidied in Shirlie's lush and colourful garden. We'll finish our year back at Deslie's patch in December.
Elspeth Maconachie Willing workers arrived on Sept 30th with generous armfuls to populate my sparse new garden on Goomalibee Road and made remarkable progress. Next we visited Kirsten and Marcus on Oct 14th where the team was just as numerous and helpful and the post-weeding feast just as delicious (and the coffee far better) We look forward to another productive session at Shirlie's on Nov 11th and plan to finish the year with Deslie on Dec 9th.
Elspeth Maconachie We cancelled in early September and I'm sure we'll be luckier on September 30th when we meet at Goomalibee Rd - it was a day of bone-chilling wind and a popular decision.
Elspeth Maconachie ,A sunny patch gave enough time for pruning and weeding in the front garden before a convivial and tasty afternoon tea at Frank & Val's.
Having gathered on the 5th, we've held off until September and our first session will be at 476 Goomalibee Rd on the 9th. As it's a new venture and a rather blank canvas there'll be room for planning and perhaps planting (if you have cuttings of geranium, salvia or suchlike hardy critters) and if you can stand the racket we have leaves to shred - even a few river gums to plant . Then there's a fifth September Monday to consider so perhaps we can settle the rest of the year's venues (four if we continue into December). Elspeth Maconachie Much useful pruning and weeding was done at new recruit, Terry's garden, earlier this month.
Our fifth Monday may be a first Monday of the following month, and that may necessitate holding off our usual second Monday session. If that's confusing you, please look out for a clarifying email from Elspeth and if you still can't work it out try joining the Brain Games gang - we use both hemispheres to work out problems (see above). Elspeth Maconachie Deslie's enthusiasm for the group's activity may see similar groups spring up in Gippsland and the Riverina. I think she'll be able to update them on good progress at her patch on our latest gathering.
We promise to (try to) let Bill take it easy if he's back in time for our next garden, at 6 Tulip St Violet Town, on July 8th, when Terry opts in on a regular basis. Elspeth Maconachie The trailer load shows how productive the team can be but perhaps the highlight was the knot-tying demonstration from Marcus - impressively rapid and effective!
We need to decide whether our next gathering, at Deslie's, is on the allotted Monday (long weekend) or is better put back to the third Monday. Elspeth Maconachie We worked well at Kathy's garden among a generous scatter of birdbaths, which I hope won't be quite as desperately needed from now on.
By publication we'll have been to Mitchell St and be almost at Gray St. *special note of thanks from the goat to Kathy, who brought a bag of some of her tastiest weeds to Brain Games next day! Elspeth Maconachie Our afternoon tea was under the grapevine - hard to visualise that so recently we appreciated the added cool from the misting-fan - but I still feel it was the goat who did best as there were many rose prunings for her after our labours at Frank and Val's.
We have the April 8th session at Arundel St and will decide there where the last Monday (April 29th) session will be. Elspeth Maconachie It was a large gathering at Shirlie's which included newcomers Deslie, Janet and Debra who added energy and good company to the balance of work and afternoon tea.
To accommodate long weekend plans we are meeting a week early at Frank and Val's in Barkly St so bring your pruners to #66 on the 4th. Elspeth Jane and Bill kindly gave up their slot so that in late October we did a collective good deed , working in the garden of an injured U3A member. With our contact, Kathy Izard, pitching in as well (and Lois staggering by between medical checks!), we had a large set of helpers who pruned, weeded and mulched. The November session was an easy one, with a more than usually festive afternoon tea at Marcus and Kirsten's and the accustomed cheerful conversation with a hint of mutual congratulation on a year of useful tasks achieved. Elspeth Maconachie
It was the usual pleasant social gathering, this time at Val's, where useful work was done and there was, of course, a delightful afternoon tea.
Elspeth Maconachie The team pitched in with the usual enthusiasm and expertise and by afternoon teatime there were many satisfying heaps of weeds and prunings to compost, shred and feel pleased about.
With three more sessions this year I suggest the gatherings below. October 8th: Val October 29th: Bill & Jane November 12th: Marcus & Kirsten Elspeth McConachie With many in the group unavailable, a small team of four achieved a lot at Kathy’s place. The jasmine and ivy was tamed, some self-sown native plants were potted up and a number of other plants trimmed or pruned.
In September we will gather at 6 Tulip St. Elspeth Maconachie Please note that when I announce the whereabouts of Marcus and Kirsten's garden I read Mitchell street, visualize Thomas Mitchell and mislead readers by sliding into writing Thomas Street! (Lateral thinking skills can be a trap) Despite my sabotage some useful work was done in pleasant sunshine and some good food rewarded the team.
Early July Shirlie will host and on the fifth Monday Bill and Jane will be home base. Elspeth Maconachie It being a bit early for the roses, Frank and Val had three helpers in a weeding and tidying blitz.
On June 18th, leaving the long w/end free for family or other frivolities, we will be meeting at Marcus and Kirsten's. I think Bill & Jane will be back in Australia for the early July session and given a fifth July Monday, on the 30th we might get back to Shirlie's place but these dates can be switched Elspeth Maconachie We all got to work in Lois's garden but Bill threw himself in with even more than his usual gusto and within minutes had sliced himself with the pruners, so it is with relief that I'm glad to report that his swollen thumb is recovering, though slowly.
He may have to take a supervisory role when we gather at Val's for the rose pruning on May 14th. (Elspeth will be an apology yet again so please decide on a June venue and whether we should gather on the QB Monday or on the third or fourth Mon of the month) Elspeth Maconachie Our Garden Team at Kathy’s worked in superb autumn weather trimming and pruning shrubs around the garden, and along the driveway. A great result, especially when most of the prunings were then cut into manageable pieces for easy composting or disposal. We then enjoyed afternoon tea, particularly Val’s deluxe sandwiches.
Next month will be at Lois’s. Kathy Costello/Elspeth Maconachie We worked so well we were allowed to stop before much more than an hour had passed. Wasps also had some influence on proceedings! it was a tasty and well-deserved afternoon tea which was as fruitful as our labours.
I hope the secateurs were claimed and that the same energy is available to Lois at our next meeting on March 19 (though Elspeth may be a non-starter that day with Tai Chi training in Melb) Elspeth Maconachie
A few apologies but still a good work force at Kathy's with the welcome addition of Vicki, a willing weeder and good company from all reports!
On the fifth Monday, October 30th, we'll be at Jane and Bill's and after that we'll meet at Kirsten and Marcus's for the early November session. Elspeth Maconachie |
About the Garden TeamA band of enthusiastic gardeners gathers once a
month for an afternoon at each member’s garden in rotation. The working bee uses each members skills and abilities to achieve about six
hours effect in an hour and a half. Then
we rest on our laurels with tea provided by the host and a home-baked and/or healthy
plate from the visitors. We head home a
little fitter and inspired, often with a new cutting or garden tip. Meeting Times2nd and 5th Mondays
2 to 4 pm Meet at members' gardens by turn. (If the 2nd Monday is a public holiday, the garden team often meets on an alternate day. Information about changes is included in the newsletter) Convenor and contact detailsElspeth Maconachie
0418 621 764 Archives
March 2024
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