Struggling for Time....

Well, I think the weeds are winning. It's been a far busier time than I expected, and I found myself flying off to NZ this week, and then on to the US after that. No time to spend out in the bush, which is a shame at this most beautiful time of year.

Looking after the property is going to have to wait till after the 28th when I get back - and that's after I squeeze in competing in the second running of the Yurrebilla Trail Ultra.

But I was happy during the week to hear from my contact at the tediuosly-named Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resource Management Board who was organising a tour of the area by the Board members, and wanted to show them over our property. Unfortunately, due to other commitments, I wasn't able to help - but did manage to get them some aerial photos I have of our property going back to the 1940's, and which highlight well the desecration of the bush that occurred so widely back then, but also the stunning recovery that the bush made over the next few decades.

From what I can determine, our property was clear-felled for timber just prior to 1949, and has been regenerating naturally since. The big clue to this are the many multi-stemmed stringybarks on the property, that have regrown from the stumps from nearly 60 years ago. The occasional mature tree remains, and those stand out for their larger trunks and different habit. They're magnificent specimens, and it must have been a magical place back then before 'the axe'.

Meantime, the AMLRNRM board is managing to do some good works on the ground, and we've been the beneficiary of some of them over the past few years. I just wish there were more of these very practial programs, and a few less strategic plans.