C3 community parkland and walking track project - late March update

Please note this is a repost from my wifes blog http://arabelleswindow.blogspot.com.au

It's update time! 

The further we go on this community garden journey, the more we realise we have undertaken a HUGE project. It can feel at times as if we aren't making much progress at all, even though we are. It's all about laying the foundations for something amazing to develop, slowly but surely. And something amazing is indeed developing. Follow the pics below for a peek at the latest work undertaken.

A clean, open space. The lawns are constantly trimmed and the area at the top of the gardens looks fresh and loved. 

Hubby and I have 3 dedicated workers on site each Thursday- 2 areWork for the Dole recipients and one is a faithful, hard worker, Ben, from our church. All 3 guys do a simply brilliant job and as a team, we  function well together. 

I say this, because with my exhausting menopause transition, some workers with injuries, and un-seasonal high temps, we all manage to work well at our individual tasks.

This area housed the old creche sandpit. Week 6, I made it my mission to completely clean this area up. 

It took the better part of the day, but I did it. Satisfaction right there!

Now we have a clear space to work and store things neatly.

Hubby leveling out the ground to create another pathway. One of the workers did a brilliant job on the first half of the path. Soon, we will have a linked walkway from both ends of the garden.

At the bottom of the slope, we have the base of a pathway!

My other goal for week 6 was to mulch and plant 2 vines on the slope. Job done. Though the weeds are quite another issue. I figured, best to weed a little, plant the vines and attack the rest later, or nothing good will ever start to grow. The vines will eventually choke out the weeds anyway.

We are up to week 7 now. This is the start of more garden beds. The edging will be concreted, and make an easy path to mow around, and create a garden bed to weed, mulch and plant out under the trees.

The cardboard looks unsightly, but one thing I have discovered about this daisy weed, it's almost immune to weed spray. Choking out light seems to be the best option. 

The slope now has a retaining wall. Hubby and Ben worked hard this week digging holes and concreting the supports in. Small steps and the garden is taking shape!

One week after planting and my bougainvillea is looking healthy! Can't wait for this to spread and erupt in stunning pink flowers all over the slope. Even when not I flower, the variegated leaves add colour too.

I love garden bridges. This picture, courtesy of Pintrest, is the dream...

...aaaaand this is the current reality :)

Least we can get the mower over easily. 

Thankfully, it's only temporary. 

There you have it, a few more weeks done and dusted. So excited to bring you more updates soon! 

Thanks for reading guys :)

C3 community parkland and walking track project - early March update

Please note this is a repost from my wifes blog http://arabelleswindow.blogspot.com.au

This sums up my Thursday quite well- dirty work with lots of shoveling involved. 

I love it!

This week was all about making substantial visual progress, and defining areas. Hubby and I are both over just mowing and keeping the area clear. Thankfully, with a ride on now, we need not stress about hand mowing a few times each week; one hour spent on the ride on, and the weeds are down. Though I admit- the cardio was awesome with the push mower :)

Today involved making good use of the absolute abundance of free mulch we already have. Since commencing this project, we discovered that the local tip now charges for green waste disposal, and no longer provides cheap mulch anymore. Bit of a bummer. However, all is not lost.

Hubby hooked the trailer up and drove it down to where we had been piling leaf litter. Two trailer loads were carted up and dumped down a large slope. The recent heavy rain has made the ground a little boggy, so the rest had to be done by hand. I started raking up piles, and later, when our amazing helper, Ben, turned up, wheelbarrow load after load went onto the slope as well. Great use of a free resource. 

I have personally always wanted a little fence to define the garden space. I got my way today! Hubby decided to put in several treated pine posts and loop a chain over them for a simple fence. It will deter drive downs and rubbish dumping. Hopefully.

With this fence in place, and a string line and marker stakes, we have a visual area to fill with mulch, and then with bougainvillea vines. I want to use them as a ground cover and create a tropical, colourful and hardy shrubby cover that will flower most of the year. I've been scouting for specials and found some plants for $9 each today- an absolute bargain!

I also had what I thought was a brilliant idea for bench seating. Watch this space!

Take a look below at the progress of the day...

Trailer loads of mulch went onto the slope. We weren't very discriminatory- small branches, sticks and rocks made it in too. It will all be hidden when planted out.

One half of the mulched slope, and the nearer half lightly turned over with a rake to prepare for mulching. This way, it's easier to tackle weeds coming through without the use of heavy chemical weed killers.

Once all the available mulch had been collected and dumped onto the slope, I had the tough job of watering it down.

I'm totally impressed with hubby's simple fence. It gives a visual clue that a garden space is being created.

Theses are some saved logs from earlier tree lopping. Hubby is digging them  into the new pathway he is constructing to give the slope stability.

If you notice in the background, large sheets of cardboard have been put under the trees. This area will be mulched as well, and a garden created. The cardboard should act as a weed killer.

If you can avoid chemicals- do it.

Log number one going into the ready made trench before being buried and packed in.

One down, a lot to go!

Team effort here. 

Ben is compacting the sand, hubby is shoveling the gravel that I dug up and carted in the wheelbarrow. 

With this pathway almost complete, we have plans to add an offshoot to it, and some more pine logs to define the entrance way.

There will another pathway further up, near the newly mulched and fenced slope. Some nice signage isn't far away either.

I have already started my plant collecting. I am keeping them alive in my tiny yard, desperately keen to get them planted. I can't wait to create a visually beautiful, scented, flowering area for people to enjoy.

Sigh. I heart gardening.

That is your lot for today. I'm looking forward to bringing you even more progress soon!

Until then, thanks for reading :)

C3 community parkland and walking track project - late February update

Please note this is a repost from my wifes blog http://arabelleswindow.blogspot.com.au

This week has been H.U.G.E. And crazy, disappointing, amazing, challenging, encouraging...Highs and lows all over the place.

It's still crazy hot. Summer has forgotten to end. It may not. I am thrilled to be sporting a fresh sunburn one inch below my knees. Now I look like a tan, beige, red and white patchwork quilt. Goody. 

I could smell hubby come home just before. Even through my gagging, I am so incredibly proud of his 14 hr day. He is a machine!

We have had more hoons drive down the steep slope, not to dump green waste, but their KFC rubbish before ripping up more ground. Not really the kind of attention we want. I argued with hubby as to why I couldn't plant tyre spikes. Darn safety issues.

Read on to have a look at the week that was...

MONDAY

Hubby had been scouting for a while for a ride on mower. Today, we found one. Quite a drive away. That drive involved us having to hire another large, heavy trailer, drive to an unfamiliar city in the heat, get lost several times, make couples who fight on home improvement shows look calm and rational, and eventually find the guys home and purchase a ride on.

Thankfully, the guy was friendly, owned a mower shop, showed us how to use it in detail, and said we could contact him for any issues if needed. 

Our fab new toy :)

Haven't used it yet- hubby has beaten me too it.

TUESDAY
Such a yuk start to the day...

Turned up to find our new trailer had been treated badly. The break light cable had been severed. Instead of getting the blue slip done, we tracked down a auto electrician to repair this disappointing damage. 

He was a lovely guy who chatted away in the blistering hot sun whilst he worked. He gave us a bag of his home grown fruit as a gift when we left. 

A challenging start turned into a pleasant ending. 

I like friendly people.

We ended the day without the trailer blue slip or rego getting done.

WEDNESDAY

I intended to go to gym today. My gym ended up being lifting, and throwing, a huge pile of logs and branches. In the heat. No choreographed tunes and blissful air con for this girl- I'm made of tougher stuff than that. Not really. I'm a diva in this heat. But I did impress hubby when I loaded the trailer in under 10 minutes. Go me :)

Hubby also started digging a curved walkway. The place is starting to take on shape. Exciting. 

THURSDAY

Blue slip today. It went without a hitch. Not so lucky at the RMS. Apparently, we were supposed to have been given an invoice when we purchased the trailer, not an ordinary receipt. So it was a trip back to Bunnings to get this. Thankfully, though it was confusing for all, the staff were incredibly helpful, and we all feel we have learnt something from the process. Fast forward seven hours and a $155 later, we finally have a registered trailer. 

The runaround has been worth it. The trailer has already been invaluable in helping us clear the land. Even better now that we can legally take it on the road.

Today also involved us ripping down a fence. The kids play area had a fence around it that had definitely seen better days, so down it came, ready for some remodeling. 

Out with the old.

Uneven, old mix-matched wooden posts are being removed for a touch of modern.

FRIDAY

My hubby is an incredibly dedicated and hardworking person, and with this project, even more so. He is down at the crack of dawn getting stuck into work. This morning, I arrived at 7:30am- hours after him. My 20 yr old watched her sissy so I could help my hubby. Grateful.

We hired a post hole digger. It was noisy, and difficult. Difficult because the machine was a little past its prime, and because the ground is either sand, or clay. One collapses, one compacts. Fun.

May I say, putting fences in is quite the challenge. So much measuring, checking, and re-checking. It is worth it though. Nothing looks worse than out of line, uneven fences. 

Hubby putting in the new black metal post, and making sure it's exactly where it needs to be. He inspires me :)

Almost as soon as we got the last side post in, the shipping container we were told about yesterday arrived.

The driver was lovely and chatted with us for close to half an hour after putting the container in place. 

People seem genuinely interested in what's going on here.

Might I add, the shipping container was free!

Now we have a secure larger space available.

More posts going in. Slow, tedious, and very hot work.

Hubby lined the remaining fence segments up. 

These old things are getting a lick of black paint.

Why waste what you can reuse?

Tomorrow will be another big day. The fence has to be completed by Sunday for use by creche. I am on creche so I would appreciate this being done. A dozen kids trapped inside...no thanks!

I must say, the work is challenging. I shoveled road base into the wheel barrow and carted it to hubby, helped fill the post holes, pulled apart a hardwood sandpit for use elsewhere, lifted fence sections, and more. My hubby is the star of the day, however. He just didn't stop.

But when you believe in something so strongly, why would you? The passion keeps you going.

That is all for now, dear readers. Hope this is inspiring some of you to get out and challenge yourself someway this week.

Until next time, thanks for reading :)

C3 community parkland and walking track project - early February update

Giving credit to my amazing wifes blog before I start as she posted most of this up first.
Sweet potato topped beef bacon pies CLICK HERE

After being in contact with the Natural resource management unit of the tweed shire council we were given approval to begin clearing the non-local/non-native/dangerous(high risk) trees from the parklands area and the development and management of the remainder or the project within the parameters of the proposed plan. The past two weeks has seen the clearing of some of the weed trees, management of the previously cleared weeds and expansion of the weed clearing to cover the entire proposed parklands area and removal of the old fence. Id like to especially thank Margy ( Below ) for coming on thursday (4th feb) , in the pouring rain and to Ben the following thursday(11th feb) to assist us in clearing the trees.

 "Our awesome friend, Margy, not afraid to get dirty and help out, even in the rain. 

It was actually quite a challenge. 

The years have left piles of leaf litter on top of stumps, branches, and interesting finds.

We were just keeping our eyes open- the area was perfect snake habitat." Marija

ABOVE: The first of the trees to be removed are the Umbrella trees, the two larger trees were dropped last week (4th feb). The majority of the stumps have now been removed and are ready for painting with herbicides.

BELOW: If you took a look out the back last week this is what you would have seen. The trees were down and ready for cleanup. Sadly this was made harder as during the week someone had spread them around. 

For the moment you will notice there are large piles of tree waste outside the kids church, this is a temporary location until the compost bins are constructed. For the remainer of the trees they have been removed from the parklands. 

We have now cleared all of the parkland areas, seeing me in the distance gives you an idea of the size of the parklands area and grass has already started to come up in sections. This is giving us a great canvas to begin the next stages of the parklands project.

Keep an eye out for more updates, and if you would like to be apart of this project we are onsite:

Monday 7am till 9.30am

Thursday 7am till 12pm