A hot day for hard work!

 

Today started with a great team!  Period 1 we set up equipment for laying a large concrete platform in the Memorial Garden.  We will bolt a gazebo to it in future so it won't blow away in winter winds!

Period two we started ferrying gravel and sand to the garden.  We filled buckets to get a strong mix in the correct proportions.

Miss S and Sean put cement into the mix.

Adding water starts the chemical reaction for the concrete to form.

Sean starts pouring the mix.  A huge thank you to Ellon Timber for donating rebar - the metal grid submerged in the concrete to make it even stronger.

Scott brings more sand.

Codi fills buckets

We took a well deserved rest at break time.  Then continued through P3&4.

Period 5 more volunteers came out to help fill more buckets...

...wheelbarrows...

...and more buckets!

It took a lot of trips to get the material we needed into the garden.  It was very tiring in the heat of the day!

It was good to rest in the shade!

Work continued after lunch right through periods 6 and 7.

Matthew loads sand into another barrow

Lots of folk came to help,

Dani enjoys sketching in the sun 🌞

We used a long "tamper" to smooth the concrete and level it.

We will need another day to get the whole platform done.  Thank you to everyone who helped today.  It was a real team effort and you all worked extremely hard in the hot sun!  Look out for merits and "over and above-s" coming your way 👏

The garden will be closed to visitors until next session to allow us to finish the platform and the concrete to harden completely.

A lovely afternoon for a lemonade!

Last week we had two visitors from Slains primary.  They were raising money for their school by selling their very own homemade lemonade!

A few staff and a couple of classes enjoyed visiting the garden to buy some.

                                                            A queue quickly formed!

With deckchairs and outdoor games, it felt like a garden party as the sun shone for us!  

Alice and Lily put together a lovely stand.

Thanks to all those who joined in to make a great summer afternoon!

Work work work…and relax!

 This last couple of weeks we have been doing many varied jobs.  We continue to improve access by finishing unmade paths.  This is before…

…and after.  Slabs will be next.

We started breaking up the rotten Stirling-board path as it is very slippery in wet weather and was only ever intended to be temporary.

With all hands on deck we made quick progress…

…then relaxed as soft rain fell!

Another day, we started digging it over as it was very compacted.  Scott from the lunch club 

then dug and raked it.  We plan to sow grass then lay a mesh for it to grow through to aid pedestrian and wheelchair access. 

We’ve been weeding areas of the memorial garden to plant perennial flowers…

…and raked outside the wall…

…to made a relaxation area for reading and play.

Talking of play, we have obtained an old sink…

…to make into a “mud kitchen”.  Lawrence cuts down a pallet to make a utensils track.

Lawrence and Quinn also sowed wild flower seeds…

and watered them.  This will make a colourful patch in the wildlife garden.

Meanwhile behind the scenes Miss S has been cleaning paths…

…and painting edges…

…to give contrast and aid navigation round the garden.

Activity Day 3 - delicious!

Today we transformed the polytunnel classroom into a kitchen space!  We swept it and moved out the dirty tables then  put up clean food tables.

 

Everyone weighed out their own ingredients to make pizza dough.  

We added flour, salt, yeast, and egg, some milk and water

We mixed it and kneaded it - some were stickier than others!

We covered the bowls and left them in the closed-up polytunnel to rise.  The sun came out perfectly on cue, to make a sauna-like environment in there!

After break, we set up wash stations, the pizza oven kit and a crafting table.

 We got out our giant connect 4 and jenga games.  

Everyone enjoyed some relaxation time.

Kody finished varnishing his workshop sign…

…and the girls continued painting.

We then chopped up toppings and grated cheese.  It was so warm, Kody poured drinks for us.

We each formed four ball of dough - it had risen really well!

Next it was time to roll out our dough (😮 apologies to those pizza experts who only stretch and spin the dough - rolling pins worked just fine for us!)

  The pizza oven was lit and a queue quickly formed - each pizza cooking in two to three minutes.

Everyone had two or three pizzas then it was time to wash up, tidy away and get off home!

Again, everyone was wonderful - friendly, helpful and relaxed.  Thanks to all of you for a lovely three days!