0 comment Monday, September 29, 2014 | admin
I received a call two days ago that I am receiving a DLA reward for my son. This decision was VERY swift, considering - it only took just over a month, but then I have kept documentation of everything and had a friend in pensions help me with the application - and I must say it was one of the most frustrating, depressing things I've ever done. There's something about seeing everything I do on a daily basis in black and white that horrifies....still, it's done, and sorted. I don't know what rate it will be, but I'm rather certain it's at least medium - I may even have a mobility award as well. This means I will have a bit extra every month to spend on things for my son - and that means the garden funding becomes more and more feasible! With back payments I may even be able to fund some things I have been struggling to sort out myself, such as getting the garden designer and her landscape crew in to do some of the heavier clearing. I may even be able to save up for paving.
Excited isn't the word!
I'm still waiting to hear about the fencing, but I was told that might be sometime in January, so not too long now. The same for the Rotary Club. Little by little I am chipping at things, and not a moment too soon; son keeps asking about the garden, and where D (the designer) is, and when the flowers will come and (to my shock) if he can grow carrots. That my son is asking - ASKING - for a vegetable fills me with equal parts joy and disbelief.
I'm in touch with a few more groups at the moment; to my dismay, even though I live in an area which has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the UK, the population as a whole can be described as apathetic at best to many concerns of the community. This may be why many of the outer areas have formed up their own initiatives to care for itself, rather than rely upon this city to do so. The disabled and elderly are left to their own devices, we seem to have a higher than average quotient of anti-social youth who get off their community service and talk about what trouble their going to get into. Programmes to deal with many of these issues fall through due to lack of funding, which seems ludicrous considering the amount of money the community seems to have (if the house prices and cost of living is any indication). So, while I'm generally cutting my way through getting this done for myself, I'm turning to ideas on how it might be possible to make this more accessible for people in my situation, as surely I'm not the only disabled parent with a stretch of ground which could be put to more useful ends than growing grass.
In addition to this, it has been postulated that this area could do with a community orchard. I think the idea is a great one, actually (though I also think to myself 'oh good grief, woman, will you THINK before you take on other jobs?!"). I don't know how easy it would be to sort something out, where it would go, or who would even be interested, but nothing ventured....
The most daunting thing about the task which currently seems to be getting bigger each time I look at it is I have no practical training; I like to garden, I love fruit and veg and flowers, but I don't have a degree. I am just a single mum. Desperation is my only goad, and I have to fill in the blanks by reading - and sometimes even understanding it, though garden design mostly sails over my head. I put in what I like; however, taking on something which is looking more and more like it might become a larger project means I need to think things through carefully. If I don't know something, I need to find people who do. Documentation and being able to be convincing is also highly important (thank the gods for all that public speaking I did in Secondary and Uni!). There's also the rather unpleasant truth that for whatever reason, I am going to face opposition - someone will come along and insist everything I'm doing is for nought, and they will demand I prove that what I'm doing is of any use. I'm more than aware that such people usually won't listen no matter what evidence you give them - some folks argue "just because". Still they're not going to go away; has to be dealt with, by hopefully a more level head than mine.
I couldn't really say where all this is going. There is potential for this to benefit not merely myself, but many people out there who love gardening and yet really struggle with the practical bits. Sure, there seems to be loads of advice out there, and advice is great - but when it comes to actually getting someone to man a shovel (or to scrape together the dosh to even BUY a shovel) something is missing. Maybe I'm completely mad for even thinking so large when I haven't even taken the first few steps.
But just like eyeing the bright catalogues coming through the post, I suppose it doesn't hurt to dream a bit in advance.
Excited isn't the word!
I'm still waiting to hear about the fencing, but I was told that might be sometime in January, so not too long now. The same for the Rotary Club. Little by little I am chipping at things, and not a moment too soon; son keeps asking about the garden, and where D (the designer) is, and when the flowers will come and (to my shock) if he can grow carrots. That my son is asking - ASKING - for a vegetable fills me with equal parts joy and disbelief.
I'm in touch with a few more groups at the moment; to my dismay, even though I live in an area which has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the UK, the population as a whole can be described as apathetic at best to many concerns of the community. This may be why many of the outer areas have formed up their own initiatives to care for itself, rather than rely upon this city to do so. The disabled and elderly are left to their own devices, we seem to have a higher than average quotient of anti-social youth who get off their community service and talk about what trouble their going to get into. Programmes to deal with many of these issues fall through due to lack of funding, which seems ludicrous considering the amount of money the community seems to have (if the house prices and cost of living is any indication). So, while I'm generally cutting my way through getting this done for myself, I'm turning to ideas on how it might be possible to make this more accessible for people in my situation, as surely I'm not the only disabled parent with a stretch of ground which could be put to more useful ends than growing grass.
In addition to this, it has been postulated that this area could do with a community orchard. I think the idea is a great one, actually (though I also think to myself 'oh good grief, woman, will you THINK before you take on other jobs?!"). I don't know how easy it would be to sort something out, where it would go, or who would even be interested, but nothing ventured....
The most daunting thing about the task which currently seems to be getting bigger each time I look at it is I have no practical training; I like to garden, I love fruit and veg and flowers, but I don't have a degree. I am just a single mum. Desperation is my only goad, and I have to fill in the blanks by reading - and sometimes even understanding it, though garden design mostly sails over my head. I put in what I like; however, taking on something which is looking more and more like it might become a larger project means I need to think things through carefully. If I don't know something, I need to find people who do. Documentation and being able to be convincing is also highly important (thank the gods for all that public speaking I did in Secondary and Uni!). There's also the rather unpleasant truth that for whatever reason, I am going to face opposition - someone will come along and insist everything I'm doing is for nought, and they will demand I prove that what I'm doing is of any use. I'm more than aware that such people usually won't listen no matter what evidence you give them - some folks argue "just because". Still they're not going to go away; has to be dealt with, by hopefully a more level head than mine.
I couldn't really say where all this is going. There is potential for this to benefit not merely myself, but many people out there who love gardening and yet really struggle with the practical bits. Sure, there seems to be loads of advice out there, and advice is great - but when it comes to actually getting someone to man a shovel (or to scrape together the dosh to even BUY a shovel) something is missing. Maybe I'm completely mad for even thinking so large when I haven't even taken the first few steps.
But just like eyeing the bright catalogues coming through the post, I suppose it doesn't hurt to dream a bit in advance.