Well, the good intentions went by the board, didn’t they? And here we are again, nearly a month later.
People are weird, aren’t they? Of course, I include myself in that. Anyone who, when they’re flush, can’t decide which of two items to buy, so decides to buy both, must be a little odd, don’t you think?
But, let us return to our sheep, as the French would say, and consider some of the behaviours people who walk round our little Elysian Fields known as HBUF can get up to.
First of all, there are those (or just one person, who knows?) who can’t bear to let foxgloves grow there. Being fairly successful wild flowers, foxgloves will self-seed given the right circumstances so, when we planted them, we kind of expected to see more and more as time went on. However, no foxglove that has ever reared its head there has been allowed to settle and produce little ones. No sooner planted than, whoosh, they have disappeared almost overnight. Is this someone who thinks too much about the poisonous nature of the foxglove (digitalis) and therefore wishes to eradicate it? In which case, I wonder if they should consider doing the same with rhubarb, tomatoes, cabbage, peanuts and, no doubt, lots more common or garden (sorry about the pun) items that we have in our food cupboards.
There are so many plants that, yes, contain toxins while, at the same time, being a boon to wildlife. In looking up poisonous plants, I find that elderberries and elderflowers are poisonous to humans when they are not ripe, but they are a delicious meal for some insects and birds. And how could we eradicate the yew tree? Such an amazing species, that can live for hundreds of years. And who would want to get rid of laburnum trees and wisteria, that give such pleasure to the eye? Neither could we dismiss the humble willow tree, many of which may be found in our woodland. What about holly, and ivy then? Look them up.
Apologies for the lecture, but really! Is anyone going to start eating foxgloves, for goodness’ sake?
Another odd behaviour that has been observed is that of the person or persons who does not approve of tree guards, so systematically removed them on a regular basis. This all started with our first tree plantings. One day, there all the little whips were, nicely guarded and, the next, the guards would be pulled off and laid beside them on the ground. Often beautifully neat, each one beside its little tree; but sometimes all piled up in a heap. So one (or two, or several) of us would put them all on again. And, shortly afterwards, the same thing would happen once more. There were suspicions as to who it might be, but no certainties. But, as I said at the start, people are weird sometimes. And there must be some belief that the guards do no good or, even worse, cause harm. They are there to protect the bark from the deer, who nibble the little trees dry, thus killing them. They are also a protection from rabbits, but we don’t have any of those (we sincerely hope).
The young trees are, by the way, looking wonderful, despite all these odd events. And those that are growing in the centre of the brambles have really shot up. Such a pleasure.
So now it’s the festive season again. HBUF are invited, once more, to provide a tree and to decorate it in St Barnabas. We’ll be doing this next weekend, so come along and have a look at it. Well, come along on Friday and take part in it. There are lots of groups that contribute to this annual Christmas tree provision and decoration, with the result that St Barnabas looks splendid.
One last thing: the December meeting will not take place. Our next meeting will be on Monday 14th January 2019 – 7.00 pm as usual, at St Barnabas small hall.