Norgarb Properties and FOHP are launching the first Annual Harfield Garden Competition

Exciting News – Norgarb Properties and FOHP are launching the first of what will be an Annual Harfield Garden Competition – complete with Open Garden Day – there are just so many, really exquisite gardens hidden behind those 6 foot walls and they and their hardworking owners deserve a show.  Entry forms will be available from June at the Oggi Shop, Norgarb offices and on line via the FOHP Facebook page – WATCH THIS SPACE FOR UPDATES.

May Community Events to be diarised – please support these important days in our community and bring the kids, they have a great time.  It might mean you have to leave a bit early, due to limited concentration spans (not yours) but, we would rather see you for an hour, than not at all.  Community participation and what can be achieved, when we all work to a common goal,  is a great life lesson.
• Hampstead Park Gardening Party – Sunday 3 May at 9am – with the emphasis on the vegetable garden
• The Annual Railway Line Cleanup  - Sunday 17 May at meet 8.30 am for 9

Both of these events end at about 11ish but the hardcore’s hang in there till about 12.30 –1, so if you want to pop in a bit later  - please do.  These are totally informal relaxed times and we have as much fun socializing, as being constructive.

Our Stall at the Harfield Carnival – what an awesome Committee and Friends, Ingrid, Tina, Francine, Caroline, Lala and Mandy – WOW!! thank you guys,  your hard work paid off,  you put on one of the best stalls and raised R3500!!!!! towards our greening fund.  A special item was our very own Surrey Herb Spiral Pot Pourii  - lovingly dried and made up by Francine.   Tamsin kindly donated a large collection of her late mom’s life collection of gardening books and we sold these at a price that had people carrying away armfulls in delight.  Lovely story -  a lady found a book – now out of print- that her late father had written, she only had one copy and two kids, now each of them have one – so heart-warming to be part of this special find.    Ingrid had been working on her collection of succulents in mini pots for months and they were the star of the show.  Mandy’s toffee apples evoked this response from youngster to his friend “you haven’t lived, till you have had one”.    A big thanks to all who supported us so generously and Congratulations to Josie Cunningham – who won the Plant in a Pot Raffle – Pic here of her Mom collecting on her behalf.  We really loved that our greening stall was such great attraction for the youngsters  - giving us great hope for the future.

Surrey Gardening Party –in lovely cool morning mist we started work with a  good turnout of residents to help.   We achieved a lot and the park was looking fab by the time we packed up.  We were thrilled to see chameleon’s, spiders and lizards making a comeback.  Increasing the biodiversity is part of our mandate, happily we are achieving this.  Breakfast rolls were provided by Lindsay Luppnow and really welcomed by us workers. 
  
In order to encourage you to attend our work parities, Francine has donated this fantastic prize of a home kitchen waste recycling system – we will be raffling the kit and drawing the winner at our AGM.  You can buy tickets for R10 each or you can earn a free raffle ticket for each gardening party you attend.

Business Friends of Harfield Parks - The time, pavers and plant donations are so very welcome from our friends but we also have to thank many of our local business who constantly support the Friends with cash and vouchers to keep the ball rolling and enable us to,  up the game,  just a bit more.  In no order of preference we would like to make special mention of Harfield Village Association, Tin Fish – for our logo, Norgarb – sponsorship of newsletter and events, Red Daffodil for work and compost, Urban Properties – monthly donations and that awesome Picnic in the Park, Heads Properties – Easter Egg hunts and a part time guard in Surrey, Sandi Dickson – for refreshments at work parties, Remax- for refreshments at work parties , Fuel – for donations and those awesome free workouts, Oblivion- cash donations, voucher and loads of Pizza’s, Brads – meal vouchers, Banana Jam – meal vouchers and that yum soup for the railway cleanup, Eco Fence – for cash donations and sending in teams to clean up litter and glass and of course Oggi.  If I have left anyone out let me know so we can include your important contributions on our upcoming newsletters.

Tom’s Bench – many of you donated funds towards a memorial bench for Tom – a constant and wonderful Harfielder who gave all the community organizations so much of his time and passion.  We collected the funds, bought a lovely bench and had it installed.  It was therefore with considerable surprise that I found it in Princes Park with a couple duly taking a rest on it, they informed me they had bought the bench and were busy carrying it home.  I rounded up the stalwart troops and Ingrid, Tina and I confronted them, sent them packing and reclaimed our bench.  We are going to re-install the bench this Friday  - a lot more securely – but do ask everyone to please keep an eye out and if you see anyone carrying a bench down the road – call the cops and report it and let us know.  Don’t mess with the Green Team!

Life is never boring in Harfield – looking forward to seeing you on the 3rd or 17th May.