New life

Last month, when we had the massive diseased gum tree removed from the common property behind our house, our small back fence had to be removed so that the heavy vehicles and equipment could use our driveway to get to the easement behind our property. We have, subsequently, had to do quite a lot of repair work to the driveway and replace the small pathway to the back gate. Behind our back gate we have now have an elephant sized quagmire instead of a grassed easement. The photo on the left doesn't really show how steep the land now falls away from our back gate into the V of the easement.

The constant movement of the heavy equipment in and out of the easement killed off all the grass behind our back gate and now, whenever it rains, the back fence becomes mud splattered. I am tiring of washing it down. We decided to encroach a little on common land and put some topsoil down on what's left of the flat surface and try to grow some grass. It's a silly little strip but it might reduce the need to keep cleaning up the back fence (see the top right hand photo). I put a little sign on it to inform any of our neighbours who might be interested that the barrier and the bricks are only temporary measures to protect the little strip while the grass grows.

I did this job about 10 days ago and we were beginning to think that we had done our dough because there was no sign of grass from the grass seeds. However, there was great excitement in the camp this morning because the first sign of life was noticed. It's hard to see with the naked eye but the photograph proves its existence.