The soil of this area is very shallow and beneath the shallow top layer of soil is heavy clay. This, I understand, is not conducive to trees with deep roots – so we end up with shallow rooted trees – i.e. Gum Trees. The bun fight – native vs exotic – has been lost and council will start planting native trees. They have, however, admitted that a lot of the planting in the past was inappropriate to an urban area (understatement!) and they have promised that they will be more selective. But that’s all well and good, but they are still messy and nothing will grow near them. There is too much oil in the bark and the litter and all of that is toxic to anything that tries to grow near them. But anyway, the council will plant native trees and accept the mess as part of the price of being environmentally responsible. But here’s the thing, with all this mess and litter being carried into the drains and clogging them up, will the council accept responsibility for any flooding that occurs because of this?
I have tried to break things down and dug deep put in extra topsoil but still plants do not survive. Well some do, but most don’t and the slightest wind and everything is covered in leaves and by the time I get round to cleaning them out, it’s generally too late. In a week I can fill up most of a 6×4 trailer with leaves, bits of tree and assorted and associated litter – and that’s just my back garden. Because of the high levels of heat and working, I have not used the blower on the back garden for a couple of days, so I have leaves everywhere. I’l try and get them done ver the next couple of days. And yes, I have used large amounts of Gypsum to try and bread up the clay.
You may remember that I did say that I had ordered Dog Steps for the little man to get up on his bed. They arrived yesterday and I am very impressed. I thought – the description was not all that clear – that they would be some kind of moulded foam, but not so. They are moulded steps that I have to put together and then cover them with a lambswool covering – pretty cool, I thought. And 70 pounds (31.7 kilo)
Was down at the shops yesterday and helped the manager with a distressed dog that had been abandoned outside the supermarket (again). I looked after the girl whilst he tried to contact the RSPCA – without success. We finally telephoned the council and the pound sent a van to collect the dog. Hopefully, it wont stay there too long before it is fostered out pending adoption. However, the best thing would be for the owner to come forward and accept responsibility because it was not a young dog and she looks as she has had a few pups. A very friendly and placid thing she was.
Edgar's Page 