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New Community Group for Dunnikier Park

by Russell

You may have noticed some works going on in Dunnikier Park over the last few months.  Greener Kirkcaldy has been involved in the developments on the area of grass between Kirkcaldy High and the chalet park, from planning to planting trees.  You can read more about the project in Fraser’s Article here, and Duke of Edinburgh Volunteer Ross’s take on the tree planting we did there.

The next step in the project is to form a new community group that will help make decisions about the park and steer future developments.  There’s a meeting tonight at Kirkcaldy High School that will aim to get this group going.  So if you’re interested in being part of a new group that will have a real say in what happens in one of Kirkcady’s parks then this is your chance to get involved.

If you’re unable to make the meeting tonight but are still interested then contact Kevin O’Kane on kivin.okane[at]fife.gov.uk or 07985707141

A4p flyer Dunnikier Park 08052013 mtg

Introducing ‘Ross’s Diary’

Ross Laird has been volunteering with Greener Kirkcaldy for the last few months at Ravenscraig Walled Garden as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Award.  He’s so keen he’s also been writing articles for our website.  Keep an eye out for future entries, but here’s his take on being a volunteer with Greener Kirkcaldy so far.  Click on the links to read the full article:

Greener Kirkcaldy – What’s it all about?

Seed Swap – 23rd February 2013

Asparagus Planting 30th March

A Geological Journey

by Lisa (you can read Ross’s report on the day here)

Saturday 20th April saw the return of the ever popular Wild Walks in a new and expanded programme. The first, a geology walk, focused on the cataclysmic processes that have shaped the coastline we recognise today.

A great turn-out!

The group saw evidence of our fiery past, identifying islands in the Firth of Forth as volcanic plugs, slowly eroding millions of years after first appearing and seeing the solidified lava under our feet pushed up to the surface through the movement of Earth’s plates. Next we saw layers of rock laid down when Fife would have in turn looked more like the Sahara Desert, the Amazon Jungle or the bottom of the Carribbean Sea!

Lydsay, 8 and Isla, 6 show off their beach find- a Cuttlefish ‘skeleton’

Throughout these layers we saw evidence of once living animals trapped by sudden changes in their environment and leaving their mark as fossils. The children in particular enjoyed this aspect of the day and even found may more modern day animals!

Reference books recommnded on the day by Tony for budding geologists are:

• Fife and Angus Geology by A.R. MacGregor- best for local reference
• Rocks, Minerals and Fossils of the World by Chris Pellant- a more general reference

The day was enjoyed by all and the feeling that something new had been learnt was unanimous. If the aim of the day was to encourage people to re-connect with their environment, the lively conversation and enthusiasm of the whole group was proof that the day was a huge success.

Our youngest amateur geologist!

Growing asparagus

The Ravenscraig Community Orchard volunteers spent a lovely afternoon a couple of weeks ago planting an asparagus bed on our training allotment.  You can read our volunteer Ross’s report on the work day here.

Asparagus is a perennial vegetable – once planted, it can be productive for 20 years! So its well worth the initial effort and patience to let the plants get established. Asparagus is a great seasonal veg too – once you’ve tasted homegrown spears you won’t be tempted to buy out-of-season asparagus that’s been flown in from Peru – good news for your carbon foodprint.

Planting the asparagus crowns

For a decent crop, give your asparagus lots of space – its ideal for a large garden or allotment. It likes sun and well-drained soil, and some protection from the wind. You can plant it in the spring or autumn.

Jackie, who led the volunteer asparagus session for us, has written up a simple guide to planting asparagus – you can download it here - planting asparagus (PDF file). There’s loads more information about growing asparagus on the BBC gardening website.

Ta-da! Volunteer Gill and our finished asparagus bed.

Book Club Review – The Death of Grass by John Christopher

According to the introduction in our edition of ‘The Death of Grass’ Samuel Youd (aka John Christopher) was born during an unseasonable snow storm in April.  3 members of the Greener Kirkcaldy book group met during an unseasonable snow storm at the end of March to discuss this tale of ‘floral-apocalypse’ that describes a world that is turned upside-down by the Chung-Li virus that is deadly to all species in the grass family.  This includes all the major food crops – rice, wheat, oats, rye, corn, etc.  The story unfolds through 2 London families.  At first we’re taught a lesson about complacency as Chung-Li takes hold in the Far-East and the protagonists discuss it with no feeling of threat to them or their way of life.  Then we’re taught a lesson about civilised society and how quickly it could break down when food shortages reach the UK.

The plot is compelling and we all found the book a quick read – partly due to length, partly due to it being a page-turner.  This fast-paced story is very much plot-driven, and the author does not dwell too much on character development.  Male and female characters fit into rather old fashioned roles – with the men as a vehicle for the cold-hearted rationale that quickly transforms the group into a barbarous mob, and the women voicing idealistic calls for compassion and solidarity. The group made comparisons between this book and another apocalyptic novel ‘The Road’ by Cormac McCarthy – McCarthy dwells on human relationships and offers vivid descriptions of a decimated landscape.  John Christopher’s novel leaves it up to the reader to imagine the grass-less England that the story traverses, leaving our book group to wonder what it would look like.  Would it be a dust-bowl?  Would weeds quickly colonise where there was once grass?  Would the first sign of rain cause massive mudslides?  All very cheery!

Likened to ‘Lord of the Flies’ one of the main messages of this book is that civilised society that we pride ourselves on is but a veneer, only permitted by the fact that are basic needs are well secured.  We discussed what exactly causes this loss of security and descent into savagery in the book.  Is it that nature has turned against us unable to provide us with the most basic of necessities – food?  Or is it the rumour that the government is planning to nuke major cities to reduce the population?  In this case we might say it is a break in the social contract that sends our party on its journey and turns England back into a land of roving tribes.

If you’re looking for a book with strong characters, interesting relationships and vivid descriptions look elsewhere.  If you’re looking for a good read for a long train journey this book provides entertainment and plenty of food for thought – on morality and ethics, on the nature of society and on human nature.