Friday 9 March 2012

Behind the scenes planning

This week there has been lots of planning, researching and emailing, as I try to source the materials I need for my stand. I have also been in negotiation with my sponsors and I should be able to formally announce that next week when everything is finalised!

There have been ongoing developments on my Hub, with some exciting wildlife pods that I will be photographing and showing off in the next week or so. Decisions have had to be made about what finish I am going to go for and I have been considering a range of protective oils and paints. I have not made a final decision, but I am very drawn toward the gorgeous Farrow & Ball colours......

I have managed to get an old Butler Sink, thanks to Dan at G-Scapes, so I will be sealing that and planting it up in the next week or so, using water and plants from my pond.

Planting is the next big research area. I have been looking to source British wildlife flowers for my green roof and have approached a selection of companies to see what they offer and whether they would be suitable for my needs. I will be growing some of my own plants as well, so will need to start that very soon... jut need to clear my greenhouse of nest box and cam debris!!!

Progress is being made in the background, certainly and everything is moving forward. My priorities are to get the fencing panels and planters as I can then get them weathering in the garden and start thinking about the number of plants I will need. Hopefully by next week, I will have them confirmed and delivery will be imminent!

I went to Focus on Imaging at the NEC this week and was looking at the size of the stands.... it is one thing doing a scale drawing and something entirely different when you actually stand in a space that is approximately the same size as the stand you are going to build! The RSPB were at Focus and their stand was 7m x 4 m... it felt pretty big... mine is 9m x 8m.... I stood in the aisle, estimating where mine would reach too. Blimey... the space is pretty enormous!!

I have some big, important meetings coming up in the next week which will be pivotal in the development of this project and I should be able to bring you a lot more news on major advances in the coming week... so watch this space.

In the meantime, if you missed Sarah Raven's  'Bees, Butterflies & Blooms' program, I recommend you watch programme 2 about gardens... really interesting....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01c89vp

 (From BBC website)



'Our bees and other pollinating insects are in crisis. It’s a complex problem that scientists the world over are trying to fathom, but the prognosis is grim - without healthy populations of insect pollinators across the world, our food security is under threat.

Our pollinating insects are vital to the production of the vast majority of the fruits and vegetables we need in our healthy 5-a-day diets. If we don’t start to look after our insect pollinators, eventually our favourite foods could vanish from our supermarket shelves, from apples and pears through to coffee and chocolate.

Sarah wants to show us all that we could make a difference and reverse this trend if we all do our bit. She wants to inspire and inform everyone, no matter where they live – village, town, city or countryside – to get planting nectar rich plants.

Backed by recent research, Sarah believes that one of the main reasons our pollinators are under threat is due to their poor health and nutrition. A lack of a rich and varied supply of pollen and nectar throughout the year to feed our insect workforce is leaving them vulnerable to the effects of pesticides and parasites and threatening some species with extinction.

Sarah believes in ‘people power’, and that together, we can all do our bit to help save our precious pollinators, and bring their needs to the fore.

If we all make small changes in our local areas and grow more wildflowers and insect-friendly plants, then we can lend a strong helping hand to our bees, butterflies and pollinating bugs.

Together, we could help to reverse the trend, maybe stop extinctions and secure a future for our threatened pollinating insects.'


1 comment:

  1. Lovely Kate i am sure things will be fine and every thing sorted out soon

    ReplyDelete