Monthly Update - May 2023
Some days don’t go that well, do they? We were busy with visits, and a notable school from London was without a leader. I was pleased to be asked to step into the breach. It was this time of year, and hot, with plenty of pollen about. The day had been organised by the school’s physics department and it was my job to demonstrate physics in action on the farm. A perfect start was the chalk pit with its evidence of where the giant asteroid hit the earth 65 million years ago. The impact caused a slight wobble to planet earth bringing chaos; 5-mile-high tsunamis, dust where the asteroid disintegrated and volcanic activity, together partially blocking out the sun for an estimated 10,000 years. The result was a massive wipe out of life including the most vulnerable dinosaurs. They had dominated the earth for around 180 million years, surviving today in the huge variety of different birds including our egg laying champions, the chicken. On the face of the chalk pit pockets of the high Iridium dust are evidence to this event.
After that, my poor performance at A Level physics came to the fore. We talked about tractors and mechanics, fence posts and taking the strain, lightening and its release of electricity to make the air into useful fertiliser. I should have told them what happened when our brand new combine rolled over into a pit and bounced (time stood still for me that day). As our time together wore on, one girl enquired whether we were still in London. Another, who had been fasting from food and water since 4am was feeling rather faint, along with several suffering from hay fever. There were, however, two girls walking with me as we viewed the amazing landscape of the Pang Valley. I humbly asked their opinion as to how the visit was going? “Man, we don’t do the countryside.” was their reply “This is the 21st Century!”
What greater incentive do you need to continue the work of the Trust of connecting children with the countryside? It is, after all, where our food comes from. It links us with weather and the seasons, with soils and rivers, the world of insects and pollinators, trees and pastures, wildlife and conservation. AND it sets us the challenge to look after such a special place really well.
