What an exciting week we have had here at Coastal Turf. And I have learnt so very much.
I have learned that rain can bring joy as well as hell.
Its not often that my kids can canoe across the farm. Our paddocks were saturated from Wednesday night to Saturday morning with water that was higher than my hips. Not that I’m very tall (I have one son taller than me already. But I am 169cm tall.) but that was a lot of water across the farm. Now to the three of us grown ups at the farm, my Father, Turfman and I, this was a mini hell of watching our farm go underhand under with more water than we had seen away from the ocean. And it brought lots of joy to our kids who got to swim and play across the farm. They have always wanted a pool at home. Unfortunately we had 300sqm of Green couch
which was harvested on pallets that went under the water.
The pallets are roughly the 1.3m tall. And on Thursday morning we couldn’t see the pallets at all. By Friday the water had gone down enough for us to see the pallets and the kids had found the canoe on a neighbours paddock and brought it back so they could go across the farm. (I have also learned that I am a really really bad at canoeing.I believe our canoe is too small and only for kids size. Even though my son is bigger than me and has coordination and stuff that I may not have. But I think its the size of the boat)
This 300sqm of Green couch was given to the Tweed Shire Council to assist and provide turf to people affect by the flood and in need of bank stabilisation and to stop any more erosion control.
Coastal Turf sends our love to all the people effected by the waters of 29th March. It was an event that I do not believe will be forgotten easily or quickly. As much fun as my kids had in the flood waters of the farm, I know it was not a happy event by any stretch of the imagination.
On Monday the paddocks were back to normal-ish. I learned that I have patience. Especially when on Sunday I finally drank that nice bottle of Red Wine that I rescued from the flood waters. I also learned that Red wine is delicious, but it can lead to sore heads. Most of the water had receded Monday and we could walk across most of the farm. I really enjoyed this much more than swimming. I am not the type of person who enjoys unknown things touching my feet. And there was a lot of that on Friday and Saturday. As well as the occasional snake trying to swim its was out of the flood waters. Thank goodness we always take a dog with us everywhere. Even to swim across the paddock.
Over the last 5 days I have learnt so much about our family and how well we come together in a crisis; How well we know the farm like the back of our hands when we can drive trucks and tractors out without being able to see the roads; and how in times of Bad we can see some good.
Chat soon to all the amazing people in our area who through so much we have done so much.
And we can still help you get the best lawn in your street before Easter.
Sare