A bad news week …
In recent days first Melbourne and then Brisbane went back into strict lockdown and while the signs are positive (at least more positive than those in NSW) these events inevitably come with interstate travel bans. Last year this time, I lamented the fact that we could not see our youngest son before he left to start university in the UK. This year it is the turn of our eldest son. He leaves for the UK in the last week of August to start a new job in London and we will be denied the opportunity to celebrate both his new job and the start of a great adventure with him. It also looks as though Cath’s next trip to Cracroft Farm in late August is under threat. The recent unauthorised (albeit brief) incursion into Tasmania of a Covid positive traveller from NSW has no doubt sounded the alarm bells, so even given an end to the Brisbane lockdown, the Tasmanian border may possibly stay closed for longer than it otherwise might have. Of course, our particular circumstances are merely frustrating rather than distressing, and I am mindful of the fact that there are many whose situations are truly desperate.
To add to the travel woes, this week also brought some bad news about our second property down the Huon. Thus far this block hasn’t featured much in this blog, mainly because we don’t currently have vehicular access to it. A river flows through the property and we need to build a bridge to get to the main body of land. For the last 4 months we have been negotiating with our neighbours to obtain a right of way across their land, a deal that would make building a bridge unnecessary. Everything seemed to be going really well. We had an agreement in principle, a route pegged out that both parties were happy with and a history of positive communication. This week, instead of signing the legal document to create the easement, the other party abruptly withdrew. As you can imagine, this turn of events was completely unexpected and enormously frustrating. So, it’s back to the drawing board on that front.
But there is always something happening on the farm to keep the spirits up. As we are only a few weeks away from the beginning of spring I have been monitoring all our trees for signs of life. Today I was rewarded because our flowering Japanese crab apple tree (Malus floribunda) has a huge new bud! I am expecting our trees to be a little behind in terms of blossom simply because of our exposed position on the side of the hill. But the excitement is palpable as the days start to lengthen slightly.
In another great development, I managed to strike an awesome bargain at a small nursery near Huonville. I was looking for Golden Ash trees (Fraxinus excelsior 'aurea') to plant in the top paddock adjacent to the planned veggie patch and managed to pick up three bare-rooted specimens for under $100. Much to Pepper’s chagrin, I immediately squeezed the trees into our station wagon before the proprietor could change her mind. They are now planted along the southern boundary of the top paddock where I hope they will provide excellent shelter for the veggies as well as simply being magnificent.
And so, after all the events of recent days, some frustrating some energising, imagine my dismay when a little research has revealed that the famous riposte attributed to “Supermac” has never been reliably authenticated. Some say Macmillan made it to President Kennedy, others to a journalist after dinner, yet another eminent politician claims it referred to foreign policy. I immediately decided to decimate a few more blackberries to ease my disappointment ...
Comments
Post a Comment