Summer Projects 2005

The summer of 2005 brought many willing volunteers to Keppel Croft to help with new projects that Bill had planned during the winter. The volunteers who worked with us came from all around the world and from within our own neighbourhood!

    Very special gardeners at Keppel Croft are the Wednesday Morning Volunteers. Some are gardeners, and some are not, but all are enthusiastic. After working for a couple of hours we all sit down and enjoy each other's company over morning coffee and treats on the patio under the crabapple tree. You'll know it is Wednesday at Keppel Croft by the sounds of laughter from the pairs of vounteers as they share jobs around the gardens.

     George Fujita and Anne Damin came from Northern California to stay at our Bed and Breakfast and to visit the gardens. We were sharing our dismay at the damage the deer did to some of our trees and shrubs in the winter. One particular tree, Juniperus canertii, right in front of the porch, was a real mess. George, who has had a life long career in gardening and in the creation of bonsai, offered to create a garden bonsai. for us out of this dismal tree. What a success that was!

George Fujita tackles the deer damaged tree.

    There is a Horticultural Institute in Angers, France and the first year students there are challenged in the summer to travel somewhere in the world, to immerse themelves in another langage, and to become involved in a local horticultural experience. This summer we enjoyed Elodie Rue's enthusiastic response to gardening at Keppel Croft. Another volunteer was Sebastien Wrangler from Switzerland who spent his summer polishing up his very presentable English and sharing with us his boundless energy and his humourous observations about Canadian life. Among an assortment of projects Elodie and Sebastian helped with the creation of a dry stream bed.

    Keppel Croft welcomes people from around the world. We are hosts in an organization called World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) We have had volunteers from India, Japan, Korea, Sweden, France, New Zealand, USA, Germany, Hong Kong, Northern Ireland, England and from all over Canada. This year we hosted several WWOOFers, including Atsuko Sakuuchi from Hokkaido, Japan. By coincidence, Atsuko was living with us at the time when our daughter was WWOOFing in Hokkaido on Japanese farms!

Atsuko, a very pleasant and helpful WWOOFer from Japan, relaxes with our elderly cat, Puff.