The Goleen Easter Egg Hunt was held at the Community Centre on Saturday and it gave us the first real opportunity to show people the new Community Garden. To be honest there is not a lot to see at the moment, the weather has not been really suitable for gardening, cold and wet mostly, but we were lucky to have a lovely sunny day.
We put a couple of tables down at the bottom of the garden near the fence and I got some pots, compost and various bulbs and sunflower seeds for some of the Egg Hunters to have a go at planting. We now have 40 pots with bulbs planted which I hope will give a bit of colour to the garden in the summer. The kids and some parents put their names on the pots so they will be able to see their contribution and hopefully feel like part of the garden. We also have a load of sunflowers planted, as a kid I loved these bright sunny flowers towering over head and turning to face the sun. One French lady told me that they are called Tournesols (Sun turned) in France, how very appropriate.
On the other table we set up some painting gear, brushes, paints, water etc and invited our visitors to paint some rocks. The table got messier and messier as the day wore on but we do have a lovely new colourful rock garden.
I was delighted we had so many volunteers to help out including teenagers who were great in encouraging the planting and painting.
We put up a few of the new “Adopt a Pots,” and they provided some colour sat on the fence. We have 42 pots adopted so far and it is very encouraging and a bit overwhelming to see so much support from local businesses, shops, pubs, restaurants as well as local individuals, summer residents and even those now living abroad and reconnecting all helping and sharing with us in this new project.
The Celtic spiral design I cut into the turf attracted a lot of interest and the kids loved running round it. Seeing the kids interact with the design make me think we need a few more ideas in the garden to get kids to explore, a textured path might be an idea. We will also need to leave a space for the kids to roll down the hill which seemed a very popular activity with the younger ones.
The garden is a very new project but I was so delighted to see it being used and the sounds of laughter were very rewarding, seating is also going to be an important challenge so parents can sit and chat while the kids explore.
I haven’t managed to get the potatoes into the vegetable part of the garden yet as there have been a few frosts at night but I will take the plunge this week as the potatoes are well chitted at this point and really need to get under ground.
So thank you to all those who helped with the sowing and painting and to all the families that used the garden, I am feeling very confident that we will continue to Grow The Community together.
Part of the charm of this unique corner of Ireland is things move a little slower; you need time to appreciate the scenery, to watch the sunset and listen to the birds. Visitors regularly return, some have been returning their whole lives and some have never left. In a world full of hi tech and virtual experience the Mizen offers an alternative. Real adventures on sea and land, witnessing a whale breaking the surface or a chough swirling across the skyline, the waves breaking over the sand or even just sharing a wonderful lunch with friends, the Mizen offers time and a connection with life that is ever so precious.
