Archives for May 2017

I have been flicking through my Facebook feed and noticed that this week is National Families week #NationalFamiliesWeek. And it got me thinking about what is a Family now? I guess it means something different to everyone.

In our house my immediate Family is My Husband and our kids. Then theres our larger biological family consisting of my brothers family, my sister in-laws family and our parents and step parents. Then there is my Work Family. As a small family business, these who work with us become more than just employees, they become part of Us. And I cannot forget my Friend Family. All those wonderful people in my life whom I love.

So when I really think about what is family to me, it is all about the people that I love. All the people that if the world was going to end, those who I would put in the Ark with me. Thinking about it I would need a really really big Ark. Theres my Biological family, then there are the people in my lives whom I count as family . The friends whom I call upon in the good times and rely upon during the bad. The ones that when I have exciting news I call them or send out a text to them straight away! The ones when you have to move house or install a new lawn, you call, and know they will come. Those Friends that its ok when they come over and your house is messy. Those friends that when you say “I’m having a BBQ this weekend. Why don’t you come over? Yeah just in old clothes is fine. Might just lay a bit of turf before hand hey? “ And you know they will come. And bring a hose.

Who are those amazing people in your lives? Who are the people that you KNOW you can rely upon to be there during the Great moments, helping you through the bad moments, and getting down right dirty and covered in mud with you when the time is called for? Is it just the Biological family in your life or is it the Family that you have built up around you?

I hope that it is both for you. I hope that you have the people whom you share blood with sitting at your Christmas table sharing your meal, and on that table there are also your Friend family as well enjoying your feast. And I really hope that your Christmas table is outside on your Coastal  Turf Lawn. So if there are any spills or food drops off the table, the lawn will soak it all up, the dog can eat up the scraps, and there will be less for you to clean up. Also the ground will be cool. And more satisfying because you and your FAMILY helped install together!

Happy National Families Week everyone.

chat soon

Sare

I am a mother of 3 children. 2 boys and girl in between. And I remember when I had my second and third children thinking this is going to be soo much easier than the first time. I know exactly what I am doing this time. But I was really wrong.

When I had my first son, I was on my own.  And that was hard enough. My first son was cuddly and snuggly and loved being cuddled to sleep. He hated being out of my arms. We had a routine and we stumbled through. Be it harder some days than others, we got there in the end. My Grandmother was a god send and gave me lots of advice and held my son when I could no longer function.

After I married my husband and we found fell pregnant with my daughter I was so excited. Thinking I have done this before and it will be soooo easy. This time I had a husband to help. It was gong to be soo easy. And then came Hollie. Who was not easy. She didn’t sleep, didn’t want to be cuddled. Hated eating ANYTHING! Routine was EVIL. My husband helped as much as he could, but we didn’t know what we were doing. Again though we stumbled through.

16 months later my youngest son arrived. This time I was armed with the knowledge of how I had stumbled through my other two very different children. I KNEW this time I would know what I was doing. Especially because it was another boy. So of course they would be the same. BUT HE WASN”T!

Again my youngest son was so very very different than the other two. He loved food and wanted to feed 24 hours a day 7 days a week. He would go from wanting hugs to smacking your hand away. My husband and I again stumbled through the early years. I remember going to a wonderful elderly Midwife after my youngest Marcus was born and saying I will be right this time. I know what I am doing. She smiled at me kindly and said “No Dear. Every child is different. Just like every flower is different and needs to treated so, every child is different”. I remember smiling at her and then I cried.

That was 9 years a go know and we are still learning and stumbling through all our kids difference. Everyday. Nothing annoys me more than when my kids are at school and we go in for parent teacher interviews and a teacher says ‘oh I have had plenty of children like your child before”. That really gets my hackles up. It’s one of those moments when my husband puts his hand on my knee and squeezes so I don’t go off into my speech “No two children, even two children who have lived in the same house are the same. No two children should be treated as EXACTLY the same. Every single child has had different experiences. Has felt different feelings at different moments. Children should not be Labeled as the same. Just like. Or dismissed because they remind you of someone or something else. “

The Midwife was right. Every child, every flower, every lawn is different. The worst thing I think any of us can say or believe is that everything is the same. That we are all painted with the same brush. I often think about how different my children are when I talk to people on the phone about turf.

I can hear you say that is weird. I know I am a mum and like most mums  my mind is often full of so many different things. Kids and what they are doing, Husband, Father, family, Customers,  Turf, lawns, gardens, and soo much more. When I chat to someone on the phone and I hear them say “I have laid lots of lawns before and I know exactly what I’m doing. I know exactly how to care for all lawns” I cringe a little. And I think about how different every flower, every lawn, every child is.

Even when you have installed lawns at your home in Tweed, then in Mermaid Beach, and in Labrador; looked after your friends, mums and daughters lawn after it was installed; All of them are different. Every locations different. All the soils are different. The amount of sunlight is different. The amount of rain it received is different. The climate is different. No two lawns are panted with the same brush.

And for those who are variety specific, every variety variation is different. Sir Walter Soft leaf Buffalo is very different to Palmetto Soft leaf buffalo, different to Sapphire Soft leaf buffalo different to Shademaster soft leaf Buffalo. All of them thrive in different conditions and require very different after care to ensure a thick healthy lush lawn. see our variety page. www.coastalturf.com.au/turf-varieties/

For instance did you know that Palmetto requires a third of the water you would give any of the other varieties. Often people who have installed and looked after other Buffalo lawns give Palmetto way too much water. Drowning the plant in love. Often this leads to fungus infections and a lot of costs to repair the lawn. And each variety requires different minimum amounts of direct sunlight per day.

At Coastal Turf we provide an information pack on installation, and after care to ensure the health of your newly installed Coastal Turf lawn. This means, unlike children, you get a plan on how to best look after each variety differently to ensure their health. We try to stop you having to Stumble through. We know what that is like. We want to give you steps to go through to make your lawn amazing.

I mean I think my children are amazing now. But there was and still is a lot of stumbling. My lawn though, looks great!

Each time I get a chance to sit down and write something here, I skip through my photos to see what looks amazing. This month just seems to be all about Empire Zoysia. I believe its because of the amazing colour of the Empire Zoysia throughout winter is always a winner. And it really does seem to be on peoples minds at the moment.

I can understand why. I have the Empire at home around our outdoor shower. Crazy story about this area. You know how Builders homes are never really quite finished, and plumbers always have a leaky tap, well Turf Farmers and Turfmen homes are usually a bit lawn bare. For 2 years I talked and talked about getting lawn for this area, and every time Turfman would say “yeah I’ll get to it”. Well last year I broke and I just put in an order and got the boys on the farm to cut it like it was for a real customer, and picked it up and installed it myself around the outdoor shower. I love the softness on my feet in the shaded areas.

 

I think I talk on the phone all the time to people with shaded areas that still want the softness under foot about my outdoor shower area. I did mention quite enthusiastically my Empire to a Lovely Lady in Ballina. And I convinced  her of its awesomeness. Last week one of our recommended  skilled Landscapers travelled down to Ballina and installed to another Enthusiastic Empire Lover their new Lawn. I am very happy to give you his number if anyone wants installations of perfect lawns in the Byron Ballina area. This photo says it all!

There are times when Turfman cannot get to a client in a fast enough fashion. So we have a list of Recommended  Landscapers and Turf Installers to assist you in creating the perfect Coastal Turf Lawn. Give us a call because no matter where you are between Ballina to Coomera we can bring you your Essential to a Good Life Coastal Turf Lawn.

Chat soon

Sare

 

More and more I chat with people about needing a nice soft easy to look after lawn for a shaded area. A lawn that will be good for kids bare feet to run across. A lawn that will be ok for their dog to play on. A lawn that doesn’t require all their spare time and money being spent on it.

 

Well that is what the Empire Zoysia is perfect for. As a thinner leafed grass, an Empire Zoysia Lawn is cushioning an soft on little bare feet. But being a Zoysia it is tough and hardy enough with a deep root system to withstand those little bare feet, be they paws or People feet,  playing on it all the time. And the part that I love about it the most is that it is extremely low maintenance.

The Empire Zoysia is my second favourite lawn. My first favourite is Qld Blue. Because it is really soft and when I walk on t with bare feet in the full sun of our lawn area under my clothes line, it is soft and comforting.  I really like the softness under my bare feet.  And the Empire is very similar looking and feeling to the Blue. It is still soft on my bare feet but it will grow in the shaded areas.

 

The is why I have the Empire around my outdoor shower. After the kids and I have been to the beach I make them shower outside first to get rid of the sand. And there is nothing worse (first world problems!) than already having walked on rocks and road and other mean sharp pointy things on your bare feet which are really used to walking in shoes. It really hurts. Especially on my feet that are used to tough boots surrounding them. That is why I have the Empire Zoysia to comfort my feet when I step out of the car and walk to the shower. Well when I say walk, I mean try and run to the shower before anyone else.

Our outdoor shower was built by the Turfman as an experiment before he built one for a customer. It is solar heated. In that he has black tubing that is warmed by the sun and heats the water. Very water and energy efficient. And although the amount of pipe works great for a 3 people family which he was designing it for, for our 5 family members, only the first couple of showers get warm water. No one wants to be the last shower. Its freezing. Which is great in the heat of summer, but in the cooler times of Spring and Autumn, it does become a little breath taking. Although the pipes are in the sun to heat up, the shower it self is sheltered from the  public eye by large trees and a retaining wall. Which is great for showering, especially when you are a naked child. Not so awesome when you’ve just had a cold shower though.

 

So after a cold shower, it is much nicer to walk off the pavers onto soft comforting Empire Zoysia on my feet. Luckily it doesn’t need a lot of sunlight to stay thick and lush, and from the water run off from the shower in the warmer months it stays thick lush and soft. And in winter, it goes to “sleep” and requires little love and care from us to stay amazing.

Love the Empire for a shadey conditions for those who want a soft lush comforting to bare feet lawn. 

Chat soon

Sare