jane wrote:
On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 23:16:51 -0000, "Miss Perspicacia Tick"
wrote:

[heavy snippage]

jane wakes up um, can't really help. I'm a transplanted Derbyshire
girl so have no clue about Bucks schools!

~My grandfather (89) 'teaches'
~horticulture and 'nature appreciation' at Little Waltham C of E
Combined and ~was responsible for their wildlife garden. He also
claims that he is ~singularly responsible (going OT again!) for the
reintroduction of the ~Cinnabar and 5 and 6 Spot Burnett moths to
Essex (and we need more of them - ~a friend of my sister's lost her
best pony last year to ragwort poisoning). ~Cinnabar and Burnet(t)s
feed exclusively on the noxious weed (of course the ~ragwort's toxins
are what make the caterpillars poisonous) but then he has ~always
been prone to hyperbole. ~
~Actually, I tell a lie, I think my old school has one, set up by the
last ~remaining nun.

I wish some of the local schools would take on an allotment plot, to
teach the kids how to grow stuff, and also respect for the community.
Hopefully to prevent some of them trashing plots when they hit their
teens... sadly I think the state nannies would prevent them using
tools as they might be dangerous and the national curriculum wouldn't
have a picosecond for such activities.

That's actually a brilliant idea! With some places (like half of the Elder
Stubbs allotment beyond our garden) once the houses go up it's much too late
although the other half is part of the horticultural training section for
the "Care in the Community" people, also a source for vegetable and flower
sales so that's a good thing.

Why not have a chat with the local council and work with one school at
first. They'd probably need an adult to go with them as smoking in the shed
should come later in life. It'd be a great change for them and they
wouldn't have to look after a pond and they'd only see it as a skive until
they realise too late that they have to dig.


(cynical aside: wonder when they'll ban seaside spades?)

This would include digging in case of cave-in's and the child being too
mentally tormented to want to go back. Also, competitive activities almost
being outlawed, trying to work against the incoming tide wouldn't be allowed
as the child will always lose.


I haven't been up to mine in over a week, so don't know if it survived
half term without damage...

If it's anything like that tv series (IIRC) entitled "the village" then it's
jealous adults who you should be worried about.

Richard.