The Best Car I Never Bought

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 I am pleased to give you a real treat today. John Bain from Don't Unplug Your Hub has written a post for us. Do yourself a favor and use the link to visit him. He has a marvelous sense of humor as well as some heart-rending stories to share about his life. Before you go, read about...


THE BEST CAR I NEVER BOUGHT


In all my life I had only ever had secondhand vehicles, so the prospect of buying a brand new car was very exciting. I had in mind a Landrover. Ideal for the country roads and byways in this neck of the woods. The money from my latest bank robbery had been well laundered, and was fairly burning a hole in my pocket. Only a few days to the weekend, and I would be the proud owner of a lovely, chunky green, new four wheel drive, iconic British vehicle.

Tricia my partner, kept hens, and they free ranged happily on the piece of farmland behind her house. Now the farmer has let the land to a man who keeps horses, and the new occupier says that her hens are no longer allowed on it. He says they frighten the horses. Tricia is sad at the prospect of caging the hens, and I am sad to see Tricia unhappy. Can you guess what happens next? Well I can tell you that I never did get my new Landrover. What I got instead was an acre of land, and the satisfaction of telling the horse owner that he would have to go, because his horses were frightening Tricia's hens.

Buying the land was the best thing I ever did. Today, the Landrover would be a rusting carcase, but I still have my land. 

From the outset I decided that it would be a haven for wildlife. No drop of agricultural poison would ever touch it again. The farmer ploughed it for me and sowed grass and clover seeds. It was a complete new start.

My first job was to plant a hedgerow and make a small wooded area. All of native species. Oak, hazel, sweet chestnut, field maple, alder, hawthorn, blackthorn, wayfarer, honeysuckle, dogwood, guelder rose, wild gean, and wild roses. Out of over 500 saplings only half a dozen or so failed to flourish.

One important thing has to be done after a new hedgerow is planted, and that is, it has to be cut hard back after the first years growth. Doing this makes for strong roots, and bushier foliage. It is very difficult to cut all the lovely new growth back, but I steeled myself to the task, and today 16 years later, I have a beautiful healthy hedge. The birds love it! It provides safe nesting, and a passageway between areas, and provides an abundance of berries. Hedgehogs and other small mammals live and forage beneath it.

Many other kinds of wildlife have also arrived. Including, to my surprise, a colony of common lizards. Which despite their name, are not so common.

Sheets of old corrugated iron provide a warm place for slow worms to live. Grass snakes live here too.

Toads, frogs and newts have arrived, attracted by the myriads of insects. Where do all these creatures come from? I don't know. But I feel privileged to have them here, and that they have rewarded my efforts on their behalf, by gracing me with their presence.

It is worth all the effort. This little acre is not just a wildlife sanctuary, it is also my own personal haven away from the mad world. Why would I want a new vehicle anyway? I would be worried about scratching it for a start, and Sadie my lovely German Shepherd friend, would soon have it smelling like a dog kennel. I made the right decision all those years ago. 

Comments

  1. Out on the prairieOctober 10, 2011 at 8:08 AM

    What a great idea, many of us should give it a try.I do believe the best enjoyment has came from nature, you can always save for that car again.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carole BarkettOctober 10, 2011 at 12:22 PM

    Sounds like you made the smartest move for sure. I wish more landowners thought like you do.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Emma SpringfieldOctober 10, 2011 at 7:57 PM

    This is a fun and valuable story. I hope you all visited Don't Unplug Your Hub. John has a million of these stories. He just hasn't written them all yet.

    ReplyDelete
  4. jeanlivingsimpleOctober 11, 2011 at 12:18 AM

    John, I am really glad you purchased the land instead of the Landrover. Sounds like you have a wildlife friendly place.
    Thumbs-up on the article!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Icy BCOctober 12, 2011 at 5:29 AM

    What a great story, and I agree that the land is a much better choice. It'll keep on giving for years to come, John!

    ReplyDelete
  6. mizztravellerOctober 13, 2011 at 12:32 PM

    Land is always a right and wise choice . You can invest the land and gave you more benefits .

    ReplyDelete

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