While our patrol group is not allowed to operate under level 3 or 4 Covid Alert levels, our organisation is still here and we are itching to get back out on patrol in the community once we are finally at Step 3 of Level 3.
In the meantime, we extend our thoughts and best wishes to everyone – and hope that you are all managing well.
Fire and Emergency NZ relies on volunteers in 600 plus stations nationwide, to help com- munities prevent, prepare, respond and recover from emergencies. As well as firefighting, our volunteers attend medical incidents, motor vehicle accidents, severe weather events and other requests for help. We also install and check smoke alarms and help to improve fire safety in our communities.
During our latest lockdown, Waiatarua resident Catherine Hughes has taken her daily walk around Bush Road, Atarua Gardens and Raroa Terrace. Most mornings she spotted little painted rocks for folk to see placed in areas along the way. Each day a different one would appear. Just recently she had one placed by her letterbox (see photo).
Originally from West China, jasmine may smell and look fantastic, but this is one very nasty weed. As a rapidly growing climber it is able to reach even the highest of established trees, smothering and eventually killing them. This is a great time of year to get into the bush to take out jasmine, before the weather warms and the bees and wasps are out in full force.
While last updates were predicting a La Niña summer (wetter conditions than normal), all bets are off this season, given last year’s La Niña summer brought drier conditions than normal. So with that in mind make sure your gutters are clear, your pipes are all working and you have no leaks in your tanks because collecting rain water becomes a priority this time of year. You can also protect any plants you’ve planting by ensure a good layer of mulch or cut grass etc to cover the soil (keeping it wet). Don’t weed mid summer (unless you’re weeding noxious or invasive species like climbing asparagus and jasmine). A layer of chickweed will protect your soil from the harsh sun.