In their efforts to obtain a certificate of compliance for my house, men spent time under my patio in January re-shaping the ground and applying hard fill to meet building permit requirements. It was a week with 28 degree days, full sun and not much wind. All I could do was provide them with water and a couple of Coke Zeros, although they looked like a dash of sugar, but that might not have been so bad considering the heat and exertion.
I felt somewhat guilty asking that the removed soil be placed some distance away from my funeral pyre. But I was paying by the hour, I told myself, as I provided more fluids!
That same week I had a number of students come through Job search for students (SJS), clearing the grass and weeds and further developing my little forest walk. When I bought the property where I had recently built, I had not realized that an area of scrub, north of what looked like the boundary fence, was in fact part of the property. It was overgrown with brambles, but on examination I could see that it contained some excellent native plants: flax, cabbage, Nikau, Totara, along with Manuka and Coprosma.
I had a longer break during the summer – a refresher leave once called a sabbatical – most of which I spent at my country estate. In a notebook I keep about the activities on the ground, 25 mini-projects are listed under the heading “Summer 23-24 – SJS tasks” including the estimated and actual time involved. Learning: most cases took two to three times as long as estimated. For example “1. Clear the area around the septic tank” the estimate was two people for 2 hours. Actual time two people, 8 hours. I also stayed involved, before the students started, during and after. The during part was the best. Energetic young men, mostly half my age, who seemed capable of going on forever and making progress that I could only dream of on my own. Keeping track of project time registrations was very educational for future maintenance. It also highlighted some home truths. How did it take me six hours to lay five railway sleepers to create a small path?! Amateur with a spirit level.
When part of my right quadriceps was cut in 2020, I was told I would never enter the local Maunga without assistance. That turned out to be wrong, but I haven’t felt the same strength again – nothing special – just not as strong as I once was.
Working has helped a lot. It hurt, but as the days and weeks went by, it lessened and after a while I realized that I felt stronger again. More confidence when lifting, moving and digging. This brings freedom of choice and the confidence that a larger estate in the countryside can be managed without having to pay for everything.
Building and maintaining muscle is incredibly important as we age and in a world where mental toughness and fitness are emphasized, this has been a great learning experience for me. A real sabbatical and if there’s a tree to be planted, I can be your man!
The reward for having my own native walk was great. I’m out there all the time: transplanting baby Totara, hand weeding, cutting to keep the path clear and just really enjoying my own walk in the woods.
Today marks one year since the state of emergency was declared for Cyclone Gabrielle. I was not unscathed, but relatively speaking I escaped lightly. As I type, I see a large Manuka tree in my bush, which was cut off at about 25 feet during the storm.
Get strong.
Stephen
Comments:
- There are more than 90 species of Coprosma, of which more than 50 occur in New Zealand.
- I lost a number of large Manuka trees in Cyclone Gabrielle, which were eventually removed and converted into firewood, and a batch of several dozen self-sown baby trees have taken their place.
- The walk is part of a planned work around my 4 hectares and my big plan is to extend the walk to neighboring properties if I can
- The 25 projects are not all ready yet, but there are more, some of which I have managed myself
- I’ll also have more to say about the students another day – they were great
