[Amazon Fundraising UPDATE No.4] Rotovating my way to victory

This week in my mission to raise for funds for the Amazon, I rose to the opportunity of helping out a neighbor with their nursery. In particular, I was given the job of using a 20th century rotovator (that was still going strong) to turf up the soil to bring new oxygen and life to the layers below. Whilst it took a little time to learn the basics, my neighbour (a gardening expert) taught me well and i got the nack of it sooner than i thought.

A little difficult to steer and with a 12 horse power engine, sometimes it had a mind of its own but I really did enjoy the work. It was quite different from many of my previous jobs and so added a bit of variety to my fundraising efforts.

As well as working the soil with the rotovator, Nigel gave me the job of planting the seedlings into the ground. Just before i began planting, it funnily started to rain, which was a bonus for me as I didn't have to water the soil. When i was doing it I found there was something really special and invigorating about planting new plants. I found it allowed me to embrace and 'root' my connection with the land much like I imagine in a way that our great ancestors would have experienced all the time, and I came to appreciate more that everything has a cycle and that without the land as a medium to support these wonderful living systems, I would not be here even planting these plants!

Getting out into nature, helping others and gaining new experience into environmental management has made this one of my favourite fundraising activities. Thanks a lot Nigel for giving me this wonderful opportunity and teaching me new skills. What next i wonder. Herding cattle?